Episode 91: Kindness Is A Dog Named Indi

Eleanor Booth joins Anitha to share a story of immense loss that created immense kindness.

A regular Sunday morning walk to the dog park turned into a nightmare for Eleanor and her dog, Indi.

In an instant, their lives changed forever, when two dogs, off-leash and trained to hunt and kill other animals, pursued and trapped Indi on the muddy bank of the river. Despite Eleanor’s heroic efforts to fend off these dogs and save Indi, Indi did not survive and Eleanor herself was severely injured in the attack.

Eleanor with her 3-year-old nephew going for a walk when she was well enough for 1-hour hospital leaves.

In spite of this great loss, Eleanor and her husband Tom have focused on the kindness they received from their family, their community and people from all over the world.

Eleanor shares that Sunday walk with listeners but she also shares the many moments of compassion and kindness that have provided so much comfort to her and helped with her healing.

Charm of Indi made by one of the many folks who reached out to Eleanor

A tear-jerker for sure, but definitely worth the listen.

As a thank you to Eleanor for sharing her story, Anitha donated to WIRES. This charity is Australia’s largest wildlife rescue organization. They rescue and care for sick, injured and orphaned native animals.

To learn more about WIRES, click here: WIRES

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 80: Kindness Is Life With Pigs

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 71: Kindness Is Loving A Pig Named Esther

Derek Walter’s life took a dramatic turn when his then partner, Steve Jenkins brought home a tiny little pig named Esther. Derek talks to Anitha about how this small being created huge and wonderful changes in his life.

Derek quickly fell in love with Esther, became one of her two dads, moved from a suburb to the country so Esther could have all the space a pig needed, welcomed even more farm animals, and eventually co-founded Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary (HEEFS)

This is an incredible conversation about love, family, community, grief, and an unbelievable legacy.

To learn more about Derek and HEEFS, please check out these links:

Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary 

http://www.happilyeveresther.ca 

Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/happilyeveresther?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Derek’s personal website

www.derekwalter.ca

Derek’s personal Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/EsthersDadDerek?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Esther the Wonder Pig Website

www.estherthewonderpig.com

As a thank you to Derek for sharing his story, Anitha donated to HEEFS. Having volunteered at HEEFS and seeing firsthand the beautiful and healing place it is for both the residents and the folks who spend time there, Anitha was thrilled to support this organization.

To listen to this heartwarming episode, click on the link below.

Episode 68: Kindness Is Creating For Children

Anitha is joined by M.O. Yuksel and Omar Abed, two creators who write books for children.

In addition to talking about their amazing books, M.O. and Omar share their thoughts about the role of a children’s author when actual children in the world are being harmed.

It’s an honest conversation about an important issue.

Here are the covers of the beautiful picture books written by M.O. Yuksel and Omar Abed

To connect and learn more about these incredible authors, please click on the links below.

For M.O.

 Instagram http://www.Instagram.com/moyuksel.author

For Omar

 OmarAbed.com

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

There are many groups posting about what’s happening in Palestine, but one both M.O. and Omar are a part of is KidLitSoul. To find out what this group is sharing, check out their Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/kidlitsoul/

As a thank you to M.O. and Omar, for sharing their stories, Anitha donated to MECA For Peace. MECA, which stands for The Middle East Children’s Alliance is a non-profit organization working for the rights and the well-being of children in the Middle East. To learn more about this group and the work they are doing, please check out their website: https://www.mecaforpeace.org/