What’s it like being a professional animal communicator?

I’ve worked professionally as an animal communicator for 3 years now, but I’ve been communicating with animals for the last 15+ years. It is interesting to reflect on the differences.

1) Working professionally makes it easier (and more important) to have boundaries. I don’t work after 8pm unless it’s for an absolute emergency AND something that I feel confident I can help with. The building I rent my office in helps with this, as I’d get locked in! Having set appointments that people pay for has also ensured that people respect my time (and that so do I!) - when I was doing it for free casually there was a much greater rate of people forgetting that they’d arranged to talk to me, cancelling last minute and them multi-tasking.

2) It’s focussed me a lot more on the reason why I do this work. Before it was my income, I knew I wanted to help people and to help animals (horses, specifically), but for years I didn’t put two and two together that this was the way I could gift that to the world, and now it feels very much like I’m fulfilling my life’s purpose. Before this I started a few different adventures into equine facilitated learning, working for equine charities, teaching at riding schools and privately coaching nervous horse riders - no regrets, I loved every one of those things, but they distracted me from my ability to help people and their pets though intuitive animal communication. Before I was working professionally, I’d allow myself to get rusty, to put off any requests, and to gaslight myself about my skill. Now I’m driven because every successful communication improves an animal’s life, and that’s an AMAZING superpower to have!

3) Having a regular practice (by working professionally) has levelled up my sensitivity and accuracy. No regrets there! It’s also encouraged me to have a much more intuitive communication-based relationship with my own little dog.

4) One thing that hasn’t changed is that it hasn’t got any less fun, or any less awe-inspiring. I’m frequently delighted, humbled and inspired by the details that animals feel are important enough to share with me, with the accuracy when it’s verified by their owners, and by the changes that people can see in their animals after sessions. I don’t want to ever lose the magic!