A live, interactive workshop to help animal welfare professionals + volunteers tap into Moments of Empathic Delight as a sustainable resource!
No Rx Required, Possible Side Effects May Include Laughing Until You Pee Your Pants and Crying Embarrassing Happy Tears
May 20, 2026
8:00–9:30 PM Eastern Time
Live on Zoom
Early Bird: $35 | Regular Price: $50
Register Now
What if joy could actually support your resilience?
I know, right? Sounds too good to be true. Only it IS true! We talk a lot about empathic distress in animal welfare: the pain we absorb from the animals and people around us
But there’s another side of empathy that we rarely talk about: Empathic joy.
It’s the moments we have the privilege to witness in the animals and people we help:
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dogs being silly in play groups
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horses rolling in the mud
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cats napping in a sunbeam
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Coworkers cracking each other up
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Pet owners feeling gratitude for our services
Want to see a MED in action?
Here’s an amazing example of an animal caregiver experiencing a moment of empathic delight watching a donkey, who is healing from severe neglect, enjoy himself
Watch Now!
These moments matter more than we realize
But when we spend so much time witnessing fear, stress, and heartbreak, it’s easy to miss them.
That’s because chronic stress and trauma exposure take our negativity bias to another level, so our brains are constantly scanning for problems and threats.
We’re gold medal winners at noticing suffering, but we have a much harder time noticing joy.
And yet those moments of goodness aren’t trivial. They’re medicine.
They’re why we call them MEDs: Moments of Empathic Delight
MEDs use the superpower of empathy to sustain us by intentionally noticing, savoring, and sharing in moments of joy, play, connection, and goodness.
And just like medicine, MEDs work best when we remember to take them.
This is not about forced positivity, bypassing grief, repressing difficult emotions, or “looking on the bright side.”
Instead, it’s about widening the lens and allowing joy to serve as a powerful counterbalance to the pain of this work, so we have fuel to keep doing hard things.
And yes, you are allowed to feel grief and delight at the same time.
This workshop isn’t ABOUT self-care, it IS self-care.
Animal welfare professionals hear a lot about self-care. Breathe deeply. Take breaks. Set boundaries. All good stuff, but so often it just becomes one more thing on the to-do list.
This workshop is different.
Take Your MEDs! isn’t about telling you what you should be doing to take care of yourself.
It’s about creating a space where you can actually do it, in community.
For 90 minutes, you’ll step out of constant problem-solving and into an experience designed to help you reconnect with laughter, meaning, and the small moments of joy that already exist in this work.
Through breathwork, storytelling, reflection, and connection with other animal people, you’ll practice noticing and savoring Moments of Empathic Delight.
It’s not a class, it’s an experience.
What We'll Do:
This isn’t a typical webinar. It’s an interactive, restorative experience designed specifically for people who care for animals.
During our 90 minutes together, we’ll:
- Explore why joy can sometimes feel complicated in this line of work and why it matters
- Experience a guided trauma-informed breathwork practice designed to help your body reconnect with joy and playfulness
- Reflect and write about moments at work that made you laugh or lit you up with gratitude
- Share our stories in small breakout groups with other animal people
- Practice a visualization to help those joyful moments land in your body and memory
- Write your Rx for your Minimum Effective Dose of Joy to take with you to work the next day.
You’ll leave feeling lighter, more connected, and reminded that joy still exists in this work. Because these moments actually do a lot for us! They not only make us smile, they also strengthen relationships, boost personal well-being, and reduce burnout. In short: joy keeps us going.
Meet Your Facilitators
Jessica Dolce
Jessica is a certified compassion fatigue and grief educator who has spent nearly 15 years supporting animal welfare professionals as they navigate compassion fatigue and reconnect with meaning in their work.
Katya Lidsky
Katya is a certified breathwork facilitator, creative grief coach and wellness educator who helps animal people access balance, resilience, and joy through guided tools and community.
Together, Jessica and Katya combine laughter, storytelling, and experiential practices that help these ideas land not just intellectually but in your heart and body.
What to Expect from Breathwork:
Breathwork is a wonderful somatic tool, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all experience. It can be a simple yet powerful way to reset your nervous system using something you’re already doing all day: breathing. By gently shifting your breathing pattern and bringing awareness to the breath, you can calm the mind, release tension, and reconnect with yourself. Many people experience deep relaxation, emotional release, renewed energy, or a greater sense of clarity.
In this workshop, breathwork is practiced gently and at your own pace. Your body leads the experience. You are in charge (there are no breathwork police, promise!). You can pause, slow down, or return to your natural breathing at any time.
To set yourself up for a good experience, we recommend attending the workshop in a comfy, quiet spot where you can sit or lie down. You may wish to have a blanket, water, and a journal nearby. If your pet wants to join you on your healing journey, great!
IMPORTANT NOTE: Breathwork may not be appropriate for everyone. If you are pregnant or have certain medical or psychiatric conditions (including cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled high blood pressure, epilepsy, or bipolar disorder), please consult your doctor before participating.
THIS WORKSHOP IS FOR YOU IF...
- Work or volunteer in animal shelters, rescue organizations, veterinary clinics, or animal care settings
- Want to reconnect with joy, meaning, and connection
- Want to connect with people who truly understand this work
- Need to DO self-care, not just learn about it
- Want to practice self-care that is also community-care
THIS WORKSHOP IS NOT FOR YOU IF...
- You are in crisis. Please seek help from a therapist or medical professional
- Have certain psychiatric or medical conditions (including cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled high blood pressure, epilepsy, or bipolar disorder), which make breathwork dangerous, please consult your doctor before registering
- Can’t stop complaining about work for one night
- Hate the idea of talking to other humans (it’s ok to be on the quiet side, but this workshop is, in part, a story-sharing experience)
- Do not work or volunteer with animals
Important: This is a live experience
This workshop is designed to be experienced in real time, together.
To create a space where people feel comfortable sharing and connecting, there will be no recording available afterward.
Please register only if you plan to attend live on May 20.
During the workshop, you’ll be invited to participate in:
- short writing reflections (no skill required, no one will see what you write!)
• small breakout conversations (introverts, you can do this!)
• trauma-informed guided breathwork and visualization
• optional sharing in the larger group
You can always participate at your own comfort level, but this is not a passive webinar you can watch later or multitask through.
The value comes from being present with yourself and other animal welfare professionals in the moment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a recording?
What do I need to join the workshop?
Are there refunds?
Where is the workshop?
Are there CEUs?
Do I have to share a story?
Do I have to do breathwork?
Do I have to be in a good mood?
Need help? Have other questions? Email: [email protected]
