We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Misha Body a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Misha, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I’ve always been fascinated and awed by nature, and that interest led to studying zoology and a career in the sciences. During my early studies and career experience, I repeatedly saw how human impact has driven so many species to extinction. As it became clear that these issues are human-made, it also became obvious that we have a moral responsibility to reverse some of that loss. This led to an unwavering and deep-seated imperative to have an impact on wildlife conservation.
I started out my career as a zookeeper at the Bronx Zoo in New York, and although my day-to-day job was about providing great care to lots of amazing animals, the purpose was always wildlife conservation & restoration. Good, modern zoos and aquariums have a shared mission to save wildlife from the various threats they face. Part of how we do that is by inviting guests to see, learn about, and develop empathy for these incredible animals, and we raise money and awareness for the conservation work we do with local and regional partners.
As I progressed in my career, I found I was no longer caring for the animals directly nor sharing stories with our guests myself, but I was in leadership roles that were helping to shape how we did these things. I have always sought to have impact, effect change, and improve things. So I started to think about how I could have a real and lasting impact on wildlife conservation. I imagined myself at my retirement party (which is still a couple of decades away!), and thought about what I’d want people talking about. What had I accomplished? What would I be remembered for having done well? What were people in the corners grumbling about that they wished I’d done differently? What strengths do I have that would allow me to do those things?
What I settled on is that I could have an impact on the passionate professionals who are the experts at what they do, whether it was animal care or education or being changemakers themselves. I thrive when I’m creating and supporting environments and cultures where people can do their best work. So that’s where I leaned in, focusing on professional development for conservation professionals and modeling and growing leadership styles that build on the iterative process of creating positive, productive work cultures.
Now, the proudest moments I have in my work are when I see a team member having big and small successes, growing in their role, and influencing others. We each have our own strengths and skills, and if we work together to support the important work that happens, the more impact we can have collectively.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a conservation leader with a career that has spanned more than 20 years of caring for animals, educating members of the public, and leading teams in zoos, aquariums, and museums that are aligned around creating connections between people and wildlife and sparking a curiosity for the natural world. Since 2016, I’ve led conservation biology graduate students through visioning and strategic planning processes as they develop their master plans for how they will effect change in their communities toward greater environmental stewardship.
I am also on the board of a nonprofit called Minorities in Aquarium and Zoo Sciences (MIAZS), which works to advance aquarium and zoo science by diversifying the professionals and perspectives within it. I’m particularly proud of the opportunities we’ve been able to provide to our members to attend professional conferences, participate in workshops and courses, and to have a space to network. This is particularly important to me, as equitable access and a sense of belonging is critical to having a whole-person approach to creating a positive, balanced culture. Additionally, having a more accessible, inclusive, and equitable profession will help us have a more diverse workforce, and the more diverse a workforce we have, the more expansive, relevant, and effective we will be.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
If I had to pick just three skills that have been most helpful, they would be: 1) critical thinking, 2) open-mindedness, and 3) emotional intelligence.
Critical thinking challenges us to understand why we do things a certain way, and it helps us gauge whether there might be a better way. Being open-minded makes us better collaborative partners, more inviting to perspectives other than our own, and more willing to admit when we’re wrong. Emotional intelligence gives us the opportunity to reflect and better manage how we affect the relationships we have with others. Put together, these skills enable us to continuously improve, be more innovative, and build community.
No one works in isolation, therefore the better we can work with others, the better we can tackle whatever our mission is. In my case, it’s all about conservation, and the better my teams and I can work with one another and with other groups, the better we can focus our energies on saving wildlife.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I have been incredibly fortunate to have had many people who have helped me over the course of my career. Whether they were my supervisors, my peers, team members I led, colleagues, formal and informal mentors, coaches, friends, family – the breadth of people willing to give me advice and support has been an enormous gift.
I think a key reason I have been so lucky to have grown such a strong network is because I am very open to feedback. I invite it, welcome it, and I reflect deeply on what I’m told in order to incorporate it into how I move through the world. If I weren’t as open to hearing what people had to say or if I got defensive when someone had something hard to share with me, I would find myself with fewer people willing to give me that feedback, especially when it’s been constructive.
To those looking to expand their network, I strongly recommend reaching out to trusted people to share their insights about you or your profession or a role you are interested in. The more curious you are about things in your blindspots, the better informed and aware you can be, and the smaller your blindspots become!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.miazs.org/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mishabody/
