Are you feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure where to turn for support? You’re not alone—and today’s episode is here to help.

In this episode of Beyond Compassion Fatigue, I break down one of the most common questions I'm asked: What’s the difference between therapy and coaching—and which one is right for me?

Whether you’ve tried therapy and still feel stuck, or you're just starting to explore your options for support, this episode offers clarity, guidance, and hope.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The key differences between therapy and coaching
• How to determine which approach best fits your current needs
• Why some people benefit from both therapy and coaching
• What group coaching offers that 1:1 support doesn’t
• A sneak peek into my nine-week Group Coaching Program for Compassion Fatigue

Learn more about the Group Coaching Program here!

Happy National Boundaries Awareness Day! On today's episode, we'll explore:

• What are boundaries and why they're important in animal care, welfare, and activism
• Soft, rigid, and healthy boundaries
• How boundaries can impact your personal and professional lives
• How different boundaries might show up in your work with animals
• Time, emotional, mental, communication, physical, energy, and professional boundaries
• Practical strategies to set and maintain healthy boundaries and protect your mental health

Grab your boundaries affirmations and other free resources at https://www.beyondcompassionfatigue.com/

In today's episode, we explore the different types of trauma that can be common in animal care, welfare, and activism. We'll learn about:

• What is trauma?
• Why trauma is actually subjective
• Primary and secondary trauma
• Secondary traumatic stress
• Symptoms of trauma
• How trauma contributes to compassion fatigue
• Collective trauma
• Perpetration Induced Traumatic Stress
• Acute and chronic trauma
• Acute stress reaction

Grab your free resources! https://www.beyondcompassionfatigue.com/

Today I talk with Val Ellsworth, the founder of Nothing But Love Canine Foundation to explore the mental health impact of working in animal rescue and the importance of peer support.

We explore

• Her journey into animal welfare work

• Early signs that her mental health was suffering

• Why isolation is so common—and dangerous—in this field

• The life-changing power of peer support and safe spaces

• Letting go of guilt and embracing self-care

• Boundaries and practices that protect emotional well-being

• How to begin building a personal or professional support network

Resources mentioned:

Compassion Fatigue Group Coaching Program

Nothing But Love Canine Foundation:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Amazon Wish List

Chewy Wish List

In this episode of Beyond Compassion Fatigue, we dive deep into the topic of disenfranchised grief—the kind of grief that often goes unrecognized and unsupported by society. We'll explores how disenfranchised grief manifests in the world of animal care, welfare, and activism. Whether it's mourning a euthanized shelter pet, grieving a wild animal lost to environmental destruction, or feeling heartbroken over animals you've never even met, this episode validates and honors those deeply personal and often invisible losses. If you've ever been told, “It was just a dog,” or “You chose this work,” this episode is for you.

Topics covered include:

• What disenfranchised grief is and why it’s so common in animal welfare and activism

• Why society struggles to recognize or support this kind of grief

• Common examples of disenfranchised grief in the animal care field

• How unacknowledged grief can contribute to compassion fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and even PTSD

• The importance of acknowledging and processing grief—even when the world doesn’t understand

• Practical ways to cope and honor your grief through healthy outlets and support

Resources mentioned:

Compassion Fatigue Group Coaching Program

To Save a Starfish: A Compassion Fatigue Workbook for the Animal Welfare Warrior

Grab your free resources at https://www.beyondcompassionfatigue.com/

Share your starfish tattoo with me! jen@jenblough.com

Compassion fatigue doesn't just affect individuals—it can infiltrate entire teams, departments, and organizations. In this episode, I'm joined by the author of The Compassion Fatigued Organization to explore what happens when secondary trauma and chronic stress become embedded in the culture of animal care, welfare, and activism.

We dive into what organizational compassion fatigue really means, how it shows up in workplace systems, and what leaders—as well as staff and volunteers—can do to shift from burnout to resilience.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What organizational compassion fatigue is and how it can show up.
• Why cultivating a culture of compassion goes far beyond encouraging individual self-care.
• What it means to be a trauma-informed organization and how leadership can lead the way.
• How trauma reenactments and stress responses (fight, flight, freeze) ripple through teams and shape workplace culture.
• The current cultural "war on empathy" and how to protect and nurture empathy in your team.
• The evolving role of self-care: why it’s important not just for staff and volunteers, but for the organization as a whole

Whether you’re a team lead, frontline worker, or volunteer, this episode will help you better understand the systemic nature of compassion fatigue and offer concrete tools to begin healing from the inside out.

Resources mentioned:

https://resiliencyonline.com/

The Compassion Fatigued Organization

The Compassion Fatigue Workbook

In this episode, we explore the cyclical nature of compassion fatigue, examining how it can trap animal welfare workers and caregivers in a pattern of chronic stress and emotional depletion. We contrast the pathology cycle—marked by overextension, denial, and eventual burnout—with the renewal cycle, which emphasizes boundaries, self-awareness, recovery, and sustainability. Listeners are invited to reflect on where they fall within the cycle and are offered insights and tools to help shift from a state of suffering to one of healing and resilience.

In this episode, we explore the zombie phase of the compassion fatigue cycle—when emotional numbness, detachment, and exhaustion become the norm. You may feel like you’re moving through your days on autopilot, disconnected from your passion, purpose, and even your own emotions. We break down the key signs of the zombie phase, why it’s so dangerous for animal advocates, and how to begin reconnecting with yourself and your mission.