Choose People Love Pets: The Veterinary Culture Podcast

What happens when you’ve built the career you thought you wanted… and realize you might be ready for something completely different?Dr. Jen Cole spent more than 25 years in veterinary medicine, built two veterinary practices with her husband, raised three children, and eventually made the decision to step away from hospital life.But she wasn’t done with veterinary medicine.Today, Jen is the author of the Rooster and Squid children’s book series, using storytelling to teach kids about animals, veterinary medicine, and how they can become better advocates for their own pets.In this episode, we talk about knowing when it’s time to move on, separating who you are from what you do, building a career alongside a family, and giving yourself permission to figure out what comes next.We also get into some of the harder lessons Jen learned during 25+ years in practice: firing clients, letting go of team members who are hurting your culture, realizing that nobody is irreplaceable (including the owners), and learning that your hospital can continue to thrive without you.Jen shares what retirement actually felt like after decades of being a veterinarian and practice owner, why she gave herself six months before saying yes to anything new, and how that space eventually led her to an entirely new creative career.Then we dive into Rooster and Squid: why Jen believes kids can be some of the best advocates for their pets, how she learned to write and publish children's books, what she thinks about AI and human creativity, and what she's building next.Most importantly, this conversation is a reminder that there isn't just one way to have a career in veterinary medicine. You can practice, own, lead, work part-time, raise a family, move into industry, create something completely new, or reinvent your career altogether.Your career can change. Your impact doesn’t have to.In this episode • Knowing when it’s time to step away from clinical practice • Separating your identity from being a veterinarian • Why Jen gave herself six months after retirement before deciding what came next • Building veterinary practices while raising a family • Being physically present versus actually being present with the people you love • Why it’s okay to fire clients • Letting go of people who are negatively affecting your hospital culture • Why “nobody is irreplaceable” can actually be a healthy leadership lesson • The many different ways to build a career in veterinary medicine • Turning 25+ years of veterinary experience into children's stories • Why kids can be powerful advocates for their pets • Writing, illustrating, and publishing the Rooster and Squid series • AI, authorship, and the value of human creativity • Jen’s upcoming search-and-rescue series inspired by veterinary emergency response workConnect with Dr. Jen ColeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/roosterandsquid/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553831672190 LinkedIn (Jen Cole, DVM): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-cole-dvm-208b642a1/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/roosterandsquid/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@roosterandsquid​YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RoosterandSquidLucid Books (Dr. Cole's Publisher)Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucid_books/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucidbookspublishing/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucid-booksPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lucidbookspub/X: https://x.com/Lucid_BooksChoose People Love Pets is the veterinary culture podcast exploring leadership, workplace culture, career possibilities, and the people working to build a brighter future for veterinary medicine.People. Culture. A Brighter Vet Med.

Hospital ownership can sound like the natural next step in a veterinary career, but ownership isn’t a promotion. It’s a completely different job.In this first solo episode, Dr. Brianna Armstrong breaks down three questions to ask yourself before deciding whether veterinary hospital ownership is actually right for you.Do you really want ownership, or are you looking for more autonomy, better leadership, a different schedule, or a healthier workplace? Do you enjoy the actual work of ownership, including leadership, finances, systems, hiring, accountability, and solving problems? And are you willing to take on the responsibility that comes with having more control?Dr. Armstrong shares what she loves about hospital ownership, what she didn’t know when she started, why being a great veterinarian doesn’t automatically mean you’ll enjoy running a business, and practical ways to get closer to the business side of veterinary medicine before taking the leap.In this episode:• Why ownership shouldn’t be the default finish line of a veterinary career• The “perfect associate job” test for deciding what you actually want• Why enjoying business problems matters more than already knowing business• The relationship between control and responsibility• How to test-drive leadership and ownership before investing in a hospital• Different paths to ownership, from partnerships and buy-ins to de novos and solo ownership• Why talking to current owners may be one of the best ways to figure out your next moveIf ownership makes you nervous but also gets you a little excited, you don’t have to decide today. Get curious, get closer to the business, and figure out whether you actually like the job before worrying about how to buy one.Follow for more: FB: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556480229406&mibextid=LQQJ4d⁠ IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/choosepeoplelovepets?igsh=MTVzZjc4ZHE4MWd2NQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr⁠ LI: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/choose-people-love-pets/

Being a nice leader sounds like a good thing. Until being nice means avoiding the conversations your team actually needs you to have. When leaders avoid accountability because they don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings, create conflict, or be disliked, they may be protecting someone’s comfort today while creating a much bigger problem tomorrow. In this episode of Choose People Love Pets, Dr. Armstrong and Phoebe unpack the difference between leading nice andleading kind and why kindness sometimes requires saying the uncomfortable thing. They talk about coaching struggling employees, addressing uncomfortable issues, holding people accountable, protecting your highest performers, firing difficult clients, and recognizing when letting someone go may actually be the kindest decision. Because kindness without accountability isn’t kindness. In this episode:Why nice leadership can create resentment, confusion, and burnoutThe difference between protecting someone's feelings and actually supporting themWhy your best employees notice when poor performance goes uncheckedHow to approach difficult feedback with empathyWhy being liked is not the same as being trustedHow avoiding accountability creates unfairness across your teamWhy difficult conversations get easier with practiceHow leaders model the standards they expect from everyone elseWhen letting someone go can still be a kind leadership decision This episode’s challenge: Identify one conversation you’ve been avoiding. Then ask yourself: Am I avoiding this because it’s actually best for them and the team, or because having it would make me uncomfortable? The conversation you avoid today becomes the problemyou manage tomorrow. Comfort is not the goal of leadership. Growth is. Nice leaders avoid hard conversations. Kind leadershave them.Follow for more:FB: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556480229406&mibextid=LQQJ4d⁠ IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/choosepeoplelovepets?igsh=MTVzZjc4ZHE4MWd2NQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr⁠ LI: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/choose-people-love-pets/

Modern Animal’s acquisition by Chewy has become one of the most significant and debated developments in veterinary medicine.In this episode, Dr. Christie Long joins Dr. Brianna Armstrong to share her unconventional journey from software and operations to veterinary medicine and eventually becoming Chief Medical Officer of Modern Animal. Dr. Long explains the original vision behind Modern Animal, the challenges of scaling its technology-enabled and membership-based model, and the lessons the company learned while expanding beyond California.Dr. Long also discusses the financial realities of building a venture-backed veterinary company, why the fundraising environment became more difficult, and what led Modern Animal to join Chewy. Dr. Armstrong and Dr. Long address concerns surrounding corporate consolidation, vertical integration, pharmacy, insurance, pricing, and what Chewy’s expanding healthcare ecosystem could mean for independent veterinary hospitals. Dr. Long also responds to the public reaction surrounding the acquisition and explains why personal relationships may remain independent practices’ greatest competitive advantage.This is a candid conversation about entrepreneurship, culture, scale, ownership, and what the Modern Animal and Chewy partnership could signal for the future of veterinary medicine.Key Takeaways- The hardest part of building a veterinary company is not necessarily building the hospitals. It is creating jobs, career paths, leadership systems, and a culture that talented people want to join.- Growth exposes assumptions. Modern Animal’s rapid success in Southern California did not automatically translate into other markets, forcing the company to rethink its branding, membership options, marketing, and accessibility.- Venture-backed growth creates a race against time. Companies must prove their model, reach meaningful scale, and attract additional capital before their financial runway ends.- Scale and independence are not the only two options. Christie views the acquisition as a way to access capital, talent, technology, and customers that could allow Modern Animal to pursue ideas it could not accomplish alone.- Independent practices still have a major advantage. Personal relationships and meaningful human connection remain difficult for any large organization to standardize or scale.- The future of veterinary medicine should not be framed only as corporate versus private. The more important questions may be who makes the decisions, how teams are treated, whether medical quality is protected, and whether the business creates genuine value for patients, clients, employees, and the profession. About Dr. Christie LongDr. Christie Long is a veterinarian, builder, and Chief Medical Officer of Modern Animal. Before entering veterinary medicine, she worked in software development, project management, and operations. Her career has included clinical practice, veterinary telehealth, corporate veterinary development, and the creation and expansion of Modern Animal’s technology-enabled veterinary hospitals.Through her work, Christie has focused on improving the veterinary experience for patients, clients, and the people delivering care. She now enters the next chapter of that work following Modern Animal’s acquisition by Chewy.ConnectLearn more about Modern Animal: https://www.modernanimal.com/Connect with Dr. Christie Long: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christie-long-dvm-b4b51a117/Follow Choose People Love Pets: If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.Follow for more: FB: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556480229406&mibextid=LQQJ4d⁠ IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/choosepeoplelovepets?igsh=MTVzZjc4ZHE4MWd2NQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr⁠ LI: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/choose-people-love-pets/

What happens when the career you love is no longer sustainable? After decades of building a thriving mixed animal practice, Dr. Christine Staten found herself facing chronic pain that forced her to rethink what the next chapter of veterinary medicine could look like. Instead of stepping away from the profession, she went back to school for her MBA and created Veterinary MBA, a business dedicated to helping practice owners build practices that are profitable, sustainable, and fulfilling. In this episode, we dive into the mindset behind her incredible career, why she believes burnout isn't inevitable, and how intentional systems—not working harder—allow practice owners to create more impact without sacrificing their lives. We also discuss leadership, mentorship, hiring, time management, community, AI, and the lessons she learned after losing her first five associates. Whether you're a practice owner, an aspiring leader, or simply trying to build a career with more purpose, this conversation is full of practical advice and honest reflections. In This Episode • Why Dr. Staten chose to expand her impact instead of slowing down • The health challenges that led her to reinvent her career • Going back to earn an MBA at 50 and how it transformed her leadership • Why Veterinary MBA was created and the mission behind it • Burnout, systems, and the biggest misconceptions about practice ownership • The importance of community for veterinary leaders • Why "work-life balance" is the wrong goal and what to pursue instead • Time audits, time blocking, and designing your life intentionally • Delegation, mentorship, and building systems that create freedom • Lessons learned after losing her first five associate veterinarians • Hiring for culture instead of just clinical skills • Building successful retreats and mentorship communities • How she approaches AI while keeping human connection at the center of leadership Connect with Dr. Christine Staten veterinary_mbaAdobe Veterinary Center: https://adobevetcenter.com/Follow Dr. Christine Staten for practical insights on veterinary leadership, practice ownership, and building sustainable veterinary businesses.  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow for more:  FB: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556480229406&mibextid=LQQJ4d⁠  IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/choosepeoplelovepets?igsh=MTVzZjc4ZHE4MWd2NQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr⁠  LI: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/choose-people-love-pets/