Shows / The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by 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!
Episodes
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 168: "The Asian Chick in the Back of the Room" (with Jennie Janssen, National Aquarium & MIAZS)
Ari and Chris are excited to be joined by Jennie Janssen, Assistant Curator at National Aquarium and President and Co-Founder of Minorities in Aquarium and Zoo…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 167: As Always, "It Depends" (The Ten Laws of Shaping, Part 2)
Chris and Ari return to Karen Pryor's Don't Shoot the Dog! to discuss another batch of guidelines from her "Ten Laws of Shaping"! Solid advice all around, with…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 166: Animal Podcasters of the World Unite (with Podcast Hosts Dr Grey Stafford, Ryan Cartlidge, and Shane Gorbett)
What's better than an animal training and behavior podcast? FOUR OF THEM ALL AT THE SAME TIME! Chris and Ari fulfill a longtime dream and bring together the…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 165: Once Upon A Time in Rhode Island (with the Roger Williams Park Zoo's Bird Show Team)
Chris is MIA (still in America, just lost his voice) but Ari soldiers on with the help of Sean Hoelle, Kassidy King, and Morgan Lopes, part of the staff of…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 164: Staying Constructive in an Evolving Animal Field (with Lizzi Fricker, Natural Encounters, Inc.)
Chris has the plague! But don't worry, he is resting at home and Ari is joined this week by NEI trainer Lizzi Fricker (which is definitely her last name, as we…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 163: How is "DRSA" Not a Thing? (The Ten Laws of Shaping, Part 1)
Ari and Chris reconvene in their office to discuss Don't Shoot the Dog's Ten Laws of Shaping! Having not read the book in years, we were interested to look at…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 162: Disaster Response (with Julia Wagner, ZDR3)
Ari hosts while Chris is stuck on a train somewhere in Europe, but it's far from a disaster because Julia Wagner, ZDR3's Executive Director, joins the show to…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 161: Best. Zoom. Background. EVER!
Ari is back in Orlando so Chris had to flee Florida again - too much podcasting power to keep in one city! Ari recounts her time at AZA Croc School, while…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 160: Return of the TEC Talk Book Club (Crucial Conversations, Chapters 7-9)
With Ari busy teaching a training course at Croc School (who knew crocs even went to school, amazing!), our hosts meet up via the power of the Internet for…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 159: Spending Time in the Messy Middle Bit (with Shannon McKinney and Hannah Fulmer, GRAZE)
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Chris and Ari are very excited to be joined by Shannon McKinney and Hannah Fulmer from GRAZE (Growing Resiliency for…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 158: One Order of Show Feedback, Hold the Poop Sandwich
Chris and Ari share a microphone to discuss how they provide show feedback! They discuss the general format for how and when they present it, share some…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 157: Happy Third Anniversary, TEC Talk!
Despite being separated by 4,700 miles and the Pacific Ocean, Ari and Chris sit down to celebrate the third anniversary of the TEC Talk Podcast! We share our…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 156: Listener Feedback for Pod-iversary Eve
With the third anniversary of the show looming, Ari and Chris reflect on some emails and show reviews we've recently received, tease an upcoming episode with…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 155: Out of Control! (with Steve Martin, Natural Encounters, Inc.)
Chris is in Arkansas doing his best to dodge tornados, so this week Ari has the opportuntiy to sit down with the one and only Steve Martin (President/CEO of…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 154: The TEC Talk Book Club Strikes Back (Crucial Conversation, Chapters 4-6, with Bella Sorensson, Natural Encounters, Inc.)
The TEC Talk Book Club returns to cover chapters 4-6 of Crucial Conversations with NEI's Bella Sorensson! Having just completed the book with the other awesome…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 153: We Have Different Viewpoints of What Flight Means for Humans (with Dave Womach, Jamie Womach, and Daryl Peterson)
Chris returns from his second bout with COVID-19 to join Ari in welcoming three cool people to the podcast, BirdTricks' Dave and Jamie Womach, and Master…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 152: Professional Relationships with Animals
Chris is out sick and Ari is up at the crack of dawn to bring you this Morning Coffee SoloCast! Join her as she shares some thoughts on professional…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 151: So Many Good Steves! (Live from the 2023 ABMA-IMATA Conference)
Greetings from the 2023 ABMA-IMATA Joint Conference in Atlanta! Chris sits down with fellow ABMA Board Members and all-around awesome people Christina Lavallee…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 150: Welcome to the TEC Talk Book Club! (Crucial Conversations, Chapters 1-3)
The show returns to its influenza roots to celebrate 150 episodes with Ari home sick (just the regular flu, thank you very much) and Chris at work, talking…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 149: Better Humans All Around (with Shelby Jecius, Bearizona Wildlife Park)
Ari and Chris sit down for a chat with Bearizona's very own Shelby Jecius! Shelby shares the path through the animal field that lead to her current role as a…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 148: Pet Floofy Kittens (Live from the 2023 IAATE Conference)
Ari sits down after the 2023 IAATE Conference Icebreaker with some of the amazing attendees and board members to talk about what they're looking forward to at…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 147: The First Rule of Book Club is We Talk About Book Club (with The NEI Book Club)
Chris is joined by NEI's Erik Montgomery, Clarie Santiago, Bella Sorensson, Kassidy King, Hunter Peck, and Cori Dawson to chat about the newly-launched NEI…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 146: Multitasking to Talk About Multitasking
What better way to demonstrate the challenges of multitasking than to record a podcast at 70mph? While pursuing different alternate routes to a meeting at the…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 145: When "Helping the Animal" Hurts the Behavior
After a discussion of the current global makeup of our listenership (based on some very dubious analytics), Ari and Chris (and Ari's dog, Archer) dig into the…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 144: Keep It 100! (with Adam Triska, Natural Encounters, Inc.)
Ari and Chris sit down with NEI Senior Trainer Adam Triska to chat about his first day of shows as our newest stage presenter at The Theme Park Which Must Not…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 143: Inspiration at the Shrub of Living Things (Live from the Workshop!)
Recorded LIVE at NEI's January 2023 Professional Contemporary Animal Training and Management Workshop, it's the TEC Talk Podcast! Chris sits down with some of…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 142: TEC Talk's Plans for 2023
After a bit of reminiscing over their "holiday drywalls," Ari and Chris share some of the fun new ideas they'll be trying out for the show in 2023. Stay tuned…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 141: Many People Talking into Many Microphones (aka NEI Says Goodbye to 2022)
For the last episode of 2022 we're featuring...everyone! The staff of NEI share some of their highlights of the year as we stare down the barrel of 2023…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 140: Attitude Determines Your Altitude (with Dave O'Connell, Bearizona Wildlife Park)
Ari and Chris get a second sit-down with Bearizona Wildlife Park's "Grand Poo-Pah" Dave O'Connell! Dave "returves" to the show to talk about what he and the…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 139: Purposeful Recognition and Reinforcement
After a quick review of the 2022 NEI Holiday Party, Chris and Ari chat about the importance of specificity when praising and recognizing others, the line…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 138: Playing Ketchup From Last Week
Ari and Chris go face to face via "Internet tubes" to talk about keto ketchup, Frank Lloyd Wright, birds that aren't Harris hawks, the 2022 ZAA Annual…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 137: Welcome to the BOP Shop! (with Amy Fennell, Dan Blair, and Adam Triska, Natural Encounters, Inc.)
Welcome to Workshop Week, Bird of Prey Style! Chris sits down for a quick chat with fellow workshop instructors Adam Triska, Dan Blair, and Amy Fennell to talk…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 136: Mom So Hard (with Danielle Poirier Larson, Southwick's Zoo)
Happy Turkey Day in the USA! Ari sits down for some mom-talk with Danielle Poirier Larson, Curator of Birds & Training at Southwick's Zoo! Ari and Danielle…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 135: Telling "White Dog Stories" to Save Lives (with Cindy Benson, Benson Ranch Livestock Guardian Training)
It's Contemporary Animal Training and Management Workshop Week at the Ranch, so Chris sits down to chat with one of our attendees, livestock guardian dog (LGD)…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 134: Keeping Positive (with Natalie Sunray, Metro Richmond Zoo)
Ari hosts solo while Chris is...somewhere, but she's not alone! Natalie Sunray is our guest this week, currently interning at Metro Richmond Zoo, and feeling…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 133: Training Alliances, Monkey Mamas, and Anthropomorphism (with Gary Wilson, Moorpark College)
Moorpark College's Gary Wilson returns to the show! After a quick discussion about the start of another NEI "Growvember," Gary talks about the beginnings of…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 132: Work-Life Integration and Chameleon Leadership (with Will Elgar, Zoo Miami)
Chris and Ari are joined by Zoo Miami director WIll Elgar! Will talks about his path from starting as an animal trainer in the UK to leadership roles in the…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 131: Baby's First Midyear (with Scott Trauger, Natural Encounters, Inc.)
Midyear? Mid year? Mid-year? However you spell it, Chris chats about his experience (so far) at his first midyear conference as an ABMA board member with NEI…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 130: The Student Becomes the Teacher (with Gary Wilson, Moorpark College)
Ari and Chris are joined by one of our most frequently-requested guests: former professor and co-department chair of the Exotic Animal Training and Management…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 129: Post Hurricane Wrap-Up
Ari and Chris are tired (but otherwise great!) as they share how NEI and their birds fared during Hurricane Ian, and discuss everything that transpired to get…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 128: Hurricane Moving Day (A Theme Park Story in Three Acts)
It would take an act of God to keep us from bringing you a show every week. And then one happened, and still we were like, "nah, we got this." It's moving day…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 127: Behaviour is What We Do (in the UK)
Greetings from Across the Pond! Chris does a solo-cast from the UK to talk about the great work the team back home has done in getting our birds back home from…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 126: The L-Squared Takeover (with Lucy Rutt and Lisa Haggadone, Natural Encounters, Inc.)
It's an "L-Squared Takeover" as Lucy and Lisa take over the podcast! Will they share insightful thoughts about our field? Share what they've got for lunch…
- The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.
Episode 125: Pride for the Past and Ambitions for the Future
Ari and Chris use two fully-functioning microphones to answer the following questions from our staff: what are you most proud of that you've accomplished in…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 124: The Dos and Don'ts of Venting
One computer. Two mics. Two people. One office. Ari and Chris share physical space once more to talk about the subject of venting, and how to do it without…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 123: Feathered Friends and Flight
While Ari is away, Chris does his best to discuss one of the hottest topics in the companion parrot world: to free fly, or not to free fly? It's a big subject…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 122: Thoughts on Thoughts on Training
Despite some challenges with our recording equipment (and we tested it and everything!), Ari and Chris sit down to review the feedback Chris has gotten from…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 121: Urine Big Trouble, Mister!
Keeping it short and simple this week: Chris is alone in a hotel room somewhere in the Northeast and only has one thing on his mind - "how do I stop one of my…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 120: What Are Your Zoo Job "Can't Live Withouts"?
After a quick discussion of sea turtles and supper clubs, Ari and Chris use a recent "what do I need to buy for my first animal job?" post on the internet as a…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 119: Flexibility, Operationalized
It's an Ari solo-cast focused on being flexible! With COVID numbers going up once again, being flexible is as important as ever. Ari talks about being flexible…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 118: Relationship Death By a Thousand Cuts
Two hosts for two epsiodes in a row? Amazing! After an update from Ari about the IAATE Midyear Meeting at the Peregine Fund, Chris opens a communication can o'…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 117: Three Ways to Violate the Known Laws of the Space-Time Continuum
Chris and Ari are back in the office and talking into the same microphone! Inspired by an insane summer schedule, the first images from the James Webb Space…
- The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.
Episode 116: How to Ask for a Raise (with Scott Trauger, Natural Encounters, Inc.)
Ari sits down with NEI Supervisor Scott Trauger to tackle one of the trickiest questions that applies to everyone across our industry: how do you ask for a…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 115: The Official Chris Jenkins Super Simplified Guide to Behavior™
Greetings from the future! Due to challenges with the space/time continuum, we're once again Ari-less this week, but it gives Chris the chance to reflect on…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 114: On Mavericks and Martyrs (with Carrie Patel, Obsidian Entertainment)
Recorded in Los Angeles, edited in Tahiti, and posted in New Zealand, it's a special two-part episode of the TEC Talk Podcast! For Part 1, Chris sits down to…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 113: Catch-Up Mini-Sode (Live from... Taco Bell!)
Chris and Ari catch each other up on their recently work travels in Minnesota and the Bahamas, discuss some special upcoming trips in the works for July, and…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 112: Don't Forget - This is FUN! (with Donnie Crook, Minnesota Zoo)
Chris is back on the road and joined by Minnesota Zoo Interpretive Naturalist Donnie Crook! We chat about Donnie's history in the professional animal care…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 111: Happy World Parrot Day! (with NEI's Winged Encounters Team)
In honor of World Parrot Day, Chris is joined by Katelyn, Megan, Kamille, Keegan, Lizzi, and Aaron from NEI's Winged Encounters team to talk all the work…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 110: "Real Chat (About Shows) with Ray and Ari" (with Ray Minchey, Natural Encounters, Inc.)
With Chris in the middle of an unexpected Round 2 with COVID, Ari loops in return guest Ray Minchy to chat about all things show related and being on stage for…
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.Episode 109: When Reality and Your Training Plans Don't Play Nice Together
Fresh out of COVID quarantine, Chris harnesses the power of the internet from Minnesota to summon Ari from Texas to bring YOU another episode of TEC Talk!…