Leah Hadley [00:00:01]:
Welcome to Intentional Divorce Insights. I'm Leah Hadley, certified divorce financial analyst, accredited financial counselor, and the founder of Intentional Divorce Solutions. I'll be your guide through the complexities of divorce finance and emotional wellness. Join me as we uncover practical tips and empowering insights to help you navigate your divorce with clarity and intention.
Leah Hadley [00:00:24]:
Hi there and welcome back to Intentional Divorce Insights. I am so happy that you are here with us today. I have the pleasure of meeting a really special person just a few weeks ago and I, when I was talking to her, I could not wait to get her on the podcast because Kristin Hadley is an animal communicator. And I bet that there are a lot of you who don't have any idea what that is. So we're going to talk about what that is and how Kristin got into this work. But here is the thing that I see over and over and over again. As families are going through this transitional period, it impacts the pets in a lot of different ways. And some of those behaviors can feel frustrating.
Leah Hadley [00:01:05]:
Some of them might scare you a little bit if your, your pet seems like they're under the weather. And I think Kristin can really bring some light to what, what's going on in the household when we're having this transition and some things that you can really do to support your furry family members. So, Kristin, thank you so much for being here with me today. I have to tell you, Kristin led, honestly, it was very brief. I don't know, is it like a 20 minute meditation or a half an hour? It was very short and just this very limited experience I had, doing this meditation experience with Kristen actually changed the way I interact with animals now, like going forward completely. Like, I was just last week at the beach interacting with the birds on the beach. Like, it just changed the way that, that I see animals and the way I interact with them.
Leah Hadley [00:01:55]:
So, Kristin, first of all, thank you so much for that experience and thank you so much for being here today and sharing your wisdom with us.
Kristin Hadley [00:02:02]:
A. Thank you, Leah. Oh, I'm, I'm so happy to be here. This is fantastic. And I, I love that experience that you shared about. Just, it opens us up, right?
Leah Hadley [00:02:12]:
That's right.
Kristin Hadley [00:02:12]:
Just becoming aware, becoming aware of our animals, companions, friends, wild animals in a different way.
Leah Hadley [00:02:19]:
Yeah, absolutely. So, Kristin, what is an animal communicator and how did you get into this work?
Kristin Hadley [00:02:25]:
Sure. An animal communicator is a, there is a profession. I certify people to become professional animal communicators. And we telepathically communicate with animals to help their people understand what the animal is going through. And animals are sentient beings. I consider them my family members, the ones who live. They are companions, there are partners in life, and they have a lot to share with us.
Kristin Hadley [00:02:57]:
They have emotions, they have relationships with each member of our human families and the other animals in the family. And what I do as a professional animal communicator is I tune in with the animal around topics that are important to both the person and the animal, and I feel the animal's perspective and viewpoints and feelings about the topic. And it's very enlightening. It's really enlightening. And the people who come to me, know, believe, feel that their animals are really significant members of their family with and all that they offer and with all that they can offer, they offer new perspectives. So I help to make that clear. And some people say it's being a voice for the animals. I consider it being a way that a translation for the animals and what they're experiencing.
Leah Hadley [00:03:55]:
So, Kristin, that's amazing that you have the skill to really translate what our animal companions are trying to share with us. How did you learn how to do this? How did you get into this work?
Kristin Hadley [00:04:09]:
I've always loved animals, always considered them my friends. And so it was kind of a natural thing for me. When I heard 35, 40 years ago that there was someone doing this work and you could learn more about it, I was like, oh, my gosh, I am on this, right? And it was very validating. And so I took a course from Penelope Smith and my horse at the time, he and I had great communication, and I was just really embodying this, being an animal communicator. And he said to me, you need to do this for other people. And I was like, I don't think I can do that. And he said, no, no, you really need to. Like, he showed me I really needed to do this.
Kristin Hadley [00:04:58]:
This was. Or when you're not on your path, he said, you have to follow your path. This is your passion. If you don't, it's going to cause problems. And he showed me kind of cells morphing and dissonance, you know, and I said, okay. And so I stepped into it, and I absolutely love it. It's the most fulfilling work that I can ever imagine doing. And it's not just work.
Kristin Hadley [00:05:22]:
It's really. I call it living an interspecies lifestyle, you know, like, where the animals are apart, we can't separate them out. So, yeah, that's how I started. And then I just started putting it out there to people. And those who understand animals in this way, they, they recognize and they, they, they come.
Leah Hadley [00:05:41]:
So yeah, that's so beautiful. So for our audience, a lot of folks are either considering a divorce or in the middle of a divorce, maybe they're recently divorced. Unfortunately, when people are going through a divorce, typically animals are treated as assets. But we all who have close relationships with our furry family members look at them differently. Right. And so even though sort of negotiat around divorce may not support that, as human beings, we have the opportunity to be present and to really think about how our decisions are impacting the animals in our households. And so, Kristen, I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about kind of what goes on for animals when families are restructuring and some of the things that people may see.
Kristin Hadley [00:06:31]:
Yeah, yeah, great question. It's such an important aspect of any kind of change in a family, right. To be aware of is the animal friends, the animal family members. So animals feel they have their own feelings, they have their own experiences, they have their own perceptions. And they are always communicating telepathically with us, which means feeling over distance. And so while they have their own experiences, as families are adjusting, if they're not clear about what's happening, it can create a lot of confusion. So that's the first thing is that when things start changing and family members start feeling uncomfortable feelings like frustration, anger, fear, the animals can feel what we feel, and they're not quite sure what that's all about. So even before a family starts talking openly about it, when to parents to start recognizing that something's changing, it's really important to be clear with the animals about what you're feeling.
Kristin Hadley [00:07:39]:
Yes, things are changing. Yes, I am feeling. These animals help us in this way. It's kind of reflected throughout all of this, this body of work. They help us get really clear about what we're feeling. So your animals can also be an asset to you in terms of being really honest with yourself through this process. When you're honest because of, you want them to understand. So that's the first thing.
Kristin Hadley [00:08:03]:
They're feeling it even before you think they're feeling it. And then, you know, I'll speak to. Animals have very specific and deep relationships with different members of the family. Sometimes what they show on the outward side, sometimes what they express, whether it's being affectionate or being wanting to be really close to one family member physically, or showing excitement toward their family, that doesn't mean that they don't have feelings for another family member. And I often hear people who. And I work with people who are going through family transitions. They're getting divorced. They're, you know, that they say, oh, well, he's really my dog.
Kristin Hadley [00:08:44]:
He's not really interested in my husband. Or he's, you know, really my son's cat, and he doesn't care about the rest of us. Like, oh, my gosh, no. There could be a thousand reasons why he's really connected physically with one of your family members and not demonstrating that with others. But it's important to know why for them. So that's something to be aware of. And what you might see is animals becoming despondent. You might see them, you know, acting out with behaviors.
Kristin Hadley [00:09:15]:
You might see them doing things that they have never done before, whether it's inappropriate. You might see, just like in people, you might see over overexpression of emotions that we might consider excited right down to depression. You might see them go off their food. You might notice nothing at all. Because just because they're not demonstrating it doesn't mean that they're not feeling it. Right. We as humans, we have articulators and facial expressions and this wonderful thing called voice that can express, when done well, right. Our emotions.
Kristin Hadley [00:09:55]:
And, you know, animals just don't have that physical anatomy to enable them to do that. It does not mean that they're not feeling it. And they feel very deeply. And this is. This is important to Leah. Sometimes what happens is people assume that they know what their animal is feeling, and that can be a projection of their own worry, fear, discomfort, sadness, grief, anger, their own feelings. Or they can just assign a feeling to an animal. And then, you know, I know how I feel when someone tells, says, oh, you're feeling this or you're thinking this, like, no, I'm not.
Kristin Hadley [00:10:36]:
No, you know, don't feel for me. And very often that's what happens to animals. And what that does is it. It kind of taps them down and adds layers to the uncomfortableness that they might already be feeling. You know, so that's such an interesting point.
Leah Hadley [00:10:54]:
Yeah. Because so often, right, we are all, like, in the thick of all of these things that might be triggering us. And so that projection would be very natural, Right. I mean, that wouldn't be something like, that's a natural response, but being aware of it and, like, bringing some mindfulness to it, we may find that what we're seeing is actually something different. Right? Yeah.
Kristin Hadley [00:11:16]:
Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, I think this too. I always say the animals kind of lead us on, not even Kind of animals lead us on a path of awareness. And you know, some families are really wonderful. And I'm sure, you know, the families you work with, they're looking for the right kind of support, you know, in getting their kids the therapy, getting themselves the therapy to work through this emotionally. And animals too benefit from that. If it's just getting their feelings out, that's where my role comes in, you know, and sometimes the animals are the ones demonstrating the behavior that allows the person in charge, the mom, the dad, to say, hey, something's off. And then the animal having the problem opens people up to, hey, my kid might also not be showing me how he's feeling.
Kristin Hadley [00:12:05]:
Even though he seems like he's got it all together, doesn't mean he doesn't have his own perceptions. And maybe exploring that a little more is really important, you know, so in that way, it's just kind of a. Animals are always showing us kind of opening the side door or a new window to our own well being and new possibilities. Does that make sense?
Leah Hadley [00:12:28]:
It definitely makes sense. And it's really interesting because I think about how many of us, you know, I think there are a lot of misconceptions around divorce. And one of the most common ones is it's a process that can take a long time. Like a lot of times people think like, hey, I've decided to divorce, I'm going to do this and it's going to be done. But a lot of times for some people, unfortunately, it can even extend for years in terms of that process. Right. And so what do we do just to get through it is just kind of put our head down and maybe not be as mindful or paying as much attention to some of those things that are going on around us. And I think that's such a beautiful example of how your animals may bring some things up that maybe you were, you were trying to avoid.
Leah Hadley [00:13:14]:
Right. But are really important in terms of making sure that even just you're taking good care of yourself right now, let alone your family and your animals and everything else. But sometimes when we really are avoiding what's happening, we are starting to let those things go that become really important down the road, right?
Kristin Hadley [00:13:34]:
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I love that, I love that, that frame that you just put that in, it's really, really important.
Leah Hadley [00:13:42]:
Yeah, absolutely. So I know, Kristin, I've seen for a lot of folks over the years some pretty challenging behaviors that have come up with their pets as things are changing in the home. And sometimes their behaviors, like you talked about before, sometimes they are might be behaviors that lend themselves to thinking that maybe there's a health issue for the animal or could create a health issue for the animal. Right. What do you recommend, Kristin, for people who are seeing some of these things in their animals and may not necessarily know how to interpret it?
Kristin Hadley [00:14:17]:
Yeah, those first, I would say, be curious about exploring why with your animal. Right. And that's when you would call an animal communicator a professional animal communicator. And I feel, looking at, you know, just slowing down, first of all, that's the first thing is slowing down. Sometimes when people are going through divorce, hard things just want to get through it, like you just said. So slowing down and actually reflecting on, you know, what am I witnessing, what am I seeing? When did it start? And being open to just why. Right. Just being open to why without having to define why or come up with your own reason or fix it right away.
Kristin Hadley [00:15:06]:
Like, that's. We can't fix it until we really know why. You really know what it's about. And the reasons that animals will tell you are so varied. Right. Like, so you can't be sure if it's a medical issue, if it's an emotional issue. So the first thing that you can do all on your own is to slow down, start reflecting on when did this start? And writing those things down, getting it out of your head, especially when you're going through a stressful period and onto paper, getting out of your head and onto paper, it's a different reflection then. Right.
Kristin Hadley [00:15:41]:
The other thing, this is really important and something that is just a little bit of a tweak. But when we refer to our animal family members as he and she or they, we notice them differently, we receive them differently, we perceive them differently as being whole beings. Right. Oftentimes I hear people say it, my dog, it does this, or my cat, it does this. And it's like, whoa, you know, we don't say, my daughter, it does this. And what that does, it's a real simple thing, is it changes how we think about it opens us up to new potential understanding about what could be possible for them. Does that make sense?
Leah Hadley [00:16:31]:
It does make sense. Yeah. It just meeting people exactly where they're at, and that very small tweak just changes that interaction. Absolutely. Yeah.
Kristin Hadley [00:16:40]:
Yeah. You know, I think too, you mentioned in the beginning, like, very often animals are considered assets. Is that the word that you. Assets or property or you write from a negotiation standpoint. Correct.
Leah Hadley [00:16:53]:
Yes.
Kristin Hadley [00:16:53]:
Yes. And when this is another piece about the language and kind of the language of awareness is I say our animal friends or my animal family members, you know, and that might be something that for your people and who you like, they are family members. And when we talk about them as pets or my animals, that idea. Right. That concept is like, they are a thing over here. But when we say your animal family members, my animal family, it changes it. The awareness shifts. And I feel like that is also just such an important part of the reason why I do my work is to bring that concept of.
Kristin Hadley [00:17:36]:
Of really receiving animals, understanding animals as whole beings and who they are. It's part of it. But I think that could ease. For the people who really feel this way about their animals who come to you, it could help them to shift their perspective a little bit and start to understand on their own without the help of an animal communicator, but on their own, what else could be the reason for. Or what's going on really for their animal when they view them as a being, not a knit?
Leah Hadley [00:18:07]:
Yeah, absolutely. And if we think about how divorce get negotiated and the different areas that you need to come to resolution on, you know, we have very different conversations around creating a parenting plan that's going to be fluid and is going to address the changing needs of your children over the years versus the stuff. Right. And so just like your kids have changing needs over the years, so do your animals. Right. Certainly, like, you know, we in our family tend to adopt a little older animals because I'm not a puppy person. I love to go and play with puppies, but, you know, carrying and raising a puppy is not my speed. But I know that about myself.
Leah Hadley [00:18:52]:
Right. And so I make decisions based on knowing that, you know, I am a fabulous person to take a dog into their senior year, but I'm not the person who's going to be doing like, the initial training and all of that. Right. But it's. The point is how we. How we frame it, how we think about it, how we talk about it as part of the negotiation process and thinking about, you know, you always have the courts that'll come in and kind of different professionals that might get involved and say, well, what is in the best interest of the child, truly, like, what is going to best serve their needs? We don't have that necessarily, that same conversation around making sure that our animals are cared for. But if we've taken on that responsibility and brought these animals into our families, it's a conversation that's important to have. Right.
Kristin Hadley [00:19:44]:
And what a beautiful gift to your clients that you have that perspective as you lead them through your part of their process, you know, and are their guide. What a gift that you bring that for them.
Leah Hadley [00:19:58]:
You know, I appreciate that. But I also know that I need people like you, Kristin, because while I absolutely think about animals that way, I don't get to communicate with them in the same way that you do. Although maybe one of these days I'll do some of your training and I'll learn how to. Which would be amazing. But. But that is something really special that Kristen does, and that is something I want you guys to be aware of. If this is a skill that you want to develop, it's a skill that she helps people develop. And you don't have to want to go out and do this for other people, even if you just want to do it for your own, for yourself.
Leah Hadley [00:20:33]:
Yeah, I think that it's amazing, amazing work that allows us to feel closer to the world, not just to our own animals, but even like I was sharing before, that very short experience that I had with Kristin really changed the way I'm interacting with my environment now in such a meaningful and powerful way. And so just having the opportunity to learn that there are different ways of communicating and thinking about these things. And I just have witnessed so many pets over the years struggle through the divorce process and especially post divorce where people don't necessarily think about the roles that we play within our animals lives and are we making sure that they are supported completely going forward? Yes. Yes.
Kristin Hadley [00:21:18]:
Oh, my gosh. So true. You know, I so often the, you know, I've heard people say he's never going to get that dog or she's never going to have that cat. You know, it's like, oh, you know, just because you wouldn't doesn't mean that animal doesn't. So, yeah, really important.
Leah Hadley [00:21:37]:
Yeah, absolutely. So Kristin, I was sharing with Kristin before we got on when she goes online and she shares her gifts online and you can feel her beautiful energy coming like right through the computer. And Kristin has a Facebook group that you can actually join. There's no cost to join. It's a great way to connect with her, learn about the work she does, maybe pick her brain a little bit. Kristin, where can people find that?
Kristin Hadley [00:22:04]:
Yes. On Facebook. And the title of the name of the group is Animal Communication Success with Kristin Hadley.
Leah Hadley [00:22:12]:
Fantastic. I will include it in the show notes for sure. Go ahead, Kristin. Great.
Kristin Hadley [00:22:17]:
Oh, no, no, I was just gonna say I do trainings there. I answer questions there. I, yeah. Teach there. And it's wonderful. You know, this is the other piece. Not everybody is aware of animals in this way. Not everybody is awake to this yet.
Kristin Hadley [00:22:34]:
My goal is that everyone will be and to be around people who also feel this way about the animals in their lives and the animals on our planet, it's like coming home. It's like, you know, plugging a piece of us back in. And Leah, you and I felt that when we got together, you know, you had such a beautiful experience there with I was like you were connecting with the deer and I mean, it was beautiful. But there's really just something so joyful about coming together with people who also feel the same around these beautiful beings in our lives. So, yeah, you're welcome to come. I'd love to have you there.
Leah Hadley [00:23:09]:
And yeah, fantastic. So please take advantage of that. Join me in the Facebook group with Kristin. Is there any final words you want to share with our audience?
Kristin Hadley [00:23:20]:
I think the final thing I would just say and just want to give everyone is everyone is telepathic. Everyone has the ability to understand animals. And just knowing that gives you permission to. I want to give you permission. I want to give you permission to be open to what else your animal might be feeling other than what you're thinking, what else they might be feeling, what they might be needing, what they might want you to know. And that can be really empowering, really empowering. When it's the. You're often there are best friends when you're going through a really hard time.
Leah Hadley [00:24:02]:
That's such a good point. Right? They really can be that emotional support that so many of us need during these difficult challenges. Absolutely. Kristin, thank you so much for sharing your heart and your wisdom with us. I so appreciate you being here and for our audience. Thank you for being here and we will see you next week.
Leah Hadley [00:24:21]:
Thank you for joining me on Intentional Divorce Insights. It's a privilege to share this time with you. I hope each episode offers valuable guidance to navigate your journey. If you find our content helpful, please leave a review to help others discover the benefits of intentional decision making in divorce. Until next time, take care and continue to embrace your path with intention.
