This week, we flip the mic around and welcome someone who usually stays behind the scenes: Tony, our audio editor for the past three seasons and over 100 episodes. Tony has spent every week listening closely, smoothing out our ums and coughs, and turning our conversations into the show you hear. In this episode, we finally get to know the person doing that work. Tony shares how he found his way here: a decade behind the bar in the restaurant industry, a growing obsession with podcasts as an escape during long prep shifts, a broadcasting program, and eventually a connection through the Empower Network that led him to Diane and Tina at MindBodySpirit.fm. Tech was never the intimidating part for him, he tells us; being on camera is what makes him nervous. From there, the conversation opens into everything Tony has absorbed from the other side of the editing booth: the recurring theme of animals carrying people through hard times, the tenderness in how our audience finds comfort in "the woo," and the mix of inspiring and humbling moments that come with meeting people's heroes. We dig into a question Tony has wondered about for a while: the difference in cognition between domesticated and wild animals. Each of us weighs in with our own take, touching on boundaries, communication styles, and the deeper soul-level reasons animals choose to enter our lives. The conversation moves through animals in storytelling (Redwall, Homeward Bound, Timbuktu, and the shared trauma of "does the dog die?"), our favorite guests and most meaningful episodes over the seasons, and a joyful detour into dog breeds, herding instincts, and a Border Collie story from Tony's own life that captures just how much intelligence and personality animals bring to their play.We close by turning the spotlight back on Tony's role. He reminds us that everything is made by many hands, and that he's happy being, in his words, the one "editing out the red lights and making sure the tires don't sound funny." RESOURCES: Kara's Website - https://deeprootconnections.com Do YOU want to be an animal communicator or learn more about Soul Level Intuitive Coaching®? Check out the new classes and Be Open Community offered by our teacher, Danielle MacKinnon. It’s a great place to learn Energy Management, trusting yourself and even finding a great, supportive community. YOUR HOSTS Julie is a Soul Level Animal Communicator®, Heart Animal Soul Professional Communicator, Soul Level Intuitive Coach®, Spirit Animal Sacred Alchemy Practitioner and Certified Trauma-Informed Grief Coach. She writes the column “Trust the Animals” on Substack and is a teaching assistant for the Danielle MacKinnon School. Find out more about her and her monthly Pet Loss Grief Circles at her website: https://www.juliehirt-intuitive.com/ Karen is a Soul Level Animal Communicator®, Soul Level Intuitive Coach®, Pangu Shengong (qigong) Instructor and Energy Healer. She is an End-of-life Companion Animal Doula through the UVM certificate program and a teaching assistant for the Danielle MacKinnon School. She is also on the board of NicaLove Animal Rescue and the Founder and a Director of The Animal Communication Collective®. Find out more about her at her website: https://www.karendendysmith.com/ Meredith is a Soul Level Animal Communicator®, Soul Level Intuitive Coach®, Let Animals Lead® Animal Reiki Practitioner, and certified dog trainer with a focus on behavior modification and positive reinforcement. She is also a Director of The Animal Communication Collective®. Find out more about her at her website: https://www.meredithtollison.com/ You can find all of our episodes at MindBodySpirit.fm. Reach out to us with questions or comments via the Contact Us form on our website (https://www.theanimalcommunicationpodcast.com). Learn more about the fundraising work Karen, Meredith and Julie do with The Animal Communication Collective at https://www.animalcommunicationcollective.com/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
