Blunt Dissection

Veterinary medicine is serious work.
But does that mean we have to be so bloody serious while we’re doing it?
My guest today is Dr Greg Bishop, a practising veterinarian, cartoonist, author, illustrator and speaker based in Portland, Oregon. Through Sasquatch Paw, Greg combines veterinary medicine, humour, science communication and visual storytelling to explore the absurd, emotional and deeply human parts of caring for animals. He’s also the author of the forthcoming Science Comics: Veterinary Science.
And beneath the cartoons, jokes and what Greg calls his “professional zoomies” sits a serious idea: fun matters.
In this conversation, we explore why humour and play aren’t distractions from good veterinary medicine. They can help us cope with difficult moments, communicate better, build trust and perhaps stay connected to the reasons we came into this profession in the first place.
We talk frankly about burnout and Greg’s own relationship with work, before getting into gallows humour, the science of laughter and the surprisingly powerful role comedy can play in the consult room, even during some of the hardest conversations we have with clients.
We also explore clinical communication, creativity, AI, our increasingly digital lives, and the danger of becoming so obsessed with efficiency that all we do with the time we save is cram more work into it. Greg’s argument for slowing down, paying attention and trusting the art alongside the science is a timely one.
This is funny, occasionally ridiculous, surprisingly moving and, ultimately, a reminder that fun is not frivolous. In a profession that asks so much of us, humour, creativity and play can help us stay connected, stay curious and keep enjoying the work.
If we want veterinary medicine to be sustainable, perhaps putting some of the fun back into it is more important than we think.

Episode Highlights
[00:05] Meet Greg and his “professional zoomies”
[00:20] When veterinary medicine stops being fun
[00:25] Burnout and hitting the limit
[00:39] Finding your way back
[00:45] Why communication needs to be fun
[00:49] The power of gallows humour
[00:57] When a joke goes too far
[01:04] You still have a funny bone
[01:09] Simple. Honest. Kind.
[01:14] Humour as a clinical tool
[01:18] Fozzie Bear and reading the room
[01:23] Humour as a bridge to trust
[01:24] Analogue humans, digital world
[01:31] AI and switching your brain off
[01:33] Look at your fish
[01:36] The veterinary efficiency trap
[01:42] Slow down and enjoy it

Episode Links & References
Sasquatch Paw - Greg’s cartoons, writing, workshops and educational work
The Lighter Side - Veterinary Practice News - Greg’s veterinary cartoon series
Developing Communication Skills for Veterinary Practice - Jane R. Shaw & Jason B. Coe
Iain McGilchrist - Hemisphere Theory

Connect with Dr Greg Bishop
Greg Bishop on LinkedIn
Sasquatch Paw
Instagram: @sasquatch_paw

Greg speaks and creates educational work around veterinary medicine, humour, communication and visual storytelling. He is also the author of the forthcoming Science Comics: Veterinary Science.
And if you organise veterinary conferences, I’ll repeat what I said in the episode: book him. We could use more of this.

Does your veterinary practice take too much of you to keep it running?
I work with independent veterinary practice owners to find what’s creating the pressure and build practices that don’t depend on them for everything.
Book a free 20-minute call with Dr Dave.
Follow Dr Dave Nicol:
@drdavenicol
Veterinary Leadership Academy

Enjoyed this episode?
Leave a review, share it with a colleague who could use a little more fun in their veterinary life, and occasionally remember to look at your fish.

The keen-eared among you will recognize this voice. And yes - you’d be right.
This is ever-wisening Dr Peter Weinstein. (Yes, we meant Wisening, not wizening however much we were tempted by the latter.)
Peter is one of those rare figures in veterinary medicine who has seen the profession from every angle. From kennel kid at 15 to practice owner, from board-level leadership to educator, from clinician to one of the clearest thinkers on the business and structure of veterinary medicine today.
But what makes this conversation different is timing.
Because this isn’t a comfortable moment for our profession.
Costs are rising. Clients are pushing back. Teams are stretched. Transactions are falling while prices climb. And underneath it all, something more fundamental is shifting.
Trust.
In this episode, Peter and I sit down face-to-face to unpack what’s really happening in veterinary medicine right now. We talk about the economic pressure building beneath the surface, the unintended consequences of rapid growth and consolidation, and why the profession feels… wobbly.
We explore why leadership, not hustle, is the answer. Why systems matter more than individuals. Why communication is the missing skill in most practices. And why, if we don’t rebuild trust deliberately, we risk losing the very foundation this profession was built on.
This episode is reflective, challenging, and ultimately optimistic. Because if we get this right, the future of veterinary medicine doesn’t just survive - it becomes stronger than ever.

Episode Highlights
[00:02:00] Meet Dr Peter Weinstein
[00:12:00] Reacting vs responding under pressure
[00:14:00] Are we in a veterinary recession?
[00:17:00] Fewer clients, higher prices - the real maths
[00:19:00] “Trust is the word of 2026”
[00:23:00] The pandemic boom that broke the system
[00:28:00] What happens when the leader leaves
[00:31:00] Why leadership is the real problem
[00:34:00] Systems vs people - what actually holds a practice up
[00:43:00] The hidden cost of care problem
[00:49:00] Why clients don’t understand us
[00:52:00] Gold standard vs real-world care
[01:00:00] Why communication beats clinical skill
[01:06:00] “This is how we’ve always done it”
[01:08:00] Why the future is still optimistic

Episode Links
The E-Myth Veterinarian – Dr Peter Weinstein
Western University of Health Sciences (College of Veterinary Medicine)
James Herriot Museum, Thirsk
Today’s Veterinary Business: My Daughter, the Veterinary Student by Dr. Peter Weinstein

Connect with Dr Peter Weinstein
LinkedIn: Dr Peter Weinstein
Veterinary business and leadership education (Western University)

Why does leading your practice feel harder than it should?
The Practice Growth Reflection is a short, 10-minute tool that shows you the stage your practice has reached and the leadership changes that can reduce pressure, strengthen your team, and help your practice run more smoothly.
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Follow Dr. Dave Nicol for More Leadership Insights:
Follow Dr. Dave: @drdavenicol
Learn more about the Veterinary Leadership Academy

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Start a conversation in your practice about what needs to change

Dr. Fred Metzger is not your typical veterinary speaker. He grew up in a converted church, stocked his swimming pool with fish, and once came home to find his family had bought a cougar kitten. So yes… unorthodox is probably the right word.
But behind the stories is something far more important.
Dr. Fred Metzger has spent more than 30 years in the profession, built a 13-doctor hospital from scratch, and stayed when many others would have walked away. He’s seen the best of veterinary medicine - and some of the worst. And he’s not shy about saying what needs to be said.
In this episode, we go deep. We talk about mentorship, consolidation, culture, and why so many good vets are quietly burning out or leaving altogether. We get into the tension between corporate systems and real-world practice - and what gets lost when leadership forgets to listen.
But most of all, we talk about something deceptively simple that could change how you practise tomorrow:
The lab.
Dr. Fred Metzger makes the case - passionately and convincingly - that diagnostic thinking is the most underused superpower in veterinary medicine. Not as a money-making tool. But as the engine of better decisions, better medicine, and better conversations with clients.
That belief has now turned into something tangible. Dr. Fred Metzger has partnered with Purdue University to launch a new clinical pathology programme - built to help vets actually understand and use the lab, not just run tests and hope for the best.
You can read more about that here.
There’s humour in this one. There’s a bit of fire too. And if you’re willing to reflect on your own practice, there’s a lot to take away.

Episode Highlights
[00:02:00] Meet Dr. Fred Metzger
[00:07:00] The mentorship article that hit a nerve
[00:13:00] “You’ll never be a vet” moment
[00:19:00] Growing up differently
[00:31:00] What success actually means
[00:39:00] The mentorship gap in vet med
[00:41:00] Where consolidation goes wrong
[00:51:00] The lab as your superpower
[01:00:00] Show the “broken car part”
[01:05:00] What really drives a practice
[01:15:00] Would you do it on your dog?
[01:22:00] Why mastering the lab matters
[01:53:00] Why we overcomplicate care

Episode Links & Resources
Laboratory Retrievers (Dr. Fred Metzger’s clinical pathology course)
Purdue x Laboratory Retrievers Programme Launch
Connect with Dr. Fred Metzger on LinkedIn

Want more leadership tools and straight-talking conversations?
Follow me: @drdavenicol

Dr. Dave Nicol’s Practice Reflection Tool
The 10-minute Practice Reflection helps you see what’s creating pressure in your practice - and get clear next steps to make it easier to lead. Built from two decades of working with veterinary practice owners.
Take the reflection.

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Debra’s story is wild. She’s worked in the courts. She’s bred Irish Setters. She’s been the PTA president (which, as she says, is like running the UN with biscuits). But what makes her special is her ability to meet people in the thick of their mess, whether it's a lawsuit over a pregnant rescue dog or a front-desk blowup, and find the gold.
In this episode, I sit down with Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton, a former litigator turned mediator turned conflict resolution master. And trust me, if you’ve ever had a client, colleague, or complaint that made you question your career, this conversation is for you.
We talk about ego, emotional intelligence, and why boundary-setting isn't just about saying “no.” We unpack the tiny shifts in language that can turn an explosive moment into something manageable. And we dig into a story from my early days that still sits with me, a story about a cat, a fractured jaw, and a moral gut-punch I’ll never forget.
This episode is practical, honest, and (if you’re brave enough to look in the mirror) potentially career-changing. Debra brings the kind of wisdom we need more of in vet med: compassionate, clear, and totally unafraid of the hard stuff.
Episode Highlights
[00:01:00] You Can’t Control Others
[00:05:30] How Debra Went from Courtroom to Vet Med
[00:10:15] The Rescue Dog Case That Changed Everything
[00:14:30] Mediation vs. Litigation
[00:17:05] Ego, Suicide, and the Cost of Silence
[00:21:15] What Vets and Lawyers Share (It’s Not Just Stress)
[00:24:00] 12 Needle Sticks and a Lesson in Dignity
[00:28:45] Are Clients the Problem? Or Are We?
[00:33:20] Your Practice Culture Shapes Everything
[00:38:10] Active Listening Without Losing Yourself
[00:46:00] Dave’s Story: The One That Still Hurts
[00:52:45] Divorce, Control, and the Cat in the Middle
[01:01:00] Conflict Prevention Starts with Culture
[01:06:00] Debra’s Stop-Drop-Roll Method
[01:08:00] What Clients Really Want (Hint: Not Money)
[01:14:30] 10 Ways We Undermine Dignity Without Realising
[01:27:30] Communication Is Part of the Medicine
[01:34:15] The Case for Leading with Grace

Episode Links
Hamilton Law & Mediation
Why Do Pets Matter Podcast
Book: Nipped in the Bud, Not in the Butt by Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton
Book: Leading with Dignity by Dr. Donna Hicks
The Link Coalition – https://nationallinkcoalition.org – exploring the link between animal abuse and human violence
Ruby’s Law (UK domestic abuse + pet welfare legislation)
Center for Understanding in Conflict (Gary Friedman)

Connect with Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton:
Connect with Debra on Linkedin

Want more leadership tools and tough-love wisdom?
Follow me: @drdavenicol
Learn more about Vet Leadership Training: Veterinary Leadership Academy

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In this episode, I’m joined by the remarkable Mike Porteous, a triathlon coach, open-water swimmer, and deep thinker whose approach to performance, confidence, and coaching is anything but ordinary.
Mike is a Level 3 Triathlon Coach, British Triathlon mentor, and the founder of Zig Zag Alive. His career spans decades, starting in academia and the UK civil service before pivoting into endurance sport coaching. He’s worked with athletes of all levels, from first-timers to elite competitors, and is passionate about fostering “confidence-centered coaching,” a method rooted not in data or drills, but in presence, ease, and self-trust. He’s also coaching me through my triathlon journey and many of his ideas and methods could, I believe, be highly useful to us inside veterinary medicine as we navigate our own challenges.
We dive into Mike’s journey from working in Brazilian economics and UK industrial policy to launching an outdoor sports business, and eventually finding his home in helping others find their flow. A Swim England instructor and writer for the Outdoor Swimming Society, Mike combines intellectual insight with lived experience, including the healing power of endurance sport after personal loss.
From redefining resilience and flow to explaining why confidence doesn’t “exist” in the way we think it does, Mike’s perspective is a refreshing and deeply humane take on success and coaching, both inside and outside sport.
So whether you're a veterinary leader looking to inspire your team, an athlete seeking sustainable growth, or simply someone navigating your next life chapter, this conversation will leave you with more than a few moments to ponder.
Pour a coffee or step outside for a walk, this one’s rich, reflective, and full of gentle, powerful wisdom.
Episode Highlights
[00:01:00] What Is Confidence-Centered Coaching?
[00:04:25] The Cold Water Effect
[00:12:00] Be Kind and Brave
[00:16:00] Mike’s Zigzag Career Path
[00:27:00] Resilient Businesses in Crisis
[00:38:45] Sport, Loss & Recovery
[00:44:00] From Grief to Growth
[00:53:00] Running for Joy
[01:01:00] Redefining Confidence
[01:16:00] What Breaks Confidence
[01:25:00] Coaching vs Mentoring
[01:36:00] Coaching in Leadership
[01:45:00] Letting Others Own It
[01:52:00] Presence & Belonging
Episode Links
Zig Zag Alive Coaching: https://zigzagalive.com
Mike’s book: Confidence Centered Coaching
Outdoor Swimming Society: https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com
Beyond Belief: The Art of Confident Centred Coaching with Mike Porteous and Claire Pedrick
Coaching Yourself Confident by Julie Smith
The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Ordinary Magic by Ann Masten

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