Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita respond to a mailbag from a “soul tired” veterinary medical director who has spent a year writing SOPs, mentoring early-career vets, and trying to fix culture, only to feel ignored, unsupported by upper management, and financially penalized because leadership time pulls her out of the exam room. They unpack the resentment and burnout risk, emphasize acceptance of “what is” versus “what should be,” and warn that “your job will never love you back,” so boundaries and realistic success metrics matter. Action steps focus on solving the collective action problem by recruiting champions, connecting changes to purpose and team values, starting small to build momentum, and using habit-building principles to make protocols obvious, easy, attractive, and satisfying. Mentioned resources include prior episodes on awful leaders, training initiative, and resentment, plus the contact email podcast@unchartedvet.com

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.

Mentioned in this episode:

Office Hours

Inside the Uncharted Veterinary Community, Dr. Andy Roark hosts Office Hours where veterinary leaders can bring real-world challenges and get practical guidance from someone who understands the realities of practice life. These sessions give veterinarians, practice managers, and team leaders a chance to ask questions, workshop difficult situations, and gain perspective on issues like team dynamics, communication, burnout, and clinic operations. Instead of navigating leadership challenges alone, members get direct access to Andy’s insight along with the support of a community of veterinary professionals working through many of the same challenges.

Join Dr. Andy Roark for Office Hours at the Uncharted Veterinary Community!

Don't Get Sued Course

Learn More about the Don't Get Sued Course!

Care is Your Calling

Veterinary practice owners often assume they’re doing well because revenue is up, but hidden inefficiencies and poor financial visibility can quietly drain profitability. In this episode, Dr. Andy Roark sits down with David McCormick of Simmons Veterinary Practice Sales and Appraisals to break down how veterinary practice valuation reveals what’s really happening inside your business and how to use it as a strategic planning tool, not just a sale metric. If you’ve ever wondered whether your practice is truly healthy or just getting by, this conversation gives you the clarity you’ve been missing.

This episode is brought to you ad-free by Simmons!

This podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Uncharted Veterinary Conference. This content should not be considered financial, legal, or business advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified professionals before making decisions related to their individual circumstances.

If your CSRs are escalating everything, it’s not a people problem, it’s a training problem. In this episode, Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita, CPVM break down how to build confident, decision-making receptionists who reduce doctor interruptions, improve client experience, and keep your practice running efficiently. If you’re a veterinary leader tired of answering the same questions all day, this one’s for you.

Mentioned in this episode:

Care is Your Calling

Don't Get Sued Course

Learn More about the Don't Get Sued Course!

Office Hours

Inside the Uncharted Veterinary Community, Dr. Andy Roark hosts Office Hours where veterinary leaders can bring real-world challenges and get practical guidance from someone who understands the realities of practice life. These sessions give veterinarians, practice managers, and team leaders a chance to ask questions, workshop difficult situations, and gain perspective on issues like team dynamics, communication, burnout, and clinic operations. Instead of navigating leadership challenges alone, members get direct access to Andy’s insight along with the support of a community of veterinary professionals working through many of the same challenges.

Join Dr. Andy Roark for Office Hours at the Uncharted Veterinary Community!

Ron Sosa joins Maria Pirita on the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast to tackle how lack of confidence derails leadership in veterinary practice management, using a case study of Jessica, a practice manager whose hesitation and inconsistency after team pushback causes flexible enforcement, stalled progress, confused staff, and worsening results. They discuss why confidence struggles are common after promotions without leadership training, how avoidance and delays signal second-guessing, and how inconsistency erodes trust and fuels boundary testing. Ron frames the “inner critic” as a protective voice and encourages leaders to pause, identify what it is trying to protect them from, and respond diplomatically rather than trying to silence it, while also considering communication styles like DISC when interpreting pushback. They also preview Ron’s “confidence, not perfection” coaching cohort for Uncharted members focused on naming and reshaping the inner critic and building confidence over time.

Ron is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager and a former practice owner and business director for multisite animal hospitals. He also hold certificates in Neurodiversity, compassion fatigue, veterinary business leadership, and the human animal bond. He currently serves as the Executive Director for the Uncharted Veterinary Conference.

Mentioned in this episode:

Don't Get Sued Course

Learn More about the Don't Get Sued Course!

Practice Manager's Summit - Registration Now Open - June 2nd 2026 - $199 Registration

Veterinary practice managers carry the weight of the hospital every day, but you shouldn’t have to figure it all out alone. The Uncharted Veterinary Practice Manager Summit is a space built specifically for managers to connect, workshop real problems, and leave with tools that make leadership easier back in the clinic. If you’re a practice manager looking for fresh ideas and honest conversations, you belong in this room.

Register for the Practice Manager's Summit!

Office Hours

Inside the Uncharted Veterinary Community, Dr. Andy Roark hosts Office Hours where veterinary leaders can bring real-world challenges and get practical guidance from someone who understands the realities of practice life. These sessions give veterinarians, practice managers, and team leaders a chance to ask questions, workshop difficult situations, and gain perspective on issues like team dynamics, communication, burnout, and clinic operations. Instead of navigating leadership challenges alone, members get direct access to Andy’s insight along with the support of a community of veterinary professionals working through many of the same challenges.

Join Dr. Andy Roark for Office Hours at the Uncharted Veterinary Community!

How do you get your team excited for the mundane, downtime tasks? In this episode of the Uncharted Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss tackle a question from a veterinary practice experiencing a slowdown in appointments. Together they discuss the challenges of managing a veterinary team when business is slow, including maintaining team morale and motivation. They emphasize the importance of accepting the reality of the situation, adapting to change, and focusing on the practice's mission and purpose. If your veterinary practice is experiencing a slowdown, this episode offers valuable insights and actionable steps to help you navigate this challenge. Let's get into this episode!

Mentioned in this episode:

Practice Manager's Summit - Registration Now Open - June 2nd 2026 - $199 Registration

Veterinary practice managers carry the weight of the hospital every day, but you shouldn’t have to figure it all out alone. The Uncharted Veterinary Practice Manager Summit is a space built specifically for managers to connect, workshop real problems, and leave with tools that make leadership easier back in the clinic. If you’re a practice manager looking for fresh ideas and honest conversations, you belong in this room.

Register for the Practice Manager's Summit!

Don't Get Sued Course

Learn More about the Don't Get Sued Course!

Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita tackle a challenge every veterinary leader knows too well: what do you do when your most technically skilled technician is quietly damaging your team with poor communication? In this episode, they break down the tension between clinical excellence and team culture, exploring how confidence can tip into condescension, why “I’m just being direct” is not a free pass, and how these behaviors impact morale, efficiency, and retention. They share practical strategies for addressing high-skill, low soft-skill team members, including reframing the conversation around impact, using communication frameworks like DISC, and creating clear expectations with accountability. If you have ever felt stuck between protecting your top performer and protecting your team, this episode will give you a path forward.

Mentioned in this episode:

Don't Get Sued Course

Learn More about the Don't Get Sued Course!

Care is Your Calling

An associate veterinarian who always has an explanation, a reason, or someone else to point to when things go wrong can quietly erode team trust, frustrate leaders, and stall growth, especially when accountability never quite lands. In this episode, Uncharted Veterinary Podcast hosts Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss unpack what’s really driving excuse-based behavior and how leaders can shift the conversation toward ownership and improvement without creating shame or defensiveness. They explore how fear, confidence, and clinic culture shape accountability, and share practical strategies to stop the excuse spiral, set clear expectations, use curiosity to redirect conversations, and coach simple “repair language” that helps team members take ownership and move forward. If you’ve ever felt stuck in repetitive, frustrating conversations that go nowhere, this episode will help you lead with clarity, compassion, and a stronger path toward accountability. Let’s get into this episode!

Mentioned in this episode:

Office Hours

Inside the Uncharted Veterinary Community, Dr. Andy Roark hosts Office Hours where veterinary leaders can bring real-world challenges and get practical guidance from someone who understands the realities of practice life. These sessions give veterinarians, practice managers, and team leaders a chance to ask questions, workshop difficult situations, and gain perspective on issues like team dynamics, communication, burnout, and clinic operations. Instead of navigating leadership challenges alone, members get direct access to Andy’s insight along with the support of a community of veterinary professionals working through many of the same challenges.

Join Dr. Andy Roark for Office Hours at the Uncharted Veterinary Community!

Practice Manager's Summit - Registration Now Open - June 2nd 2026 - $199 Registration

Veterinary practice managers carry the weight of the hospital every day, but you shouldn’t have to figure it all out alone. The Uncharted Veterinary Practice Manager Summit is a space built specifically for managers to connect, workshop real problems, and leave with tools that make leadership easier back in the clinic. If you’re a practice manager looking for fresh ideas and honest conversations, you belong in this room.

Register for the Practice Manager's Summit!

Don't Get Sued Course

Learn More about the Don't Get Sued Course!

Ron Sosa, CVPM and Executive Director of Uncharted Veterinary Conference, joins Maria Pirita to tackle the question every practice manager secretly wonders: Is getting your CVPM actually worth it? If you've heard mixed reviews about whether CVPM certification leads to better pay, opens career doors, or just adds letters after your name, this episode is your honest reality check. Maria and Ron dive into the compensation truth (spoiler: it depends on way more than you think), the actual learning value, the surprisingly emotional pinning ceremony, and why your why matters more than anything else. You'll walk away understanding the real commitment involved, how to have the money conversation with your boss, and whether this credential aligns with your career goals or if you're just climbing a ladder you never wanted to be on. Plus, Ron drops some wisdom about neurodivergent veterinary professionals that'll make you think differently about burnout. Gang, let's get into this episode.

Links:

1. VHMA (Veterinary Hospital Managers Association)
2. VHMA Compensation Study
3. Ron's LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

Care is Your Calling

Don't Get Sued Course

Learn More about the Don't Get Sued Course!