Animals’ Quest to Awaken Mankind
Kim Shotola
July – Aug 2025 • Vol 4, No 17
Animals have been watching your soul since before you were born. Their quest is to oversee our souls’ journey and to awaken and enlighten our hearts and souls to the connection between them, nature and Mother Earth. Animals are here to help each person become better on a heart and soul level.
Our pets can bring us joy, companionship, strength, love and comfort. But their efforts go far beyond that. You may have animals in your life right now, or you did at one time. Or perhaps you just love animals and have not taken on that pet parent or foster role yet. Perhaps you are going through a difficult time in your life or feel lost. Maybe you just know or feel there has got to be more to life than this. The animals can show you the present, help you learn from the past, and propel you to your future.
There are more animals trying to “reach” you than you may realize—even right now. You have a divine purpose, and yes, the animals play an instrumental role in helping you discover AND accomplish this. The animals can show you how to awaken your life physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Just like they did for me.
I have always loved animals since I was a child. They have always been a constant in my life, and in ways I only discovered later, watched over me. When my parents went through an ugly divorce when my brother and I were just 6 and 7, the animals were there. When my father died tragically just several years later, the animals were there.
At 12 years old, I waited on customers at my mom’s plant nursery on the weekends. Our nursery was not just for plants. We helped raise several species of pet birds, which brought us joy and additional income. At 14, I bred, raised and sold championship pedigreed collies. Little did I know that collies were to become a major part of my life for over 30 years. Go Lassie!
The cats and other dogs that I shared my life with were amazing rescues. All kinds of pets have blessed my life from gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs and chinchillas to hermit crabs, turtles, rabbits, parakeets, cockatiels, conures, doves, ducks, turkeys, guinea fowl, chickens, cows and horses. And how could I forget tadpoles, frogs and toads!
Some animals found me. Some I found. I have loved them all. The animals guided me to a career with them. From 1991–2017, I worked full-time at the Houston Zoo in Texas, a world-class and renowned zoo recognized for their exceptional animal care and global conservation efforts. I progressed from zookeeper to senior supervisor during my 25+ year career. I helped manage the care of over 1,000 domestic, livestock, wildlife and exotic animals in the Children’s Zoo, including the animal ambassadors that were used in public presentations. I even supervised the staff of the incredible bug house. But the above figure doesn’t count the thousands of creatures that resided there—and when they have babies—it’s a lot! A highlight for me was when I taught and educated staff, volunteers and guests about the magnificent world of animals, big and small. I was even featured on a number of local TV stations, including in the NBC affiliate series, Houston Zooperstars Challenge, that ran for several years.
But while I was working at the zoo, I also reflected inward. Perhaps it was only natural for me to explore ways to help heal my body, mind and spirit. I was wounded on various levels. Between my parents’ divorce and my father’s death, you could say a “nightmare” ensued for my brother and I. That led to stomach and OCD issues.
I realized my childhood and animals had brought me to this point of seeking a path to wellness and whol-E-ness. From nutrition to energy work to animal communication and more, I was hooked for life! But what blew me away was the realization that what I had learned over the years for myself, I could also use to help animals! Through the process of helping my own animals, I knew they wanted me to do more to help the lives of other animals and those who cared for them.
And so it began….
Kim Shotola is a professional communicator, animal wellness instructor and author. Students receive weekly intuition and spiritual development articles. Kim’s book, The Soul Watchers, Animals’ Quest to Awaken Humanity, looks in depth at the mission of the animals and how you can help them accomplish their heart-and-soul vision. Learn more at: https://www.thelightfootway.com/the-soul-watchers/. Kim has taught holistic animal-wellness classes since 2006.
Kim offers enlightening, holistic-animal-care and spiritual-empowerment classes throughout the year that produce life changing results. Visit the Classes & Events page at: https://www.thelightfootway.com/animal-communication-zoom-class/ to learn more and to register.
To receive weekly articles, archive access, updates on classes and events, and gifts for our readers, get on our email list at: TheLightfootWay.com/join-our-email-list/. When you sign up, you’ll receive our audio chakra meditation to help enhance your intuitive abilities.