More Time With: Terri Irwin

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Teen Beat – “More Time With: Terri Irwin”

Host: Danielle Fishel
Guest: Terri Irwin
Date: January 16, 2026
Podcast: Teen Beat (iHeartPodcasts)

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Episode Overview

In this episode of “Teen Beat,” Danielle Fishel welcomes Terri Irwin, conservationist and owner of Australia Zoo, for a candid, funny, and warm-hearted conversation. The two discuss formative childhood experiences, the power of revisiting youthful passions, the human side of embarrassing moments, and how Terri's perspective shapes the uniquely inclusive culture at Australia Zoo. Listeners also share their own cringe-worthy stories, adding to the episode’s theme of shared humanity and the importance of unconditional love.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Childhood Inspirations and Embarrassing Youthful Moments

• Terri Irwin’s early passions:
  • Terri shares she was a self-described “dorky kid” obsessed with accounting and making wishes at "11:11" (01:51).
  • She connects her childhood love of numbers to her ability to run a business today.
• Importance of honoring youthful dreams:
  • Terri encourages listeners to revisit and rekindle childhood passions:

    “My challenge is to circle back to that in some capacity… to reignite your passion. That’s so important.” — Terri Irwin (03:30)

  • She believes this is key to living an engaged and fulfilling life, rather than “just ticking through time.”
• Danielle’s childhood performer side:
  • Danielle shares a story (04:22) about instinctively posing for photos at age three with her beloved bunny “Ba” — a clear early sign she’d become a performer.

2. Embracing Awkwardness: Listener and Host Embarrassing Stories

• Listener “Rebecca” from New Jersey shares:
  • As a teenager on an international trip, she was stranded overnight in Newark airport, fell asleep, and—much to her horror—wet her pants in her sleep (07:41–09:56).
  • She was thankful for her dad’s advice to keep spare clothes in her carry-on (though she’d used her clean backup outfit already).
• Danielle’s own embarrassing moment:

  • Danielle recounts (10:44–12:41) wetting her pants at a posh golf tournament by misjudging a fancy outhouse with a closed lid, prompting laughter and solidarity.

    “I win the award for most creative way to actually wet your pants.” — Danielle Fishel (12:02)

• Terri’s turn:
  • She shares a harrowing story of long-haul flights with a newborn (13:31–14:53), recalling how baby Robert’s “egg yolk” diaper accident left her in soiled pink sweatpants for hours.
• Pumping & breastfeeding mishaps:
  • Danielle and Terri share the awkwardness of pumping or breastfeeding on planes and in public spaces, highlighting the importance of empathy in these situations (14:53–16:57).
  • Danielle:

    “Do I say, excuse me, I just want you to know I’m gonna pump? Or is that... He doesn’t need to know that?” (15:39)

3. Making Life Comfortable for Everyone, Especially at Australia Zoo

• Breastfeeding accreditation:
  • Terri explains Australia Zoo’s efforts to be welcoming—offering private breastfeeding areas for guests and staff, making these moments less “awkward” and more comfortable (16:57–18:14).
• Inclusivity innovations:
  • The zoo provides free feminine hygiene products and has a specially equipped adult changing facility, inspired by Terri’s realization of overlooked needs:

    “So we’ve got a disability restroom… there’s an adult change area that’s very respectful and there’s assistance things throughout the bathroom and privacy screens and everything you need in there. And I’m so proud of that.” — Terri Irwin (20:05)

4. Latest Happenings at Australia Zoo

• Wildlife news:
  • The zoo’s red panda is pregnant with twins, expected soon (22:28).
  • Five koala joeys have been born recently.
  • The hospital is busier than ever:

    “We’re treating over 10,000 animals a year now. We’ve treated just over 12,000 koalas alone. Over 160,000 animals all up.” — Terri Irwin (22:53)

• Fine dining goals:
  • The zoo’s lodge restaurant hopes to achieve a prestigious “hat,” the Australian equivalent of a Michelin star (22:12).
• Connection to visitors:
  • Terri describes the emotional impact of animal encounters at the zoo, especially knowing visitor fees support wildlife rehabilitation (24:08).

5. Empathy, Shared Humanity, and Unconditional Love

• On vulnerability:
  • Both agree that sharing embarrassing stories humanizes us all and fosters empathy:

    “I love the embarrassing stories that were shared because it makes us all feel like we’re all human and it’s okay.” — Terri Irwin (27:15)

• The meaning of life:
  • Terri powerfully concludes:

    “I really believe the meaning of life is unconditional love. […] It’s not transactional. It’s… just loving someone, I think that’s what’s gonna really change things for sure.” (27:24)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On bringing your childhood self into adulthood:

  “For us to be able to have that passion throughout our lives instead of just ticking through time. That’s the most important thing.”
  — Terri Irwin (03:30–04:02)

• On embarrassing moments:

  “Thank you. I win the award for most creative way to actually wet your pants.”
  — Danielle Fishel (12:02)

• On designing an inclusive zoo:

  “When you go through life and you learn something, you should apply it. […] So we’ve got a disability restroom… there’s an adult change area that’s very respectful…”
  — Terri Irwin (20:05)

• On what inspires visitors:

  “When they meet DJ the rhino… that is what inspires me. I just love watching people… a lot of people end up very emotional when they meet an animal.”
  — Terri Irwin (24:08)

• Life’s purpose:

  “I really believe the meaning of life is unconditional love.”
  — Terri Irwin (27:24)

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | 01:51 | Terri’s accountancy passion and childhood wish-making | | 03:30 | Advice to revisit and pursue childhood passions | | 04:22 | Danielle shares early performing instinct | | 07:41 | Listener Rebecca’s embarrassing airport story | | 10:44 | Danielle’s “creative” golf tournament bathroom accident | | 13:31 | Terri’s travel and diaper disaster with baby Robert | | 14:53 | Breastfeeding/pumping stories and airplane awkwardness | | 16:57 | Australia Zoo’s breastfeeding-friendly spaces | | 20:05 | Adult special needs restroom at Australia Zoo | | 22:12 | Upcoming fine dining achievements and wildlife updates | | 24:08 | New animal babies, emotional visitor connections | | 27:15 | Empathy and the power of embarrassing stories | | 27:24 | The meaning of life: unconditional love |

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Episode Tone

The conversation is friendly, humorous, open-hearted, and often poignant. Both Danielle and Terri blend vulnerability, warmth, and a light touch, encouraging listeners to laugh at themselves, embrace their shared humanity, and keep alive the passions and curiosities of their youth.

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Closing Thoughts

This episode of Teen Beat is a testament to the importance of both embracing our awkward moments and using our unique strengths to serve others. Terri Irwin’s stories exemplify how personal experience—however embarrassing or humble—can inspire meaningful innovation and empathy in adulthood. The episode leaves listeners with a sense of connection, inspiration, and a desire to pursue forward-thinking compassion in their own lives.

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Transcript

[Danielle Fishel]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[Joel and Matt]

Hey, it's Joel and Matt from How To Money. If your new Year's resolution is to finally get your finances in shape, we've got your back prices, they're still high, and the economy is all over the place. But 2026 is the year for you to get intentional and make real progress. That's right, yeah. Each week we break down what's happening with your money, the most important issues to focus on, and the small moves that make a big difference. Kick off the year with confidence. Listen to how to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nav Green]

This show contains information subject to but not limited to, personal takes, rumors, not so accurate stats, and plenty more. What's up, man? It's your boy, Nav Green from the Broken Play Podcast. Look, it's the end of the season. The playoffs are here. But guess what? It ain't the end of your season. You can always tune in with Broken Play Podcast with Nav Green on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Not a team who ain't going to the playoffs. The Chief. It's time to rebuild. Listen Broken Play with Nav Green from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Danielle Fishel]

Give me money for cigarettes. I'll never leave your filthy bed.

[Terry]

I stay the night and one night weekend, two or three years, the kids are not all right. But that's okay, cuz no one here is.

[Danielle Fishel]

Take me, Terry. I asked you to come equipped with an embarrassing or a funny or a touching story from your youth. Something that's a good representation of you. Even if maybe now it makes you laugh or cringe to to think about it now.

[Terry]

Yeah, well, I, I, I think the most, the most embarrassing thing was prom night. That was the most embarrassing. Not get invited to prom and then go and take tick. Think that as a kid growing up, the thing I feel so passionate about, which isn't terribly embarrassing, but I feel so passionate about everyone looking at what made them inspired and excited and believing in something when they were young and where did that go? So, so for example, I was the dorky kid who loved accounts. I was the one who when it was 11, 11 in the morning, I'd make a wish. I was the one who'd play with my dad's adding machine which had a handle and I loved accounts. So that's not very exciting to everyone, but I loved it and it has integrated into my ability to run a business. This morning I had a P and L meeting from. With everyone back home.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Terry]

To have the courage to open a lodge and fine dining restaurant. I didn't know anything about that. But when you look back at your childhood, whether you wanted to be a firefighter or work with people or you love your church or you love wildlife or puppies or what was the thing that made you get out of bed in the morning that you loved?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Terry]

So my challenge is to circle back to that in some capacity. So if you are an accountant and you always wished you were a firefighter, you need to make inroads into what you can do to reignite with firefighter joke there. To reignite your passion. That's so important. So please. Embarrassing. As a kid, I nailed it. Yeah. For us to be able to have that passion throughout our lives instead of just ticking through time.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Terry]

That's the most important thing. It really is.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's so interesting because you're right. Like, you really took account, like your. Your math brain, your accounting side, your business acumen that you've had since you were a kid, and then your love of wildlife, and you've. You're like, I'll just combine these two. I'll.

[Terry]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Have multiple businesses that cater to rescuing and. And taking care of wildlife. So you really. You merged your two interests. And when I think about myself as a kid, one of my mom's favorite stories to tell about me is I had my little, kind of like my lovey. His name was Ba. He was a bunny, and I called him Ba. And I've had him since the day I was born. And I was taking him with me to the mall. And my. We were with my aunt and my uncle and my cousins. And my mom said, okay, let me get a picture of you in front of the fountain. And I took my Ba. And I looked at my uncle and I said, here, hold my Ba so I can pose. And I hand. I was only 3. Only 3 years old. I hand over BA and I laid down on the side of the fountain and like, you know, no one in my family was a performer. No one. They all just looked at me like, where did this come from? Where did this? And yet, you know, I just. I. And so it's not. It was surprising to none of them that I grew up to be a person who, you know, was a performer. So it's funny that you say, I agree.

[Terry]

And a whole nother subject matter, but I'm sure you were here before.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, you might be right.

[Terry]

I think so.

[Joel and Matt]

New year, new goals. And in this economy, a better money plan is more necessary than ever. I am Matt. And I'm Joel. We are from the How To Money podcast and every week we help you to spend smarter, save more, and make sense of what's going on out there. If you want 2026 to be the year you finally feel in control of your money, we're here to give you the tools and advice to help you make it happen. Listen to How To Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nav Green]

This show contains information subject to but not limited to personal takes, rumors, not so accurate stats, and plenty more. What's up man? It's your boy Nav Green from New the brand Broken Play Podcast. Look, it's the end of the season. The playoffs are here. But guess what? It ain't the end of your season. You can always tune in with Broken Play podcast with Nav Green on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Not a team who ain't going to the playoff. The Chiefs. What's a wrap? It's time to rebuild. Who your MVP right now then Drake May up there. Josh Allen up there still. Oh, my boy Matthew Stafford.

[Danielle Fishel]

Where did Bo Nicks at?

[Nav Green]

He ain't too far behind.

[Danielle Fishel]

He did all this talking.

[Nav Green]

What Matthew Stafford is doing statistically bro, is crazy. Bro, you know I ain't no Josh Allen fan, but Matthew Stafford got better weapon. Caleb Williams. Hey, he should be in that conversation.

[Danielle Fishel]

In what conversation?

[Nav Green]

He should be in it. Listen to Broken Play with Nav Green from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Danielle Fishel]

We have asked our listeners to send in their own stories in hopes that we can all just finally admit we all were and mostly still are very awkward. Humans are just awkward people. And there is this very fluid tale from Rebecca in New Jersey.

[Rebecca]

Hi Danielle. When I was 16, I had an opportunity to go to Europe with a group called Ambassadors of Music. They took a band, a choir and an orchestra and you went to seven countries in 16 days. So that was a very cool experience. But I was traveling without my parents and my dad had advised me to put a complete change of clothes in my carry on in case something were to happen to my checked luggage. Made it over just fine. At some point during that trip, stupid 16 year old me decided I wanted to wear that outfit that was in my carry on and I didn't replace it. On the way back home, we got stuck in Newark, New Jersey due to weather. I think it was raining. I don't remember, but we had to spend the night in the Newark, New Jersey airport. I slept on the floor underneath a row of seats. And I was so dead tired from all the travel and now from this situation that when I woke up in the morning, I had peed my pants.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, no.

[Rebecca]

No recollection of needing to go to the bathroom or any kind of stir of waking up. Just flat out dead to the world. Peed my pants, went to the bathroom. So embarrassed. Thankfully I had on black sweatpants, thin ones, though, but I don't think anybody could see. And thankfully I hadn't used the underwear that was in my carry on. So I at least was able to change my underwear. But I was still stuck in my peed Sweatpants at 16 years old and will never forget the advice of my father from now on to put a complete change of clothes in my carry on. We ended up being stuck in Newark for another night, but they got us a hotel. And I also had my carry on one of those little laundry packs. So I was able to wash my pants in my hotel room sink, which was a whole other thing. I like to think nobody knew. I don't tell this story. Very embarrassing. I hope you enjoyed it.

[Terry]

Thanks.

[Rebecca]

Bye.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh.

[Terry]

That wins. That is.

[Danielle Fishel]

That is pretty darn good. I, who first of all shout out to parents, giving good advice like that is such good advice to have a complete change of clothes in your carry on. Because you never know when that's gonna happen, that your luggage is just lost. And then it's nice to have a change of clothes. I'm a confused by Rebecca putting on her clean pair of underwear, even though she had to still live in her pee pants. I'm not sure how the clean underwear helps when you're still in. In wet pants, but really smart that she was, had a laundry pack in her suitcase so she could wash it in the sink. I, I once. This is also a very embarrassing story for, for me that I once at.

[Joel and Matt]

A.

[Danielle Fishel]

At a golf tournament at Sherwood Country Club in California, had been watching the golf.

[Terry]

It was so good.

[Danielle Fishel]

Tiger woods was playing. It was an incredible tournament. And I had to go to the bathroom so bad. And they only had a little. They were very nice outhouses, but they only had outhouses so often. And I had been holding it because I didn't want to leave the golf tournament. And at the very end, I am like, finally, I can go to the bathroom and I have to run to this outhouse. It was such a fancy outhouse that the, the toilet actually had A lid on it.

[Terry]

Great.

[Danielle Fishel]

I've never. I've never even experienced at this point, I had never even seen an outhouse that had a toilet with a lid on it. And because I had never seen that, I didn't think to check is the lid open or closed. So I ran. I just ran in and was already unbuttoning my pants, pulled my pants down, squatted, didn't sit all the way, but just squatted and started going to the bathroom. And when I. I hear the sound of liquid hitting something plastic. But. And I think, oh, that's just an odd sound. Well, because the lid was closed, the pee just went right down like this into my pants.

[Terry]

No, you were the most creative, wetting your pants.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you. I win the award for most creative way to actually wet your pants. And it was. I didn't realize what had happened until, of course, I pulled my pants up and I was like, what on earth is this? And then I turned around and I see that the lid is down. And I'm like, this is mortifying. Thankfully, similarly to Rebecca, there was a little bit of a saving grace that I was wearing a sweatshirt, like a crew neck sweatshirt over a T shirt. And so I was able to take off my crew neck and tie it around my waist.

[Terry]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

And then I had to immediately leave the premises. We're walking very quickly to the car.

[Terry]

Because probably as you left, you discovered Tiger woods is waiting to use the restroom, Correct?

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly. Or, hey, would you like to say hello to some of the golfers? No, I would not.

[Rebecca]

Thank you.

[Terry]

Oh, my gosh. That is so bizarre. So now you must, like, take a head torch and two other lights to check everything before you use the bathroom.

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly. I've never once walked into a. Even if I've had to go very bad. I walk in, I'm like, make sure the. It's so funny that that moment that's now 20 years ago has truly crossed my mind. Every time I've ever even been near an outhouse, I thought, well, that's because it's mortifying.

[Nav Green]

Yes.

[Terry]

Yeah, absolutely. And it just. It always happens at the least convenient moment. So we. We. In traveling when Robert was a tiny baby, I'm breastfeeding on the plane, and we're taking off to fly Eugene to Portland, Portland to San Fran to LA to Sydney to Brisbane. Because when Robert was a baby, there were no direct flights or anything like them. So I'm flying, like, all these different flights to get home. Right.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my God.

[Terry]

Now it's way easier now it's like, straight shot from la, so it's great. But I'm breastfeeding him, and because he's drinking breast milk, everything that happens in his diaper is very liquid.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes, yes.

[Terry]

And kind of looks like egg yolk. Oh.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep.

[Terry]

So he managed to find an Air Gap and egg yolk. My pink sweatpants that I was wearing as we were taking off on my first flight. So what do I have for clothes, Robert? Clothes and bindy clothes? No, terry clothes. So, yeah, you're absolutely right. I didn't actually do that to myself, but I got to live with it for many, many hours. So, yeah, those are fun things.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's funny also, hearing you talk about breastfeeding on a plane, that was another thing that. Then when I had my kids and I. I was, I think when I took my first trip away from Adler and I. So I was pumping while I was gone and having to pump on a plane. And I don't even. You know, first of all, the pumps, they. They're, they're, you know, they're pretty small, but they, they look a little suspicious if you're not super familiar with what it is. It's got a clock. It counts down it' blinking light. And I am trying to do it discreetly because it's not a comfortable situation. You also can't take up the restroom on a plane for 15 to 20 minutes while you pump. So it's not like you can go excuse yourself to the bathroom. So you have to do it in your seat. I'm sitting next to a gentleman I don't know from Adam. I don't know who he is. And I think to myself, do I say, excuse me, I just want you to know I'm gonna pump. Or is that on? Like, I don't. He doesn't need to know that. But if I don't say anything and then he's, like, looking, you know, he sees me with this round thing with a clock, counting down on it, and I'm, like, trying to connect it to a breast over here under a towel. And I did at one time have a flight attendant walk by and say, I'm sorry, I. I do have to inquire about what that machine is. And it was like, I'm sorry, it's a breast pump. And he was like, I'm. Then he felt bad that he even asked. He said, I'm so sorry. I just. I see you behaving weirdly under a blanket with a. With a machine that has a clock on it. Yeah. And I have to ask, what is.

[Terry]

That, yeah, it's probably an Acme breast pump and it's gonna explode at any moment.

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly, exactly. It's a Looney tunes. But. And I know you mentioned that you, with both kids, you were breastfeeding both kids while you were traveling, that you must have. You must have had to breastfeed or do some uncomfortable things in many, many different environments.

[Terry]

Oh, gosh, yes. But I think that's what made me very understanding. And it's fun at Australia Zoo because we've been breastfeeding accredited for years, so we have great private areas for both guests and staff. And we very much make it a not awkward situation for people. Whether you're pumping at work or whether you live nearby and someone's trying to bring the baby in or whatever's going on. It's trying to find ways to make it easier and better and more comfortable for women instead of feeling like you're robbing a bank when you're just trying to feed or pump or whatever's going on. But I think I breastfed because I'm basically lazy. So the thought of having to make bottles in a tent in the middle of nowhere, I'm like, heck to the no. So thankfully I was able to, because as we all know, fed is best. So if you can't breastfeed, you didn't lose the game. It's not a big deal. Just feed them. But for me, being lazy and being able to breastfeed, it was really a blessing that wherever I was, I could just discreetly.

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly.

[Terry]

Yeah. Because I was able to take him with me. Again, lucky.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know. What a blessing.

[Terry]

Lovely.

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't think there's anyone who could describe you as lazy, but I do understand what you mean. My first child, I had to exclusively pump because he had a. He actually breast milk made his lungs fill up with fluid. He was born with something called chylothorax, but they wanted him to have the benefits of breast milk, but we had to monitor how much he could have at a time. Then he'd go get an X ray. If his lungs were clear, they'd say, now you can bump it up. If his lungs filled up with fluid, then they'd say, now you need to tone it down. So I was constantly measuring exactly how much breast milk he had so that we could do the X rays. But then with my second, he was exclusively breastfed. And it was like, this is so much easier because, like you said, so so fortunate that I was able to breastfeed and then not having to, you know, measure and Deal with formula and make bottles. It was. I felt very much the same way.

[Terry]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

You mentioned that the Australia Zoo is breast. Breastfeeding. What did you call it? Accredited.

[Terry]

Accredited. So you go through a process where you can demonstrate what you've done for people. But I love that, like in this day and age of our awareness of women's medical needs, whether it's endometriosis or things that. That women are going through, one of the things that's a real kicker is when you go to a restroom, you don't expect to pay for toilet paper. So why do you pay for feminine hygiene? So we have free feminine hygiene at Australia Zoo. So when you come in and you go, I wasn't expecting this today. There's your little machine and it meters them out. There's, you know, you get your whatever you need and then it takes five minutes before it resupplies. So nobody's abusing the system.

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly.

[Terry]

And you've got a free thing. So, you know, whatever it is, when you go through life and you learn something, you should apply it. So I learned. Another example is I learned people who are adults who need assistance in the restroom and they may need to be changed are having to do that on the floor. So we've got a disability restroom that's just for that. It is beautiful. You go in and there's an adult change area that's very respectful and there's assistance things throughout the bathroom and privacy screens and everything you need in there. And I'm so proud of that. So kind of, you know, as someone who doesn't deal with that, I had to be told because I don't have that awareness.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Terry]

You know, I don't go, gee, I wonder how adults who need to be changed deal with that. And then when I found out, I went, oh, my God, we have to fix that. And I'm so passionate about it because people write in and they go, we could come to Australia Zoo for two or three hours, then we had to go home. Now we can stay all day. Thank you. And I just think, how can everybody not know this and fix this? So, yes, whether it's making breastfeeding better or feminine hygiene more available or, you know, the disability access more fair, I love it. I can't tell you how much I love it. I just love, love, love. I'm so excited. We've got this really cool thing at the lodge with our infinity pool. So if you are in a wheelchair, it's gets you into the pool and out again and you can use the Pool. I love it. It's just wonderful.

[Danielle Fishel]

What is something else we can look forward to for Australia Zoo? Why don't you talk to us a little bit about what's going on there? And I know you are away from it. You've been away for quite a while when.

[Terry]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

What is something you're very excited about?

[Terry]

I'm very excited about. The next step with our fine dining is to try to get what's called a hat in Australia. They don't call it a Michelin star in Australia.

[Danielle Fishel]

They call it.

[Terry]

I do not know why the Michelin star shuns Australia working.

[Danielle Fishel]

We need to change that.

[Terry]

Yeah. And our red panda is pregnant with twins. She's due any day. I'm so excited. We have five koala joeys. Our. Our kind of good news, bad news thing with our wildlife hospital is it's trauma season right now, which means animals are looking for mates. Babies are leaving the nest or their parents, and they're coming into strife. So they're encountering roads, windows, dogs, and they end up in our wildlife hospital. And it is busier than it's ever been since it opened in 2004. But I'm so proud of our team and the work that they're doing through our charity, Wildlife warriors, is incredible. And we're treating over 10,000 animals a year now. We've treated just over 12,000 koalas alone. Over 160,000 animals all up. And whether it's fires or floods or conflict with, you know, development or whatever's going on, if we can help fix things and get things a little bit back to normal, I mean, I miss it. I miss being in the thick of it and I miss just the smell of a koala when you're holding it. I miss feeding our kangaroos and the giant tortoises coming over at top speed to see you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, exactly. They're on their way. They're on their way.

[Terry]

But no, I feel incredibly blessed. Very, very blessed.

[Danielle Fishel]

Will you guys post pictures of the beautiful red panda babies when they're born?

[Terry]

Yes. And people who visit Australia Zoo will get to see them. So the mom is very calm and her habitat is where everyone can see her. So when she has her babies, she'll keep them in her little den and then she'll start bringing them out. And they are impossibly beautiful. They look like little Disney animation plush toys. They're so beautiful and they're endangered. So being able to see them and feeling compelled to do something by, you know, just visiting Australia Zoo, part of those funds go back to help the animals you've met. So it's really, really wonderful to be able to share that because that's what inspires people when they see the animals, when they smell the eucalyptus, smell of a koala, when they meet DJ the rhino, and you can feel how rough and bumpy his skin is and what an amazing dinosaur he is. That is what, is what inspires me. I just love watching people. And a lot of people end up very emotional when they meet an animal because they're like, oh, my, I never thought I'd get to. You'll be glad to know we don't have any arachnids on display at Australia Zoo. No spiders. So you, you will be safe.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm safe there. I'm safe there. Well, I can't thank you enough for spending your time with us. I think you are just an absolute joy and there's no one who could. There's no one who could disagree. So thank you again for being with us. Thank you to Rebecca for sharing yours story and as always, lovely to talk to you. I, I, like I said, I am going to take you up on your offer. I would love nothing more than to visit Australia Zoo myself, but also for my boys. My boys going to love every second of it. So we will make a family trip of it.

[Terry]

I would love that, genuinely. We would have a blast. We'll do all the fun things.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, great. We'll align our schedules because your sk. You have such thriving and active life. Robert has such a thriving and active life. And then. So we will align schedules. I'll be in touch. And we can, we can make it happen because this is, this would be a very special once in a lifetime, you know, experience for my family.

[Terry]

That'd be great. Thank you so much. This has been really fun and I like the diverse things we've talked about. It's amazing.

[Danielle Fishel]

We've talked about all kinds of things. And I think there's so much conversations like this, like you said, about even just the awareness around women's issues. The more we talk about the things that. And especially the way we were as children. And we recognize that we're actually so much more alike than we think we are. We all have similar stories in our life where we can pinpoint the moments we found our stride or where we felt like maybe we didn't take good advice that had been given to us. And it really makes you feel. I just in general think hearing people's stories makes you more empathetic to people.

[Terry]

I agree. And I think I love the embarrassing stories that were shared because it makes us all feel like we're all human and it's okay. And I think, you know, I really believe the meaning of life is unconditional love. And I think just, you know, we do that with our kids, so if we can do that with wildlife and people that we meet and have that, you know, it's not transactional. It's, yeah, just loving someone, I think that's what's gonna really change things for sure.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love that. Thank you so much, and I will thank you for this. Wi Fi has been wonderful. Thank you for. For joining us while you're still in the middle of such a hectic work schedule. I don't want to take up any more of your time. Thank you so much, truly, for being here.

[Terry]

No worries. All the best. And we'll see you down under soon.

[Danielle Fishel]

We'll see you down under.

[Terry]

Okay, bye.

[Danielle Fishel]

Teen Beat is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman. Executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor Tara Sudbaksh. The theme song is by Mark Hoppus. Yes, that Mark Hoppus. Follow us on Instagram teenbeatpod. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.