Vet Med Wellness + Leadership

Every veterinary professional brings their own experiences, beliefs, and assumptions into the workplace. While bias is a natural part of being human, it can quietly influence how we communicate with teammates, care for clients, and create a culture where people either thrive or withdraw. Susan Swendsen Harris joins me to explore how becoming aware of our biases can strengthen psychological safety,...

Busy season in veterinary medicine can bring more than packed schedules and longer days. It can also heighten the negativity bias many veterinary professionals already carry into the workplace. In this episode, Senani Ratnayake joins me for a thoughtful conversation about how negativity, perfectionism, and emotional overwhelm quietly shape team culture and individual wellbeing, especially during h...

Veterinary leaders are feeling the pressure when it comes to recruiting right now, and for many, it feels like no matter how much effort goes in, the right candidates just aren’t sticking. In this episode, Savanna Tracy joins me to explore what’s really happening in today’s hiring landscape and how practices can shift their approach to build stronger, more sustainable teams. Drawing on her experie...

Financial conversations can feel loaded in veterinary medicine. Many of us entered this profession to care for animals, not to analyze income statements. But avoiding the numbers does not protect your mission. In fact, it often increases anxiety, fuels burnout, and limits your ability to grow. In this episode, I speak with entrepreneur Martin Traub-Werner, founder of VetBooks, about why financial...

In this episode, I’m sharing a conversation I had with Dr. Kathryn Miller, a rural mixed animal veterinarian in Kansas who believes wholeheartedly that veterinary medicine is not lost. Instead of accepting burnout and poor wellbeing as inevitable, Kathryn shares how coaching, culture, and mindset shifts can change the trajectory of an entire career. Kathryn opens up about her own turning point wit...

This week, I’m stepping into the guest seat on the Pawsitive Leadership Podcast with Andrea Crabtree and David Liss, and we’re going deep into something that matters to me with my whole heart: caring for the people who care for everyone else. If you’ve ever felt the weight of veterinary medicine in your bones, the kind of exhaustion that comes from showing up day after day with your whole soul, th...

Veterinary leaders often rise through the ranks without ever receiving formal training in how to define a vision, build culture, or guide a team with clarity. Dr. George Cuellar joins me to explore how aspiring entrepreneurs can step into leadership with purpose by working through three essential phases: defining the vision, sharing it effectively, and engaging the team in bringing it to life. Dra...

Veterinary professionals are often trained to care for everyone except themselves. But what if they had the tools to recognize and respond to mental health challenges within their own teams? Dr. Sonja Olson, DVM, C-MMT, and Susan Swendsen, MSSW, LCSW, VSW from Full Circle Lab join Crystal to explore how Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is reshaping the conversation around well-being in veterinary me...

Dr. Amy Grimm, founder of Daring DVM Coaching, joins the show to talk about burnout—something all too familiar in the veterinary world. She shares her path from vet med to coaching and how her own experiences shaped the work she does today. Dr. Amy explains why burnout is so common among veterinarians: high achievers, constant competition, and nonstop pressure. Along the way, she learned that hand...

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and in this episode, we’re honored to welcome Gigi Tsontos, Executive Director of NOMV (Not One More Vet). NOMV is a nonprofit dedicated to improving mental health and overall well-being within the veterinary profession—creating resources and community support to help veterinary professionals not just survive, but truly thrive. The organization was b...

Returning guest Natalie Fayman joins us to share her journey from burnout to resilience through the Positive Intelligence (PQ) program. Initially skeptical, Natalie discovered the program’s strong scientific backing—studies show that after just seven weeks of training, 83–97% of participants report reduced stress, increased happiness, and improved self-confidence. PQ works at the root level of bra...

Katrina Busselle is a get-it-done kind of woman who knows that conflict isn’t always a bad thing. It’s often necessary to make real progress, especially at work. In this episode, Katrina shares key concepts of mediation and how her Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution helps her navigate tough conversations. We talk about the natural flow of mediation. You don’t jump to a solution. You move throug...

What happens when 20+ years of vet med experience meets a passion for learning design and technology? You get Kara Herrmann, a trailblazer reimagining how veterinary teams train, communicate, and operate more efficiently. Kara is currently completing her master’s in Education with a focus on Learning Design and Technology, and she brings a fresh lens to what really makes a veterinary workplace thr...

Have you ever been disrespected by a colleague in the workplace? Mistreated at an event or a conference? You may have experienced intellectual bullying.  After attending a recent internal medicine conference, Dr. Emily Gould and Dr. Kate Aicher were inspired to study this type of interaction and come up with actionable solutions. In this episode, Emily and Kate role-play common scenarios of intell...

Dr. Christa McKinley and Ranae Bart bring deep connections to the veterinary industry, which strengthens their role as financial advisors for those in the field. Injury? Illness? Job changes? Life happens—so how do you protect yourself? They stress the importance of understanding benefits, retirement planning, and making the most of every dollar. In today’s episode, they share real stories from cl...

Dr. Jennifer Edwards, a veterinarian turned leadership coach, brings 25 years of experience to the conversation about workplace satisfaction and personal fulfillment. At the core of her philosophy is the role of values—our deeply held beliefs, which are thoughts tied to emotions. When our work aligns with our values, life flows more easily, and we feel a sense of fulfillment. However, challenges a...

Dr. Alexandra McLaughry has spent 20 years in veterinary medicine, experiencing firsthand the challenges vets face in client communication. When she noticed the outdated, inefficient software at her clinic lacked essential communication features, she and her husband, Stephen McLaughry, a software engineer and serial startup founder, set out to solve the problem. What began as a streamlined communi...

WisCARES is more than a veterinary clinic—it’s a vital support system for families experiencing low income or homelessness in Wisconsin. Now in its 11th year, this unique program blends outreach medicine with education, offering a comprehensive approach to care. With a built-in social work component, WisCARES goes beyond veterinary services, connecting clients with food resources, fostering suppor...

Dr. Jennifer Ward’s journey to veterinary pathology was anything but traditional. As a child, she nurtured sick and injured animals, but her path veered toward creative writing and literature. It wasn’t until she faced significant health challenges with her own pet and encountered veterinary pathologists during a trip to Africa that she discovered the profession she had unknowingly dreamed of—a bl...

Dr. Mansum Yau, a veterinarian with a passion for writing, discovered a unique niche by addressing a common challenge in clinics: cat carriers. From the struggle to get cats into carriers at home to the difficulty of handling scared felines at the vet, she noticed a persistent problem and set out to create a solution. Her book, The Ins and Outs of Cat Carriers: A Veterinarian’s Guide to Cat Carrie...

Alyssa Mages brings over 20 years of experience in veterinary medicine, with a significant focus on critical care. However, personal health challenges led her to rethink a physically demanding career. After much reflection and goal-setting, she founded Empowering Veterinary Teams (EVT) to address a vital need within the industry: creating better support systems and fostering growth for veterinary...

Liz Barton, founder of WellVet, has had the privilege of experiencing the full breadth of veterinary medicine throughout her career. This has not only enriched her professional journey but also given her a deep awareness of the challenges within the field. She has previously joined us as a guest to discuss her work with Well Vet, an initiative aimed at connecting mothers in the profession and crea...

Dr. Ruthanne Chun and Dr. Laura Garrett, both veterinary oncologists and professors, emphasize the transformative power of intentional communication in veterinary medicine. With years of experience training students and professionals, they’ve discovered that effective communication is as vital as medical skills. Unlike humans, animals can’t express their needs directly, so veterinarians must bridg...

When Greg Bishop, a veterinarian, writer, and cartoonist, first learned nonviolent communication in veterinary medicine, it transformed how he dealt with difficult clients. What once felt like a precarious challenge became an opportunity to turn clients from ferocious lions into purring kitties. Nonviolent communication is about staying aware of your own emotions during interactions. As Greg says,...

Dr. Glenn Robinson is a clinical coach and consultant who supports veterinary leaders, especially with clinic finances. Often, leaders are hesitant to discuss money, but finances play a crucial role in supporting your staff. Whether you’re experiencing a downturn in clients, facing equipment expenses, or looking to give your team a raise, being open and candid about clinic financials can help lead...