What can veterinarians learn from Taylor Swift? Turns out, a lot. In this episode, host Dr. Bethany Weinheimer explores the art of reinvention, storytelling, and authentic leadership through the lens of one of the most iconic artists of our time. Whether you are a full-on Swiftie, Swift-conscious, or simply trying not to lose your sparkle in veterinary medicine, this conversation will help you reconnect and feel inspired.

In honor of Taylor’s recent release, Life of A Showgirl, Bethany shares five powerful lessons from Taylor’s career that can help you reignite your passion for the profession: how to reinvent yourself with resilience, own your narrative, turn pain into purpose, build authentic connections, and celebrate every era of who you have been. Along the way, she opens up about her own burnout era, the transformation that followed, and how leaning into coaching helped her rediscover alignment, adventure, and joy while filming from her camper van in Jackson Hole.

This episode is a reminder that your hardest seasons do not have to define you. They can refine you. Wherever you are in your own era, you have the power to rewrite your story and shine even brighter.

Resources Mentioned 

The Way of Integrity by Martha Beck

Brené Brown’s research on post-traumatic growth

The Evolved Vets Coaching Program
 

Join The Evolved Vets Community

📸 Instagram: @EvolvedVets
📺 YouTube: Evolved Vets
🌐 Website & Membership: evolvedvets.com

Let’s evolve together! 💙

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Mike Walker, founder of Apollo Vets to explore his journey into independent ownership and what it takes to build a practice on your own terms.
Mike shares how he went from new grad with $160k in loans and a $2k award to bank ready in three years, why he launched an open concept clinic, and how transparency with clients became a growth engine for referrals and hiring. Along the way he describes the moments that forced him to clarify his values as a leader, from setting boundaries to choosing people over speed, and how that lens shaped his decisions on money, mentorship, and community.

We also dig into culture and mentorship that actually work. Mike walks through the Apollo Way code of conduct, weekly mentorship touchpoints, giving new grads real surgical reps with a safety net, and using authentic social media to attract values aligned teammates. He explains why he turned down enticing acquisition offers that did not fit his principles, how he balances autonomy with pricing pressure, and practical habits for communication, resilience, and building a practice that stays true to what matters most.

Resources Mentioned 

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Contact Mike

📸 Instagram: @dr.mikewalker

🌐 Website:  https://apollovets.com/
 

Join The Evolved Vets Community

📸 Instagram: @EvolvedVets
📺 YouTube: Evolved Vets
🌐 Website & Membership: evolvedvets.com

Let’s evolve together! 💙

Important Disclaimer

This episode contains open and honest discussion about addiction, mental health challenges, and suicide within veterinary medicine. These topics may be triggering for some listeners.

If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide:

You are not alone. Help is available.

Episode Description

In this episode, we sit down with Geoffrey, an ER veterinary technician of nearly 20 years and the creator behind @aintdoingright. Geoffrey shares his personal journey through burnout, addiction recovery, and rebuilding joy in veterinary medicine.

We explore the gray area of practicing medicine, the traps of perfectionism, and the importance of accountability buddies and mentors. Geoffrey also shares his tools for “shift shedding,” why fun and vulnerability matter, and how small daily improvements can change everything.

If you’ve ever felt weighed down by VetMed’s intensity, this conversation offers hope, humor, and practical tools to help you move forward with more compassion for yourself and your team.

Resources Mentioned

Contact Geoffrey

📸 Instagram: @aintdoingright
🤝 Open invite to say hi at conferences and in DMs (he checks requests)

Join The Evolved Vets Community

📸 Instagram: @EvolvedVets
📺 YouTube: Evolved Vets
🌐 Website & Membership: evolvedvets.com

Let’s evolve together! 💙

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Jamie Perkins, Chief Veterinary Officer of DVMoms, about the power of community, innovation in education, and leading with values. Jamie shares her journey from being a single mom in veterinary school to shaping veterinary education through game based learning, 3D modeling, and conference leadership.

We explore how DVMoms grew into one of the largest communities in veterinary medicine, with thousands of members supporting one another through parenting, clinical questions, career changes, and life’s hardest moments. From wildfire evacuations to lost blankets to neurodiversity conversations, the stories highlight just how much connection and support this group provides.

Jamie also talks about the future of veterinary education, why games create more effective and inclusive learning, and how confidence and clear values can open unexpected career doors. We discuss what it means to stand firm in your priorities, ask for what you need, and lead in a way that aligns with both family and career.

If you have ever wondered how to blend personal and professional life in a way that feels authentic, or how community can create opportunities you never imagined, this conversation will inspire you to think differently about what is possible.

Join the DVMoms Community 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/438991642973530 

Book a Free Alignment Call
https://calendly.com/hello-evolvedvets/30min 

Join The Evolved Vets Community:
📸 Instagram: @EvolvedVets
📺 YouTube: Evolved Vets

Let’s evolve together! 💙

In this episode, we talk about why it feels so difficult to simply be ourselves. We share real experiences of living out of alignment and what it took to notice those moments. From travel dreams that felt judged to cultural expectations about life milestones, we explore how easy it is to follow a path that looks right on the outside but feels wrong on the inside.

We talk about how to identify your true values, recognize what alignment feels like in your body, and take small steps toward becoming more of who you really are. Anna shares how her passion for travel shaped her journey, and Bethany opens up about letting go of timelines that did not fit her authentic path. Together, we reflect on how these shifts have created more fulfillment, ease, and energy in our lives.

We also introduce the Four Os to help you make decisions with clarity:

This framework has been a powerful tool for us and for our members, and it may help you uncover where you are acting from alignment and where you are not.

We also talk about the concept of directional living, which is all about following curiosity and fulfillment instead of chasing a destination. When you know your values and practice tuning into what feels expansive versus what feels constricting, you begin to trust yourself more deeply and live in a way that feels true.

If you have ever felt like you were living someone else’s version of success, this conversation will remind you that every step you take toward alignment matters.

Book a Free Alignment Call

https://calendly.com/hello-evolvedvets/30min

🔹 Join The Evolved Vets Community:

📸 Instagram: @EvolvedVets

📺 YouTube: Evolved Vets

Let’s evolve together! 💙

In this special IRL episode of The Evolved Vets Podcast, we’re coming to you from beautiful Kauai, where we’ve been soaking up the island vibes while attending Vet Vacation CE alongside more than 100 veterinary professionals.

We reflect on our very first Summer Evolution inside The Evolved Vets membership, an eight-week journey focused on authenticity, alignment, and living in deeper connection with our values. We share the breakthroughs that have shaped our summer, including:

We also talk about the role of mentorship, accountability, and community in creating lasting change, and how women supporting women in veterinary medicine is at the heart of what we’re building.

If you’ve ever felt the urge to slow down, realign with what matters most, or take a bold leap in your life or career, this episode is for you.

Resources

Anna’s Substack: https://substack.com/@drannafoster 

Become an Evolved Vet:

https://www.evolvedvets.com/membership

🔹 Join The Evolved Vets Community:

📸 Instagram: @EvolvedVets

📺 YouTube: Evolved Vets

Let’s evolve together! 💙

In this inspiring episode of The Evolved Vets Podcast, we’re coming to you live from Africa with our new friend (and roomie!) Cheryl, a zoo veterinarian whose career journey has been as wild as the animals she’s cared for.

Cheryl shares what it was like to live and work inside the Bronx Zoo for three years, hand-raising everything from blackbuck antelope to a beloved bison, and even performing a legendary bathtub plug extraction from an alligator named Maggie (now a permanent tattoo on Cheryl’s arm!). But this episode goes deeper than wildlife stories. We talk about burnout, perfectionism, living with purpose, and how to know when it's time to say no to something, even your dream job.

We explore how Cheryl’s unshakable commitment to conservation led her through long hours, underpaid internships, and burnout. And we celebrate how her brave decision to prioritize alignment over prestige is opening new doors, including a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that manifested right here in Africa.

Whether you’ve ever dreamed of zoo medicine or you're simply seeking more clarity in your own life and career, Cheryl’s story is a powerful reminder that you get to define success for yourself, and that rest, healing, and self-awareness are not luxuries but necessities.

Connect with Cheryl:

📸 Instagram: @Cherstout

📱 TikTok: @safari_and_scrubs

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

📗The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

Become an Evolved Vet:

https://www.evolvedvets.com/membership

🔹 Join The Evolved Vets Community:

📸 Instagram: @EvolvedVets

📺 YouTube: Evolved Vets

Let’s evolve together! 💙

In this episode of The Evolved Vets Podcast, we’re digging into one of the most requested and emotionally charged topics in veterinary medicine: money.

We’re sharing our own mindset shifts from scarcity to abundance, and how the narratives around money in vet med can shape the decisions we make, the jobs we take, and the way we value ourselves. From student loans and undervaluing our time to the emotional weight of treatment costs and client interactions, we explore how to reframe these challenges with compassion, strategy, and clarity.

We talk through the three core areas where lack and abundance show up: mindset, money, and time. We share stories from our personal lives, including what we’ve learned about aligning spending with our values and investing in what truly matters. We also highlight insights from experts like Dr. Meredith Jones, who brings a wealth of knowledge as a veterinarian and certified student loan professional, and Ashley Foster, Anna’s husband and a financial life planner who helps vets design value-driven financial strategies.

Whether you’re feeling the pressure of student debt, overwhelmed by career decisions, or simply ready to live more intentionally with your money, this episode is here to support you.

Let’s rewrite the money story in vet med, together.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

📘 Money: It's Not the Problem, You Are by Gary M. Douglas and Dr. Dain Heer

📗 I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

📕 Excessively Obsessed by Natasha Oakley

🎧 Veterinary Financial Podcast by Dr. Meredith Jones

👩‍⚕️ AllVet Financial | https://www.allvetfinancial.com

📈 Ashley’s Financial Life Planning: https://www.nxtgenfp.com

Become an Evolved Vet:

https://www.evolvedvets.com/membership

🔹 Join The Evolved Vets Community:

📸 Instagram: @EvolvedVets

📺 YouTube: Evolved Vets

Let’s evolve together! 💙

In this episode of The Evolved Vets Podcast, we’re sharing our journey through our Summer Evolution program. This 8-week experience is designed to help veterinarians reconnect with their core values and start living in a way that feels more true to who they are.

We walk through the four stages of authenticity: depletion, alignment mismatch, transformation, and finally, living in alignment. Along the way, we open up about our own journeys, what’s felt heavy, what’s shifted, and what it looks like to move from surviving to thriving.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re running on autopilot or building a life that doesn’t fully reflect what matters to you, you’re not alone. This episode is full of real talk about perfectionism, people pleasing, and the moments that helped us finally give ourselves permission to do things differently.

We also talk about the impact this program has had on our members, from career breakthroughs to powerful personal growth. If you’re curious where you land in the authenticity journey, we invite you to take our free quiz and explore what small step might be next.

Let’s keep evolving, together.

Take the Quiz:

https://form.typeform.com/to/XpCnmr9k

Become an Evolved Vet:

https://www.evolvedvets.com/membership

🔹 Join The Evolved Vets Community:
📸 Instagram: @EvolvedVets
📺 YouTube: Evolved Vets

Let’s evolve together! 💙

Dr. Brianna Armstrong joins The Evolved Vets Podcast to talk about the real work of becoming a leader in vet med. From starting her own clinic just 18 months after graduation to launching creative side projects, Brianna shares what it looks like to build a career by trusting your instincts and learning as you go.

We explore how to decide when to say yes, how to know when something no longer fits, and how to let go of perfectionism. Brianna opens up about her personal approach to leadership, why she believes micro-moments of growth build lasting confidence, and how surviving Hurricane Katrina shaped her mindset on taking risks and appreciating opportunity.

The conversation also touches on burnout, financial empowerment, and the deeper questions many vets face: Is this a hard season, or is it time to move on? What kind of support systems do you need to thrive? And how do you tell the difference between discomfort that leads to growth versus a sign that it's time to pivot?

If you're wondering how to create a more fulfilling, sustainable life in vet med, this episode will leave you feeling grounded, encouraged, and far from alone.

About Dr. Brianna Armstrong

 Dr. Brianna Armstrong is a veterinarian, entrepreneur, and passionate advocate for transforming veterinary culture through people-first leadership. As the Medical Director and Co-Owner of Firehouse Animal Health Center  in Austin, Texas, she leads with a focus on belonging, psychological safety, and operational excellence, creating an environment where teams thrive and pets receive top-tier care.

She is the co-host of Choose People Love Pets, a podcast that explores leadership and innovation in veterinary medicine, and the founder of the DVM Off Script series, which highlights the bold and creative paths veterinarians are forging beyond the traditional clinic model.

Her work includes startup advising, thought leadership, and the development of certification tools that help hospitals embed culture and accountability into daily operations. With a background in both veterinary medicine and visual arts, and a patent in veterinary monitoring technology, Dr. Armstrong seeks out opportunities to blend creativity, medicine, and mission-driven leadership.

She is always open to connecting with others who are building something that makes veterinary medicine better for people, pets, and the profession.

Connect with Dr. Brianna Armstrong 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brianna-armstrong-dvm

📸 Instagram: @drarmstrongdvm

Listen to Choose People Love Pets Podcast

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/choose-people-love-pets/id1754575183

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7unUv1E6778t1FMypYR8G2 

Sponsored By Nxt:Gen Financial Planning 

https://www.nxtgenfp.com

🔹 Join The Evolved Vets Community:
📸 Instagram: @EvolvedVets
📺 YouTube: Evolved Vets