Does veterinary medicine need tougher skin—or deeper honesty? Join host Dr. Gershon Alaluf with guest Dr. Christien Bolden, DVM (Tuskegee grad, Louisiana veterinarian, mentor, and creator of “More Than a Doctor”) for a candid conversation on impostor syndrome, integrity, mentorship, faith, and the real soft skills that keep doctors—and clients—whole.

🎧 What you'll discover:

– Why impostor syndrome hits students, new grads, and even seasoned vets

– The Tuskegee factor: finding your why and building discipline

– Roadblocks, the SER on-ramp, and learning how to learn

– Soft skills that change medicine: communication, empathy, humility

– Practicing with integrity: options, honesty, and “I don’t know—let me check”

– Tech in the clinic: records, AI helpers, and practical tools (when to use them)

– The hot debate: technicians performing surgeries and what’s at stake

– Faith and science: tension, harmony, and serving people through pets

– The case that still hurts—and what to do with the weight of mistakes

– One irreplaceable truth every vet must accept about people and pets

🐾 Who will love this episode:

– Veterinarians & veterinary students

– New grads battling doubt or burnout

– Practice owners and medical directors mentoring teams

– Technicians & support staff building client rapport

– Anyone who believes medicine is about people as much as pets

🎬 Timestamps:

00:00 – Impostor syndrome & early-career doubts

02:03 – Intro: Dr. Christien Bolden — More Than a Doctor

03:26 – Tuskegee roots, purpose & “finding your why”

10:42 – Roadblocks, SER program, learning to study

16:04 – Soft skills, mentorship & client communication

24:02 – Compassion vs. perseverance vs. humility

29:04 – Practicing with integrity, options, saying “I don’t know”

33:26 – Techs doing surgery? Standards, risk & reality

41:00 – Records, tech tools, and AI in vet practice

56:30 – Irreplaceable truth, faith, and final takeaways

🔔 Stay Connected:

– Like this video if you found value in this discussion

– Share your questions or vet stories in the comments

– Subscribe and enable notifications to catch new episodes

📚 Resources Mentioned:

— More Than a Dogtor (podcast, IG, TikTok, YouTube): @MoreThanADogtor

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

📸 Follow us: @Pacific.Lens.Studios

📥 Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com

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#VeterinaryMentorship #ImpostorSyndrome #VeterinaryEthics #SoftSkills #IntegrativePractice #VeterinaryLeadership #IrreplaceableTruths