Driving social connection through a love for animals

This weeks Pro Bono Australia change maker, Zoë Black initially started her career on multi-billion dollar commercial projects before redirecting her passion towards community organisations. Her impactful journey includes playing a pivotal role in delivering life-changing telecommunication services for the deaf and hard of hearing in Australia.  Zoë’s commitment to social change has earned her prestigious recognition through the likes of a Westpac Social Change Fellowship, Social Impact Leadership Australia, and being named the first Social Entrepreneur In Residence for the University of Queensland.

In her role at Happy Paws Happy Hearts, Zoë has been instrumental in scaling the organisation to achieve its ambitious social outcomes. The enterprise spans from Darwin to Hobart, with a mega-site in Brisbane recognised as the largest social inclusion site in Australia. Whilst supporting people out of social isolation, the organisation simultaneously supports rescue and assistance animals on their journeys. Read on for our interview with Zoë.

Describe your career trajectory and how you got to your current position?  

I had a lofty, but quite strange, goal when I started my career.  All I wanted to do was to be paid to travel! Growing up in country towns meant that I longed to fly to far flung places and big cities.  This initially took me into a commercial career including a stint on multi-billion dollar building projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.  Whilst I loved the challenge and team environments you find on big projects, I ultimately found it was missing purpose and meaning for me.  After some reflection on my own life, the ups and downs, I realised that I wanted to take my commercial mind and social heart to community organisations. 

I could not have predicted that I would start and run a social enterprise.  It was during my MBA that I was introduced to the concept of social enterprise and it really resonated with me.  I felt Happy Paws Happy Hearts was something I was compelled to try.  I had my own lived experiences and was fortunate to emerge from dark times as a hopeful hearted optimist.  Why work on just one social challenge when you can work on two?  

I had seen social isolation firsthand and knew how difficult it was to find joy, social connection and your next path in life.  I had also volunteered with animals and fostered rescue dogs plus I grew up in a family of wildlife carers/animal rescue lovers.  I had a theory that those two challenges could support each other.  2025 is officially ten years on which for me went in a heartbeat!  At the outset, I just wanted to create some lighter moments for people so it really has grown beyond my wildest dreams.  I feel very grateful to witness and support so much impact for hearts and paws. 

Take us through a typical day of work for you. 

There is no typical day for me! That is the joy and challenge of working with people and animals simultaneously.  I have seen sheep tucked away under meeting room tables, I’ve played soccer with tall goats and observed the most beautiful laughter in the smallest of moments. Of course my work days are not all fun and puppy breath … they come with the challenge and pressure of running a growing social enterprise but I’m grateful that work still manages to surprise and delight me.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your career, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge of my career was having to process really difficult things happening personally outside of work whilst still working on scaling Happy Paws Happy Hearts.  It took a lot of energy to keep showing up and being the best leader I could be. I overcame it by leaning into the incredible team I work with and by slowly building in a mix of wellbeing practices which work for me.

If you could go back in time, what piece of advice would you give yourself as you first embarked on your career?

I would encourage myself to set better boundaries and not carry so much in the name of “care”. I would also say that the goal is to find a career where you can have lots of play both inside and outside of work.  I took myself very seriously when I was younger and now I realise that space to play and be creative is essential for me.

How do you unwind after work?

If you were to watch me, you would say I’m just another active Mum of two young ones.  After work/school we head to the pool, tennis or their sporting engagements. On the weekends and holidays, we love walking up Mt Cootha in Brisbane or heading to my family who live in one of the most beautiful beach towns. In both of those locations we bring the two dogs for their adventures too.  

Nowadays though, I’m trying to be much more at ease with every day rather than waiting for the weekends etc.  I meditate, write and exercise which I mix up from running, boxing, pilates, yoga – it depends on what external stress is around me.  This combination helps me feel “unwound” day in day out!