Animals & Us - Voices of a New Paradigm

Episode 40: Making Animal Communication Services Available to Animal Shelters with Denise Nestel and Christine Noble Seller

Avantika Mathur & Dr. Barbara Shor

In this episode, we speak with Denise Nestel and Christine Noble Seller, two inspiring women from the nonprofit Giving Animals Voice, an organization dedicated to transforming how we care for, understand, and advocate for animals - especially those living in shelters, rescue organizations and sanctuaries.

Denise, the founder of Giving Animals Voice, shares how years of working in animal care led her to realize that something crucial was missing: a way to truly hear what animals were trying to communicate. Through intuitive communication with animals, her organization tries to help shelters create calmer, more connected environments that support healing, adaptability, and adoptability.

Christine, a certified animal communicator, teacher, and advocate with a background in social work, joins Denise to discuss their recent pilot project that explored how intuitive communication can reduce stress and improve the wellbeing of shelter dogs. Together, they share remarkable stories, like Blackie’s, that reveal how listening to animals can profoundly change their lives, often leading to adoption soon after sessions take place.

We also discuss what animal communication looks like in practice, how shelters can begin integrating this work, and the broader ripple effects it creates for both humans and animals. Denise and Christine remind us that animals have voices, preferences, and wisdom - and that simply asking them what they need is an act of compassion and respect that can change everything.