My Veterinary Life

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

“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 think it was the National Cancer Institute came out and said about 6 million dogs a year get cancer and if you look, there is actually less than 450 boarded veterinary oncologists in the US and Canada.”Our guest today is Rachael Venable. Dr. Venable is a board-certified oncologist and founder of Pet Cancer Care Consulting. We talk about becoming board certified including her internship and residency experience and what it was like to start a business. It’s a great 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 #MVLPodcastIf you would like to know more about Pet Cancer Care Consulting, please visit Dr. Venable’s websi

“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 thought, ‘ok if I could be a veterinarian, this is going to be exactly what I’m meant to do.’ I feel lucky that I had that vision as a child and that’s what I wanted to do. So yeah, it was an easy choice, growing up, I wanted to be a veterinarian.”Our guest today is Dr. Joanne Maki. Dr. Maki is the Technical Director for North America Veterinary Public Health with Boehringer Ingelheim. She shares her incredible career journey and how one newspaper ad for a veterinarian changed the course of her career. We also talk about how she blends her passion for science and creativity into her research. It’s an incredible 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 soc

“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 something’. So, if you don’t like your job, that’s not a reason, really to go looking, that’s not a reason to take something else.”Our guest today is Dr. Lisa Fortier. She recently joined the staff of AVMA as the Editor in Chief for publications and we loved having this opportunity to get to know more about her. We talk about how mentors played a pivotal role in her career and helped her find the opportunity at Cornell University where she spent over 30 years! She then shares how she has found a way to combine her passion for reading, science, problem solving AND helping others find their voice in her new role at the AVMA. We also learn about many exacting changes coming to AVMA publications. It is a fun and insightful conversation, 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 Podcas

“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 me bring a completely different set of skills to this position.”Our guest today is Dr. Sharon Wappel. Dr. Wappel currently works for Zoetis as an Associate Director of Global Biologics and a Small Animal Clinician. We talk about all the turns her career has taken and some of the challenges she has faced and how she overcame them. It is an incredible conversation and we learned so much. 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.orgYou can also follow us on Social Media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

“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 know what there was available and what could be done.”Our guest today is Misty Tobyne. Misty is a veterinary technician who works for Hill’s Pet Nutrition. We talk about her road to veterinary medicine and how she jumped straight into an role in industry thanks to one of her professors. She shares what she has loved about her career path and how her roles in the company have evolved over time. 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

“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 many people are overwhelmed and just remember that you know, that what you are doing is enough and that if you need help, to reach out to somebody and that you are definitely not alone in the struggle right now.”Our guest today is Dr. Yvette Huizar. Dr. Huizar joins us to continue our discussion on diversity, inclusion and belonging in veterinary medicine. She shares why it was so important to create the Latinx Veterinary Medical Association and how she did this through veterinary school and continues to work on it during her internship. We learned so much and are incredibly honored 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

“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 this mission statement a year and a half ago.”Our guest today is Dr. Sumeet Gupta. Dr. Gupta joins us to continue our discussion on diversity, inclusion and belonging in veterinary medicine. He shares an incredible list of resources that you will want to go and check out! We also chat a little about his career and how different experiences have helped shape his road throughout veterinary medicine. We learned so much and are incredibly honored 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

“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 solve as quickly as needing a task force overnight. And so not, sort of, the real work begins.”Our guest today is Dr. Evelyn Galban. Dr. Galban is an associate professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Penn Vet. She is also the founder of the Native American Veterinary Association. We talk about her journey through veterinary medicine and dig into why diversity is so crucial in this profession. She shares so many great insights and stories. It’s a great conversation, you won’t want ot miss. We learned so much and are incredibly honored 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

“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 the solution? Or are you not?’ And so, that’s how I chose it.”Our guest today is Dr. Mia Cary. This is the third time Dr. Cary has joined us on the show, so be sure to check out her previous episodes. Today she helps us kick off our 4-part miniseries focused on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. We also talk a lot about Radical Candor and how those concepts can help us approach conversations that challenge us. We learned so much and are incredibly honored 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 #MVLPodcastHere is a list of links referenced in today’s episode: https://pridevmc.org/gender-identity-bill-of-rights/ https://padlet.com

“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, that made that experience better for them and made my day better. So, trying to find those ‘golden snitch’ moments and putting in that little extra effort, certainly pays off.”Our guest today is Dr. Michael Miller. Dr. Miller was previously on the show and we want to encourage you to check out that episode. Today’s episode is broken into two parts. In the first part, we are focused on creating magic in your workplace. Dr. Miller shares examples of how he has implemented this at his practice and how he makes an effort to find ‘golden snitch’ moments every day. During the second part of the episode, we focus on the Veterinary Leadership Conference, where he will be speaking. We talk about how to get the most out of the conference and tips and tricks for navigating this space. We had a blast with Dr. Miller and can’t wait to share this journey with you. Remember we wan

“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, you’ll get some visibility and every single practitioner, and every single veterinarian has something to offer.”Our guest today is Dr. Gary Vroegindewey. Dr. Vroegindewey has had an amazing career and experienced so many different areas of veterinary medicine. He spent time as a practice owner, then had some incredible opportunities through the US Army Veterinary Corps. He then had the chance to work for the Department of Defense, followed by more incredible stories from the US Army Veterinary Corps. He is now taking all these experiences and sharing them and teaching future veterinarians through his roles at Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine. We learned so much and are incredibly honored 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 revi

“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. At best you can remain present for them. But you can manage your own emotional reaction to their emotional reaction.”Our guest today is Kim Scott. Kim is the New York Times Best Selling author of the book Radical Candor. She was also a keynote speaker at the 2021 Business and Economic Forum. We have a great conversation with her about how we can communicate more clearly in every aspect of our lives and how this alone will solve a good portion of many of the issue we run into throughout our day-to-day activities. Kim is an incredible storyteller and is able to emphasize each of her points with personal stories and experiences. We learned so much and are incredibly honored 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.or

“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 this to someone, ‘Hey, I’m raising costs on you.’ So, that’s very difficult but certainly in this environment where a lot of the input costs are rising.”Our guest today is Dana Peterson. Dana is the chief economist at The Conference Board. She was also a keynote speaker at the 2021 AVMA Business and Economic Forum. In this episode, we talk about why veterinarian should care about economics and how it impacts the day to day workings of the profession. Dana does a great job of sharing small step veterinarians can take to learn a bit more about general economics as well as examples that practices could implement to improve their financial outlook. It’s a great conversation 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

“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 growing this thing.”Our guest today is Dr. Addie Reinhard. Dr. Reinhard is the founder of MentorVet a program established to help early career veterinarians learn important skills to help them succeed in the first years past graduation. We talk about her passion for veterinary medicine and why she believes leadership and mentorship are so critical to the wellbeing of the profession. We also chat about the Veterinary Leadership Conference and learn about two different presentations she will be giving. 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 #MVLPodcastTo learn more about the Veterinary Leadership Conf

“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’s a lot beneath the surface that ultimately makes you feel stuck.”Our guest today is Dr. Cassidy Rist. Dr. Rist shares how her career has taken her on some incredible adventures. This includes completing two internships, traveling internationally, time at the CDC, as well as time with USDA APHIS. This all led up to her current role at Virginia Maryland’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where she is an Assistant Professor or Practice. It is a great 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 #MVLPodcast

“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.”Our guest today is Dr. Grace Kim. Dr. Kim is both a DVM and an AFC. Not familiar with AFC? It stands for Accredited Financial Counselor. We learn about her journey to veterinary medicine and then how she became interested in finances- something that surprised herself! It’s a great conversation full of lots of information and insights. 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 #MVLPodcastIf you want to learn more about Dr. Kim, please visit her website: https://richerlifedvm.com/