Ep. 60: Finding Your Rhythm: How Carol Sumbry Uses Movement to Manage Compassion Fatigue

Working in animal welfare and behavior can be incredibly rewarding—but it can also take a significant emotional toll. In this episode, I sit down with Carol Sumbry, a Certified Behavior Consultant, Force-Free Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Trauma-Informed Approach Professional, Therapy Dog Evaluator, and Family Dog Mediator™, to discuss the realities of compassion fatigue in behavior work and the importance of finding sustainable ways to care for yourself while caring for others.

Carol shares her journey into animal welfare, the emotional impact of working with aggression and trauma cases, and the lessons she's learned after decades of helping dogs and the people who love them. We also explore how movement, creativity, hobbies, and other self-care practices have become essential tools in helping her navigate the challenges of this work.

We discuss: 

• Carol's path into animal welfare, rescue, and behavior work
• The hidden emotional costs of working with trauma and aggression cases
• Recognizing the signs of compassion fatigue
• How trauma affects both animals and the humans trying to help them
• The connection between movement, exercise, and emotional resilience
• The role of yoga, creativity, hobbies, and other restorative activities
• Finding meaning and purpose in difficult work
• Lessons learned from a lifetime of helping animals

Resources: 

Carol's website

Sign up for my free monthly newsletter here.

Got a suggestion for a future topic? Reach out to me: jen@jenblough.com.

Interested in becoming certified in compassion fatigue? Learn more here!

Follow on social media: 

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Grab your free resources to help manage compassion fatigue here. 

Visit my free virtual calming room here. 

Get your copy of To Save a Starfish: A Compassion Fatigue Workbook for the Animal Welfare Warrior here.