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What happens in your hospital when someone is afraid to speak up? A tech notices a missed med. A CSR knows the schedule isn’t working. A manager disagrees with the owner but keeps the peace. That silence costs you in turnover, lost ideas, and sometimes patient safety. In this solo episode, Brenda Tassava Medina takes on the topic that keeps coming up with practice leaders nationwide: psychological safety. Drawing on Amy Edmondson’s book, The Fearless Organization, she covers the four workplace zones, why safety and accountability go hand in hand, and 7 leadership habits you can start this week. She also asks the hard question: what if YOU are the reason your team stays quiet? Pick one habit. Practice it. Keep going. ✈️ Thank you to VIN for partnering with us for today's episode! Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

AI is everywhere right now, but where is it actually making a difference in the practice? Today's conversation skips the product pitches and focuses on what matters: reducing friction around the work your team is already doing. From AI scribes and admin support to client follow-up, workflow orchestration, and turning data into insights you can act on, the right tools can get your team to trusted answers faster. The big takeaway? When AI takes the right things off our plate, it can actually make veterinary medicine MORE human. Panelists: Dr. Brian Hur, Principle AI Scientist, President of Association for Veterinary InfomaticsJessica Fuller, CVPM, CCFP, HABc, VP of Community at Pawsitive IntelligenceThank you to VIN for partnering with us for today's episode! Learn more about VIN AI mode HERE! Learn more about Pawsitive Intelligence HERE! Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

Twelve years after losing Dr. Sophia Yin, her push to take patient fear and stress seriously still shapes veterinary medicine. Today's panelists talk about how far we've come from labeling patients "difficult" or "dominant." They also dig into what happens when low-stress handling becomes part of the whole practice: fewer bites, happier teams, and clients who see how much you care. The key? Training, buy-in, accountability, and building it into your SOPs, because it takes a village. Panelists: Dr. Christine Calder, Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, Director of Behavior Educational Content for VIN Behavior AcademyBradley Phifer, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KSA, Executive Director for the Certification Council for Professional Dog TrainersJoy Stizza, RVT, Clinical Supervisor and Practice Leader at Town & Country Veterinary HospitalThank you to VIN for partnering with us for today's episode! To learn more about Sophia Yin and Low-Stress Handling: https://cattledogpublishing.com/https://www.vin.com/vinmembers/ceThanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

Melissa Mauldin and Brenda Medina both started at the front desk, and 40+ combined years in veterinary medicine later, neither path looked like a straight line. Melissa worked her way from CSR to bookkeeping, practice and regional management, and now VP of HR for Encore Vet Group. Brenda thought she'd become a tech before realizing the medical side wasn't for her, working her way up from CSR to Hospital Administrator and then a veterinary consultant. Together they talk about why success doesn't have to mean a promotion, how sprinting from role to role leads straight to burnout, and what Brenda learned the first time she rolled out a job level program.  Plus, advice for newer associates thinking about leaving the profession: come in like a sponge, take time to find a special interest, and remember your skills might just fit a different practice better. Thank you to VIN (Veterinary Information Network®) for partnering with us for this episode! Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

If we want vet professionals to have sustainable careers and real, livable wages, that has to come from somewhere: the care we provide. In Part 2, practice owners, Dr. Brianna Armstrong and Dr. Marie Maher dig into what that means on the business side, why teams need to stop apologizing for what things cost, and how pricing confidently (while still working within the spectrum of care) is what lets a practice actually pay its people what they're worth. Then a parent of a veterinary student shares what she hopes practices will one day offer her daughter. Her daughter, finishing vet school now, weighs in on what a sustainable career should look like, from friends already hitting burnout to why "firing a client" sometimes has to be okay. This one's for every vet professional thinking about what the career should pay, and it's especially worth passing along to any vet students you know! Panelists include: Dr. Brianna Armstrong, Practice Owner at Firehouse Animal Health CentersDr. Marie Maher, Practice Owner at Tranquil Tabby Mobile Cat VetResources mentioned: Dr. Armstrong created a free Hospital Culture Interview Guide for veterinary professionals. It includes 33 questions to ask, what to listen for in the answers, and red flags to watch for during an interview or working visit. Download it here!WMPB Fees 2026: Redefining Value Through Strategic PricingVeterinary Fee Consults with Encore Veterinary ConsultingWith thanks to Dr. Eve Harrison of The House Call Vet Academy, whose coaching shaped several of Dr. Maher's comments throughout this episode!Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

"It's just so expensive" is one of the most common things veterinary teams hear, and one of the hardest to answer without feeling defensive. In Part 1 of a 2-part episode, two practice owners get honest about affordability for pet owners and sustainability for hospitals, and why charging what care actually costs shouldn't come with guilt attached. They break down what really goes into the price of a visit, how expenses have climbed like everything else in the economy, and why "expensive" doesn't mean "overpriced," from the years of schooling behind the medicine to what it takes to pay a team well. Then a pet owner and her daughter, who's currently in veterinary school, weigh in from the other side of the exam table: how she personally thinks about the cost of care, whether her daughter's path has changed her understanding of it, and how vet school itself has reshaped her daughter's sense of the value behind it. Part 2 continues next week! Panelists include: Dr. Brianna Armstrong, Practice Owner at Firehouse Animal Health CentersDr. Marie Maher, Practice Owner at Tranquil Tabby Mobile Cat VetResources mentioned: WMPB Fees 2026: Redefining Value Through Strategic PricingVeterinary Fee Consults with Encore Veterinary ConsultingWith thanks to Dr. Eve Harrison of The House Call Vet Academy, whose coaching shaped several of Dr. Maher's comments throughout this episode! Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

Where's the real opportunity for your practice in 2027 and beyond? Brenda sits down with Dr. Marty Greer of Veterinary Village, Maggie Holcomb of Reynolda Veterinary Hospital, and Michelle Winter of Encore Vet Group to talk about the services reshaping veterinary care, from technicians stepping into a bigger advisory role to rethinking spay and neuter timing to expanding into senior care, rehab, and exotics. But not every new idea is worth chasing. Marty, Maggie, and Michelle break down how to know when one is: listen to your clients, track what you're referring out, find a champion on your team, and don't skip the hard part of training staff and explaining the why before you roll it out. Host = Brenda Tassava Medina, CVPM, CVJ, MVLCE Panelists: Dr. Marty Greer, Practice Owner at Veterinary VillageMaggie Holcomb, CVPM, Practice Manager at Reynolda Veterinary HospitalMichelle Winter, CVPM, CVJ, VP of Operations at Encore Vet GroupThank you to Joan Marshall of PIMidlantic for sponsoring this episode! Want to take the Predictive Index Assessment? Click here! Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

Have you accidentally trained your team to wait for you? If a vacation brings decisions to a halt until you're back, this episode is for you. Brenda sits down with a panel consisting of a veterinary consultant, a practice manager, and a practice owner/veterinarian to talk about letting go of being "the fixer," starting with the everyday things that pile up waiting for the boss, like client complaints and scheduling. They dig into how to build real trust with your team by asking "what would you do?" instead of jumping in, and why doing something differently than you doesn't mean doing it wrong. Panelists joining Brenda Tassava Medina for this episode include: Dr. Amy Tate, Managing Partner at Riverview Animal HospitalCarol Hurst,  LVT, CVPM, CVJ, CCFP, Consultant at Encore Veterinary ConsultingCrystal Hardison, RVT, CVPM, Practice Manager at Winterville Animal Care and Trinity Veterinary HospitalThank you to Joan Marshall of PIMidlantic for sponsoring this episode! Want to take the Predictive Index Assessment? Click here! Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

This episode, Brenda's flying solo — answering the questions listeners have been quietly wondering about but haven't known who to ask! Is your team busier than ever, but the financials still aren't adding up — and you're not sure if it's a real problem or just everyone "feeling" overwhelmed? What do you do when your most talented employee turns out to be a rough fit as a leader? How do you handle a team that's begging for more accountability, but turns on leadership the moment anyone actually enforces it? We're digging into these questions from listeners and more! These are the conversations happening in break rooms and manager meetings across the industry — Brenda just happens to have some answers. Tune in to hear where she'd start! Thank you to Joan Marshall of PIMidlantic for sponsoring this episode! Want to take the Predictive Index Assessment? Click here! Resources mentioned: From Bud to Boss by Kevin Elkenberry and Guy HarrisCrucial Conversations by Joseph Grenny, et alThanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

Why does one leadership style never work for every employee? Brenda sits down with Debbie Hill, Brandon Hess, and Amy Tipton to make the case that "treat people the way THEY want to be treated" beats the golden rule when it comes to leadership — and that management should stay consistent while leadership has to flex person-by-person. From there, the panelists dig into what adapting actually looks like — creativity, vulnerability, boundaries, tools like the Predictive Index — and why balancing awareness of your team with self-awareness is what separates good leaders from great ones. Books mentioned throughout the episode: First Break All the Rules from GallupPlease Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types by David Keirsey & Marilyn BatesEmotional Intelligence 2.0 by Dr. Travis Bradberry & Dr. Jean GreavesTrust & Inspire by Stephen CoveyHost = Brenda Tassava Medina, CVPM, CVJ, President of Encore Veterinary Consulting Panelists: Debbie Hill, CVPM, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Consultant at Encore Veternary ConsultingBrandon Hess, CVPM, CCFP, Partner at Grants Lick Veterinary HospitalAmy Tipton, COO at Encore Vet GroupThank you to Joan Marshall of PIMidlantic for sponsoring this episode! Want to take the Predictive Index Assessment? Click here! Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

If your team cares about doing right by clients and each other, why does communication still go sideways so often? Our panelists dig into that question this episode, and the answer isn't a lack of effort — it's that we all show up wired differently. Different motivators, different learning styles, and moments where passion or emotion take over can make even well-intentioned people miss each other.  We also get into what leaders can do to reduce day-to-day friction without becoming full-time mediators: starting from a clear "why," staying consistent about practicing communication as a team, anchoring conflict in shared values, and building enough trust that people can work things out without leadership stepping in every time. Host = Brenda Tassava Medina, CVPM, CVJ, President of Encore Veterinary Consulting Panelists: Amy Brauns, RVT, CVPM, Hospital Administrator at Everhart Veterinary MedicineTiffany Consalvo, CVPM, CCFP, Director of Leadership & Operations at Encore Vet GroupCrystal Hardison, RVT, CVPM, Practice Manager at Winterville Animal CareThank you to Joan Marshall of PIMidlantic for sponsoring this episode! Want to take the Predictive Index Assessment? Click here! Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

Every day, veterinary teams move from a euthanasia appointment straight into a new puppy visit — and are expected to just switch gears. But what does that emotional whiplash actually cost us, and do we have permission to feel it? In this episode, Natalie Marks, DVM, CVJ, CCFP, Elite FFCP-VA and Founder/CEO of VANE, joins us to discuss ideas from her article "3 Ways Veterinarians Can Stay Present Without Burning Out" (Today's Veterinary Business). We dig into why teams need to align on whether it's okay to grieve, cry, or show emotion in front of clients — and why the answer should be yes. We also explore the real relationship between efficiency and humanity and we also dive into the question: when does healthy resilience curdle into emotional armor that disconnects us from our patients, clients, and each other? Natalie introduces the idea of "clinical empathy" and a gut-check for spotting numbness before it takes hold, plus a concrete next step that leadership teams can implement to build a culture where being human is welcome, not hidden. Thank you to Joan Marshall of PIMidlantic for sponsoring this episode! Want to take the Predictive Index Assessment? Click here! Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

Why do so many good people struggle to work together? Often it's not a personality clash — it's that high performers don't understand what actually drives their own behavior, let alone anyone else's. In this episode, we break down what the Predictive Index really is: a behavioral assessment that reveals the innate drives behind why we act the way we do. We dig into why a diverse team is such an asset once everyone understands each other's wiring, and how PI gives teams shared language for conflict resolution instead of guesswork. Understanding natural workstyles doesn't mean changing who someone is — it means knowing when a teammate is stretching outside their comfort zone and supporting them through it. The result is a stronger, more self-aware culture, built on a language everyone shares. Thank you to Joan Marshall of PIMidlantic for sponsoring this episode! Want to take the Predictive Index Assessment? Click here! Host = Brenda Tassava Medina, CVPM, CVJ, President of Encore Veterinary Consulting Panelists: Melissa Mauldin, CVPM, SHRM-SCP, ACC, VP of Human Resources, Encore Vet GroupCarol Hurst, LVT, CVPM, CVJ, CCFP, Consultant, Encore Veterinary ConsultingDevin Whalen, Chief of Staff, Encore Vet GroupThanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

Brenda flies solo this episode to unpack the book, Unreasonable Hospitality through a veterinary lens, breaking down 7 recipes for creating standout experiences for your team and clients. From mise-en-place-style preparation before appointments to the small, intentional details that turn a single visit into years of loyalty, Brenda shares real practice examples, including a Southeast Texas team that anticipates doctors' needs before they even walk into the exam room, and a Medical Director whose handwritten notes kept client relationships personal even as his schedule got busier. Along the way, Brenda covers why empathy matters in every interaction, what vet med can learn from the trust between a restaurant's front and back of house, how practice owners set the tone the way chefs and restaurateurs do, and why training your team well before service begins is the real secret ingredient. Resources mentioned: Unreasonable Hospitality, written by Will GuidaraThanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

We've talked about what burnout looks like and why managers feel stuck in the middle. Part 3 is where we get to the part that actually matters: what do we do about it? Backed by the same VHMA research that sparked this series, we close out Beyond Burnout with a forward-looking conversation about what sustainable veterinary leadership actually looks like in 2026 and beyond. From the simplest one-change-tomorrow answer (hint: let your team make more decisions) to what it takes to build a practice culture where managers can genuinely recover and grow, this episode is part practical and part permission slip. Veterinary medicine is a dysregulating field by nature — and when we get better at creating emotional safety at every level, everyone benefits. If you've made it through all three parts of this series, this one's the payoff. Host = Brenda Tassava Medina Panelists: Julie Squires, CCFP, CMLC, Rekindle SolutionsSusie Crockett, CVPM, Director of Practice Management at Noah's Animal HospitalsJosh Vaisman, MAPPCP, CCFP, Founder and Lead Positive Change Agent, Flourish Veterinary ConsultingThanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting