In this episode, I’m sharing a conversation I had with Dr. Kathryn Miller, a rural mixed animal veterinarian in Kansas who believes wholeheartedly that veterinary medicine is not lost. Instead of accepting burnout and poor wellbeing as inevitable, Kathryn shares how coaching, culture, and mindset shifts can change the trajectory of an entire career.

Kathryn opens up about her own turning point with burnout after becoming a mother. What once felt manageable quickly became overwhelming, and without support, she is clear she might have left the profession altogether. Through professional coaching, she experienced a powerful mindset shift that allowed her to see she did not have to choose between being a great veterinarian and a great mom. That realization changed everything.

We explore the most common traps early career veterinarians fall into, from harsh inner critics and black and white thinking to identity loss after vet school. Kathryn shares how tools like the Enneagram and structured coaching conversations help young practitioners reframe mistakes, navigate team dynamics, and build resilience instead of self-doubt. She also offers practical guidance on evaluating job opportunities, identifying red and green flags in practice culture, and learning to feel safe asking questions in those critical first years.

This conversation is both honest and hopeful. Yes, veterinary medicine is hard. Yes, burnout is real. But with the right tools, support, and mindset, it does not have to define your career. Kathryn reminds us that growth requires discomfort, culture requires tending, and coaching can be a powerful catalyst for long-term wellbeing and leadership.

What’s Inside:

• Kathryn’s personal burnout story and the mindset shift that kept her in veterinary medicine
• Common early career traps including perfectionism, identity loss, and black and white thinking
• How coaching and the Enneagram create self-awareness, compassion, and stronger team communication
• Red and green flags to watch for when choosing a practice and building a sustainable career

Mentioned in this Episode:

RKM Clinic Website

RKMM Website

Dr. Kathryn Miller on Instagram

Rocking KM Vet on Instagram

Rocking KM Vet - Potwin on Instagram

CanvasRebel Feature

Vet Med Wellness and Leadership Podcast

Full Circle Lab

Crystal Stokes on LinkedIn

This week, I’m stepping into the guest seat on the Pawsitive Leadership Podcast with Andrea Crabtree and David Liss, and we’re going deep into something that matters to me with my whole heart: caring for the people who care for everyone else. If you’ve ever felt the weight of veterinary medicine in your bones, the kind of exhaustion that comes from showing up day after day with your whole soul, this conversation is for you.

I share my full circle story, from being the kid who only ever wanted to be a veterinarian to burning out hard as an overnight ER tech to leaving vet med entirely because I thought I “didn’t have what it takes.” That pivot led me into psychotherapy, where I became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and learned the tools that brought me back to life. And eventually, those same tools led me right back into veterinary medicine after I was invited into a hospital that had just lost a veterinarian to suicide. That moment changed everything, and it clarified why this work is so urgently needed.

We talk about why wellness is not fluff. It’s operational. Healthy, happy people make healthy profits, and when hospitals ignore that, the cost shows up everywhere: turnover, productivity, and the emotional toll carried by the team. I explain why burnout isn’t random. It’s often the predictable result of leadership structures that don’t support humans, especially when people are promoted without training and then expected to carry impossible expectations.

We also get practical. I share one of the most powerful tools I use with teams and leaders: pause, notice, and choose. It sounds simple, but it is life-changing. That moment of awareness interrupts autopilot and brings you back into alignment, so you can lead from intention instead of survival mode. Because the truth is, you cannot build a thriving hospital culture from a depleted nervous system.

What’s Inside:

• How my full-circle journey took me from vet tech burnout to psychotherapy and back into veterinary medicine
• Why wellness is a retention strategy and a profitability strategy, not an optional perk
• Two leadership mistakes that quietly sabotage hospitals: promoting without training and misaligned expectations
• A simple tool to reduce stress and regain control in real time: pause, notice, and choose

Mentioned:

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Vet Med Wellness and Leadership Podcast

Pawsitive Leadership Podcast

Full Circle Lab

Crystal Stokes on LinkedIn

Veterinary leaders often rise through the ranks without ever receiving formal training in how to define a vision, build culture, or guide a team with clarity. Dr. George Cuellar joins me to explore how aspiring entrepreneurs can step into leadership with purpose by working through three essential phases: defining the vision, sharing it effectively, and engaging the team in bringing it to life. Drawing on decades as a corporate executive, practice owner, and state veterinary leader, George explains how he discovered that true leadership is not about directing people; it’s about creating a shared sense of purpose that others want to be part of.

George shares how his own hospital’s transformation began with articulating a clear, compelling vision and pairing it with a set of values that guided every decision. He describes how leaders can evolve from simply “telling” their vision to collaborating on it by testing ideas, inviting dialogue, and using regular meetings to cultivate ownership across the team. As the culture strengthens, leaders move into phase three: engaging individual team members through development plans, outcome-based goals, and accountability structures that empower them to grow rather than depend on the leader.

The conversation also explores why leaders must resist the urge to overhelp and allow team members to struggle, fail, and ultimately succeed on their own terms. George explains how celebrating wins, learning from missteps, and trusting the team helps shift the culture from leader-dependent to self-sustaining. He leaves listeners with core reminders: everything you need to lead is already within you, growth requires compassion and grit, and no leader should go it alone. Veterinary professionals are encouraged to seek mentorship and support as they develop leadership cultures that are built to last.

What’s Inside:

• How Dr. Cuellar went from corporate leadership to building a vision-driven veterinary hospital
• Why defining a clear vision and set of values is the foundation for effective leadership
• The five stages of sharing a vision, from telling to true co-creation with your team
• How to engage staff through individualized growth plans, accountability, and meaningful consequences
• Why leaders must resist overhelping and allow room for struggle, learning, and celebration
• Practical steps to build a self-sustaining culture where aligned, motivated team members thrive

Mentioned:

Dr. George Cuellar on LinkedIn
Ready, Vet, Go
Full Circle Lab
Crystal Stokes on LinkedIn