The Joyful DVM Podcast: Empowering Veterinary Professionals

Fear is a powerful motivator. It makes perfect since when we remember the original purpose of this emotion... Self Preservation. Fear is part of our built-in alert system. Super useful when our ancestors were being hunted by predators, not so much today. The alert system still exists... and it’s really good at sending off false alarms. Fear is so instinctual that it is often the first thing we fee...

Feeling angry with your veterinary clients because they just don't get it? Tired of the complaining about scheduling appointments, curbside service, and the inability to get in same-day? Wishing they'd just chill out and understand what you're going through? You aren't alone. But it's not just veterinary clinics experiencing this Extra from clients. And it's not just...

How's your mood? Think back over the last several days, weeks, or even months... How have you been feeling? These may seem like random questions, but the answers explain Everything about the progress you've been making (or not making) toward creating the life you want. Your mood is a direct reflection of your Net Emotional State. So, if you're spending most of your waking hours stre...

How are you choosing your clients? Are you intentionally cultivating the clientele you serve? Or, are you just accepting every potential client who seeks your services? Did you even realize you had a choice? You Do! What about your compensation... Are you paying yourself adequately as a practice owner? Do you understand how you can increase your compensation as an associate? Do you know how to mov...

Vet Med is an interesting career. Often a Love / Hate relationship. Spectacularly rewarding, and crushingly devastating all at the same time. The events that occur in veterinary medicine are just part of the job. The way that we respond to the events, is optional. OPTIONAL. That's really hard to see when a client is blasting us on social media, or a six-month-old puppy dies during a routine s...

Scenario: You're asked a yes-or-no question. How do you respond? Yes, without hesitating? Awesome! No, without regret? Excellent!  No, with remorse because you really want to say yes? Uh-oh... trouble ahead... Yes, with bitterness and anger because you really want to say no? Welcome to the People Pleasers Club... your future is at risk. Not Joking. How did yes-or-no questions get so complicat...

Therapy or Coaching? It's a question I'm asked frequently by my veterinary colleagues. It's yet another example of binary thinking... either/or... For some of us, both might be the best choice. Mostly it just comes down to our ultimate goals. If we want to heal the past and put it to rest, therapy is great for this. If we want to move beyond the past to intentionally create somethin...

How do you think your life should be? For that matter, how do you believe the world should be? We all have our opinions... ... and when it comes to our own lives, the gap between what we believe it should be like and what it actually is, creates emotional turmoil. This is true in our vet med jobs, our relationships with others, and even our evaluations of ourselves. When we focus on what should be...

Our circumstances don't stop us from pursuing our goals and dreams... ... our thought patterns do.  Our minds are complex, to say the least. Our thought patterns are layered, and very influential... but not always in a good way. It's so easy to believe that our circumstances are the problem... ... that our circumstances are the reason why we aren't living our best lives. The Eastern...

You know what they say about assumptions... It holds true in Vet Med as well. There is a collection of broad-sweeping beliefs that many of us have about our lives as veterinary professionals. The most influential beliefs are about the impact of our career choice on our time and income potential.  Through the normal course of our veterinary careers, we've absorbed these beliefs from those who...

No doubt, 2020 thus far has been quite a ride... and we're only halfway through.  True end of the world? Maybe. Getting back to normal soon? Not even an option.  As I looked back at just some of the things 2020 has brought us and considered the way we humans have reacted, I see the silver lining. Do you see it? Many of us are missing it because of our current suffering. Our fear, uncertainty,...

The noise and action of the world can drown out what is real. In this short and sweet episode, I offer truth and encouragement to veterinary professionals, and every person,  who might need a gentle reminder that they are enough.  Your worth is infinite. Your value is priceless. Your potential is limitless. Your purpose is real. Your dreams and goals are needed in this world. Don't give up. R...

The quality of veterinary clinic culture is directly related to the gap between expectation and reality. The 5 components of culture in veterinary organizations include: Leverage Schedule Pay Policies Leadership At the time of employment and onboarding, expectations in all of these areas are created. What we experience, then, either aligns with expectations or does not. When it doesn't, a gap...

Have you ever been talking to a client and you see them zone out so you switch gears to try to deliver your message a different way, all the while watching for any signs of comprehension or consent? Or have you been delivering unexpected news and find yourself in an explanation loop... rationalizing, justifying, convincing... all while that little voice in your head screams, "Just Stop Talkin...

It's no surprise we try to measure our success in Vet Med. We are constantly looking for indications that we are doing it right, or doing it wrong. Unfortunately, success in Vet Med can't be measured by tangible things. So, in the absence of tangible measures of success, we create our own: Clients who are happy and patients who get better mean we're doing it right. Clients who are a...

What's the hardest part of veterinary medicine? Most of us wouldn't identify getting bitten, being pooped on, learning to take well-positioned radiographs, or figuring out how to draw blood on fractious cats as the hard parts of our jobs.  The hard part is feeling stressed out all the time, and we believe that stress comes from things like cranky clients, conversations about money and eu...

Many of us don't speak out or take action in our lives not because we don't agree that change is needed, but because we are afraid of doing it wrong.  The fear keeps us living small and accepting the status quo. Our human brains rationalize those choices. It seems very logical... But we forget, the best part of our human brain provides the capacity to evaluate our own thought patterns an...

Our purpose as part of a veterinary hospital, whether we are veterinarians or veterinary technicians, or veterinary practice managers, is to serve clients and treat patients. That is all. That is why veterinary hospitals exist. Unfortunately, most of us spend an abundant amount of time focused on things that do not fall into the purpose of our role... simply put, we don’t stay in our lane. This sh...

In this episode, I take a look at the UP SIDE of Imposter Syndrome in VetMed. Imposter Syndrome is really a state of believing that you're a fraud and that your accomplishments were more likely accidental than the intentional result of your performance.  I dig deep into the phenomenon, share why it’s both very common, and very normal, in the Veterinary profession. Topics include: What Imposte...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Joyful DVM Podcast!  Joyful DVM is a personal development organization created to support veterinary professionals and teach the life skills traditional veterinary education is lacking.  The Joyful DVM vision is to empower veterinary professionals and change the belief that relentless stress, anxiety, depression, and the high rate of suicide are inevitable c...