The Dreaming You

Overcoming Obstacles

When Jeane Whittenburg was little she wanted to attend the Art Institute in Kansas City and work for Hallmark.  Over the course of her life, there have been a lot of people that told her she couldn’t do what she wanted.  She had parents that said, “There’s no money in art.  You have to be a teacher or a nurse”.  Then she had a husband (now an ex-husband) that said she couldn’t take even an hour away from him to work with horses.  The good news is she did it anyway – and that’s what I like about her!  She did work with horses and she’s found many ways to be artistic.

 
 

In preparation for my interview with her, I looked Jeane up on the Internet and found out two things about her.  One – she recently designed holiday cards as a fundraiser for a local organization that provides equine assisted therapy to individuals with disabilities.  Two - Jeane just won volunteer of the year for her region based on the work she does with this organization.  In fact she is one of only eleven people selected for this honor out of the more than 30,000 volunteers with the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association.  That’s right - the same organization her ex-husband said she couldn’t volunteer for – just honored her for over 24 years of service and involvement in therapeutic riding.  Add to this - she wrote and illustrated her own children's book based on stories she heard growing up.

 

Guess what Jeane’s favorite kind of horse is?  A Paint.  Isn’t that fabulous – an artist that loves Paints!  And there’s more to the horse story, especially in terms of what it teaches us about how Jeane has overcome yet another obstacle – Schneiderian Papillomas.  Jeane has a rare kind of tumor that develops in the nasal cavity.  Over the course of her battles with these recurrent sinonasal tumors, Jeane has had 31 surgeries and cranial radiation, which has left her without her left eye – but she doesn’t let it slow her down or prevent her work in therapeutic horsemanship.

 
 

Every horse person can tell you intimate details about the first horse they ever loved.  Turns out, the first horse that Jeane loved was a horse named Pal she met growing up – long before the tumors.  Pal was a palomino that was blind in one eye.  She was one of the few people who could ride him, because she was sensitive enough to remember all the things you needed to do to make him comfortable – which side to approach from, how to avoid obstacles – all skills she is very adept at now.  When I asked her how she felt about her cancer  - she said “I have a hole in my head.  I hate it.  But I’m alive and I’m having a blast”.

 

Like many people who work with animals, Jeane echoed the sentiment that one of the things she liked about it – is that horses don’t judge you or feel sorry for you.  They just work with what they’ve got.  I like that too.  Turns out both the animals and Jeane have a lot to teach us – about taking what you’ve got and pushing past or working around anything that stands in your way. 

 

I admire that Jeane has overcome a lot of obstacles – most of them related to the limitations other people put on her.  Where she takes it to the next level is her volunteer work.  Jeane uses her experience at Therapeutic Horsemanship to help people with disabilities do the very same thing she does so well.  She helps them push past obstacles to do things they never could’ve imagined – like riding a horse!

 

Finding Your Gateway Dream

David Mizejewski knows some really cool things about animals and it makes for a really fun interview.  David remembers an early interaction he had with animals when he was just 4 years old and found his first bird’s nest.  He can still vividly recall the sense of wonder at finding the nest.  He thought it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen.  He also recalls the intensity of his anger and frustration when a neighborhood kid messed with the nest and ultimately killed one of the baby birds.  It’s not hard to see the budding conservationist in that story.

When he went to college, David continued to follow through on his love for animals as he studied Human and Natural Ecology at Emory.   One of his original plans had been Environmental Law.  I have no doubt that he would’ve been very good at it, but even though he cared deeply about the policy issues, the adversarial nature of the endeavor wasn’t for him.  This career was close, but not quite right.  So now what?

David decided to apply for jobs in Conservation out in the “real world”.  Luckily he had a great degree, from a good university and plenty of experience.  Only problem – he didn’t get any of the jobs for which he originally applied.  He didn’t even get an internship with the National Wildlife Federation.  The funny thing is that all of this “rejection” is the GOOD NEWS  - because what happened next helped him to find his own unique way to help the animals he is passionate about.

The job David did get was working as a naturalist at a kid’s summer camp.  Turns out - his enthusiasm was contagious.  Kids left camp – loving animals!  See - that’s what’s so much fun about interviewing David or watching one of his Today Show Appearances.  He loves these animals and after awhile you do too.

 

He took his enthusiasm for connecting people and animals and continued to work in the field - always staying in touch with the National Wildlife Federation.  Three years later - they called him.  That’s right - the same organization that didn’t originally hire him for an internship – was now calling him for a job!  They wanted him to run their Backyard Habitat Program, which David did until 2007.  Like everything else, he took the experiences he was having at the time and used them to build something bigger.  He wrote a Book on Backyard Habitats and ultimately got his own television show on the Animal Planet.

In addition to the way that his career represents a perfect merger of natural ability and interest - one of the things that intrigued me was David’s ability to help people, who might not otherwise care about conservation, connect to animals.  He made me laugh when he told me that in order to do this, he usually brings out the “Charismatic Megafauna” first.   By this – he is referring to all the cute and cuddly animals.  Truth be told, he is a big fan of amphibians, but the first thing that most people care about are the “front men” of the animal kingdom.  These animals serve as a kind of “gateway drug” to escalating interest in animals.

I think David’s approach to getting people connected to animals has something to teach us all about connecting to our dreams.  Sometimes your childhood dream functions like a gateway – getting you out of a rut, by showing you what it can feel like to care about your dreams.  Ultimately these early dreams allow you to connect to that unique set of gifts – that if we combine them with our work – creates amazing possibilities.  That is certainly what David has done.  He has taken that very infectious enthusiasm and uses it to make a difference for animals and ultimately inspires all of us to follow our dreams.

Thanks David!

A Soft Place to Fall

A lot of people have expressed dreams about working with animals - which led me to interview, Doug Pernikoff.  He is an exotic animal vet with an often bawdy sense of humor that truly enjoys the people and animals with whom he works.  He told me a wonderful story about the first time he knew he wanted to be a vet.  At four years of age, he found a butterfly that was unable to use its wings.  He found a jar and placed a soft paper towel inside, in case it should fall.    After keeping the butterfly safe and cared for – it eventually flew away.  That’s when he knew.

 

Nothing after that was linear.  He worked hard and played hard which put up some initial obstacles for getting in to vet school.  He told me that one admission guy actually told him not to reapply  - that his grades wouldn’t be good enough in time.  Well it’s a good thing he didn’t listen.  Instead, he listened to his mother.  She taught him to “dream hard and work harder”.  And that’s what he did.  He found meaningful work caring for monkeys at a private facility and dug in to work even harder in his graduate classes.  Turns out – he got in and now he helps an amazing amount of animals and of course all the people that care for them.

 

In some ways the situation that showed him he wanted to be a vet, is also a lesson in how to take care of your dreams.  Like that butterfly, sometimes we can’t fly right away and we need a soft place to recover.  What makes Doug interesting is that he kept on working.  He didn’t take “the first no”.  I certainly relate to that - having had my own share of “Nos” along the way.  After each one, I dusted myself off and kept working harder.  Both Doug and I made sure that once we had the opportunity – we showed everyone we deserved it.

 

As I do these interviews – a consistent theme emerges - often times it’s not about ability – it’s about belief.  Giving yourself a chance to show what you can do and taking care of others along the way.

Sea Lion Training

When I was little I was going to be a Marine Biologist – when I wasn’t going to be an actress.  I loved everything about marine mammals, especially dolphins.  I ready every book I could get my hands on and looked up ways to become a marine biologist.  (This was pre-internet – I know – can you believe it there was a pre-internet?)  I’m not sure what happened to this dream, but we recently traveled to Alaska on a National Geographic Lindblad Expedition.  It was amazing and I met naturalists, who loved Marine Mammals – just like me.  My husband took this picture on our trip.  It hangs in my office now.  I absolutely love everything about it – especially the way this stellar sea lion climbed to the top and now sits exultant in the light.  Amazing.

 

About a year ago, I went to a mid day Sea Lion show at my local zoo – and low and behold – there was a Civilian up on stage.  Turns out there is a trainer-for-a-day program at our zoo.  Watching this woman get a sea lion kiss – I knew I had to do it and I did.  Here is a picture of me getting that same sea lion kiss.  It was amazing.  I think my face says it all. 

 

You know what was even more amazing? – all the friends and family came to support me in doing it!  I am so blessed to have had this encounter and to have people in my life that helped me do it.  After playing with sea lions, I posted some pictures on facebook.  It was fun hearing more about dreams my friends had connected to – which ultimately became the inspiration for this site.  I hope you enjoy it and contribute your own dreams!