Most leaders want change to be quick and clean. A few tweaks. A new policy. A better week.

But meaningful change – the kind that transforms culture, steadies the ship, and creates a practice you actually love leading – follows a very different rhythm.

In this episode, Oli and I dig into the truth about change. Why overwhelm is a diagnostic, not a character flaw. Why burnout often signals a system problem rather than a personal one. And why rebuilding culture is more like farming than fighting.

We explore the emotional, financial and cultural yields your practice should produce, how to diagnose what’s really driving your stress, and why the first brave step is often removing the wrong person, not adding a new one.

You will learn practical ways to create immediate relief, the long term strategy for sustainable transformation, and why community support acts as a stabilising wall while you do the real work of leadership.

Change is not instant. But there is a path. And when you follow it with intention, the remarkable vet practice you build will give back far more than it takes.

Episode Outline:

[01:05] – Why change hurts more than it should

[03:45] – Burnout isn’t personal, it’s systemic

[06:37] – Culture is the soil everything grows in

[08:14] – Who should stay on your team – and who shouldn’t

[10:28] – Rebuilding from the core, not the surface

[12:03] – Why resistance shows up when standards rise

[14:49] – Why meaningful change takes a season

[16:20] – Finding relief before real change begins

[19:28] – Skills can be replaced, attitudes can’t

[21:47] – When work becomes an emotional drain

[23:04] – Someone has to own the culture

[23:46] – Why community stabilises leaders

[24:34] – The clearest path forward

Resources & Links Mentioned

• Need clarity on what needs to change? Book a diagnostic call with Oliver at the Veterinary Leadership Academy and let us walk you through your next steps.
• Download the Leadership Actions Study – practical steps to help you lead with clarity today.https://calendly.com/oliver-vetx/grow-your-vet-practice-1-1-discovery-call
• Explore our leadership courses – build the skills to create a culture your team loves being part of.
• Follow Dr Dave Nicol for daily leadership insights and practical tools for running a thriving veterinary practice.

Leave us a review on iTunes and share it with your colleagues in vet med.

This week, we’re doing things a little differently. No written notes. No heavy leadership theory. Just me, Dr. Andy Roark, and a completely ridiculous idea involving visual art - on an audio podcast. (What could possibly go wrong?)

If you don’t already know Andy, he’s a practicing veterinarian, international speaker, author, and media personality, and the founder of Uncharted Veterinary Conference, DrAndyRoark.com, and one of the few people in vet med who can make serious topics feel human, and fun.

We got into everything from AI scribes saving vets five minutes a consult (and possibly their sanity), to how to stay calm when the world’s losing its head. We even tackled the fine art of giving feedback without crushing someone’s soul.

At its heart, this episode’s about perspective. About remembering that veterinary medicine isn’t just science, it’s art. And if we want to stay sane, we’d better learn how to create, not just cope.

So grab a brew, settle in, and join us for a conversation about leadership, creativity, and keeping your head while everyone else is losing theirs.

[00:03] – Meet Andy Roark

[04:20] – The “F*** yeah” AI moment

[06:13] – Staying on time, not speeding up

[08:22] – How Andy uses AI in consults

[10:21] – Right here, right now

[12:03] – Focus on what you can control

[12:49] – Feedback as art

[15:42] – Why vet med is art

[17:27] – Clients, costs, and conflict

[20:20] – Who we really work for

[23:48] – How perspective shifts

[25:52] – What Andy sees differently now

[29:47] – Money, motives, and mistrust

[30:04] – Don’t be a dick

[32:15] – Final thoughts

Connect with Dr. Andy Roark:

Website: drandyroark.com

LinkedIn: Dr Andy Roark

Instagram: @drandyroark

Follow Dr. Dave Nicol for More Leadership Insights:

Follow: @drdavenicol

Learn more about veterinary leadership training: Veterinary Leadership Academy

Enjoyed this episode?

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share it with someone who needs a reminder that vet med, for all its chaos, is still an art worth practising.

Most practice owners think they have a vision. A sentence written years ago. A vague idea. A gut feeling. But a real vision, one that energises your team and shapes culture, is something very different.

In this episode, Oliver and I break down the most common mistakes owners make when creating their vision – why many end up with fluffy statements that change nothing, why some practices have no vision at all, and why the work isn’t finished once the document is written and alive.

We explore how to structure a vision that actually works, how purpose, mission, and values fit together, and the simple tests that tell you whether yours is fit for purpose. You’ll learn why authenticity matters more than polish and how a living, breathing vision becomes rocket fuel for recruitment, retention, culture, and long term sustainability.

The medicine gets you started. The vision takes you somewhere worth going. Remarkable practices are built by leaders who choose the path with purpose.

Episode Outline:

[00:00] – Why vision matters

[01:07] – The danger of having no vision

[02:14] – Vision as your X factor

[06:49] – When structure goes wrong

[07:51] – Why “vision, mission, values” fall short

[09:46] – The purpose–mission–values model

[11:54] – Vision is only useful if you use it

[13:19] – The cost of abdication

[15:32] – Why vets avoid vision work

[18:00] – People, culture and sustainability

[20:40] – The goosebumps and butterflies test

[22:23] – Writing the unfiltered truth

[23:52] – Turning vision into leadership fuel

Resources & Links Mentioned

• Need help with your vision? Book a chat with Oliver at the Veterinary Leadership Academy and we’ll help you assess where you are and where you’re going.
• Download the Leadership Actions Study – practical steps to help you lead with clarity today.
• Explore our leadership courses – build the skills to create a culture your team loves being part of.
• Follow Dr Dave Nicol for daily leadership insights and practical tools for running a thriving veterinary practice.

Leave us a review on iTunes and share it with your colleagues in vet med. Great leadership, like great culture, grows when it’s shared.