Podcast A Vet: Stories, Support & Community From Leaders In The Veterinary Field

After dealing with compassion and burnout fatigue herself, Bronwen Foster decided to make a change and has since helped herself and others find joy in their jobs and have more fulfilling lives because of it. Our first sequel guest episode, we are reflecting on the past year and a half of Podcast A Vet, the changes Bronwen has been through both professionally and personally, and how to stop hating your job and remember your love for veterinary medicine again. On this episode, Bronwen is opening up the conversation towards what is possible in veterinary medicine and providing tools to help you figure out what sparks your passion and how to do more of that. By letting things fall into place, replacing your negative attitude with an open mindset, and doing the work to trust in your ability to be happy, you can train your brain to be quiet and start living life with no limitations. Someone who has been there and done that, Bronwen is bringing her self-awareness and vulnerability to you today to give you hope and e

Trent Gall is a small animal veterinary surgeon, family man, and sole owner of his own mobile veterinary surgery clinic. On this episode, we dive into the importance of community, acceptance, and tolerance as we discuss everything from archery to down syndrome, mid-life crisis’s, and everything in between. One of the rare ‘go with the flow’ veterinary surgeons, Trent is sharing his zest for life, tips to run a successful mobile practice, and how to create a happy home life for yourself despite challenges as a parent and a veterinarian. Learn about his families struggle through residency and pregnancy, how to find a good fit in surgery for your specific talents and the fun perks of owning your own business. Trent believes in the importance of finding what works for you, being an advocate for the communities you care about and rolling with the punches to create the life that you dreamed of. How do you relate to Trent’s story of balance, compromise, and positivity? Share with us in the comments on the episode pa

Do you sometimes feel like you are living your life on autopilot, never truly feeling content and struggling with burnout and compassion fatigue? Dr. Becky Krull was dealing with all of this until she made a change, sought some help, and found her happy again. These feelings are common in veterinary medicine and Dr. Becky is here to share how she discovered her spark again for life, and veterinary medicine, on this episode. After finding an integrative medicine doctor and life coach, Dr. Becky’s life has turned around. She has started to invest in the foundation of herself, and harness her energy to work through the daily struggles and still find a way to smile. Today Dr. Becky is sharing some actions and accountability tools to help you become a better person, how to navigate the tress turmoil and self-worth issues of veterinary medicine, and ways to shift your nurturing nature to provide the best of yourself for everyone, including you. The similar stories many of us share, working too many hours, toxic emp

Continuing on with our Financial Wellness Series we are joined by Brennan Pitard, a DVM who left practice only a few years after graduation to help bridge the gap between banks, lenders, and veterinarians. Having experienced the veterinary field himself, Brennan knows first hand the struggles, pressures, and roadblocks faced by his peers, and helps look past those obstacles to see the bigger picture and help others achieve their dreams of practice ownership. One of the only, if not the only veterinary lender who helps new and aspiring practice owners on a step-by-step journey, Brennan is the kind of guy who will talk to you at 8 pm on a Friday night to help make sure that you understand the path to your future. To give you a taste of his knowledge, Brennan is here to provide the steps you need to take to realize your dream of practice ownership, why he chooses to look past the unfortunate circumstances of most debt and find a solution, and ultimately explain how he works to align veterinary medicine and banki

Get ready for all things horses as we are joined by Elizabeth Dooher, an equine veterinarian passionate about integrative therapies and helping horses around the world find healing. Elizabeth combines therapies such as chiropractic, acupuncture, rehabilitation, massage, laser therapy, nutrition and more and applies these treatments both at home in Vail, Colorado and abroad in countries like Egypt and Jordan. Today Elizabeth is diving into all things horses, acupuncture, and how she has found a way to take her passion for travel and turn it into a lifesaving practice. If you have ever been curious what it is like to give acupuncture to a horse, want to learn the secrets to listening and communicating successfully with horses, or are looking to find your own middle ground between Chinese and Western veterinary medicine, this is the episode for you. Elizabeth takes us from the Sahara desert to equine charities in the Middle East to paint a picture of the vast landscape of international and integrative veterinary

Kayle Austin is a DVM, Large Animal Practitioner, 2017 CSU grad, and one of the first recipients in Colorado of the Veterinary Education Loan Repayment Program. Today Kayle dives into the four-year commitment she made to work rurally with large animals in order to subsidize her student debt, and why it was one of the best decisions she has made so far. If you have ever been interested in the large animal world, particularly calf and cattle being raised for dairy, Kayle is the expert you need to hear from. She explores the differences between small animal and large animal veterinary medicine, what it is like to be one of the few young women working in the field, and how she ended up running her own successful practice a mere two years after graduation. An advocate for working together and using your resources, Kayle is a testament to the power of determination and never backing down from a challenge. The need for large animal practitioners in Colorado and across the country is constantly growing and with a pro

Veterinary medicine is made special by the people and connections you make throughout your career. Dr. Adam Conroy is a testament to this and is passionate about helping others embrace failure in order to find success. A small animal practitioner, successful practice owner, consultant and mentor, Dr. Conroy is all about having a vision and accomplishing your goals. Dr. Conroy believes that by aligning yourself with a strategic mentor, and learning skills of leadership and partnership, you can be successful in whatever niche of veterinary medicine you chose. Today we are learning all about the importance of taking risks, learning that you will never avoid failure, how to avoid burnout in your career, and much more. Dr. Conroy is an inspiring example of how to use humility and persistence to achieve happiness. We are diving into how to analyze communication in your relationships and repair them on a business level, why you need to fully commit to whatever project you are working on, and exploring some harsh rea

We are back for Part 2 of our Financial Wellness Series, and today we are diving into the specifics of practice ownership. Everything from how to find a practice, what to look for and how to get the money to buy in is on the table today as Stith Keiser rejoins us and gives us some tips on how to be successful in ownership. Stith believes in finding your ‘why’ in order to hold onto your passion and really make it as a lasting practice owner. In addition, he explains the importance of understanding need versus demand, why you need to like more than medicine to be an owner, and why you should be looking at your loan as an accountability tool. There’s always lots of options to talk yourself out of a big decision, but if you are ready to put in the work and make your dream of ownership a reality, it can be accomplished with the help of the right lender. First Financial Bank is a premium partner of the veterinary field and Larry Alexander also joins us on today's episode to get down to the nitty-gritty about what i

Former President of the AVMA, current Chief Veterinary Officer at Veterinary Practice Partners and founding board member of the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative (WVLADI), Dr. Doug Aspros has an impressive resume spanning many fields of veterinary medicine. Throughout his different positions, Doug noticed a lack of female representation in the board room. He decided to do something about it and helped create WVLADI as a response to this lack of diversity in veterinary communities. On this episode, Doug helps us analyze the male lens, its influence in veterinary medicine, and everything in between. Doug believes in raising your hand and saying yes to life in order to open doors and works to help others, women in particular, have access to better opportunities. By opening your work culture to as many types of people as possible, you will achieve greater success and create lasting happiness in your workplace. Today Doug helps to breakdown exactly how we can prepare women to take on higher lead

Stephen Cital is on a mission to bring veterinary technicians the respect they deserve while making some real money. An RVT specializing in anesthesia pain management, Stephen has a passion for promoting diversity in the veterinary space, as well as the use of cannabis as a legitimate therapeutic tool. Stephen combines a vast array of knowledge and topics to break down some of the barriers in our profession and is opening our eyes to a world of possibilities on today's episode. Everything from vet tech utilization, how to introduce diversity into a clinic’s culture, and the major benefits of cannabis use for animals is on the table today. Stephen is educating us on the possibility of improving an animals life through cannabis and how to move the needle on accepting different ethnicities, sexual orientations and religious backgrounds in the veterinary field. In addition, Stephen is providing some serious tips on how to turn a nurse or technician position into a career, and profit from it, by looking outside of

If you have been living under a rock these past few years and haven’t hopped on the social media bandwagon yet, you could be missing out on huge business and monetary gains. Danielle Lambert has a passion for helping veterinary hospitals market themselves and has created a successful business teaching others how to convert business from the internet into income for your practice. Founder of the Snout School and VP of Business Development at Whisker Cloud, Danielle knows what she is talking about when it comes to monetizing social media and putting your best virtual foot forward. Today Danielle explains just exactly how social media marketing works, why your website could be one of your biggest assets, and reasons why the online marketing game is not going anywhere. She is providing specific tips on how you could be supplementing your veterinary income with an internet related business, why you need to start with a goal when getting into the social media game, and reasons she is a big believer in paying for on

Have you ever considered owning a practice or buying into a practice, but the financial intimidation is keeping you from moving forward? You aren’t alone, and Stith Keiser is here to shed some light on the message of financial wellness with the help of First Financial Bank. Stith harnessed his passion for veterinary medicine and finances to become an expert in everything related to veterinary business, monetary literacy and securing financial stability through job satisfaction. Today he is here to explain how to have a positive impact on the field of veterinary medicine through the financial window. On this Part 1 Episode, Stith shares his own journey to finding ownership in six practices, why he finds excitement in profit margins and the story they tell, and how you can begin to start securing your financial future today. We are breaking down reasons you should be thinking about your long-term goals as early as possible, how you can tackle your student debt while doing something you enjoy, steps you should b

Dr. Andy Roark believes that it is important to constantly try new things, accept failure as a natural growing tool and prioritize growth and development daily. He has taken his can-do attitude and courage to fail to social media and other methods of engagement in order to better spread his message of courage. Today Dr. Andy Roark joins us to help describe the connection he sees between failure and success, how to recognize when you are being spread too thin, and when it is time to drop some of your balls. The greatest power that you have is choosing how you suffer, and Dr. Roark shares his insights on this topic, in addition to why you should be applying the community planning theory of third space to your life, and how to find enlightenment by recognizing that you do not need to adhere to a consumerist society. Plus, he opens up about why he feels it is important to be transparent in your screw up’s in order to create a shared experience around mistakes. At the end of the day, the world continues to go on d

Often the topic of diversity and inclusion is overlooked in veterinary medicine, and Allen Cannedy is dedicated to changing that. The Director of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at North Carolina State University College of Vet Med, Allen is a mentor and recruiter of students from all groups that are underrepresented in the veterinary world. Today we are diving into racism, socioeconomic status, and how we can do a better job of making the veterinary world, and the world in general, a more inclusive place. We are touching on sensitive topics that deal with years of oppression and looking to the future and ways we can increase inclusion to better serve all humans and animals. Allen is passionate about bringing the necessity of diversity and the benefits of welcoming someone different than you in. We are reliving my childhood innocence about race, and looking at the modern landscape of how our society operates today and how we can improve going forward. By recognizing and appreciating that a diverse group i

We are coming to you live from the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas at the Western Veterinary Conference. Such a wild city requires a badass guest, and Nicole LaForest definitely fits that description. An LVT and RVT and the face behind @VeterinaryTechnicians on Instagram, Nicole has a confident and no bullsh*t approach to being a veterinary technician. A fellow spouse of a veterinary surgeon, Nicole is diving into everything from why veterinary medicine was her third choice, to how to best utilize your doctor-nurse-patient relationship and why we need to continue to advocate for education in whatever form possible. We are talking about Nicole’s struggle with addiction, the need to support our fellow colleagues in the veterinary community dealing with depression, and opening up a conversation that allows both positive and negative spaces in order to heal. Nicole is passionate about using veterinary medicine as a way to provide public service and uses the platform of Instagram to create transparency on some bi

Dr. Jeremy Delcambre knew that he wanted to be a teacher of anatomy, but had no idea how to get there. So, after getting accepted into veterinary school with 0 hours of veterinary practice, Jeremy went on to create the program that he wanted to learn and has been thriving ever since. Clearly, Jeremy is a force to be reckoned with and is as assertive as he is sure of what he wants. Today he is here to share how his tenacity got him to where he is today, what gets him psyched about teaching anatomy, and much more. Aside from his impressive go-getter attitude, Jeremy knows a thing or two about veterinary school as a first-year anatomy professor at CSU, as well as being married to the director of CSU vet school admissions. Jeremy is here to provide some insight into doing what you have to do, treating your neighbor with kindness, and why it's important to look at the big picture. Jeremy is a living testament to the mentality “if there isn't a path, make one”, and thrives off the ability to share his experiences w

Apryl Steele lives a life full of adventure, compassion, and drive. The President and CEO of the Denver Dumb Friends League, DVM, US Army Veteran, and so much more, Apryl has a motivated ‘can do’ attitude that is as contagious as it is inspiring.  Whether she is negotiating million dollar donations or teaching the veterinarians of tomorrow, Apryl is here to help you be motivated by your doubts and truly believe that you can do anything. Today we are diving into everything from how to harness your inner animal diagnostic instincts, to why shelter medicine is a freeing opportunity that is often overlooked, the meaning behind the term ‘dumb friends’, and more. Apryl works tirelessly to be the voice for those who do not have one and has become an impactful leader along the way, and she is sharing her recipe for success. If you are ready to harness the magic juices that let you believe you can do it and capture your imagination, Apryl is the girl for you. This episode is all about putting a different lens on veter

Sam Romano boasts a dual DVM and MBA, is the past president of the Colorado Vet Med Association, a figure on the State Alumni Board and a past owner and manager of an emergency and referral hospital. From an early age, Sam’s father instilled the need for education, and hard work and Sam has taken the later years of his career in order to coach and lead the veterinary students of tomorrow. Sam is here to answer some real questions about what a career path in veterinary medicine really looks like in terms of debt, lifestyle and where you really see yourself in the future. He is discussing what you should be aware of in the profession, how you should approach it, and the importance of finding the balance between sacrifice and peace. Everything from anxiety and depression, to the importance of running your practice like a business and defending what you are worth, is on the table today. Sam is providing financial advice for any new student or grad, why empathy and partnership are the two most important skills in

Along with being one of my CSU mentors, Rebecca Ruch-Gallie (R-G) has an incredible resume including acting service chief of community practice at CSU since the year 2000, the elected state delegate for the CVMA to the AVMA, the vet of the year in the state of Colorado, plus much more. Today Rebecca is here to share her ever humble knowledge on why sharing information and relying on your peers is one of the best ways to help push the profession forward. R-G works on a state and national level to mold our profession, help underserved populations and inspire the next generations of veterinarians. She believes in focusing on being in the moment with your client, using communication as the most important tool in the clinic, and supporting students to learn how to be better doctors on their own terms. R-G encourages us to take a good look at what you like about where you are at in veterinary medicine, what you don’t like, and how you can empower yourself, to find the right community for you. If you have ever been

For Kevin Castle, the passion surrounding wildlife animals latched onto his heart at a young age and never let go. Although it took him a while to find his true calling as a wildlife and ER veterinarian, Kevin took his time and has had an incredible 25-year career to show for it. Today Kevin is sharing his wealth of knowledge and impressive thrill-seeking stories to give us an overall picture of what wildlife ecology is really all about. If you have ever been curious about what it is like to work in the wild, what the job truly consists of and the risks and rewards of being in the field, this is the episode for you. Kevin is telling us all about how he got into the world of wildlife veterinary medicine, which species he most enjoys working with, relives the time he spent in Kirgizstan researching snow leopards, and much more. Everything from our ice hockey skills to what it takes to work with the National Parks Service is on the table today, so get ready for a unique perspective on some of your favorite wild