I am a lifelong vegetarian/vegan, and a non-academic—or “layperson” if you will—who only recently discovered the world of animal studies scholarship, thanks in part to this podcast. (I knew there had to be more than just vegan pop culture! It’s a desert out there for the inquisitive, critical thinker who is disillusioned with the same old rhetoric and vegan capitalistic consumerism…) I’m not much of a podcast listener, but whenever I happen to play this one, I am fastidiously note-taking, cross-referencing, and intently listening as if attending a lecture series. On a technical level, it’s well-produced and the ideal length. And the audio quality is excellent; the guests come through clear, volume is balanced, works great on speaker or headphones, etc. The host, Josh Milburn, (whose voice/accent reminds me of Queer Eye’s Tan France), stays focused, acting as architect for the conversation through expertly-posed questions and thoughtful responses, thereby avoiding the sort of chatty “fluff” that takes up a majority of podcasts—but that’s not to say the dialogue between host and guest is devoid of any personable affect. I appreciate how good of a listener Josh is, and, of course, having clearly done his research on the guest, is able to distill and summarize their thoughts, helping create a clarity and ease of understanding for a layperson such as myself. …but layperson I hope to be no longer! This podcast has illuminated to me the vast world of animal studies and theory that can marry all my intersecting interests, so I’m applying to go back to school (undergrad, then grad) and, hopefully, be able to study some of these topics! 🤩🤩

I have listened to this podcast for many years. It is consistently fantastic. I have learned so much about Animal Studies from many scholars. The hosts, originally Siobhan O’Sullivan, and now Josh Milburn, are thoughtful, super smart, attentive interviewers. I so appreciate both of them. Their styles are different, but they both follow a tried-and-true format that packs a lot of content into a fairly short podcast. Currently, this is my favorite podcast in the realm of consideration of non-human animals.

The only thing that kept me from listening more was the host’s very repetitive “mmm”’s There doesn’t need to be a “mmm” sound from the host every 3 seconds to help move the show along and it’s very distracting and irritating honestly. Other than that I really enjoy the actual content.

I highly recommend this podcast. My husband and I love listening to it on long drives together. We love learning about animal issues from a variety of perspectives and disciplines. The host does an excellent job with the interviews and makes it a very engaging listen.

What a thought-provoking podcast! Knowing Animals highlights a great diversity of approaches to human-animal studies. I’m grateful to hear such important ideas about ending suffering in the world. Animal studies is on the rise and it seems to me that these issues will be talked about more and more each day. Thanks for being one of the first podcasts to support the spread of this information!

I’m not an expert on animal issues, but I’m trying to get involved. This podcast is great for learning how animal studies scholars talk about the issues. It also references literature an authors for listeners to learn more. The one downside is the audio quality sometimes, but in the later episodes this gets better :) The host and her guests are always kind and easy to understand. Great podcast!

"Excellent, well-prepared interview with RCJ. I have met Dr. Jones and know that his nature is to be deferential and respectful when in conversation. However he also has an unusual facility for not only withstanding withering, raging ignorance when speaking with (or enduring) someone who disagrees with him, but he can also sustain a demeanor that conveys "I can be just as, and more, aggressive and intimidating than you are behaving, but I strongly recommend that you not provoke me to display this side of me; but if you like, I have the time, energy, and chops to perform for the targeted prejudiced audience to which you are pandering". More effort should be made to place Dr Jones in higher profile debates to test the defensibility of the anti-vegan forces."

Just listened to my first podcast and thoroughly enjoyed the discussion and information. As someone who's been passionate about animal welfare and how it relates to human health and our environment, I'm pleased to have found a resource that shares scholarly information on this subject!

Never have I heard so engaging a discussion from such a straight shooter. Thanks Siobhan!