As an "animal and nature communication specialist," Sedona, Arizona-based Maia Kincaid provides intuitive communication services with animals, plants, and the human body. Her other services include transformational coaching and classes in animal and nature communication. She's also the author of five books, including "The Joy of Being Human" and "Dogs Say the Darndest Things."

We chatted with Kincaid to ask her what, exactly, it's really like to be in her line of work:

S&H: Why do people need an animal communicator?

Kincaid: Most of the time people contact me because they have a question about their pet—there’s a behavior the animal has that’s disturbing, or it could be the animal’s health, or they have adopted a pet and they are wondering about the history of the animal. Also, I work quite often with people who have animals who are nearing the transition of death, and the person just wants to be there for whatever the animal wants and to respect their wishes.