Tag: #education

Episode 87: Kindness Is Blankets For Baby Rhinos

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September 22 is World Rhino Day and to mark this special day when the world recognizes these incredible beings who are critically endangered, Anitha chatted with Elisa Best.

16.11.20 – Mirror Animal Hero Awards 2020 – Picture shows Elise Best at her workplace Rowe Vet Hospital in Bristol.

Elisa is originally from South Africa and works as a small animal veterinarian in the UK. Elisa talks about the plight of rhinos and her desire to help them, and how this evolved into the creation of Blankets For Baby Rhinos (BFBR).

This lovely group began by knitting blankets for orphaned rhinos, who are often both emotionally and physically traumatized when their mothers are killed by poachers. Rhino rescue groups discovered that baby rhinos find comfort when wrapped in these blankets.

BFBR has now grown to provide blankets for other animals such as injured and rescued pangolins, lions, leopards, as well as the dogs and humans who are part of anti-poaching units. These dogs and humans work bravely to protect rhinos from poachers.

To find out more about Blankets For Baby Rhinos and how you can support this incredible group, check out their website and their Facebook Page:

Website: Blankets For Baby Rhinos

Facebook: Blanket For Baby Rhinos FB

Elisa talked about an amazing place called Care For Wild Rhino Sanctuary. This is one of the rhino rescue groups, Blankets for Baby Rhinos supports. Care For Wild rescues, rehabilitates, releases, re-wilds and protects orphaned rhinos. In 2016, Anitha’s daughter had the privilege to volunteer at this sanctuary. Her daughter’s experience with the baby rhinos at Care For Wild inspired Anitha’s debut picture book, A Family For Faru. Care For Wild will always hold a special place in Anitha’s heart.

Daisy and Modjadji

To learn more about Care For Wild Rhino Sanctuary, please click on this link:  Care For Wild Rhino Sanctuary

Elisa also mentioned the importance of the anti-poaching unit to protect rhinos and the personal risk these brave men, women and dogs face every day. She mentioned a feature length documentary called RHINO MAN. This film focuses on the life of Anton Mzimba, who was the Head of Ranger Services at Timbavati Private Nature Reserve. Anton dedicated his life to protecting and conserving South African wildlife, and made great sacrifices to himself and his family to do so. Sadly, he was murdered in July of 2022. To learn more about this film, check out the following link:

Rhino Man

As a thank you to Elisa for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Blankets For Baby Rhinos.

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 86: Kindness Is Clarissa Clover

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Clarissa Dery, a certified canine nutritionist joins Anitha to talk about what motivated her to create healthy supplements for dogs.

Clarissa not only creates products to help dogs, but after volunteering at a wildlife rehabilitation centre in South Africa, she decided to donate the profits from Clarissa Clover to help wild animals in South Africa.

Clarissa talks about her time in South Africa, the animals she worked with, such as hippos and pangolins, and how this experience affected her.

To learn more about Clarissa and the products she makes, check out these links:

clarissa’s website

Clarissa’s instagram

As a thank you to Clarissa for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Umoya Khulula Wildlife Rehab Centre. This non-profit rehabilitation facility in Limpopo, South Africa is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of local wildlife that have been orphaned, injured, displaced or confiscated from the illegal trade.

To learn about this wildlife rehab centre, please check out their website:

umoya khulula wildlife

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 85: Kindness Is ASK A DOCTOR About Fever

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Anitha and the Kindness Is Everything Podcast welcome listeners to the second ASK A DOCTOR session. In this back-to-school session, Anitha and her husband, Dr. Matthew Robinson, talk about children getting fevers.  

If you’ve ever wondered about—

1.     What is a fever

2.     Causes of fever

3.     When to worry about a fever

4.     Antibiotics- Yes or no?

5.     Advocating for your sick child

—then this episode is for you!

**DISCLAIMER**  THIS EPISODE IS MEANT FOR GUIDANCE ONLY AND NOT MEANT TO PROVIDE A SPECIFIC MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS. ALWAYS SEEK ADVICE FROM YOUR OWN MEDICAL PROVIDER

If you have a medical issue you’d like discussed on the podcast, please send Anitha an email through her website, anitharobinson.com

If your question is selected, Anitha will donate to a registered charity of your choice* as a thank you.

*Registered Charity must support animals, the environment, or people. And also, no religious organizations, zoos or marine aquariums please.

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 82: Kindness Is Our Honor

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Dr. Crystal Heath, a veterinarian and animal rights activist joins Anitha to talk about the surprising dichotomy that exists holding both of these spaces.  

Like a lot of listeners, Anitha assumed that folks who go into veterinary medicine are also strong advocates for animal rights, but that may not always be the case.

Dr. Heath shares her experience of what it was like speaking out for animals during veterinary school and why this inspired her to create Our Honor, a non-profit that supports veterinary students, veterinarians, and other animal professionals in speaking their conscience to create more ethical systems that consider the best interests of all species.

She was named one of Vox’s 2023 Future Perfect 50, which honors the scientists, thinkers, scholars, writers, and activists working on solutions to today’s (and tomorrow’s) biggest problems.

She is also on the board of LEAP – Leaders for Ethics Animals and the Planet, known as the humane alternative to 4-H and FFA, which aims to transform today’s youth into the humane leaders of tomorrow who advocate for and work towards an equitable future for all living beings and the planet.

Well respected in her field, Dr. Crystal Heath is quoted and featured in numerous articles about animals including:

To learn more about Dr. Heath and Our Honor, click on the following links:

Website: http://ourhonor.org

Twitter @drcrystalheath @OurHonorVets

Instagram @dr.crystalheath @OurHonorVets 

Facebook Crystal Heath  Our Honor

As a thank you to Dr. Heath for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Our Honor.

To hear the full episode, click on this link:

Episode 81: Kindness Is ASK A DOCTOR About Aging

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Anitha and the Kindness Is Everything Podcast welcome listeners to the first ASK A DOCTOR session.

Once a month, Anitha and her husband, Dr. Matthew Robinson, will discuss a topical medical issue. In this inaugural episode, they talk about cognitive decline and aging.

If you’ve ever wondered about—

1.     Normal memory issues as one ages versus early signs of dementia

2.     Supports in the community to help someone who has dementia

3.     Care options for those with limited financial resources

4.     Extent to which hospitals can help care for those with dementia

5.     How kindness fits into all of this

—then this episode is for you!

If you have a medical issue you’d like answered, please send Anitha an email through her website, anitharobinson.com

If your question is selected to be addressed on the show, Anitha will donate to a registered charity of your choice* as a thank you.

*Registered Charity must support animals, the environment, or people. And also, no religious organizations, zoos or marine aquariums please.

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 80: Kindness Is Life With Pigs

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Ryan and Mallory Phillips were brought together by a mutual love for a tiny calf.

They join Anitha to talk not only about their incredible ‘how did you meet’ story, which Anitha thought should be made into a movie, but also what it’s like to share a home with a menagerie of animals, such as pigs, chickens, cows and many other amazing beings, they call family.

Ryan also talks about his path to sanctuary life and how it all began when he received a call about a pig named Pumpkin, who needed a home, and needed one fast. Soon after, came Pumpkin’s daughter Charlotte, and thus began Ryan’s life with pigs.

An inspiring story of love and hope.

To learn more about Ryan and Mallory and their Life With Pigs Farm Animal Sanctuary, check out the following links:

Facebook  www.facebook.com/lifewithpigs

Instagram  www.instagram.com/lifewithpigsfarmsanctuary

Youtube  www.youtube.com/lifewithpigs

Website  lifewithpigs.com

As a thank you to Ryan and Mallory for sharing their story, Anitha donated to Life With Pigs Farm Animal Sanctuary.

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 78: Kindness Is Making The Inside Scouts!

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Mitali Banerjee Ruths joins Anitha to talk about her journey from Medical Doctor . . . to author . . . to creating books about diverse characters, and how kindness intersects all these aspects of her life.

A very fun and engaging conversation.

To learn more about Mitali and the books she writes, click on the following links:

https://www.mitaliruths.com/

https://www.instagram.com/mitaliruths/

As a thank you to Mitali for coming on to the show, Anitha donated to Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres. This international humanitarian organization was founded by doctors and journalists in 1971. They travel all over the world, where people’s needs are greatest to provide neutral, impartial, and independent emergency healthcare to those affected by disaster, disease, conflict and exclusion. 

You can learn more about MSF here: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.ca/

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 76: Kindness Is Creating Rainbow Spaces

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In 2021 Nadia Kean-Ayub created Rainbow Spaces. She joins Anitha to talk about what motivated her to start this organization, how this group helps youth in the LGBTQ+ community, and how much they have grown in just three years.

Nadia also shares her favourite ways to support folks in the queer community by being an A+ Ally

  1. Affirm who they are
  2. Accept that their path is their own
  3. Acknowledge
  4. Don’t offer Advice on who they should share their queerness with
  5. Adapt by letting the youth guide you

An emotional and honest discussion of the best and most difficult aspects of creating a safe and inclusive space for all youth.

Photos of Prom

To learn more about the amazing events Rainbow Spaces creates, check out their Instagram account:

https://www.instagram.com/rainbowspacessb/

As a thank you to Nadia for sharing her story, Anitha offered to donate to Lamba Rising Soccer, a non-profit organization located in San Diego that provides inclusive soccer programs for youth and adults. To learn more about this organization, check out their website: https://www.lambdarisingsoccer.com/

To hear the full episode click here:

Episode 75: Kindness Is Being Jenny Vegan McQueen

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Jenny McQueen is a true hero for animals. She joins Anitha to talk about leading and participating in peaceful anti-fur protests, bearing witness of animals as they are trucked off to slaughter, co-founding Animal Rights Toronto, and so much more.

Jenny has been arrested eight times for peacefully raising awareness about violence against animals, in particular those used in the animal agricultural industry.

Jenny & Alice

She also talks about the devastating death of Regan Russell in 2020. Regan was bearing witness to the last moments of pigs’ lives when she was killed by a slaughterhouse truck driver.

To learn more about all the amazing work Jenny is involved in, check out her Instagram account:

https://www.instagram.com/jennyveganmcqueen/

To learn about Animal Rights Toronto, the organization Jenny co-founded, check out their website:

https://animalrightstoronto.com/

As promised, here is a photo of the documentaries to watch and the many animal rights organizations you can support:

As a thank you to Jenny for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Promised Land Animal Sanctuary, a safe haven for animals who have been neglected, abused, abandoned or forgotten.

Promised Land Animal Sanctuary cares for horses, chickens, ducks, pigs, donkeys, alpacas, goats, sheep, dogs and cats. They provide all these animals lifelong care and shelter.

To learn about this sanctuary, check out their website: https://www.promisedlandsanctuary.org/

You can hear the full episode here:

Episode 73: Kindness Is Being A Koala Crusader

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Nine-year old Malani Harris loves everything about Koala’s, including their scat!

Malani does A LOT to help koala’s such as planting trees, donating birthday money, creating an Instagram account dedicated to koalas, and much more!

She and her family travel around Australia looking for koalas, always maintaining a respectable distance.

Such a fun episode about a young girl and her love for Koalas!

To learn more about Malani and her crusade to help Koalas, check out these links:

Koala Family Adventures:

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/koala_family_adventures?igsh=MmNsMDFocGJ2Njc3&utm_source=qr

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/share/XeyHVmbYx35Lm6rh/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Queensland Koala Crusaders: Newsletters with Malani‘s Koala adventures-

Sept 2023  https://www.koalacrusaders.org.au/koala_family_adventures1

March 2024 https://www.koalacrusaders.org.au/koala_family_adventures2

April 2024 https://www.koalacrusaders.org.au/koala_family_adventures3

May 2024 https://www.koalacrusaders.org.au/koala_family_adventures4

As a thank you to Malani for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Dutch Thunder Wildlife Shelter, a licensed wildlife shelter providing 24 hour emergency wildlife rescue.

Malani and her family spent time at the shelter helping out. It’s always nice supporting an organization personally known to the guest.

To learn more about Dutch Thunder Wildlife Shelter, check out their social media pages:

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/DutchThunderWildlifeShelter?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dutch_thunder_wildlife_shelter/

To listen to the full episode click here: