Stephanie Manka, Ph.D. (formerly Schutler)

Fancy Scientist Podcast #133: Maximizing Mental Health in Wildlife Work: How I Went Off Anti-Depressants If you’re involved in the wildlife or conservation field in any capacity, whether you are a current or aspiring career professional, someone volunteering their time to make the world better for wildli...

This episode aims to help anyone struggling with mental health 🤝, especially those in conservation fields 🐢🦜. Let's support each other in maintaining our mental well-being 💚 while making a positive impact 🌟 on the world around us.

stephanieschuttler.com/133-mental-h...

I dive into the importance of physical health 🏃‍♀️, the benefits of nature 🌳, and how to reframe your mindset 🧠 to focus on the positives in life ☀️. Plus, I recommend some valuable resources 📚 and books that have been pivotal in my journey.

I share my personal struggles with mental health and how the demands of our careers can contribute to these challenges. I also explore how I managed to taper off my antidepressants, the mindset and self-care strategies that worked for me, and practical tips 🛠️ to help you improve your mental health.

In the latest 🎙️ Fancy Scientist podcast, I discuss a topic very close to my heart ❤️: mental health, specifically anxiety and depression, and how these issues affect those of us in the fields of nature 🌿, wildlife science 🐾, and conservation 🌎.

stephanieschuttler.com/133-mental-h...

🌟 It's time to define what being a fancy scientist means! Think grandeur, sparkle, and... elephant dung? As a wildlife biologist, I blend the unexpected with science in podcast episode 131: stephanieschuttler.com/131-what-is-...

With Public Lands Under Threat, Voters Want to See Them Protected and Budgets Kept Intact Voters on both sides of the aisle are opposed to budget cuts at the agencies that oversee public lands.

The public wants to protect protected areas www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2025/7/...

What prompts interest in climate change? - Yale Program on Climate Change Communication In June and July 2025, a majority of Americans experienced an extreme heatwave that pushed summer temperatures to record-breaking highs in places like New York, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. As ...

Want to engage people in climate change? Perhaps talking about extreme weather events is a way to do it climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications...

There’s so much to find and discover in the natural world and it’s literally right under our noses…🕷️🌻

YouTube video by Fancy Scientist Pollination at Night: MOTHS! Wildlife Biology for Kids Club

Pollination is a 24-hour job!⏰🌼 When we go to bed 😴, the night crew begins to take over 🌚. In this video, I dive deep into a large group that makes up nighttime pollinators: moths. Moths are typically thought of as duller butterflies 🦋, but here you’ll learn to appreciate them!
youtu.be/GQGMOQGXLwk

Just booked my flight to speak at Wichita State University in September! Super excited to work on a new talk I'm developing: Science, Shifts, and Self-Discovery: Finding and Following Your Unique Career Path! I LOVE speaking and am excited to do more of it.

What is a Fancy Scientist and why did it matter so much to me to adopt this nickname? 💫 Because representation matters. 🙌
Now, more children envision female scientists 👩‍🔬👧, helping to challenge stereotypes.

🎧 Learn more in Fancy Scientist Podcast #131

stephanieschuttler.com/131-what-is-...

It's okay if they decide to touch you! And good job not engaging the turtle. When I did gorilla trekking in Rwanda, you cannot touch them, but there were several young ones who decided we were too slow and burst ahead of us and pushed us out of the way!

Yay! Congrats!!!!

Wow! What a beauty!

Huge moth with broad wings. Bright yellow with horizontal reddish brown stripe and blotches and speckles. Body yellow with brownish red bars. Resting on brick exterior of a convenience store, directly beneath a light.

Great ending(?) to National Moth Week: An enormous female Imperial Moth at a convenience store in New Florence, Missouri, USA. #bugsky #mothweek #NationalMothWeek #moth

I decided to fully take on the Fancy Scientist ✨🔬 nickname given to me once I truly felt comfortable in my own skin 💃 and had mentors who supported me 🙌. But it wasn’t always that way.

Learn more in Fancy Scientist Podcast #131 🎙️

stephanieschuttler.com/131-what-is-...

I bet it's reversible.

Why I don’t get rid of my “weeds” 🐝🪲🐦

I'm writing an article about providing tips for helping birds, butterflies, bees, & small mammals during summer heat. If you are an expert, reach out! I'd love to ask you for some not-so-obvious tips & quote you in the article for A-Z Animals, which has 2.2M active users/month.

Fancy Scientist Podcast #131: What Is a Fancy Scientist? Embracing Diversity in Science Beyond Gender and Race Sometimes, when you think the worst happens, it can actually be the best thing. For wildlife biologist Jamie Bowles of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, losing her job in the medical field l...

Diversity is undoubtedly important in science, and recently, much attention has been given to increasing gender and racial diversity within the sciences. In this episode, I share how increasing diversity can go even deeper than that and why it’s so important.

stephanieschuttler.com/131-what-is-...

And it’s important to me because over the years, I’ve received emails from numerous members of my audience who’ve read my story and told me that it really resonated with them, that they also didn’t feel like they quite fit in in the wildlife biology field.

Well, that is what this podcast episode is all about! Despite running this blog for 7 years, changing all of my social accounts, and forming my small business under the same name, I realized I never really told the story of HOW I became known as the Fancy Scientist…

Since 2017, I decided to change my social media handles from @StephSchuttler to @FancyScientist. I was given this name and I loved it! But have you ever stopped and wondered, when coming across my content, what exactly is a Fancy Scientist?

stephanieschuttler.com/131-what-is-...

Wildlife Biologist Jamie Bowles may say she's lucky, but I know it’s much deeper than that. Her success is really the result of hard work and strategy. Are you setting yourself up for success? Listen to Fancy Scientist podcast #129 to determine if you are!

stephanieschuttler.com/129-jamie-bo...

Wildlife Biology for Kids Club Wildlife Biology for Kids Club Does Your Child Love Animals? As a wildlife biologist, I’ve had many parents come up to me asking what they can do to foster their child’s curiosity in animals, science,

Making a video about bee diversity has truly opened my eyes up to how many incredible species there are out there! 4,000 in the US alone and 400+ in my state of Illinois.

More details about the Wildlife Biology for Kids Club including the free videos here: stephanieschuttler.com/wildlife-bio...

Once you start paying attention to the world around you, you’ll see that it’s made up of amazing beings! 🐝🌎✨ Just saw this gorgeous metallic green sweat bee 💚 on my walk and these bees were a group I definitely talked about in my latest Wildlife Biology for Kids Club video. What a bee-auty!! 😍

YouTube video by Fancy Scientist 20,000 Bees!? Native Bee Diversity & Pollination! | Wildlife Biology for Kids Club Animals

Here's the video so you can learn about how amazing native bees are too :)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQv6...

I just made a video about bee diversity and it has truly opened my eyes up to how many amazing species there are out there! Just today I saw this gorgeous metallic green sweat bee. What a beauty! 🐝💚

Starting college in her mid-20s with 2 kids, Jamie had to navigate motherhood and education while carving a path to wildlife management. Her story is a testament to determination & perseverance. Listen to it all in Fancy Scientist podcast #129!

stephanieschuttler.com/129-jamie-bo...

YouTube video by Fancy Scientist Launching a Successful Wildlife Career After Losing Your Job: Interview with Jamie Bowles

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" - Seneca. Jamie Bowles shares her incredible career journey in wildlife biology and why she believes hard work beats luck every time. Full story on the podcast! 🎙️🐾

stephanieschuttler.com/129-jamie-bo...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8l4...