Eco-Grief, Burnout, and Building Resilient Conservation Teams

About this episode

Michelle Doerr discusses the challenges faced by conservation workers and offers strategies for building resilient teams.

Michelle Doerr runs Anavah Consulting, a Minnesota-based firm that works with conservation organizations to build capacity, foster inclusive teams, and improve communication. After spending years as a wildlife biologist managing urban deer populations and working in the archery industry, she recognized a critical gap: 90% of wildlife management is people management, but professionals receive almost no training for it. Conservation workers face unprecedented challenges—83% report experiencing burnout, according to Doerr's research. They deal with cognitive dissonance (entering the field to help animals, then having to kill them), hostile public meetings, and the emotional weight of watching their science questioned daily. Add eco-grief from witnessing environmental destruction and eco-anxiety about the future, and you have a field in crisis. Doerr argues that the burnout narrative places too much responsibility on individuals when the real issue is systemic. Organizations throw workers into high-stakes, public-facing roles without training in conflict resolution, cooperative language, or emotional processing. Her approach shifts from self-care to capacity building—creating systems…

People in this episode

Guest: Michelle Doerr

Topics covered

• eco-grief
• burnout
• conservation
• capacity building
• emotional processing

Keywords

• eco-grief
• burnout
• conservation teams
• wildlife management
• emotional weight

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Anavah Consulting

Places: Minnesota