Feeling like the vet med profession is the problem? You’re not wrong—but you’re not powerless either

If you usually skip the well-being sessions at conferences because you already know what you should be doing—and it feels like it won’t matter when the vet med profession is the real issue… I get it.

That reaction is completely valid.

It’s frustrating when the advice is “do more yoga” or “take a vacation” or you even hear me talking about anti-anxiety tools when:

• You’re double-booked all day
• Clients accuse you of being in it for the money
• Leadership pressures you to hit numbers over providing quality care

Yes, the system needs to change.

But that doesn’t mean you have to stay stuck in it.
And it doesn’t mean you can’t be part of the shift.

What everyone in vet med needs to know:

👉 You can take back control—even before the system changes
👉 Thinking you’re doing everything right and it’s our profession and clients that need to change is giving away your power and agency —and that feels shitty
👉 That mindset is often a sign you’re operating in survival mode—and shifting out of that state will change your reality
👉 You're right, we need systemic change - and you can be part of creating that shift (even if you have zero energy and you’re fed up with our profession)

Here's what will really make a difference: 

Step One: Adopt a nervous system perspective.

When you're in survival mode, it's almost impossible to know what you actually need.

Your conscious thoughts are subjective—influenced by conditioning (hustle culture, diet culture), past experiences, and beliefs you have about yourself and your environment.

But your body and nervous system give you objective information. It tells you what state you're in: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. And that helps you collect more accurate data about what’s truly contributing to your stress.

If you don't recognize when you're in survival mode, then what you think you need when you're overwhelmed is probably keeping you stuck in unhelpful thoughts and exhausting patterns rather than connecting you with what will really help.

For example...

🪫 If you're in shutdown, you might think you’re "being lazy" and just need to push harder—but your body is telling you it’s already overwhelmed. More pressure and self-judgment just makes it worse.
🥊 If you're in fight, you may feel like everyone else is the problem. But if everyone around you seems like the issue, that’s often a signal to turn inward and ask what you need.

Watch this free webinar to recognize your nervous system responses (jump to minute 20 for a quick overview)

Step Two: Collect data from your body and environment.

Once you recognize signs of a stress response, you can begin asking:

💭 What’s adding stress, pressure, or overwhelm? This includes from your body's perspective (like skipping meals, dehydration, and no brain breaks) and things outside of work (like relationships or the news).
💭 What needs to change so this feels less threatening to my nervous system?

From there, two categories of action emerge:

Internal shifts: These are things in your control to support your energy and sanity.

For example:

• Being kinder to yourself
• Learning new communication skills to make client conversations less frustrating and more rewarding
• Getting support so you’re not lying awake imagining worst-case scenarios for your patients
• Starting your day with enough time to eat a healthy breakfast instead of running on caffeine and cortisol
• Using anti-anxiety tools to help your nervous system to return to a safe state after stressful events 

External shifts: These are the boundaries you need with things that are out of your control to protect your energy and sanity.

For example: 

• Establishing a zero-tolerance policy for bullies—including firing clients who continue to be disrespectful after you've tried a curious and compassionate approach
• Recognizing that you love senior pet care but need longer appointment times to practice in a way that feels good to you and supports the client and patient experience - and asking for a change in the schedule
• Realizing that you value efficiency so a mobile practice with long setups and downtime between patients isn’t the right fit but an urgent care environment energizes you

When you start to tune into your body, you can start to notice and collect data on what specifically gives you energy versus what drains you. And as you shift out of survival mode, you'll be able to start to identify your values and limits so you can make aligned changes that are sustainable.

There are so many possibilities in vet med. You get to do it in a way that actually works for you.

Earn free CE while diving deeper into this topic with this free Beat The Burnout resource  

And yes—this is also bigger than individual choices.

No amount of mindfulness or mindset work can fix a workplace that’s unsafe or unsustainable.

That’s why my work is focused on both individual support and driving systemic change.

We need these two things in order to drive change at the industry level: 

1. Data showing that environments that prioritize physical and mental well-being - where teams can practice medicine in a way that feels good - leads to greater profitability, retention, and sustainable success.
2. High demand for the practices already doing it well—so they’re fully booked, fully staffed, and easy to find.

Here’s how I’m helping to drive that change:

🧠 The Unicorn Vet Hospital Survey - currently free for all vet practices

Unlike most surveys, this one includes both physical and mental health—and it’s taken during paid time so we hear from everyone, not just those with extra energy or capacity. It gives hospitals a full report with actionable insights so they can make informed changes (or celebrate what’s already working) and monitor progress. This is helping to gather data on what actually works to increase well-being and satisfaction.

Sign up for the unicorn hospital survey here.  

🦄 The Unicorn Vet Hospital List

There are great practices out there—but they’re hard to find because everyone says they prioritize well-being and work-life balance and it's hard to tell who to trust. This vetted, evolving list helps veterinary professionals and pet guardians easily find the ones that walk the talk.

When it’s easy to find these unicorn practices that are in high demand, others will follow. And when we have the data to prove well-being supports business success with clear action steps to get there, it creates a model for sustainable change.

Sign up here to receive updates when unicorn vet hospitals are added to the list

Ready to take back your power and be part of leading the change you know we need in vet med?

⭐️ Share this post to help move our profession forward in a way that reclaims our power and creates progress together

⭐️ Utilize one of the many free resources available to start adopting a nervous system perspective and making changes that support your energy and sanity. Some options: 

• Watch this free webinar for an overview of how to start identifying signs of a stress response and what to do about it
• Earn 4 hours of CE with the Beat the Burnout resource
  

⭐️ Ask your clinic to participate in the Unicorn Vet Hospital Survey

⭐️ Join my 6-month coaching program for group and individual support putting this into practice so that you can feel fulfilled in your career, good in your body, and have enough energy left at the end of the day to enjoy life outside of work

You don’t have to keep surviving.
Break the norm. Be a unicorn.

I have a lot of options available, so feel free to schedule a free call or send me an email (amelia@lifeboost.today) so I can hear about your unique situation and help you to find the resource or program that's the best fit for you!