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Vet Mind Works Podcast

Vet Mind Works Podcast

By: Petra Agthe Alison Collings
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About this listen

This podcast is for veterinary professionals who are looking for better ways of working and living. We discuss mind-sets, mind skills, behaviours and habits, which support sustainable performance and wellbeing in a challenging profession, and allow us to develop our own 'best veterinary self'. Podcast hosts Petra Agthe and Alison Collings (two vets with a long-standing interest in psychology and related disciplines) interview interesting guests, ranging from veterinary colleagues to psychologists, who share their knowledge, experiences and insights on specific subjects. Occasionally, we also schedule a 'rest and digest' episode in which we discuss and reflect on previous topics. This is a podcast for the whole veterinary community and we encourage listeners to provide feedback and enter the discussion! You can do this by sending us an email to vetmindworks@gmail.com. We are happily funding this podcast ourselves to keep it independent.

© 2025 Vet Mind Works Podcast
Hygiene & Healthy Living Science
Episodes
  • 35. The Myth of Difficult People - with Phil Webb
    Jun 4 2025

    Consider this for a moment: What if there were no difficult people?

    What if it was more about difficult situations, circumstances and behaviours?

    What if we could all learn to deal to engage more constructively with others in these difficult situations?

    Our guest Phil Webb encourages us to do just this and he knows what he is talking about from working in a client facing role for most of his career. In the conversation with host Petra Agthe, Phil offers helpful tips and tools that have helped him and his colleagues to deal with these challenging situations more constructively – ranging from the importance of getting to know ourselves better to reframing anger.

    Books mentioned in this episode:

    The Chimp Paradox, by Prof Steve Peters

    The 7 Habits of Highly Effectice People, by Stephen R Covey (the circle of control)

    Publications about the link between reading fiction and empathy:

    https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.1239918?sid=f192d0cc-1443-4bf1-a043-61410da39519

    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3559433/#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20suggested%20that%20people%20who%20read%20a%20lot,their%20interpersonal%20skills%20%5B3%5D.

    Where to find Phil:
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-webb-0b42a7173/

    Previous episodes relating to this topic:

    Clinical communication with Helen Øvregaard

    Active Listening with Mark Turner

    Compassion with Katherine Wakelin and Megan Davis

    Self-Regulation with Crina Dragu



    This podcast is in partnership with the Veterinary Information Network (VIN). More about VIN here.

    We value your feedback! Please email us your thoughts, ideas and suggestions to vetmindworks@gmail.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook

    Want to find out more about our hosts ? Follow on LinkedIn

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/petra-agthe-562bb65b

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/clive-elwood-b7aba216/

    Credits:
    Music- Deep Ambience by Coma-Media, Pixabay; Images for Artwork- OpenClipart-Vectors, Pixabay

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    52 mins
  • 34. Clinical Communication - with Helen Øvregaard
    May 7 2025

    What if communication was the most important clinical skill we have?

    And what does communication have to do with wellbeing and job satisfaction?

    How can we learn to improve our communication skills?

    Find out the answer to these and more questions in our most recent episode on clinical communication! Host Petra Agthe and our guest Helen Øvregaard dive deep into the topic and touch on related themes such as trust, empathy, emotional intelligence, active listening, vulnerability, contextualised care and the power of a full and authentically expressed apology.

    You can find more information about Helen and this fascinating topic below.

    Communication techniques mentioned:

    • The Four Habits Model
    • Calgary-Cambridge Guide
    • Motivational Interviewing

    Books:
    Skills for Communicating in Veterinary Medicine by Cindy L Adams and Suzanne Kurtz

    Compassionomics by Stephen Trzeciak and Anthony Mazzarelli

    Associations and Special Interest Groups:

    Relationship-centred Veterinary Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/relationship-centred-veterinary-medicine-at-the-ontario-veterinary-college/posts/?feedView=all

    Oslo Communication in Healthcare Education and Research https://ocher.no

    Special Interest Group ‘Communication in Veterinary Healthcare’ as part of International Association for Communication in Healthcare: https://each.international/organisation/sigs/communication-in-veterinary-healthcare/

    Where to find Helen:
    Website: http://www.vettalk.no
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-øvregaard-31979151/

    Previous episodes you may be interested in:

    Active Listening with Mark Turner

    Vulnerability with Megan Alderson

    Compassion with Katherine Wakelin and Megan Davis






    This podcast is in partnership with the Veterinary Information Network (VIN). More about VIN here.

    We value your feedback! Please email us your thoughts, ideas and suggestions to vetmindworks@gmail.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook

    Want to find out more about our hosts ? Follow on LinkedIn

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/petra-agthe-562bb65b

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/clive-elwood-b7aba216/

    Credits:
    Music- Deep Ambience by Coma-Media, Pixabay; Images for Artwork- OpenClipart-Vectors, Pixabay

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • 33. Active Listening - with Mark Turner
    Apr 2 2025

    In today's episode host Petra Agthe and guest Mark Turner explore the power of an every day activity: listening. However, as so often, what seems a simple enough thing on the outside is actually a lot more difficult when we try to do it well.

    And so it turns out that active listening is a skill that requires intention and sometimes a bit of practice. However, the benefits can be huge, because active listening is essential for building trust and psychological safety. But how can we get better at it? Listen in and you can find out more!

    Resources mentioned in this episode:

    Books:
    Speak Up: Say What Needs to Be Said and Hear What Needs to Be Heard
    by Megan Reitz and John Higgins https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/51966260-speak-up

    The Human Moment: The Positive Power of Compassion in the Workplace by Amy Bradley https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51493034-the-human-moment

    Podcast: Simon Sinek and Deeyah Khan about extreme listening https://simonsinek.com/podcast/episodes/extreme-listening-with-deeyah-khan/

    Where to find Mark:
    Website: https://vetqit.co.uk
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-turner-386a31111/


    This podcast is in partnership with the Veterinary Information Network (VIN). More about VIN here.

    We value your feedback! Please email us your thoughts, ideas and suggestions to vetmindworks@gmail.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook

    Want to find out more about our hosts ? Follow on LinkedIn

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/petra-agthe-562bb65b

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/clive-elwood-b7aba216/

    Credits:
    Music- Deep Ambience by Coma-Media, Pixabay; Images for Artwork- OpenClipart-Vectors, Pixabay

    Show More Show Less
    50 mins

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