My Veterinary Life

Dr. Kate Bailey, vice president of medical excellence and education at MedVet and a board-certified veterinary anesthesiologist, is our guest this week. From plans to pursue equine surgery to discovering a passion for anesthesiology, teaching, and medical quality, Dr. Bailey reflects on how mentorship, new experiences, and an openness to changing direction shaped each step of her career. She also shares why we shouldn’t feel pressured to find the “perfect” job right away and how focusing on what matters most to you can open the door to opportunities you never knew existed.

Thank you to our podcast partner Hill’s Pet Nutrition! You can find more information about Hill’s Pet Nutrition at https://www.hillspet.com/ and https://www.hillsvet.com/.

Dr. Jane Sykes, the director of the Center of Continuing Professional Education, a small animal medicine professor at the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, and the Ask A Vet columnist for the Washington Post, is this week's guest. Dr. Sykes shares her career journey from infectious disease research in Australia to an internal medicine residency and ultimately to a faculty position at UC Davis. She reflects on how an academic career gradually expanded into infection control, hospital leadership, postgraduate education, and additional training through an MBA and MPH, with each step opening doors she hadn’t necessarily anticipated. She also shares how saying yes to media interviews, despite initially finding them intimidating, eventually led to another unexpected chapter: writing a veterinary advice column for The Washington Post.

Thank you to our podcast partner, NVA General Practice. NVA helps great vets become even greater with multiple paths to build a career that’s uniquely yours. Wherever you want to go next, NVA has a path to help you get there. Visit Careers.NVA.com to find your next role.

Dr. Miki Mannino, a canine rehabilitation therapist and owner of K-9 Kinetics Rehabilitation and Sports Therapy, is our guest on this week's episode. Dr. Mannino entered veterinary medicine with a clear vision for her future as a mixed animal practitioner, but a serious health challenge led her away from large animal practice and into canine rehabilitation. She built a new career and a practice around what she could do rather than what she had expected to do, and she shares what this experience taught her about letting go of a carefully planned career path, staying open to unexpected opportunities, and trusting yourself through periods of change and uncertainty.

Thank you to our podcast partner, NVA General Practice. NVA helps great vets become even greater with multiple paths to build a career that’s uniquely yours. Wherever you want to go next, NVA has a path to help you get there. Visit Careers.NVA.com to find your next role.

Dr. Rachel Stading, a small animal associate veterinarian with special interests in dentistry and leadership development, is our guest on this week's episode. Dr. Stading reflects on how mentorship, curiosity, and different practice experiences helped her better understand what she needed to thrive as she navigated an early interest in wildlife and aquatic animal medicine to discovering an unexpected passion for veterinary dentistry. She also shares how her growing interest in leadership and mentoring came full circle through the Veterinary Leadership Institute, reinforcing the value of understanding yourself, supporting others, and being willing to take the first step.

Thank you to our podcast partner, NVA General Practice. NVA helps great vets become even greater with multiple paths to build a career that’s uniquely yours. Wherever you want to go next, NVA has a path to help you get there. Visit Careers.NVA.com to find your next role.

Charlotte Weir, the vice president of partnerships for Roo, an online veterinary staffing and careers platform, the founder and co-owner of a small animal hospital, and the winner of the 2026 AVMA Unsung Hero Award, is this week's guest. Char's career has taken her from veterinary technician to practice manager, entrepreneur, and leader, with each step deepening her interest in the people behind veterinary medicine. She shares how her hands-on experiences in practice inspired her to tackle bigger challenges around staffing, career growth, and creating a more sustainable profession. Along the way, Char shares practical advice for us from her leadership philosophy centered on trust, communication, and working shoulder to shoulder with the people around her.

Thank you to our podcast partner, NVA General Practice. NVA helps great vets become even greater with multiple paths to build a career that’s uniquely yours. Wherever you want to go next, NVA has a path to help you get there. Visit Careers.NVA.com to find your next role.

Dr. Beth Neuman, senior director of mentorship at NVA General Practice, is this week’s guest and this quarter’s featured guest. Dr. Neuman shares the twists and turns of her career that began as a second career and took her from overnight emergency practice to building and growing her own veterinary hospitals. A period of reflection led her to explore a new side of the profession at NVA General Practice and ultimately discover what she calls her “dream job” in mentorship. Dr. Neuman also reflects on embracing unexpected opportunities, finding the right career fit, and the many paths a veterinary degree can open throughout a lifetime in the profession.

Thank you to our podcast partner, NVA General Practice. NVA helps great vets become even greater with multiple paths to build a career that’s uniquely yours. Wherever you want to go next, NVA has a path to help you get there. Visit Careers.NVA.com to find your next role.

Dr. Clarke, the president-elect of the American Animal Hospital Association, a co-owner of a small animal hospital, a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, and a member of the AVMA Veterinary Economics Strategy Committee, is our guest this week. His commitment to advanced learning led him to become board-certified through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, while his passion for elevating veterinary care expanded into service with professional organizations including AAHA and AVMA. Dr. Clarke also reflects on balancing professional service with family and team commitments and explains why strong relationships remain at the heart of a successful veterinary career.

Thank you to our podcast partner, NVA General Practice. NVA helps great vets become even greater with multiple paths to build a career that’s uniquely yours. Wherever you want to go next, NVA has a path to help you get there. Visit Careers.NVA.com to find your next role.

Join Dr. Clarke at the 2026 Veterinary Business and Economic Forum, online October 7-8. Thought leaders and innovative researchers will share the latest information on business trends that affect local veterinary hospitals. Come away with actionable insights and easy-to-implement action guides to build your own success strategy. Register here today!

Dr. Keshe Chow, a board-certified specialist and bestselling author of fantasy, romance, and speculative fiction, is our guest this week. From cat-shy pre-veterinary student to feline specialist, animal welfare advocate, and published author, Dr. Chow has built a career by following her curiosity wherever it leads. She shares the changing priorities that shaped her path, including balancing motherhood with board certification and rediscovering her childhood love of creative writing. She also discusses bringing her two worlds together in fiction, using empathy and experience to imagine what it might be like to care for magical creatures in her most recent book, Strange Familiars.

Thank you to our podcast partner, NVA General Practice. NVA helps great vets become even greater with multiple paths to build a career that’s uniquely yours. Wherever you want to go next, NVA has a path to help you get there. Visit Careers.NVA.com to find your next role.

Dr. Kirsty Husby, an equine surgeon with an MBA in Organizational Leadership who will soon be pursuing her PhD in Leadership Studies, is our guest this week. She shares how setbacks and career pivots ultimately shaped a more meaningful definition of success. She explains how earning an MBA sparked her interest in organizational leadership and why skills like emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and reflective practice are just as essential as clinical expertise. She also shares how she now combines surgery, mentoring early-career veterinarians, and leadership research to help shape a healthier, more resilient future for the profession.

Thank you to our podcast partner, NVA General Practice. NVA helps great vets become even greater with multiple paths to build a career that’s uniquely yours. Wherever you want to go next, NVA has a path to help you get there. Visit Careers.NVA.com to find your next role.

Dr. John Younker, MBA, a veterinary practice consultant, speaker, mentor, and former practice owner, is this week's guest. From launching his veterinary career during the aftermath of a recession to building and eventually selling a thriving multi-practice hospital, Dr. Younker shares the unexpected twists that shaped his professional journey. He reflects on the lessons he learned about entrepreneurship, leadership, practice ownership, and creating win-win solutions that benefit patients, clients, and veterinary teams alike. Along the way, Dr. Younker offers thoughtful advice for early-career veterinarians on choosing supportive workplaces, embracing growth through challenge, and building sustainable careers without sacrificing personal wellbeing.

Thank you to our podcast partner, NVA General Practice. NVA helps great vets become even greater with multiple paths to build a career that’s uniquely yours. Wherever you want to go next, NVA has a path to help you get there. Visit Careers.NVA.com to find your next role.