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 77: Kindness Is Celebrating 35 Years Together!

A very special and personal episode for Anitha as her husband, Matt Robinson, joins her to talk about celebrating their 35th Wedding Anniversary.

They share stories of their early years together, being a mixed-race couple, having kids, and the ups and downs of a relationship that’s spanned many decades.

Anitha is super grateful to Matt, who is usually a private person for taking the leap and joining her.

As a thank you to Matt for his willingness to be a part of the podcast, Anitha & Matt, donated to Operation Angels. This is a new project created by Steve Jenkins (best known as one of Esther the Wonder Pig’s dads). Operation Angels plans to open to the public in the Spring of 2025 as an agritourism destination. All proceeds from this venture will be donated to animal sanctuaries and rescue organizations.

You can learn more about Steve’s new adventure here: https://stevejenkins.ca/operation-angels

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 72: Kindness Is Loving Sirga the Lioness

Valentin Gruener achieved his childhood goal to live in Africa and work with wildlife, and not just any wildlife. Val has spent the past twelve years raising, caring and loving Sirga, a lioness who came into his life when she was around ten days old.

Val talks about sharing his life with a wild lion, including some heart-warming stories. He also talks about the reasons for the devastating decline in the wild lion population, his conservation initiative—the Modisa Wildlife Project, and so much more.

A very special and important conversation about a man, a lioness and how together they are raising awareness to protect wildlife.

To learn more about Val, Sirga and the Modisa Wildlife Project, check out the following links:

https://www.instagram.com/valgruener/

https://www.instagram.com/sirgathelioness/

https://www.instagram.com/modisawildlifeproject/

You can support Val and Sirga and all they are doing here:

www.patreon.com/sirga

As a thank you to Val for sharing his story, Anitha donated to the Kalahari Research and Conservation (KRC). Kalahari is a unique and fragile ecosystem with a rich diversity of plants and animals. This organization works to understand and conserve Kalahari’s distinctive landscape in the face of increasing challenges.

To learn about KRC please click on the following link: https://www.krcbots.org/

To listen to the 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.