Hello, it's Anthony Chadwick from the webinar that welcoming you to another episode of the vet chat, and I'm so pleased to have Bethany Weinheimer on. Bethany is a veterinary surgeon. She's the CEO and founder of the Evolved Vets, er fascinating.
To be able to make friends on LinkedIn, find people who are doing really cool things, talking a lot about burnout and how to er prevent that, but I'm gonna pass over to Bethany to introduce herself properly and then we'll dive into the podcast, but thank you so much Bethany for agreeing to come on the podcast. I'm so honoured and excited to be here, thank you so much for having me. I have such a fun journey because I grew up on a farm in small town Texas, and I've known from the day that I can possibly remember that I should be a veterinarian, and it's always been my heart's drive and passion.
You know, growing up on a farm, you learn a lot of responsibility. And when you also live on 100 acres, the animals truly become your best friends. Those are the people you talk to, you empathise with.
It's not like I really had neighbours, so, you know, the cows, the pigs, and the chickens were the, the go to companion at the time. I went to Texas A&M for veterinary school, and I jumped straight into emergency medicine afterward, where I loved endoscopy and surgery and just really getting in the depths of the excitement. I loved not knowing what was coming in and being able to be a calm when customers were really stressed and in those moments of, the unknown, really.
And then, I've joined Veg 6 years ago, actually. Yesterday was my 6 year vegniversary as we like to call it because we're punny. Congratulations.
Thank you. Thank you. So I've been with them.
I've gone through almost every leadership. Role from emergency room doctor to medical director, area medical director, market owner, which is an operations type role. I did that for the last 2.5 years.
And then recently, I'm piloting a new role called field medical director. And then I also, in the last year, a friend and I got together, got our noggins together, and we decided we're going to start the Evolve Vets, which really came from this dynamic of wanting to help veterinarians through burnout and into a phase of sustainability. And alignment in their careers.
And now, Anna has taken a step back from of all Vets to focus on her family, and I'm wrapping my arms around this baby. We do a podcast, a community, and coaching. And so that's in summary, my veterinary journey at a very high level.
Yeah, what questions do you have? Oh, Bethany, really interesting to hear, and, and that early journey, like myself, I was 8 when I decided to be a vet, but I lived in the middle of a city. So my companions were the sparrows that tweeted in the trees.
I woke up, that we'd be fighting on the streets. I'm in Liverpool, we're known for our fighting abilities and then in school, and in fact one of my friends was running around the playground when I was 8 and he stepped and killed a baby sparrow, and I thought oh if I'd been a vet. I might have been able to save its life, so I think that contact with animals from an early age is, is so important and brings so much joy doesn't it, that time, within nature as you had in a 100 acres, did you grow any arable or was it just the, the chickens and the cows and the pigs?
Chickens, cows, pigs, we have horses. My dad and uncle actually ran a cow calf operation where we had 1400 acres. And so, on that land, we did more like hay farming and just different types of, like, I guess, husbandry and taking care of lots of.
Lands and rice. The history of farming in my family runs deep. My grandpa was a rice farmer from a town nearby.
So it's been consistent throughout my family of preserving the land and the connection between land and nature, and our responsibility of conservation and what that looks like for, for both sides. And that's fascinating, you think of Texas as being quite dry and arid, but you're able to grow rice there as well, which is fascinating. Yeah, they do a process where they essentially fill up the ground with water, and it's all with plumbing and it's artificial, but yeah, there's areas of Texas that are specifically known for rice farming, funny enough.
Yeah, brilliant. And then of course you went to the famous vet school, you became an Aggie, 5 years there and. My, one of my favourite lecturers at Webinar vet, you know, we do, training for vets online and we started that 16 years ago, so it was 16 years ago last month.
Wow, congratulations, that's so exciting. I know I'd met Mike at a BSAVA meeting in the Northwest. I'd been looking after him because he'd come from Texas to UK to lecture and he'd come to Liverpool or I think it was actually Preston where he came.
Got to know him very well, I mean what a great character and a great teacher and one of his favourite lines that I still remember, you know, showing his humility was, he would say anything I taught you 10 years ago, was a lie, I just didn't realise, so the way that veterinary medicine changes, I mean you, you were talking before about your cousin who's about 8, 10 years after you qualifying from the RVC. Things change, don't they? We need to keep up to date.
We have to stay up to date and, you know, when we look at veterinary medicine, it's constantly changing. There's constantly new papers. So, you know, resources like yours, being able to stay up to date on that education is so important because it does change even over 3 years.
It doesn't take a full 10 years is what I'm finding. Things are moving even more quickly aren't they and change can be difficult for people, do you think change contributes to that sort of burnout that you're talking about that people just if they don't cope with change, it's more difficult as well? I completely agree.
Change does truly affect, like, the level of burnout, and things are moving so quickly, not necessarily in medicine alone, but just the amount of things that you have to process and put on your to do list. Often we find veterinarians that are in a state of overwhelm or burnout. They're constantly thinking of all the things on their to do list and how to manage those, how to show up for their family, how to show up for themselves, you know, maybe it's taking the kids to school, maybe it's showing up at work and being a good member of the team, but then you also have the responsibilities of the clients who want attention, and then there's the financial component.
So adding change to medicine and how fast things are going now, especially with AI. It does impact the way we process and like it's just another layer of pressure that's added to the veterinarian. It, this is I think something we have the to do lists, but we don't always have to be lists and I think to be and to just be a, you know, we're not a human doing, we're a human being, it's having that time to, to do things that you love is, is so important, to be able to sort of keep that mental health and and be able to continue to, Give to people, we are in a service role, we're in a serving role aren't we, so but we have to be able to, to be able to give we have to fill the er the energy banks up don't we?
Yeah, we always say like, put on your oxygen mask first. And recently, I was in a situation where the hospital really needed some extra coverage, and it was a Friday evening, and I started to think like, OK, should I pick up this, this shift in the hospital? And I really broke down the process to showing up for that shift in 3 ways.
One, where's my battery? Like, have I taken care of myself today? What's my battery level at?
Am I prioritising myself? And then the next one was, like, where's my heart in this decision? Am I making this decision because I feel like I have to, or am I making this decision because I know I can actually show up for the team and be a truly Connected person when I show up for the shift.
Am I going to be present? Am I going to be ready? And like, have I taken care of myself first, right?
So those are kind of the three components that I ask when I say like, should I pick up this extra shift? Should I add more to my plate? And the thing that you said about we're human beings, not human doings, is so valid because I think there's a component where we think we have to get every single thing on the checklist done.
And recently, I led a leadership training where we gave people a long list of things, like, what would you be doing as a leader in this hospital? And we gave them 10 minutes to work out the exercise, like how would they strategize. And then at the end, the joke was on them because the answer actually was, you can't get all this done.
And you have to be able to go through this process of choosing what is the most important and high urgency, high importance, right? And then there's a model. That we use to kind of break down the level of urgency versus importance.
And maybe there are things you just don't do or you delegate. And maybe there are things that you need to get done today, and being able to look at it factually when you have an overwhelming to do list is so important, because then you can still make time for the things that make you you. I remember reading Stephen Cove's Seven Habits of Highly Effective people, and he talks a lot about segment two, which are these important things that aren't urgent, and it's so easy as a vet that we're continually in the urgent stuff that we don't ever kind of work on our business or on ourselves, we're working in the business, so we don't have time to kind of prioritise those.
Bigger projects that will make our life easier because we're just at the coalface, hacking away, you know, at the, at the surface rather than, as you say strategizing, and I, I remember another book, I think it was called 4000 Weeks, I can't remember the author, and he was basically saying, you can't do everything on your to do list, you know, you have to decide what are the 2 to 4 priorities, you know, almost on a daily basis, but also. Through life, you can't do everything so you have to decide where you put your energy because if you try to do too much, you end up mediocre in all those areas rather than really, you know, top class in two or three. I completely agree.
You can do anything, but you can't do everything. So how are you going to spend your time so that way you can have a meaningful life. In a way that looks like successful to you, right?
Because success for you and success for me might look different, and that's OK. You know, for me, things that I value are like adventure. I love to travel, and that's really important to me.
But, you know, maybe for someone like my little sister, she loves being a homebody, and that's less of a priority for her family time and one on one connection with the people that are really close to her. Are far more important. And so we choose to spend our time a little bit differently because we have different values.
But when you know your values, you can show up for the things that actually fill your spirit and give you more time and give you more excitement around life. And that actually is one of the key features to preventing burnout, or if you're in burnout, reconnecting back to who you are, so you can fight that process. When we see burnout in veterinary medicine, it's not like, I think the old way was like, go take the weekend off.
OK, come back and like, be healed from your burnout, right? But now, the process to healing from burnout, at least from my experiences, yes, you do need intentional rest. That is an important part.
Take your week off, go somewhere, reset, focus on you, realign your priorities. And then there's a component of getting out in nature, right? And nature can look different for everyone, but getting out and doing something that really channels your creativity is going to be the next step, because there's actually proven science, every time you paint, or, you know, go on a run, or like, do something that feels creative for you, or you play music, those are going to be the moments that actually.
Turn down the fight or flight and turn up the other side of your brain, where you can actually focus on, just like creativity, it helps show you possibilities instead of focusing on the things that aren't working out well. And so those are just two things that you can do to help if you are feeling burnt out. And then the third, I would say is find out what your values are, and then start living in alignment with those values.
I love the thing that you said about Really leaning into this concept of pouring into yourself first. As I mentioned earlier, I have gone from You know, ER doctor to now a field medical director. And it's easy for people to look at that and just be like, wow, you got lucky.
But the real answer is I do meditation every day, and I lean into the internal work, because when you do and prioritise your internal works first, that is going to be the way that you show up better for your team, for your family, and, and those are the moments that matter, because if you're investing in yourself, you can show up better for everyone else around you. Yeah, I think that's really powerful, we work quite a lot with Lancashire Wildlife Trust with some of their projects at at webinar vets, and we run an event called the Veterinary Green Discussion Forum which is how do we as vets become environmental exemplars for other industries and professionals to follow. And Lancashire Wildlife Trust have shown in studies that this whole idea of green prescribing, sometimes done by a doctor, will actually add more value, so 1 pound put in.
Give 7 pounds of social value back because people aren't going to the doctor as much, they may be coming off antidepressants or halving their dose, that idea of immersing yourself in whatever brings you joy, but I think you know nature is, Is a fantastic way of doing it. I'm holding this podcast in my, in my dining room because I like to kind of, if you notice me sort of looking a bit absentminded, I'm seeing what birds are on the bird feeder at the moment. So be granted at the moment, so we're opening.
I'm fully engaged, I'm fully engaged, but if a sparrowhawk suddenly flew across, I might just lose it for a few seconds. Find your connection with animals, that's beautiful. I, I'm not offended at all.
But that, that sort of green prescribing. You know, as you say, fills up your battery, fills up your spirit, doesn't it? Yes, absolutely.
And having, it's not that the job of being a veterinarian ever really changes or gets easier, right? It, it's not that the people that are in our community or coach are magically like, Oh, great. Like I just, I changed the job description.
There's less. Things on the to do list, that's not it at all. It's being able to come to a place of saying like, OK, the things that are important to me are family, are, you know, maybe it's integrity, maybe it's showing up for adventure and travelling, maybe it's having self-care and self-help, and maybe it's luxury or design, like, whatever the thing is that stands out to you, how do you go back to putting small amounts of time in?
Instead of leaning into Overmom, we constantly are falling into hustle culture, right? I'm sure you've felt it and maybe even heard of it, but In hustle culture, we're constantly in these moments of, I've got to do more, I've got to do it faster, and I've got to execute, right? But what if instead of pushing through and showing up with force energy, we leaned into a more flow-like state and actually like went for a walk for 20 minutes.
And then when you came back, you were able to execute a little bit more productively because you didn't just sit there and be like, I have to get the next thing done. Well I, you know, we spent quite a lot of time out of the office, you know, I, I, I recognise and realise that you started Veg basically at the beginning of the pandemic and obviously you were in all the time because it was emergency, but we kind of, you know, I could see this, I think as vets or epidemiologists so fairly quickly in early March we took the team, you know, home and obviously we were an online business so we were kind of set up to do that anyway. But then the, the danger was we took too long coming back because it was in people's comfort zone to stay at home.
But people could sit at a computer from 9 till 5, and I was saying please don't do that. From a selfish perspective as the kind of owner of the business, you know that the quality of your work dips down, but also it's not good for people's health, mental health, all those things, you know, to make sure you have a proper lunch break, to make sure that you get breaks in the morning and the afternoon. You know, to walk outside, enjoy the sunshine for 10 minutes to come back, all of those things are really, really important, aren't they?
They're so important. I remember my first executive coach, she had a moment with me where she was like, You need to block time for lunch. What are you doing?
And I just remember thinking, wow, what a crazy thought. I actually get lunch. And why did I think that way?
Well, when you're, you're a veterinarian on the floor, and you're in the clinic, and you have 6 drop-offs, or in my case, like, you never know what's going to come in, we teach ourselves to ignore our body. And what that looks like is, oh, I really need to use the restroom, but, you know, another thing just came in, like, I'm gonna go triage that really faster. I'm just gonna go through the estimate with this client really quickly, and then we constantly ignore our body, and then we get to this place of nearing burnout, and we're on this brink of overwhelm.
And we look around and we're like, how did we get here? But we didn't realise that years ago, maybe even in vet school or before, we were teaching ourselves to ignore the signs that our body was giving us all along, like, hey, I'm tired. Hey, I need a rest.
Oh, you know, there was, oh my goodness, when it was COVID, it was crazy in the emergency room, right? Because most general practises closed down or were referring things to us. People adopted animals like crazy.
And I remember there being a day that I had a nurse, a veterinary nurse come up to me and ask a question about a patient that we had. And I just stared, and she looked at me and she's like, Bethany, it's, it's 4 p.m.
Have you eaten anything today? And I was like, hmm. I don't think I have, you know, she runs to the break room and grabs me a stick of cheese and like a Dr.
Pepper and is like, you need sugar. Like you can't answer my questions if you haven't nourished yourself. But I didn't even know I hadn't eaten.
And those are the moments that we ignore our bodies to the point where we're. Self-sacrificing. And what if we did just take 10 minutes to sit in silence and eat our lunch, or the estimate could have waited until I use the restroom, you know, that takes 3 minutes.
It's OK to give yourself 3 minutes in the middle of a shift. Bethany, you know, we cover, we say this quite often on podcasts when we talk about these issues, but it is OK to urinate while you're at work. It is OK, we need to normalise this, please go to the restroom when you're at work.
This is an acceptable thing to do, please do it. Yeah, I mean, obviously that's not just a mental health issue, that becomes a cystitis, which you know can be really painful, can't it, so I, I think it is very difficult though in an emergency room because everything is so hectic and busy. How have you found Veg as an employee deals with that, or as an employer, sorry, deals with that situation, and, and tell us a little bit about your role at Veg now.
Veterinary Emergency Group, just in case people are wondering what Veg is. Absolutely, yeah. So, I, like you said, I joined VE six years ago.
So I joined right at the beginning of the pandemic when we opened our 13th hospital. And we opened our 129th hospital yesterday, and about a month ago, we opened our first in Canada. Which is really exciting.
And the entire premise at Vedge is that we allow customers into the back. They get to be in the treatment area with us while everything's happening, and sometimes that's good and sometimes people don't like it, and we work around those things. But for the most part, humanity comes to life when you bring people together.
And the amount of miracles that I've seen from just putting people in the same room has been transformational. Like, let's say, for example, this is a case that I've had before. There is a customer who's a single mom, walked cat.
It's the, it's the young daughter's. You know, first pet, and she doesn't have the money to afford emergency care for this baby. And then there's, you know, somebody sitting next to them that has a broken toenail, who comes to me or a receptionist and says, Hey, I want to anonymously pay for this person's care.
And that probably happens once a month. So it's, it's impactful. Or, you know, other times or other examples are I'm doing a CPR code.
I'm running a code on a patient, and there's a moment in a code where the doctor is leading the, the CPR, and then there's a moment where we let our team continue the CPR and, and the doctor will take a step back to speak to the client. And as we're talking to the client, we, you know, kind of discuss prognosis and what they want to do, and then usually I'll jump back in to be with the team again and make sure I'm instructing and guiding the team on next steps. In the number of times that that has happened, and somebody else who has no idea who the stranger is, comes up to them, hugs them, and tells them that we're the best veterinary care team.
And, you know, do they know that? No, they've been here for an hour, you know. But in those moments, like having somebody step up outside of our care teams, a stranger, just to be with them and hug them and say, They're doing everything they can.
Like those moments are, it makes me emotional just thinking about it. Those moments when we bring people together, it's like one of the most beautiful things that we can do. So that's a small thing about veg.
Now, to answer your question about why I collect myself. That's really useful that that's I wasn't aware that that's what veg did I suppose presumably sometimes people just can't cope and don't come in the back room with you as well though or you know I, I worked long enough in practise to have work experience kids where you could see they were about to topple, to faint and so you had to get somebody to catch them and things, so not everybody likes sort of blood and guts, do they? Correct, yes.
And we ask those people, you know, when we're treating their animal, like, hey, I'm about to poke a needle to grab some blood. Does blood make you woozy? You know, so like, turn the other way.
And so we're very good about narrating our process as we work through it, and that really helps the clients. And then the other part of that is, if there is, you know, something very critical happening, you and they're not comfortable with it, we'll have a team, you know, come. Customer service representative walk around and say like, Hey, like, I recognise that we're running a CPR.
Are you, like, are you OK here, or would you like us to move you to a different room? So we always give people the opt-out because to your point, like, it is not something everyone wants to see. I've had people say, Yes, please move me to another room.
And I've had other people like grab popcorn and a soda as if they're watching, you know, the latest episode of The Pit, right? Because seeing our team work is, is like a very impactful thing. But it is a, it is a beautiful thing to have the option to be there with your pet.
We even let people stay the night. Like one time I had a customer go home, pack a suitcase, and come back and stayed with us all weekend. Right?
So that's, that's kind of the variability that we have there. And then to answer your question about how veg shows up in these busy emergency rooms for our team, like, we make sure that lunch is mandatory for every hourly employee. The veterinarian, it's not necessarily mandated because our, our structure is a little bit different, but it's definitely encouraged.
And we train our shift leads to kind of do exactly what my nurse did that. Like, hey, have you gone to the bathroom? Hey, have you eaten anything today?
Which is incredible. And then, yeah, to answer your question about my role at VE, so I'm currently a field medical director at VE for the Central Region. So I oversee and help 37 hospitals in the central area for VE.
And my job is essentially being an internal medical director consultant at the company. So since I've had so many various leadership roles throughout Veg, I get deployed to hospitals that have challenges that have not been tackled yet by medical leadership. And it's not that they're not trying or not doing, like, sometimes it's extenuating circumstances, right?
And the challenges can be anything from doctor team culture. To, hey, our team really needs to learn more about surgery. Can you come in and help us develop a plan for that?
To, we're, we're really trying to get in with this RDVM market or referring veterinarian market, but we're struggling to find our way through. Like, they're so committed to the specialty hospitals that are already there. Like, how, how can we improve marketing, to help get more patients.
And so these are like small things that I kind of dive into and help with medically for our teams. So it sounds very plural, you're asked to do a lot of different things as well, which I suppose is, is like the emergency vet, isn't it, who can really be asked to do pretty much anything during a normal shift, there probably is no such thing as a normal shift. There's not There's really not.
You're, you're always seeing something different. It's always innovative, and I think that's the part I love about emergency. And it's one of the reasons I love the field medical director role as well, because I can go into a scenario, know that there's a challenge, and then I get assigned these hospitals for about 6 months.
So I go in, I like study it, I work a couple of shifts there. I spend time on the floor, I interview everyone, and then I essentially develop a plan in relation to and alongside the medical director and market owner who oversee the hospital. And then I help them build a system that will last long after, you know, my 6 month time with that hospital.
So I usually have about 6 hospitals at one time. And once that 6-month period ends, I'll take on another. Another hospital and help them work out a plan too.
So you're coaching people within the team as well, and is that difficult, and I, I'm gonna, I'm going to just come out with it cos it's always better to come out with it. You you're young and you're a woman, so if you're dealing with somebody who is older, male or female, how does that, how does that work, what are the challenges of that and what have been the successes, how do you deal, how do you, How do you make those successful relationships? I love that you asked this question, because it is something that people don't talk about often, and it is something that has a challenge that's usually invisible.
It's almost unspoken many times. And so I love that you're calling it out and just bringing it to the forefront. Now, usually, my, I've, I was a college cheerleader, so I've cheered 19 years of my life.
And so I use my excitement and spontaneity to help people love me at first, and I just take a lot of notes and I listen. And I really try to understand what they've done to, to that point. And then I start to show up with my authority.
And what that looks like for me is showing the research or Proving out different avenues that have worked in the past. And when you have either people on the team, or, I mean, this happens to women in vet meed just as, you know, practising veterinarians, in those moments where I remember being a doctor 6 months out of school and some guy asked me if I was 12. And I was like, Of course I'm not 12.
I'm, I'm a doctor. I'm a medical doctor. I'm at least 25, at a minimum, you know.
And even today, people will ask like, Oh, you look really young to be a doctor. It's like, I've been a doctor for almost a decade now. And, you know, I usually just make a joke of it and say like, Oh, it's the really expensive face cream, you know, that I buy, that's my skin routine.
But the reality is it is a battle. It's a battle to you give me that name, Bethany, because I think I need some of that cream. Yeah, I'll send you some.
There's, there's everything from like the snail mucin. I've also heard there's a new like Korean product that's top of the line that I'm looking into, so I'll definitely, we can, send it over to you so you have some. I think it's too late now.
It's too late for me. Never too late. Too late.
It's never too late. Sorry, I, what do they have like the microblading, I think is a thing too. So sorry, I cut across you.
No, not at all. No, I love the, the humour. So I use humour as well.
So I battle it with humour. I battle it with the research, and then I also have enough self-worth and self-respect to know that I'm not gonna sway everyone, and I think. Through my journey as a people pleaser and kind of coming out of that, it's been a tough acceptance because I want to be loved by everyone.
I wanna, you know, have a good impact. You know, I want everyone to be kumbaya all the time. And the reality is I just am not going to do that, and that's OK.
And I'm not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and that's also OK, but I can be authentic to me and show up as I am and be and know that I have a lot to offer if someone chooses to see it and work with it and understand it. And if they choose not to, then, then I'm OK. I'm safe.
I don't have to change and mould to be somebody else's cup of tea. Because you're going in to help that hospital in the end. Right, exactly.
I'm going in to help, and Like, so far, I haven't had a tonne of resistance. Like, luckily, for me, being at veg a long time and having these different roles, like, usually people are very eager to have me in their hospital because of my experience as a leader. And that is so welcoming.
And I'm sure there's also another side to that where a leader might look at themselves and say, Oh man, I was like giving everything I got, and I still needed help. And I think that's the premise of everything from burnout to wanting a community, to wanting coaching. Like, it's OK to ask for help.
We don't have to carry at all. And I think just asking for help is such an important step on the journey to get to where you want to go. Have you ever had like a professional development coach?
Yeah, I, what I found was also very impactful was being in mastermind groups where it's almost peer support. You know, that people who have been in a similar situation to you. I also went through Eyth training for 3 years, which was a Michael Gerber programme.
And I think it's, it's really important, and I love what you talked about there because, you know, when I'm giving speeches and when I've, I've sort of studied this. Actually first thing first is people want to buy into you, so that emotional thing is really important and what you talked about was, Showing up as a really nice person, and if you do that it's really, really difficult for people, you know, do unto others as you would have done unto yourself, if you are super kind to people, it's really difficult for people to be unkind back, they'll do it for a bit, but if you continue to be kind back to them, they in the end, you know, that whole sort of nonviolence strategy of Gandhi and Martin Luther King was about. If I am always kind to people, in the end they end up being kind back.
Most people do it, you know, quickly, but some people take longer. I think, so you talked about emotion first, then you talked about listening. So rather than going in and saying right OK I know how to change hospitals, this is what we're going to do, you actually really sort of diagnose as well and that listening process.
My wife is in a new school this year. She's just spent a lot of her time listening. You know, and now after nearly two terms she's starting to be able to say, hm, is there maybe another way of doing this, and I think that's really powerful.
And then at the end of it, having the data which says. Here is the data that proves that what I'm suggesting might be the right way to move, but you actually don't start with the kind of logic and data, you start with emotion, I think that was really you put it across and relationships. Yeah, of course.
Like, for me, the first goal is like, let your people love you. And so in order to love you, they have to know you. And so, that looks like maybe joking around or going to dinner, or, you know, having meaningful conversation, getting to know their family, knowing their names.
What do they like to do outside of work? To me, that's the top priority. And if you don't mind, I'd like to add a 4th 1 or a 4th step to that journey, which to me, it's like they also have autonomy.
Like, the plan that I give them is meant to help. And, but they can choose to implement or not choose to implement. And they are the owners of their hospital.
The market owners are the owner of their market. Whether they feel like the solution will work in their hospital with their doctor team. It might work and it might not.
And they know their people the same way I get to know them. So they get to make the decision as to like, is this gonna work? Is this something I'm willing to try?
How do we pivot this so it does land well with the team? And those are, like, honestly, that's the part that makes me most successful. It's like the fact that they know their team and they can say like, Yeah, that might work for this other team, but that's not gonna work here.
Can we innovate on it? So it's that agency at the end as well that there is decision making, you're not coming in as a, as a despot to change things, but you're giving suggestions which they may decide to use or not. So, so obviously all of this experience that you've got with Vetch, and now moving, and I know we're going on, but if you don't mind cos I'm really enjoying the conversation.
The the new thing with evolve vets, obviously with podcasts, starting with coaching, tell us a little bit about the sort of people that one you podcast with, and then how the coaching has developed out of that. Absolutely. So, the Evolved Vets was built as a way to help veterinarians and veterinary community professionals transition from overwhelmed into a place of alignment.
And we do that through values-based coaching and values-based community where we can really bring these women together in order to Help them understand, 1, how are they currently showing up for themselves? 2, where are the gaps between where they're at now and the life that they want to live? And how do we start to slowly change some of those pain points, those points of overwhelm, or lack of self-compassion, in order for them to live this life where they have balance.
Like, it's not about doing it all, as we said earlier. It is the concept of, can I do it all a little bit in a way that feels fulfilling and enjoying for me? And if you can do those things, then you, again, you can't do it all, but you can do all the things that are important to you that make your life feel fulfilled.
And so that's really the premise. Now, the community that we have is similar to what you're describing as a mastermind. Where we bring people together, we have monthly coaching calls, and we really have just like deep connection and vulnerability with people.
We have a membership where people can just do the online modules. So, there's a three-step system that was created for the evolve vets, and it really goes back to that concept. In order to show up the best as a veterinarian, as a mom, as a wife, the internal work has to come first.
And so the three steps that were created were meditation, which is a reflection on like, why am I showing up this way? What happened in my past or childhood? Why am I afraid in this moment?
The second step is something called elevation. Which is where you start to view, like the higher self of what is going on. Or like, if I envisioned giving this feedback conversation tomorrow, who would I look up to?
And what do they do well that I really enjoy? And like, how do I start to see myself, like, owning and envisioning that same characteristic that I can actually apply starting tomorrow? And then the third step is called integration.
And this is essentially a walking meditation that you, it kind of is like a pump up jam. There's like drums, and it's really exciting, but it's really just to start to feel it in your body. What does it feel like if I'm giving feedback in a way that is confident, and I'm safe if somebody gives me feedback?
And that's OK, because I'm still who I am, and I can grow and change and learn. And I'm fully capable of my own destiny. And so we use these three steps as a way to kind of transform from the scarcity mindset, the people pleasing, the overwhelmed, and truly self-abandonment that we see to a place of like authenticity and really showing up for for themselves and for their family and their team in a way that does bring that balance to their life.
It sounds very exciting, I think at the end of the podcast or underneath in the notes we can perhaps put links so if people want to er have listened to the podcast, obviously want to know more, they can get in contact with you and find out about all the different programmes and ways that they they can work with you, that would be really super. Yeah, that would be excellent. And then I'd say the third thing that we do out of all bets is, is coaching.
So it's, I actually call it Code blue coaching because I am a very punny person and I just really love dad jokes, to be honest. But what we find is people nearing this phase of burnout, and they either feel stuck or like they're wanting to give up, like they're running on these fumes, or they're considering, like, should I just quit veterinary medicine? And, like, really, it's nearing this point of what I would consider like a code blue, and I'm using air quotes for everyone who's listening and not watching, but code blue.
So it's not, it's like you're nearing this phase of Almost being critical or, or, or getting to a point of being afraid and not really knowing your next step, and you need a little extra guidance. So the coaching is really just for those people who want the extra accountability, the extra Partnership, so it doesn't feel so lonely. Like, that's, that's the big part.
Like the community, the, the coaching, all of it is just here to help with companionship, vulnerability, and connection to people going through the same thing that you're going through, and understanding the weight of showing up as a good mom, sister, you know, companion, and also a veterinarian, and being able to do that in a way that is sustainable. Obviously your demographic is women, but what sort of ages are you mainly appealing to? Yeah, we would, I would say our top, ages are between the age of 25 and 45, are the majority of people in our community.
So that's kind of the age range that we see there. And I do, we do have some vet students who, you know, do the membership. We have like a special discount for vet students because I was a vet student too, and didn't have any money, really.
And, but I think it's so important to start to learn this concept of doing the internal work. I remember being in vet school and having anxiety attacks before and after exams because for me, You know, you're taught your whole journey up until that school, make good grades, and it's almost like your worth, your self-worth is tied to your performance. And so, for me, like I noticed that my self-abandonment started in moments where I would be like, oh man, I mean, I, I missed that question.
How dare I? Like, am I even meant to be a veterinarian? Right?
The spiral starts. And so if you can teach yourself to have the discretion, the ability to say, Mm, OK, I'm worthy. I missed the question, sure, but I can learn that question and I can be better next time.
But to have that mental fortitude and that resiliency that comes from something within. And, and the meditation piece is something that I really connect to or journaling. Like my boyfriend, he, he is not much of a journaler, so he likes to talk things out.
So find a method that works for you, but really, how are you doing the deep dive and the reflection to say, OK, why am I showing up this way? What's scary for me, and then how can I say like, OK, my adult self sees that that might be a little bit scary, but I can also show up whole and authentic and safe to be able to move forward with, you know, the next thing that's going to make me a better leader, person, mom, vet, all of the above, nurse, all of the things. I think what comes across Bethany, and you know, correct me if I'm wrong, but we're obviously both really fortunate, you know, I was 8, you can't even remember when you decided to be a vet, but it was very young and we've been able to, you know, be a part of this great profession, we, we can, I think sometimes talk ourselves into a negative corner which is, you know, well this isn't a great job, whereas for me it's been, you know, one of the best jobs in the world and the way people react.
Usually very positively, we're getting some negativity in the UK because of the competition's report that came out recently, which I think has been difficult for people. But I always find. You know I I wake up and I go hm I am so lucky, I'm so fortunate, I'm so grateful for you know the place that we live in, we both live in in developed countries er where you know there are there are so many opportunities and things.
Er we're doing the job that we love. I I think also that kind of, and I can see the way that you are, that gratitude is a really good foundation on which to build everything else, isn't it? I completely agree.
I think Gratitude is one of the core pillars and. Of, of just living a happy life. Like, we get to choose gratitude, and it can be hard sometimes.
There's a, there's a book, I can't remember the name, but maybe I can send it to you. But there's somebody who loses their, their young child, and of course, it's devastating, but they end up saying like, OK, how can I find one thing that I'm grateful for today? And it doesn't have to be for this loss, right?
It can be for anything. But eventually, this, this author got to the point where they decided like, OK, like this, this terrible thing that happened to my son was for me instead of against me. And, and choosing to show up with gratitude completely changed the way the mind saw, the situation that happened and went from this place of victimisation to a place of empowerment.
And I think When we have these, of course, we're very blessed. I completely agree with you. And I think veterinary medicine is like one of, one of the, if not the most cool, amazing professions because we get to Not only have the beautiful animals and the treatments and the clients, but then we have industry, and you can be a professor, you can, you know, have a podcast.
And for me, and like when the of all bets was created, it was with this intent of, can we take this martyrdom that is coming out of VetMed and turn it into like Something positive. Can we be empowered when it comes to our journey as a vet and how we show up for it? Can we be empowered to meditate, journal, reflect, show up as a better leader, instead of just going online and complaining about it on different platforms or complaining about, you know, the client that said something mean, which those things are hard, and we do talk about those things with the above vets.
But really, it's, it's the transition. It's like the, the move from victim to victim mindset to empowerment, and those are the core principles of why this was founded, is, can we have community in a way that builds that excitement for BatMed, and builds the gratitude, and does that in a way that's genuine and authentic, and Sometimes you can hear toxic positivity, but how do you actually show up and choose to be positive? And when there's moments that it's not positive, be sad.
Like this community cries. We, we could do that all the time. It's OK to be sad.
It's OK to lose a tough case and want to talk about it. Those are all very real feelings. And like, then we move to action of like, OK, how do I learn from it so it doesn't happen again?
And how can I give myself grace so I don't spiral on it 800 times and beat myself up about it? How do I give myself the self-compassion and grace to be able to say, I'm going to learn and I'm going to let it go? The difficult times in life are usually when you grow the most.
But there is a process that you go through, you go through blame, you then try and justify it, etc. Etc. But the alternative is, instead of gratitude is just to become bitter and twisted about things which in the end really only harms you because the person you're bitter and twisted about might live, you know, 100 miles away, you may never see again, and yet you hold on to those things, so it's always better to be able to forgive and, and move on and, and have that gratitude for the positive things, so losing a child is.
Is awful, is terrible, but we have to go through a process and part of that process is mourning and it's difficulty or losing you know a, a case or whatever an animal that you're looking after, all of those things are hard, but as you say there's a process that we can go through that allows us to come out the other end, hopefully as better people, Completely agree. The life, the human experience is really high highs and really low lows, and it's the ability to transition and Show up for yourself and also experience it. Like, I think the other part of veterinary medicine is sometimes we compartmentalise or we pretend that it's not a problem.
It's OK to cry. I actually, think that you should cry, right? My therapist is like, it's better to cry it out.
It's worse if you're not feeling anything for several years. That is a problem when you don't feel anything. When you feel, that means, and you cry, that's just an.
It's just a pop-off valve. It lets you release the emotion, and then you can move on. But like, actually processing it and taking that time is an important step of the journey, and it, it should be welcomed and not shamed, which I do think some of the women in our community have been shamed for that, that processing before.
And the reality is it's just a natural way of expressing emotion, and that's OK. Mm. Bethany, thank you so much.
I, we've, we've gone on probably longer than most of our podcasts, but it's because you've been such a, a great, guest to, to speak to and to listen to, and, thank you for all that you're doing for the profession, both with veg but also with the evolved Vets, and I'm looking forward to see how the evolution of evolved Vets works over the next year or two, so maybe we need to meet up again in a couple of years and see how it's going on. I would absolutely love that and thank you so much for having me on. I know I can be a yapper, it's one of my many talents, which is why I love having my own podcast show too.
You yaps together can be fatal, but, I've really enjoyed listening to you and chatting and, and, the wisdom that you've come out with, so thank you so much for being so open and so free with, those discussions and, and, you know, for the great work that you're doing, cos it's just touching. You know that one person in that day can be a really good reason for having got out of bed that morning, can't it? That's exactly right.
Yeah, this is the stuff that drives me, and I know that it works because I've gone on my own journey of Man, like, I, I got to a really dark place, and I also hit burnout. And understanding the nervous system, I went on this deep dive of understanding all the major thought leaders and the premises behind it. And like we were talking about earlier, the law of attraction and really understanding neuroplasticity.
And that's how the evolved vets method came to be, was understanding this concept of like, I have the power to change my neural pathways in my brain. Like, let's take accountability and action and actually do that. So I know that it works, and to your point, if it helps one person, then I'm doing my best, and it's gonna be amazing, and that's what it's all about, is just serving the people that are in our amazing profession and helping them have a long sustainable career in Batmed.
We don't want any more people to leave, we want people to find a way to make it, make it your career. It's so important because it's a great profession and. If people get to a blockage, it's great to have something like what you're doing to help release that blockage, so, Bethany, thanks again, you got up early in the morning as well, I really appreciate it.
I hope the rest of the day goes well for you, it's, the sun is shining in Liverpool, so it's, it's lovely to see the sun. And it, it, the sun is not yet up in Austin. Ah, so you, well, hopefully it will shine today and, and not be too Austin-like, in other words, not too, too hot.
But I hope you have a great rest of the day. Thank you so much, you too. Thanks Bethany, and thanks everyone for listening.
Hope you've enjoyed it. We will leave details underneath the podcast if you want to get in contact with Bethany, and hope to see you on a podcast or a webinar very soon.
