The MacVet Podcast

By Dr Fiona MacGillivray MRCVSScience Social Sciences

The MacVet Podcast episodes

November 16, 2023Reach out
Alison Blackler is an international mind coach with first-hand experience of the importance of achieving self-confidence and self-awareness; prior to becoming a coach, her severe lack of confidence impacted her life every day, affecting her work and relationships.
Today, she helps others to understand themselves, sharing useful tools to develop their own confidence and guiding them to positive change. Alison is also a public speaker, podcaster and has authored two books.

In this episode, Alison talks about:
imposter syndrome - what it is and how to recognise the signs

not being afraid to reach out to others for help

when it feels appropriate to drink coffee!
Listen in to hear Alison's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!

Links from this episode:
Alison's website https://2-minds.co.uk/
The Mental Wealth Podcast https://mental-wealth.captivate.fm/listen
40 min
November 02, 2023 Learning together
Nikki Yoxall is passionate about helping bring about change in farming practices through understanding and partnership. She has a background in education, training and horses, and was excited when the opportunity arose to add farming to her daily life, setting up Grampian Graziers with her husband James in Aberdeenshire, UK.

Nikki’s work is focused on agroecological transitions, understanding farmers’ cultural identities and social practices to enable mixed farming futures.

In this episode, Nikki talks about:
the importance of using the 'right' language for mutual understanding,
embracing the opportunities within new roles,
showing curiosity and interest through asking questions.

Listen in to hear Nikki's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!

Links from this episode:
https://www.pastureforlife.org/
https://www.grampiangraziers.co.uk/
https://www.ccri.ac.uk/about-us/people/postgraduate-students/nikki-yoxall/
https://www.nffn.org.uk/
42 min
October 19, 2023Circuitously into communications
Taking a rather circuitous route through different companies and roles in communications led Patrick Donohoe to his current role as director of communications and corporate affairs with Lakeland Dairies, a dairy processing co-operative based in Ireland, with customers in 70 countries across the world. One of his recent roles was working as an advisor to the Irish minister for agriculture, food and the marine.
Having such a broad range of experience puts Patrick in a fantastic position to talk about the importance of using communication to shape the implementation of policy, to keep company employees updated and engaged, and conveying key messages about the business to customers.
In this episode, Patrick talks about:
making sure communications are two-way

taking a sabbatical to experience the world of politics

his least favourite breed of cow!

Listen in to hear Patrick's thoughts about communication, cows and coffee!
Links from this show:
www.lakeland.ie
40 min
October 19, 2023The wall of words
Understanding people and what motivates them is a key skill that Karen Halton possesses. One of the ways she has demonstrated this is to create the 'wall of words' with her farm team. Everyone was asked to come up with one word that summed up how they feel about the industry or working on the farm. Those words were then printed and posted on the milking parlour wall, acting as a powerful reminder of the team's purpose.
Alongside her passion for cows, Karen believes in investing in the team of people she works with.
In this episode, Karen talks about:
encouraging younger people into the dairy industry
motivating through involvement
cream cake Friday
Listen in to hear Karen's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!

Links from this show:
www.haltonfarms.com
36 min
October 05, 2023 For the love of cows
Becoming the passionate and inspirational dairy farmer she is today seems to have been Karen Halton's destiny, as was marrying her teenage sweetheart, Tom. Central to everything in her farming life are the cows; Karen, Tom, and the team strive to provide an environment that achieves high welfare for the cows and calves. Having the opportunity to look round with Karen before our conversation, it was clear to see that the Haltons' Cheshire farm is indeed 'the home of happy healthy crossbred cows'.
In this episode, Karen talks about:
not shying away from 'difficult' questions
how diversifying helps reach more of the public to hear about dairy
prioritising a strong team
Listen in to hear Karen's thoughts about communication, cows and coffee!
Links from this show:
www.haltonfarms.com
44 min
October 05, 2023 Constantly curious
Joe Navarro is an international bestselling author, having published 14 books including the world number 1 book on body language, What Every BODY Is Saying.

He began studying human behaviour as a boy, having fled to the US with his family from Cuba in the 1960s, and continued to build his skills and insight during his 25 years working as a special agent for the FBI.

In this episode, Joe talks about:
the difference between children and adults in their observational skills and the reasons behind this,
how nonverbal behaviours can be used to calm down an angry person,
discovering how playful cows are!

Listen in to discover Joe’s thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!

Links from this episode:www.jnforensics.com
38 min
September 21, 2023 I see what you're saying
Former FBI special agent Joe Navarro interviewed a wide range of people during his career - including bank robbers, kidnappers and spies – which provided a special opportunity to observe people and study their body language. Since retiring after 25 years in the FBI, he has shared those observations in his best-selling books, through public speaking and delivering training courses.

In this episode, Joe talks about:
body language and nonverbal communication – is there a difference?
observing nonverbal communication in scientific and non-scientific settings,
the relevance of nonverbal communication in daily life.

Listen in to discover Joe’s thoughts on communication!

Links from this episode:
www.jnforensics.com
30 min
September 21, 2023 A different way of thinking
Temple Grandin has worked in the livestock industry for over 50 years and has been instrumental in improving animal welfare around the world, through her work in cattle handling design and as an animal behaviourist and academic. She is professor of animal science at Colorado State University, USA and has authored more than 400 articles in scientific journals and livestock publications on animal handling and welfare.

Temple is also a prominent author and speaker on autism, sharing her insights about ‘differently-abled brains’. In her book, Visual Thinking, she describes being an object visualiser, which also allows her to understand the sensory-based world of animals and explains her intuitive knack for design and problem solving.

In this episode, Temple talks about:
understanding how animals see the world,
how observational skills can suffer as verbal skills improve,
the shadow (or spider) monster,

Listen in to discover Temple’s thoughts on communication and cows!

Links from this show:
www.templegrandin.com
31 min
September 07, 2023 Farmer in training
Dairy farmer Sophie Gregory strongly believes that anyone with a passion to farm can work in this industry. This belief is a testament to her own journey, from accountancy to becoming a first generation farmer alongside her husband Tom.
Sophie shares her experiences through her popular social media accounts @farmer_in_training and @sophieaplin, to help people understand what goes into making a pint of milk and explaining what a dry cow is.
In this episode, Sophie talks about:
raising awareness of farming as a career choice
the importance of having a purpose in life
adapting her accounting skills to farming
Listen in to discover Sophie's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Links from this show:
www.dairyfutures.org.uk
www.justfarmers.org
www.britishgrassland.com
www.arlafoods.co.uk
37 min
September 07, 2023 Creatively speaking
During his career, retired veterinarian Derek Armstrong worked to improve the control of endemic diseases in cattle and pigs. He grew up on a small farm in Ireland, with initial interests in engineering and agriculture superseded by a degree in veterinary.
Moving from roles in clinical practice and research, Derek became lead veterinary science expert with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), the UK's statutory levy board. In this role, he was responsible for delivering a number of programmes designed to support farmers.
Derek's energy and passion to see a coordinated approach to tackle one important cattle disease, BVD, lead to the launch of the national campaign BVDFree England in 2016. His unique approach to engage with key industry stakeholders included a mixture of technical details alongside references to popular songs and poems.

In this episode, Derek talk's about:
the challenges of communicating with larger groups,
the importance of asking the right questions,
how our routines and habits lead to positive or negative outcomes.

Listen in to hear Derek's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
38 min