Kristen Baltrum is the founder and Executive Director of Annie and Millie's Place, a non-profit dedicated to helping people experiencing homelessness keep their pets by providing resources, pet-friendly solutions, and advocacy, named inmemory of her sister Annie and her dog Millie, who faced homelessness together.

Learn from Shelly Fisher about the Animal-Assisted Wellness Garden, a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to promote healing, connection, and balance at a healthcare facility. Easily adaptable to other settings, including universities, the garden combines nature, animal interaction, and evidence-based design to create a restorative space where people can study,reflect, heal, and connect meaningfully with both animals and the natural world.

Learn from Brent Hershey, a pork producer who converted his operation away from gestation crates after Proposition 12 towards more humane pig housing systems, and who has been keeping track of the impacts of the change.

Learn what it takes to protect carnivores around the world with Dr  Anthony Giordano, who is the founder, director, and Chief Conservation Officer at Species, the Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores and their International Ecological Study

Join us to hear conservation psychologist and campaigner Stephanie Klarmann talk about South Africa’s controversial captive lion industry. She discusses the hidden realities of canned hunting, the commercial exploitation of big cats, and the movement to end this unethical trade.

Additional information:

Blood Lions website: https://bloodlions.org/

More info on industry myths: https://bloodlions.org/about-the-brutal-industry/debunking-industry-myths/

Wild Choices: https://www.wildchoices.org/

Stephanie's latest research paper on the impact of captive farming on wild populations: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2316

Join us as Dr. Philip Tedeschi explores the growing global movement to recognize animals as feeling, thinking individuals. From science and ethics to policy and personal choices, we unpack why animal sentience matters—and how it challenges us to build more compassionate relationships with all species.

Animal attorney and ordained animal chaplain Rev Ginny Mikita, JD discusses her dual mission to change both laws and hearts—illuminating how empathy, faith, and persistence can move the moral arc toward justice for all beings.

Listen to Katie Kuehl and Natalie Rejto talk about the work of the One Health Clinic in Seattle, Washington—a collaborative initiative with the University of Washington’s Center for One Health Research. This innovative clinic recognizes that the bond between people and their pets is inseparable, especially for individuals experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. At the clinic, humans and animals receive care as an integrated family unit. The clinic’s interdisciplinary team provides medical, behavioral, and nutritional support while addressing overlapping challenges such as zoonotic disease and shared environmental risks.