The Overwhelmed Vet Podcast

After this week of nights and coaching I’ve realised there are 6 very important points you need to know if you work in vet med, most around the word “Should”. Here’s the list of all 6, that I encourage you to have behind your ear/on your phone. I elaborate on them in this episode but remember this check list: 1: “I should know this” No you SHOULDN’T. Don’t make it mean anything about you. 2: “I sh...

An upcoming euthanasia triggered the local community and my client was in for a sh*t storm. What happens when animals are disneyfied, and suddenly you’re Cruella Deville??? Vet Med can be very challenging sometimes. But it doesn’t have to mean the end of the world for you. You have power. You have control over HOW you want to take it all.  Listen to this week’s podcast, where the worst case scenar...

Sometimes we’re stuck in a grind we don’t seem to be able to get out of, and when we look around us it can be hard not to feel resentment towards the people that seem to just sail happily through life. WHAT HAVE THEY GOT that you don’t? WHY is it so hard for you, and not for others? I have come to a conclusion, and a simple way for you to get closer to the kind of life you want to live, in and out...

Going back to vet med after a break, or moving to a new clinic, can be scary and overwhelming. This is especially true if you have been burnt out before, and have a history of not being able to set boundaries. The fears around being sucked into an unhealthy work routine (again!) are real. I’ve coached a lot of vets recently with these issues, and I want to share the tips and tools I found useful f...

You come out of vet school with a Netflix library worth of veterinary knowledge. But this doesn’t make you fully prepared to be a vet! Why not? Listen in and learn what you’re likely missing, and why it can be SO HARD to be a vet, even when you think you know a lot and SHOULD feel prepared and ready to deal with anything. Hey! Thanks for listening! Send me a text and let me know what you think. Ma...

Sometimes it may feel overwhelming and hopeless to make any changes in this profession. Or maybe you feel a bit miffed because why do YOU have to work on your mental health, instead of the profession changing to something more sustainable? Don’t let these thoughts overwhelm you and be in your way of a fantastic life in and out of vet med! Achieving mental and emotional mastery is the KEY to making...

You may know intellectually that no one is perfect. But your brain may be pushing perfectionism on you without you even realising it. This episode is a teaching from my 12 week course “Happy in Vet Med”, and I’m sharing it because it is so important you are aware of this, I don’t want to teach it just to the vets in my course. Perfectionism will CRIPPLE you, and make you have an awful time. Learn...

You’re not a whole person, really, if you don’t know where other people end and YOU start. Boundaries are ESSENTIAL for this, for you to have a solid identity, minimal stress and zero resentment towards others. In this episode I want to share the latest insights regarding boundaries in veterinary life from my coaching programme so you can learn along. More tools and tips to have under your belt so...

“I’m not experienced enough". This is such a vague statement, because - enough for what?  When ARE you experienced enough? How many procedures do you need to do to be experienced “enough”? Why? When I coach vets I so often see them being thrown around by random thoughts, and they react without any INTENTION behind their actions. It’s like saying “I should really lose some weight”. Ok, why exa...

Even when a patient’s outcome is good, we can still find causes to beat ourselves up: “I didn’t diagnose it quick enough”, “It should have been me saving it”, “Why didn’t I think of that” can be thoughts that quickly send us spinning out in shame, guilt or self loathing, And if the patient DIES?!?!? Then it’s a whole new level of thoughts and emotions raining down. In this week's episode, we...

Creating a safe workplace is important for leaders, managers and clinic owners - but what if YOU are the employee and you’re stuck in a toxic workplace?? Not feeling respected, someone belittling you, management not firing rude clients, colleagues gossiping non stop; you might not feel safe at all! You need to take care of yourself first and foremost, and in this episode I give you my top 5 tools...

Vets are so caring, so resourceful and want to fix everyone and everything. But when do these abilities become a weight around our neck, and cause exhaustion, burn out, overwhelm and resentment? Just because you CAN, or you are the one THERE, doesn’t mean you HAVE to. In this episode, learn the benefits of knowing exactly what your lane is, and how to stay in it (and still be a nice, kind and help...

How often do you go out of your way in order to not let your colleagues, boss, family or friends down?? Notice how often you let YOURSELF down doing this, and end up feeling tired, burnt out and resentful towards the others that shouldn’t have asked you to do that thing in the first place! Moment of truth: YOU are in charge of that, not them. Tune into this episode to learn how this shows up in th...

It’s such a dream come true getting into vet school, that we believe we will be happy FOREVER. But then it wears off, and we shift to thinking we’ll be happy when we graduate as vets. But that happiness doesn’t last either!! In this episode we explore what YOUR current “I’ll be happy when…” is.  Because if you don’t have self awareness around this, you’ll forever be chasing the carrot on the stick...

Are you living your best life in and out of the clinic?? In a way that will leave you smiling on your death bed? My brother’s sudden passing made me reflect upon my priorities again - and I did some adjustments. What are your priorities in life and are you living in alignment with them? In this episode of the podcast I’m sharing the 3 necessary steps to living a life with no (or few) regrets, and...

Stressed about consults? You’re not alone.  It’s one of the main issues I work with my clients on, and it used to be an issue for me as well! In this episode, I share my 5 top solid tips to fully enjoy your consults, from even before you ask them in, to the end of the consult. Hey! Thanks for listening! Send me a text and let me know what you think. Make sure you hit the follow button to get notif...

Ever wondered why your brain WILL NOT STOP with the spinning Or why you seem unable to say no to extra shifts? Why it’s so hard to relax and enjoy the simple things? You might be addicted to adrenaline, and you don’t even know it. I know for sure I was, and it would have been great to know back then! Just as it would have been amazing to know the signs, and what to do about it. Listen to this epis...

How much do you beat yourself up for not being able to HEAL your patients 100%? When we can’t reach a complete diagnosis, or achieve 10/10 analgesia, or find the perfect treatment, self-doubt and impostor syndrome kicks in. In this episode I want you to understand why healing doesn’t have to be perfect, and why it’s important to lower your expectations in order to be able to heal what can be heale...

When I first published my upcoming course, a subscriber reached out to me to say she was so happy she could sign up for a systematized way of applying everything she’s learned from me through the podcast, newsletters and so on. And it struck me I’ve actually done you all a bit of a disservice by not giving you a clear guide to how to work on yourselves step by step.  I just write and record what c...

3 weeks ago my brother went into cardiac arrest, and what followed changed my life. It was a roller coaster I learned 6 big things from, that I want you all to learn with me, because it can radically change how you see and experience vet med, and how you yourself can deal with difficult situations in your life.  Why I’m so grateful and how important it is to help pet owners to feel that way. How m...

Last week of night shifts was a CHALLENGING one, and on top of everything I got a complaint!! A lot went through my head when I read the (long) complaint, and a lot of emotions too 🫣. In this episode I take you through my process of receiving and dealing with a complaint, and: WHY it is so hard to handle The two main ways it can go All the different factors that play in How surprised I was - and...

What has my daughters peritonitis, WW3 and vets leaving a practice got to do with each other? They are all out of our control!! When things like these happen, it’s easy to get caught in a spiral of stress, anxiety and hopelessness, because we can’t do anything about them. We feel powerless and frustrated, and resentful because it’s happening.  In this episode I show you how you can weather even th...

Sarah burnt out in 2004 and left vet med after having tried several modalities of veterinary practice.  Since being a new grad she never felt she got a handle on it, and deeply believed she had to be right all the time in order to be a “good vet”. Like many of us (most?!?), she just didn’t feel she knew what she was doing most of the time, and it took its toll.  After a 12 year break she realised...

Do you struggle with a constant feeling of not doing enough? Maybe you don’t feel you’re doing enough for your patients? Or enough for your family? Or working hard enough? Or people might think you’re not doing enough? From vet school we’re used to being constantly busy and at the same time feeling bad for not studying enough (Don’t tell me you ever felt you couldn’t have studied just a BIT more)....

Why is it that so many owners have a bad experience at the vet around the passing of their pets, and end up putting in a complaint or sharing their frustration on the internet? You may think owners get mad because we were not good enough to save their pets. Think again. Owners get hurt and frustrated when we fail to lead them through the hardest part of the journey with their pets. And it’s our re...