The PositiVETy Podcast

#039 - It's safe to say that navigating the emotional landscape of our veterinary work is no small feat; and no matter how experienced you might be, or how many additional qualifications or specialisations you have, sometimes you still feel like an imposter. But guess what? You are not alone in this! Dr Scott Kilpatrick joins us and candidly shares his story; how becoming a clinical veterinar...

#038 - We're ringing in 2024 with the incredible Dr Liv Oginska, emotional intelligence expert, one of the UK's newest Bright Minds Wellness Champions, and creator of Human Savvy. In this episode, we discuss the intricacies of being a veterinary professional - how it is so much more than treating our patients; and just how important it is for us to commit to developing our emotional inte...

#037 - Have you ever wondered just how far your veterinary nursing qualification(s) can take you? Or what opportunities can eventuate, once you have discovered your niche? Laura Jones, seasoned RVN joins us, to share her story, her why, and how she has created the most fulfilling and rewarding career. From her early aspirations of becoming a vet, Laura found her true calling in internal medicine n...

#036 - Like so many veterinary professionals, Dr Andrea Harvey knew she wanted to be a veterinarian from a young age. What is perhaps more unique, is how her "why" has been unwavering since she nursed her pony back from a near-catastrophic injury; and it is this strong sense of purpose that has given her the courage to embrace a number of different opportunities.  Andrea has had quite th...

#035 - Did you know that the number one factor that determines whether a client is likely to visit your veterinary practice is whether or not you have parking! So it's not necessarily the veterinary team,  the potential care we might provide, or the cost of our services that is the INITIAL drawcard. For many of us this is actually quite hard to hear, but it's an important concept to cons...

#034 - From selling a few scrub caps during his clinical years at vet school, to now having sold over 100,000 units to a customer base exceeding 21,000, Dr Woof Apparel's Dr Ron See has had quite the unique journey. As his side hustle grew rapidly to a fully-fledged company, Ron realised that clinical practice was not where his expertise were best utilised; and instead decided to contribute t...

#33 - Dr Vicky Brownlie knew she wanted to be a veterinarian at the incredibly young age of 4; and having grown up with birds and rabbits, it is no surprise that she was drawn to the discipline of exotic medicine. Vicky's special interest in the more unlikely pets (which including snakes, lizards and frogs), led her to pursue her ANZCVS Memberships in Unusual Pet Medicine and Surgery - an ach...

#032 - For many of us, our career path has ended up being somewhat different to what we initially envisioned when we first started our training programs. Yet more often than not, our journeys exceed all expectations. Which is precisely the case for today's guest, my mentor and dear friend, Dr Imogen Johns. Unlike many veterinary professionals, Imogen didn't dream about being a vet from a...

#31 - Dr Katie Kreutz  is an enthusiastic and highly motivated mixed practice veterinarian, based in one of the most beautiful parts of the world - Esperance Western Australia. She joins us today to share her journey - how she came to work in in rural mixed practice,  what it is about her job that will keep her there for many many years to come, and why she is such a passionate advocate for the ve...

#30 - How often have you experienced ineffective leadership in your workplace that has made your job more challenging than perhaps it needed to be? For the majority of us, it would be on at least one occasion, yes? As veterinary professionals rarely are we educated on leadership ...  it's not common to receive specific leadership training, instead we tend to "give it a crack" - do w...

Today’s episode is an insight into recent graduates Madison & Lauren’s experience as they transition from university to veterinary practice.  They share concerns they have about starting their new jobs and how their practice is stepping up to the plate and providing them with an incredibly nurturing environment. They also have the added bonus of being a couple, and they speak about how they na...

#028 - Answer truthfully - when someone presents you with a new or different opportunity, idea, or request, is your initial or immediate default response "no"? Do you work in a practice where a "no" culture predominates? Well, just imagine a world (professional or personal), where the default answer is "yes" - or at the very least "let's see what we can do&q...

#027 - As a busy woman, how often are you checking in on your physical and mental health? We spend so much time looking after our patients, our clients, our family and our own pets, that often our own health care slips by the wayside – this is clearly less than ideal!   In this episode, I am joined by Dr Sarah Moore, an integrative GP obstetrician (and so much more), with a keen interest in holist...

As a professional woman, fertility is not often a subject that is brought up in conversation. After taking a short break while I was pregnant and then enjoying the early life of our gorgeous Daisy, we are officially back! And today, I am joined by my dear friend Katie Bateman, a Human Design coach, airline pilot, CEO, crazy cat lady and most special to us, our egg donor. For the last two and a hal...

#025 - Dr Olivia Oginska can only be described as a shining light, and during this episode she shares how she found her passion and her niche within our veterinary profession. Having graduated in Poland, Liv soon made the move to the UK where she began her professional journey towards becoming a small animal surgeon. It wasn't long before she realised that this particular career path was not...

#024 - It is a concerning fact that over time we are experiencing a greater number of emergency situations. Although there seems to be little we can do to prevent these occurrences, there is a lot we can do, as veterinary professionals, when it comes to preparedness and animal emergency management.  Erica Honey is an incredible veterinary nurse with a background in emergency and critical care, how...

#023 - Over the past 20 years, Dr Louisa has had quite the colourful career, yet even before graduating, she had developed an inherent interest in the welfare of veterinary professionals. Some might say she was actually way ahead of her time, making sure her first job as a veterinarian was one that was well supported, fostered a positive workplace culture and was going to set her up for success wi...

#022 - Cordene Midgley is a multi-passionate veterinary nurse who has had quite the squiggly career. After discovering a passion for business and marketing during her time with Hill's Pet Nutrition, she then went on to obtain her MBA. It was during this time Cordene began to delve into the field of veterinary happiness, where she started to seek out the answers to the question - What are the...

#021 - Scottish-born veterinarian, Dr Joanna Aitken started her career in a well-supported mixed practice in rural NSW. But it wasn't long before her veterinary journey started to become a little less linear!      Joanna's story is undoubtedly fascinating, with a number of interstate and international moves, all in the pursuit of veterinary specialisation. Yet, as fate would have it, thi...

#20 - This week's special guests are two shining lights of our industry, both of whom have very different origin stories but share one commonality - a solution-driven approach to the sustainability of our veterinary profession.  Joel Nugawela and Rebecca Goldstein both started their veterinary journey together, as vet students at Murdoch University. Towards the end of his degree however, Joel...

#019 - Danii the Vet Nurse, as she is fondly referred to by those that know and love her, has to be one of the biggest ambassadors for veterinary nursing as a career. For many, veterinary nursing might be a transient choice; a stepping stone in the journey to being a veterinarian, a stop-over on the way to a role in industry or simply the job before one's true interests are realised. But for...

#018 - Some might say Dr Magda Upton is a bit of a unicorn, as she has been a veterinary surgeon for 21 years and still loves her job - and the profession! Her secret sauce? Mould the job in such a way that you can't help but love it! For some, like Magda, that might mean reducing the work hours to free up more family time; for others it might mean moving to a small practice in the country, o...

#017 - Pet loss is something we deal with almost every day in veterinary practice, but how often have you stopped to think about the actual grief journey your client is about to embark on? What about your own grieving process, as a veterinary professional? Because for sure we do grieve for our patients, those pets we become attached too, that aren't our own. And that is absolutely ok.  Tracey...

#016 - Dr Alena Gadoury describes her career as "squiggly" and I love it! Like many of us, over the years she has experienced a number of ups and downs, and her career has headed off in a number of very different directions. Which is precisely what is so amazing about our veterinary professional "passports".  Canadian native Dr Alena, actually started her career as a human paed...

#015 - Peta Moore is a Veterinary Nurse with an incredible story! And the key to her success - persistence and hard work!   Peta is a Senior Nurse and Veterinary Nurse Supervisor at Perth Zoo, and my goodness does she have some stories to tell! From being a wildlife consultant for the RSPCA to joining the team at Australia Zoo's wildlife hospital; from rescuing bears in Vietnam with Animals A...