
The TEC Talk Podcast: Presented by Natural Encounters, Inc.
by Natural Encounters, Inc.
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Total monthly reach
Estimated from 2 chart positions in 2 markets.
By chart position
- 🇦🇺AU · Social Sciences#1375K to 30K
- 🇦🇪AE · Social Sciences#553K to 10K
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
4K to 20K🎙 Weekly cadence·286 episodes·Last published 1mo ago - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
8K to 40K🇦🇺75%🇦🇪25% - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
2.4K to 12K
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Recent episodes
TEC Talk JUMP SCARE: Dave Okapi and the Mystery of the Haunted Hotel (Live from the 2026 ABMA/IAATE Joint Conference in Cincinnati, OH)
Apr 10, 2026
Unknown duration
Episode 300: Follow Your Bliss (with everyone, including your Mom)
Aug 28, 2025
Unknown duration
Episode 280: Thank You All For Everything (featuring EVERYONE!)
Aug 28, 2025
Unknown duration
Episode 279: Big Changes in TEC Land (with Dr Grey Stafford, Zoo Logic)
Aug 21, 2025
Unknown duration
Episode 278: Kids These Days Say The Darndest Things (with Michael Van Horne, Natural Encounters, Inc.)
Aug 15, 2025
Unknown duration
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| Date | Episode | Description | Length | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/10/26 | ![]() TEC Talk JUMP SCARE: Dave Okapi and the Mystery of the Haunted Hotel (Live from the 2026 ABMA/IAATE Joint Conference in Cincinnati, OH) | As a treat for anyone who's kept their subscription to the show alive, Chris and Ari are proud to present a very special episode of the TEC Talk Podcast! Your hosts were back together for the 2026 ABMA/IAATE Joint Conference in Cincinnati, OH, so we stole some time away from our many friends and colleagues on the final night of the trip to talk about all the amazing stuff that happened during the week. And hey, we even dressed up for it!Want to hear more episodes of the show that we "retired" in 2025? Watch this space - you never know what might happen next! | — | ||||||
| 8/28/25 | ![]() Episode 300: Follow Your Bliss (with everyone, including your Mom) | In this super secret, extra special bonus episode (actually episode 281, but Chris needed a good round number to end on), Ari rallied as many of Chris’s colleagues, friends, and family as she could, with help from his wife Bethany, to share messages of congrats on his new role as Executive Director of the Virginia Zoo, and a little about how he’s impacted their lives and careers.It’s impossible to capture how much Chris means to all of us, but hopefully this episode offers a glimpse into the immense impact he’s had on people all over the world. Stay tuned at the end for a throwback recording from 2006 of Chris on a popular radio show, plus some extra NEI Mom content!Chris, we will miss you. Huge congrats! | — | ||||||
| 8/28/25 | ![]() Episode 280: Thank You All For Everything (featuring EVERYONE!) | This is it, the last official episode of the NEI TEC Talk Podcast (at least for now)! With Chris headed off to his new position as Executive Director of the Virginia Zoo, he and Ari decided it was time to sunset the NEI TEC Talk Podcast. After nearly 300 episodes, countless incredible guests, and so many conversations about training, enrichment, and connection, they're wrapping things up. We have so many people to thank who supported the podcast over the years, especially you, the listeners! Thank you so, so much. We are forever grateful.Keep us in your feed for future bonus episodes - you never know when one might pop up! | — | ||||||
| 8/21/25 | ![]() Episode 279: Big Changes in TEC Land (with Dr Grey Stafford, Zoo Logic) | Some announcements are so big that you have to bring in another podcast to help make them. Chris and Ari join Dr Grey Stafford on his incredible show, Zoo Logic, to talk about some big personal changes and what they will mean for our show. We want to thank each and every listener who's been with us since we started this thing in 2020, and hope you enjoy the penultimate episode of the TEC Talk Podcast! If you have anything you'd like to share with us about your experience with our show, please reach out to us at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 8/15/25 | ![]() Episode 278: Kids These Days Say The Darndest Things (with Michael Van Horne, Natural Encounters, Inc.) | Ari sits down with NEI's own Michael Van Horne this week to chat about what it's like being a young person in the field. Michael talks about his time at college and his philosophy to help him focus on his own growth while supporting his teammates. He also helps Ari with some Gen Alpha slang and they wrap it all up with the latest NEI team building craze - Marble Olympics!If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 8/7/25 | ![]() Episode 277: All Animals Can Speak, We Just Need to Learn to Listen (with Sarah Bonser-Blake, Wild Welfare) | Ari and Chris are joined by their first guest who's had David Attenborough attend their graduation (at least as far as we know): Sarah Bonser-Blake, Animal Welfare Field Manager with Wild Welfare! Sarah shares the journey she's taken from getting paid to point at whales to her current role making real change in people that makes change for animals, the joys of managing a resource base, her history of collaboration and taking risks (even when her body rejected the idea), and the importance of considering many perspectives when looking at "the X, Y, and Zed" of animal welfare. If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 7/31/25 | ![]() Episode 276: The Art and Science of Outcome-Based Animal Welfare (with Jessica Sheftel, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance) | Ari and Chris continue their journey of collecting more amazing people from around the professional animal care world to add to the "NEEU" (Natural Encounters Expanded Universe), and are pleased to be joined by Jessica Sheftel, Applied Wildlife Welfare Manager at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance! Jessica shares her path from collecting behavior data at Zoo Atlanta to her current role overseeing a welfare program, gives us a peak into being on a team at the forefront of the shift from an input- to an outcome-based system of welfare tracking and assessments, emphasizes the importance of having Deciders and Advisors in effective animal care programs, the vital role of mutual respect between leadership and frontline care staff so that mistrust doesn't turn into misalignment, and the importance of always keeping an open mind. If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!References from the episode: Enrichment Is Simple, That's the Problem: Using Outcome-Based Husbandry to Shift from Enrichment to Experience - Greg A Vicino, Jessica J Sheftel, Louisa M RadosevichContact Jessica: jsheftel@sdzwa.org | — | ||||||
| 7/24/25 | ![]() Episode 275: Fly-Aways, Swim-Offs, and Reboots (with Ryne Ferguson and Ayrton King, Animal Talk Podcast) | Ari and Chris are absolutely chuffed to be joined by two amazing gentlemen from South Africa, Ryne Ferguson and Ayrton King, co-hosts of the rebooted Animal Talk Podcast! Ryne talks about his long history with NEI, how our podcast inspired him to start his own, and how the idea to reboot the show with a new aquarist cohost came about after a 5 year hiatus. Ryne and Ayrton chat about the importance of getting people connected to animals and to each other, how podcasting is like getting to have a weekly "mini-conference," their exciting relationship with the recently-founded South African Animal Keepers Association (SAAKA), and the exciting work they're both doing in the fields of behavior management and wildlife conservation. Give these great guys a follow on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and wherever you get your podcasts!If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 7/17/25 | ![]() Episode 274: Let's Hope They All Talk About This Over Dinner Tonight (with The Reptile Department of The St Augustine Alligator Farm) | With Chris out of commission after being a pressure washing hero at work and mayyyyybe overdoing it a bit, Ari takes the helm and is joined by Dan Carvalho, Lydia Dresel, Jordan Garella, Steven Sibley, and Luis Cortes from the Reptile Department of the St Augustine Alligator Farm! The team talks about their amazing dynamics and inside jokes, and the hard work they pull off every day for their animals and guests. From talking about raiding croc nests and hatching out babies, to how much they all appreciate each other and their leadership for supporting their learning journeys, you don’t want to miss this episode. We even wrap it up with a little Dragon’s Talon at the end! If you want to know more about The SAAF, check out their website, or email Dan at DCarvalho@alligatorfarm.com.If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 7/10/25 | ![]() Episode 273: I Guess I'm Gonna Do Fish Stuff (with Melissa Paynter, Georgia Aquarium) | You KNOW we love talking about training animals that people don't always think of when they think about animal training, so we are thrilled to welcome Melissa Paynter to the show! Mel shares the path that took her from the Moorpark Program to her current role as Assistant Curator of Ocean Journey at Georgia Aquarium, why fish training right now is "a dumpster fire, in the best way," how her desire to make sure the aquarium side of the field gets a seat at the table lead to her current position on the Board of Directors of the Animal Behavior Management Alliance, and the amazing ins and outs involved when a staff of 14 people are responsible for a single exhibit with 6,000 animals in it. If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
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| 7/3/25 | ![]() Episode 272: If You Want Them To Care, They First Have To Know You Care (with Dan Blair) | Chris and Ari are thrilled to be joined on the show by NEI Alumnus Dan Blair! Dan catches us up on his current zoo role as Curator of Birds, and shares his thoughts on the two kinds of respect, what's surprised him most about transitioning from the role of animal trainer to curator, the unique challenge of being brought in as a new cog in an existing machine, the importance of being given a chance to lead in order to learn how to take responsibility, the crucial role of clarifying expectations, and his prediction for what "2030 Dan" will look like. If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 6/26/25 | ![]() Episode 271: Happy Jamón Day! (with the Bird and Mammal Team, St. Augustine Alligator Farm) | Are SEVEN people too many to have on a podcast?? Not when it's the Bird and Mammal Team from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm! Chris and Ari are joined by Hannah Caster, Jessie Stull, Jordan Hoover, Ramon Castillo, and Shelby McBride to talk about what makes up a cohesive team, the unsung role of the swing keeper, and figuring out the best ways to give feedback to others before succeeding beautifully at an impromptu game of Dragon's Talon! Such a fun conversation with a wonderful group of human beings! If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 6/19/25 | ![]() Episode 270: The Portal, The Tube, and The Assisted Lift (with Anaka Nazareth, National Aquarium) | Chris and Ari are joined by fellow training enthusiast Anaka Nazareth, Behavioral Husbandry Coordinator at the National Aquarium! Anaka shares the path that took her from America to Austria (a few times) before settling back on the East Coast and eventually into her current role in Baltimore, where she oversees the training of a lot of our favorite (and less celebrated) animals - sharks, fish, and reptiles - as well as her involvement as a Committee Member, Board Member, and eventually President of the ABMA.If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 6/12/25 | ![]() Episode 269: The "Ponies, Sparkles, and Rainbows" Side of HR (with Dr Taylor Gilley, Houston Zoo) | Chris is joined by NEI's new (but also not really new) Director of Staff Development, Training, and Shows - Ari Bailey - to welcomes Dr Taylor Gilley back to the show! Taylor shares the path that took her from the education world to her current role as Director of Staff Learning and Development at Houston Zoo, and guides us through a great conversation covering the zoo's LIFT (Leadership, Innovation, Focus, and Teamwork) program, the thousand forms of fear that drive humans, the importance of succession planning and protecting institutional knowledge, how everyone can start their own little development cohort, and the advantages of asking for forgiveness instead of permission. We're all lucky to have people like Taylor working with the humans in our zoos so they can do their best work with their animals. If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 6/5/25 | ![]() Episode 268: A Podcast About A Podcast (Radical Candor's "Leading Through Chaos With Stephanie Chung") | In another in our series of podcasts about other podcasts, Ari and Chris share their thoughts on a recent episode of the Radical Candor podcast with Kim Scott, featuring their guest Stephanie Chung. Chris recently started reading her book "Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You," which gets a great overview in the podcast, and gives us a chance to talk about the importance of curiosity, professionalism, "assuming good intentions," admitting your ignorance, and ways that we can all be better humans to each other. If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! References in the show:The Radical Candor Podcast: Leading Through Chaos with Stephanie ChungAlly Leadership: How To Lead People Who Are Not Like You | — | ||||||
| 5/29/25 | ![]() Episode 267: Observe, Interpret, Improve (with Joey Golden, Maryland Zoo) | Ari and Chris are back together and excited to be joined by Joey Golden, Curator of Animal Behavior Programs at Maryland Zoo! Chris and Joey both attended the recent ABMA and ISZAW conferences, and we wanted to bring him on to chat about the great presentations he gave about his zoo's progress towards "24/7 welfare" for all their animals. We chat about the importance of leaning on innovators, how Hal Markowitz has influenced his thinking about the importance of automation in modern animal care, the new role of Microsoft's PowerBI in collecting and interpreting pretty much every kind of data in a zoo you can think of, and why all of us should be focused on observation, interpretation, and improvement. Such a cool discussion!If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 5/22/25 | ![]() Episode 266: Pursue Your Calling! (with Scott Trauger, Supervisor Emeritus, Natural Encounters, Inc.) | While Chris is away at the International Symposium for Zoo Animal Welfare in Chicago, Ari is hosting solo—but she’s not alone! She’s joined by former (but also still current) NEI teammate Scott Trauger, who shares what life has been like since he made the big leap to follow his passion outside the animal field. From spreadsheets to showtunes, hear how Scott’s skills in animal care have set him up for success in school, biking, choir, and more!If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 5/15/25 | ![]() Episode 265: Using Communities to Create Opportunities | Ari catches us up on her time at Croc School before our hosts tackle an email asking for ideas about how to create opportunities in the professional animal care field for yourself when 1) you've moved somewhere where the immediately employment opportunities might be limited - or non-existent - or 2) you've taken a temporary break from the field and are trying to figure out how to get back in. Will Chris and Ari provide inspiring ideas and action items a person in such a position might benefit from? Listen and find out!If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 5/8/25 | ![]() Episode 264: What Does It Mean To "Prioritize Training"? (Live from the 2025 ABMA Annual Conference) | Ari Bailey is busy doing cool reptile stuff at Croc School at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, so Chris takes the opportunity to share the audio from his presentation, "What Does It Mean to 'Prioritize Training'?" from last week's ABMA Annual Conference! He shares some antecedent and consequence conditions that he's seen great teams utilize to make animal training a more fun and more rewarding part of their regular routines, uses the word "stuff" way too much, and shows the audience some fun training videos that will totally make sense on an audio podcast!If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 5/2/25 | ![]() Episode 263: Zen and the Art of Networking (Live from the 2025 ABMA Annual Conference Zoo Day) | Chris is LIVE from Zoo Day at the 2025 ABMA Annual Conference in Galveston, Texas! Whilst wandering the grounds of our host facility, Moody Gardens, we chat with Chase Alsup from the Colorado State University Zoo, Aquarium, and Animal Shelter Management Graduate Program, Rae Simmons and Aubrey Wilson from the Moorpark College Animal Care and Training Program, Kelli Carroll and Mikayla Coble from Lake Superior Zoo, and Sierra Smith, Kiana Lucero, and Omar Luna from Tanganyika Wildlife Park about their conference highlights, the people they've met, and the talks that have impacted them. Thanks for chatting with us, Future Zoo Leaders of America (and Beyond)!If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 4/24/25 | ![]() Episode 262: A Feedback Loop About Feedback Loops | Chris is in the editing (and possibly scrapping-and-starting-over) phase of his upcoming ABMA workshop "Your Feedback Loop: Evolving the Way We Give Feedback to Peers," so he decided to reach out to one of the smartest feedbackers around - Ari Bailey - and see how their notes compared when she was given the assignment to jot down what she considered to be the most important things she thinks about when she thinks about feedback. The feedback loop about feedback loops that results is filled with some real gems! Think we missed something important? If you have feedback for us, a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 4/17/25 | ![]() Episode 261: Is Your Animal Doing What You Want? (TEC Talk Throwback to The Official Chris Jenkins Super Simplified Guide to Behavior™) | It's consulting time! Chris is back at the Little Rock Zoo working with a team of eight trainers from around the zoo to get everyone working with people and animals they don't normally get a chance to, with the hopes that it might help them be better "training trainers" for new staff in the future! This has meant a lot of conversations about how you should decide what to do next during training sessions, and so we're rolling back out an episode from 2022 (#115, for those counting) that helps people to make that decision based on a very simple question: is your animal doing what you want? If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 4/10/25 | ![]() Episode 260: The Guinea Pigs Have Arrived! (with Hayley Dougherty and Taylor LaTulipe, Natural Encounters, Inc.)) | Chris and Ari share two microphones with their newest coworkers, Hayley Dougherty and Taylor LaTulipe! Hayley and Taylor share their immediate feelings after their first interviews, get quizzed to see how much they know about the show sections they started learning less than 2 days ago, reflect on how they felt coming out of their first interviews, and get to ask the hosts about their own progression through the company. Thank you to the team for letting us steal Hayley and Taylor in the middle of their training, and remember the words of what should be the new outro of our show: Say "HIYAH!," try not to distract guests with your moonwalking, don't hit the marabou, and press the release buttons 17 times for good measure.If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 4/3/25 | ![]() Episode 259: Okay - I'm Going to Get a Degree, Then I'm Going to Come Back and Run This Place (with Kimm Hunt, International Animal Training Certification Board) | Ari sits down with Kimm Hunt, President of the International Animal Training Certification Board (IATCB), to dive into the IATCB certification exam—how it’s developed, maintained, and what it means for animal trainers. They also explore Kimm’s work with shelter dogs, tackling tough topics like behavioral euthanasia and the importance of understanding behavioral science to help all learners thrive.If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
| 3/27/25 | ![]() Episode 258: Don't Panic! Let Your Weird Flagg Fly! (with Josh Flagg, Natural Encounters, Inc.) | Chris is off at the AZA mid-year meeting, so Ari is joined by NEI Senior Trainer Josh Flagg for this episode! They dive into the challenges and joys of being the new person on a zoo team. From making new staff feel safe and welcome to knowing when (and when not) to let your "weird flag" fly, Josh and Ari explore ways to set teams up for success. They also share tips for uncovering a team’s culture even before you start. Check out this episode for valuable insights into building a positive and thriving team culture right from the start in the animal care field!If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! | — | ||||||
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Chart Positions
2 placements across 2 markets.
Chart Positions
2 placements across 2 markets.
