Just Vetting with Peter Tanella, ESQ.
Just Vetting with Peter Tanella, ESQ.
Podcast Description
This program fills the gap in veterinary education by focusing on non-clinical skills like communication, leadership, confidence building, and real-world readiness — all essential to long-term success in practice.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on crucial non-clinical skills such as communication, leadership, confidence building, and real-world readiness. Episodes cover topics like practice ownership journeys, overcoming operational challenges, and strategies for navigating the veterinary landscape—like the story of Dr. Ashley Staycheff's transition from employee to practice owner and her experiences dealing with unexpected complexities.
This program fills the gap in veterinary education by focusing on non-clinical skills like communication, leadership, confidence building, and real-world readiness — all essential to long-term success in practice.
🌿 Episode Description
In this episode of Just Vetting, host Peter Tanella sits down with Dr. Kelly Cooper for an honest, reflective conversation about veterinary leadership, practice ownership, and what happens when independence comes faster than you’re ready for.
Dr. Cooper shares her unconventional journey into ownership, taking a leap early in her career, learning through trial and error, and discovering firsthand that clinical skill alone doesn’t prepare you for the realities of running a practice. With vulnerability and clarity, she reflects on the pressures of “doing it all,” the cost of isolation, and the pivotal moments that reshaped how she leads, supports teams, and defines success.
Throughout the conversation, she explores how growth often comes not from pushing harder, but from building support, community, and systems that allow both people and practices to thrive.
She reflects on:
✨ Taking an early leap into practice ownership — and the lessons that only experience can teach
✨ Why so many veterinarians feel unprepared for leadership, despite being excellent clinicians
✨ The hidden emotional and mental load owners carry — and why it doesn’t have to be that way
✨ How shifting from “I have to do everything” to building trust and delegation changed everything
✨ The importance of mentorship, peer support, and learning from others who’ve walked the same path
✨ Recognizing burnout before it becomes breaking — and giving yourself permission to ask for help
✨ How leadership evolves over time, from survival mode to intentional growth
✨ Why strong teams are built on communication, clarity, and shared responsibility — not perfection
🐾 From early-career ambition to long-term sustainability, Dr. Cooper offers a grounded, deeply human perspective on what it means to lead in veterinary medicine — beyond the exam room.
Whether you’re a new graduate navigating big decisions, a practice owner feeling the weight of responsibility, or a veterinarian searching for balance and longevity in the profession, this episode delivers reassurance, insight, and a reminder that you don’t have to carry it all alone.
#Veterinary #JustVetting #VetLeadership #PracticeOwnership #VeterinaryMedicine #IndependentPractice #WomenInVetMed #LeadershipJourney #BurnoutAwareness #BusinessOfVeterinary #PeterTanella
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