Shows / Mostly Functional
Mostly Functional
Two friends, one unruly conversation! Julie Squires and Derek Walter have teamed up to talk about the messy, tender and funny parts of life, in and outside of animal work.
Episodes
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 43 Do Cats Have A Conscience?
Your cat loves you. But would they think twice about committing murder right in front of you? This week, we question the moral compass of our feline friends…
- Mostly Functional
Ep#42 Whose Rules Are You Living By?
We all live by rules. But how many of them did we actually choose? This week, we talk about the rules we inherit, the fears that keep us from doing things…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 41 What Deserves Your Energy?
There's no shortage of things to care about. But does caring mean we have to respond to everything, speak up about everything, or carry everything? This week…
- Mostly Functional
Ep #40 Caring Can't Prevent Every Bad Thing
Caring deeply doesn't mean we can prevent every bad thing from happening. This week, we (Julie and Derek) talk about what animals have taught us about aging…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 30 When Life Changes You
Sometimes change arrives slowly, and sometimes it blindsides you. This week, we talk about the moments that create new versions of us, from leaving home and…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 37 Things We Don't Need to Be Good At Anymore
What are you bad at? And maybe more importantly, do you actually need to get better at it? This week, we talk about the things we're terrible at, the things…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# Post-Caregiver Syndrome: Who Are You Now?
What happens when caregiving ends, but the hypervigilance, grief, and loss of identity remain? This week, we explore post-caregiver syndrome and the…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 35 Connection: The Four Ways We Find Meaning
We're all looking for connection, even if we don't always realize it. This week, we dive into four ways we find meaning—in ourselves, with other people…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 34 Is Appreciation An Inside Job?
We all want to feel appreciated. But where should that appreciation come from? In this episode, we explore one of life's most meaningful questions: Is…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 33 Lessons From Life
In this episode we talk about what life has taught us. Hard won lessons typically come from our most painful moments and animal work provides some of the…
- Mostly Functional
Ep#34 Are The Aliens Coming To Save Us?
This week, we start with UFOs, government disclosure, and a mysterious metallic sphere — and end up somewhere much closer to home: our deep human longing to be…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 33 If You Could Have One Wish Granted For Animals
If you could have one wish granted for animals, what would it be? In this episode, we explore that question and all the unexpected places it leads. Along the…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 32 The Future of Animal Communication
What if, in just a few years, we could actually understand what animals are saying? In this episode, we dive into the fascinating future of animal…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 31 What Is "Good Enough" For Animals?
One of the quickest ways to burn out is to have impossibly high standards around care for animals. We all want the best for them but not everything requires…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 30 Loving The Work, Losing Yourself
In this episode, Julie shares the winding path that took her from veterinary assistant to speaker and coach, and the complicated love story she still has with…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 29 People Suck and Animals Are Great
From difficult clients to compassion fatigue to the heartbreak of caring deeply, we explore why humans can be exhausting, why animals often feel safer, and…
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Ep# 28 Don't Stop Unbelieving
In this episode we explore the beliefs we inherit, the stories we cling to, and what happens when we finally start questioning them. From body image and social…
- Mostly Functional
Ep#27 The Way We Care
In this episode, we go beyond the surface of compassion and into the real experience of those who give it every day. We talk about the emotional toll of…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 26 Don't Confuse Caring With Carrying
In this episode, we unpack the difference between caring deeply and carrying everything. We explore how easy it is to slip into over-responsibility, especially…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 25 Derek in the Hot Seat
Today we celebrate 25 episodes of Mostly Functional with Julie putting Derek in the hot seat by asking him 25 questions. Some softballs, some that stump him…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 24 Emotional Numbness In Animal Work
Anyone who whose work exposes them repeatedly to secondary trauma and loss will find themselves sometimes feeling numb about the situations they're managing…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 23 Past and Future Self Wisdom
In this episode, we talk about the kind of wisdom that only comes with living. The stuff you wish you could go back and tell your younger self, and what your…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 22 When Self-Care Pisses People Off
Sometimes taking care of yourself isn't well-recieved by others. In this episode, we unpack boundaries, burnout, and the weird way people react when you stop…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 21 Kind Advocacy
In this episode, we explore what it really means to advocate with kindness. From the way we talk to others to the way we talk to ourselves, we unpack how…
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Ep#20 Anthropic Moments
In this episode, a new word enters the Mostly Functional vocabulary: apanthropy. As we try to figure out what it means (and how to say it), the conversation…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 19 Discomfort Is Not Danger
In this episode we talk about what it means to feel "too much" or "not enough" and how those stories shape the way we show up in the world. We explore…
- Mostly Functional
Ep#18 The Decisions We Never Wanted
In this episode, we start with Olympic hockey and somehow end up talking about the decisions no one wants to make. The kind that sit heavy in your chest…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 17 When Caring Turns Into Resentment
In this episode, Julie and Derek talk about what happens when caring becomes overgiving, and overgiving quietly turns into resentment. They unpack the…
- Mostly Functional
Ep#16 Love Wins: Olympics + Puppy Bowl Edition
In this episode Derek and Julie chat about self-care basics, their shared excitement for the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, and the pure joy of the Puppy…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 15 What Winter Teaches Caregivers
In this episode, we wander through winter life and what it asks of people who care for others, including pacing, limits, preparedness, and knowing when enough…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 14 Serving Animals in a Messy World
In this episode, Julie and Derek talk about what it feels like to keep showing up for the animals you serve when the world feels chaotic, loud, and unsettling…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 13 A Peace Practice
In this episode of Mostly Functional, Julie and Derek talk about what it means to practice peace in a world that feels loud, divisive, and hard to disconnect…
- Mostly Functional
Ep#12 Too Exhausted To Feel Joy
In this episode, we talk about what happens when you lose your joy at work, especially in animal-care roles where the suffering is real and the pace never lets…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 11 Let's Giddy Up Into 2026: Year-End Check-In
In this year-end Mostly Functional check-in, we're giddy up-ing into 2026 with a clear plan: protect your peace. Derek and Julie unpack what it looks like to…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 10 Grief Is Your Friend
In this episode we talk about what it really looks like to plan for grief during the holidays, especially when it is your first season without someone you…
- Mostly Functional
Ep#9 Trusting Your Yes and No
In this episode we explore how to tell when something is truly right for you and when it is not. Through stories about saying yes to Esther the pig, savior…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 8 Boozy Hay & Big Soul Questions
In this episode, we somehow go from Thanksgiving side dishes and boozy hay to big soul questions like, "What is your soul here to learn?" Derek and I talk…
- Mostly Functional
Ep#7 Guilt and The Wolf You Feed
Chance are extremely high that if you work with animals, you've also experienced all the guilt that can come with helping other beings. Did I do enough? Did we…
- Mostly Functional
Ep#6 Life After The Loss of Your Parents
In this episode of Mostly Functional, Derek turns the mic on Julie and asks her what life is like after losing both of her parents, one suddenly and one after…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 5 Walking With Elephants in Asia
Think you can't live vicariously through someone's trip abroad? Think again. In this episode Derek shares his experience visiting Thailand and standing beneath…
- Mostly Functional
Ep#4 The Courage To Be Free (and Disliked)
In a world that constantly demands our approval, praise, and productivity, what happens when we finally decide to let go? In this episode, we talk about the…
- Mostly Functional
Ep# 3 What Animals Teach Us About Letting Go
In this episode we swap simple morning rituals that build capacity, then move into a tender conversation about how animals help teach us about letting go…
- Mostly Functional
Ep#2 The Secret Conversations of the Animal World
In this tender and thought-provoking conversation, Julie and Derek explore the quiet wisdom of animals and the deep comfort they bring to our lives. From…
Mostly FunctionalEp# 1: Where Are All The Men in Animal Work?
In this very first episode of Mostly Functional, Derek and I talk about what it really means to be human. We laugh through a few tech mishaps, share how we…