Think you can't get into Vet School? Think again. In this episode of Doc Secret, our guest is Dr. Grace Chen, Director of Coaching and Mentorship at Sploot Veterinary Care in Chicago. Grace shares her inspiring journey from an uncertain undergraduate path to becoming a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine through relentless grit and perseverance. After earning her undergraduate degree at UCLA, Grace shares how she overcame great odds to earn her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at Kansas State University, how she built her career in shelter and emergency medicine, and eventually stepped into leadership roles at Boulevard Veterinary and Sploot Veterinary Care. Along the way, she developed a philosophy of servant leadership, built mentorship programs to support the next generation of vets, and embraced new technologies—including AI tools—to transform patient care and reclaim personal time. This conversation explores themes of resilience, leadership, mentorship, innovation, and the evolving landscape of veterinary medicine.

Doc Secret is sponsored by Quantics Marketing, LLC. https://www.quanticsmarketing.com/

00:00 – Meet Dr. Grace Chen: From UCLA to Veterinary Medicine
01:46 – Childhood dreams and a non-traditional academic path
04:44 – Grit, Dollar Tree dinners, and rising to the challenge
10:52 – Shelter medicine and shaping clinical values
12:13 – Servant leadership in action
13:20 – Building mentorship programs and paying it forward
18:49 – Pet insurance, access to care, and shifting client expectations
23:17 – How AI saves hours and deepens client relationships
28:49 – Innovations in veterinary medicine: biotech and fear-free care
40:01 – Lightning Round and Close