We are continuing our "Snapshots" series this week, where we’re taking a look at the practice of veterinary medicine through the eyes of practitioners 1, 2, 5, 15, and 25 years after graduation. Our guest today is Dr. Makenna Koslosky. Dr. Koslosky graduated in 2023 and is currently a small animal associate veterinarian in Colorado. She makes you feel like you are right there with her in the exam room or surgery suite in this episode, and we can’t wait to share her experiences with you! Thank yo...
Aug 14, 2025•25 min
We are kicking off a 5-part series entitled “Snapshots,” where we’re taking a look at the practice of veterinary medicine through the eyes of practitioners 1, 2, 5, 15, and 25 years after graduation. Our guest today is Dr. Alexia Mazzarella. She graduated in 2024 and is currently a small animal rotating intern. We loved hearing about her transition from vet student to new veterinarian and the valuable, lifelong lessons she's learned this year! Thank you to our podcast partner, NVA General Practi...
Aug 07, 2025•26 min
Our guest on this episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast is Dr. Sandra Faeh, the Chief Medical Officer for NVA General Practice and the immediate past president of the AVMA. Dr. Faeh shares insights on mentorship, leadership, and team development, reflecting on her early challenges (or as we like to say opportunities) and growth. She highlights NVA General Practice’s innovative mentorship programs and the launch of PetOne Veterinary (http://gp.nva.com/training-center/), their new state-of-the-art...
Jul 31, 2025•27 min
The focus is on production medicine claims this week in our common claims miniseries in collaboration with AVMA Trust. Trust veterinarian Dr. Nina Mouledous shares the top three production medicine claims and different ways to navigate these situations. These include chute/alley injuries, herd losses, and product loss. It is a great conversation with a lot of helpful tips and insights. Thank you to our podcast partner, NVA General Practice, a community of 1,000 neighborhood veterinary clinics ac...
Jul 24, 2025•23 min
The focus is on equine claims this week in our common claims miniseries in collaboration with AVMA Trust. Trust veterinarian and former equine practitioner Dr. Nina Mouledous shares the top three equine claims and different ways to navigate these situations. These include pre-purchase exams, injection complications, and rectal exams. It is a great conversation with a lot of helpful tips and insights. Thank you to our podcast partner, NVA General Practice, a community of 1,000 neighborhood veteri...
Jul 17, 2025•23 min
Welcome to our miniseries on common claims within veterinary medicine. This week we are joined again by Dr. Kara Escutia but this time we are discussing common feline claims. Dr. Escutia is an AVMA Trust veterinarian and helps review veterinary claims every day. She shares the top three feline claims they see and different ways to navigate these situations. These include anesthetic complications, human injuries and communication errors. It is a great conversation with a lot of helpful tips and i...
Jul 10, 2025•21 min
Welcome to our miniseries on navigating common claims within veterinary medicine. This week we are joined by Dr. Kara Escutia to talk about common canine claims. Dr. Escutia is an AVMA Trust veterinarian and helps review veterinary claims every day. She shares the top three canine claims they see and different ways to navigate these situations. These include thermal burns, complications with c-sections and restraining brachycephalic dog breeds. It is a great conversation with a lot of helpful ti...
Jul 03, 2025•26 min
Multi-practice owner, consultant, and past president of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Dr. Pam Nichols is this week's guest on My Veterinary Life. She shares actionable tips on effective leadership, cultivating a positive workplace environment, and adapting to change based on her experience owning multiple businesses. Dr. Nichols also delves into her roles as a veterinary practice consultant and why she loves being involved in organized veterinary medicine. We can’t wait to shar...
Jun 26, 2025•27 min
Our guest on this week’s episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast is Dr. Ashley Wolfe. Dr. Wolfe is the Veterinary Digital Education Senior Specialist at Hill’s Pet Nutrition. Throughout the conversation, she shares her experiences as a new graduate during the COVID-19 pandemic, her challenges with burnout, and the importance of mentorship and support systems. The discussion highlights the value of self-reflection, adaptability, and exploring diverse career paths in veterinary medicine, encouraging...
Jun 19, 2025•24 min
On this episode of the My Veterinary Life podcast, we are thrilled to welcome 2025 AVMA Convention keynote speaker, Megan Leavey. Megan is a former Marine Corps corporal and military police canine handler. She shares her journey from childhood animal lover to military service, where she bonded deeply with her canine partner, Rex. She recounts the challenges of adopting Rex post-service, highlighting the importance of community support. Megan's story transitions to her career in veterinary medici...
Jun 12, 2025•30 min
Our guest on this week’s episode of My Veterinary Podcast is Patrick Douglas, the first AVMA Trust Veterinary Technician. Patrick discusses his new role, which involves managing claims data for AVMA members, providing educational support, and bridging the gap between veterinarians and support staff. He shares insights from his background in zoo medicine, emphasizing the importance of understanding exotic animal claims. The conversation also touches on the challenges and surprises of his transiti...
Jun 05, 2025•23 min
Our guest on this episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast is Dr. Jennifer Welser, a board-certified ophthalmologist and president of Arista Advanced Pet Care. We explore Dr. Welser's experiences in veterinary school, her specialization in ophthalmology, and her transition into business ownership. Dr. Welser emphasizes the importance of mentorship, networking, and embracing risks. She also discusses the shared ownership model at Arista, which supports veterinarians in balancing clinical practice wi...
May 29, 2025•30 min
Alejandra Medina, a fourth-year veterinary student at the University of Pennsylvania, shares her journey on this week's episode of My Veterinary Life podcast. We talk about her perspective as a first-generation student, the challenges of balancing "it all" in veterinary school, and the importance of mentorship. She highlights her involvement in the AVMA Early Career Development Committee and her commitment to community support. We even chat about a little fun outside of vet school at the end! Th...
May 22, 2025•25 min
Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald reflects on the changes in veterinary medicine throughout his four decades in the profession-- including 10 seasons on the TV show Emergency Vets-- on this week's episode of My Veterinary Life podcast. These changes have revolutionized animal care, but they also come with challenges. We delve into how keeping updated with new developments while staying true to the heart of vet med is key to providing the best care possible. Catch this episode for a lively discussion on the e...
May 15, 2025•22 min
Dr. Alexandra McLaughry, owner of BarburVet in Portland, Oregon and Chief Medical Officer for Vet Badger, shares her journey into veterinary medicine in this week's episode. She discusses her career path from veterinary school in Ireland to practice ownership, emphasizes the significance of client communication and adaptability, and highlights the importance of collaboration and continuous learning. The episode also addresses challenges faced by new graduates and the necessity of self-care and p...
May 08, 2025•26 min
Our guest on this week’s episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast is Paige Durham, a third-year veterinary student at the University of Missouri. During this interview, Paige shares what her experience has been like as a student extern at the AVM A in the Membership and Field Services Division. She discusses balancing being a student, commitments as a local SAVMA president and exploring all that veterinary medicine has to offer. The discussion highlights the challenges and rewards of vet school, th...
May 01, 2025•21 min
Dr. Christina Guttuso, founder of Gentle Journey, an in-home pet euthanasia practice in Arizona, shares her journey into veterinary medicine, her transition to in-home euthanasia, and the emotional complexities of her work. The discussion highlights the importance of quality-of-life discussions, effective communication, and addressing compassion fatigue. This episode emphasizes reconnecting with one's passion and finding fulfillment in veterinary practice and we can’t wait to share it with you. ...
Apr 24, 2025•26 min
Welcome to a two-part mini-series focused on mentorship. Our guest on this episode is Dr. Gary Marshall. Dr. Marshall is the current Vice President of the AVMA and has a true passion for giving back and mentorship within veterinary medicine. Dr. Marshall shares his journey into the profession, highlighting pivotal moments with influential mentors. He emphasizes the reciprocal benefits of mentorship, where both mentors and mentees learn and grow. The conversation also explores Dr. Marshall's invo...
Apr 17, 2025•29 min
Welcome to a two-part mini-series focused on mentorship. Our guest on this episode is Dr. Jesse Navatta. Dr. Navatta is an associate veterinarian as well as a PrideVMC Board Member. Our focus is discussing how mentorship has impacted their career so far and the benefits of mentorship to mentees. Dr. Navatta highlights the value of both formal and informal mentorship, the significance of affinity groups for networking, and the need for veterinarians to maintain interests outside their profession....
Apr 10, 2025•27 min
Our guest on this week’s episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast is Dr. Beth Hagenlocker. Dr. Hagenlocker is the president of Grace Veterinary Inc and co-founder of Detroit Creativity Project. She shares her unconventional journey into veterinary medicine, highlighting her background in community development and her passion for feline health. The discussion focuses on the transformative role of improvisation (improv) in veterinary practice, emphasizing how improv enhances communication skills, ada...
Apr 03, 2025•33 min
Our guest on this episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast is Dr. Peter Weinstein. Dr. Weinstein holds many different roles within the veterinary profession, including but not limited to being president of Simple Solutions for Vets, president of PAW Consulting, and president Veterinary Ownership Advocates, as well as an instructor of business and finance at Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Weinstein shares his journey into veterinary medicine, inspired by Ja...
Mar 27, 2025•31 min
We are thrilled to be sharing our veterinary podcast crossover series with you. Throughout these episodes, we are having conversations with other veterinary podcast hosts who are sharing why they started their podcast and their goals, as well as how we can all work together towards supporting our colleagues in this profession. Today our guest is Dr. Mike Pownall, one of the cohosts of AAEPS’s Practice Life Podcast. Throughout this episode, we talk about how we can all learn from each other and t...
Mar 20, 2025•22 min
We are thrilled to be sharing our veterinary podcast crossover series with you. Throughout these episodes, we are having conversations with other veterinary podcast hosts who are sharing why they started their podcast and their goals, as well as how we can all work together towards supporting our colleagues in this profession. Today our guests are Drs. Lisa Fortier and Sarah Wright. Dr. Fortier is the editor in chief for the AVMA and Dr. Wright is the associate editor for the AVMA journals. This...
Mar 13, 2025•20 min
We are thrilled to be sharing our veterinary podcast crossover series with you. Throughout these episodes, we are having conversations with other veterinary podcast hosts who are sharing why they started their podcast and their goals, as well as how we can all work together towards supporting our colleagues in this profession. Today our guest is Dr. Lisa Greenhill. Dr. Greenhill is the Chief Institutional Research Officer at AAVMC. Dr. Greenhill has been at the forefront of veterinary podcasting...
Mar 06, 2025•28 min
We are thrilled to be sharing our veterinary podcast crossover series with you. Throughout these episodes, we are having conversations with other veterinary podcast hosts who are sharing why they started their podcast and their goals, as well as how we can all work together towards supporting our colleagues in this profession. Today our guest is Dr. Fred Gingrich. Dr. Gingrich is the executive director of and the host of AABP’s podcast, “Have You Herd”. This isn't Fred's first time on our show, ...
Feb 27, 2025•23 min
Our guest on this episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast, Dr. Madonna Livingstone. Dr. Livingstone is wears a few hats including being a clinical veterinarian that focuses primarily on exotics animals, an author, a lecturer and a laboratory consultant. She shares her journey into veterinary medicine and the challenges she faced due to the lack of focus on exotic animals in the curriculum. She emphasizes the importance of the human-animal bond and the need for better education and support for vete...
Feb 20, 2025•29 min
Our guest on this week’s episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast is Dr. Barb Linnehan. Dr. Linnehan is the director of animal health and welfare at the National Marine Mammal Foundation. She shares what her career path has looked like starting with an internship and continuing through to becoming a Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine. There is a lot of ground...or should we say waves…to cover. It’s a great conversation and we can’t wait to share her journey with you! We want t...
Feb 13, 2025•25 min
Our guest on this week’s episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast is Dr. Hanley Defoe, an expert in human resiliency and wellbeing. Dr. Defoe shares insights on resilience, emphasizing the importance of belonging, perspective, acceptance, hope, and humor. The conversation highlights practical strategies for managing stress, setting realistic goals, and prioritizing self-care. The conversation underscores the need for mental health awareness and offers actionable steps to enhance wellbeing, encourag...
Feb 06, 2025•28 min
We are excited to feature another bonus episode form the SAVMA Unleashed Series. SAVMA Unleashed is hosted by SAVMA student leaders, offering an honest and upbeat look into the daily lives of veterinary students. In this inspiring episode, we chat with Amelia Sitzes, a remarkable non-traditional veterinary student who overcame the odds to follow her passion for veterinary medicine. Amelia shares her incredible journey of transitioning from a career as a human chiropractor to starting veterinary ...
Feb 04, 2025•29 min
This month we are starting a series called “Leading from Where You Are.” Throughout these episodes, we are diving deep into leadership within the veterinary field, exploring it from various perspectives—whether you're a seasoned practitioner, a student, or an expert in leadership. We’ll discuss why it’s crucial to embrace leadership no matter where you are in your career, reflecting on lessons we’d give our younger selves, and exploring ways to grow and lead more effectively. Our guest today is ...
Jan 30, 2025•28 min
