Steve Koyle didn't set out to be a disruptor. He just couldn't stop asking for more.

In this episode, Steve takes us through 14 years as an elephant keeper at the Phoenix Zoo, and how his passion for elephant welfare ultimately led to him being fired.

It was, he says, the best thing that ever happened to elephants.

Today Steve travels the world through Elephant Care Unchained, showing up at zoos, temples, camps, and sanctuaries with one simple goal: whatever this is, make it better. It's unglamorous, exhausting, often heartbreaking work — done without a home address, out of a suitcase, powered entirely by intention. This is a conversation about reform, resilience, and what it means to speak on behalf of animals who didn't sign up for any of this.

Steve Koyle is the founder of Elephant Care Unchained, a nonprofit working globally to improve elephant welfare by training handlers and supporting the transition to humane care practices. Steve's decades of hands-on experience give him a unique and hard-earned perspective on what elephants in captivity need — and what it takes to change the culture around them. He is currently launching a campaign to help the elephants nobody knows about, bringing awareness and care to captive elephants living in conditions that rarely make headlines.

🌐 elephantcareunchained.com 📸 Instagram: @elephantcareunchained 💛 Donate to support Steve's mission: elephantcareunchained.com/donate

The Weeping Elephant Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and affecting change for circus and zoo elephants in the United States. Bearing Weight is our effort to bring voices together — because the work is stronger when it's shared.

Consider donating to support the work we're doing: weepingelephant.org

🌐 weepingelephant.org 📸 Instagram: @weepingelephantproject

What does it actually take for a traumatized elephant to begin to heal? And what does it mean to be a truly ethical traveler in a world where every venue calls itself a sanctuary?

In part two of our conversation with Katherine Connor, we move from her personal story into the broader landscape of elephant welfare in Thailand. Kat takes us inside the recovery process at BLES — where no two elephants heal the same way, and where true sanctuary means recognizing that trauma sits differently in every individual. She challenges the misconception that rescue is a fairy tale, and shares what it really looks like when an elephant finally feels safe.

We also explore one of the most misunderstood relationships in elephant welfare: the bond between elephants and their mahouts. Kat makes a compelling and compassionate case for why mahouts are not the enemy — and why the responsibility for change lies with all of us.

This is a conversation that will challenge the way you think about tourism, advocacy, and what it truly means to put elephants first.

Katherine Connor is the founder of Boon Lott's Elephant Sanctuary in Sukhothai, Thailand — one of the world's most respected true sanctuaries for elephants. BLES has been operating for 20+ years and has rescued over 45 elephants in Boon Lott's name, providing them with hundreds of acres of land, a mahout family that has cared for elephants for generations, and a life defined by freedom, space, and dignity.

🌐 blesele.org 📸 Instagram: @blesele 🐘 Adopt an elephant: blesele.org/adopt 💛 Donate: blesele.org/financial-gift

The Weeping Elephant Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and affecting change for circus and zoo elephants in the United States. Bearing Weight is our effort to bring voices together — because the work is stronger when it's shared.

Consider donating to support the work we're doing: weepingelephant.org

🌐 weepingelephant.org 📸 Instagram: @weepingelephantproject

If you haven't listened yet, go back and start with Part One — A Promise to Boon Lott — to hear Katherine's full origin story and the remarkable life of the elephant who started it all.

At 21 years old, Katherine Connor quit her job, left London, and flew to Thailand — drawn by a lifelong love of elephants she had never actually seen. What she found there would change everything.

In this episode, Kat shares the origin story behind Boon Lott's Elephant Sanctuary — from traveling to over 30 elephant venues in search of one that truly put elephants first, to a chance encounter with a premature baby elephant named Boon Lott that would redefine the entire course of her life.

This is a conversation about love, grief, purpose, and what it means to dedicate your life to something bigger than yourself. It is one of the most extraordinary origin stories we have ever heard.

Katherine Connor is the founder of Boon Lott's Elephant Sanctuary in Sukhothai, Thailand — one of the world's most respected true sanctuaries for elephants. BLES has been operating for 20+ years and has rescued over 45 elephants in Boon Lott's name, providing them with hundreds of acres of land, a mahout family that has cared for elephants for generations, and a life defined by freedom, space, and dignity.

🌐 blesele.org 📸 Instagram: @blesele 🐘 Adopt an elephant: blesele.org/adopt 💛 Donate: blesele.org/financial-gift

The Weeping Elephant Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and affecting change for circus and zoo elephants in the United States. Bearing Weight is our effort to bring voices together — because the work is stronger when it's shared.

Consider donating to support the work we're doing: weepingelephant.org

🌐 weepingelephant.org 📸 Instagram: @weepingelephantproject

Don't miss Part Two of our conversation with Katherine Connor — Putting Elephants First — where we dive into elephant tourism in Thailand, the role of mahouts, and what recovery truly looks like for elephants once they arrive at a true sanctuary.