Understanding the Deeper Connection With Our Animals – An Interview with Melissa Stewart
Melissa Stewart is a certified Soul Level Animal Communicator® and Energy Healer who helps pet parents better understand their animals and the deeper messages behind their behavior, emotions, and energy. Through animal communication and energy healing, she helps people create greater understanding, connection, and harmony in their relationships with their pets. Her work is rooted in the belief that animals have much more to communicate than we often realize.
In this interview, Melissa shares what she wishes more pet parents understood about their animals, how behavior can be a form of communication, and how deepening our connection with our pets can also teach us something about ourselves.
Melissa Stewart, Animal Communicator & Energy Healer
What do you help pet parents understand about their animals that they may not have considered before?
I help pet parents see their animals in a different way. We often look at behavior and think, “How do I get my dog to stop doing that?” or “Why is my cat acting this way?” Animals often use behavior to communicate.
A behavior that seems frustrating, strange, or even “bad” may have a deeper reason behind it. An animal might be expressing fear, anxiety, discomfort, a need for connection, or something they simply want their person to understand. Looking at the behavior from the animal’s perspective can give us a completely different way of seeing it.
I also help people consider that our animals may be part of our own growth. They can reflect things to us and bring certain patterns, emotions, or areas of our lives to our attention. Sometimes an animal’s behavior is inviting us to slow down, be more present, trust ourselves, set boundaries, or let go of some of our own anxiety.
I think we often underestimate how much our animals have to teach us. They aren’t just companions in our lives; they can be incredible teachers and partners in our own growth and evolution.
When an animal’s behavior feels confusing or challenging, what can animal communication reveal beneath the surface?
When an animal’s behavior feels confusing or challenging, animal communication can help us look beyond the behavior itself and understand what may be happening underneath it.
Sometimes an animal is trying to communicate a need, an emotion, a fear, or something they’re struggling with. They may be feeling anxious, overwhelmed, uncomfortable, or simply trying to get their person’s attention. Often, the behavior can bring up something that is happening within the person.
When I connect with an animal, I’m not asking, “How do we stop this behavior?” I’m curious about what the animal is experiencing and what they want their person to understand. They often have a lot more to say than we realize.
Our animals can be some of our greatest teachers. They push us to grow and evolve, using their behavior to bring what they want us to work on to our attention.
Understanding what’s beneath the behavior can change the way we see our animals and ourselves, often bringing more compassion, connection, and calm to the relationship.
How does combining Soul Level Animal Communication® with energy healing change the way you approach an animal and their person?
Combining Soul Level Animal Communication® with energy healing allows me to support the animal on both an emotional and energetic level.
Animal communication helps me understand what the animal is experiencing, what they want their person to know, and where they may be feeling stuck or out of balance. Once I have that understanding, energy healing can offer another layer of support, creating space for the animal to relax, release, and come back into greater balance.
I also pay attention to the connection between the animal and their person. Animals are very sensitive to the energy around them, and sometimes bringing more calm and balance to one can positively affect the other.
For me, the two practices complement each other beautifully. Animal communication helps me listen and understand, while energy healing supports the animal in finding more calm, balance, and peace.
Where do you see the clearest boundary between intuitive animal communication and veterinary, training, or behavioral support?
For me, the boundary is clear: intuitive animal communication is not a replacement for veterinary care, training, or behavioral support.
A veterinarian is the person to turn to for medical concerns, diagnosis, treatment, pain, or anything that could be affecting an animal physically. A qualified trainer or behavioral professional can provide practical guidance and support when an animal is struggling with behavior.
My role is different. I use intuitive communication to listen to the animal’s perspective and help their person better understand what they may be experiencing, feeling, or trying to communicate. Sometimes an animal can offer insight that helps their person see a situation differently or know what questions to bring to their veterinarian or trainer.
I see these approaches as complementary rather than competing. There are times when an animal needs medical or behavioral support, and I will always encourage that when appropriate. My work can add another layer of understanding and connection alongside that professional care.
Ultimately, I want pet parents to have as many helpful tools as possible to support their animals.
What do you think people most often misunderstand about the emotional and energetic connection they share with their animals?
I think people often underestimate just how deeply connected they are to their animals. Our animals are so incredibly aware of our emotions, energy, and state of mind.
They notice when we’re stressed, anxious, distracted, or not fully present. Sometimes they may even behave in a certain way because they are picking up on what is going on with us. We may see a behavior as being completely about the animal when there can also be something happening within the relationship or within ourselves.
I think this is something we can easily overlook because we’re often focused on what our animals need from us. But the connection goes both ways. Our animals can teach us so much about ourselves if we’re willing to pay attention.
That doesn’t mean every behavior is a reflection of the person or a lesson they are teaching, but I do think it’s helpful to get curious about it. When we slow down and become more aware of what is happening between us and our animals, we can begin to understand them, and ourselves, on a deeper level.
When a pet suddenly behaves differently, what should an owner pay attention to before assuming the behavior simply needs correcting?
The first thing I ask is: What changed around the same time the behavior did? Not just in the animal’s world, but in the person’s. A new job, a move, a relationship shift, grief, even stress that hasn’t been spoken out loud. Animals are so attuned to us that a change in the household’s emotional state often shows up in them first, before anyone realizes what’s happening. Since a sudden behavior change can sometimes be related to pain or an underlying health issue, it’s important to rule out a medical cause with your veterinarian.
Beyond that, I encourage pet parents to ask, “What might my animal be trying to tell me?” instead of only asking, “How do I stop this?”
Sometimes the behavior communicates fear, stress, discomfort, or an unmet need. Sometimes there may be something happening within the relationship that the animal is responding to.
Taking that moment to listen and understand can completely change how we approach the situation.
What are some simple ways people can become more receptive to what their animals may be communicating?
One of the simplest things we can do is slow down. Our animals are constantly communicating, but we’re often so busy thinking about what we need to do next that we miss some of the ways they’re communicating with us.
Spend a few quiet minutes with your animal. Put your phone away, take a few deep breaths, soften your body, and notice them. Pay attention to their body language, their energy, and what you feel when you’re around them.
You can also begin asking simple questions in your mind, such as, “What do you want me to know?” Then, instead of trying to figure out the answer, just notice what comes to you: a feeling, an image, a thought, or even a physical sensation.
Animal communication is something you can learn. There are techniques that help you become more receptive, and like anything, it takes practice. The more we slow down, quiet our minds, and become present with our animals, the easier it can become to recognize the ways they are communicating with us.
You describe animals as our greatest teachers, so what have your own animals taught you about yourself?
My heart dog, Zeppy, has been one of my greatest teachers. He was the reason I began learning animal communication. After he passed, I wanted so badly to know that our connection hadn’t ended. That experience opened the door for me to learn how to communicate with animals, both while they are here and after they’ve passed.
Zeppy has taught me much more than that. I felt like he was constantly encouraging me to believe in myself and step outside of my comfort zone. Even after he passed, I continued to feel that same encouragement from him. He has pushed me to trust myself, follow what feels right, and do things I never imagined I could do.
Just recently, while I was working on a new project and feeling a little unsure of myself, I felt Zeppy’s presence. It felt like that same familiar encouragement and support I had felt from him so many times before.
He continues to remind me to trust myself, take the next step, and believe that I’m capable of more than I think I am. I’m incredibly grateful for everything he has taught me and continues to teach me.
What is one thing you hope pet parents begin doing differently after understanding their animals on a deeper level?
The one thing I hope pet parents begin doing differently is to understand that there might be more going on than just the behavior itself and to get curious about it.
It’s so easy to get frustrated when our animals do something we don’t understand. We want the behavior to stop, and our first instinct is often to find a solution. However, what if, instead, we got curious about what was really going on underneath the behavior?
I hope people begin asking, “What is my animal trying to tell me?” rather than simply, “How do I get them to stop doing this?”
Our animals are communicating with us all the time. Sometimes they may be expressing fear, anxiety, discomfort, or a need that hasn’t been understood. Sometimes they may be bringing something to our attention within ourselves or within the relationship.
When we slow down and listen, we can begin to see our animals in a completely different way. We can have more compassion for them, understand them on a deeper level, and create a stronger connection.
For me, that is one of the most beautiful gifts of animal communication: learning to truly listen to the animals who share our lives.
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