We're taking a new look at our Uncharted Community by shining the spotlight on our team! Our first Uncharted Team Member interview was with the one and only Stephanie Goss, co-star of the UVC Podcast and practice management guru. Enjoy this look into the behind-the-scenes world of Uncharted!
For anyone who doesn’t know you, could you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a technology geek. A PMS nerd. I love spreadsheets and data analysis, which is shocking since I barely passed the maths requirements for secondary school graduation. I have been working in veterinary medicine for 16 years now. I beat Andy to the punch because I founded an HIV Awareness conference in high school that still runs at that school to this day. I studied music and theatre at university, ran a teen theatre company, and taught both high school and university sex education classes before finding Vet Med. I am a sexual assault crisis counselor. I am a total bibliophile (I have two book-related tattoos already and plans for at least 3 more). I am just slightly Harry Potter obsessed. I love glitter in a slightly unhealthy way. I have a two human spawn and a German Shorthaired Pointer named Birdie Goss.
What tasks do you work on as part of the UVC Team?
I am the co-host of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast with Andy (sometimes we are funny, you should listen sometime!). I am part of the creative team – I help coordinate/create our content for live events as well as the online community and school. I teach a variety of webinars and masterclasses for the community – I really enjoy getting down to the nitty-gritty and helping practices figure out how to solve their problems. I am so passionate about bringing educational and leadership training opportunities to members of our paraprofessional teams. I have the pleasure of coordinating our MicDrops program. And the most important job I have… I get to pick the badge ribbons and craft selfie props for the photo backdrops for each live event.
What were you looking for when you joined Uncharted?
I joined on a whim after seeing Andy talk about Uncharted on Facebook because I was burnt out, felt adrift and was considering leaving practice. After hearing Andy talk about his vision for Uncharted, I figured if anything could get me excited about practice, it would be a conference where the focus was on actually talking about what was working and what wasn’t working in your practice and how to try and fix it. I attended a pre-conference event in San Diego and meeting some of the attendees got me super excited about trying to figure out how to tackle the challenges in my practice. Meeting Andy at that same meetup, quite literally, changed the course of my career and life. Which sounds dramatic AF and will probably go to his head. Hahaha.
Who is one of your favorite people you’ve met through Uncharted and why?
There are SO many… I feel like this is a trick question because I want to name every. single. person. Who I have come to love and adore. There are so many people who I have met over the last three years who have literally changed my life in some way. If I named them, it would be the Oscar acceptance speech where they literally drag the cameras away because you ignored the music cue they gave you to shut up. But for real… Jenn Galvin is one of the best gifts Uncharted gave me. She is one of those people where you meet them and you wonder where they have been all your life. She never fails to make me laugh. She tells me hard truths when I need to hear them the most. She is an amazing accountability partner. During our second year of Uncharted, I had some serious medical issues and Jenn was right there with me, every step of the way. She kept my spirits up, let me whine and rage when I was feeling helpless and she never failed to check in on me, even when I would ignore her because I didn’t feel like I could handle talking to anyone. She never hesitates to say yes when I say “hey, do you have a second, I could use your help…” She is an incredible leader, boss, and friend. She is totally who I want to be when I grow up.
What is your favorite hobby and how did you discover it? Would you recommend it to others?
Musical theatre. I love everything about it. Whether directing, producing, working on a show or seeing a show on Broadway, I soak up every single minute. Theatre is a family affair – my dad ran lighting and sound for most of my childhood as his side gig. I went along for the ride and was hooked from the start. Don’t ask me to pick one favorite, I could never do it. My Pandora is almost always found on my musical theatre channel and I sing show tunes on payroll day – it helps me focus. I would absolutely recommend it to everyone and will happily nerd out with any other UVC members (besides Saye Clement who already nerds on musicals with me) who want to talk about or go see musicals with me.
What is one thing you never thought you could do (or were afraid to try) that you’ve done since joining Uncharted?
Be the center of attention. Believe it or not, I hate being in the spotlight. I focused on theatre production for a reason – I like being behind the scenes and I am unbelievably uncomfortable in a crowd let alone in front of one. I get incredible stage fright, I always have. So putting myself on stage, in front of everyone, is a HUGE stretch for me.
What is your end-of-workday guilty pleasure?
Empires and Puzzles. It's an online game I play with some of my best friends. We nerd out, pretty hard.
Where is one place in the world you would love to see?
The Great Barrier Reef. Specifically the view under the water, from a Great White Shark cage.
What is one thing you believe all veterinary professionals can do right now to make Vet Med even better?
Stop thinking that just because “we have always done it this way” means it is the only way. We suck at change management in veterinary medicine and learning to not only adapt but thrive in dealing with change is something that is desperately needed in so many areas of veterinary medicine.
Tune into the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast on Itunes, Soundcloud, Google Play or wherever you listen to podcasts!
You can join the Uncharted community and meet people like Stephanie by visiting www.UnchartedVet.com and registering to become a member!
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