The Bets Life Podcast: Wild at Heart with Kristina McKean, Founder of the Elephant Project

Kristina McKean is the founder and owner of The Elephant Project, a women-led and women-run social give-back business. For as long as she can remember, Kristina has felt a deep-rooted kinship with animals, and the welfare of elephants has become Kristina’s passion and life quest. 

With a background in design and product development, Kristina was able to build a thoughtful stuffed animal brand to raise awareness and funds to help save and care for orphaned and abused elephants, dogs, and big cats. One hundred percent of the net proceeds from the Save Us™ Collection of plushies goes to organizations all over the world that are dedicated to helping and advocating for animals in need. In this episode, we chat about what Kristina experienced on her travels that led her down this path, ethical travel, how we can better support animals abroad and locally, and why it’s important to give back to the causes that speak to us personally. 

TW: discussion of animal cruelty  

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CurioCaster: A Modern Non Profit Podcast: The Elephant project: a different path to making a difference with Kristina McKean

Join Tosha and special guest Kristina McKean as they delve into the unique mission-driven work of The Elephant Project in this episode of A Modern Nonprofit. Unlike traditional nonprofits, Kristina's approach to elephant conservation is both innovative and impactful. She shares her journey from witnessing a baby elephant begging in the streets of Bangkok to creating a stuffed animal that raises both funds and awareness for the cause. Kristina leverages her background in product development and design to create a sustainable model for elephant conservation. This episode is a must-watch for anyone interested in mission-based work that transcends the conventional nonprofit structure. Ready to discover a different path to making a difference? More on our Guest: Kristina McKean, a passionate advocate for elephant conservation, brings over 23 years of commitment to the cause. As the Founder and Owner of The Elephant Project, she combines her expertise in design and product development to create stuffed animals that not only raise funds but also educate the younger generation about the plight of elephants. 🔗 For more information on Kristina McKean 💻 ⁠Website⁠ 👥 ⁠LinkedIn⁠ -------------------------------------- 🔗 For more content by The Charity CFO head to... 💻 ⁠Website⁠ 👥 ⁠LinkedIn⁠ 🎥 ⁠YouTube⁠ 📸 ⁠Instagram⁠ 🗺 ⁠Facebook

Divas That Care Ep. 903: The Elephant Project

Come and listen while Host Candace Gish interviews a variety of extraordinary women, whom are working to make the world a better place! #DivasThatCare

Kristina McKean is the founder of The Elephant Project. A seasoned entrepreneur and product design specialist, Kristina has leveraged the extensive experience she gained while working for multinational clients and corporations like The Gap to create a cuddly way for the next generation of philanthropists to help action sustainable change today: The Elephant Project.
Kristina has doubled down on her life- long passion for animal protection and wildlife conservation by creating this luxe line of plush stuffed elephants and donating 100% of all net proceeds to the aligned, on-the-ground non-profit organizations that directly benefit the toys’ real-world counterparts. To date, Kristina and The Elephant Project have helped aid in the rescue and protection of hundreds of elephants, while fostering numerous orphaned elephants, increasing family education around the ethical and physical complexities of elephant tourism, and delighting children the world over with her adorable SaveUs™ branded collection of Kiki, Tembo (and soon, Baby Chaba) plushies. Kristina has been profiled by a multitude of local, national, and international media outlets, including The Today Show,

Vogue, People, Santa Barbara Magazine, The Montecito Journal and The Santa Barbara Sentinel. Her partner non-profit organizations include The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Elephant Nature Park, and The Elephant Cooperation. She is also a proud mama of three, wife, and alumna of the University of San Diego, where she obtained her Bachelor’s of Arts degree in International Relations/Spanish.

https://www.theelephantproject.com/

Modern Mindfulness Podcast Ep. 55 : Purpose, Passion, & Elephant Power with Kristina McKean

Today's show covers everything from bringing the visions and passions in your heart to life while overcoming and reframing obstacles along the way, to the journey of being a voice of the elephants of the world to speak the words they cannot.


Kristina McKean, a seasoned entrepreneur and product design specialist, leveraged the extensive experience she gained while working for multinational clients and corporations like The Gap, to create a cuddly way for the next generation of philanthropists to help action sustainable change today and for the future. 


As the founder of The Elephant Project, Kristina shares how she doubled down on her life- long passion for animal protection and wildlife conservation by creating a luxe line of plush stuffed elephants and donating 100% of all net proceeds to the aligned, on-the-ground non-profit organizations that directly benefit the toys’ real-world counterparts.


To date, Kristina and The Elephant Project have helped aid in the rescue and protection of hundreds of elephants, while fostering numerous orphaned elephants, increasing family education around the ethical and physical complexities of elephant tourism, and delighting children the world over with her adorable SaveUs™ branded collection of Kiki, Tembo and Baby Chaba plushies.
 

From philanthropy and legacy to pure animal love, this episode truly has something for anyone wanting to make a difference on this great planet.
 

Check out The Elephant Project's website here {links to ethical travel, education, and more}, their adorable plushie line of stuffed animals, and follow along on their Instagram.

*** note : at minute 17:45 - 18:35 there is a description of elephant treatment that may be too much if you are highly sensitive.

Sage Thought Leadership: Thought Leader - Kristina McKean on The Elephant Project and her trip to Thailand

Kristina McKean is the founder of The Elephant Project, a philanthropic toy company that has helped save hundreds of elephants worldwide by donating 100% of its net proceeds to global elephant rescue efforts. To date, Kristina and The Elephant Project have helped aid in the rescue and protection of hundreds of elephants, while fostering numerous orphaned elephants, increasing family education around the ethical and physical complexities of elephant tourism, and delighting children the world over with her adorable SaveUs™ branded collection of plushies.

Outline

• Kristina McKean Why.  0:02

• I felt compelled to do something to make a difference. 0:58

• Riding elephants is not ethical. 2:20

• Can these rehabilitated elephants be reintroduced into the wild or is it difficult? 3:42

• What is the best way to help protect elephants in the wild? 5:16

• Who is Christina’s hero? 7:24

Nonprofit Vision: Kristina McKean: Building Public Support and Awareness for Your Nonprofit

Kristina McKean has felt a deeply rooted kinship with animals for as long as she can remember. When she traveled through Thailand and witnessed baby elephants on the streets of Bangkok being exploited for money, she was devastated.  She has successfully drafted petitions, protested circuses, and created social media campaigns to help amplify and spread awareness of these issues.  Kristina joins the podcast to discuss tips for building public support and awareness for your nonprofit.

The Animal Rescue Podcast Ep. 56: The Elephant Project with Kristina McKean

My guest this week is Kristina McKean of The Elephant Project. Her work started after traveling through Thailand and seeing elephants exploited for money. We discuss what her work looked like in the beginning, how it has progressed, and how you can get started supporting causes near to you. You can learn more about The Elephant Project by checking them out online at www.theelephantproject.com or on Instagram @theelephantprojectofficial

Thanks for listening! If you liked what you heard, please rate, review, and subscribe. If you have ideas for future guests please email me at theanimalrescuepodcast@gmail.com or follow me @theanimalrescuepod on Instagram.

ASL only:

https://youtube.com/channel/UCptgszJ03WBmP_RJZOx6o6w

Voice only:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-animal-rescue-podcast-what-you-always-wanted-to/id1548213393

https://open.spotify.com/show/04F2HQcGPGdXWxktsEDI90?si=42NLPNR6RLqcLf208Fi3hw&dl_branch=1

The Dave Pamah Show: The Elephant Project with Kristina McKean

In this episode I talk to Kristina McKean who has made a big impact as the founder of The Elephant Project and is on a mission to educate children & families about animal cruelty through her line of cuddly plush stuffed animals. Kristina has been profiled by a multitude of local, national, and international media outlets, including The Today Show, Vogue, People, Santa Barbara Magazine, The Montecito Journal and The Santa Barbara Sentinel. Her partner non-profit organizations include The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Elephant Nature Park, and The Elephant Cooperation.

Divas That Care Podcast: The Elephant Project

Come and listen while Host Candace Gish interviews a variety of extraordinary women, whom are working to make the world a better place! #DivasThatCare

Kristina McKean is the founder of The Elephant Project and is on a mission to educate children & families about animal cruelty through her line of cuddly plush stuffed animals!

Kristina has doubled down on her life-long passion for animal protection and wildlife conservation by creating this luxe line of plush stuffed animals and donating 100% of all net proceeds to the aligned, on-the-ground non-profit organizations that directly benefit the toys’ real-world counterparts. To date, Kristina and The Elephant Project have helped aid in the rescue and protection of hundreds of elephants, while fostering numerous orphaned elephants, increasing family education around the ethical and physical complexities of elephant tourism, and delighting children the world over with her adorable SaveUs™ branded collection of Kiki, Tembo (and soon, Baby Chaba) plushies. Kristina has been profiled by a multitude of local, national, and international media outlets, including The Today Show, Vogue, People, Santa Barbara Magazine, The Montecito Journal and The Santa Barbara Sentinel. Her partner non-profit organizations include The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Elephant Nature Park, and The Elephant Cooperation.

Cluster For Change Podcast: Crush boxes & The Elephant Project

Three years ago, Kristina McKean was visiting Thailand with her husband on vacation. She witnessed elephants being put into "crush boxes" where they are shackled and tortured in order to literally break their spirit so that they can be tamed for commercial use - like elephant rides or circus use. When she returned home, Kristina was compelled to do something so she started the Elephant Project, designing and selling two plush elephants named Kiki and Tembo to raise funds and awareness.

100% of the net proceeds from all sales goes to organizations that help aid in fighting the poaching crisis and also provide care to injured, abandoned, orphaned, and abused elephants.

In this episode, we not only discuss Kristina's story, but we also delve into how you go from feeling the need to make change to transforming that feeling into action.