Earlier this year, my husband and I gifted our daughter a puppy for her 7th birthday. Her name is Rosie, and she is a Miniature Schnauzer. Rosie's sweet, playful spirit has brought back many of my own wonderful childhood memories growing up with a Schnauzer.
I share this because recently my daughter, Skye, had the opportunity to work with Animal Communicator Liz Murdoch to get some insights about our new pup—everything from her favorite things and insecurities to her opinions about the dog park!
Liz has been a long-time member of the Unlocking Your Story workshop and has recently launched the Talking with the dogs! podcast that lets listeners in on her conversations between people and their pets. She is just finishing up her first season with 14 episodes to date, plus a bonus cat episode, and it has already hit #17 in the Pets & Animals category. You can hear my daughter's episode (link below) along with some other illuminating interviews with Hawk Koch, Melissa Rivers and Sheri Salata.
Liz is offering Spirit of Story readers a special Black Friday deal for a 20-30 minute session. Scroll down to find full details along with my conversation with Liz, who talks candidly about what goes into launching a podcast. It turns out, a lot more than you might think!
In her new podcast Talking with the dogs!, animal communicator Liz Murdoch chats with dogs and their owners about what the dogs want them to know!
KARIN GUTMAN: Tell us about the Talking with the dogs! podcast. What inspired you to create it?
LIZ MURDOCH: I started Talking with the dogs! podcast as a way to record and transcribe my animal communication sessions to make it easier to write my book about my work talking with animals, specifically dogs. When I work with a pet, whether a horse, dog, cat, rabbit, snake, or whatever, I typically jot down words or messages I receive via images, knowing, feelings, or smells, in a notebook. I don’t write in complete sentences or record as much detail as I share with clients verbally. So, when I share about what the dogs tell me, and the fascinating ways people may verify what the animals say, that is easily lost if not recorded.
KARIN: When did you first realize that you could communicate with animals?
LIZ: I was in kindergarten and a classmate brought a grey standard poodle to class for show and tell, with its nails painted purple and a matching bow. I remember looking at the dog and just knowing what it wanted, “to do so much more than stand there showing off its nails.” It made me want a dog, so I could let it do what it wanted to do—to be a dog.
KARIN: I imagine that some people may be skeptical about this gift of yours. What would you say to them, something that might open their minds?
LIZ: I know that people are often skeptical of what they don’t understand or can’t control. I ask people if they’ve ever had a hunch or a gut feeling about something that turned out to be true and most everyone says ‘yes’. To me this is no different than that—trusting our hunches and being able to access those kinds of hunches regularly. For me, the practice of tuning into my own intuition, and being able to actively listen to another person, and also connecting with animals, can be no different than knowing when I’m hungry or have to go to the bathroom. It starts with trusting oneself to acknowledge messages we receive.
The more I do my chat sessions with animals, the more confident I become when an animal is telling me something about a couch or type of food, that there is some truth to it, and I simply relay what I am getting. Invariably, the pet’s person knows what the depth of the message is. Many people are comfortable having faith in a spiritual or religious way, so why not embrace having faith in intuitive messages we receive?
KARIN: How did you go about building the podcast?
LIZ: I started learning about building a podcast by taking a six-week online class. Each week covered a different topic, including equipment, where to host it, knowing your message, and your target audience. I also read books that provided additional information and time-saving tips. My biggest takeaways were to pick the equipment I feel most comfortable with, know exactly why I am doing this, and be passionate about the topic given that this a long-term project.
As I continue with the podcast I realize how much more is involved beyond building it. There is marketing, follow-up with guests, being a guest on other podcasts, interacting with the audience, as well as new clients and relationships that come from the podcast. So much I never thought about.
KARIN: Would you be willing to share the primary tools you use?
LIZ: I record on my MacBook Pro laptop using a Blue Yeti microphone and Zencastr recording software since my audio engineer prefers sound wave files. I hire an engineer because sound quality is important to me, and I don’t have the experience or patience to do audio editing. Sometimes I use Zoom which allows for video recording, which people are requesting so they can watch me interviewing the animals.
KARIN: What has been your biggest challenge?
LIZ: My biggest challenge is social media and feeling pressured to have an inviting social media feed promoting the podcast. That doesn’t come naturally to me and the prices are all over the place to have someone else manage it, with differing opinions on what to do. I didn’t realize how much goes into promotion and setting up my infrastructure to manage a growing business. There are so many details to juggle.
KARIN: What has surprised you?
LIZ: I’m surprised by how popular the podcast is. I know the dog world is huge and people love their dogs, but I’m so used to talking with dogs that I forget others don’t and are actually waiting for the next episode and wanting to listen, whether it be for entertainment or to learn something. I want to keep doing more episodes, but to make more money from them I need to smarten up my business which is a whole other part of podcasting and running any sort of business.
KARIN: Can you share more about the book you’re writing?
LIZ: People love my stories about what the dogs and other animals have shared with me. They are also intrigued by the lessons, such as a dog saying it likes fresh water or wants to go back to dog school, or the snake that said “help me.” So, I’m working on a book about what the dogs want you to know based on my conversations talking with the dogs!
Animal lovers also want to share their own stories. So, I created a website, DogStories.com, to promote dog stories that anyone wants to share. For anyone who may be interested, there is an open call for submissions!
KARIN: Why do you feel this podcast is important? What do you hope people take away from listening?
LIZ: This podcast is important as a way to entertain and educate adults and children that animals do communicate with us, and that we can understand them when we are willing to listen with an open heart and trust the messages we receive.
Over 30 years ago, after experiencing a life-threatening car accident and a near death experience, I received a strong knowing while lying on a gurney that I was to “really live and do something that mattered.” Understanding what that meant has been a lifelong process.
I believe animal communication matters, because in today’s world an animal is often one of the most intimate relationships people have. We interact with them in person; we don’t text or email or Facetime our pets. These relationships are extra special because they are based on our time together, when communication is the strongest and most vibrant. I believe how we treat our animal relationships impacts every other relationship and how we listen to each other.
I’ve had animal communication sessions with children and adults from age 7 to 97. Whether or not people believe wholeheartedly in what the animals say to me, people always find some truth in what I’ve shared and feel closer to their pet afterwards. Parents often tell me that their kids liked our Talking with the dogs! session. It’s amazing how many people, especially the kids, admit they think they know what their dog or cat is telling them sometimes.
If I can help bridge relationships between people and their dogs, and help an animal be better understood, and maybe ultimately get better care, then I feel as if I’m doing something that matters.
Book a session with Liz Murdoch!
Liz is extending a Black Friday special offer to Spirit of Story subscribers for a $50 introductory reading with you and your pet.
Contact her at hello@lizmurdoch.com
To learn more about Liz Murdoch and Talking with the dogs!, visit the website.
