215 episodes

Join co-hosts Chris and Ari for a discussion of animal training, behavior, human-animal relationships, and all things NEI-TEC (the Natural Encounters Inc Training and Education Center), and featuring guests from the NEI team and around the professional animal care world! Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com if you have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show!

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc‪.‬ Natural Encounters, Inc.

    • Science
    • 4.9 • 38 Ratings

Join co-hosts Chris and Ari for a discussion of animal training, behavior, human-animal relationships, and all things NEI-TEC (the Natural Encounters Inc Training and Education Center), and featuring guests from the NEI team and around the professional animal care world! Email us at podcast@naturalencounters.com if you have a question or something you'd like us to discuss on the show!

    Episode 211: "Do Science Better": Leadership Growth Through the Lens of Accessibility (with Jennie Janssen)

    Episode 211: "Do Science Better": Leadership Growth Through the Lens of Accessibility (with Jennie Janssen)

    Ari and Chris welcome Jennie Janssen (National Aquarium, MIASZ) back to the show to share her take - and a great new initiative from MIAZS (Minorities in Aquarium and Zoos Sciences) - relating to the challenge our field is facing of creating the leaders of tomorrow. 
    References from the episode:
    MIAZS - Minorities in Aquarium and Zoo Sciences 
    AMLAZ - Advancing Minority Leadership in Aquariums and Zoos
    Understanding Barriers and Opportunities for Women and People of Color in Zoos, Aquariums, and Related Fields: A Research Initiative (Full Report, Executive Summary, and Infographics)
    If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
    ---------------------------------
    The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

    • 36 min
    Episode 210: Nuggets of Knowledge from Nashville (with Scott Trauger)

    Episode 210: Nuggets of Knowledge from Nashville (with Scott Trauger)

    Ari has The Ick, so Chris is joined by NEI Supervisor Scott Trauger to share our notes - figuratively and literally - from the 2024 ABMA Annual Conference in Nashville, TN! 
    If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
    ---------------------------------
    The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

    • 38 min
    Episode 209: She Wanted a Sticker, She Got on a Podcast (with Lauren Vieira)

    Episode 209: She Wanted a Sticker, She Got on a Podcast (with Lauren Vieira)

    With Chris in Nashville to listen to other people talk into a microphone at the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA) Annual Conference, Ari keeps the show going with the help of future animal care professional Lauren Vieira! Lauren emailed us to say that she was a listener who would love a sticker from the podcast if we ever made one - we did (thanks to our friends at Slapco), so we asked her to be on the show! Lauren talks about her story of shifting focus from the hospitality world to the professional animal care field, chats about the joys of moving to Florida, shares a bit about some of the interviews she's had for her first full-time zoo job, and grills Ari on some stuff she wants to know about our world - such a great conversation! (#ForeverSpeakingIntoAMicrophone)
    If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
    ---------------------------------
    The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

    • 1 hr 8 min
    Episode 208: Chopping Floors and Sweeping Fish (with Marty MacPhee)

    Episode 208: Chopping Floors and Sweeping Fish (with Marty MacPhee)

    Well, it took us over 200 episodes to get our act together and make it happen, but it was worth the wait because we're finally joined by our favorite "Queen of Team," Marty MacPhee! Marty shares her background as a member of the "NEI Extended Universe," her training and behavior background at Brookfield Zoo and Disney's Animal Kingdom, and many of the lessons she's learned along the way about teamwork, coaching, and communication. We discuss the changing expectations of people coming in as new members of the zoological field, the importance of active listening, the problems that happen when we overindex on competency to the exception of honesty and empathy, strategies for lowering defensiveness, and the thrill of having a leader that's interested in your success. This was a wonderful conversation with one of our favorite people!
    References: 
    The New Rules of Executive Presence by Sylvia Ann Hewlitt First Step to Collaboration? Don't be so Defensive! by Jim Tamm Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
    ---------------------------------
    The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

    • 1 hr 16 min
    Episode 207: A New Model for Ambassador Animal Welfare (with Steve Martin)

    Episode 207: A New Model for Ambassador Animal Welfare (with Steve Martin)

    Ari and Chris welcome back NEI President and CEO, Steve Martin, back to the show to talk about his recently published journal aritcle, "A Reexamination of the Relationship between Training Practices and Welfare in the Management of Ambassador Animals"! Steve talks about how the article came about, the steep learning curve involved in the ins and outs of creating a peer-reviewed document, the revisions we went through for over a year to get to the final product, and what he hopes the professional animal care field could gain from reading it. A great chat about an important topic!
    For more information, click here to read Steve's article from the journal Animals. 
    If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
    ---------------------------------
    The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

    • 47 min
    Episode 206: So...Are We Promoting Rob Parson Or Not???

    Episode 206: So...Are We Promoting Rob Parson Or Not???

    Courtesy of the fine folks at the HBR on Leadership Podcast from Harvard Business Review, Chris brings a challenge for discussion to the table: what do you do when a top performer on your team that is up for promotion is also known for treating their collegues badly? We share the ins of outs of the case study "Rob Parson at Morgan Stanley" to reflect on the challenges leaders face when promoting - or not promoting - a controversial member of their team, and what they can do to both mitigate and deal with the potential fallout that it can cause for the organization. Get ready to get uncomfortable!
    If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!
    ---------------------------------
    The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audible.com! To support the show and get a free 30-day trial of everything Audible has to offer, visit http://www.audibletrial.com/tectalk- thanks Audible!

    • 34 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
38 Ratings

38 Ratings

KN_95 ,

An epic find!

Both entertaining and educational! This podcast is not just for people who are in the the animal field , Chris and Ari touch upon so many topics including leadership, communication, animals and more! The sky’s the limit when it comes to this podcast and you never know who the next guest speaker is or what topic they will touch upon next! Highly recommend!!!

sammi_gruman ,

Useful in all aspects of life!

This podcast has taught me so many useful tips and tricks not just on animal related things for work, but even more about people interactions. It is truly helpful even for those who are not in the animal field, but looking for better ways to communicate with peers. There’s great episodes that can help on the leadership side of things too! I have learned so much from their podcasts, it has helped me grow into the human I am. I have learned new ways to support those around me and build better, more positive relationships with others! Thank you NEI Tec Talk!!!!

lauvie01 ,

Educational and entertaining

Hello All!

I highly recommend this podcast to anyone and everyone who has an interest in animal care and behavior. As a current animal science student this podcast has been a fantastic dose of animal behavior and “behind the scenes” conversations, and insights to real day to day animal care situations that I do not get while earning my degree. On top of all of this Ari and Chris speak in terms and with a realness that everyone can relate to. Love this pod ! #ForeverSpeakingIntoAMicrophone ☺️

Top Podcasts In Science

Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
Something You Should Know
Mike Carruthers | OmniCast Media | Cumulus Podcast Network
Radiolab
WNYC Studios
Crash Course Pods: The Universe
Crash Course Pods, Complexly
Ologies with Alie Ward
Alie Ward
StarTalk Radio
Neil deGrasse Tyson

You Might Also Like

Animal Behavior Conversations: The Podcast of The ABMA
Shane Gorbett, Board of Directors, The Animal Behavior Management Alliance
Zoo Logic
Dr. Grey Stafford
Ologies with Alie Ward
Alie Ward
Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
NPR
Animal Training Academy
ryan cartlidge