The Veterinary Leadership Success Show

• 125: Performance or Wellbeing? With Dr. Dave Nicol

  Why do veterinarians keep burning out?In this episode of the Veterinary Leadership Success Show, I’m unpacking why so many great people in our profession are burning out, and what we can learn from elite athletes about how to fix it.Because in sport, training hard every day is a fast track to injury. Yet in vet med, we do exactly that - long hours, relentless pressure, and no real recovery. Then we wonder why everyone’s limping.I’ll walk you through how to think like a coach - setting the right dose of work, building rest into the plan, and checking in before things start to snap. We’ll talk about how to balance intensity with recovery and why emotional fuel is every bit as important as physical energy.Episode Outline:00:00 – Performance or wellbeing? (You can have both.)01:00 – Lessons from the track: what sport can teach vet med03:00 – Running slow to go fast06:00 – The four factors of performance: volume, intensity, rest, and fuel10:00 – When teams “train” too hard and start to break13:00 – Building resilience, not fatigue16:00 – Check in before they burn out18:00 – Fuel, rest, and emotional recovery20:00 – Your leadership training plan for a healthier teamWant more leadership tools in your corner?Follow me: @drdavenicolCheck out: Veterinary Leadership AcademyRun your eNPS: drdavenicol.com/get-your-enpsIf this episode hit home, leave a review or share it with a teammate.

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• 124: What Happened to Mentorship in Vet Med? with Dr. Robin Hargreaves

  This week, we’re asking the big question - what happened to mentorship in vet med?To help me figure it out, I’m joined by Dr. Robin Hargreaves - former BVA President, lifelong mixed practitioner, and a man who’s spent nearly 40 years mentoring vets, leading teams, and keeping his sense of humour intact (which, frankly, might be his greatest achievement).Robin grew up on a hill farm in the Yorkshire Dales, built and ran a four-site, 50-person independent practice, and has seen the profession evolve from handwritten records to AI tools that still can’t spell “lab retriever.” He’s known for his straight talk, northern grit, and deep care for the people coming up behind him.In this episode, we dig into how mentorship quietly disappeared, why it matters more than ever, and how we can bring it back - stronger, wiser, and a lot less formal than you’d think.So grab a brew, tune in, and let’s talk about how to keep wisdom alive in vet med.Episode Outline[00:03] – Meet Robin Hargreaves[04:14] – One broken arm, one life-long career[07:51] – Why tough years become good stories[09:55] – Where is mentorship in vet med?[12:05] – Why we MUST share wisdom[15:25] – A new kind of mentorship for today[17:30] – Three lessons every leader needs[18:23] – Stop defending. Start listening.[21:10] – When to stop leading [23:01] – Being smart isn’t everything[25:11] – How consistency builds trustConnect with Robin Hargreaves:LinkedIn: Robin Hargreaves, BVSc MRCVSInstagram (bird photography & life wisdom): @robinhargreavesFollow Dr. Dave Nicol for More Leadership Insights:Follow: @drdavenicolLearn more about Veterinary Leadership Training: Veterinary Leadership AcademyEnjoyed this episode?Leave a review on iTunes and share it with your colleagues in vet med.

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• 123: My Team Quit and It Saved My Vet Practice with Dr. Molly Husman

  What do you do when most of your team walks out? Pour a stiff drink? Hide under the desk? In this week’s Veterinary Leadership Success Show, I’m joined by Dr. Molly Husman, owner of Brinker Veterinary Hospital up in Lake Orion, Michigan, and a woman who has lived through the leadership nightmare most of us secretly dread.Within a year of buying her clinic, she made the brave decision to let someone go. It didn’t go down well. In fact, it set off a chain reaction that left her with just a handful of staff and a whole lot of self-doubt.But here’s where the story gets good. Molly didn’t crumble - she rebuilt. Brick by brick, hire by hire, dad joke by dad joke (you’ll see what I mean). She rediscovered her purpose, learned to trust again, and built a team that actually wants to be there. Today, she’s running a low-volume, high-touch, heart-led practice that’s about to move into a new purpose-built home.We talk about the fear of letting go, the power of trust, and why sometimes the most painful decisions turn out to be the best thing that could’ve happened to you.Grab your headphones, pour something strong, and settle in - this one’s a masterclass in courage, clarity, and leadership with heart.Episode Outline[00:03] – When your whole team walks out[03:20] – Buying a clinic with someone else’s culture[05:16] – The firing that changed everything[06:07] – “Stay in joy or go in peace”[08:20] – Rebuilding from scratch[09:42] – Turning fear into freedom[13:11] – What trust really looks like in a vet clinic[14:24] – Looking at your clinic differently[16:39] – Learning to step back and actually lead[18:34] – Realizing you might be the problem[20:25] – Hiring slow, building fast[22:12] – One interview question that changed everything[23:51] – Trust as the heartbeat of culture[25:18] – Building a practice that fits youConnect with Dr. Molly HusmanBrinker Veterinary HospitalConnect with Dr. Molly on LinkedinFollow Dr. Dave Nicol for More Leadership InsightsFollow: @drdavenicolLearn more about Veterinary Leadership Training: Veterinary Leadership AcademyEnjoyed this episode?Leave a review on iTunes and share it with your colleagues in vet med.

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• 122: Snowflakes vs Dinosaurs - Why Generations Clash (and How Leaders Can Fix It)

  Generational battles are raging in vet med. Older vets roll their eyes at “snowflakes” and their boundaries. Younger vets look at the “dinosaurs” and wonder why on earth burnout is worn like a badge of honour. So who’s right?In this episode, I dig into why these clashes happen, what both sides are actually getting right, and why the finger-pointing is making things worse, not better. We’ll talk about the lost art of mentorship, the corporate wrecking ball that’s left generations stranded, and the leadership skills that can turn all this conflict into collaboration.Snowflakes. Dinosaurs. The labels make it easy to judge, but they don’t solve the real problem: our teams are breaking under the weight of division. In this episode, I’ll show you how to stop fighting the wrong battle - and start leading in a way that brings generations together.Episode Outline: [00:01] – Snowflakes vs Dinosaurs [02:00] – Why the pendulum has swung [04:07] – Burnout as “rite of passage” [05:31] – What younger vets really want [06:58] – The corporate salary trap [08:23] – The Workload Goldilocks Zone [09:39] – The mentorship gap [11:22] – Fragile? Or just learning? [12:28] – Mentorship done right [13:20] – Why leadership is missing [14:10] – Curiosity vs judgment [15:08] – A message to the older generation [15:35] – A message to the younger generation [16:30] – Pets don’t care about labelsResources & Links Mentioned:Download the Leadership Actions Study – simple, practical steps to lead better todayExplore our leadership courses – build the skills to lead your team through complexityFollow Dr. Dave Nicol for daily leadership insightsEnjoyed this episode? Leave a review on iTunes and share it with your colleagues in vet med!

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• 121: Struggling to Recruit? Start Here with Dr. Dave Nicol

  Hiring is one of the hardest jobs in veterinary leadership right now. Everyone’s fishing in the same tiny pond, and most practices look and sound exactly the same. In this episode, I break down why veterinary recruitment feels like such a nightmare, and more importantly, what you can do to fix it. Spoiler alert: it’s not just about throwing more money at the problem.We’ll dig into what employer branding really means, how to stop writing job ads full of buzzword bingo, and why a clear vision, purpose and set of lived values will do more for your hiring than any signing bonus. I’ll also give you a simple equation to score your employer brand, so you can see exactly where you’re strong, and where you’ve got work to do.If you’re blaming “the market” for your hiring woes, this one’s going to challenge you. Because the truth is, there are practices out there with people lining up to join them. The difference? They’ve learned how to tell their story. And you can too.Your story could be the key to better hires. Join our upcoming webinar and find out how, save your seat now.Episode Outline:[00:01] – Why hiring’s tough[03:00] – Standing out[07:01] – Employer brand 101[10:17] – Vision vs buzzwords[11:05] – Purpose, mission, values[16:21] – The brand equation[19:46] – Telling your story[22:26] – Employee experience first[25:08] – Don’t blame the market[27:33] – Be unapologetically you[29:11] – Webinar preview[30:01] – Free NPS surveyResources & Links Mentioned:Register for our Employer Branding WebinarJoin our free Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey studyDownload our leadership brochuresFollow Dr. Dave Nicol for More Leadership Insights:Follow Dr. Dave: @drdavenicolLearn more about the Veterinary Leadership AcademyEnjoyed this episode?Leave a review on iTunes and share it with your veterinary colleagues!

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