This week, I’m stepping into the guest seat on the Pawsitive Leadership Podcast with Andrea Crabtree and David Liss, and we’re going deep into something that matters to me with my whole heart: caring for the people who care for everyone else. If you’ve ever felt the weight of veterinary medicine in your bones, the kind of exhaustion that comes from showing up day after day with your whole soul, this conversation is for you.

I share my full circle story, from being the kid who only ever wanted to be a veterinarian to burning out hard as an overnight ER tech to leaving vet med entirely because I thought I “didn’t have what it takes.” That pivot led me into psychotherapy, where I became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and learned the tools that brought me back to life. And eventually, those same tools led me right back into veterinary medicine after I was invited into a hospital that had just lost a veterinarian to suicide. That moment changed everything, and it clarified why this work is so urgently needed.

We talk about why wellness is not fluff. It’s operational. Healthy, happy people make healthy profits, and when hospitals ignore that, the cost shows up everywhere: turnover, productivity, and the emotional toll carried by the team. I explain why burnout isn’t random. It’s often the predictable result of leadership structures that don’t support humans, especially when people are promoted without training and then expected to carry impossible expectations.

We also get practical. I share one of the most powerful tools I use with teams and leaders: pause, notice, and choose. It sounds simple, but it is life-changing. That moment of awareness interrupts autopilot and brings you back into alignment, so you can lead from intention instead of survival mode. Because the truth is, you cannot build a thriving hospital culture from a depleted nervous system.

What’s Inside:

• How my full-circle journey took me from vet tech burnout to psychotherapy and back into veterinary medicine
• Why wellness is a retention strategy and a profitability strategy, not an optional perk
• Two leadership mistakes that quietly sabotage hospitals: promoting without training and misaligned expectations
• A simple tool to reduce stress and regain control in real time: pause, notice, and choose

Mentioned:

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Vet Med Wellness and Leadership Podcast

Pawsitive Leadership Podcast

Full Circle Lab

Crystal Stokes on LinkedIn

Veterinary leaders often rise through the ranks without ever receiving formal training in how to define a vision, build culture, or guide a team with clarity. Dr. George Cuellar joins Crystal to explore how aspiring entrepreneurs can step into leadership with purpose by working through three essential phases: defining the vision, sharing it effectively, and engaging the team in bringing it to life. Drawing on decades as a corporate executive, practice owner, and state veterinary leader, George explains how he discovered that true leadership is not about directing people; it’s about creating a shared sense of purpose that others want to be part of.

George shares how his own hospital’s transformation began with articulating a clear, compelling vision and pairing it with a set of values that guided every decision. He describes how leaders can evolve from simply “telling” their vision to collaborating on it by testing ideas, inviting dialogue, and using regular meetings to cultivate ownership across the team. As the culture strengthens, leaders move into phase three: engaging individual team members through development plans, outcome-based goals, and accountability structures that empower them to grow rather than depend on the leader.

The conversation also explores why leaders must resist the urge to overhelp and allow team members to struggle, fail, and ultimately succeed on their own terms. George explains how celebrating wins, learning from missteps, and trusting the team helps shift the culture from leader-dependent to self-sustaining. He leaves listeners with core reminders: everything you need to lead is already within you, growth requires compassion and grit, and no leader should go it alone. Veterinary professionals are encouraged to seek mentorship and support as they develop leadership cultures that are built to last.

What’s Inside:

• How Dr. Cuellar went from corporate leadership to building a vision-driven veterinary hospital
• Why defining a clear vision and set of values is the foundation for effective leadership
• The five stages of sharing a vision, from telling to true co-creation with your team
• How to engage staff through individualized growth plans, accountability, and meaningful consequences
• Why leaders must resist overhelping and allow room for struggle, learning, and celebration
• Practical steps to build a self-sustaining culture where aligned, motivated team members thrive

Mentioned:

Dr. George Cuellar on LinkedIn
Ready, Vet, Go
Full Circle Lab
Crystal Stokes on LinkedIn

Veterinary professionals are often trained to care for everyone except themselves. But what if they had the tools to recognize and respond to mental health challenges within their own teams? Dr. Sonja Olson, DVM, C-MMT, and Susan Swendsen, MSSW, LCSW, VSW from Full Circle Lab join Crystal to explore how Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is reshaping the conversation around well-being in veterinary medicine.

Susan shares how MHFA began in Australia in 2000 with founders Betty Kitchener and Anthony Jorm, grew to 29 countries, and aims to train one in every fifteen people worldwide. Introduced in the U.S. in 2008, the program equips everyday people with the confidence to recognize early signs of mental distress and connect others to the help they need before a crisis occurs.

The group talks about how MHFA differs from therapy. It’s a peer-support model designed to help colleagues feel prepared to respond when someone is struggling. Sonja breaks down the ALGEE action plan: Assess for risk of suicide or harm, Listen non-judgmentally, Give reassurance and information, Encourage appropriate professional help, and Encourage self-help. She explains how this structured, step-by-step approach resonates with the way veterinary professionals think and problem-solve.

The conversation highlights the power of early intervention, the importance of reducing stigma, and how empathy can protect against secondary traumatic stress. The team also shares practical ways for veterinary clinics to bring MHFA training into their workplaces through the National Council for Behavioral Health and how learning these skills together can strengthen connection, compassion, and care across the profession.

What’s Inside:

• How Mental Health First Aid started in Australia and went global
• Why MHFA is different from therapy but just as powerful in veterinary care
• Step-by-step guide to the ALGEE action plan for real-life crises
• Simple ways to break stigma and start honest conversations about mental health
• Early intervention tips to prevent burnout and secondary trauma
• How to get certified and bring MHFA training to your clinic
• Building stronger, more connected veterinary teams through peer support

Mentioned:

Mental Health First Aid
LinkedIn
Full Circle Lab
Crystal Stokes on LinkedIn