Being a leader of people in a veterinary practice can feel like walking a tightrope. Your team grows. The work gets more complex. And you’re doing everything you can to be the kind of leader your team needs - thoughtful, fair, present - but not overbearing. Still, there’s a quiet fear many leaders carry: the fear of micromanaging. Of becoming that boss - the one who hovers, questions everything, and doesn’t know when to step back. So you hold back. You try to give people spac

Have you ever had one of those days where it feels like your brain is a corkboard covered in post-it notes? You haven’t even made it to...

F@%k! I could cry. It’s not so much the physical pain - that’s a one out of ten. It’s the emotional pain of seeing three years of near-daily work undone in a twist of gristle. But I better tell you what’s going on before I lose you completely. On Monday, with much frowning from my coach Mike Porteous , I attended my first track session of the year. Track, if you’ve not been near one since a sadistic teacher drove you around it in gym class, is where you go to run fast. And, i

Did you hear the one about what happened when the mentors left veterinary medicine? Pull up a chair, but don’t get comfortable. This isn’t going to be a pleasant read… Once upon a time, many practices were owned by different vets who lived in their local communities and stuck around in their roles for decades. These vets’ dreams were built on their ability to serve clients, put down roots, and contribute. This, in turn, required them to operate long-term, sustainable veterina

Interesting things are happening. Both personal and professional relationships are changing and developing in some incredible ways. Some...

People in many walks of life have psyche up songs or routines to help them before big moments. Swimmers walk out to the starting blocks...

While in a vet hospital, never, ever say, “Gosh, it’s quiet today.” This may just be a casual observation uttered as bored small talk, but it’s also a grave sin. You are not just quietly mocking the veterinary gods—you are having a full-on rave in their bedroom on a Tuesday morning. Nothing is more certain to happen next than three heinous emergencies arriving simultaneously, five minutes after the early shift has left the building. Let the shitshow commence. You have no one

Employee engagement isn’t just a corporate buzzword—it’s the foundation of a thriving veterinary practice. Engaged employees don’t just show up; they care. They bring energy, enthusiasm, and a sense of ownership to their work. They solve problems instead of complaining about them, support their colleagues rather than undermine them, and, critically, stay in their jobs rather than burn out and move on. Yet, for all its importance, engagement remains one of the most misundersto

I was doing some mindfulness work this morning, and my thoughts settled on a teammate struggling with the overwhelming chaos that life in...