The Uncharted Veterinary Podcast

In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss tackle a tough question from a practice leader: Can you coach a slow veterinary technician to keep up with the pace of the team, or is it time to part ways? Coaching slow veterinary technicians is a nuanced challenge. You want to support a valued team member while also ensuring operational efficiency, maintaining morale, and delivering excellent ...

Is AI in veterinary practice making your clinic smarter, or setting you up for trouble? Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita, CVPM, tackle an associate veterinarian’s concerns about how fast their clinic is adopting AI, from scribes to client emails to appointment scheduling, and what that means for quality, trust, and team culture. If you’ve ever felt torn between embracing innovation and maintaining control, this conversation offers c...

Starting a new veterinary practice is an exciting and rare opportunity to build something truly your own. In this Hall of Fame episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss take on a powerful listener question: How can you maximize efficiency and still provide high quality low stress veterinary care? The conversation quickly turns into a masterclass on designing practice culture, client experience, ...

When you're running a veterinary practice, especially a mobile or specialty service, one challenge is almost guaranteed to show up at your front desk: price shoppers. In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita tackle the nuanced topic of how to train your client service representative (CSR) to handle pricing conversations with confidence, professionalism, and compassion. This episode is pac...

What do you do when a lead technician is silently drowning, and no matter how many times you offer help, they won’t take your hand? In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss tackle a deeply familiar challenge: supporting veterinary technicians who are struggling, especially when they won’t open up about what’s really going on. This episode is a must-listen for any veterinary leader grapp...

What do you do when you're promoted, unsupported, and then demoted? That’s the raw question tackled by Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss in this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast. In veterinary medicine, leadership failure can feel deeply personal, especially when it looks like a promotion followed by radio silence and eventual disappointment. This episode dives into what it means to be set up to fail in leadership, how t...

Veterinary clinics are evolving and so are the people leading them. In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita take on a deceptively simple mailbag question: “Non-medically trained practice manager?” It sparks a deep dive into one of the profession’s biggest shifts, the rise of the non-medical practice manager and the new dynamics of clinic leadership. From breaking down the growing divide ...

What do you do when your team is great on paper, skilled, kind, even gets along well, but when things get busy, the plan collapses and everyone starts freelancing? In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss tackle a leadership scenario that’s as frustrating as it is familiar: what to do when the team keeps going rogue. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “Why won’t they just follow t...

Dr. Andy Roark sits down with Anthony Pierlioni, VP of the Turtle Room and Manager of Training & Facilitation at VCA, to talk about his book, Veterinary Leadership Through Fresh Eyes. This heartfelt, candid conversation offers fresh insight into veterinary leadership from someone who took the long road to management, bringing empathy, emotional intelligence, and a social worker’s mindset into the veterinary world. Whether you’r...

Is your boss the reason morale is low and turnover is high? In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, hosts Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss unpack a heartbreaking mailbag letter from a veterinary practice manager stuck in a toxic situation. The letter details an emotionally draining reality: a practice owner whose yelling, micromanagement, and disparaging gossip have left the team completely demoralized. If you’re faci...

In this episode Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss respond to a mailbag letter about a sensitive workplace issue: management silencing employees. What happens when team members are told not to express emotions, especially when they’re feeling overwhelmed by clients or coworkers? With heart, humor, and unflinching honesty, Andy and Stephanie dive into the philosophical, emotional, and tactical layers of ...

In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark sits down with Roy Jain, Chief Operating Officer of Blue River Pet Care, to explore how veterinary practice operations can be scaled across 210 hospitals without losing what makes each clinic special. If you're a veterinary practice owner who's ever thought about selling your clinic, or simply scaling your operations more effectively, this episode is packed with wi...

In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita unpack a tricky, heartfelt mailbag letter from a practice manager stuck between supporting her aspiring technicians and honoring the clinic’s limitations. The episode offers practical leadership strategies to communicate a “no” with empathy, inspire continued growth, and thoughtfully advocate for veterinary technician school support—even when fundi...

What do you do when your veterinary technician schedule falls apart only weeks into opening your dream clinic? In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss dive into a real mailbag question from a new practice owner facing an all-too-relatable scenario: a small team, a clear plan, and suddenly—schedule drama. This episode unpacks the leadership insights, mindset strategies, and practical st...

Veterinary leaders often find themselves stuck in a frustrating loop: despite good staffing, experienced employees, and decent workflows, the team simply isn’t moving. Everything feels like it requires a push—someone to give orders, manage every detail, and constantly follow up. The root concern? A lack of training initiative. In this episode of The Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, hosts Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss dive deep int...

In this crossover episode of the Cone of Shame Veterinary Podcast and Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark sits down with Dr. Kate Boatright to unpack the confidence crisis many new veterinarians face—and how a spectrum of care mindset can shift the game entirely. With Dr. Boatright speaking at the upcoming Uncharted Medical Director Summit, this conversation is a must-hear for anyone leading, mentoring, or coaching veterin...

Coaching through insecurity is one of the most challenging aspects of veterinary leadership. When a team member struggles with confidence, frustration, or toxic workplace baggage, it can feel impossible to guide them toward growth without creating conflict. In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss answer a listener’s mailbag question: How do you mentor or coach someone through severe in...

Some clients require extra attention, but where do you draw the line? In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss dive into a real-life dilemma from a veterinarian facing pushback for prioritizing a demanding client. Should veterinarians go the extra mile for clients they’ve built strong relationships with? Or does this undermine team trust and set unrealistic expectations? Let’s get into ...

Veterinary professionals strive to provide the highest quality care for their patients, but maintaining that standard can be challenging, especially in the face of financial concerns, evolving client expectations, and team-wide habits. When medical quality starts to slip, it often isn’t due to negligence or bad intentions. Instead, it’s a gradual shift, shaped by daily pressures and the desire to accommodate clients. In this episod...