Meet Monique Rellis

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Monique Rellis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Monique below.

Monique, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

As children we always have such high hopes and dreams for what we want to do when we grow up, who we want to be and what we want our lives to look like. The sky is truly the limit to a young mind and we believe that we can achieve any obstacle that might come our way. Honestly, we really think that those “obstacles” are nothing to us because we see the end goal and nothing in between. We are still so innocent that we don’t understand the the many step we will need to take to reach out dream life.

When adults around us, or peers even impose their thoughts. When they expose these obstacles or their opinions that our young minds are blind to we start to second guess ourselves. We wonder if that is the right choice for us, if its realistic, and so on. Sometimes we can overcome that and it makes us want to that much more. But for others that’s not the case. Especially when you add high anxiety and overthinking we just determine that that life was nothing more then a dream to us.

As a child I knew with everything in me I wanted to work with animals. I really wanted to be a vet or a zookeeper but having an animal shelter was also on the list. I quickly started to second guess myself though. Adults would talk about how much work it would be, how I would loose interest, how much schooling would cost, and so on. I thought maybe I shouldn’t work with animals. I started seeing these careers as things only “lucky” people got to do or people whose families already had an animal related business. I doubted myself so much that that life was not impossible to me and I went to school for Cosmetology.

It was quite different but it was something easy and cheap. I was able to go into a program while in high school and I would have my license only months after graduating. I made it up to be practical for me. I also quickly realized…… I kinda hated it. It had its moments but I was not cut out to be belittled by customers that had unrealistic expectations. After a short time I jumped to childcare. I thought well I have always loved working with kids so this will be great! And it was for the most part. I had a lot of fun and I loved so many of the kids I worked with watching so many as toddlers to then lead their Pre-Kindergarten graduation. By this point I had my first son though and I realized that I loved working with kids but I would come home too burnt out to be the best mom I could for him. So I switched to nannying,

When covid hit I was still a nanny which gave me the ability to bring my son with me where we would go on various outings, bake, make art projects, make a mess, etc all day everyday. I loved it. But covid hit, and our time changed a bit. We spent a lot more time at home, but we made it work. One day I decided I’m trapped at home, I want to start something new or take a risk. I decided that I needed a pet snake. We had various rescue dogs but I wanted something more unique so I got one, Juju.

Once we had Juju I started thinking of that little girl with the dream to work with animals. Since it was also covid so many people where having a hard time taking care of their animals. I was very fortunate through covid that we struggled very little and one day I told my partner, Leon. “Lets just rescue reptiles that need help.” At this point he was skeptical and not sure what to think. He didn’t say no so we just kept our eyes out. We started researching various reptiles, different habitats, common issues, importance of lighting, and so on. Once we felt more confident we would offer help to families and individuals that couldn’t keep or handle these reptiles anymore and over a few years grew to have 80+ animals in our care.

Each animal had a back story. Some were simple, landlord disapproved, pregnancy, lack of knowledge, etc. Some where worse like respiratory issues, aggression, burns, fungal infections, etc. We didn’t care though we took in what we felt confident taking care of. We learned the difference between aggression, defensiveness and food motivation. In some cases it became around the clock care. All while doing this we had our son watching, learning, and helping us. I would remember again how I craved this as a child but was always told it would be too hard, and it was. There were tons of second guessing moments, heartbreaking moments, many times I thought everyone was right I was not meant to work with these animals. Even as an adult people think down about my rescuing of animals.

After sometime we relocated to San Tan Valley Arizona. We brought as many animals as we could handle. Once here we stopped rescuing as much. There is a lot more exotic animal resources here then we had in Washington so the amount of animals left with nothing is a lot smaller of a number. But we craved more. I took a part time job at a mobile petting zoo parttime and it was a nightmare. There was very little organization, animals where highly stressed and there was very little knowledge of these animals that employees where expected to know. I spent many hours helping this company clean, expand knowledge but ultimately it was too much with little change. I had to walk away. But I thought maybe I could do something better.

My partner really encouraged me to just take the jump and create a business. I was so scared though. This was also my sons first year of school and I decided the best option would be to homeschool. I wanted him to have more free time and less time at a desk. I didn’t want him to think himself limited as I used to. Though, everyone told me not to let him turn into “that homeschooled kid”. I was extremely offended by this statement constantly and always met with the ” how will he socialize?” questions.

Finally, I took a risk and put together Animalia Unleashed. It took me a very long time and I second guessed everything I did. But I wanted animal education in a better way. I wanted people to understand how animals had feelings to. That bad days aren’t only for people and while we take pride in hands on learning sometimes its not possible. Not only that but pushing an animal is how we get hurt. I created lesson plans, we took in more rescues and this time added mammals as well. This way we can teach better about conservation of various species and rehabilitation of our animals better. Suddenly that dream as a child was my actual life. Somewhere among all the doubt that was implemented on me and all the fears I had within myself I created a business doing exactly what I dreamed about doing. I found a whole new sense of confidence,

This confidence led me even further though. We were still newish to the area and to homeschooling. We had made it through one year but it was not quite right. Again, I wanted change for myself and both my sons. So I made a Facebook group called San Tan Valley Homeschooling and decided I would teach art and science 2 times a month. Boy, it blew up. I had 25 kids running around my house withing a few weeks. I thought we could do this more often and it has not stopped growing. We have quickly hit almost 600 members in just 1 year. I have also incorporated my animal education. This random little group has become a huge community of fellow homeschooling families that has talked about and referred my Animalia Unleashed to family and friends. They have become best friends, supporters and so much more.

Today Animalia Unleashed still takes in rescues, educates about animals, participates in birthday parties and runs all of San Tan Valley Homeschooling events. We study various science topics from animals, to how helicopters fly, to molecules and so much more for children. I organize field trips all over the valley and partner with local businesses for kids to tour. We are on the way to making education boxes of various topics to inspire hands-on and fun learning for all kids. Most importantly we are showing kids that the sky truly is the limit.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

The best thing about what I get to so is just seeing mind be blown or expand with knowledge. When we first get to events with animals there is always at least one person terrified of snakes, Sometimes its for good reasons but for the most part its just improper information. Many kids and even adults think when a snake wraps around your neck it will constrict you, which more often then not wrong. They really are just trying to absorb your heat because they are cold-blooded and therefore reply on the temperatures around them to regulate themselves. After people hear explanations like this they start to calm down and feel more curious and comfortable. When they do this makes the experience for them and the animal so much better. It also encourages them to ask more questions and most the time overcome that fear and touch/hold the snake.

Another amazing this is being able to heal an animal, however this can also be the saddest part of what we do. You never know how things will work out with rescues. We have had some that were in terrible condition and pulled through. For example we had a tortoise with shell rot so terrible her shell and bones broke off on part of her shell exposing her lungs. Fortunately, she lived even when we were told to put her down and made a full recovery. Circumstances like that are amazing.

In the sense of community I love how we have brought together so many friendships of kids and parents in our area. We are pretty close in distance to most participating families. It has had such a positive impact on my kids and so many others. To have my children go from no friends to many friends and hear their parents say the same it beautiful. I love watching and helping it grow. I also love these families knowing that they aren’t alone. We have over 500 people in our group currently and we are growing everyday. We host playdates, field trip, have toured places like Trader Joes, Kahoots and Combs Preforming Arts. I’ve taught various science lessons such as classifications of a mammal and a reptiles as well.

Everything about us can be found on our website. We have so many awesome plans from bigger classes we will offer, to animal encounter, and even education subscription boxes. A full list of Animalia Unleashed events can also be found there as well as a blog we will be starting where we will cover homeschooling, animals, conservation, and so much more. I want to make us a resource to continue building the gaps between people and animals as well as stereotypes and homeschooling. You do not need to be a homeschooling family to participate in our activities though we are open for anyone that can join us for events even if its just on school breaks.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Confidence- By nature I am not a confident person, I have high anxiety as well. For me I just had to stop thinking “what if” and just say “what’s the worst that can happen?”. I still doubt myself and my goals but I just try my best to push through it. Through this though my confidence has grown so much. I see more options now, I see things as possible. I believe that I am making a positive impact for others and for me that is a huge confidence booster. Working with animals though you really need this because being scared or nervous will make the animals reacted at a higher stress level as well. You need to be confident in what you are doing for them to also remain more calm. There are so many instances when I have been put in a rescues situation where I doubt myself every step of the way and it makes it so much harder. You need to know that loosing an animal is something every rescuer and rehabilitators faces. Its something that we don’t talk about nearly as much as we should and that leads to a lot of self-doubt. In the sense of homeschooling confidence is very important because this is something I want my children to learn for one. But there is a lot of backlash in homeschooling as well. People who doubt what/how you teach your kids, how they socialize, and many moments where I just don’t think I am enough of a teacher. You have to be able to find the confidence in yourself that you are enough and you can do it.

Compassion- Not only for other people but for yourself. You will make a mistake somewhere in the line, its okay! You are still doing amazing things. If you take 3 steps forward and end up having to take one back, you are still further then when you started. This goes for b0th rescuing, teaching and just working in the community. Compassion is something that comes into play in every project and every event that we do. We need compassion for these animals that can communicate with words, that didn’t plan to be in the situation they are put in and need help. Compassion is needed as well working in the community working with new families and kids. To some families our group is what makes the difference of a good and bas experience homeschooling when it comes to friends and support.

Ability to adapt- Animals education is forever changing just like everything else. Even some information from when I started working with animals 4 years ago is a little outdated to what is recommended and known now. It also is something you need to take with a grain of salt sometimes because many people try to spread misinformation whether they are aware of it or not. I have thought one thing or we kept an animal one way and quickly realized it was wrong. This led us to quickly stop looking at what conditions others said to keep the animals in and instead looked at their natural habitats and food chains. This is also important with teaching kids because 90% of the time I am learning too! I try to teach unique and fun things but that doesn’t mean I am an expert.

I think to develop these skills its important to try and connect with others in whatever community you are working in or interested in. Being able to talk things out and bounce ideas around make a huge difference. Not everyone has a support system. I’ve always been fortunate with a supporting family but at the beginning of my journey that didn’t stop them from doubting or questioning me. It definitely made me doubt myself more. I tried to just connect with others in similar situations like homeschooling which is hoe the group started. With animals I joined groups and just tried to connect with fellow animal lovers and that helped me a ton. Community and support are so important and if you aren’t gifted with it instantly its okay. It doesn’t mean those around you are putting you down they just don’t understand sometimes. So put yourself out there and connect with others that will!

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

My partner Leon has been the biggest supporter! When I said I wanted to rescue animals he wasn’t sure about it but he agreed. Leon has spent countless hours researching, building enclosures, cleaning up and so much more for all our animals. When I said I wanted to homeschool he never disagreed and has supported our journey. When I wanted to combine the two he was so excited for that step.

He has pushed me a lot to gain confidence and compassion in and for myself. I have always been very insecure so putting myself fully out there was extremely hard for me. Especially since we knew no one out here in Arizona it was hard. But looking back now I don’t know what I would have done without him pushing me to to further. I have never had an issues with compassion for others but for myself it is a very hard thing to learn. I’m still learning and working on my confidence and being kind to myself. Its a work in progress and that’s okay. I don’t think those qualities are things that anyone is an expert in at all moments in all situations. Sometimes you need someone to either reassure you or in my case to sometimes just tell you to stop and get back up. Leon had truly been that person for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.animaliaunleashed.com
• Instagram: @animalia_unleashed
• Facebook: @Animalia Unleashed & San Tan Valley Homeschooling
• Other: Tik Tok- @Animalia_Unleashed

Image Credits

N/A all my own photos