The Overwhelmed Vet Podcast
Learn how to tackle the overwhelm, difficult clients (and colleagues!), emotional toll, high expectations and the general craziness we all experience in vet med.
Your host Gunila Pedersen is a Small Animal Veterinarian working in ER and also a Master Certified Life Coach. She burnt out after owning her own clinic, and managed to find the way back through life coaching.
Today she shares insights, relatable topics, tactical advice and the tools and inspiration that will help you fall head over heels in love with vet med again just as she did.
Episodes
45 episodes
Ep. 45: When you’re also the victim
Vet Med is no dance on roses.It’s incredibly rewarding. We make a huge difference to a LOT of animals and their owners.AND - when things go wrong, they can REALLY go wrong. There are more victim...
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Season 1
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Episode 45
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22:26
Ep. 44: I wish I didn’t react like that
Getting a message from work, or a dreaded email from the Royal College can make our anxiety shoot through the roof in seconds.Is it WRONG to feel anxious and defensive about messages that we didn’t really want to receive?
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Season 1
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Episode 44
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15:06
Ep. 43: Say your opinion and don’t play small
How significant are you?When you play small and fail to say what you really want, and stand up for yourself, you become insignificant.When you’re insignificant, your patients lose out on your valuable insight and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 43
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19:19
Ep. 42: What if you’re wrong?
I opened the kennel and the dog face planted on my trainers. Oops.We had had a busy ER shift and I had finally gotten around to check on this impatient: A labrador that had been referred for out of hours analgesia and fluids be...
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Season 1
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Episode 42
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17:23
Episode 41: Living the life YOU want TO LIVE
Two vets at completely different points in their lives - one burnt out after 10 years in practice and wanting to leave at all costs but staying because it’s the thing everyone expects.The other one absolutely loving life, has r...
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Season 1
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Episode 41
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20:45
Ep. 40: Pets vs Babies - a NICU nurse reveals how to cope when the stakes are high
Ever thought you couldn’t cope in vet med?Between being understaffed, having patients coming in with no warning, upset and frustrated pet parents…Now imagine doing the same job, but with teeny premature babies!
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Season 1
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Episode 40
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53:43
Ep. 39: How to become more confident
When you lack self confidence, life is so much harder!You struggle with feedbackYou worry about what other people think about youSelf doubt constantly creeps up and spoils your day....
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Season 1
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Episode 39
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23:28
Ep. 38: How to overcome a mistake
Making a mistake is never fun, no matter how big or small.You can NOT 100% avoid making mistakes in this profession, because we’re doing new things everyday, often in a rush and with different people.So what can y...
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Season 1
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Episode 38
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15:00
Ep. 37: The 3 things you MUST do to get your motivation back
Why do some people seem to be so motivated, and I just feel like staying in bed and not going to work again? Or at least THIS work?There are SO many reasons to feel unmotivated in vet med - but also so many to STAY motivated!
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Season 1
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Episode 37
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19:54
Ep. 36: Let them be wrong about you
My client left her job and was STILL obsessed with her manager's opinion of her.Why do we get so worked up when we’re unfairly judged?And why does other people’s opinion matter so much to us?Working ...
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Season 1
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Episode 36
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16:08
Ep. 35: Live coaching on the go!
Vicky is a vet nurse struggling to find time for everything out of work.She jumped on the opportunity as an email subscriber to get an hour of intensive coaching!In this podcast episode you’ll get an idea of how y...
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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49:57
Ep. 34: Do you struggle telling the pet owners the price?
You’re on your shift.A patient comes in.You take a thorough history, you examine, and you think about a plan of actions.And now …. You have to give the pet owner an estimate of how much it’s going to...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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25:15
Ep. 33: This job is a prison
Do you feel trapped in vet med?Are you dreading the start of the week, wishing you could do ANYTHING else than working in a clinic?Have you half heartedly tried to look around for something else but -
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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15:58
Ep. 32: Overwhelm in the veterinary clinic 2.0
Overwhelmed in the veterinary clinic?Crazy busy and feels like you’re trapped in a hamster wheel??Time for a second episode on overwhelmed vets = 2.0!In this episode I’ll help you redefine busyness in the ...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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30:14
Ep. 31: 5 tips to having a non-busy vet life this Holiday
Dear listener,I don’t want you to race around this December, feeling you have to do everything for everyone.I don’t want you to resent work and worry about things you can’t do anything about.I want y...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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21:37
Ep. 30: Accept your limits and don’t own other people’s baggage with Dr. Siegel
How does a vet work around the clock for 40+ years, conserving the passion and love for the profession AND the clients?That’s exactly what Dr. Marlene Siegel has achieved, and in this conversation we unwrap her story to find th...
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47:21
Ep 29: How do you handle pet owner's grief?
With loss comes a range of emotions - the pet owners AND ours.Are you fully prepared to have the difficult conversations? Blocked bladder and no insurance? GDV and no money? Thromboembolism and no way to help?Do y...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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12:00
Ep. 28: Bad reviews and cyberbullying.
Do you loooove getting good reviews and positive feedback?? Cards and chocolate??Me too! Who doesn’t???!!!However … In this podcast episode I explain the danger of relying on external validation and positive feedb...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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20:20
Ep.27: Does perfectionism make you a better vet?
Do you need to be a perfectionist to become the best vet you can?I’d argue no, because there are THREE main ways perfectionism can be debilitating and it’s vital you know about and can recognise them. This wa...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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20:58
Ep 26: How to cope with failure. Story of the balloon dog and doomed German Shepherd.
Right up until the day you leave vet school you can avoid the feeling of Failure by studying more and working harder.That doesn’t work in the real world. Failure is GUARANTEED along the way.Now how do you cope?&nb...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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21:58
Ep 25: Follow the leader… ?
Having the heart in the right place doesn’t necessarily make you a great leader.In this episode I share what a TERRIBLE leader I used to be, and what I have learned from it.Let’s talk about the real consequences o...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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19:14
Ep. 24: When you don’t know what’s going on.
2 dogs, 2 completely different cases, same narrative:“You don’t know what’s going on, and you SHOULD!”I want to show you how I reel my brain in when I’m having difficult cases that seem to prove I’m a useless vet ...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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20:02
Ep.23: What do you need?
I’ve often been asked why it is that vet struggle so much in this profession.It is actually not much of a mystery when you look at the Hierarchy of Needs of human beings, and put it up against vet med.In this episode I want you ...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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16:47
Ep. 22: Your Value as a Vet
This episode is insanely VALUABLE to you as a vet and a MUST listen!Owners now showering you with cards and chocolates? Nobody giving you a raise or showing you appreciation for all your hard work? If you don...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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21:16
Ep.21: Are you equipped for euths??
I swear there are shifts where I just seem like Dr. Death, helping one animal after the other over the rainbow bridge while I handle a stream of pet owners grieving in their own, unique way.Sometimes it can seem like we play God....
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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26:12