Have you ever NOT done something because you knew you couldn't doing it PERFECTLY? And then after awhile you realize you're letting this "all or nothing" perfectionism mindset stop you from being great?

In our second of our March series highlight women, we're sitting down with Allie Dunn, the woman behind @theradvet who is currently in the thick of her radiology residency. Allie, like us all, is navigating showing up during difficult or busy life seasons.

I loved this convo with Allie because I think we all could learn from how Allie has mastered the art of showing up even if it's NOT perfect and prioritizing self-care in a way that many residents and others going through busy seasons simply do not!

I hope you'll enjoy hearing from her as much as I did!

Welcome to the first in our March podcast series highlighting powerful women and their stories! We're starting with a personal friend of mine, Dr. Kirsten Ronngren of @vet_redefined.

Kirsten's story is one of PIVOTS - she demonstrates the power of self-awareness and reassessment and how very NORMAL and NECESSARY it is to make adjustments on our paths.

In this week's episode Kirsten and I cover a variety of topics including (but not limited to):

- How Kirsten mastered the soft skills of communication to become the top earner at her practice

- The implementation of self-care tactics to bounce back from burnout

- Navigating creative solutions to stay in love with her career path

Kirsten is a masterclass in the power of good communication and personal growth!

You can find her on Instagram at @vet_redefined and her website vetredefined.com

On this week's episode we're unpacking what happens when you're not where you thought you SHOULD be by now or not where you once were.

Sometimes we're CRUSHING. IT.

We're able to show up with ferocity and we just can't be stopped.

And then other times...we're barely showing up at all.

What then?

In this episode we're discussing what it looks like to show up in different seasons, the POWER of showing up and sharing your story, and how we bounce BACK!

Other resources:

In this episode I mention another episode on Burnout and what to do about it - you'll find that discussion in episode 16, an interview with Kate Van Vuren!

If you're in veterinary medicine, you may be aware of the dreaded "Match Day"...a day when a computer program decides your fate...or does it?

This week's episode I share my experience of Match Day and the nightmare of "the scramble" when I didn't match, the lessons I learned from that, and ultimately how my unconventional path to "success" still got me where I wanted to go.

Turns out, this "bump in the road" or this "set back" has become the most powerful part of my story, and I hope that by sharing this, you'll understand that an algorithm may set you on your path, but it certainly doesn't decide your fate...YOU do.

BONUS: I threw in some tips for the mindset hacks that got me through a difficult internship and ultimately ended up setting me up for what I believe is about to be my dream job, 6 years later!

Whether it's because we don't believe we DESERVE better or we're not sure that better EXISTS, it's all to common for us to settle for what we're offered, rather than persisting and asking for what we need.

In today's episode I'm encouraging you to stop listening to the naysayers who will tell you that the world sucks and it doesn't get better. I'm asking you to let yourself want more. To stop settling for a crappy relationship or a job that makes you feel like crap - and continue the search for more. Continue to believe that it's out there, that YOU have the power to make change for GOOD, and that you DESERVE it.

This week's episode is a little different - this week I'm doing a deep dive into not only some practical communication tips and verbiage, but the MINDSET of strong interpersonal communication. This is largely through the context of client communication in the veterinary setting, however, the features of effective communication remain the same regardless of who you're communicating with.

It's not just what you want them to hear...it's how you want them to FEEL. Will they feel seen? Will they feel heard? Will they TRUST you?

Once you have that, you have a tremendous amount of influence!

Reminder: Self-care is NOT selfish.

Self care can look like a lot of things. It can look like treating yourself to a massage and/or a pizza and wine night. It can look like exercise and getting enough sleep. But it can also look like saying NO and stoping the comparison game.

Self-care isn't about putting other people's needs on the back burner, it's about make sure that you're not putting YOURSELF on the back burner. Because my friend, NO ONE will care for you better than you care for yourself. NO ONE will advocate for you better than you advocate for yourself. NO ONE will work for your dreams harder than you work for them yourself.

Self-care isn't selfish. It's essential. If you don't put gas in that tank, that car is gonna stall out and die. And then what? Who benefits from that? No one.

This week's episode is a reality check on that mindset of self-care being something we do "if we have time"...MAKE. TIME.

Does the term "bias" make you all itchy and uncomfortable?

It doesn't have to.

Sometimes bias is BAD. It can cloud our judgement, make us see things through a false lens, and give us tunnel vision. But what if we HACKED our bias about OURSELVES and made it serve us instead?!

Today's episode breaks down how BIAS can be used to our ADVANTAGE.

You feel stuck. You know what you WANT. You know what you SHOULD do. But you keep doing what you've always done instead.

In today's episode we're unpacking WHY you're stuck and what it's going to take to get you UNstuck. Whether it's in your health, personal relationships or career goals, we're going to dive into what power YOU have to stop treading water and take the necessary steps towards living a life you THRIVE in!

Happy 1 year anniversary to the podcast! What once felt like a dream that I wasn't brave enough to turn into a goal is now ONE YEAR OLD!

My hope for this episode is that from the WHY behind this pod, the things that held me BACK and the lessons I've learned along the way, there will be something here that will inspire YOU to ACT and bet on yourself and dream BIGGER and then bigger still. Because I believe that the best is yet to come and we simply need to SHOW UP and be AUTHENTIC and we're going to change the world.

You in?