What does it look like to build a veterinary practice around the life and workplace you actually want?

Dr. Jennifer Hurford, owner of Foxboro Veterinary Hospital in Ontario, joins Leilani and Jillian for a candid conversation about veterinary practice ownership, leadership, motherhood, grief, money, and figuring things out as you go.

Jen shares what it was like to buy a veterinary practice just months before COVID changed everything, why she cut Saturdays and made employee benefits a priority, and how she rebuilt after a staff walkout during the pandemic. She also talks about becoming a single parent, losing her dad while growing her business, planning for what would happen to her practice and team if something happened to her, and working toward financial independence rather than traditional retirement.

Plus: integrative veterinary medicine, questionable retirement plans, Sphynx cat Baldwin, Canadian Idol, Taylor Swift, and a hot take about mental health, hard work, and why pressure can sometimes be a privilege.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation about building a veterinary career that works for you and remembering there’s supposed to be a life outside of work, too.

About Dr. Jennifer

Dr Jennifer Hurford is a 2013 graduate from the Atlantic Veterinary College. As a small practice owner she has become wildly passionate about providing the best possible care for her patients. She is working towards completing her Masters of Science degree in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and believes the future of medicine is integrative.

Since purchasing her practice in 2019 (3 months before the pandemic shut downs) she has built a work culture that prioritizes individual growth and a true work-life balance. She partnered with Steady Gait Planning early on so that she could ensure her team was cared for in terms of physical/mental health benefits as well as helping to plan for their futures with an RRSP matching program.

In the last year she has also become obsessed with her rescue Sphynx cats (Baldwin and Owen) and brings them with her to work daily.

Get in Touch:

Follow Baldwin and Owen on Instagram @sphynx.boys.at.work

Foxboro Veterinary Hospital | info@foxborovet.com

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