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
79 episodes
Ep 79: The most powerful (and simple) exercise that will change your life.
Sometimes we’re stuck in a grind we don’t seem to be able to get out of, and when we look around us it can be hard not to feel resentment towards the people that seem to just sail happily through life.WHAT HAVE THEY GOT that yo...
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Season 2
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Episode 79
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32:41
Ep. 78: How to start again in veterinary practice (and live to tell the tale)
Going back to vet med after a break, or moving to a new clinic, can be scary and overwhelming.This is especially true if you have been burnt out before, and have a history of not being able to set boundaries. The fears around b...
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Season 2
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Episode 78
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25:33
Ep. 77: Are you REALLY prepared to be a vet?
You come out of vet school with a Netflix library worth of veterinary knowledge. But this doesn’t make you fully prepared to be a vet!Why not? Listen in and learn what you’re likely missing, and why it can be SO HARD to be a ve...
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Season 2
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Episode 77
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18:04
Ep. 76: Start with number one.
Sometimes it may feel overwhelming and hopeless to make any changes in this profession.Or maybe you feel a bit miffed because why do YOU have to work on your mental health, instead of the profession changing to something more s...
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Season 2
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Episode 76
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25:20
Ep. 75: Why perfectionism will make you a worse vet.
You may know intellectually that no one is perfect.But your brain may be pushing perfectionism on you without you even realising it.This episode is a teaching from my 12 week course “Happy in Vet Med”, and I’m sha...
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Season 2
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Episode 75
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16:19
Ep. 74: Boundaries with stabilizers
You’re not a whole person, really, if you don’t know where other people end and YOU start.Boundaries are ESSENTIAL for this, for you to have a solid identity, minimal stress and zero resentment towards others.In t...
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Season 2
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Episode 74
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17:02
Ep. 73: Experience - but with intention
“I’m not experienced enough".This is such a vague statement, because - enough for what? When ARE you experienced enough?How many procedures do you need to do to be experienced “enough”? Why?...
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Season 2
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Episode 73
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23:51
Ep. 72: How do I speak to myself when I wasn’t excellent?
Even when a patient’s outcome is good, we can still find causes to beat ourselves up: “I didn’t diagnose it quick enough”, “It should have been me saving it”, “Why didn’t I think of that” can be thoughts that quickly send us spinning out in ...
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Season 2
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Episode 72
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20:49
Ep. 71: Toxic workplace? My 5 tools to create safety for yourself.
Creating a safe workplace is important for leaders, managers and clinic owners - but what if YOU are the employee and you’re stuck in a toxic workplace??Not feeling respected, someone belittling you, management not firing rude ...
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Season 2
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Episode 71
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27:01
Ep. 70: Staying in your lane
Vets are so caring, so resourceful and want to fix everyone and everything.But when do these abilities become a weight around our neck, and cause exhaustion, burn out, overwhelm and resentment?Just because you CAN...
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Season 2
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Episode 70
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13:19
Ep. 69: I don’t want to let them down
How often do you go out of your way in order to not let your colleagues, boss, family or friends down??Notice how often you let YOURSELF down doing this, and end up feeling tired, burnt out and resentful towards the others that...
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Season 2
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Episode 69
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24:07
Ep. 68: I’ll be happy when …
It’s such a dream come true getting into vet school, that we believe we will be happy FOREVER. But then it wears off, and we shift to thinking we’ll be happy when we graduate as vets. But that happiness doesn’t last either!!In ...
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Season 2
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Episode 68
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22:48
Ep. 67: How to live without regrets - in and out of the veterinary clinic?
Are you living your best life in and out of the clinic?? In a way that will leave you smiling on your death bed?My brother’s sudden passing made me reflect upon my priorities again - and I did some adjustments.Wha...
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Season 2
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Episode 67
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20:48
Ep. 66: 5 solid tips to enjoying your consults
Stressed about consults? You’re not alone. It’s one of the main issues I work with my clients on, and it used to be an issue for me as well!In this episode, I share my 5 top solid tips to fully enjoy your consults, fro...
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Season 2
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Episode 66
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32:28
Ep. 65: Be aware of the adrenaline rush
Ever wondered why your brain WILL NOT STOP with the spinningOr why you seem unable to say no to extra shifts?Why it’s so hard to relax and enjoy the simple things?You might be addicted to adrenaline, and you don’t even know...
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Season 2
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Episode 65
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19:20
Ep. 64: Healing without perfect
How much do you beat yourself up for not being able to HEAL your patients 100%?When we can’t reach a complete diagnosis, or achieve 10/10 analgesia, or find the perfect treatment, self-doubt and impostor syndrome kicks in.I...
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Season 2
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Episode 64
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17:38
Ep. 63: How to: My 12 step process to becoming an invincible veterinarian (start here)
When I first published my upcoming course, a subscriber reached out to me to say she was so happy she could sign up for a systematized way of applying everything she’s learned from me through the podcast, newsletters and so on.And it str...
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Season 2
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Episode 63
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22:35
Ep. 62: What I learned from switching my brother off life support
3 weeks ago my brother went into cardiac arrest, and what followed changed my life.It was a roller coaster I learned 6 big things from, that I want you all to learn with me, because it can radically change how you see and exper...
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Season 2
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Episode 62
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47:21
Ep 61: A loooong complaint JUST about me - here’s how I handled it
Last week of night shifts was a CHALLENGING one, and on top of everything I got a complaint!!A lot went through my head when I read the (long) complaint, and a lot of emotions too 🫣.In this episode I take you thro...
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Season 2
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Episode 61
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22:07
Ep. 60: Don’t add to the suffering!
What has my daughters peritonitis, WW3 and vets leaving a practice got to do with each other?They are all out of our control!!When things like these happen, it’s easy to get caught in a spiral of stress, anxiety a...
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Season 2
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Episode 60
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28:45
Ep. 59: Coming back from “I’ve messed up my whole life”. Interview with Sarah Garven, Scottish veterinarian and personal/career coach.
Sarah burnt out in 2004 and left vet med after having tried several modalities of veterinary practice. Since being a new grad she never felt she got a handle on it, and deeply believed she had to be right all the time in o...
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1:00:05
Ep. 58: When enough is never enough
Do you struggle with a constant feeling of not doing enough?Maybe you don’t feel you’re doing enough for your patients?Or enough for your family? Or working hard enough? Or people might think you’re not doing enou...
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Season 2
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Episode 58
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21:22
Ep. 57: Truth delivered kindly. Interview with Koryn Greenspan, grief counsellor
Why is it that so many owners have a bad experience at the vet around the passing of their pets, and end up putting in a complaint or sharing their frustration on the internet?You may think owners get mad because we were not go...
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Season 2
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Episode 57
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59:44