Keeping Ourselves Whole is a rebroadcast of the Best Friends Podcast episode about the emotional demands of animal-welfare work and small ways workers can care for themselves. Published October 7, 2021, as episode 83, it features Meryl Schwarz, a certified professional coach whose work includes compassion fatigue. The publisher’s summary places the conversation in the context of pandemic-era pressures and a growing staffing crisis, without giving numerical estimates or a transcript of the advice.
What is episode 83 about?
Best Friends describes the episode as a conversation about the strain of animal-welfare work and the challenge of looking after yourself while caring for animals. Its central practical point is that small actions for yourself may make a difference in day-to-day work. The episode page puts it this way: “even the smallest of actions you do for yourself can make a world of difference in your day-to-day work.” Best Friends’ episode 83 page identifies the episode as a rebroadcast and names pandemic pressures and staffing challenges as part of its 2021 context.
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Who is the guest, and what is the episode’s background?
The guest is Meryl Schwarz, M.A., M.Ed., Certified Professional Coach. The original episode page says she specializes in working with people experiencing compassion fatigue. Episode 83 was published October 7, 2021, and rebroadcasts episode 60, which first appeared on April 22, 2021. The original episode page describes animal-services work as an ongoing state of urgency and notes that workers can become absorbed in the work without taking time to recharge. That is the publisher’s framing, not a measured finding about every animal-welfare worker.
What can listeners take from it about burnout and compassion fatigue?
The episode’s summary points toward a useful tension: animal-welfare work can demand sustained emotional effort, while the people doing it also need opportunities to care for themselves. Its message is modest and practical—small self-care actions may affect the working day. The available episode description does not include a transcript, so it does not establish a specific routine, treatment, or set of techniques that Schwarz recommends. The episode should not be treated as a substitute for individualized professional support.
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Best Friends groups the episode with other materials on compassion fatigue, burnout, staff and volunteer wellbeing, and organizational support. That broader framing matters: individual actions are the episode’s stated focus, but the related topic collection also points to support at the organizational level. Best Friends’ compassion fatigue and burnout resources offers that wider context.
What additional resources does the episode list?
The rebroadcast page lists resources for people exploring compassion fatigue and wellbeing. The list includes Meryl Schwarz’s “Coping in the time of COVID”; Michele Gaspar’s “Healing the Wounded Healer,” associated with Maddie’s Fund and the 2013 Best Friends National Conference; Jessica Dolce’s stress resources and webinar; the Best Friends Podcast episode “Compassionate Badassery”; Mindful Lifesaving by Dr. Linda Harper and Faith Maloney; “Self Inventory Screening for Animal Advocates”; “Animal Caretaker Burnout”; Greater Good Magazine; and Jessica Dolce’s year-long “Compassion in Balance” online course.
The page’s list does not confirm that every resource or course is still available. Check the episode page and the resource provider for current access and details before relying on any item.
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Best Friends’ episode 83 page provides listening links for Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Google Podcasts, and Amazon Music. The episode is a rebroadcast of episode 60, so listeners looking for the first release can use the original episode page.
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