The Uncharted Veterinary Podcast

Can you be an effective practice manager of a veterinary hospital if you never scrub in? In this episode, Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita, CVPM respond to a mailbag question from a new-ish practice manager whose team says she’s, “not helpful because she can’t draw blood or place IVs” even though she’s been fixing administrative problems that keep the hospital functioning. Andy and Maria frame the issue as a common tension between “...

Veterinary leadership burnout can leave even the most dedicated practice managers wondering if life would be easier back at the front desk, free from the constant pressure of staffing decisions, client complaints, and carrying the emotional weight of the whole hospital. In this episode, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss respond to a heartfelt mailbag question from a manager considering stepping down into a CSR role and unpack the r...

Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita, CVPM, tackle one of the most emotionally charged realities in veterinary medicine, when corporate leadership changes clinic schedules without local input and leaders are left to deliver the news to frustrated teams. In this episode, they respond to a multi-site medical director caught between upper management directives and the trust they have worked hard to build with their doctors. They explore th...

A former associate leaves your veterinary practice, opens their own clinic, and now your team members are getting recruited, leaving you worried about staff loss and wondering whether to fight back legally or double down on fixing things internally. This week, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss tackle the emotional and practical reality of veterinary staff poaching, walking through how practice owners and managers can move past ange...

What happens when the people meant to lead and support the team slowly become the emotional shock absorbers for the entire hospital? In clinics everywhere, practice managers and medical directors step in to help because they care. A team member is overwhelmed, conflict pops up, a client is upset, and leadership jumps in to fix it. At first, it feels supportive. But over time, every problem starts landing on the same shoulders. Team...

The veterinary clinic winter blues are real, and many practice leaders quietly struggle when team morale dips even though nothing seems obviously wrong. In this Uncharted Veterinary Podcast mailbag episode, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss tackle what happens when teams feel heavy, drained, and stuck in what one manager brilliantly called “wet sock energy.” No drama, no major conflict, just collective exhaustion. In this episode, ...

What happens when a team member’s side hustle starts spilling into your clinic? In this episode, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss unpack a real scenario where a technician’s pet-sitting business blurs professional boundaries, leaving leaders stuck between being supportive and protecting the practice. You’ll learn how to respond without overreacting, how to set clear expectations when no policy exists, and how to create boundaries ...

Veterinary visits are dropping, the schedule has open slots, and yet your team still feels completely swamped. In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita break down what to do when declining advance bookings signal long-term risk, but your team does not see a problem because walk-ins keep the day busy. They explore why this disconnect happens, how leaders can avoid panic without becoming pa...

Your team is showing up, doing the job, and following the rules, but the energy is gone, the spark is missing, and it feels like everyone is just clocking in and clocking out. In this episode, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss unpack a mailbag question from a practice manager facing quiet quitting in their veterinary team, not through laziness or rule-breaking, but through disengagement that is harder to name and even harder to fix...

Feeling like practice ownership might have passed you by, even after years of hard work, paid-down debt, and careful planning? In this episode, Dr. Andy Roark sits down with Roy Jain, COO and Co-Founder of Blue River PetCare, to tackle one of the most common and painful questions associate veterinarians face today: is practice ownership still possible, or is the system stacked against you? Together, they unpack a real mailbag lette...

When your team won’t move unless someone tells them exactly what to do, leadership starts to feel exhausting fast. We’re wrapping up the year by revisiting the top UVP episode of 2025, a standout conversation that resonated with practice managers, medical directors, and leaders who are tired of babysitting capable adults and ready to build a culture where initiative is the norm. In this Hall of Fame episode, Stephanie Goss and Dr. ...

Veterinary leadership can feel heavy during the holidays. Between emotional cases, personal transitions, and the pressure to finish the year strong, many leaders find themselves exhausted, reflective, and unsure how to carry both the joy and the weight of the season. This episode brings together honest holiday leadership reflections from Dr. Andy Roark, Tyler Grogan, CVT and Maria Pirita, CVPM offering guidance for anyone who feels...

When a front desk team member escalates client tension instead of calming it, the entire clinic feels the ripple effect. In this episode, we tackle a tough and common challenge in veterinary medicine: a highly reliable receptionist who becomes defensive and reactive when clients become upset. We break down why this happens, how fear and past experiences amplify emotional responses, and what leaders can do to coach confidence, deesc...

A longtime veterinary technician feels trapped under an inexperienced new manager, and the entire team is slipping into frustration and burnout as leadership crumbles around them. In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss dig into the real challenges of working under a difficult boss in veterinary medicine. They explore why imperfect leaders are inevitable, how emotional overload can int...

When your veterinary clinic starts growing faster than your systems can handle, it can feel like you’re constantly putting out fires instead of leading with confidence. In this episode of The Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss dive into the realities of veterinary clinic growth, sharing how to move from survival mode to sustainable leadership. They explain why rapid expansion often creates burnout, misc...

Veterinary professionals often pour time, money, and energy into certifications that don’t always deliver the results they expect. In this episode, Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita, CVPM break down how to decide if becoming a certified veterinary assistant, technician, or manager is truly worth it. They explore how to weigh the financial, emotional, and career impact of credentialing and share how to talk with your leaders before co...

What happens when friendships in your veterinary clinic start to blur the line between connection and cliques? In this episode of The Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss dig into one of the most uncomfortable culture challenges in practice: favoritism. It often begins innocently, with a doctor and technician who click, who work smoothly together, and who spend time outside of work. Over time, that “we ju...

Your team comes back from CE full of ideas, energy, and handouts. Two weeks later, it is as if none of it ever happened. Sound familiar? In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita tackle one of the most frustrating challenges in veterinary leadership: how to actually implement what your team learns at continuing education events. CE should spark growth, no t fizzle into forgotten notes and ...

Veterinary client communication is at a crossroads. Teams everywhere are feeling the strain of constant calls, texts, and emails from clients who expect immediate answers. The pace of communication has accelerated faster than many veterinary practices can keep up with, creating a daily challenge: how do we stay personal and present while meeting growing digital demands?

That question is at the center of a conversation between Dr. An...