Leading Veterinary Teams On Air

Can AI make veterinary hospitals more efficient without replacing the people who make veterinary medicine special? In this episode of Leading Veterinary Teams On Air, Suzanne Thomas sits down with veterinary operations leader and AI consultant Tracey Johnson to discuss one of the biggest topics impacting veterinary medicine today: artificial intelligence. With more than 25 years of experience lead...

“You can’t pour from an empty cup.” Burnout in veterinary medicine is bigger than wellness programs — and in this episode, Cait Deppe and Suzanne Thomas unpack the leadership, communication, and systems issues that are quietly exhausting veterinary teams every day. In this episode of Leading Veterinary Teams on Air, we discuss: veterinary burnout and compassion fatigue leadership mistakes that inc...

Most veterinary practices are making software decisions without a real roadmap — and the consequences impact everything from workflow efficiency to patient care. In this episode of Leading Veterinary Teams, Suzanne Thomas sits down with Adam Wysocki, founder of VetSoftwareHub.com , to talk about veterinary software, PIMS transitions, AI in veterinary medicine, workflow mapping, data ownership, and...

National Receptionist Week only comes once a year, but the work receptionists do in veterinary medicine happens every single shift, every single call, every single difficult conversation at the front desk. This episode is dedicated to them. I'm joined by Caitlin Palmer, veterinary receptionist, community builder, and member of the NAAVR President's Advisory Board. We talk about what the receptioni...

There's a distinction that most hospital leaders never make, and it's costing them constantly: being understaffed and running a model that structurally produces more work than it can sustain are not the same problem. They just feel identical from the inside. In this episode, Suzanne breaks down what's actually driving the staffing and retention crisis in veterinary medicine, starting with the high...

What does emergency medicine teach us about leadership? More than most leadership books ever will. In this episode of Leading Veterinary Teams On Air , Suzanne sits down with Dr. Brianna Tobin, small animal emergency veterinarian, shelter medicine advocate, birth doula, yoga practitioner, and the voice behind @emergencypetvet, to talk about what it actually takes to lead in one of the most high-st...

What do coaching, leadership, and veterinary medicine have in common? More than you might think! In this March Madness episode of Leading Veterinary Teams On Air , Suzanne is joined by Athletic Conceptual Training Podcast host, coach, and hospital manager Ryan, along with cohost, RVT, and life coach Katelyn. The conversation moves between coaching, leadership, and the realities of working in veter...

This conversation with Geoffrey explores his journey into veterinary medicine, the importance of credentials, his transition into emergency medicine, and what inspired him to enter the field. Geoffrey shares why he chose to speak openly online about mental health, including the personal realization and courage it took to tell his story. Together, Geoffrey and Suzanne discuss recognizing mental hea...

In this episode of Leading Veterinary Teams on Air, Suzanne is joined by Dr. Desmond Coates, a practicing veterinarian and medical director in Mason, Ohio, who stepped into leadership just a few years after graduating vet school in 2022. Dr. Coates shares how his Uncle Brian inspired both his love of animals and his commitment to mentorship, and how early leadership experiences in college, vet sch...

Recorded from my AirBnB while at VMX, this solo episode is an honest conversation about where veterinary medicine is headed, from my view, and why leadership, not resilience, is the real issue we need to address. In this episode, I share: • What genuinely excites me about the future of veterinary medicine • The patterns I keep seeing that lead to burnout, turnover, and frustration • Why so many le...

In this special first episode of 2026, host Suzanne Thomas welcomes Ron Sosa, a certified veterinary practice manager, neurodivergent leadership coach, and author of the upcoming book 'Rewriting the Rules.' Ron shares his journey from meeting Suzanne in 2025 to discussing important topics like masking, authenticity, and neurodivergent leadership. Emphasizing that his work is about honoring neurodi...

In this episode of Leading Veterinary Teams On Air, host Suzanne Thomas welcomes Kelly Cronin, a veterinary technician specialist with over 30 years of experience across multiple roles. Kelly shares her journey from a shift lead to VTS in ECC to VP of operations, and how continuing education and community building became central to her career. She discusses the challenges and solutions in leadersh...

In this episode of Leading Veterinary Teams On Air, host Suzanne Thomas speaks with Lucy Nash, a seasoned RVT with diverse experiences across the veterinary field. Lucy shares her journey from clinical practice to her current role in industry, emphasizing the prevalence of burnout and the importance of recognizing and utilizing the skills of veterinary technicians. The discussion highlights the si...

Self-Awareness and Energy to Cultivate Thriving Veterinary TeamsIn this episode of Leading Veterinary Teams, host Suzanne Thomas engages in a profound conversation with Dr. Jennifer Edwards, a veterinarian, leadership coach, and certified success principles trainer. Dr. Edwards shares her unconventional journey from studying psychology to veterinary medicine, her extensive career, and her transiti...

In this episode of Leading Veterinary Teams, host Suzanne Thomas welcomes Rick Albrecht, a seasoned professional with over 27 years in the veterinary field and extensive experience in education and leadership development. Rick shares his journey, from starting as a veterinary assistant to becoming a clinical educator, emphasizing the critical role of active listening in effective leadership. He ex...

In this episode, I sit down with Lanise Parnell , a Licensed Veterinary Technician, leader, and co-founder of the PET X Foundation , to talk about something our profession still has a long way to grow into — belonging, mentorship, and equity in veterinary medicine. Lanise shares her journey from being fired from her first job to becoming recognized as a voice advocating for inclusion and represent...

In this episode, I sit down with Kristin Lake, a credentialed veterinary technician with extensive experience in emergency and critical care, to talk about something that hits close to home for so many in our field — moral distress and moral injury in veterinary medicine. Kristin shares how these experiences often show up in practice, how they differ from burnout, and what leaders can do to help t...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Amelia Knight Pinkston — veterinarian, integrative health and life coach, consultant, speaker, entrepreneur, and as she calls herself, a “recovered, burned-out veterinarian.”Amelia’s story is one so many of us in this profession can relate to. On the outside, she was thriving and living her childhood dream, but underneath she was anxious, exhausted, and burned...

In this episode, I sit down with Sharon Vaturi, MS, RVT, CVT — a credentialed veterinary technician with 20+ years in the field, scientist, educator, musician, and founder of RVT Seminars. Sharon has trained teams, led on the floor, and now delivers “keynote concerts” that blend live music with leadership teaching to strengthen culture and morale in veterinary hospitals. We get into what it actual...

In this episode, I sit down with Claire Pickens, EMBA, CVPM : certified veterinary practice manager, entrepreneur, and business strategist with over 30 years in animal health. Claire has helped countless veterinary owners turn big ideas into bank-ready business plans, while leading operations across the country with expertise in leadership, HR, and practice management. We dive into what it really...

In this episode, I sit down with Kate Boatright, VMD: veterinarian, speaker, writer, and author of Small Animal Veterinary Mentorship Manual . With over a decade in practice, Dr. Boatright has become a leading voice on creating mentorship that works, not just for new grads, but for every role in the hospital. We dive into why mentorship is more than onboarding or skills training, how to build a cu...

In this episode, I sit down with Alexandre Contreras, Vet Tech, Innovator, and Entrepreneur, whose path in veterinary medicine began with a childhood fascination and evolved into a career defined by creativity, resilience, and service. From working in the kennels to launching his own dog massage therapy service, Dogapy, Alexandre has built a career that blends hands-on animal care with entrepreneu...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Amber Parks—a veterinarian, speaker, and certified stress and burnout coach—to explore the deeper layers of burnout in veterinary medicine. Amber shares her own journey through burnout, including her decision to leave general practice for relief work, only to discover that the real work was internal. We dig into the misconceptions around burnout (spoiler: it’s...

What if branding wasn’t about being loud, but about being real? In this episode, I sit down with Danielle K Lambert, founder of The Snout Group and veterinary branding queen of no BS, for a straight-up conversation about what it actually takes to build a brand, a voice, and a leadership presence that matters. This isn’t a fluff piece about colors and logos. We’re talking about:- The difference bet...

When trust breaks down between leadership and the team, everything gets harder—communication, culture, even patient care. In this episode, I sit down with Lynn Blake, CVT, CVBL, FFCP—hospital manager, radically supportive leader, and the queen of “little treat culture”—to talk about what the trust gap really looks like in vet med and how to begin rebuilding it. We dig into:How to recognize when yo...