Veterinary leadership can feel heavy during the holidays. Between emotional cases, personal transitions, and the pressure to finish the year strong, many leaders find themselves exhausted, reflective, and unsure how to carry both the joy and the weight of the season. This episode brings together honest holiday leadership reflections from Dr. Andy Roark, Tyler Grogan, CVT and Maria Pirita, CVPM offering guidance for anyone who feels stretched thin, unsure of their progress, or overwhelmed by the emotional complexity of veterinary life. If you are seeking emotional resilience, stronger team leadership, or a renewed sense of meaning in your work, this episode is the gift under the tree you did not know you needed!

If your clinic feels like it is constantly reacting instead of leading with intention, you are not alone. Many veterinary leaders struggle to balance patient care, team coaching, and communication challenges while feeling unsure how to shift their culture. Uncharted Veterinary Conference 2026 was created to help you break that cycle and step into leadership with clarity and confidence.

Join us Friday, January 16 in Orlando for a focused one day experience that begins with Ron Sosa and Tyler Grogan's Leadership Audit. You will also participate in Andy Roark’s Coaching and Accountability workshop and Maria Pirita’s Team Communication session. This is a rare chance to get hands on tools that strengthen your leadership immediately. Learn more and save your spot at unchartedvet.com.

Upcoming events: https://learn.unchartedvet.com/pages/events

All Links: https://linktr.ee/UnchartedVet

Do you have something that you would love Andy and Stephanie to discuss on the podcast? If so, send us a message through the mailbag! Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag

When a front desk team member escalates client tension instead of calming it, the entire clinic feels the ripple effect. In this episode, we tackle a tough and common challenge in veterinary medicine: a highly reliable receptionist who becomes defensive and reactive when clients become upset. We break down why this happens, how fear and past experiences amplify emotional responses, and what leaders can do to coach confidence, deescalation skills, and calm communication in the moment. If your team struggles with handling angry clients or turning venting into problem solving, this episode offers practical tools, real language you can use, and a roadmap to transform the front desk into a stronger, more resilient support system.

Uncharted Veterinary Conference 2026

If your clinic is growing faster than your systems can keep up, you’re not alone. The truth is, most veterinary leaders are fighting the same battle of trying to coach teams, improve communication, and reduce chaos while still keeping up with patient care. That’s exactly what Uncharted Veterinary Conference 2026 is built to solve.

Join us Friday, January 16 in Orlando, the day before VMX kicks off, for a one-day immersive experience that will transform the way you lead. You’ll start with a career audit to uncover your strengths and blind spots as a leader, then dive into Andy Roark’s hands-on Coaching and Accountability workshop to learn how to grow your people and actually get follow-through. You’ll also join Maria Pirita’s dynamic Team Communication session to tackle the real conversations holding your clinic back.

Walk away with proven tools, new friends, and the kind of clarity that will change how you lead forever. Tickets are limited and this event always sells out. Grab your spot now at unchartedvet.com.

Upcoming events: https://learn.unchartedvet.com/pages/events

All Links: https://linktr.ee/UnchartedVet

Do you have something that you would love Andy and Stephanie to discuss on the podcast? If so, send us a message through the mailbag! Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag

Maria Pirita is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager, Elite Fear Free Certified Veterinary Professional and former hospital administrator. In her work with Uncharted Veterinary Conference and beyond, Maria has presented to veterinarians and teams across the US and Canada on topics including veterinary marketing, feedback, team building, and positive work culture. With over 10 years of experience in veterinary medicine and over 20 years in leadership, she's passionate helping leaders develop their skills. Maria loves any activity that involves creativity or learning something new. This leads to an abundance of hobbies including crafting, traveling, cooking and aviation.

Dr. Andy Roark is a practicing veterinarian, international speaker, author, and media personality. He is the founder of the Uncharted Veterinary Conference and DrAndyRoark.com. He has been an award-winning columnist for DVM360 and the magazine Today’s Veterinary Business. His social media, website, podcast and YouTube show reach millions of people every month.

Dr. Roark has received the NAVC Practice Management Speaker of the Year Award three times, the WVC Practice Management Educator of the Year Award, the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Veterinarian of the Year Award from the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians. His greatest achievement however involves marrying a bad-ass scientist and raising 2 kind and wonderful daughters.

A longtime veterinary technician feels trapped under an inexperienced new manager, and the entire team is slipping into frustration and burnout as leadership crumbles around them. In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss dig into the real challenges of working under a difficult boss in veterinary medicine. They explore why imperfect leaders are inevitable, how emotional overload can intensify conflict, and what practical steps veterinary professionals can take when their manager is unprepared or unwilling to lead. From root cause analysis and setting boundaries to protecting your purpose and choosing whether to stay, shift, or leave, this conversation brings clarity to one of the most common and painful issues in practice life. If you or your team are struggling with leadership strain or workplace tension, this episode offers a grounded, compassionate roadmap forward. Let’s get into this episode!

Uncharted Veterinary Conference 2026

If your clinic is growing faster than your systems can keep up, you’re not alone. The truth is, most veterinary leaders are fighting the same battle of trying to coach teams, improve communication, and reduce chaos while still keeping up with patient care. That’s exactly what Uncharted Veterinary Conference 2026 is built to solve.

Join us Friday, January 16 in Orlando, the day before VMX kicks off, for a one-day immersive experience that will transform the way you lead. You’ll start with a career audit to uncover your strengths and blind spots as a leader, then dive into Andy Roark’s hands-on Coaching and Accountability workshop to learn how to grow your people and actually get follow-through. You’ll also join Maria Pirita’s dynamic Team Communication session to tackle the real conversations holding your clinic back.

Walk away with proven tools, new friends, and the kind of clarity that will change how you lead forever. Tickets are limited and this event always sells out. Grab your spot now at unchartedvet.com.

Upcoming events: https://learn.unchartedvet.com/pages/events

All Links: https://linktr.ee/UnchartedVet

Do you have something that you would love Andy and Stephanie to discuss on the podcast? If so, send us a message through the mailbag! Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag