My Veterinary Life

“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, which made me feel a little bit like an outsider sometimes. But, I super enjoyed what I was doing so I was hopeful the people around me were picking up on that.”Welcome to this episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast. Our guest today is Dr. Corinne Bromfield. Dr. Bromfield is currently an assistant extension professor at the University of Missouri. We talk about how she got interested in farm animals, which truly is a story NOT to be missed! We also talk about how the reaching out and building connections can make a huge difference in a career. We also talk about her experience at VLI Trek and what her drew her to that opportunity. We can’t wait to share this journey with you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow

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 Convention. She has an incredible career and tremendous stories to share. Our focus today was on conversations in DEI and the role we can each play. It was such a great conversation and has only enhanced our excitement for the keynote session. We cannot wait to share this conversation with you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on social media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcastIf you would like to learn more about Dr. Berry, please visit her website: https://berticeberrynow.com/

“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 and they will blossom into something bigger, and if it doesn’t work, hey it’s not going to work for you, but there’s all these other things that possibly could and will work for you. Definitely, once again, you nailed it. It’s those small things, those small little impacts that will again change and become bigger ripples.”Welcome to this episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast. Our guest today is Shane Allen. Shane wears many hats within the veterinary profession, including but not limited to practice manager, resident handy man, and novice dental machine repair man. We talk about his time at VLI Trek and how he has already begun to implement some of the learnings from that experience back at his clinic. It is a fun, inspiring conversation and we can’t wait to share this journey with you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple P

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 at the AVMA and she is going to share with us updated resources and data on suicide prevention. We discuss how research in suicide prevention is relatively young compared to other areas of mental health and how the words we use truly matter. Dr. Brandt shares some of the better practices that are being discussed now in this area. It’s an informative and hopeful conversation and we are grateful to have the opportunity to share this information with you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on social media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

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. Throughout the year, we will talk to veterinary colleagues about how they are managing their educational debt. Our guest today is Dr. Emily Schaefer. She shares with us how she went from being overwhelmed with her debt management to educating herself to committing to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. She also opens up about some of the changes she would have considered to minimize debt from her undergraduate education. It is a fun and informative conversation, and we cannot wait to share her journey with you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on social media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

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 her experience with the Veterinary Leadership Institute Trek program, which took place in Post Falls, Idaho the first week in April. We talk about why smaller group retreats like this are worth considering for your continuing education budget and what you can expect to learn during your time. It’s a fun conversation and we are so excited to share this journey with you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on social media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcastTo learn more about the Veterinary Leadership Institute, please visit their website: https://veterinaryleadershipinstitute.org/

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 Veterinarian with AVMA’s PLIT and our focus today is on informed owner consent. This will be the first of many conversations with Dr. Escutia throughout the year to help you understand some of the most common claims seen and how to prevent them. Informed owner consent is a foundation to all these discussions. Dr. Escutia shares some great insights and stories, and we are thrilled to bring this conversation to you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on social media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

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 specializes in public interest law, and this includes becoming an expert in student loans and advocating for borrowers. She brings her own experience with student loans to the conversation too! It’s a great conversation that shares some things to consider while student loans are still on pause. At the time of the recording, payments on student loans were scheduled to begin again in May, however at the time of release, student loan payments have been paused until September 1. We are so excited to share this conversation with you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on social media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

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 Animal Health and Dr. Jen Brandt from the AVMA. We discuss the findings from the most recent Merck Wellbeing Study and what tangible steps we can take to improve the culture in our workplace. It’s a informative and inspiring conversation and we can’t wait to share it with you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on social media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcastTo find out more information on the Merck Wellbeing Study please visit: https://www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/about-us/veterinary-wellbeing-study

“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, which is what I did.” Our guest today is Dr. Sonja Olson. Dr. Olson has had an incredible career! We dig into how the road was not a straight path to where she is now and how it all ended up working out in an unexpected way for her to pursue her dreams. We discuss how it takes a lot of self-reflection to determine what next steps are the best for you in your career and ways to follow your passions, which in Dr. Olson’s case culminated into a book on veterinary wellbeing that was just released! It is a great conversation, and we learn so much from her positive attitude towards challenges and unforeseen bumps along the road. We cannot wait to share her journey with you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us

“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 to tell you how to be different, I’m going to show you in my own life and then I’m going to invite you to consider coming on that journey with me.’ I think that’s how you change the world, actually.”Our guest today is Dr. Betsy Charles. Dr. Charles wears many hats in the veterinary profession. In today’s episode we talk about her role as the facilitator for the 2022 Veterinary Leadership Conference keynote session. During our discussion we talk about the importance of stories and how showing people something is infinitely more effective compared to just telling people. Our conversation doesn’t stop there, we talk about vulnerability and self-assessments and so much more. This is a truly inspiring and insightful conversation, and we are so excited to share this journey with you! Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and

“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. Everybody has a story.”Our guest today is Dr. Morgan McArthur. Dr. McArthur was one of the keynote speakers for the 2022 Veterinary Leadership Conference. We chat about the importance of finding and owning your story and how the stories we tell ourselves can really impact your outlook on the day! It’s a fun, inspiring and insightful conversation. We are so excited to share this journey with you! Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on social media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

“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 with that, I think it’s a great approach to try and take even in GP or in emergency. I, you know like I said, I don’t like eyes. So for years on emergency, if that was the next triage o that was the next case, I’d be like, I will do anything for you. I’d look at the other vets there. I will suture up wounds. I will go calculate 10 CRI’s that you need to do right now, if you will see that eye case.”Our guest today is Dr. Dana Varble. Dr. Varble is currently the chief veterinary officer at NAVC. She shares how she has shaped her career into something loves and has fun with every day. She has spent time in general practice, emergency and exotic practice as well as association work and editing/publications. We have the best time chatting and cannot wait to share this journey with you!Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podca

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 about new opportunities and what it is like to take a leap to try something new. She shares the importance of self-reflection and really being honest about what your goals are for both your personal and professional life. It’s a fun conversation full of great advice and we cannot wait to share this journey with you!Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on social media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

“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 veterinary medicine and be somebody who can bring people together and who can bring out the empathy in those moments.”Our guest today is Hidayah Martinez-Jaka. Hidayah is completing her fourth you of veterinary school. This would already be a full plate, but she also is the current SAVMA President AND was part of the incredible Keynote Experience at the 2022 Veterinary Leadership Conference. She joins us to build on her story of finding the light in veterinary medicine. It’s a great conversation and we can’t wait to share this journey with you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on social media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

“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 of people. Because you have reserved youth, reserved children, and by just saying that. And that’s what I feel like as veterinarians we need to remember.”Our guest today is Dr. Stephanie Jones. Dr. Jones was one of our early guests on My Veterinary Life Podcast and she joins us today to discuss the story she shared during the 2022 Veterinary Leadership Keynote experience. We focus today on how we can bring the light out in those around us and often it is as simple as saying the word veterinarian. It’s a great conversation and we can’t wait to share this journey with you.Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.orgYou can also follow us on social media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

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 some timely topics in wellbeing. Dr. Brandt offers some highlights from the most recent Merck Wellbeing Study and what we can do with this information. It’s a great conversation and we can’t wait to share it with you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on social media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

“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?’ It’s a reminder to find my North Star. If everything disappeared and I could not be a veterinary technician, and I didn’t work for the organization that I work for and I’m involved in the activities, at the end of the day, what’s my North Star?” Our guest today is Garnetta Santiago. Garnetta is a registered veterinary technician and has had an incredible career! Today we focus on the story she shared during the 2022 Veterinary Leadership Conference Keynote. We discuss the power of story telling and what impact you can have on others both in your personal and professional life. It’s an incredible conversation and we can’t wait to share this journey with you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on social media @

“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 enough. I don’t think we hear enough that, you know, that veterinary medicine can be a great life. It’s very rewarding. I mean it has its challenges but everything has its challenges.”Our guest today is Dr. Vernard Hodges. Dr. Hodges was one of the keynote speakers at the 2022 Veterinary Leadership Conference. You may also recognize him from the hit TV Show Critter Fixers. In this episode we discuss the importance of mentorship and what an amazing career Veterinary Medicine can offer to anyone. This was an extremely fun and inspiring conversation and we can’t wait to share this journey with you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on social media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

“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 thought you would and so you have to make the most of it. And so, I did a lot of quick learning on my feet, like, ‘you’re the only doctor right now, you’re fresh out, you have to call in reinforcements.’”Our guest today is Dr. Lauren Rowe. Dr. Rowe is the newest member of the AVMA’s Student Initiatives team. We learn what her road to veterinary medicine looked like and how community played a big part in that! She also shares what went into her decision to pursue an internship and then return to faculty at Tuskegee as well as how she first learned about the opportunity at the AVMA. It’s a great conversation and we can’t wait to share this journey with you. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on social me