150. Kim Palermo, CPDT-KA, CCUI, ACE 

Colleen: Welcome to Unleashed at Work and Home. I'm Colleen Pelar, and this is where pet professionals come for honest conversations about what it really takes to show up for yourself while serving the animals you love. If you've ever felt caught between compassion and exhaustion, you're in the right place. Here we explore what it means to reconnect with your inner wisdom and rediscover the joy that brought you to this work. Make sure to join my email community at ColleenPelar.com for gentle, practical insights designed specifically for pet professionals. Now let's dive in.

Welcome back to Unleashed at Work at Home. My guest today is Kim Palermo, and she is the co-owner of Blue Dog Pet Care. Welcome, Kim!

Kim: Thank you for having me!

Colleen: So happy to have you here. Tell us a little bit about Blue Dog.

[00:58] Blue Dog's Origin Story

Kim: Oh, Blue Dog! So that was like, my baby. Blue Dog started as a dog walking company. I opened it in 2008, so back then, I was kind of like in between jobs, and didn't really know what to do. And I always wanted to work with animals and dogs in particular. So I put an ad in the local newspaper, and I printed out 100 business cards, and that's how Blue Dog started.

So that was, I think, what, 17 years ago, and so it started with just me walking dogs. By the end of that year, I was so busy that I was turning away clients, and I hired my little sister as my first employee. And then I ended up, I kept hiring from there.

So we were dog walking for quite a few years, and then I began, I had an interest in training dogs, and we started offering some private training. And we really wanted a training facility, so I found one. It was tiny. I opened that up in 2012 and at the same time, my husband was working for, you know, he had what I like to call a real job, right? And he ended up—I was overwhelmed at that point, because I had a lot of employees. I was opening up the training facility, so him and I talked, and we were like, "Okay, we've got, like, we could do this for three months, like, have him quit his job, work for Blue Dog, see how it goes." And the rest is history.

In the sense that my husband still works for Blue Dog, we're now—we have a different training facility. It's a little bit larger. So we offer group membership classes for pet people. We do private training, and then we still do dog walking as well. And we have a staff of, I think we've got like six or so dog trainers, and then maybe 15 or so dog walkers, and then some pretty amazing management staff. So yeah, that's Blue Dog still doing it today.

[03:12] The Market Need

Colleen: That's incredible. It's quite the growth story, and it does speak to the need of walking. You know how people really need somebody to help with just the exercise and outlet for their dogs?

Kim: Yeah, and it's really amazing because, I mean, I started the business in 2008 and the economy wasn't that good then, but a lot of people had to work. And, you know, it's different now, you know, since the pandemic, but a lot of people were driving into work, and we're a little north of Boston, so a lot of our clients drive into Boston for work. And so yeah, the need for dog walking was huge. It still is, but it's definitely different than what it was, you know, before the pandemic. But yeah, big need for that.

Colleen: There is a big need for that. So did you always think this was what you were going to do with your life?

[04:07] The Animal Girl

Kim: Of course, yes. So I grew up as an animal girl, I mean, and fortunately, my family was—my parents were into animals, so we always had, like, four or five dogs at any given time. I grew up mostly with Rough Collies. My mom bred a couple litters, but we had a whole bunch of other things. We had, like ducks and chickens and goats, and I rode horses. So animals were always my thing. I was very fond of insects, so I really wanted to be a veterinarian, like any animal loving girl, but in particular, because my parents owned their own local business, I wanted to have my own practice, and I wanted to marry another veterinarian to run the practice together. Not exactly what happened, but close enough.

Colleen: Yeah, that's interesting. I think it's so interesting asking people that question. Because sometimes 10-year-old you is like, right on the money, and sometimes 10-year-old you is totally in a different field or genre of what they're imagining for their life. But 10-year-old you imagined something really quite a bit like what you have.

Kim: Yeah, and I have a tendency to kind of really go for what I want. So I guess that's my biggest proof of that.

[05:37] Going for What You Want

Colleen: So which is a really great trait, and one that so many pet professionals struggle with. So tell me a little bit about that. A tendency to go for what you want, what helps you do that?

Kim: I mean, I actually am not really sure. I'm very much an ideas person, and I don't get scared of risks all that often. I put myself out there, and I think that that has helped my career a lot. So even, you know, when I started the dog walking company, my job prior to that, when I got out of college, was a sales job, and I was making, you know, a decent amount of money. It was a good job, but it wasn't what I wanted to do, you know, and so with that, I worked for my parents for a couple of months for their business, and then I started my dog walking company.

So I am kind of, I tend to just put myself out there and then think about it later, which maybe isn't always the right way to approach things, but it has certainly helped me a lot. I mean, a more recent example of that would be Julie Daniels. So she was the original Control Unleashed instructor for Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, and I was taking classes with her. She lives locally to me, and we would go to her house and hang out outside and train dogs, and then sit and chat. And she mentioned that she was going to be teaching Control Unleashed classes for Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. And I said at the time, I had just gotten certified. And I said, "Well, if you need a teaching assistant, I would be willing to do it." And she said, "Well, yeah, I do." And just that alone, you know, I drove home thinking about it like, "Oh my gosh, what did I just do?" But it was the most amazing learning experience, and now it has me, you know, deeply involved and teaching for Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. So, yeah, I just say it first and then think after, I guess. But it works really nicely for me so far.

[07:54] The Fenzi Journey

Colleen: It has worked really nicely for you so far. So how long have you been, you know, from the assistant role to the instructor role at Fenzi. How long have you been involved there?

Kim: I, you know, I actually don't know when I started teaching or being the teaching assistant. I think I did that for probably, like, two or three years. And then during that time, I got to know Julie really well, and we kind of, we made a good pair, and then, just for health reasons, she had to take a step back. It started with kind of an unexpected change in her ability to teach. It was halfway through a term, and so we decided that I was just going to take over teaching that class for her, and it was very overwhelming for me to just be like, "Okay, I'm now the instructor. I have to convince you that I'm just as good as Julie Daniels." And then we decided from there that, you know, she was going to retire and I was going to just take over the classes. So it just kind of morphed into it that way. I wish it had happened differently. I wish it wasn't due to health reasons, but Julie has been so supportive, and this is what she wanted, was for me to ultimately take over those classes for her.

Colleen: And how lovely that it could happen that way, where you had assisted for some time, and then there was a need that she was able to give her students the gift of completing the class, which often, if an instructor can't complete, if there isn't someone who could step in, then there's the weight of that too. Like I wanted them to be able to finish, and they cannot finish because I cannot finish. But she was able to help them with someone that she knew and trusted and trained and all of that. That's good. So what do you think is really, really cool about your job?

[09:56] What's Cool About the Job

Kim: Well, I mean, right now online for FDSA, I'm teaching a puppy class. This is, like, my dream come true is to teach a puppy class worldwide, and I have this adorable student in my class. It's this, like, I don't know, nine or 10-week-old Australian Shepherd puppy. And it was playing the up down game, which is a Control Unleashed skill. And I showed the video to my husband, and I said, "This is my job. Like, this is my job. Like, how amazing is that?" So I kind of just love it in general right now.

But I think more than anything, I'd like to work with other pet professionals, other trainers. I love to mentor them. I mentor for the CATCH program. I mentor for Leslie McDevitt for the Control Unleashed program. I really like helping other trainers, and in particular the Control Unleashed skills. It's such a different way at looking at your relationship with your dog, and I like to be able to offer that to people. You know right now through FDSA, I work with a lot of dog trainers and also sports competitors and a lot of people who do sports with their dogs, they're focusing on the sports skills, and I really like to be able to offer them those other skills that are more relationship based, and help prepare the dog for whatever that stressful trial environment might be.

And, yeah, and then I also I get to see puppies in person too. So I mean, that's great because we do teach, I don't teach a lot of in person classes now, but every once in a while, I'll teach a Saturday, and I get to teach the puppy classes, and they're wonderful. And I also, I get to work with my dogs. So I have five dogs, and my two Collies, Jane and Sunday, have really, really nice social skills, and they also enjoy puppies. So through our business, we actually offer, we call them socialization sessions, and so our clients can book this time that's one on one their puppy with my dogs, and it gives the puppy an opportunity to have a really, really lovely adult dog experience. So it's extremely beneficial for them. I get to just hang out and, like, answer their puppy questions, and then, like, I watch puppies play and stuff. Like, it's just wonderful.

Colleen: That does sound pretty wonderful. I mean, yeah, that does sound like a form of heaven, especially if your dogs enjoy it, you know.

Kim: Oh, I feel so lucky to have them to be able to do that, you know, it's just, I didn't do it on purpose. They just ended up that way. So it works out great. Then I get to go to work with my dogs too. So that's nice.

Colleen: Also, do you do much one-on-one training? Are you mostly doing the—my brain is going like virtual, online, but you know, are you doing mentoring and teaching more, or are you doing a fair amount of client work as well?

[13:26] Group vs. Individual Preference

Kim: I do mostly online and then kind of mentoring, running my business, those kinds of things. You know, the one-on-one never really clicked for me. I actually prefer to teach group classes or even, you know, webinar or a conference or an in-person workshop, I like to have a lot of people there, so the one-on-one never really clicked for me. I do some virtual private training, so mostly, like FDSA, clients will contact me and we'll work directly. So I'll do some of that. It's really interesting to me because, like growing up, I was such an introvert. I was very, very shy little girl. And, you know, it's amazing to me that I like to be in front of a lot of people, but not just, you know, teach one person. And I find, even with my the amazing trainers that work for me, some of them enjoy the classes more. Some of them enjoy the private training more. And it's nice that I have that variety, you know, for my business.

Colleen: And it definitely is a personal preference thing that some people really like one form, some people really like the other, and some like both, and if you like neither, then this was the wrong career. But it is an interesting experience because I also huge introvert. Was a little super shy kid. As I developed, over years, greater comfort with the group stuff. And I think there's some magic in groups. I think there's definitely in human-only groups, there's magic, for sure. But I always loved a good group class with dogs too, like, oh yeah, there is something about here we are together, working toward our own goals individually, but also kind of cheering each other on and being with one another, and even just seeing that this is possible. Like, oh, here's where I am right now, but that's where I could be in a couple of weeks. Like that level. I think there's something really cool about groups?

Kim: Yeah, I agree. And in our membership program, so it's like a monthly membership, right? And our clients can sign up and on a monthly basis, it renews, and then it's levels. So we have elementary, middle school, high school and college, and I think it's Friday mornings, we have just we call it our all adults level. So whether your dog's in elementary school or college, they can come to that class. And I've heard such great things about that class, because our novice students can see what our college kids are doing. And some of our college students, they've been enrolled in our program for multiple years, like they are committed. And then for our college students, they like the benefit of getting their dog around, you know, other dogs that their dog doesn't know. Because all the college students, I mean, they they actually hang out with each other. Now, outside of, I'm going to say class, but it is, so, yeah, there's just something about the group element. And we really try to build a culture that does kind of builds that cheering for each other. And, you know, of course, we're positive reinforcement, so we try to use that, not just for the dogs, but for our students as well. So, yeah, it's a really neat culture. What it can create?

[16:59] Advanced Dogs in Beginner Classes

Colleen: Yeah, we used to do levels too, back when I was at All About Dogs. And we didn't have college, but we had elementary, junior high, high school and puppy kindergarten. And I would always encourage the advanced students to attend lower classes, because I would say your dog has really amazing skills around dogs who have really amazing skills, right? Hooray. How good are those amazing skills around dogs who don't have really amazing skills? And that it was sort of easy to incorporate those dogs into a lower level class because they had good skills, but the person, the handler would be working much harder, you know, in an elementary school class with their advanced dog, because everyone around had no attention, no focus, or even space awareness, like some of the—I'm trying, trying to get over the word owner, like so ingrained from my past and it comes out sometimes and I hear it, I'm like, "Oh no, it is." It is an old word deeply in there. Oh yeah. What is the word you choose rather than that?

Kim: I mean, usually I'll mention, like, our students, right? Or my students through FDSA. I often say handlers because when we're working with sports people, but yeah, that's one of those things that it's changing, and you have to adjust with those changes, with the industry. And for those of us who've been doing it for a long time, it can be a little tricky at times.

Colleen: It can be tricky and no harm is intended by using the wrong word. But yet, there is baggage associated with words. I mean, words in so many areas, in so many areas, there's a greater sensitivity when we discover additional connotations or past meanings and things like that, and so this kind of growth and evolution. But I heard myself slip it out, and I was like, "I try so hard not to say that." So from this experience of you always kind of envisioned, you'd really like to have your own business and you'd love to be married to a partner who was in that business, and together, you'd have that. What is it that gives you that even your young self knew, like if I have that, it will make me feel what or have what?

[19:42] The Foundation of Happiness

Kim: I think ultimately that's such a good question. I think I always saw that as you know, I would have happiness, you know, I would have—I'm a very passionate person. So whether it's animals or really, like anything I get into, you know, I was really into art as a kid, and for a while I was into photography, and even that, I get very passionate. And I knew that passion would kind of drive me and, you know, I think ultimately that would lead to me being happy.

And it's interesting, because as you go through life, and you realize that there are quite a lot of challenges, right? And we're not always our happiest selves, you know, due to whatever may happen. I mean, any of us who are working with dogs, we ultimately lose our dogs. Right? That alone makes life very challenging. And I think having that dream come true and living the life that I really wanted gives me that foundation of happiness that I can fall back on, you know, if I were working a job or career where I didn't have that passion, I think it would make those more challenging times even more challenging. I certainly didn't know that as a 10-year-old girl. I think I was just dreaming big, and I am a big dreamer, but I think that's what it ultimately provides me with.

Colleen: Do you have a big dream you're willing to share with us now, something you're reaching toward?

Kim: Well, gosh, I think someday I would love to write a book, so I guess I'll put that out there into the universe.

Colleen: Okay, we will all start waiting for it. Someday she'd love to write a book. Do you have any idea of what that book would be about? Or just, there's a book in you?

Kim: Yeah, there's a book in me. I think every few years I go through like, a different idea and what that's going to ultimately be, I mean, there's so many great dog books out there now, right? So it's got to be something different. So we'll see. It's brewing up there. It'll arrive someday.

Colleen: When it's ready, when it's ready. But you've put it out there now. So we can reach for it with you.

[22:14] Words That Have Meaning - The Guiding Quote

Colleen: So I always ask my guests to share some words that have meaning for them, and you shared a quote that is "Easy choice, hard life; hard choices, easy life." And then the person's name, I'm not entirely sure I can say properly, so I'm going to just toss that to you. Do you know how to say this person's name who said that?

Kim: I do not. So I actually the quote was given to me by, I guess I would call her my business coach. So I would—it's her name that comes to my mind when it comes to the quote. So her name is Penelope, but yeah, I've always looked for support my entire life, or, you know, I guess, my entire adult life, as far as just support with life in general, you know, whether it was through therapy or with the business, through a business coach. And this woman, Penelope, she's been helping me for quite a few years now, and she's really kind of a, I would say she's a little bit of everything. She's helped me with big things and then the business, and so she's the one who mentioned this quote to me, because especially as a manager, and I don't really directly manage my team now, we have a team that does that, but I was kind of, I've always been a people pleaser. I don't really care for conflict, and so I kind of let a lot of things go and I didn't really step up and give my team the guidance that they needed to then not do things that I was hoping they wouldn't do. And she helped me a lot with that, and I think that's where she originally talked to me about it, because it was where I had to start kind of really stepping up and building the team that was going to really support my business and my dreams and, you know, all our goals and so that's kind of where it started.

But since working with her, we have made some, you know, harder choices that ultimately led to things being easier. One example would be we had shared a space for a while with a dog daycare, and, you know, I thought it was going to work out really nicely, and it turned out we had different philosophies as the owners, and we ended up having to pay to get out of our lease early, and we lost a significant amount of money with that decision. But separating ourselves from someone who had different philosophies from us, ultimately, was the right decision for our business and for our mental health and emotional health. So, yeah, she's just kind of really—that has helped me a lot with things like that. It's whenever I'm considering something, I go through that and I say, "Okay, what's the easy choice and what's the hard choice?" And even something as silly as I've been posting more on social media and kind of just like me talking to the camera, and that's really hard for me, but it's getting me out there. It's getting people finding me. So it's a hard choice. It'd be easier to just, you know, type something or post a picture, whatever it might be. This is a harder choice, but I think ultimately it's creating more conversation. I'm meeting more people online and so then they're finding out about my classes. So it's, yeah, it's something I always kind of run through my head when it comes to any decision big or small.

[26:15] The Challenge of Hard Choices

Colleen: Yeah, I think it's a really valuable one, because it is tricky that how often we think, you know, I can't separate from this lease early, because I'll lose money, or it'll hurt feelings, or it'll be a problem, or my customers will be unhappy, or—and all of those in the moment don't feel like easy choices. I mean, you know, so to be clear, the easy choice is sometimes lack of action, but it doesn't feel great. It doesn't, but it's that whole element of like, what am I reaching for? What is the long-term goal? What do I really want to have happen? And that often requires a lot of clarity about what it is that we want so that we can make those choices and know that they're right for us, and that isn't the same as what's right for everyone else. So that's where the hard comes in of that other people might go. "What the heck?" Like, for example, when you had this nice job in sales that paid well and you said, "I think I'm not going to do this," there was probably a few people who had some opinions about that making a mistake.

Kim: Yeah, it was. It's, you know, when I got out of college, it's, I mean, it's almost like our culture expects us to then just go and get a real job, and that's what I did. So when I did decide that I was gonna quit and then not have a game plan, and, you know, not do anything to—yeah. But it ultimately led me to, you know what I'm doing now. And so, yeah.

Colleen: But I like what you said about how sometimes the hard choice or the easy choice is no action, you know, I keep the lease because I don't want to create conflict. It did create conflict. I don't want to lose the money. We did lose money. You know, it was easier to just not do anything and sometimes the easy choice is to just say yes to something. You know, saying no and setting a boundary can be so hard, and it's been practice like I've had to really practice at it, but it definitely, the more you do it and you see the results, the easier it becomes.

[28:42] Learning from Taking Action

Colleen: Yeah, and for me, when you say that, the more you do it, you see the results, the easier it becomes. The two things that come to mind are the positive results of what occurs after having made that choice, but also the lack of the world exploding that I had feared. Because I think so often it's easy to come up with catastrophic things that might happen if we do these difficult things, and we don't always get the guaranteed like, "Yay, everything will be perfect on the other side," because it will take time to build that, you know. So like, when you decided to leave the lease, you didn't automatically have a better experience, right? But also, the world did not end. You didn't go poof into a big cloud of smoke and just be reduced to ash. And I think sometimes we're so afraid of that, like, then it might be really, really bad, but we can't articulate that. Like, what is it that you're actually afraid of? And so that experience of like, take an action, see what happens. Decide how you feel about it. Make a choice. Take another action. See what happens. Decide how you feel about it, make another choice—that goes on big and small levels, but some of those are really hard, so it's a bit of having the practice of allowing yourself to do that.

Kim: Yeah, yeah. And sometimes these decisions, you know, it's not like you take the action and then okay, immediately things are good. Like, it can take a while to progress to that easy life from the hard choice. You know, sometimes it's quick, but sometimes it's not. And, yeah, it's tricky, but gosh, it's worth it. So, yeah.

[30:42] Certainty vs. Risk-Taking

Colleen: Yeah, that is, I think the big challenge is that when we can't get a guarantee, so many of us would like certainty that we're afraid to take the action. And I totally include myself in that 100% like I just love some certainty, still learning to be more comfortable with lack of certainty and to take more actions and to do more things. So when I meet people like you who are like, "Well, I always sort of dream big and took action and jump first," there's a piece of me that's like, "Fascinating. Really, how?"

Kim: Well, the crazy thing too, is like, so I teach Control Unleashed, right? And that's all about providing predictability for our dogs, and even at the same time, I really like—it clicks for my brain and I like that predictability. Like, I joke all the time about how I wish I had Control Unleashed patterns for a human for like, when I go to a networking event, or even when I walk into a restaurant and I need to choose what table I'm sitting at. Like, I want predictability there, but then I go and, like, quit my job and start a dog walking company, like, without any predictability whatsoever. So I guess I just have—I have the big dreams some places, but I do need that predictability in other parts of my life. So, yeah.

[32:06] Predictability and Patterns

Colleen: I think we all need it more than we actually realize. And when I was still training dogs, and people would complain about their dog having difficulties in a variety of environments, I would kind of talk to them about, you know, have you ever taken a class where you just kind of go and sit in the same seat every time, or approximately the same seat, and then you come in one day and they've rearranged the room. It's fascinating to watch humans with that, like they will walk into the room and they will stop, physically stop, then they'll make a decision. But there was no assigned seating in the first place. You know, it's just like this room that used to have eight tables set apart. Now has two long rows of four. "What do I do? How do I—" and we don't notice that in ourselves. We just kind of move on, right. "Oh, that was so weird. They rearranged the room. I wonder why." We have that discomfort. And oh, okay, I can do it. But there's this expectation on dogs that they're supposed to just kind of go like, "Oh, this one's different. Okay, I'll just go on with it."

Kim: Yeah, yeah.

Colleen: So I think the predictability of the patterns is nice and I'm very new to the patterns, so I had read the book, like right at the end of my training, so I didn't actually absorb any of it. I was like, "Oh, interesting. That'll be interesting." And then I did nothing with it. Then, more recently, I adopted a dog who needed a bit more. And it's interesting to see how the patterns help both of us, but also how it requires some work to actually make it a pattern, you know, so it's a tricky piece when we're all kind of reaching for the certainty of, like, what do I need, and how much of it do I need, and how do I create that on the big level and the small level?

Kim: Yeah, absolutely. But I do think Control Unleashed does really help the human a lot, also, with the predictability it gives them, you know, something to focus on, something that's consistent and clear, and that helps a lot. It's so, yeah, I love that, and I love take a breath, because it's co-regulating. You're just sitting there breathing deep with your dog. I mean, What could be better than that? I just love it.

Colleen: Which is so funny, because we all need to take a breath, and it just doesn't feel like helpful advice ever. You know, like, "Right? People really resist that breathing can be our way into our autonomic nervous system, and I need to do all these things and like, and also you need to breathe. No, no.

Kim: It's so hard sometimes, but if you teach it to your dog, I mean, there's your excuse to breathe deep.

Colleen: Exactly. When we do it on behalf of animals, we'll do anything for ourselves. It's a little more tricky.

[35:17] Magic Wand Question

Colleen: If I could give you a magic wand and you were going to grant a blessing upon pet professionals everywhere, what would you give us?

Kim: Oh, this is so hard. I mean, I think if I could give, you know, grant something on all pet professionals, it would probably be empathy, you know, towards their dogs. I think the industry—there's a lot of empathy in the industry, and a lot of us are doing this because of our empathy. But I think there's also maybe, well, there's definitely a lack of it some places, and I think also maybe a misunderstanding of what dogs truly need, in the sense of their feelings, their needs, their desires, even understanding pain. You know, I had chronic migraines and neck pain for eight years. And when I think of like wearing a collar and a leash if I were a dog, you know, that really, really puts things into perspective for me. Not that I'm saying all dogs have pain, but I think that empathy is a really important piece.

But if there were really something I could give everyone, I think it would just be more time, because we all need more time, right? I just wish I could grant that for everyone—time to, you know, learn more and spend more time with our dogs. My dogs have been my greatest teachers, hands down, and I've taken so many forms of education, I will always learn the most from my dogs. And having time to learn from our dogs, work with our dogs, teach our dogs different skills, just hike with our dogs, you know, I think, but we don't have the time for it, right? And then just, you know, relaxing, having time for ourselves, being able to give ourselves self care, you know, go for a run if that's what you want, or eat ice cream if that's what you want. Like, I want people to have time for that, and even, you know, time for therapy and that kind of support, time with friends. I think we all lack time. And I guess, you know, if I really want to wish something maybe unrealistic upon everyone, that would be it.

Colleen: Doesn't have to be realistic. I gave you a magic wand.

Kim: Okay. Well, thank you. I really appreciate that magic wand. I hope it starts working.

[37:36] The Importance of Support

Colleen: Yes, I hope it starts soon. And I think that it does start the more we kind of put things out there, just like the wish for the book is out there. Now, yes, the wish for this empathy and the time and the space. And I'm going to just underscore one little piece that came up for me while you were saying that was the reaching for support too, like you'd said before about your business coach and that, I do think we are programmed to not reach for support, sometimes for fear that it might mean, you know, something's wrong with us, you know, and yet none of us have all the answers to anything. So the more we can normalize for ourselves and others that here's what I'm getting help with here, and here's where I'm helping someone else there, it can create this exchange where you can be both a mentor and a student at all times and in all various facets of your life. And so,

Kim: Yeah, no, I completely agree. I have some really—I've had some really, really amazing mentors in my life, in the training industry. You know, they're trainers, and I would not be where I am today without, you know, each and every one of them. And I also have—I got, like, this great group of friends that are in the industry, you know, whether it's just they really enjoy sports with their dog or they're, you know, trainers, or, you know, do something else in this industry. And, you know, we have a little Slack conversation where we'll, like, just, you know, brainstorm ideas, and that's where I feel safe to go. There's, yeah, there's—I think, when you look for it, there is a lot of support out there. And it's another place where kind of putting yourself out there is really going to help. And yeah, I've found that not everyone, but a lot, there are people out there who really, really want to help. And I mean, I know, for me, as someone who likes to mentor others. You know, I love when people ask me questions, like, send them to me, send me videos, like, I love it. But I've also found that when I reach out to my mentors or even just my friends and say, "Okay, this is my problem, or this is—Can you review this webinar for me," or whatever it might be, they really enjoy doing it. They want to help. So I think putting yourself out there, you'll find that there's opportunities for mentorship or just support is everywhere.

[40:24] Finding Kim Online

Colleen: Thank you. That's really valuable. I think that's so important. If people wanted to learn more about you and the work you do. How could they do that?

Kim: Probably the easiest way to find me is just on social media. So I have—you know, I can be found on Facebook and I'm on Instagram as Kim and Dogs, but also I'm teaching every term at Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, so I can be found there. And then my local business is called Blue Dog, so my website is BlueDogPetCare.com, so I would say those are the ways to find me.

Colleen: Okay, I'll link all of that up in the show notes. Thanks so much for talking with me today. Kim was such a pleasure.

Kim: Thanks for having me.

[41:01] Closing

Colleen: That's our conversation for today. If something we talked about resonated, I invite you to sit with it. Notice what feels true and what you want to explore further. You don't have to have it all figured out to start moving toward what matters. Whatever showed up for you today, clarity, questions, even resistance, trust that it's pointing you towards something important. For more support, join my weekly notes at ColleenPelar.com and until next time, remember you are enough, always just as you are.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai