Taxidermy & Staffing... Huh?... What?
- Keri Tlachac
- Sep 25
- 3 min read
I used to get asked this question all the time — and to my amazement, I still do:“Keri, how does your taxidermy and staffing business relationship work? Why those two things?”
Years ago, I used to think it was a bit of a loaded question. I’d laugh it off or try to give a short, tidy answer. But with time, experience, and perspective, I’ve realized the answer is actually quite simple.
It’s about living authentically.
For me, taxidermy and staffing may look like two completely different worlds, but they both represent parts of who I am and what I value. One side fulfills my creative and hands-on passion, a connection to the outdoors and the craft I love. The other allows me to use my skills in relationships, strategy, and business to help people land in careers that can change their lives. Together, they create a life that feels like mine, not one I fell into by accident or followed because it was “expected.”
For the love of God, I have no idea why so many of us were raised to believe that building a life around more than one passion — or daring to pursue something outside the traditional mold — was unrealistic. We were told it was “dreamer talk,” not a real way of life. And yet, looking back, I think that mindset is what kept so many people boxed into careers they didn’t enjoy, lives they didn’t choose, and identities that didn’t feel authentic.
I think younger generations are changing this narrative. They’re watching closely. They grew up seeing parents drag themselves home from jobs they didn’t love. They noticed the way attitudes shifted as Friday night rolled in, how the mood in the house lifted on weekends, and how quickly it all dropped again on Sunday night. Even without being able to articulate it, they understood something was off. It didn’t smell right. And they’re deciding they don’t want to live that way.
That realization has shaped my work too. Over the past 30 years, I’ve had thousands of conversations — from candidates in their early 20s figuring out their first career steps, to mid-career professionals in their 40s and 50s asking themselves if this is really what they want to do for the next 10–20 years. I’ve heard the same themes repeated in different words: the search for fulfillment, the desire for work that aligns with life, and the hunger for something authentic.
And I’ve heard it not just in the staffing world, but in the families and individuals who’ve walked into my taxidermy shop. People tell me their stories, their frustrations, their joys. Different backgrounds, different passions, but the same underlying truth: we all want to feel like the lives we’re living are truly ours.
So when people ask me how staffing and taxidermy fit together, I smile now. Because I know they don’t have to “fit” in the traditional sense. They don’t need to line up neatly on a résumé or fit into a one-line elevator pitch. Take the handcuffs off. What they do is fit me.
And that’s the bigger point: Your career, your passions, your path — they don’t have to make sense to anyone else. They just have to make sense to you.
Sincerely,
Keri, Owner
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