The Human-Canine Alliance (TH-CA)

Rethinking Loneliness: Introducing Reciprocity

• Stacie J. King • Season 1 • Episode 19

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In this real-time update episode, Stacie shares what’s been happening behind the scenes at The Human–Canine Alliance—from exciting app demo progress to a key fundraising milestone and global momentum in how loneliness and mental health are being addressed.

At the heart of this update is a powerful new lens: reciprocity. Inspired by Dr. Robert Zarr’s work on social prescriptions, we explore how wellness isn’t just about treatment—it’s about connection, shared purpose, and evidence-based, community-rooted care.

Plus, hear how Manulife, one of Canada’s largest health insurers, has become the first in the world to support a national nature prescription program, validating the global shift toward non-clinical interventions for mental health.

If you’ve been following TH-CA’s journey—or are just tuning in—this episode will bring you closer to the movement and the momentum behind it.

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🌐 Learn more & get involved: America’s Untapped Solution for Mental Health: Rescue Dogs

Stacie: [00:00:00] Oh my God, you guys, it is not okay to be lonely. Mental health and rescue have more in common than you think. So this isn't just about dog rescue, and it isn't just about mental health, it's about reciprocity. 

Hey friends! Welcome back to The Human-Canine Alliance podcast. I'm your host Stacie. And today's episode is a real time update on what's been happening behind the scenes with the app demo, the fundraiser, and even some exciting developments around the world connecting directly to our mission.

So let's get into it.

Let's ,start with the app demo. Thanks to our first wave of donors, it's nearly complete. I cannot wait to have a real life visual to show you. I mean, this is an idea that has been in my head this entire time. I have to say, seeing it come to life in this app demo has truly sparked my excitement tenfold.

Not just because I'm taking an idea that doesn't exist and slowly but surely making it reality. But because this app is positioned to have so much impact.

This isn't just about dog rescue, and it isn't just about mental health, it's about reciprocity, evidence-based wellness, and the idea that quirks or annoying habits can be transformed into effective, useful skill sets applicable in everyday life.

It is not okay to be lonely. Mental health and rescue have more in common than you think.

Now, I wanna stop here for a second because the term reciprocity is a term that was recently introduced to me by our guest, Dr. Robert Zarr, in my latest interview episode.

And it truly is one of my favorite takeaways from that interview. [00:02:00] Here, take a listen.

Robert Zarr:  So what's really beyond us? And how do we relate to that world? Is the relationship that we have with that world a healthy one? And where is that reciprocity?

What do we get back from the tree?

What do we get back from the animal in our giving?

There's probably a lot there that's unique to everyone. So I would encourage, our listeners to, to think about that a little bit. You know what's in it for both parties really.

In fact, it's a term that we are using to describe what we're doing down in Houston with this amazing grant that comes from the US Forest Service down into the state levels. The money has made its way through Texas A&M University.

As a community forestry grant, and we're able to use this grant money to work with a community health center in Houston called El Centra, del Corazon and three different sites.

The idea is that by planting trees and having conversations with all 90 staff to decide where the trees could be planted, what kinds of trees could be planted, the tending of those trees and the relationship and reciprocity that grows out of staff caring for these trees.

And another big piece of this is going to be these nature therapy experiences or walks that we'll be providing by local guides.

And then the last piece of it is of course, nature prescriptions. And once again, like how do we turn these nature prescriptions?

How do we best utilize them in this scenario? And what we're imagining, what we're proposing to do, and hopefully we'll pull this off, is to have a bit of a gamification go on amongst the staff for them to prescribe to each other and encourage them to consider, making the nature prescription activity piece, tending the trees.

Attending the trees that they could do on their lunch break, they could do maybe five minutes before they start work, maybe five before they go home, so where could they do it in their schedule? Intentionally take some time to do [00:04:00] that.

And so we're excited. We're partnering with Rice University, the local university there, to study these potential changes in the health center staff as they're doing this. We're excited. 

Stacie: If you haven't heard that episode yet, it's a must listen. Go check it out after this one. It's powerful.

Okay, you wanna see the demo first? This demo is our way of saying, look what's possible and maybe also look at what we're missing.

Now here's a little insider tip.

The first people who will get to see the demo are subscribers of The Alliance Insider. So if you're not already on that list, pause what you're doing right now.

Go to HumanCanineAlliance.com.

Fill out the email subscribe.

And click JOIN OUR PACK.

Done.

Now you can continue.

Not only will you get the app demo as soon as it's released, you'll also get our brand new weekly email, the Friday Fetch. It's a bite-sized roundup of podcast clips and updates sent every Friday. Perfect for staying in the loop even when you're busy.

Okay, and an update on our fundraiser. Still in our first round, we have raised enough funds to make the app demo possible. And truly, this first round, has boosted my confidence in this idea, this mission, this app to another level, and I am so grateful for that.

But as a solopreneur. I've said this before, I have to prioritize. So while the fundraising will take longer than the original plan, it doesn't mean that the mission and the movement stop.

One foot in front of the other, and we will get there. The whole point is, as I have done from the beginning, I wanna share my progress, not just the vision from the ground up.

And now we have exciting news [00:06:00] in the social prescriptions world. Did you know that in Canada, one of the country's largest medical insurers, Manulife, just partnered with a National Parks program so that healthcare providers can prescribe time in nature and patients can actually use insurance backed resources to access it.

This makes Manulife the first life and health insurer in the world to support this kind of program at a national level. You guys, how exciting is that? Oh my God. That is so validating and it such a boost of confidence from an organizational standpoint of The Human-Canine Alliance to see that there is now an insurance company actually willing to prescribe a social prescription.

In the US, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield has partnered with a cultural center in New Jersey to begin exploring how social prescriptions could be covered. In Connecticut and in San Diego, providers are prescribing arts and culture to combat loneliness and anxiety.

Think museum visits, theater, dance, all as part of their actual healthcare plan. And across Europe, social prescriptions for nature, sports, cultural connection are completely common.

Like in the UK and Germany, it's a very common thing. It's something we should be paying attention to.

But really, truly, why does this matter to TH-CA? Why does this matter to The Human-Canine Alliance?

The fact that nature and arts prescriptions are gaining traction means there's a growing public health shift toward interventions that create connection, reduce loneliness, and support mental health through lived experience.

That opens the door for what TH-CA is pioneering. Evidence-based human-canine [00:08:00] partnerships that offer purpose and reciprocity, not just wellness support or dog adoption.

We're watching all of this closely because it helps build the case that what we're building isn't just an idea, it's medically and economically viable and should already be here.

All right. Also, did I mention you can now digest our podcast via blog. So every podcast episode is now going to be partnered with its own blog.

each blog has a full description, key takeaways, has some quotes from the episode itself, has a clip preview, usually like two to four minutes from the actual episode. And of course a direct link to the full episode.

You can find that at our website, HumanCanineAlliance.com.

 Also please if you are not following us on our current social media, back to showing support in numbers, regardless of where we show support or how we show support. Having the support, having the numbers to show to investors makes a huge difference. Okay.

So if you are not following us on Instagram, on Facebook, on LinkedIn, on YouTube, which I know that all of you are not.

So if you could please take five minutes after this episode and just go quick search Human Canine Alliance. That's exactly our name on every single one of them: Human Canine Alliance on Facebook, instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and just follow. Just follow us.

That helps us show investors that people are interested, that people get what we're doing, that people are on board with integrating human-canine partnerships into our society as an intentional and viable option to our overall wellness plans and lifestyles.

Really, it really comes down to how much better of a lifestyle we can create for ourselves if we have these kinds of options in society. [00:10:00] And if you didn't stop in the middle of this episode and sign up for The Alliance Insider, please go do it right now. I'm serious. Please go do it right now.

Because otherwise you will not get the Friday Fetch and you also will not get the app demo before everyone else.

I mean, you'll get the app demo, but you won't get it before everyone else, you know?

So sign up for The Alliance Insider so that you have a front row seat as we continue to build this movement because I know that, you know, the app demo is only the first thing we are going to have to be launching and you're gonna wanna see everything else before everyone else.

Thank you so much for listening to The Human-Canine Alliance podcast. I am Stacie, your host.

I hope you continue to listen and watch.