Hi, I‘m Sabrina, I love the outdoors, laughter, journeys, and connecting with others, including other animals! How are you (but then really) & can you please tell me a story, are two of my favourite questions. Stories of call kinds can inspire, bring us joy, connection, and help us heal. Stories and ACTs can affect change. One of my favourite quotes is along the lines of ‘What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson. It connects deeply to my ideas around flourishing for all. For peoples, other animals, the greater community of life, and this beautiful planet we share. To listen, learn, share, and act from a culture of respect and care. I look forward to connecting with you.
Sabrina Brando is the director of AnimalConcepts, including INTERBEING, an online platform uniting people and organisations on 6 continents, combining animal, people, and planetary wellbeing. Sabrina is a Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional and an Optimize Eudaimonia Coach, and has an MSc in Animal Studies. Now in her final PhD year at the University of Stirling in Scotland she focusses on human wellbeing at an individual, team, leadership, and organisational level in animal wellbeing and conservation professionals. Sabrina is a graduate of the Inner MBA class for which she completed a project on creating a culture of care in the workplace.
Sabrina teaches at universities and works with zoos, aquariums, sanctuaries, and other facilities worldwide. She is a frequent keynote speaker and has organised over 500 events through AnimalConcepts since 2004. Sabrina has published popular and academic articles, and works with governments, writing policies and guidelines. She is the author of a book on ‘Optimal Welfare of Ageing Wild Animals in Human Care’ by Springer Nature. She is working on a forthcoming book by Taylor & Francis on wellbeing in animal care professionals and wildlife conservationists, informed by her 37+ years in the field and PhD research, together with the external AnimalConcepts team a book by Routledge on Animal Behaviour Training and Ethics for Animal Wellbeing Education Research and Conservation, and a book close to her heart with all the things she wishes she knew when starting in the field of animals and conservation, with the provisional title of Wild about self-care.
In 2018, Sabrina became a Chief Storyteller. She loves storytelling and writing - particularly about animals, the human-animal connection, and the natural world. She often wears a button with “I love stories” on it. This button sparks many great conversations and storytelling about animals, among many other topics, from people she meets at conferences to strangers on a plane. If you have a story you want to share about the animal(s) you care(d) for, a special friendship you have with your favourite animal, a great action for animals, peoples, or the planet you were involved in, or anything else that makes your heart sing, Sabrina would love to hear from you!
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🌿 This is such a timely and powerful initiative, Sabrina. Thank you for choosing to write this book for all of us who strive to care deeply, often at a cost to our well-being. Your phrase “take care to give care” really resonates.
I admire how you're blending personal stories, professional insights, and PhD research. It’s rare to see such depth and compassion in one place. I especially appreciate the courage it took to pause the project and now return to it with fresh energy. That’s a lesson in self-care right there.
One idea that might be helpful: incorporating reflections from early-career conservationists and community-based practitioners working in marginalized areas. Their experiences often highlight not just burnout risks, but creative coping strategies rooted in culture, kinship, and purpose.
🧠 “As you weave together personal experiences, research, and professional wisdom in your book, what’s one story or insight that has surprised you most, perhaps something you didn’t expect to uncover or a lesson that keeps growing in meaning?”
Thank you for inviting our voices into the process.
Wishing you joy in the writing, and thanks again for reminding us to play. 🙌
@SIMON KARIUKI
Hello Simon, thank you very much for you caring reflections and suggestions. I will have a think of a story or insight 😊
Perhaps you would be so kind and willing, here or in a direct message to elaborate so I can learn more about your comment "One idea that might be helpful: incorporating reflections from early-career conservationists and community-based practitioners working in marginalized areas. Their experiences often highlight not just burnout risks, but creative coping strategies rooted in culture, kinship, and purpose."?
Specifically I am curious about 'creative coping strategies rooted in culture, kinship, and purpose' as I see these as 'universal' in the sense that also here in Spain, or when I work elsewhere, there are cultural, and other aspects to consider, but maybe these are amplified or exacerbated due to geo/political and other lacking/challenging conditions, is this what I have to understand when you speak of marginalised areas?
Thank you for sharing so I can learn more and understand better.
🌿 Hi Sabrina, thank you so much for your reply. It’s my pleasure to contribute and reflect together.
What I meant by “creative coping strategies rooted in culture, kinship, and purpose” comes from witnessing how conservationists, especially those starting in marginalized or under-resourced communities, often draw on resilient practices that go beyond conventional models of self-care. While burnout risks can be heightened due to limited infrastructure, funding, or socio-political constraints, these practitioners frequently lean into what sustains them culturally and communally.
For instance:
Culture: Rituals, songs, or traditional ecological practices passed down through generations often provide grounding and a sense of continuity, like elders leading morning walks or storytelling sessions that connect the land’s care with personal healing.
Kinship: Support systems that include not just family but extended community relationships, people stepping in as mentors, emotional anchors, or collaborative problem-solvers when formal wellness programs are absent.
Purpose: A deeply felt responsibility to protect species or ecosystems, not just professionally but as part of identity. For some, conservation is tied to ancestral stewardship, spiritual beliefs, or intergenerational promises.
These strategies aren’t always visible in mainstream mental health discourse, but they’re powerful, often sustaining entire teams or movements. So yes, I do think these universal threads of care and connection exist everywhere, but in marginalized settings, they’re often amplified by necessity and ingenuity.
If helpful, I am happy to share an anonymized reflections or a story from a young practitioner who spoke about these practices, particularly those working in grassroots initiatives across East Africa, an example, " Kinship as a Buffer Against Burnout- A young community ranger from northern Tanzania spoke about how his grandmother’s evening storytelling ritual became a lifeline during emotionally taxing fieldwork. After long days monitoring human-wildlife conflict zones, he would return to her hut, where she recounted ancestral tales of coexistence with lions and elephants. These stories didn’t just soothe him; they reminded him that conservation wasn’t a modern imposition but a continuation of cultural stewardship. He said, “Her stories gave me back my strength. They made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this work.”
Thank you again for your openness and invitation. Your work holds such richness, and it’s inspiring to see how intentionally you’re weaving many layers of care, place, and story into it. 🕊️
Warmly,
Simon