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This week on the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss discuss the looming disaster that is the school year 2020. Have you talked to your boss/team about what's going to happen yet?

Workshop TONIGHT: Finding Your Voice – unchartedvet.com/finding-your-voice/

GSD Conference: unchartedvet.com/gsd-2020/

We invite you to take a peek into part of what makes the Uncharted Veterinary Community so unique: our members! We sat down to interview some of the amazing people who have joined us on our amazing journey since the first conference in 2017. This week, the spotlight is on Dr. Michael Miller (aka The Harry Potter Vet), a small animal veterinarian from Illinois! Enjoy!

For anyone who doesn’t know you, could you tell us a little about yourself?

Currently I am a veterinarian and part-owner of a four location small animal general practice in the far southwest suburbs of Chicago. In addition to dogs and cats, I enjoy seeing exotic pets — especially reptiles, so I started a turtle program at my hospital for injured wild turtles rescued from roadways. As a fun side project, I created a blog and social media alter ego “Harry Potter Vet” where I use comparisons between veterinary medicine and the wizarding world to try to discover the magic in vet med. My newest adventure is fatherhood with two boys under 2 years old at home.

What were you looking for when you joined Uncharted?

When I attended the very first Uncharted Veterinary Conference, I was at a crucial crossroads of my career. I had recently become a co-owner of my practice and found myself unprepared for the challenges of ownership. A few pieces I had written had been shared by the DrAndyRoark.com page, so I was also curious to see if my writing would lead to other opportunities. On top of all of this, I had just suffered a herniated disc requiring spine surgery, which made me re-evaluate my career trajectory and question what I really wanted to do in vet med if I was faced with further physical limitations in the future.

What are your 2 favorite groups in the Uncharted Workplace community and why?

As a new parent trying to figure out the balance of being a father and a practice owner, I enjoy the Vet Med Parents group. Whether it's just sharing cute kid pictures or commiserating about the stresses of parenthood, I really enjoy the insights in that group.

My other favorite is the Social Media group. I work on my hospital's social media as well as my personal brand, and I find advice here that helps with both. Uncharted is full of very smart and influential veterinary social media powerhouses who are willing to share their knowledge here to help everyone else.

What is your current work related goal?

My current work goal is to figure out the balance between my work life and my family life with two young sons at home. I was once told by a mentor early in my career that becoming a doctor meant giving up a life outside of the hospital. I am proud that my Uncharted tribe provides me with inspiration that my career can be what I want it to be, and that I can figure out that balance because I see the examples of others who have achieved it.

What is one thing you never thought you could do (or were afraid to try) that you’ve done since joining Uncharted?

Uncharted provided the inspiration to follow my passion project of starting my Harry Potter Vet blog and creating something more magical than I had ever imagined. When I signed up for that first conference, I had no idea it would lead to that. Uncharted allowed me to explore my creative side which resulted in some amazing opportunities. I went from the guy who felt like hiding in the back of the room at that first conference because I didn't feel important enough to even talk to the veterinary superstars in the room, to getting invited to be a guest on Andy Roark's podcast! I never thought I would add ‘podcast interviewee' to my list of career achievements, and now I've done four!

What is one thing you believe all veterinary professionals can do right now to make Vet Med even better?

I truly believe there is magic in veterinary medicine if you look for it. Losing that perspective is very easy when everything seems to be going wrong, but you can always find positives in vet med if you're looking for them. Enjoy the magic when you find it, and share it with others to help them see it too.

Tell us a story of how another Uncharted Member has helped you.

I will always remember the final day of my first Uncharted Veterinary Conference. I had a plan going into that day of what I was going to take back to my practice, and then it completely changed after I had a groundbreaking conversation when I sat at a table with Saye Clement, Tyler Grogan, and Stephanie Goss. I opened up about what I was really concerned about without worrying about how they would judge my views. I received honest and constructive advice in a way that motivated me to really work toward my goals for my practice and myself. That Sunday conversation eventually led to so many good things over the past 3 years: starting my blog to create my personal brand, establishing core values for my hospital, increasing the profitability of my practice, and ultimately cultivating even more opportunities to feel fulfilled in veterinary medicine.

Where is one place in the world you would love to see?

When this pandemic ends, I want to see Greenville, South Carolina again! There's something special about that place that feels magical every time I visit. Oh, and I have to go get my selfie with the tortoise at the zoo since that's my Uncharted tradition.

Is there anything we haven’t asked you about that you would like to talk about?

One of the most memorable Uncharted moments I remember is Andy Roark's keynote address about the Wizard of Oz. He encouraged the audience to realize that even successful veterinary wizards are just ordinary people behind a curtain who have the same struggles everyone else has. We shouldn't be intimidated by someone else's success. We are all human. We all struggle. We all can overcome those struggles to find magic, and there is enough magic for everyone.

I think my experiences with Uncharted have exposed another nuance to the wizard analogy. Like Harry Potter, the members of the Uncharted tribe have their own magic even if they don't realize it yet. This community is basically Hogwarts, allowing you to discover the magic you already have and training you how to use it.

You can join the Uncharted community and meet people like Michael by visiting www.UnchartedVet.com and registering to become a member!

Learn To Speak To Groups From Dr. Andy Roark! NEW WORKSHOP AUGUST 19th. Learn more: unchartedvet.com/finding-your-voice/

Is your vet practice special? Is it really? Why would anyone come to your clinic instead of the 4 others ones that are within 5 miles of you? That's what we're getting into on this episode. We're going to talk about WHY your practice is special, what differentiates you, what your brand is, what makes you stand out, AND how to get your staff to buy into that uniqueness so it shines for the world to see.

We invite you to take a peek into part of what makes the Uncharted Veterinary Community so unique: our members! We sat down to interview some of the amazing people who have joined us on our amazing journey since the first conference in 2017. This week, the spotlight is on Dr. Jackie Luckstone! Enjoy!

For anyone who doesn’t know you, could you tell us a little about yourself?

I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian at 6 or 7 years old. I fell in love with horses first, and knew then that I wanted to work with animals as my career. In high school, I started working for a vet in my town as an assistant, cleaning cages and walking dogs, and eventually worked my way up to become a technician. Fast forward through vet school and I've now been practicing as a small animal vet for 11 years – I still can't believe it has been that long!

I'm at the point now where I am pretty comfortable with the medical side of things, but want to learn and grow in the management aspects of the field. I have been a managing veterinarian at my practice for the last few years, which brings new challenges every day – especially in the new COVID era. Outside of veterinary medicine, I enjoy photography, crafting, baking and I'm starting to dabble in gardening now.

What is one thing you believe all veterinary professionals can do right now to make Vet Med even better?

Look closely at your mindset. I have been unhappy in veterinary medicine at times, and in earlier years, I thought it was just my current job, my current boss, my current area, my current fill-in-the-blank circumstance. But even when I changed jobs, those same negative thoughts and feelings came with me. It made a huge difference when I realized I had a choice in how I reacted to certain people or situations. I could choose to let those things bother me, or I could choose not to.

What were you looking for when you joined Uncharted?

When I found Uncharted, I was sort of at a crossroads in my career. I was fairly new to being a manager, which was stressful and surprisingly, very lonely! I couldn't refer to the textbook on how to run a veterinary hospital like I could with a weird eye problem or a funky-looking x-ray. I watched several of Andy's videos that talked about issues in practice I was currently dealing with and realized, actually, I was not alone. I also needed a shift in my own personal mindset. I was bogged down by stress, frustration and just general negative thought patterns. I knew, for my own mental health and to lead my team by example, that I needed to change that. Uncharted has been the most positive and supportive group of people I could ever have joined – no matter how sensitive, awkward or difficult my issue is – there is no fear of judgment or harsh criticism.

What is your current work-related goal?

My current ongoing project is managing the huge influx of patients, how we are scheduling, how we continue to provide the best and most efficient patient care under curbside circumstances and make sure we are taking care of our team at the same time.

What are your 2 favorite groups in the Uncharted Workplace community and why?

It is hard to choose only two! I would say, VetMed Pet Parents – I am no longer a rational, logically-thinking vet when it comes to my own pets, so it is nice to just be a “regular” dog mom sometimes. Management would be my other favorite group as I always get great ideas or learn the most about my practice there.

What is your favorite hobby and how did you discover it? Would you recommend it to others?

One of my favorite hobbies is crafting. I've always enjoyed doing little art projects here and there since I was younger. I've done sewing, crocheting, cross-stitch, coloring, painting (paint by numbers are really fun!), paper crafts, card-making… Thanks to the invention of the internet, there is no limit to the types of things you can create just by watching a video and teaching yourself. I find I use the science part of my brain so much at work, that it is nice to engage the artistic side when I'm at home – it's very relaxing!

Where is one place in the world you would love to see?

Going to the Netherlands when the tulips are blooming is on my bucket list. One of my favorite things to do is take photos of flowers… I would be in heaven!

What is one thing you never thought you could do (or were afraid to try) that you’ve done since joining Uncharted?

I signed up to do a Mic Drop this year at the Uncharted conference. I never would have thought I'd work up the courage to speak in front of a large group of people, but Uncharted has taught me that my personal experience is valuable and has the ability to help others in our field. It is also about being part of a special community – it is less nerve-wracking to think about getting up in front of a group you know is going to support you and your message whole-heartedly.

You can join the Uncharted community and meet people like Jackie by visiting www.UnchartedVet.com and registering to become a member!

HALL OF FAME EPISODE! This episode is one of our all-time most popular sessions. Originally published in August 2019, it's a nice reminder of normal and SUPER useful.

WORKSHOP ALERT!! Finding Your Voice: Speaking Persuasively to Groups
Learn more here: unchartedvet.com/finding-your-voice/