What happens when practice ownership quietly pushes you to the edge?

In this episode, Dr. Tess Salmon shares the raw, unfiltered story behind her journey from a burnt out rural practice owner to building - and selling - a multi-million dollar clinic.

This is more than a growth story.

It’s the reality most practice owners don’t talk about - a conversation about pressure, identity, and the moment you decide things have to change.

From feeling trapped and overwhelmed to gaining clarity, confidence, and control, Tess reflects on the mindset shifts and practical steps that transformed both her business and her life.

Inside, you’ll discover:

• What burnout actually looks like (and why most vets miss it until it’s too late)
• The moments that force change - and why many never reach it
• How Tess grew from $280K to $2.28M in under 10 years
• How to drop the guilt around money and lead with confidence
• The role of mentorship, structure, and simply following a proven process
• What she’s doing differently in her next practice ownership adventure

If you’ve ever felt stuck, stretched thin, or questioned whether it’s worth it- this conversation will hit close to home.

And it might just change what you do next.

Hit play and hear what happens when staying the same becomes impossible.

After 15 years owning Practices and helping 257+ Veterinary Practice Owners, Sam's seen the same pattern: brilliant Vets grinding through long weeks, wondering why success still feels so far away. The answer isn't working harder. It's building a Practice that supports your life instead of consuming it.

Visit acceleratepracticeacademy.com to discover how Practice Owners across Australia, the US, New Zealand, and Canada learn to enjoy their Medicine, their Business, AND Life again — without the sacrifice.

You'll find free resources, real success stories, and ways to work with Sam directly.

Here's something we keep hearing from practice owners:

We're getting feet through the door, but we're hearing a lot of 'no'.

Costs of running your practice is going up. Wages are at an all-time high. So your prices have to follow. And yet - clients are feeling the pinch and counting their dollars.

Somewhere in the gap between those two realities your profits are vanishing...

Most veterinary practices think increasing prices is the only way to stay profitable.

It’s not.

In this episode Sam will teach you how to narrow the gap.

Listen to learn:

• Why veterinary fees are rising faster than household income, and what that means for the future of practice
• The hidden ways pricing impacts compliance, trust, and visit frequency
• How inconsistent standards of care stretches the perception of 'I can't afford that'
• A simple framework to help clients see value, so they say yes with confidence
• What “I can’t afford it” really means, and how to respond without discounting
• The operational shifts that increases profit without increasing prices
• Where AI, insurance, and new care models might fit into the next era of practice

This isn’t about lowering your prices.It’s about running a smarter practice—one that works for your clients, your team, and your bottom line.

After 15 years owning Practices and helping 257+ Veterinary Practice Owners, Sam's seen the same pattern: brilliant Vets grinding through long weeks, wondering why success still feels so far away.

The answer isn't working harder. It's building a Practice that supports your life instead of consuming it.

Visit acceleratepracticeacademy.com to discover how Practice Owners across Australia, the US, New Zealand, and Canada learn to enjoy their Medicine, their Business, AND Life again -without the sacrifice.

You'll find free resources, real success stories, and ways to work with Sam directly.

What if the pressure in your business isn’t coming from the workload...but from how you’re carrying it?

In this episode Dr. Sam returns from a motorbike trip through Tanzania with a perspective most practice owners never consider.

One that could instantly make your business feel lighter.

This isn’t about working less or adding another strategy. It’s about seeing things differently.

Because the truth is: many of the best outcomes in business don’t come from forcing a plan.

They come from knowing what you want.

Spotting the right opportunities.

And taking the next obvious step (without having to force it.)

This episode is a reminder of something easy to forget:Your business is your game.

You choose how it’s played.

If things feel heavy right now, this might be the reset you need.

After 15 years owning Practices and helping 257+ Veterinary Practice Owners, Sam's seen the same pattern: brilliant Vets grinding through long weeks, wondering why success still feels so far away.

The answer isn't working harder. It's building a Practice that supports your life instead of consuming it.

Visit acceleratepracticeacademy.com to discover how Practice Owners across Australia, the US, New Zealand, and Canada learn to enjoy their Medicine, their Business, AND Life again — without the sacrifice.

You'll find free resources, real success stories, and ways to work with Sam directly.

What really demotivates a veterinary team?

It’s rarely the obvious things like workload or long hours.

More often, it’s the subtle leadership habits that quietly erode motivation, accountability, and performance.

In part 2 of our series on the 9 unintentional leadership habits slowly drain energy from a practice Sam discusses:

• Why being “too nice” can actually lower standards and protect underperformance•
• How avoiding tough conversations quietly pushes your best people away•
• Why a quick “thanks for today” rarely feels like genuine appreciation•
• Why great teams need challenge, not just comfort, to stay engaged
• How ignoring poor culture early allows it to spread through the team
• Why indecision drains momentum and frustrates everyone around you
• How badly run meetings waste time and damage morale
• Why a leader’s mood sets the emotional tone of the entire practice
• When vulnerability strengthens a team—and when it doesn’t
• Why leading by example is the foundation of real accountability

This is a practical conversation about leadership in the real world:

Clear standards.

Better conversations.

Faster decisions.

And a team culture that supports performance.

After 15 years owning Practices and helping 257+ Veterinary Practice Owners, Sam's seen the same pattern: brilliant Vets grinding through long weeks, wondering why success still feels so far away. The answer isn't working harder. It's building a Practice that supports your life instead of consuming it.

Visit acceleratepracticeacademy.com to discover how Practice Owners across Australia, the US, New Zealand, and Canada learn to enjoy their Medicine, their Business, AND Life again — without the sacrifice.You'll find free resources, real success stories, and ways to work with Sam directly.

There are a million books on leadership telling you what you should do to be a better leader, and ten times as many opinions.

But leadership in veterinary practice rarely fails because you don’t know enough theory.

It fails because of a handful of habits that quietly drain motivation every single day.

But what if we flip it? What if we focus on the things leaders of great veterinary teams consistently AVOID doing?

That's exactly what Sam does in the next 2 episodes.

We’ve all seen the symptoms of lacklustre leadership inside a practice:

People show up for their shifts… without REALLY showing up.

Low engagement. Low energy. Minimal effort.

Sam calls it the McDonald’s employee attitude: Flip the burgers. Don’t get fired. Go home.

That's not the kind of team that will build the practice you want to own - or one great people want to work in.

In this episode, we bring leadership back to basics. Instead of theory, we unpack the leadership behaviours that quietly demotivate staff, and how practice owners can create an environment where people actually want to bring their best effort to work.

In part 1 Sam takes on sins 1, 2, 3, 4, and 9 out of 9 (yes, we can count - we just got a bit excited), covering the first five things your team wants you to stop doing.

After 15 years owning Practices and helping 257+ Veterinary Practice Owners, Sam' s seen the same pattern: brilliant Vets grinding through long weeks, wondering why success still feels so far away. The answer isn't working harder. It's building a Practice that supports your life instead of consuming it.

Visit acceleratepracticeacademy.com to discover how Practice Owners across Australia, the US, New Zealand, and Canada learn to enjoy their Medicine, their Business, AND Life again — without the sacrifice.You'll find free resources, real success stories, and ways to work with Sam directly.

Is your clinic protected from cybercrime, or are you a sitting duck?

In this special episode, we step outside the usual four pillars to tackle an increasingly urgent threat: cybersecurity. Award-winning expert River Nygryn shares real-world stories, eye-opening risks, and practical, low-cost actions veterinary practice owners can take to defend their businesses, data, and families.

This isn’t fear mongering—it’s business insurance for the digital age.

You’ll learn:

• Why most cyber breaches happen (and how to avoid being part of the 70%)

• The 3 stupid-simple actions that can slash your cyber risk (zero tech skills needed)

• How phishing, vishing, and deepfakes are used to target your team

• The no-brainer backup setup every clinic should have

• Why hackers target small businesses—and how to make sure you’re not next

🎧 Hit play to protect what you've worked so damn hard to build.

After 15 years owning Practices and helping 257+ Veterinary Practice Owners, Sam's seen the same pattern: brilliant Vets grinding through long weeks, wondering why success still feels so far away. The answer isn't working harder. It's building a Practice that supports your life instead of consuming it.

Visit acceleratepracticeacademy.com to discover how Practice Owners across Australia, the US, New Zealand, and Canada learn to enjoy their Medicine, their Business, AND Life again — without the sacrifice.

You'll find free resources, real success stories, and ways to work with Sam directly.

What will it actually take to grow your veterinary business this year? In this live coaching session, Dr. Sam Bowden sits down with the co-founder of a young, fast-growing clinic to build a real 12-month strategic plan from scratch. Whether you’re in startup mode or ready to scale your team, this episode is a practical blueprint for turning vision into results.

You’ll discover

• The “Clarify, Simplify, Amplify” framework for aligned growth
• How to work backwards from your goals
• The key financial metrics that actually matter (and how to hit them)
• Why hiring before you’re “ready” is the smartest move you’ll make
• How to escape the consult room without losing revenue
• The simple client retention plays that boost repeat visits
• How to use 90-day plans to stay focused and gain traction fast

Press play to hear how a real practice owner maps his path from busy startup to scalable, leveraged practice, with Sam guiding each decision in real-time.

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After 15 years owning Practices and helping 257+ Veterinary Practice Owners, Sam's seen the same pattern: brilliant Vets grinding through long weeks, wondering why success still feels so far away. The answer isn't working harder. It's building a Practice that supports your life instead of consuming it.

Visit acceleratepracticeacademy.com to discover how Practice Owners across Australia, the US, New Zealand, and Canada learn to enjoy their Medicine, their Business, AND Life again — without the sacrifice.

You'll find free resources, real success stories, and ways to work with Sam directly.

You know what to do, but yet, you still don't seem able to do it.

You’ve read the books. Listened to the podcasts. Sat through the webinars.

So why does it still feel like you’re stuck in the same spot?

In this episode of Sam tackles the frustrating truth behind the execution gap - that no man's land between knowing and doing - and why relying on willpower is a guaranteed path to burnout.

Spoiler: Information isn’t the issue. Structure is.

You’ll discover a powerful yet simple planning system to help you:

- Bridge the gap between big goals and real-world action

- Build weekly wins - even when life throws chaos your way

- Protect your time, focus, and priorities without guilt (well, not too much guilt...)

What you’ll learn:

• The 3 hidden currencies of a fulfilling veterinary life, and why most vets are running on empty
• Why 97% of people don’t finish self-guided programs - and how to join the 3% who do
• A step-by-step system to turn annual goals into weekly wins
• How to ditch perfectionism, procrastination, and people-pleasing for good
• The “priority shield” that keeps distractions (and your inbox) from derailing your day

Press play and start building a practice - and life - that actually works for you.

Email Sam at  sam@acceleratepracticeacademy.com to be our live podcast coachee and get your next 2 months mapped with Sam's help.

After 15 years owning Practices and helping 257+ Veterinary Practice Owners, Sam's seen the same pattern: brilliant Vets grinding through long weeks, wondering why success still feels so far away. The answer isn't working harder. It's building a Practice that supports your life instead of consuming it.

Visit ⁠acceleratepracticeacademy.com⁠ to discover how Practice Owners across Australia, the US, New Zealand, and Canada learn to enjoy their Medicine, their Business, AND Life again — without the sacrifice.

You'll find free resources, real success stories, and ways to work with Sam directly.