To our incredible Animal Shelter Volunteers
If you’ve ever felt like your options were “stay and suffer at the shelter” or “leave and abandon the animals”…
I built The Thriving Volunteer for the third option:
You can stay — and be supported. 🐾
You can stay and be well.
YOU GIVE SO MUCH, LET ME GIVE TO YOU
🌻
YOU GIVE SO MUCH, LET ME GIVE TO YOU 🌻
Take care of yourself, so you can show up for the animals.
The animals need us steady and secure, and the shelter community needs to stop losing its best people to burnout.
We keep running in place if we keep starting over due to poor retention, lack of organization or a structure of support. Compassion fatigue can be prevented with preparation and open communication.
You don’t have to be in fight-or-flight to be devoted.
You don’t have to be a martyr to be dedicated.
You don’t have to sacrifice your nervous system to prove you care.
You are not weak for feeling.
You’re human.
You need and deserve support too.
And the animals need and deserve people who walk in with a vibe of wellness to remind them of what home felt like. So they can borrow that bliss while they wait at the shelter to (hopefully) return home again.
I’m Katya
FOUNDER, THE THRIVING VOLUNTEER
HARVARD-EDUCATED, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR (“BE YOUR DOG’S BEST FRIEND”)
LONGTIME FOSTER, VOLUNTEER & TRAINER
SUPPORTING BOTH ANIMALS AND THE PEOPLE WHO CARE FOR THEM
I built Thriving Volunteer because shelter volunteers are the heart of this work and too often, you’re carrying it alone.
I’m here to help you stay steady, supported, and resourced… so you can keep showing up for the animals without burning yourself out in the process.
If you’ve ever felt like your choices were “stay and suffer” or “leave and abandon”… there’s a third option. You can stay and be supported amongst this warm, grounding community.
My background includes:
20+ year animal advocate and shelter volunteer
Foster to over 70+ foster dogs, focusing on seniors
Masters of Education, Harvard Graduate School | Risk & Prevention with at-risk communities
Trauma-informed breathwork + grief work specialist
Certified Family Paws educator + force-free trainer
Award-winning author, “Be Your Dog’s Best Friend” (2025)
BFA, NYU Tisch | Writer + performer
The Thriving Volunteer Membership
Gently, We Begin
01
Join the Community
If the shelter matters to you, you belong here.
Join The Thriving Volunteer Patreon community for peer-support and tools-based somatic coaching and grief guidance.
While others go to brunch or to a ball game on the weekend, you’re hosing poop off kennel floors or cleaning litterboxes. You are our idea of the cool kids, you are our hero, get over here.
02
Come as
You Are
what an honor to hold space for you - as you arE
A place to practice balance and boundaries, not perfectionism or punishment, The Thriving Volunteer Patreon Community is:
*A support system for shelter volunteers nationwide who truly understand shelter culture and share in its guts and glory along with you
*Full of people who truly love animals and want to keep going sustainably, and who dare trust that by listening to themselves they can better attune to the animals they advocate for
*A safe community discussion space to connect, share wins, mourn losses, and learn from fellow volunteers
03
Use the Tools
practical resources for renewal, connection & grief SUPPORT
As a member of the Patreon community, you will gain ongoing support and simple, practical tools to align your body, mind, grief and joy in real time. You will have access to:
*2 Volunteer Support Circles per month (live on Zoom) - a guided container to show up, be witnessed, and leave feeling steadier
*Monthly Special Guest Trainings (live on Zoom) with practical, shelter-relevant experts
*Access to the Tiny Tips Archive Library - grounding resets you can use instantly at any time. Even when the shelter feels like chaos, you will know how to root and center with these custom-designed practices.
TESTIMONIALS
Welcome to my nerdy collection of certifications!
Join the newsletter for a free Tiny Tip from our Patreon Community:
3 MINUTES TO GO FROM OVERWHELM TO CALM
Download this exercise and find some relief in your day to day exchanges with animals. If you struggle to feel present, energized, or relaxed around the pets in your life, this tool will give you the guidance you need.