This feels like a very full week in the best possible way.

A new podcast episode just went live, I’m speaking at HiVE South this weekend, I graduated with my MBA two days ago, and the workbook officially launches on Friday… which honestly still feels surreal to say out loud!

In the middle of all of that, one thing Cait said during this week’s conversation really stayed with me:

And I think that perfectly captures where so many people in veterinary medicine are right now.

In this week’s episode of Leading Veterinary Teams on Air, Cait Deppe and I talked about burnout, compassion fatigue, leadership, communication, psychological safety, technician utilization, and the emotional weight veterinary teams carry every single day.

But one of the biggest themes throughout the conversation was this:

Burnout is often treated like an individual problem…

when a lot of the time, it’s actually a systems and leadership problem.

Cait and I talked about:
• leaders disappearing while teams struggle
• wellness initiatives without real support structures
• communication breakdowns
• emotional exhaustion
• grief load
• psychological safety
• and how differently people need to be supported in leadership environments

One thing I’ve been reflecting on a lot lately is how many people in veterinary medicine were never really given a playbook.

Not for leadership.
Not for difficult conversations.
Not for emotional regulation.
Not for navigating team dynamics.

Just:
“Figure it out.”

And honestly? I think people are tired.

Check out Episode 25 with Cait here

Something else I wrote recently that connects to this conversation was a more personal reflection on my MBA experience and how it reshaped the way I think about leadership, systems, communication, and organizational culture inside veterinary medicine.

You can read that here

📘 Workbook Update: The workbook officially launches Friday!

I created it for people who are new to leadership roles — or people who have been doing this for years but still feel like nobody ever handed them a framework to work from.

More details coming very soon.

And this weekend, I’ll also be speaking at HiVE South, which I’m genuinely excited about. I’m really looking forward to connecting with people who care deeply about improving veterinary teams and leadership culture.

Check in with yourself honestly.

Not as a leader.
Not as a technician.
Not as a manager.
Not as the person everyone else relies on.

Just as a human being.

Are you actually okay?
Or have you just gotten really good at functioning while exhausted?

Thank you for being here.

— Suzanne