My Veterinary Life

Vet Debt Session with Dr. Annah Windsor

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We are so excited to bring you a special episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast. We are calling these drop-in episodes the Vet Debt Sessions. Throughou...

Growing Your Community with Dr. Chuck Wiedmeyer

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“It’s not about the coffee. We will walk early in the morning to a Starbucks which is an hour long walk to and from and that comradery that you es...

Never Stop Learning with Dr. Andrew Heller

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“If you feel like you’re not improving yourself, if you fell like you’re not learning anymore, if your growth curve has tapered off, I would say...

Delivering Bad News with Dr. Kara Escutia

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We are so excited to bring you this special episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast. We are talking to Dr. Kara Escutia. Dr. Escutia is a Trust Veterina...

Showing Up as Your Best Self with Dr. Melissa Terry

23 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“Showing up and showing up as my best self and saying, ‘Hey, you know this is what I can do and this is what I cannot.’ I want to inspire my tea...

Grit + Love and Asking for Help with Dr. Charles Hurty and Helen Beaman

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“She developed this amazing program, which just walked us through the idea of trauma, the idea of trying to cope with trauma and defining what we ex...

All Swine All the Time with Dr. Corinne Bromfield

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“Getting into vet school, there were a lot of people that were really interested in small animal, and I wasn’t super interested in small animal, w...

Your Piece of the Sky with Dr. Bertice Berry

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to this episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast. Our guest today is Dr. Bertice Berry. Dr. Berry is the keynote speaker at the 2022 AVMA Convent...

Snowflakes in a Snowstorm with Shane Allen

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“It didn’t make you intimidated to, ‘you have to go back, you have to do everything.’ It really made me feel like taking these little things a...

Update on Suicide Prevention Resources with Dr. Jen Brandt

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to this episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast. Our guest today is Dr. Jen Brandt. Dr. Brandt is the Director of Member Wellbeing Initiatives a...

Vet Debt Session with Dr. Emily Schaefer

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We are so excited to bring you a special episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast. We are calling these drop-in episodes the Vet Debt Sessions. Throughou...

The VLI Trek Experience

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We are so excited to bring you this special episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast. Today our guest is also one of our co-hosts. Dr. Marci Kirk shares ...

Informed Owner Consent with PLIT Trust Veterinarian Dr. Kara Escutia

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We are so excited to bring you this special episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast. We are talking to Dr. Kara Escutia. Dr. Escutia is a Trust Veterina...

A Conversation with Heather Jarvis- Student Loan Expert

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We are so excited to bring you this special episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast. Today we are talking to Heather Jarvis. Heather is a lawyer who spe...

Discussing the Merck Wellbeing Study 3.0

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We are so excited to bring you this special episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast We have two extraordinary guests today. Dr. Joseph Hahn from Merck A...

Naturally Caffeinated with Dr. Sonja Olson

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“When you feel called to, find the courage, find your voice, and find your way forward. Build your community of allies and cheerleaders around you, ...

Changing the World Through Stories with Dr. Betsy Charles

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“That’s what happens when you come together in community, and you take advantage of everybody’s strengths and you recognize, ‘I don’t need t...

Everyone Has a Story with Dr. Morgan McArthur

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“Let’s find your story. That’s the important part. Find your story. And, you know, the lesson for all of us, is that we all have a story. Everyb...

Finding the Fun in Veterinary Medicine with Dr. Dana Varble

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“And I think if we take that sort of, more of a collaborative approach, I think it’s, you know, as long as we feel good and we feel comfortable wi...

New Opportunities with Dr. Anna Reddish

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest today is Dr. Anna Reddish. Many of you may know Dr. Reddish as one of the original co-hosts of My Veterinary Life Podcast. We chat today abo...

Be What You Want to See in Vet Med with Hidayah Martinez-Jaka

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“I had to choose and make that, change that trauma and that sadness that was so deep and make it into something that gave me motivation to go into v...

The Magic of the Word Veterinarian with Dr. Stephanie Jones

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“My biggest thing was, I said I’m a veterinarian and how that one word created so much conversation. And that’s how I ended it to the quietest o...

Wellbeing Quick Talk with Dr. Jen Brandt

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest today is Dr. Jen Brandt. Dr. Brandt is the Director for Member Wellbeing Initiatives at the AVMA. She joins us for a quick conversation on s...

Finding Your North Star with Garnetta Santiago

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“Find your North Star. What’s your North Star? I have a necklace that has a pendant on it and people are always asking, ‘What does that mean?’...

Embrace Your Vet Med Superpower with Dr. Vernard Hodges

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“You know veterinary medicine has provided me a great life over the last years. And I keep emphasizing that because I don’t think we hear it enoug...

Exploring Different Areas of Vet Med with Dr. Lauren Rowe

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“And I think that was the first instance of you have to be able to pivot. You are going to be put in positions or situations that you probably never...

Pursuing New Ideas with Dr. Rachel Venable

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“It really hit me that, you know, this could be something oncologists could use. There really is a huge gap also with just access to oncology. I thi...

Blazing Your Own Path in Vet Med with Dr. Joanne Maki

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“Looking back I feel really blessed that I had two choices, I could either go down the path of being an artist or possibly being a scientist and I t...

Running to Things with Dr. Lisa Fortier

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“My stepdad, who I adore, and I quote him all the time. One of the things he always told me, ‘Never run away from something, always run to somethi...

Embrace the Fear and Chaos with Dr. Sharon Wappel

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“You know I really look back and things that I found myself doing that I may not have chosen to do really gave me a wealth of experience and helped ...

A Path Straight to Industry with Misty Tobyne

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“What I learned was, it’s just about building relationships and seeing how you can fit in the puzzle, just education. A lot of it was letting them...

Focus on Diversity and Belonging Part 4 with Dr. Yvette Huizar

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“The thing that I would say to anybody listening, is that you are doing great. It’s a hard time to be in the veterinary field. You know, I know so...

Focus on Diversity and Belonging Part 3 with Dr. Sumeet Gupta

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“And I’ll say one thing about mission statements, is that they constantly change. I don’t think that I had this, well I know I didn’t have thi...

Focus on Diversity and Belonging Part 2 with Dr. Evelyn Galban

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“What we sort of know deep down is that changing the way our community looks is a long term goal. And it’s not something that we are going to solv...

Focus on Diversity and Belonging Part 1 with Dr. Mia Cary

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“And I remind myself you know, ‘Who are you going to be today, Mia are you going to be the best version of yourself? Are you going to be part of t...

Bringing the Magic to Your Workplace and Conference Attendance with Dr. Michael Miller

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“It took time for me to stop and get my phone and take a picture and get on our app and text it to the owner. But it was such a valuable moment, tha...

A Degree in Vet Med is Your Passport to Anywhere You Want to Go with Dr. Gary Vroegindewey

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“If you go to a conference and sit in the audience, you’re just in the audience, and you may learn some things. But if you are on the platform, yo...

Talking Radical Candor with Kim Scott

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“Making sure that you’re managing your own emotions. You can’t manage someone else’s emotions. You can’t control someone else’s emotions....

Talking Economics and Veterinary Medicine with Dana Peterson

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“Your pets that you’re caring for have parents. And those are your clients who see face to face and so, you know, it may be more difficult to say ...

The importance of Leadership and Mentorship in Vet Med with Dr. Addie Reinhard

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“Making sure that I’m investing my time and resources into my own learning and development I think has been probably the biggest takeaway for me g...

Self-Reflection and Getting Unstuck in Vet Med with Dr. Cassidy Rist

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“And I feel like the word stuck is a tip, is just a tip of the iceberg. And you have to figure out individually what that means for people. There’...

Creating Your Richer Life with Dr. Grace Kim

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“It’s going to be up to you. What is your rich life and now how are you designing your finances in a way that is going to help you get there.”Ou...

Finding A Job That Complements You with Dr. Matt Hull

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“They told me in my days of self-reflection to just sit down and make a list of things that I want in a career and things that I don’t want. And i...

An Inspiring Career Journey with Dr. Apryl Steele

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“You know, I think that...I’ve said it several times, is believe you can, say yes and the other thing that I realized more recently is you never k...

A Royal Veterinary Experience with Legend Thurman

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“But just know that as a student, the doors are endless and wide open and no matter how many of them you want to walk through in the long run is com...

How Veterinarians Can Help During Natural Disasters with Dr. Warren Hess

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“You know for the most part, veterinarians tend to be very caring people that want to reach out and help when they can. The problem with disaster re...

A Path to Zoo Medicine with Patrick Douglas

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“Fixing animals and being a voice for them when they don’t have one and feeling like I make a difference in an animal’s life is more rewarding t...

Shelter Medicine: The Melting Pot of Vet Med with Dr. Rachael Wooten

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“Shelter medicine is a lot of surgery. Which is also why I was like, yeah, I could definitely do shelter medicine, because, it’s everything. It’...

A Story of Community, Mentorship and Shelter Medicine with Dr. Chumkee Aziz

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“It reflects, I think, the spectrum of pet ownership and just how different cultures care for pets and love pets. You know we didn’t really know w...

Talking Shelter Medicine and Positivity with Dr. Traci Gilbert

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“And then just be prepared to be adventurous, compassionate, and enthusiastic every day because the craziness will come your way and if you meet it ...

Learning about Animal Shelter Programs with Joann Fuller

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“I got to a point in my career, and I’m sure other people can relate to this, where I had to balance what was comfortable against the desire to do...

Meet AVMA Trust Veterinarian Dr. Kara Escutia

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“We call them insureds-veterinarians that have professional liability insurance and are insured by the company can call anytime. So, we take a lot o...

Meet AVMA Trust Veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Frey

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“When we talk to clients, we can completely put ourselves in that situation and our heart breaks for everyone that we speak to. And so, believe me, ...

Bonus Episode with AVMA Convention Keynote Speaker Princess Sarah Culberson

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We are thrilled to bring you this bonus episode! Our guest today is Sarah Culberson. Sarah is one of the keynote presenters at the 2021 Virtual AVMA C...

Meet AVMA Trust Veterinarian Dr. Rebecca Stinson

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“And so my colleague and I did a whole bunch of research on the AVMA website and through former JAVMAs and prepared this great argument for why we s...

Meet AVMA Trust Veterinarian Dr. Nina Mouledous

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“Delegate. Delegate. Delegate. You know, you’re a veterinarian, you just practice good medicine, and the business will come, and hire people that ...

Meet AVMA Trust Veterinarian Dr. Cynthia MacKenzie

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"That’s when I started remembering all of my contacts in industry and I used that network to finally land an equine tech services role at Merck.”O...

An Introduction to the Veterinary Mental Health Initiative

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“Let me share that our groups are completely free to attend. They’re confidential. They’re virtual. They’re one hour in length and they are fa...

A Journey to Resilience Rising Vet with Dr. Jacqui Horner

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“My vision for this profession in 10 years, so by 2030 we’ll say, I want to see more people joining the profession than leaving the profession. So...

A Father-Daughter Adventure Through Veterinary School with Craig and Alex Barnett

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“I mean I try. I still try to help him out when I can. He figured a lot of it out. He’s in such a unique position. I came straight into veterinary...

Living and Loving the Derm Life with Dr. Ashley Bourgeois

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“I learn too. I get to say ‘Wow that’s a great idea. I have never done that.’ I think it’s important for people to see that even if you are ...

A Conversation with Author Cheryl Strayed

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“And it’s really, it’s a universal experience. We all have to learn how to bear the things we think we cannot bear over the course of our lives....

Going Full Vet with Dr. Jessica Vogelsang

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“And so then I went full vet. Right? I’m like ‘oh yeah, I’ll show you.’ And I went and I took classes and I’m like I’m going to be the b...

Staying True to Your Guiding Principles with Dr. Zay Satchu

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“So, the way I think about, you know, just our mission statements, is how do we alleviate pressure on the veterinary team by allocating responsibili...

Learning to SOAR in Veterinary Medicine with Dr. Leslie Brooks

13 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“So, the same process happened again. I had an interview but then got wait listed again. And I say this because I hear so many stories of people, of...

Triaging as a Mom and a Veterinarian with Dr. Amanda Hampton

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“You get really good at being efficient with the things you want to get done. You move those things that have to get done- cleaning bottles or whate...

Welcome to the Profession Class of 2021 with Florida Veterinary Advisors

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“Really thinking about financial tools as tools, not as the goal. Right? So, you know when you build a home, the goal is to build a home, it’s not...

Welcome to the Profession Class of 2021 with Dr. Monica Tarantino

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“Ashley and I have been doing these IG lives lately on these medical cases and one of the things that we say is ‘Bring your curiosity, and drop yo...

Welcome to the Profession Class of 2021 with Dr. Jen Brandt

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“I also think reflecting on asking yourself the question ‘When I’m healthy, when I feel, when I feel good, when I feel like I’m thriving, how ...

Welcome to the Profession Class of 2021 with David Liss

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“What makes a great team? The first one is trust. And trust is really important and trust is not something that is given by default and I think for ...

Welcome to the Profession Class of 2021 with Dr. Tierra Price

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“So I think for me what was most challenging after graduation was the leadership role that I was thrown into and having to lead a team on day one or...

Reflecting on the past 12 months with Marie Bucko

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“COVID clinics is an experience in and of itself, honestly. Every school handled it a little bit differently and I think at the end of the day one o...

Reflecting on the past 12 Months with Dr. Doug Kratt

18 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“Also, for new graduates, remember, we’re not finished veterinarians when we come out of veterinary school. The things that I knew back then and t...

Reflecting on the past 12 Months with Shawn Wilkie

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“Do your research, that’s an obvious one, you know, if you are going to make a big change. A lot of people are afraid to ask for help, so try to s...

The Art of Veterinary Medicine with Dr. Katie Berlin

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“Networking is not a bad thing, and it also doesn’t have to feel like schmoozing. It should feel like you are finding your people, and there’s n...

The Best of Both Worlds with Dr. Brittany Moore-Henderson

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“Hey, when you come into veterinary school, your path is going to change. What you think that you are going to do at the beginning is going to be to...

Celebrating the Symphony of Veterinary Medicine with Dr. Courtney Campbell

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“This is one of the uncelebrated aspects about veterinary surgery, is the symphony of the team. You’re not doing surgery by yourself, right? So, p...

A Whole New Look at Holistic Medicine with Dr. Arielle Herndobler

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“And I tell my clients, there’s not a Western medical diagnosis for what your pet is experiencing right now but the good news is we have a differe...

Don't Forget to Dream with Dr. Krista Miller

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“My mom has this saying that she always uses, and it is to kind of 'go with the flow, roll with the punches, and duck when you have to, and hang on ...

Passions beyond Veterinary Medicine with Dr. Rheba Mabie Zimmerman

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“I became our SAVMA delegate and moved on to all kinds of veterinary leadership roles from there and I really appreciate all of those and do feel th...

A Conversation with Dr. Shimi Kang

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“A really good hack I like to tell people is anything you wouldn’t do if you’re being chased by a tiger will move you from that survival system-...

Pageants, Skittle Schedules and Crocheting with Kim Layne

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“But, I could show you guys, I make cat houses, I make scarves, hats, I’ve made dog sweaters, so I’ve gifted some of my friends dog sweaters. I ...

One Health Lessons with Dr. Deborah Thomson

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“When I finally followed around some veterinarians, I was like ‘Ok, wow, this is, this is where I want to be.’ And it is because I saw the impac...

A Look at 2020 and 2021

31 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today is a special episode for My Veterinary Life Podcast. It is our 100th regular episode! We thought this would be a great time to reflect on the pr...

Finding Your Place with Dr. Omar Farías

24 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“So I think all those things combined ultimately led me to the path of thinking about becoming a veterinarian. Initially I had thought of becoming a...

A Purrfect Podcast with Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“We are not living in a 3D world anymore and we need to install that 3D back, and that 3D is telling people how you feel about them. How you really ...

Learning more than one way to do things with Dr. Wendy Weirich

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“Yeah. Definitely and I always try to keep in the back of my mind that there’s almost always more than one way to do things and sometimes you have...

From Private Practice to Hill’s Pet Nutrition with Dr. Rebecca Tremble

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“And I thought, you know I think I maybe want to put myself ahead of my career, which was new for me. You know we are all adults and somehow not adu...

The Exciting World of Holistic Veterinary Medicine with Dr. Neely North

26 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“You know it’s April 15 and I’ll never forget this. You’ve already seen 300 clients this month and that’s probably what I would expect you t...

From Horses to Dragons and so much in between with Dr. Aimee Eggleston

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“Seems to be not an uncommon thread through a lot of veterinary businesses I think, is that on my side, I literally did say, even though I was alway...

Wellbeing During the COVID Holidays

17 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The holiday season is upon us! While this often brings celebrations, it can also bring some tensions and frustrations. Add in a pandemic and things ar...

Not Your Typical Veterinary Career Path with Dr. Elizabeth Johnson Million

12 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“Also, disclaimer, I should have said this from the very beginning. My Appalachian twang knows no bounds, so whenever I say things, my pronunciation...

Following her Passion from Coast to Coast with Dr. Gillian Angliss

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“I had been talking to someone that made me aware of something called, I think it’s called the Passion Test. Where, it’s a book but you can kind...

Making Lemonade Out of Lemons with Dr. Laura Catena

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“So what I know for sure is that people in certain circumstances, they do feel stuck sometimes. And I want to, you know, really remind everyone that...

Following Her Dream of Becoming a Veterinarian with Donja Pettiford

27 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest today is Donja Pettiford. Donja has dreamed of becoming a veterinarian for most of her life. However, sometimes life doesn’t always go as ...

From Practice Ownership to Teaching to Painting with Kathy Jonokuchi

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“The other practice part, I was able to assemble a team that complimented me, my style. My business partner definitely knew the business.”Our gues...

Working Hard for Working Dogs with Dr. Cindy Otto

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“It’s fun because people think that you know what you are going to do, and you follow that path and it really wasn’t that direct of a path. I me...

Wellbeing Mini Series: Culture

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our final episode in a special My Veterinary Life Podcast miniseries in collaboration with our friends at National Veterinary Associates. J...

Living Her Dream in Veterinary Medicine with Dr. Alicia Ruiz

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“I feel that my success, a lot of my future success, is because I had such good mentoring at the beginning of my career.”Our guest today is Dr. Al...

Wellbeing Mini Series: Emotional Intelligence

06 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to a special episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast. This is part three of a four-part miniseries with our friends at National Veterinary Assoc...