Dec. 10, 2019

#20: "Freedom is not the absence of responsibilities. It’s choosing which responsibilities you take." With The Travelling Vet, Helga Kausel.

#20: "Freedom is not the absence of responsibilities. It’s choosing which responsibilities you take." With The Travelling Vet, Helga Kausel.
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Season 1

Helga Kausel, better known as the Travelling Vet, is best known for her inspirational Instagram account, where she shares her veterinary journey and real life journeys. When Helga is not being the travelling vet she is an equine vet in Germany, and when she is travelling she uses her skills, influence and the money that she generates through her social media accounts to improve animal welfare wherever she can. Check out her incredible adventures and the impact that she’s had at travelling_vet on Instagram, or on her blog, travellingvet.blog.  On her blog Helga describes herself as a dreamer, a fighter, and an asshole. In this interview Helga tells us about her journey so far - how she made her career choices, how she built up her confidence as a young vet, about the time she wanted to quit veterinary science, and how she became the travelling vet. We talk about some of her amazing travel experiences, her views on money, narcissism in social media, and how she uses her public profile to do good. Dreamer and fighter for sure, but not a trace of a-hole! Please enjoy, Helga Kausel - the Travelling vet.  To see the show notes or to check out our guests’ favourite books, podcasts and everything else we talk about in the show, click the webpage link on the episode page wherever you listen to us, or visit the podcast website at https://minivetguide.com/podcast/.  If you have a question that you’d like us to answer with the help of our guests you can leave us a voice message by going to our episode page on the anchor app (https://anchor.fm) and hitting the record button, via email at thevetvaultpodcast@gmail.com, or just catch up with us on Instagram. (https://www.instagram.com/thevetvault/) We’d love to hear from you! If you like what you heard, then please help us to spread the word by subscribing to the podcast (it’s free!), and by telling your friends about us.  More about Helga: https://travellingvet.blog/2018/11/18/who-is-travelling_vet/ Travelling Vet instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/travelling_vet/?hl=en Helga’s fundraising page:  https://www.instagram.com/donate_a_postcard/?hl=en Some of the international charities that Helga has worked for:  https://www.meruanimalwelfare.org https://theculturetrip.com/south-america/brazil/articles/the-10-best-books-by-paulo-coelho-you-must-read/ Helga’s book recommendations:  The Zahir - Paolo Coelho https://www.harpercollins.com/9780060832810/the-zahir/ John Grisham novels:  https://www.jgrisham.com/books/ The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77203.The_Kite_Runner

Because I what did you want to say Jetta something profound?Good evening.Ladies and gentlemen, this is Gerardo Poli. and this sorry one of the best bits of advice I've ever received was to find good mentors and to learn from them trusted people who have already done what you're trying to do.
Now.I've been fortunate throughout my career to have some fantastic mentors to help guide me, but I realize that they'd be hard to find and also hard to commit the time to 1.This is why we've gathered some of the best Minds from the veterinary world and squeeze them for their wisdom so that You don't have to learn the hard way with the help of our guests.
We flipped the veterinary profession on its back and explore its soft underbelly to find the tips tools and inspiration that you'll need to build the career that you've always wanted.I'm Gerardo Pollock.I'm Hubert him strapped and this is the vent valve.Welcome everyone before we start don't forget to send us your questions that you would like us to answer.
So what burning issues do you have that you'd like us to discuss with our guests contact us through our Instagram account the vet alt or send us an e-mail at bet volt podcast at gmail.com Our Guest today Helga Council.
The traveling vet is best known for her inspirational Instagram account where she shares her Veterinary Journey.And her real life traveling Journeys when Helga is not the traveling vet.She is an equine vet in Germany and when she is traveling and she uses her skills influence and the money that she generates her social media followers to improve Animal Welfare wherever she can.
Check out her incredible adventures and the impact that she's had at her Instagram account traveling on this Corvette or on her blog traveling Bette dot blob.I know blood pal go describes herself as a dreamer a fighter and an asshole in this interview Helga tells us about her journey so far how she made her career choices how she built up a confidence as a young vet about the time.
She wanted to quit veterinary science and how she became the Travelling bed.We talked about some of her amazing traveling experiences have used on money narcissism in social media and how she uses her public profile to do good dreamer and Fighter for sure, but not a trace of a hole, please.
Enjoy Helga causal the traveling with we talking to Helena causal better known as The Traveling Vietnam.Welcome to the vet felt.Thank you.Hello.Thank you.And thank you for making time to have a chat.
Fast as usual Hubert was late and didn't have a stuff sorted.So it was really good talking to me while she bit wasn't available and we learnt I said all the bad things about you, but you clean his nickname, which I'll say right now and I bet you could be blank on the recording.
Yes, that will be buried like that.Thank you very much.Sarah you well, I was going to say you don't learn but somebody pointed out to me the other day that in one of the earlier episodes you say that and I missed it and I didn't blanket acid is out there somewhere.Okay, is that correct?
Yes.I'm in Malta.Why because my husband works here for one year, okay.For the philharmonic's multi Philharmonic Orchestra.Yes, he's a he's a violinist.Is that right?
Yes, exactly.Cool.So you you're not working in Malta.You've just going there and back and spending time with him.Yes.Exactly.So the thing was that I couldn't follow him if I was still working and the plan was for me to get pregnant and we had like one month before he left and it Happened like yes, so congratulations.
Yeah, and so yes, thank you.And since you are not allowed to work in Germany when you're pregnant now, I can visit him whenever want and not allowed to work at all know as a van today know as just as bad as a red.
So you get your salary from whom from the government or from your employer from the government.Yeah.Wow, that is nice.My yeah.My my wife worked with our first born my wife worked the plan was that she's going to stop a month before giving birth and then the baby came about a month early.
So she stopped working.She stopped doing on Friday and she had the baby on Monday.Oh my God.We were not quite ready.So like yeah that happened to a friend of mine.Yeah.It's really nice first.And the most important question is is there is there any Surf and Malta sometimes Lille it really little waves more of Windsor thing, but not a lot of Surfing sadly.
I didn't even bring my board.There's something there's something inherently wrong about an island that has no surface.Yeah, that's exactly they just don't have to write speeches or I don't know.It's very very poor waves.
I mean I saw them with longboards and small waves, but it's like fun.It's just White Water.Yeah, and and when you are when you're not traveling You Beautiful host fit back in German, is that right?You do host and yeah in Termini for practice or your own business or what no for practice.
We are nine beds.Okay, let's be old mobile.Yeah kind of We have like seven cars and we are mobile the whole day.So we don't have a clinic with just wreck outside just a little section like a little bit at home a lot of reproduction and some small surgeries, but most of it is mobile, which is really cold in Winter because we get to minus 20 and then you're like everything freezes your medication.
Freezes.Yeah, Chalie freezes everything.It's sometimes really a pain in the ass. jelly friesians You can't do a rectal like you have to wait until you have hot water and can warm it up.
So that the Woman's Place is going to be with your hand inside the hose.You're very excited about the morning's.Yeah the winning.When did you graduate?2015 2015 and so I just am just going back because this might be interesting for some of our listeners threat, especially new grants and things you were thinking equal work was equine the thing that you wanted to do.
Yeah.So in Vienna, you have to specialize the last one and a half years and so you like finish after four and a half years and then you have to specialize depending on your grades.Like on if you can do what you want to do the hardest to get into equine.
And so if you're good enough you can do equine and then you just have equine until you finish.Wow you so you knew back then how did you know because like the common question is is like I went through med school wanting to do smallies.
I thought I liked horses almost could kill three times.So, you know respect horses butt.Touch my never again.Maybe I might ride one one day but it's a really important thing for me was that it was like cattle but in like how did you know that you want to do horses?
Did you grow up with horses to do?Yeah, so I was I didn't before I was walking.So I grew up with horses.We always had horses and when I applied for wet school, I think I chose Smalley's because I only like when I was a student who has worked in small animal clinics and there was no horse red around really was working with and then at the end of my med school I before the Socialization.
I worked a lot in in small animal clinics to get money and it was no fun.Like I had no fun at all.And then I was thinking about quitting at like quitting the whole career because I was so disappointed and then I came back to med school and walked into the horse clinic and that was it.
I was like, okay.I want to work with her horses that Says the thing that makes me happy it changed during med school and I always wanted to work in the clinic and then I didn't get an internship and Toby wanted to go to Germany.
So I applied in Germany in clinics and then I didn't get one job, but they offered me another one like they kind of played Headhunter and send my application around.Out and then my boss sent me an e-mail when I was in Costa Rica if I wanted to work for him in a mobile practice and I was like, I don't know that's not really what I want.
And now I love it.Like I never want to go back into a clinic so just clarify something there.So because there's a lot of people come out with an idea of where they want to go and what it actually is some people don't like some people do and you work you do.
I was working in equine practice with nine baths.Right?Was it something that you wanted as part of just caseload and mentorship and things was that act like a criteria as far as your selection or was it just something happened and you were very grateful for it.
Like I think to mentorship thing was reason why I always wanted to go into a clinic because in the clinic you really yet.There's always someone around you and in the mobile practice like after three.Three weeks I was sent out a loan and I was alone the whole day and I could call them for help.
But yeah, it's yes totally different if you're out a loan or if you're in a clinic where you can just like someone standing beside you and helps you so at that stage, how long had you been qualified for like I graduated in summer and I started my job in October and I was traveling in the meantime.
And then after three work three weeks I really oh wow.That's it.I mean it at the beginning you do easy stuff and then Yeah, like everywhere.I had my first do you say hot birth?
Like if you have to help a horse perfing, how do you call it?Socio or something like that?Yeah.I had this like I think after one month or one and a half month and my boss just came in like came to me and said, oh we have this case.
So you go there and do this and I was like, okay I've seen above like once and normal.And then he just sent me to and I was like and he was like are you afraid and I was like, yes, and he was like, yeah.Okay.Yeah, you're fine.Okay, call me like okay, it was so bad and did well obviously it went well it was a miniature pony.
So and I came there and I think I called my boss five times and and then I was like, okay he can't help me anyway.Way, so after one hour, I got it out.It was a dead birth, but we could save some air and after this I found out that 50% of this miniature ponies, you can't help them.
They have to go to a clinic or you have to put them down.So I was really lucky.I didn't know that before I started for me.There was no Dairy.It's it had to work.There was no other way.Yeah, I had to get it out and I did and I was very lucky skilled.
It's not like he was killed.You're very skilled.Have you got have you got small hands?Yes, you can just use one hand with this mini Pony and it was lying down and standing up and everything.
I was lying on the ground and standing up and everything and on my knees and I always remembered med school and then the horse specialization we learned this with puppets.So I always remembered what she like shoulders with these puppets.
And how do you move it?And yeah, I'm very thankful for this professor.Well done.Yeah like to think of is like Sesame Street and from the Frog and stuff.
Yeah, like the front.Yeah.This is like with a horse puppet and then she was doing it like this and how do you get it out from the horse when it's like this just for its is obviously nobody can see what you're doing.But Helga's looks like she's like she's wrapping the yeah.
Yeah.
I think maybe it was the clinic where I worked, but I was just cleaning and getting nuts nice comments from my bed, and I don't know it.It's just I really love horses and I love my dogs and cats but they're different.
Yeah, it's just that I was just curious whether there was a particular thing that you did you didn't like or just just just didn't like the job.Mmm, I think horse is a kind of easier.They're not they're not know looking guys.
They're like, especially with the owners like the dogs are really sad when their owners not here and they're like totally different reacting to a vet and a horses and for me.It's much easier to read a horse.And to see how a horse is doing like with dogs are always super sad person is a little bit more easy.
Okay, I think we're gonna have to agree to disagree on this one.Yeah death experience with horses like horses a not easy for me, but I get it though again, like if you grew up with them and you can read them, I like I've had yeah.
I had people in my pack grew and grew up with horses and the like try to spend kick you and like how do you know boo is kick, you know?Yeah, that's just Growing up with them you you move and then you're like, why did I move and then you see it a horse is moving to so incredible.
I love that.I love that about life.But definitely you see it in work as well where you start knowing stuff and you go.I don't know how I know that so even even even diagnostically or exactly stuff like that.Don't wait what you talked about horses, but for for me when you get a dog walk in and I know immediately He's going to try and you got it right the or something like that.
Yeah, I love that subconscious learning that happens all the time and a few years later something walks through the door you go.Yeah.I know what's wrong with it.The yeah.It's a dangerous game.I know because that's how you stuff up as well.But it's it's nice to nice.Nice.Wooden when that starts happening.
Yeah, it's true you holiday good thing they know which is quite.Common for a lot of graduates, right?They go into a job and the environment is not really supportive conducive positive and so forth and not as far as you know, you're brave enough to go this isn't right.
This is not for me and leave you make a decision on that.But some people are really kind of assist on for a long time like in really taste they career like you decided to change and you made a change right?And now you working there.Is a as an equine bed and sounds like as if is you really enjoy it, you know, you could have actually really made your decision which is like, you know actually been to Korea isn't for me because if this was going to be like you can globalize that problem right that that experience to everything.
Yeah, so, you know, it's very brave decision be on you.Yeah, I think it was taken from me because I didn't get internships.And yeah, I was lucky.When I was young I like my big Idol is Jane Goodall.
And when I was young I always imagined myself being in Africa helping animals and everything and I always thought that maybe I would do that wildlife animals Wildlife medicine, but then yeah just happened.
That equine medicine is the thing that makes me happy.Which is a very nice segue into the into the traveling the traveling stuff.Yeah, you look like yet another question.Sorry that I yeah, pretty descended a segue into the traveling stuff.
Just one or two more questions after around actually how did you handle and and cope with I suppose being by yourself out on the road, you know and tackling cases like that, you know.
Like at the beginning when I started working.Hmm.Yeah, so I know that the first six months in my job.I was nervous until 10 p.m.In the evening.Just cause the sing the first two and a half years.
I we didn't had shifts.So we were working from Monday 8:00 a.m.Until by 10:00 p.m.In a row always on call always on call every night.Yeah, like we had one day a week off, but mostly it didn't work out.
So you were still working and didn't yeah, and then we had like weekend shift every two and a half weeks.So sometimes you work from Monday till next Friday 10:00 p.m.
In a row.Always on call that kissing is that like in Winter?You don't really have a lot of merchants.He's at night.Okay, like you have it at like 8 10 between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m.But after this they don't call anymore cuz they just don't hear the horses.
If something is wrong like with a dog you always notice it at night when something's wrong if horses but in season you get calls like it's three.I am at night.So I was always nervous until 10 p.m.
And after 10 p.m.I was like, okay, I think it's not very common that someone will call me now and I was super afraid of colleagues because I wasn't the best in rectal and no one can help you like you can call you can call someone and tell them their heart rate.
Was this the temperature is this but you can't really describe.I mean you Try to describe but if you don't feel it, you just you're helpless alone out there trying to do a rectal exam and find out what's wrong, which I learned Superfast is directly is not the most important thing.
It's some it's a big part of the examination but there are a lot of things that are more important than the rectal and then on my first weekend shift.After I think after month or five weeks, I had my first weekend shift where we are just too wet.
So on the whole weekend and I had seven colleagues on one day.Okay, I'm fine.I can do every college so that helped a lot.And yeah, I was gonna say baptism by fire this one way to live.
It's just jump in the deep end and Remember you drown?Yeah, and the good thing is I have really one of the best employees you can imagine like my boss you call him and I could always call him with the most stupidest question.
I could call him and ask him like 20 times a day and he would answer and tell me again and again what to do how to help me.Like that.Yeah, that that's important.Uh-huh.
Like this is really fascinating because I don't mean to say that your you know, your story is like, you know fascinating from a scientific point of view, but it's you know, like it's a very different story from what we often hear around people's experience with you know, the bike I'm not like the unknown and like how do they push through that?
You know, you pushed through that was it because you constantly kind of knew that ten o'clock would come and after because it is it that endpoint that light at the end of the tunnel six days a week or was it just the fact that you loved horses and you know, you pushed through that just sing.
Was that like At the first year of working I didn't feel like working.It was like I'm doing it Adventure an adventure every day.It was like there's so many adventures and I get paid for it.
It really didn't feel like working.It was just like wow today.I did this and I learned this and it was super exciting and of course I was super afraid but at the same point it was not feeling like work.It sounds like that was like like because it's reframing the scared into exciting, right?
And yeah, and I can see how they can push something through like that's how I got through.The first two years of emergency was it was scary and some of the Alex I mean she never say this don't tell anyone.I will keep it just between the three of us.
It was actually like moment before starting to shift.It was that stress.Oh, yeah and like cold sweats driving to work because the unknown but like like when I reflect upon what you said, it's the the fact that it was exciting.
You actually kind of kept you going.Yeah, and what was really happening?Handful was that like Toby wasn't here.So what really stressed me out that like when Toby visited me I was stressed a whole day to come home.
And then I was afraid someone would call and I would have to leave again.And because I was alone in Germany.I was working and sleeping.So there was nothing that like no personal life just stressed me out.
That's a very interesting observation because here it is.It does actually I've never actually realized that but you just you just said something that I've never realized about myself that a lot of my work stress is actually stress about Morgan has a stress but it's worrying about disappointing the family or you know, letting down the I don't mind the work.
I don't mind going out to work the middle of the night, but I don't like it when the kids are sad because I'm not doing stories with them or something like that.So that's actually very good.Hmm, then I don't know what to make of that.I left you think about.The key to why I continued doing emergency your irons because the I have no expectation one has expectations of me and do something other than weekends are emergency shifts.
Yeah, you know, I don't feel like if I have the pressure to apart from fatigue management now, I used to do 20 our ships.If not longer now, we have to get it for 14 hours.Right?And when you have pasted in want to stay there and help so now with this is not another pretty shoot.
Which is like just making sure you get out of the time where it's safe to drive home.Yeah, but but prior to that food for years.It was just like there was no ever expectation of me to actually fulfill some other kind of external expectation, you know, and I can see, you know, like the combination of one that you either I get back.
This is me reflected by me you said but like one you reframing the experience and the stress did it go?Through into excitement and learning like it's like an adventure.Holy shit.If every every shift was an adventure then yeah.
Why would you take that Adventure?Right?The second thing is you have a boss who you call you never felt like as if you were judged or whatever maybe like any time they were there it was an end point to your adventure right now that I know how stressful and the clock was um point and it was just like your environment like your social situation was a bird you too.
Have no other expectations apart from whatever you want to do.Yeah, you could be selfish.You could be selfish with you.Okay, I wouldn't say that.That's an awesome thing to do for everyone.Yeah, it's also very stressful to have a distant relationship very stressful.
And also when we saw it like when I came home for the weekend, I was like I was so done.I was just sleeping and I was still stressed and Toby would just call me working Helga like I got this new character.
Yeah.So what's the solution?How did you get the work situation changed you work less or how he changed it changed last year like almost one-and-a-half years ago.We started shift.So now we like work from 8:00 to 4:00 p.m.
M if we have morning shift late shifts kind of sucks because you just have four hours off you have off from 8 a.m.To noon.Yeah, and then you have a late shift and then you work from noon till 8 a.m.
The next morning and it changes every week.Okay, which stressed me out a lot because when we change that I was like Oh my God, I'm just working like 8 to 10 hours a day and still I couldn't motivate myself to do sport or to ride on my book that I'm writing or do something.
I would just still come home and relax and Dad really was depressive for me.Like I had like two months where I didn't know why until a realized that I'm so unhappy with myself because I was just working 8 to 10 hours and still when I came home.
I didn't do anything.Stupid that's pretty normal.I'd say it is it eight hours is a normal workday Wilmer.Yeah, but like before I work like at least 12 hours a day 12 to 14 hours like every day and then I didn't and still like didn't do anything else.
So that was that the changed was what changed what we what point did you get to where it was like, you know, I could do something.When I stop being depressed if you mean, yes, how did you fix this way?
Um, it was really bad.I was really depressive and then I called a friend super depressed.Like I was crying in my car on the way to a patient and then I called this friend and I lost connection and then he called me back if everything's all right, and he I was so afraid that something would have happened to me and this really got me out.
I was like, okay, come on.Everyone has a hard job and it's not that bad and from this moment on it got better.So what kind of flick the switch what switched something this I don't know this being so unhappy with my child with my lifestyle.
And with what I'm doing this which the so I can't see your thought was sorry.I'm just trying to get clear because it's really cool.I'm sorry though.That's cool.But it's really important like the reason we're in.Going on about this and keep an asking.
Juban wants to talk about the countries.Are you visited which is cool.And I've heard this is better like it.There are public switched in your head, which was that he thought that things weren't so good.But then you rip someone triggered you to reflect upon where you're at and actually realize that actually it's not as bad as what you thought.
Was that what it was.That's me kind of think you're back.Yes, and also that he was also having a hard time.And he was also having a hard time with his chop and social life and then I was like, okay a little bit more like this.
You're not alone.Yeah.Yeah my God.She was like to say something.No, not at all.I'm loving this.It's very important.So the situation didn't change.So you had that you're depressed.
You didn't change jobs.You don't change situation, but you're you're mine.Has it changed the way you thought yes change directly exactly.Okay like this for me.Okay, there's a lot of things I do and it sometimes becomes overwhelming for sure and One of the things that I've always felt when I was a child my family had like a we might have a family home, right my childhood home is on a hill and we used to overlook like a little Valley and there we go.
I could see from a people walk in and Cars Moving and stuff and it really sort of grew to love that kind of view and and I never really connected with it in a way that I do now where I look, Out now and I'm fortunate to be able to afford a house which has a nice view and the end what I see there is part of the city and things and what that makes me realize most days is that there are like a million people out there with big issues.
Some people are dying some people losing family members like some people I don't know going through financial hardships having to sell houses and things and it Is that reality check every day?Which kind of puts me back into like, you know, what can I do about it?
You know, is it really that bad like is that what kind of what that's was for you with your friend?Yes.Yeah, I think that was it.Like if you're in a depression, I was in a depression 2014 in a bad one.
I was also sick and didn't know like I have Hashimoto.I don't know if you know it.It's this to rodia sickness.So your theory there's stops working and but I didn't know it.So I had you you fall into depression or you gain weight like For every one is different from it was a depression and it's being in a depression is like the hardest thing and getting out is super hard.
And I think it was just this fear in the voice of of this friend of losing me that got me back that like making him being so afraid I really felt sorry and I felt Sorry that I put him into this situation and then I was out.
I'm curious with your your friend of it as well or what is he?No?No, it's not.Okay.I was gonna say did ask whether whether your chain because you said he was going through a tough time as well.I'm curious whether your change as a change on him because he has a as it helped to see you better as that helped him to do better.
He's about to change this job.Okay, but yeah, no he didn't change but he just like I knew that he was also going through a tough time still is but now he did made the decision like last week that he will change.
I really appreciate you sharing that.Yeah allowing us to continue to question.But let's change some things up few ago for all right, sure history talk about travel.Yeah, you are the traveling bit but I've been going through your photos to Sydney you Sydney and that name of the traveling made you have traveled a hell of a lot.
How did it begin?At what stage in your career in your life that the travel bug really bite?So I always traveled with my family my dad travels a lot and I traveled when I was a child but never dead much to that travel now.
I was never so addicted to traveling and I was playing handball in firstly for many years.And so I never had time to travel because I was always like being at school or Being at University and when I came home, I was playing handball and then I ruptured my ligamentum crucio so I couldn't play handball for half a year and I was like, oh my God what I'm doing and so I went to Washington state for one month to do an externship.
And this was the moment where I got addicted and then every time I was I had holidays and money I was traveling.Okay, so from your from your student days you that yes, it started 2011.
Although you said earlier that you you always idolized Jane Goodall and the snow so it probably started way before that.Yeah, it's true the bug was there you just had to get the opportunity exactly.And then in the same year like it was February 2011 that I went to Washington State and then the same summer went to Africa for the first time for seven weeks.
Okay.Wow, I was that amazing.It was still too like they were so funny things.We were in Botswana one night looking for lions and then we finally found line like we found one line.
Lying there in the brush and then we heard cracking in like in the dark.And so the guy who was driving the car.It wasn't open car.Like it had no windows no roof.It was just everything open and he moved the car and delight and then we saw in the Bosch like 10 meters away another lion eating something.
I think it was a pig or something.And so the first line was waiting for the second to finish and leave food for him and one girl got really scared.I wanted to back off like wanted to go a little bit more away from this lion and so the guy started the car and it was like DDD boom and it was Pitch Black and you could just hear the cracking of the bones and I like this is how I'm going to die. and of course, I was sitting outside and my best friend was sitting inside and I was like, yeah, he will get me first and then the guy tried to start the car again and it's like always went like they didn't boom Diddy boom and we had no light because the car didn't work and yeah, it was super scary and then after a few minutes it worked again and lions were still on the same spot.
They didn't hadn't moved at all.Wow, that would be really it was creepy.Then the fact there's nothing that makes you the takes you back to the ancient days of Evolution than be in the African bush in an exposed situation where you suddenly realize I I could be food.
Let's make it makes you realize where you belong on the food chain.That's for sure.Yes, all the places you've been right.Where would have had like I don't know the biggest impact for you like the biggest kind of moment of our ha or something. boo, hmm The thing is I never I never read travel guides or anything before I go somewhere because I don't want to be disappointed.
So it's always like wow when I come into a new country and Africa is always wow, like in a good and a bad way and I have to say like after two weeks.
It's always time for me to go back home because it's really tough to see how people and animals live and how people treat animals and treat other people and environment and yeah, I think this third world Trees are always the toughest for me.
Yeah, just to see how much they're still is that should be changed and how much there is we could change and people should do but people just don't care.Yeah, that's the hardest thing what I love about what I love about how you travel or Sydney what I what I see on your on your photos, is that unlike a lot of Travelers tourists you you seem You see it and then you try and do something about it or where you can it.
Looks like your trips are not just oh look at that.Let's take some cool selfies and let's go back home and do nothing about it.You had a quote.Actually.I want to I wrote it down somewhere that I really like.Sometimes you need to sometimes you need to change the easy for the for the right.Yeah, which is not easy.
That's that's what she's actually accrued from Harry Potter like kind of like, oh my God, yeah. the thing that he said there comes a time where we have to decide if we Revi have to do the right instead of the oh wait now I don't know how it works.
There comes a time where you have to decide if you want to do the right or the easy you have something like this.Yeah and a bit.Sorry G you go.I'm sorry.Just going to share a similar experience that I have had.
I love tracking and I love walking through nature and things and one of the most humbling experiences of One was actually standing next to a lion years.It totally just feel like a piece of meat like totally on equipped do the lion right?
And this was actually recently when I was going to buy it was one of the the cheeks irons that they have house because it was uncared for properly by the previous kind of So what happens is a lot of really the sheet they have these 50 cats and Wildlife but it's actual rescued.
And the perception is that actually they buy these pets and you know and cut their teeth out and calls them what their own stuff but quite often The Sheiks will actually like capture intercept hits and like Wildlife that are shipped to these countries as pets and then they take on responsibilities of like they can't really expect. our taking responsibility because they just have the funds and and standing next to one of these lines, but full-grown black Mane lion was just Scary as hell.
So that was a personal.Anyway that that we have is that the boy in Dubai but the experience was going to share with was when I track it to Everest Base Camp.And as I walked as the second time, I went to Nepal and there was a third world country, right and just like it was like the care for the pits like that.
They do take care of their pets.But like there's a street dog.And so forth and when I was walking through the villages you can see kind of how hard life is and it was really good in terms of perspective.So when I did the Annapurna circuit the first time that was eye-opening the second time I went back I did Everest Base Camp and when I was at Everest Base Camp, we watch the sunlight so that Everest and it was that moment does this most humbling experience and just feeling small and insignificant that I feel like as if if something needed to change And like that whole experience there is that started whole process me raised funds and you build a school in the porthole and that was my contribution back from that experience like that kind of those experiences can change people like your experience in Africa, I'd seen how hard it is for people and how you know, how they treat animals, which is sounds like it's a good stealing some of things in the messages that you're trying to put outfit.
Yeah, so where did you travel in the you went to Nepal your went to Nepal and didn't attract people so really beautiful people just just hard life life.
Yeah, but I think these like I have been there and different than People in Africa like to European or Australian people.They are like very open and wellcome which sometimes in terms of the year.
I have the feeling that I'm not welcome or That yeah, I think it's always different if you travel or if you go to for work, like if you go there for work, they always kind of have the feeling that you want to change something that they don't want to change because they have done it for ever.
Why should they change it and So it's very interesting if you work with people there and like when when I travel alone, it's always hard to get to people.
But and I've worked in Tanzania with Marvel.It's called meru Animal Welfare organization and guy who founded it.He is really good because he says that you can't just go there and tell them how to do it.
You have to show them another way and if they want they can accept it and change things and see that if they do like this.Stood on Kuru like live five years longer and it's really hard to change something by not making obvious that you want to change something that they have done like this forever.
Change management 101 changing standards and hospital where you'd be like you can make a difference but it's being done one way the whole entire time.So you learned that the hard way I have been on imagine how difficult that must be or a culture like that.
Yeah.We yeah, I've just had a similar experience.I've just come back recently from a from a trip to lombok.We worked with the Street dogs to try and sterilize Street dogs, and then there's actually quite interesting we did to separate.
Acres of work in the in the little town in lombok and right in the main tourist town There's a well-established little Charity that's been working there for a while and and the locals around them understand what they're doing and I really supportive so our first few days we wed with around with them and work with them and it is easy because the locals would show you around and say well there's a dog come back and get this one or that they're really helpful.
And then from there we went to a different area.Just on our own me and a couple of friends to go and try and do the same thing there in a small little village at a holiday holiday Resort, but right next to it is a little village and the owner of the resort said you're going to have to talk to The Villages because they might not like it they might not they like their dogs and they completely different to how we like dogs.
There's no come sit on my lap or let me feed you.There's no affection as such but there's a very much.An ancient relationship of you hang around me and there's always going to be some food.But then you you know, you chased the monkeys away from my crops and you so very much they like having them there and we same thing we learned very quickly.
We even went to talk to the chief of the village and asked him about it and he was very supportive.He said yes totally but like in all all change situations the leader didn't go and talk to all the villagers and explain to them.So we went into the village with our dad with our blood At just try and Dot dogs and they thought we were killing the dogs.
So within within half an hour, they said get out we were done for the day.We couldn't touch another dog until the chief went back that night and had a big meeting with everybody at explain the re not killing them and they actually saw a few dogs waking up from the from the anesthetic because they crowd around us.
But again, it's obviously just died.So we got the dogs do the surgery and then you cook them down in a shady spot.But then wait for them to wake up and you see all the villagers come and stand around and stare at the dog going why you killed our dog then after a while.They start moving and he's not dead.Yeah, so absolutely you gotta change you want to change everything and you want to just fix everybody's problem and tell him how to do it, but it's not always that simple but it's a fantastic experience.
Yeah, do you why do you do it?What what's your what drives you to get involved in these things alga?Cuz I think I'm very lucky to be born in Europe or in specially Austria and I like there's so many people and specially and animals around the world who are not lucky for no one knows which reason and I think that life should be good for everyone and we Don't believe in religions, but I believe that the one life that we have at the moment should be worth living for everyone and that's what I'm trying to do.
How do you how do you stop for feeling overwhelmed because once you start looking and once you start seeing all the problems that it can be really overwhelming to see the extent of the problems and the extent of the imbalances to the point where they some of those damn too tempting to go off now I can't I can't fix it.
So I'm just going to give up.Yeah, I think you always have to live for the moment and remember.You can change and which lives you can change.Also if you can of course have an everyone and of course, it's very sad most of the time and I had this experience in terms of near where we found puppies in the bush and they were full of Mangrove worms and I didn't speak for the next three hours because I was so angry with the whole world and with these people and with the situation that we have this but you just have to think of the good things and get a weight because you can't change it like you can't change every sadness in the world.
Yeah.We can change the way that you feel essentially the what you did there really isn't it?You know, you can only control the way that you feel in that particular situation and that being remind yourself of the good that is still out there exactly.
Hangover stick to beget mango worms in Australia.I don't think we do.No, but there's some amazing videos that you if you had no one's seen the video on the traveling.That's Instagram.We're clean.These are only God it just looks It just looks so bad.
It's really bad.If it's a is this going to gross everybody else?If I say I've had bigger room, you know, I grabbed it.I grew up with in Africa.I've had mango room.No.Oh my God is as sad as satisfying to get I was angry.
I was about to say I think it is it is almost as good as opening an abscess.I think it's better.But I did see that video I think because they we treat a lot of mango women and dogs in South Africa and it's not it's not actually a dangerous condition by itself in a healthy dog.
Yeah, exactly.So we keep it dogs with you know, 10/10 worms that it's just so satisfying to pop those little bastards it is it really is.Well, sometimes you have to choose.Sometimes you have to choose the right.
Right over the easy.Yeah.How did you get it?How do we get him out?No, how did I get it?It's they lay eggs.They lay eggs in the washing on the waterline the Flies and then you wear your clothes and then they uh, they hatch and drilling.
It wasn't me?I think I had my mom said I had it it was very little so that was on my ass because they lay these are the days of Of none disposable nappies.So my nap is right on the line and then I can't believe I'm telling the whole world that I had worms is where words are you aware?
Yeah, there were most people have moms who have formed no.No.Okay.Let's change in your ass.These are my gluteus maximus not in my life, which I don't know is is worse.
All right, but now I know why we always had to try this close in the sun before wearing it because you don't want me.Yeah, exactly as a question you brought a straight back to Mango ones with me so sorry.
So what's next?What's next?Like I can you post an Instagram is may be really obvious.But women would fall for me is a guy when you posted an Instagram photo like that.It's kind of like it's obvious, but I don't know whether or not I should say.
Congratulations unless I don't know.I'm always in that kind of like as a director and a hospital with a hundred and you know a hundred and forty people.It's like Should I say something?
I don't know.I'm just kind of say the answer is always no Gerardo don't you know as a guy you can't say something, right?So I'm assuming that you're pregnant.That's right.
Thank you.But this is always lat that's also the thing that happens to women that we see a woman and we don't know if she's she's pregnant or if she just has a belly and you're like shall I say congratulation that are not so it's not only happening to you don't be afraid.
The first definitive piece of evidence for me is when they're going through.I can't really help you with x-rays right now to us.
I mean as a regular mostly like you there are many times but you know it before anyone else knows it because you want to x-ray the horse and to your owners like oh, but I can't visit the X-ray and oh, okay, but don't tell anyone in the stable because no one knows and okay.
No like in Germany, you have to tell it the first day like when you know it you have to stop working.So we have to tell everyone.Wow, that's a no once I have this situation.Where there is she pregnant or just getting a belly you just drank a lot of beer after October 1st.
Exactly.Exactly.It was super funny when I told my boss curse.I was like like in Germany we say for Pregnancy examination in horses.We say tactic adds on to Sue home as a we call it t u T2 and we always have like in season we have every day a few T use to do.
So I said I had to 19 today and he looked at me and he was like like you like you had to uniting and I was like, yes, and he was like aunt and not yeah positive and it was like so Excited he was oh my God, and then the next sentence.
He was like you have to stop working.Yes.It's okay, but he was so excited like shit.I'm gonna replace you.You know, you want to keep it.Well, I told him one year before that.We are planning it after the wedding six months after Heidi curse if you travel to it Sika country.
You shouldn't get pregnant the next six months.It's to what country to country with zika.I see at the virus.Yeah, exactly.So we planned this trip in to Jamaica in February and after Tamika, I went to Haiti so we had to wait six months.
And yeah, so I told him like one year ago.We are getting married in May and we are traveling in February.But like in August we want to try But I think he hoped that it wouldn't work.You must like Saudi and to Baby pill didn't work that I put into your coffee.
So where does that leave the travel plans?So there are they on hold for a little bit?No, like I think now I finally have time to travel.Oh, yeah.It's becoming a traveling baby good and where's next like next is probably now just home and the baby arrives in April.
And after this I will do I want to do all the countries in Europe that are still missing and there is like Romania not Romania.What's the name Bulgaria?
They have a bear Center.They're ready help beard bears bears bears bears.And the thing is that in this country like Bulgaria.They still have a lot of dancing bears and restaurant pairs just means that they have a bear in front of a restaurant.
So people would visit the restaurant so the rescue a lot of time.Them and have like super Pacs read a candle if I haven't happy life.It's also before poster organization.
I went to Romania and I would love to visit it show people what happens to the money they give to for pause and see how to help these pairs and I would love to do castration projects in South Europe.
Where they still have so many stray dogs and cats.Yeah, maybe with some small animal vets get some together.And yeah, I was going to say have you done work before similar work on dogs and just duck specifically.
Yes.I work in Bosnia.That's where I got my dog.Oh really, which is chilling on the couch.Yeah.So I went to Bosnia for years ago and a friend of mine was like doing a castration project there with Street dogs and a friend of mine asked me.
Will you bring a dog home when you go down and I was like are you crazy?I'm not taking a dark home.Well, it ended up with Anna your friend knows you well.Yeah good purely out of practical reasons when you when you did that work with the dogs their help.
How did you catch the dogs?I had to sedate them or they have wild with the dogs is the quick.So day were living on an trash dump and it will feel fat by the locals.
Like they all brought like they brought all of the stray dogs from the city to this trash dump in the in the woods.So some of them like Anna who loves food, we're easy to catch and the other like you can't catch all of them.
Like with most Street dogs, which is a reason why killing Street dogs never makes or taking Street dogs away never make sense because you never catch all of them.Yeah, and then the pool is empty and just fools up super fast.
So we caught a lot of them with food and the rest of them with links.Yeah, so put excited separating sedatives in the food.We need to drag know just catch them while you wait you did with the sling.
Yeah, all right the ones and the ones that I'm asking because I'm in lombok.They are extremely people nervous and you can't get closer than about you can't you can't physically catch them.So we had and you had a blow job.
Don't care.Yeah, so you have to you have to be able to get two to three meters away to be able to get a good shot.But then as soon as they see that you walking around as soon as I see you looking at them they've done so I'm asking because I'm because I'm looking for better ways to make it more efficient this time.
Yeah, I was hearing that your dad at him and I was like, that's a good idea.It's a hell of a lot of fun, but it's not very time efficient.Yeah, I think Feeding them is pretty good.Yeah, like always at the same place so they would come and then it's you get closer to them and then you can catch them with something that's going to be the plan next time or what I don't drag them in their food.
That's that's the plan.Yeah that yeah, like with folds.Yeah.We did this before spec home already.Hmm, Gerardo.What do you think kneeling?How do you think we need math?Do we keep on wanting to ask a question at the same time?
I started getting are going to be pursued.Okay.Yeah ready?Okay early.I lost my question first and then she we can ask this question.You can decipher from the heart.Okay.My question is you being around the world, right and you Allied yourself and you've kind of you know done work with organizations and things like That how does someone who wanted to do that do that?
How does something like when you do you just email me go?Hey you my name is Olga.I'm a veterinarian from Germany.I come and help you take your dogs like, you know depended you reach out to them mostly like this.
So at the beginning like when I was a student there were I did project.For students where they show you how you do it and then you can learn how to do it and there were projects from the University with vets and students and you could help and learn something which was really nice also in Africa and then now as a vet I just like in Tanzania, I text them when I first text them I was like, yeah I can help. you if you want I could come and help you and treat the donkey's because I have no idea about dog medicine, but I can treat thankies and then in Romania, I could treat their horses and in in other countries either I go with a vet and then like I do the First castrations with them and then I do it on my own or I just go there and play more like an influencer.
So I say hi.I have 500 Euros.So let's buy medication show people what we do and I work with you like under your guide dance and people who know small animal medicine can go there and help.
It's more of an influence of thing May when I do small animal medicine.So you go.So you is that your utilize your social media and the audience that you have and to go this is my audience.
I love to share your message and what you guys do?How could you yes and also like everything like I earn money with traveling with corporations, I do on Instagram and also with donate a postcard.And this money is just used for medications, which I use if I donate to organizations to work with so like in Tanzania, I went there and said so we have one and a half thousand dollars LED spy rabies vaccination and vaccinate some dogs because I can vaccinate the dog.
I just can't do anything else that I can mixin ate it so we did Rex by vaccinations for rabies from More than 4,000 docks.Wow.Oh that album.Yeah, that was pretty cool.
So yeah, like I have my job and my money that I own with my job and then I have traveling vet and all of the money of traveling that is used for good stuff cuz it's like extra money that I don't feel like I deserve because it's not really work for me doing traveling that and I don't need because I have my money from my job.
So I sought I not do something good with it.My next question, right which I think you just answered was do you do Instagram?Like you're eighty three and a half thousand followers.And and your what's your what's your what's your message?
There is a message or or is it?Is it a tool passing the tooling the bad way that all it's maybe a good word?Like when I started it.I was just like I didn't like Instagram for a long time and then I started it and I thought like it's pretty I have so many travel pictures why not just show them and then I shared a picture of dehorning rhinos. in Africa and vets nobility shared my picture I'd if you know the profile and and then I got like a lot of followers when I just buy because he shared my picture and then I like that started this idea of traveling like calling me traveling that and then it really became bigger and bigger and then I was sitting with a friend talking about making money with Instagram.
Was before I had my first couple reasons and everything and I was like, how can you make money with Instagram?And he was like, hey, you're always telling you you could send postcards.So like you can send a postcard and people who want to postcard can give you money.So I started this and when it started to work, I was like, I don't need any money that like, of course everyone needs money.
But you know if you I mean, I'm European.Austrian who never had to care about food or where to live or go to school.So it's just an extra that I don't really need and so I decide to to use donated postcard and traveling that money just for this stuff.
That's really cool.A lot of people have disagreed profiles, right and They don't have a message behind it.You know, it's just there then they share stuff but there's like the impact, you know, like they you know, they don't have the mission.
Yeah, and because now where it's growing and people start to know traveling that I really enjoyed that I can teach people sings that I know it since years and never saw it.
That people don't know it like we are eggs come from where makes come from why people bewegen why people should treat the planet a little bit nicer how people in other countries live and dead.It's a big and huge privilege to go to school to don't care how to get your dinner and go to a doctor like everything like this and it's nice to show people that Like it's there's a lot of different perspectives in this world.
Yeah and teach them a little bit.Yeah, that's so great.See this is why this is why I love doing the podcaster.Hey, you just love the Rings get talk to me.Now.
I just love it.It's just just every time just meet people you go.Oh man, it's so so nice to know that there's people out there that care and any can have been so many moments do this podcast.I'll go where I'm just like wow.Wow.Wow.All over the laughs.Yeah exactly where that went through my head the most tonight was well, I would have Allah I seek you like 12:30 morning now.
So this morning 12, the question was was like the question I was going to ask is you know, what is what about Instagram and what it is for you and you just kind of answered that question for me and that was that's like incredible.That's beautiful and innocent like there's no ego there.
There's no doing this because I want to see how many followers I You know, I think this is always a part of it.If you start social media, like everyone is a little nuts East if they live on social media, so if they share things on social media, but I think if you have the privilege that your account works and that people follow you and you get likes and keep corporations to the least you can do is do something useful with it.
Yes, that's how you started because of something.You know, that's personal for you something - yeah, and then it grows because your engagement and then you feel like you have a social responsibility.Exactly, you have a responsibility to the people who look at their stuff to the people out there and some people don't realize that and it's powerful that you know, that's that you shared with that that with us.
So thank you so much.I'm just I've just started by the attitude of all right.Now I'm making money with this thing, but I don't need money.You just don't hear people say that I don't need money.So let's use it for something good.That's I've got it.
I've got it.I've got it right and you 60 dogs so clever with this.That's actually pretty cool.
I haven't been too long.Oh next time.Will you come?Yes?Okay, cool.Yeah, we'd love to.All right.Awesome.I'll get it that you have to show me again how to do dogs by yes easy peasy.I think it's not so much different from castrating at horse know exactly the way isn't much much easier.
That's because they might be a little bit different from castrating horse.Maybe yeah a little bit.Yeah, you always have to ask yourself.Why Like if I wouldn't have Instagram, I would still be happy with the money I have.So it's just extra money.
So I wouldn't be more happy to have more money.I'm happy already so I don't need more money.You're a wise man.You are wise beyond your he is.You been with the one question.
Yes.Well, first of all quick quick short question, I when you when you're traveling you take books.Do you take audio books?How do you how do you entertain yourself?When you when you're moving around the globe Elgar?I love reading proper books audiobooks or know probably.
I love proper books.I always have proper books like John Grisham.Okay, and Once I read them I left leave them and for someone else and I also have just books from book shelters.
And like I'm an auntie material person.So that's the same with books.I read them and after this I give them to someone else now.I'm going to have to ask you I should have prepared you for this.But can you give us a couple of books that we need to read anything?
You've read recently that that stands out.Like Paulo Coelho is always amazing to read he had nice quote.I used at my wedding saying that freedom is not the absence of responsibilities.
It's choosing which read Response to pin it.What's the word responsibilities you you take?Okay say it's the reason he's so freedom is not the absence of responsibilities, but the freedom is to choose which you responsibilities you want to take.
And which ones you don't want to take.That's Freedom testicle.Yeah, I love trunk rotation because I love This kind of walks and have you read The Kite Runner?
Yeah.Yeah, right.What's the name of the outer Khaled hosseini?Yeah.Yeah, he is amazing.Yeah, I think Paulo Coelho end he the right the best books about people and about.
It's a living.Which is your favorite part of the book.Have you got a favorite of his and I really love to see here.It's the one where you have this quote from the runs responsibility and freedom growth.
Okay.I don't think I've read that one.I'll be on the list.And then the last question.We normally wrap up with you are at a conference and you talking to the world's newly graduated.It's all the all the new vets in the worlds are listening to you.
And you've got a couple of minutes to give them one message.Why'd you tell them what would you what do you want to say to the to the new graduates of the world?Always remember why you started it like always remember why you're doing this job because for me it's because I want to help animals and want to help suffering animals and no matter how hard it is the result.
Mostly will pay you back.Fantastic makes sense.I don't know if it's like I love insulating Santa you don't even hesitate about that.You had it right?
We have it up there.Jimmy that was thank you so much.I love you.I love that.I'd love to thank you.It was so much fun.And I will see you in lombok.I am I'll start yeah, so when the baby's due in April, do you want to bring your baby with you or did you leave it with the cheese even his family?
We will see we took out.We've got a one-year-old baby with us really but it needs vaccination.Doesn't it?I don't know if it does but we didn't ever think about it.
I want to wish it Chloe in Australia.So I will be noticed you've off in Australia.Yep.That's when we come in Australia.Hopefully next winter like for your next summer.Yeah, I would love to go there maybe when the baby is half a year old.
So November 2020 and then we can Go to how far is it too long?There is further from from Perth.It's about a three-hour flight.So very very easy.I hate flying but we will do what you call the traveling the traveling wait with your headp.
Like that's a yeah.Yeah.I'm afraid of flying.It's really bad.That's the reason I drove down to Malta and I'm driving back.
Australia hello days three days.Yes, and the Fly just like two hours, but I'm I'm so scared of flying so I never fly if it's possible.Maybe I drive to Australia that see I have enough time.
There's a couple big oceans in the way.But I mean, I know people who went there with their motorcycles so you can go there.R / ship yeah, you could get to you can get all you can get all all over Indonesia with them my motorbike a motorbike and finish really good way to travel but you can go to Indonesia pair car one can but I went outside.
Thank you for your time and you haven't Checked out the Travelling bed Instagram is in you please do because there's so many awesome posts in there and her and her message is always so honest and positive.
It's there are so many Instagram was out there suggest off that drama and the bad things about our clients and the pets we treat that dog is messages are always positive and I think she's a real contribution towards a professional Instagram.
And so thank you very much.Please check it out.And also check out her donate a postcard.Is that right?Yes.Yeah, and the link is in her fire so support that as well.They grew much team.
Thank you.See ya.
I won't ever I needed you.Okay muted.

Helga Kausel