In this solo episode of the Veterinary Leadership Success Show, I’m diving into a topic that’s been bothering me for a while: trust.

Now, on paper, the public still ranks vets among the most trusted professionals out there – second only to nurses in most surveys. But out in the real world, I keep seeing behaviours that chip away at that trust. Slowly. Quietly. Consistently. And if we’re not careful, the credibility we’ve spent decades building as a profession is going to unravel.

From sloppy admin at the front desk to thoughtless social media posts that poke fun at clients, we’re creating cracks in the very foundation of our relationships. I’ll share a personal experience that brought this home to me in a big way, and we’ll look at why training, communication and emotional intelligence aren’t soft skills – they’re survival skills.

If you’re a veterinary leader who wants to build a practice your clients trust and your team is proud to stand behind, this episode is for you. Because trust isn’t built by accident, it’s built on purpose, or not at all.

Episode Outline:

00:00 – The client-bashing problem

01:25 – Why trust matters

03:00 – How relationships break

05:00 – The skill behind good interactions

07:15 – Are we really empathetic?

09:00 – When trust breaks: my story

12:00 – Systems vs people

13:45 – What leaders must fix

15:30 – Take action

Want more leadership tools in your corner?

Follow me: @drdavenicol

Check out: Veterinary Leadership Academy

Run your eNPS: drdavenicol.com/get-your-enps

If this episode hit home, leave a review or share it with a teammate.

Mentioned in this episode:

Mentioned in this episode:

Is managing conflict and stress within your team becoming a daily struggle? Are strained relationships and unresolved tensions holding your veterinary practice back? For many practice owners, navigating the complexities of team dynamics can be overwhelming. Without the right skills, stress and conflict can quickly escalate, affecting your practice’s culture and performance. At the Veterinary Leadership Academy, we specialize in helping practice owners develop the skills to manage conflict and reduce stress. Our program will teach you effective communication strategies, how to handle difficult conversations, and ways to foster a positive, collaborative team environment. With weekly group coaching sessions, you’ll receive ongoing support to address these challenges head-on. The course is fully online, accredited, and open for applications now. Visit drdavenicol.com/veterinary-leadership-academy to apply today. Don’t let conflict and stress undermine your practice. Equip yourself with the tools to lead a harmonious, high-performing team. Visit drdavenicol.com/veterinary-leadership-academy now.

In this episode of the Veterinary Leadership Success Show, I’m addressing yet another wave of bad press, this time from none other than the BBC, whose front-page headline accused rising vet fees of driving more pets to be euthanised.

The article tries to point the finger at corporate practices, but let’s be honest, most readers won’t see that nuance. To the public, it’s not “corporates”, it’s “vets.” All of us. Once again, our profession is being dragged through the mud to serve someone else’s agenda.

So I’m taking this one personally, and professionally. In this episode, I call out the lazy data, the unverified claims, the internal sabotage from within our own ranks, and the real damage this kind of media narrative causes to public trust and veterinary morale.

Corporate practices aren’t going away. And sniping from the sidelines with half-truths and clickbait headlines won’t solve anything. So, what will? Leadership. Engagement. Advocacy. Starting with you.

If you’re a vet who cares about the long-term trust, sustainability, and credibility of our profession, this episode is for you.

[00:00] – Another Week, Another Hit Job

[01:00] – Corporate Vets as the Easy Target

[03:00] – The Public Doesn’t See the Difference

[04:15] – “We’ve Lost Trust”? Nonsense

[05:30] – What the Data Really Says

[06:15] – Economic Euthanasia: Any Proof?

[07:10] – What’s Actually Driving Costs

[08:00] – Value, Communication, and Leadership

[08:50] – Whining Isn’t Leadership

[09:30] – Perception Becomes Reality

• BBC Article: More pets being put down due to rising vet bills, BBC told

Follow Dave: @drdavenicol

Explore Veterinary Leadership Training: Veterinary Leadership Academy

Leave a review on iTunes and share it with your veterinary friends. Your voice helps others discover the show and join the leadership movement.

Mentioned in this episode:

Mentioned in this episode:

Is managing conflict and stress within your team becoming a daily struggle? Are strained relationships and unresolved tensions holding your veterinary practice back? For many practice owners, navigating the complexities of team dynamics can be overwhelming. Without the right skills, stress and conflict can quickly escalate, affecting your practice’s culture and performance. At the Veterinary Leadership Academy, we specialize in helping practice owners develop the skills to manage conflict and reduce stress. Our program will teach you effective communication strategies, how to handle difficult conversations, and ways to foster a positive, collaborative team environment. With weekly group coaching sessions, you’ll receive ongoing support to address these challenges head-on. The course is fully online, accredited, and open for applications now. Visit drdavenicol.com/veterinary-leadership-academy to apply today. Don’t let conflict and stress undermine your practice. Equip yourself with the tools to lead a harmonious, high-performing team. Visit drdavenicol.com/veterinary-leadership-academy now.

In this episode of the Veterinary Leadership Success Show, we’re pulling back the curtain on something that’s quietly sabotaging teams across the veterinary profession: disengagement.

I’m joined by Oliver Loveday, our Head of Community, to talk about the early findings from our Veterinary Employee Engagement Benchmark Study (VEEBS). We’ve had over 80 practices take part already, and the results are both sobering and full of opportunity.

What we’re seeing is a consistent, avoidable gap – a breakdown in day-to-day communication, appreciation, and leadership follow-through. And it’s happening in practices where the leaders genuinely care, but are overwhelmed, overstretched, or just don’t have the systems in place to stay connected.

This episode is a wake-up call and a guide. We unpack the biggest blind spots that are showing up in the data, from feeling ‘too nice to lead’ to ‘trust that’s really avoidance’ and we offer practical advice to help you reconnect with your team before the wheels fall off.

If you’ve ever thought “but I’m trying to lead well, so why isn’t it working?”…this episode’s for you.

• 00:00 – Why we created VEEBS and what it measures
• 02:15 – The courage to ask hard questions
• 04:40 – Net Promoter Score vs real engagement
• 08:10 – What we’re learning from 80+ practices
• 12:00 – The feedback famine: no system, no support
• 15:00 – Growing pains: why teams break at 12–15 people
• 18:30 – Too kind to lead? Why empathy needs boundaries
• 21:00 – Lack of appreciation = lack of love
• 24:00 – How to join the VEEBS study (for free!)

Want more leadership tools in your corner?

Follow me: @drdavenicol

Check out: Veterinary Leadership Academy

Want to take part in VEEBS? Sign up here: drdavenicol.com/get-your-enps

If this episode helped you see something in a new light, leave a review on iTunes or send it to a fellow leader who might need to hear it. That’s how we build stronger teams, one small step at a time.

Mentioned in this episode:

Mentioned in this episode:

Is managing conflict and stress within your team becoming a daily struggle? Are strained relationships and unresolved tensions holding your veterinary practice back? For many practice owners, navigating the complexities of team dynamics can be overwhelming. Without the right skills, stress and conflict can quickly escalate, affecting your practice’s culture and performance. At the Veterinary Leadership Academy, we specialize in helping practice owners develop the skills to manage conflict and reduce stress. Our program will teach you effective communication strategies, how to handle difficult conversations, and ways to foster a positive, collaborative team environment. With weekly group coaching sessions, you’ll receive ongoing support to address these challenges head-on. The course is fully online, accredited, and open for applications now. Visit drdavenicol.com/veterinary-leadership-academy to apply today. Don’t let conflict and stress undermine your practice. Equip yourself with the tools to lead a harmonious, high-performing team. Visit drdavenicol.com/veterinary-leadership-academy now.