What happens when 20+ years of vet med experience meets a passion for learning design and technology? You get Kara Herrmann, a trailblazer reimagining how veterinary teams train, communicate, and operate more efficiently.

Kara is currently completing her master’s in Education with a focus on Learning Design and Technology, and she brings a fresh lens to what really makes a veterinary workplace thrive. She explains why education alone doesn’t guarantee success and how clarity in roles, effective delegation, and confident leadership can dramatically improve team performance.

We explore why many managers shy away from assigning duties and how having someone to direct the workflow can make all the difference. With 92% of employees saying training impacts their job positively and 97% less likely to quit when given development opportunities, Kara pushes us to rethink how we train and grow new veterinarians.

It’s not always about more training—sometimes it’s about improving the system itself. Kara encourages leaders to step back, ask “why,” and observe the workflow to spot the real barriers to success.

What’s Inside:

• Rethink Training for Efficiency
• Empower Through Clear Roles
• Lead with Confident Delegation
• Observe, Question, Improve Systems

Mentioned In This Episode:

Kara Herrmann on LinkedIn
Full Circle Lab
Crystal Stokes on LinkedIn

Have you ever been disrespected by a colleague in the workplace? Mistreated at an event or a conference? You may have experienced intellectual bullying.

After attending a recent internal medicine conference, Dr. Emily Gould and Dr. Kate Aicher were inspired to study this type of interaction and come up with actionable solutions. In this episode, Emily and Kate role-play common scenarios of intellectual bullying in a hospital environment and provide tips for improving communication to move forward.

Diving deep into the psychology of behavior and drawing from their own real-world experiences, Emily and Kate cover the causes of intellectual bullying and the impact it has on colleagues and clients. Doing our inner work is key in fostering healthy relationships. With commitment and practice, every person can develop the skills needed to stop bullying in its tracks.

Bullying often happens when we expect perfection from others. When we remember that we’re all human, we can tap into more compassion and healthy connection.

What’s Inside:

• Defining intellectual bullying in the medical field.
• Role-playing common bullying scenarios and alternative outcomes.
• Understanding the behavioral psychology behind intellectual bullying.
• Developing the skills needed to foster healthy relationships.

Mentioned In This Episode:

egould@cvm.tamu.edu
kaicher@cvm.tamu.edu
Systematic review of academic bullying in medical settings: dynamics and consequences - PubMed
Study: Fair pay, appreciation for work top factors in employee retention | American Veterinary Medical Association
Culture: Building Happier, Healthier Teams and Practices in Veterinary Medicine - PubMed
ACVIM Forum 2024: Intellectual Bullying in Specialty Veterinary Medicine Notes Deck
ACVIM Forum 2024: Intellectual Bullying in Specialty Veterinary Medicine Proceedings
Full Circle Lab
Crystal Stokes on LinkedIn

Dr. Christa McKinley and Ranae Bart bring deep connections to the veterinary industry, which strengthens their role as financial advisors for those in the field. Injury? Illness? Job changes? Life happens—so how do you protect yourself? They stress the importance of understanding benefits, retirement planning, and making the most of every dollar.

In today’s episode, they share real stories from clients facing a range of life’s challenges and how they helped guide them toward financial wellness.

With firsthand insight into the struggles and stress points of veterinary life, this team helps create financial peace of mind. From life insurance and disability to long-term care, investments, and full practice benefit planning—Dr. Christa and Ranae cover it all.

Often, the biggest hurdle is simply the fear of getting started.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM). Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, and member of FINRA and SIPC, and Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and trust services), a federal savings bank. NM and its subsidiaries are in Milwaukee, WI.

The products and services referenced are offered and sold only by appropriately appointed and licensed entities and financial advisors and representatives. Financial advisors, representatives and their staff might not represent all entities shown or provide all the products or services discussed.

The case scenarios discussed contain information regarding Northwestern Mutual clients, their personal financial needs and how Northwestern Mutual met their needs. The personal financial needs and results of the clients shown may not be representative of the experience of other clients. Also, working with a Northwestern Mutual financial representative or any other financial services provider is not a guarantee as to future investment success.

What’s Inside:

• Supporting financial wellness in the vet med industry.
• Understanding benefit packages as an employee and employer.
• Protecting yourself in the face of life's challenges.
• Maximizing the value of every hard-earned dollar.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Northwestern Mutual
Ranae.bart@nm.com
Ranae on LinkedIn
Ranae Bart on Northwestern Mutual
christa.mckinley@nm.com
Crystal Stokes | LinkedIn
Full Circle Lab