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PODCAST

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

Natural Encounters, Inc.

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!

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All Episodes

00:43:02

Episode 261: Is Your Animal Doing What You Want? (TEC...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/04/17

It's consulting time! Chris is back at the Little Rock Zoo working with a team of eight trainers from around the zoo to get everyone working with people and animals they don't normally get a chance to, with the hopes that it might help them be better "training trainers" for new staff in the future! This has meant a lot of conversations about how you should decide what to do next during training sessions, and so we're rolling back out an episode from 2022 (#115, for those counting) that helps people

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00:39:20

Episode 260: The Guinea Pigs Have Arrived! (with...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/04/10

Chris and Ari share two microphones with their newest coworkers, Hayley Dougherty and Taylor LaTulipe! Hayley and Taylor share their immediate feelings after their first interviews, get quizzed to see how much they know about the show sections they started learning less than 2 days ago, reflect on how they felt coming out of their first interviews, and get to ask the hosts about their own progression through the company. Thank you to the team for letting us steal Hayley and Taylor in the middle of

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01:02:02

Episode 259: Okay - I'm Going to Get a Degree, Then...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/04/03

Ari sits down with Kimm Hunt, President of the International Animal Training Certification Board (IATCB), to dive into the IATCB certification exam—how it’s developed, maintained, and what it means for animal trainers. They also explore Kimm’s work with shelter dogs, tackling tough topics like behavioral euthanasia and the importance of understanding behavioral science to help all learners thrive.If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a

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00:36:43

Episode 258: Don't Panic! Let Your Weird Flagg Fly!...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/03/27

Chris is off at the AZA mid-year meeting, so Ari is joined by NEI Senior Trainer Josh Flagg for this episode! They dive into the challenges and joys of being the new person on a zoo team. From making new staff feel safe and welcome to knowing when (and when not) to let your "weird flag" fly, Josh and Ari explore ways to set teams up for success. They also share tips for uncovering a team’s culture even before you start. Check out this episode for valuable insights into building a positive

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00:28:32

Episode 257: What Does Goal-Based Enrichment Look...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/03/20

Chris once again ambushes Ari with a surprise topic for discussion, thanks to a great email we received: now that the definition of "enrichment for animals" has evolved, what might "modern, goal-based enrichment" look like for the humans we work alongside in the professional animal care field? We chat about the staff-driven professional development offerings that happen during "Growvember", the focused feedback that we get from "intention projects", the

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00:34:28

Episode 256: What Do Great Trainers Actually DO?...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/03/13

Ari and Chris steal a bit of time out of a busy day to chat with NEI's Steve Martin to follow up on last week's episode and talk about the practical, observable, and trainable behaviors that we see great trainers do. Focusing both on skills people can build in themselves and help build in others, the trio talks about meeting people where they're at, the importance of having a solid plan (that can change at any time based on feedback from your animal's behavior ), being an

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00:49:12

Episode 255: Grab Your Trowel, We're Cultivating...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/03/06

With Chris busy being immersed in our Immersion Workshop, Ari is joined once more by Adam Geltz (Senior Trainer, Natural Encounters, Inc.) to discuss a listener email asking us to share some thoughts about cultivating great animal trainers. They start by talking about setting up strong antecedents to foster a safe environment for learning, move on to building training skills through offering and accepting valuable feedback, and finally chat about finding reinforcers that encourage more training and

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00:45:18

Episode 254: Changing Jobs and Continuing Connections...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/02/27

Chris and Ari sit down with Ramon Castillo, who Ari first connected with through NEI’s work with Bearizona Wildlife Park—when he reached out to chat about reptile training! They discuss his time at Bearizona, his transition to The St. Augustine Alligator Farm, and how he’s working to make animal programs more accessible in both English and Spanish. Tune in for insights on breaking barriers and creating universal connections with wildlife!-----------------------If you have an idea for how you can

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00:58:15

Episode 253 - Ego, Influence, and Extreme Ownership

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/02/20

With Ari out conferencing in Tennessee, Chris is joined by fellow NEI'er Adam Geltz to talk about their takeaways from Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babbin. They chat about the importance of recognizing when your ego gets in the way of making decisions that are best for the team, how vulnerability and delegation build trust and influence, why you have to be careful where you choose to spend your "leadership capital", where punishment

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00:44:00

Episode 252: Accelerate Your Growth Arc (with Adam...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/02/13

With Chris busy teaching at NEI's Professional Contemporary Animal Training and Management Workshop, Ari gets some coworker support and is joined by special co-host Adam Geltz and returning guest Shay Gruman! The three talk about how they've each been working on their personal and professional growth outside of NEI, reflecting on how breaking goals into smaller parts can help increase one's rate of reinforcement, the importance of building both active and passive skills, the gift we give others when

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01:16:00

Episode 251: If All You Do Is Grind, When Do You Have...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/02/06

Chris is joined by fellow podcaster and all around amazing Kiwi, Ryan Cartlidge, founder of Animal Training Academy! Ryan chats about how a desire for better work-life balance led to exploring non-zoo jobs beyond consulting, how a friend with a recording studio led to ATA's first online course, why it's important for people in the field to "keep their swords sharp," the joy of working with happiness engineers, and why you should thank people when they say "no."----- If

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01:51:14

Episode 250: From Timid Fans to Lifelong Friends...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/01/30

HAPPY 250TH EPISODE, TEC TALK! To celebrate this fun landmark, Ari and Chris are joined by four amazing people who've had a huge impact on us and our field: Ken Ramirez (Karen Pryor Clicker Training), Steve Martin (Natural Encounters, Inc.), Susan Friedman (Behavior Works), and Tim Sullivan (Brookfield Zoo Chicago)! Our guests talk about how they all met each other (spoiler alert: everyone was intimidated by everyone), reflect on the impact on their lives of the late Karen Pryor, share some of

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00:48:31

Episode 249: The Uses and Limits of Anthropomorphism...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/01/23

Ya'll know the drill by now: you send us an email, you get invited to be on the podcast, and as a result we get to hang out with Katy Kocisko (not Kocinko, Chris), orangutan caretaker at The Center for Great Apes! Katy shares how a school field trip lead to her first internship and full time job at Bearizona Wildlife Park (where she first met the NEI crew when we were consulting there), how a lifelong interest in great apes lead to a big move across the country to our neck of the woods, and the

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00:26:48

Episode 248: Off the Cuff (with Susan Friedman,...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/01/17

Boy oh boy, did life decide to life all over us today! Today we had a fun recording planned with the amazing Dr Susan Friedman, founder of Behavior Works... and then a surprise USDA inspection stole Ari away from us and threw everything into a tizzy! Chris did get a bit of time to chat with Susan, and though we decided to push our planned recording down the calendar to later in the year, I did get to record our chat, and at Susan's encouragement we decide to share some of it with you! We are

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00:36:04

Episode 247: Yay, Let's Talk About Grief!

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/01/09

Ari and Chris are back together to talk about everyone's favorite topic in the professional animal care world: dealing with the grief following the loss of an animal in your care. We share some great advice from others, some old attitudes that we think aren't helpful , and some excellent resources to help all of us deal with the worst part of our jobs. Also, stick around for the end, where we share some quick thoughts about the loss of a foundational leader in the animal training field, Karen Pryor,

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00:18:15

Episode 246: All the NEI Stuff and Things Coming in...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2025/01/02

With Chris channeling the year our show was born by being knocked out by COVID, Ari takes the helm for the first podcast episode of the year to chat about all the new webinar, online course, and workshop offerings that NEI has on the books for 2025. Come hang out with us, it'll be a blast!If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!

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01:01:39

Episode 245: You're Doing It! You're Living Your...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2024/12/26

Ari and Chris are excited to be joined by former NEI'er, secret payroll lover, and reluctant extrovert Lacey Zeno, Curator of Ambassador Animals at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium! Lacey talks about the path that took her from dog training and vet school prep to being Ari's roommate in Dallas (thanks, Amy Robinson!), achieving her goals of working with free-flight birds and elephants, the ins and out of making a huge move with two kids and too many pets, the importance of asking for helping when

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00:45:23

Episode 244: ....Why Don't We Try It Now? (with Emma...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2024/12/19

Thanks to the magic of technology, Chris is joined from the other side of planet Earth by Emma Pearce, Carnivore Keeper and Animal Training Coordinator at Hamilton Zoo in New Zealand! Emma shares her journey through the animal care field in Australasia (including a brief detour into biosecurity), what it's like to be an "animal training committee of one," offers feedback about what it's like to be "pushed" by NEI, and how she's applying her animal training knowledge and skills to the human animals

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00:51:58

Episode 243: Pursue Your Joy AND Leave Room To Pivot...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2024/12/12

We're excited to be joined by one of Chris' earliest mentors in the professional animal care world, Stu Levine! Stu crushes decades of amazing experiences into less than an hour to talk about being a part of the original "Florida NEI" team that moved Steve and the company from its former home base of Minnesota, the joy of eating lunch with a baboon every day, his history as a keeper, coordinator, and executive leadership consultant with the Walt Disney Company, the importance of combining organic

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00:49:53

Episode 242: At the "Chlorine-Splattered Pants"...

The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural... ·

2024/12/05

Coming back to the show for his first full-episode guest spot, Ari and Chris welcome Jon Rossi to the show! Jon talks about how his world shutting down in 2020 led to the creation of the Rossifari Podcast, his adventures getting to meet the various members of the NEI crew, how a silly joke gone too far got NEI's Amy Fennell killed (spoiler alert: she's alive and part of this episode), the series of events that got him involved with the Red Panda Network, Penguins International, and the Aquarium of

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