We were lucky to catch up with Ec Michaels recently and have shared our conversation below.

EC, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

From a career perspective, the biggest risk I’ve taken was leaving an organization that had given me my first “adult” job, supported my education in animal welfare, gave me a career path/promotions and generally offered a plethora of additional opportunities. It was comfortable and I was quite content. I knew that while I had experienced exponential growth in my career, that there was potentially more learning elsewhere.
It was terrifying to leave an organization that I had in many ways grown up in and gave me that space to grow. I wasn’t necessarily looking for another role, but I applied to one job and got it. I remember crying the last day I pulled out of the parking lot, and thinking to myself, “what if nowhere else could be this fulfilling?”
Long story short, even though I actually got fired from the role I left for, it was worth it. I did find that leaving that role allowed me to grow in unexpected ways professionally and personally.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As long as I can remember, I’ve always been an animal person. Growing up, we always had pets around, and I collected animal figurines and items. Once I graduated college, I knew that I wanted to travel outside the U.S. I found a great equestrian center in Greece who was working with the ancient breed of Skyrian horses, reintroducing them into the population and offering equine therapy. They also had a small dog shelter since many locals knew they took good care of animals there. That was the first time I realized that I could actually make a career out of my love for animals!

When I moved to Denver, I applied to the Dumb Friends League and got a job in customer care there. I had absolutely no clue that I was walking into what would become my career. and passion. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to work at other Colorado animal welfare organizations and as a consultant supporting non-profits across the U.S. While it was an appreciation for animals that got me in the field, it was the community of pets, people and the human-animal bond that kept me in it. I like to think of this as a relationship that is mutually beneficial, whereby both the person’s and the pet’s well-being improves because of each other. This bond is a catalyst for creating community, connections and a common purpose.

I initially stepped into my current role as interim executive director over a year ago. I quickly realized that Cat Care Society (CCS) was a place where I had the opportunity to grow as a leader, as well as contribute to an organization that was ready to grow as well. CCS struck me because there is such a unique approach in how we view and care for animals. I also recognized the strength of the community around this organization. It provided such a foundation of support for me to step into and learn from. I’ve been so grateful for the opportunity to lead us into a new era.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I have ADHD. Something I only learned (like many women) in my early 30s. Of course, it was an ‘aha’ moment as I looked back over some of the struggles that I had growing up. What I’ve now learned or unlearned is that many of things that I thought I wasn’t good at were because my brain simply couldn’t approach them in the same way most people did. I am not good at small details; I always thought this was a fault of mine. Having to unlearn the typical ways a brain processes things and relearn the way my brain works was not an easy task and something I continue to do everyday.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I truly love talking to people, hearing their stories and experiences in this field and creating solutions together. In my various positions, I have had the opportunity to work across the state with different organizations.

A driving factor of my success has been a focus on creating strong relationships across a diverse and varied community. Taking a moment to get to know the people involved in this work has only created more opportunities to learn and offered more successful outcomes for animals. I try to offer everyone an open door and conversation; we cannot improve the lives of animals by ourselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.catcaresociety.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catcaresociety/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatCareSociety/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-claire-ec-michaels-mpa-0780631b/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIOsNdRlWrZuan1L-6zyxIg

Image Credits

Crimson Cat Studios and Ariana Jenks