GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Clay County locals Ellen and Christian Weatherford are bringing their hit podcast to the Green Cove Springs’ CalaVida festival.

Though the two both graduated from Clay High, their friendship really bloomed in college. Both attended the University of North Florida, studying biology and computer science, respectively. The two began dating and they later married. The podcast began soon after the wedding as a way for the couple to spend time together. It was an activity they could both take part in and have fun while also sharing it with the internet.

Just the Zoo of Us is a self-described “Animal Ranking” podcast. The two hosts take listeners’ favorite animals and rate them on a scale of one to 10 in three different categories: effectiveness, ingenuity and aesthetics. It’s not just the usual animals, either. Their most recent episode focused on the Mexican Mole Lizard, a worm-like lizard with only two legs. Ellen attributes the podcast to her love of animals. Ever since she was little, she’s been incorporating animals into all of her hobbies, be it art, photography or video games.

They’d both been interested in podcasts for years. Particularly influences include NPR’s “This American Life” to more modern hits such as “My Brother, My Brother, and Me” and “Wonderful!” with the McElroy family. Their love of podcasts has been a clear inspiration, on their own. “Ologies” a podcast by Alie Ward, paved the way for scientific discussions held with regular people, something the Weatherfords also do.

Though they take inspiration from other podcasts, Ellen and Christian are proud they do everything themselves. From research to recording, production and editing, it’s all done by them. They’ve grown organically, and they’re so proud and excited about the growth they’ve accomplished as independent podcasters.

Their Wednesday, Oct. 13, appearance isn’t their first live performance. They recorded a live episode at Cultivate in Jacksonville and they’re excited to do it again now that it’s safer and safety precautions are in full effect. They will talk about an animal native to Florida – it helps to take up the ante and get the audience involved when they can also relate to the animal and have it be close to home. It’s the same model that helped make them popular, by working so closely with their listeners and incorporating fan favorites into the podcast.

One of the best things from their podcast and its growth is the friendships they’ve made along the way. They’ve met other independent podcasters, connected with fans, and even gotten to interact with fans across the world. You can find their listeners in France and the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe.

“Just the Zoo of Us” was quoted in Newsweek and in IFLScience, and maintains a thriving online presence. You can find Ellen and Christian at the CalaVida festival on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Spring Park Pool Pavilion, and anyone interested may register for free on the CalaVida.com website.

You also can find their podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast sites, as well as online on social media and their website “justthezooofus.com.”