I've spent over a decade in learning and development, designing training programs at companies like Amazon and Nintendo. I have an M.Ed. in Instructional Design. I've built onboarding systems, compliance courses, and learner experiences for some of the biggest organizations in the world.
But the work that changed me happened at an animal shelter.
Volunteering taught me to read body language in a way no classroom ever could. A dog who won't eat isn't being stubborn. A dog who growls isn't being aggressive. A dog who hides for three days after adoption isn't broken. They're communicating. And the humans around them are doing the same thing, usually without realizing it.
I'm also neurodivergent, and I've spent years learning how anxiety, sensory processing, and executive function shape the way people learn, cope, and connect. That lived experience is woven into everything I create, whether it's a transition guide for a newly adopted dog, a resource for anxious professionals, or a training program for a shelter's volunteer team.
Right now, Delisa Cares has three sides. I provide hands-on pet care and adoption transition support in the Redmond area. I create educational guides for people navigating anxiety, neurodivergence, and the messy reality of caring for animals. And I design training programs for organizations, especially animal welfare organizations, that need better ways to onboard and educate their teams.
They're all the same work, just applied differently. Understand the behavior. Design the support. Help someone feel less alone in the hard part.
Eventually, all of this is heading toward an animal rescue and education center. A place where animal welfare and human education live under the same roof. That's a long way out, but every service I offer, every guide I write, and every volunteer I train is building toward it.
