50th Episode Special: 5 leaders on key changes and opportunities in the animal movement

There is an age-old debate within animal advocacy on the importance of educating the public. Is it simply enough to tell people about the harms of industrial animal agriculture and then they will change their behaviours? Sadly, not it seems. Many people have been disappointed about the amount of behaviour change that’s actually happened over the past few decades due to education, as seen in relatively stagnant numbers of people going vegetarian or vegan. That’s why I’m excited that this week’s guest, Katie Cantrell from Greener by Default, is trying a new approach to get people to change their behaviours – by changing their diets with them barely even noticing. Stick around for a great discussion on the importance of nudging, choice architecture and making the plant-based option the default path.For those who didn’t listen to our special 50th episode (which I think was awesome – go check it out!), this is a reminder that it will just be me hosting the podcast for the foreseeable future, as Amy sadly had to take a step back. ResourcesGreener by Default (website, LinkedIn)Research on the effectiveness of nudges (and another by the Food Climate League)US bans animal testing for certain drugsEve by Cat BohannonThe Mountain in the Sea by Ray NaylorIf you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - we would really appreciate it! Likewise, feel free to share it with anyone who you think might enjoy it. You can send us feedback and guest recommendations via Twitter or email us at [email protected]. Enjoy!

To mark our 50th episode, we're bringing you something special: Five movement leaders talking about some of the biggest developments for animals in the past two years as well as what advocates should focus on next for the next two years. Highlighting advancements in policy, corporate campaigns, alternative proteins, and investment in overlooked species, this is an information-packed episode so don't miss out! Our guests:David Coman-Hidy from The Navigation FundCarolina Galvani from Sinergia AnimalAlex Holst from The Good Food Institute EuropeCarley Betts from The Open Wing AllianceKarolina Sarek from the Effective Altruism Animal Welfare FundPlease give the podcast a positive review on your podcast provider of choice. You can also find us on YouTube if you want to see these podcasts in beautiful color and video.If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - we would really appreciate it! Likewise, feel free to share it with anyone who you think might enjoy it. You can send us feedback and guest recommendations via Twitter or email us at [email protected]. Enjoy!

Kelvey Vander Hart from the Wilberforce Institute joins us to share her approach to animal advocacy from a politically right-of-center view and how her Christian faith guides her activism.• The importance of bipartisan approaches to engage the masses in animal advocacy• Why animal welfare should be a cross-cutting issue that transcends political affiliation• How political coalitions can be built around specific animal welfare issues rather than comprehensive platforms• Reforming government subsidies that prop up factory farming and removing barriers to innovation• The connection between Christian values of mercy, compassion, and justice and animal welfare• Ways to engage faith communities in animal advocacy through shared values• The pragmatic necessity of working with people across the political spectrum to achieve progress• The story of William Wilberforce, who helped abolish the slave trade and founded the world's first animal welfare organisationNext week is our 50th episode where we'll be interviewing five guests and reflecting on the last two years since the podcast launched. Watch out for this special celebratory episode on April 15th.Resources:The Wilberforce Institute’s website The Wilberforce Institute’s newsletter sign-up pageThe Wilberforce Institute’s X account Kelvey Vander Hart’s website Kelvey Vander Hart’s LinkedIn The Saltwater ChroniclesMedia recommendations How to Be a Good Creature by Sy MontgomeryBlackfish Fear Factories by Matthew Scully Some articles I’ve written related to bipartisan animal advocacy, limited government animal advocacy“Cut Government, Save Animals: Here Are 3 Awful Agencies and Programs DOGE Can Eliminate Entirely”“Big Government Won’t Protect Animals” If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - we would really appreciate it! Likewise, feel free to share it with anyone who you think might enjoy it. You can send us feedback and guest recommendations via Twitter or email us at [email protected]. Enjoy!

David Kay shares his experience as the first employee at Upside Foods, offering a deep dive into the cultivated meat industry's challenges, successes, and political landscape. As an animal advocate who entered the alternative protein space, he provides unique insights on depolarising the conversation around cultivated meat and building bipartisan support.›• Difference between focusing on environmental/health versus animal welfare messaging• David's journey from animal advocacy to becoming the first employee at Upside Foods• How cultivated meat differs from plant-based products as "real meat" grown from cells• Where hundreds of millions in investment funding goes in cultivated meat startups• State-level bans on cultivated meat and fighting political polarisation• How industry is organising through trade associations like AMPS Innovation• Importance of elite institutions in normalising animal advocacy• Recent FDA approval for Mission Barns' cultivated pork fatAdd David on LinkedIn to follow his work and learn more about his perspectives on the alternative protein industry.Resources:Animal liberation bookGFI website State of the industry reports AgFunder – Elaine WatsonMission Barns FDA ApprovalDavid Kay LinkedInIf you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - we would really appreciate it! Likewise, feel free to share it with anyone who you think might enjoy it. You can send us feedback and guest recommendations via Twitter or email us at [email protected]. Enjoy!

A critical look at the entwined relationship between parenthood and the animal advocacy movement. Julia Reinelt shares her insights on how organisations can become more supportive to parents in the advocacy space.• Julia introduces herself and discusses her journey in the animal advocacy movement • The challenges of balancing advocacy work and parenting • Understanding the family-unfriendly aspects of the animal advocacy movement • Suggestions on creating more inclusive environments for parents within organisations • The impact of geographical location on parental support in advocacy • Insights on the necessity of normalising parenting conversations across the movement • How advocating for family-friendly policies can foster sustainability • The role of the AVA summits in promoting family-friendly initiatives • Calls for listeners to engage with these conversations and advocate for change www.avasummit.comSubscribe to our monthly newsletter and​ follow us on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube  | TikTok If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - we would really appreciate it! Likewise, feel free to share it with anyone who you think might enjoy it. You can send us feedback and guest recommendations via Twitter or email us at [email protected]. Enjoy!

This episode discusses the intersection of mental health and animal advocacy, highlighting the critical need for self-care among advocates. Aarti Bhavana shares her experiences with emotional tolls from animal suffering, corporate accountability, and practical strategies for sustaining passion in the long term.• Exploring the toxic mindset of 100% dedication in animal advocacy • Importance of addressing mental health in nonprofit sectors • Underlying emotions of advocates witnessing animal suffering • The role and growth of corporate accountability in animal welfare • Practical self-care strategies and boundaries for advocates • Insights into shifting perspectives on animal welfare legislationResources;Bharat Initiative for Accountability Marconi Union - Weightless  Cupa Larrc Instagram Our world in data – amount of suffering for cage-free based on welfare footprint Jayasimha Podcast Episode - Cage-free credits Heads Up - Creative campaigns newsletterIf you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - we would really appreciate it! Likewise, feel free to share it with anyone who you think might enjoy it. You can send us feedback and guest recommendations via Twitter or email us at [email protected]. Enjoy!

Haven King Nobles brings us a really refreshing topic this week as we explore high agency and the importance of this particular trait when it comes to entrepreneurship and continuous innovation. We talk through Haven’s experience of being a young entrepreneur, the mistakes he made in the early days of founding the Fish Welfare Initiative, and some advice on the skills to develop to really excel in entrepreneurship.Whilst this week's topic was high-agency, we of course talk to Haven about his experiencing the first organisation dedicated to working on fish, talking about some of their programmes and the challenges of working in India on this topic.ResourcesFish Welfare Initiative Website FWI Stunning projectHow to Launch a High Impact NonprofitThe FWI newsletterThe Lean Startup - Eric RiesWho Is a Good Fit for a Career in Nonprofit Entrepreneurship? Charity Entrepreneurship Blog00:00:00:00 | Intro00:05:41:13 | High agency00:09:11:20 | Charity Entrepreneurship funding00:12:49:12 | Fish Welfare Initiative00:19:01:21 | Is there issue in movement with high agency?00:25:37:17 | Cultivation of high agency00:33:59:01 | FWI and India00:39:19:23 | How to react to negative feedback00:46:12:07 | Changing the world without qualifications00:49:20:05 | Expanding to different countries00:59:29:21 | Where else would high agency be useful01:15:03:15 | Closing questionsIf you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - we would really appreciate it! Likewise, feel free to share it with anyone who you think might enjoy it. You can send us feedback and guest recommendations via Twitter or email us at [email protected]. Enjoy!

Ben Newman has had a colourful past few years, being one of Animal Rising’s co-directors and being arrested multiple times for various bits of direct action and disruptive protest. Now, Animal Rising has turned its attention to campaign against the RSPCA, the world’s largest animal charity, for running the RSPCA Assured scheme. This has been quite a divisive campaign within the animal advocacy movement, with some, including both co-hosts, having fairly big questions about the effectiveness of this campaign.00:00:00:00 | Intro00:04:55:02 | Direct Action Rescues00:10:01:20 | Mass Arrests Strategy00:13:40:07 | RSPCA Assured00:19:19:10 | End of Animal Farming?00:28:24:12 | RSPCA Scheme Shutdown00:35:19:01 | Public Opinion on RSPCA00:45:41:18 | Slaughterhouse Investigations00:50:24:08 | Social Media Controversy00:55:36:06 | Animal Rising in 202501:02:29:10 | Closing QuestionsIf you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - we would really appreciate it! Likewise, feel free to share it with anyone who you think might enjoy it. You can send us feedback and guest recommendations via Twitter or email us at [email protected]. Enjoy!

Join us for an enlightening conversation with Aidan from Pro Animal Future and Almira from Direct Action Everywhere. A really interesting episode about their recent US ballot initiatives which actually has a lot of cross applicable learnings about fighting strong opposition to campaigns, the benefits of loosing forward, and how frequently narrative outperforms spend when it comes to campaigns. Almira and Aidan share insights on collaboration, leadership, and the courage to experiment with new strategies in the face of fierce opposition. Their stories underscore the importance of perseverance and adaptability in the fight against well-funded adversaries.For a more in-depth deep dive on ballot initiatives, head to the episode with Josh Balk as he gave a really thorough run down of these measures and how we can use them to push pro animal issues in the US.Resources:Aidan:narrative.paxfauna.orgMedia recsThe Engagement, Sasha IssenbergGet Political for Animals, Julie Lewin https://www.getpoliticalforanimals.com/Almiradirectactioneverywhere.comThis Is An Uprising (chiché, I know)Waging NonviolenceRead fiction!If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - we would really appreciate it! Likewise, feel free to share it with anyone who you think might enjoy it. You can send us feedback and guest recommendations via Twitter or email us at [email protected]. Enjoy!

Jesse Marks is the newly appointed Farm Animal Welfare Program Officer for The Navigation Fund, a new major funder in the anti-factory farming space. We spoke with him about his experience becoming a grant-maker, interpersonal dynamics in funding, new areas he is excited about, how the movement can improve corporate campaigning and much more. www.navigation.org Navigation Fund Farm Animal Welfare StrategyGood Strategy Bad StrategyThis is an uprisingHow to survive a plaguewww.digital-advocacy.com Beautiful Trouble’s “toolbox”Link Paul Engler talk at Animal Liberation Conference / DxERules for Radicals James blog on winning 00:00:00:00 | Intro00:05:37:16 | First shrimp welfare campaign ever?00:08:48:21 | Transition to a grantmaker role00:15:58:10 | New insights on applying for funding00:26:40:20 | Priorities in TNF funding and why00:35:59:13 | Youth organizing00:48:30:21 | How to reach out to TNF for funding00:50:23:21 | Where the movement can improve in corporate campaigns00:55:06:08 | The importance of focus in programs01:07:07:10 | Closing questionsIf you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - we would really appreciate it! Likewise, feel free to share it with anyone who you think might enjoy it. You can send us feedback and guest recommendations via Twitter or email us at [email protected]. Enjoy!