Nov. 27, 2019

#19: You CAN have it all, just not all at the same time, with Dr. Olivia James

#19: You CAN have it all, just not all at the same time, with Dr. Olivia James
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Season 1

Dr Olivia James is one of the leaders in the field of equine dentistry. She is months away from finishing her  diplomate examinations, which will make her a specialist, and the highest qualified equine dentist in the Southern Hemisphere. Olivia  has worked in veterinary practices in regional Australia both in mixed and equine hospitals since graduating from the University of Sydney with honours in 2003. In 2010, when her second son was just one year old, she  started her own equine practice, sold in 2018 to concentrate  on her studies and start her current business, Australian Veterinary  Equine Dentistry. In this role she travels across Australia to treat  both first opinion and referral dentistry cases. She is also about to launch a very exciting new online education resource for veterinary equine dentistry.  Our  conversation with Olivia covers a lot of ground. She gives us advice on  starting your own practice and making it profitable, the importance of  focusing on personal development, how to build of group of peers that  inspires you, and of course she gives us some practical tips on how to  raise children while starting a new practice, studying and even specialising. Please enjoy, Dr. Olivia James. To see the show notes or to check out our guests’ favourite books, podcasts and everything else we talk about in the show, click on the webpage link on the episode page wherever you listen to us, or visit the podcast website at https://minivetguide.com/podcast/.  If you have a question that you’d like us to answer with the help of our guests you can leave us a voice message by going to our episode page on the anchor app (https://anchor.fm) and hitting the record button, via email at thevetvaultpodcast@gmail.com, or just catch up with us on Instagram. (https://www.instagram.com/thevetvault/) We’d love to hear from you! If you like what you heard, then please help us to spread the word by subscribing to the podcast  and by telling your friends about us.

I'm ready go.Good evening.Ladies and gentlemen, this is Gerardo Poli. and this sorry one of the best bits of advice I've ever received was to find good mentors and to learn from them trusted people who have already done what you're trying to do.
Now.I've been fortunate throughout my career to have some fantastic mentors to help guide me, but I realize that they'd be hard to find and also hard to commit the time to 1.This is why we've gathered some of the best Minds from the veterinary world and squeeze them for their wisdom so that You don't have to learn the hard way with the help of our guests.
We flipped the veterinary profession on its back and explore its soft underbelly to find the tips tools and inspiration that you'll need to build the career that you've always wanted.I'm Gerardo Poland.I'm Hubert him strap and this is the vent valve.Before we start today's episode.
We like to make a quick request.We're going to start including some listener questions in the episode.So we'd love for you to send through your questions.So what burning questions do you have that you would like us to discuss with the guests.There are few ways.
You can get those questions into us that is one through sending a direct message on our Instagram.That is the Instagram Tibetan Holt.Okay, all of one word or you can't send the email to That involve podcast at gmail.com or long word.
You lots of questions.We might be at a set aside some time in a few episodes to do a quick view a and yes, you can ask me to but you do understand there any persons I did.Okay.Maybe you can ask me such a personal question anything you want anything you want anything we could even do a shitless Q&A Q&A.
Give me a month to prepare for that one back to my guests back to my guests.Here we go you go.Dr. Olivia James.All right, for today's episode.We have dr.Olivia James.She is a specialist in equine richly dentistry.And one of the leaders in this field.She's only months away from finishing her Diplomat examinations, which will make her the highest qualified equine dentist in the entire southern hemisphere.
Olivia's worked in Veterinary practices in Regional Australia both in mixed and equine hospital since graduating from the University of You with honors in 2003 in 2010.When his second son was one year old she started her own equine practice, which she sold in 2018 to concentrate on her studies and to start a current business Australian veteran equine dentistry in this role.
She travels across Australia to treat both first opinion Dentistry cases as well as cases referred from other vets.She's also just about a launch a very exciting new online education resource for equine Dentistry, but More of that in the episode a conversation with Olivia covers a lot of ground.
She gives us advice on starting your own practice and making it profitable.She tells us about the importance of focusing on personal development how to build a group of peers that inspires you instead of dragging you down.And of course she gives us some practical tips on how to raise children while starting a new practice studying and even specializing, so, please enjoy.
Dr. Olivia James.Good evening everybody and welcome back to another episode of the vet Vault tonight.We've got dr.Olivia James from Brisbane, Australia.Thank you for joining us.Hi.Thank you for having me.Nice to see you or hear you as the case may be.
So just so we all get to know you a little bit and I actually I said to you earlier when I spoke to you we might start with with the story Gerardo after our last episode where we had a an interesting Veterinary story.I thought maybe you should start With what?
What do you reckon?Yeah, I think is a great idea.Seriously.It'll be juicy one.Exactly.So Olivia last time we randomly came up with that with one of those of its stories that you tell them the pub to all your friends.Yeah.Well your weight friends got all your non-veterans go and we decided we might make it a feature of the podcast because everybody's got a story.
Have you got any have you got a story for us to think about this one?But I also had to think about one that was G-rated.I could actually talk about because this has been recorded and it will be around forever, you know, and I don't want it kind of like some 5 million 10 years time.
One of the funny ones.It was quite funny to me but it really wasn't funny to the other person involved but they won't be listening to this.So that's okay when my kids were younger.We had them in daycare before they're old enough to start school.
And as a lot of kids do when they first go into To day care situations, they get every illness and every sickness that goes around which I think in the long ones really good for them.But my son had conjunctivitis.I had a really important surgery booked in that day that I'd been looking forward to for a long time and I know his kind of sitting on the fence about it and finally we scheduled it and they'll all ready to go and the horse had travelled a long way, but my son had conjunctivitis not supposed to go to day care if they get conjunctivitis.
So all the other It's listen to this probably want to throttle me right now because on that day.Yes, I was that parent.We had previously had some Opthalmic cream from the pharmacy, but it had run out.So I went well look I creams eye cream.So I just went to the back of my car and I got a cheeseburger pricing and I got my drug label on it and I put it on there so you couldn't see it off a daycare saying here's his his next tube of eye cream because it kind of cleared up by then.
But I got a phone call from the director of the child care center about two hours later saying I just wanted to check with you this eye cream says for animal use only so we can't actually use that you're going to have to come and pick him up.So I'm like, yeah, I'll be there in you know, an hour and 40 minutes away.
So finish the surgery went and picked him up.So that's that's a G rated story that I can tell and then you administered the eye cream once again, and then I did.More energy finish that you absolutely I've used a fair bit of near Corner myself and in my time so though.
Oh, definitely.Yeah, that's happening.I still have some in the medicine cabinet here.It's gold.I'm wondering where their whether we should as you say.We are recording this or whatever should confess the degree of how much we do to her children and her I said, well, I don't know if somebody other than me, what's to bring up front line for head lice numerous times.
I don't leave home without it.We before we started Jerrod it was I was telling Olivia but the drama with my kids foot.My eldest son has a major major cuts on his foot from a from an injury on holiday and I will confess that when it first happened in lombok hours away from the nearest clinic.
He may have been sutured by I was working with my dad who is Tired doctor, so there was a doctor involved as well.He was supervised.Yes.That's what I've a super skills is that we actually very good at treating Gigi got him to hold him.
Hold him still I should have you sitting right next to me here.I can get him involved in the fight against tell you his version of invade probably not probably not seen anybody that Levi said that that brings us to to your story a little bit is working with kids and working around kids and family and what you did wait and we're so just to clarify for myself.
So you were in you were in practice as an equine vet when you had your children, is that correct?Yes.I was I was in equine why I was actually in mixed practice first in Dubai and had had my first child and had started to go back to work and then was told that we had to leave where we were Being Judah my husband's work the job that he was on we had was finishing and there was no more work in that area.
So we had to move.So we move down to Canberra and then did a short stint in a mixed practice down there and then on to acquire practice had my second child and then a couple of years later started up my own equine Veterinary practice, which was a lot of fun had that for eight years so that last year Here and we now live in the inner suburbs of Brisbane and I just do referral dental and oral surgeries now.
So that's also a lot of fun.I fly or drive to wherever the patients are.So it's locally off livestock example, if it's down at the University of Queensland, it's nice and close or otherwise, I'll go across to Adelaide or wherever I need to go to.Wow.That's really cool.
Yeah II in my Google stoking of you.I never you never know.What's it?Duration on the internet Predator.Olivia is one of the most skilled echoing dentist.If not the most skilled equine dentist in Australia.That's what Google says and she's not never trust.I have done a lot of I guess education there.
I I set my membership exams to the Australian College in 2010.And then in 2015 did my Diplomat for I see vo, which is International College.Veterinary odontologist and about four years ago.
I enrolled with the American Veterinary Dental College in for the equine stream soil for equine Dentistry.I haven't quite completed that unfortunately didn't pass and both my practical exams last year.So next year.
I'll be jetting off back to Las Vegas could be worse places to go all the way over there to really do a 4 Hour exam and then come home again.So fingers crossed, but Almost finished.Wow.Well indeed, it's an it's an extensive process.Isn't it?
That's years and years of study with regard to Specialty.And and so what what what it was you're supposed decision making process for selecting such a kind of Niche area.It was really it was a it was a patient.
That was the turning point in my life for this and this is a story that I tell a lot of people because a lot of people ask me because You go you go out with a group of friends or go to the dinner party.And you know, I'm usually the only person like that in the group.
So if I was always interested, but it was a horse that I saw that had terrible periodontal disease.So periodontal disease is the most common disease of horses and can be quite painful in some cases and I hadn't been unsuccessfully managing this horse.
I'd already done some education, but I worked myself into go to another Workshop.So up a TV Yes in Grafton with Oliver Li you who most people especially in Australia would know very good friend of mine.And when it did some more training and came back and I rang up these owners.
I said look can I cover the horse's name?Unfortunately, but I said look, can you bring the horse in I've learnt some new techniques I would like to give it a go on your mirror.So I they bought them are in the next day and it just everything just went perfectly they came back later with flowers and you know.
They were so happy in the horse had gone from really grumpy and pulling faces and dropping feed back to a really sweet mere that was a pleasure to ride and the owners were just so happy.So I think the combination of being able to improve the Animal Welfare, which for me is one of my biggest drivers, but also to to get that sort of reaction out of a client that just made me feel really good.
So so that was the turning point for actually getting into dentistry in the first place and then as I am Love learning.I find it really really rewarding and I guess I just went and did more and more and more until I had exhausted all options in Australia.
So I went to North America into Canada for RC.Vo finish that and then there was the really the wood there was no more options for doing anything else in Australia.They had all been exhausted at that time the fellowship in equine Dentistry wasn't offered.
And so I was I guess really fortunate that I was accepted into a v DC American Veterinary Dental College because they only had a very short window in which you could apply for advanced standing because it was a newly formed college.
So I think a matter of being in the right place at the right time.I'm I've also been really fortunate to have really fantastic group of vets around me that have really encouraged me all the way and offered support and Bison and all that sort of thing.
So I'm really I'm just I'm just quite lucky so about a problem that you know, you were having and you know what you need to actually kind of level up and when you sit once he saw that the problem was solvable and the way that it was solved you saw that as something that you know, that was a thing you want to do next.
He wanted to be able to then be able to offer that to those those future patients that you you know, you would come across that's right.I did it very quickly turned into loan one do one teach one.And so I kind of fell into teaching that way and it's just it's a lot of fun.
I love watching the light bulbs go off in a the theoretical light bulbs go off in people's mind and just watching the skills improve and the knowledge improve and the confidence improve its really I mean, it's quite a selfish pleasure because you're there to teach and there they are there to learn but really, you know, I get a lot of pleasure out of it as well.
You know, nothing one question about your exams, right?So everyone struggles with with not passing hymns and and you know, like I can't imagine that the degree of of technicality and difficulty Diplomat ins Fellowship exams have I've only I've seen some questions that they get asked in the emergency area and like whoa, whoa, whoa gay, you know, that's that's next level stuff, but I get asked all the time.
How do we tackle failure?And how do we tackle kind of setbacks and things and and you know, I do know some people who've sat all those and not pass but then really gets kind of destroyed them.Like how did you kind of bounce back from that?Well, I think that that life happens for you.
Not not to you.So every failure or not passing something as another opportunity to learn so I think for me it just means that I need more practice.These exams are very restricted in time.
So a procedure that we would say do in and I can tell you what they are because I've signed a document saying that I wouldn't say so like things that you normally would have time to do in real life in a way.
I suppose Spurs were the we're added with constraints that necessarily weren't probably yeah.Yeah, that's right.So a procedure that would normally take you know, three to five hours.We were having to do in two hours.So the time stress of it was really massive and I guess also for me going in on that first day everything was new and I didn't really know what to expect and I'm pretty sure I shook for the whole four hours the second exam the next day was much better.
I knew what to expect even though with all the procedures that I had done.I was quite confident in doing them.All but you know things just don't always plan out on the day and that's okay.It's not going anywhere.I can just go and do it again.It's really it's not the end of the world.That's a fantastic attitude.
I think many people can be that mature about it maybe in retrospect a few weeks down the line, but it does it does hurt when when you do fail, but you seem like you really have it completely sorted out.That's lovely.Well, it's another opportunity to learn so I'm okay with Imagine how boring life would be if you are successful at everything every single time.
You know if you won LOTTO every single time.Yeah, if you won the card game every single time there would be no variety and there would be no surprise and it would just get incredibly boring now suppose.It's challenging kind of build you forges the person you need to be right so mmm.
Yeah, absolutely.That's a very good point of our boarding.I've never thought of it as as boring.But if you probably absolutely right it is boring.I think it's full especially veterinarian.You don't get into vet school by failing a lot.
What is the academically so I think for lots of assets.It's more of a shock when you do get to a level where you actually start realizing your limitations and going not not quite as clever as its.I thought I think maybe maybe we as it as a group deal with it a little bit harder than than most doing when we do fail.
Well, maybe that's my secret Source because I actually didn't want to be a vet and I didn't I I started a degree in graphic design.Agent Lee and had it had a dramatic failure when we had to we were asked to draw a frog and it could be in graphics could be in charcoal could be in anything and I failed and how can you fail I could have been an abstract.
Um so does weren't you know what this is?This is fun.It's fun being at Uni but I can't see myself doing this in 10 years time.So when into an animal science degree and then transferred from there, so I guess I'm not that I was never all that academically good.
At school, so I didn't have that behind me.So maybe that's a blessing.So was that not even on your radar?No, not really.Well, I've always grown up around horses and you know love animals, but it wasn't on my radar at all.
That's very interesting.Yeah, it's interesting.But also what you said about boredom.I remember having a conversation with someone recently about the value of boredom boredom is one of the most motivating things ever.Right?So you probably looked at potentially being a graphic designer and drawing different varieties of frogs as possibly the most unstimulating boring things for you over and and for me when I finished high school, like I didn't what I want to do and then we're getting a job in the library and like not like it was a Some job and had great colleagues and so forth, but you've got to a point where actually it was really quite unstimulating for me and that was in and I thought back then there which was I could I do this for 10 years and and upon reflection.
It was boredom.Actually that was one of the biggest motivators me to actually go to UNI and you know eventually resulted in going to vet science.So yeah the motivator the visual power cord.Mm.I don't know if you've heard that The gosh, what's the name of it at the Tony Robbins thing?
It's the sixth over six human needs and they're different they're different for everybody.So I probably won't be able to remember them all now, but love and connection variety certainty or uncertainty contribution significance.
I think I probably left left find out and that's that's they'd if they're different for everybody.So I get you I go so security and certainty is probably not what you're after you really For providing Adventure, probably hey, that's definitely it's a my top two human needs our love and connection and and variety which is why I think I like traveling so much and and why I enjoy difficult surgeries so much to like it's a puzzle.
You have to you have to sort it out and you're the person there to go and do it.So get on with it.Yeah.And is that something you were born with?Is that it?Did you think that isn't it?Because you guys are saying that that Tony Robbins says that's an inherent trait.Yes is that you're always says that that applies to all human beings whether they know it in their head or not.
But I mean if I say, for example, if I said it could you think of somebody who thinks of themselves as a very significant person you can probably off-the-cuff think of one or two straight away.Do you know what I mean?Yeah.
Yeah now I'm just wondering when you say the idea of a difficulty.It excites you as for a lots of lots of people.It's frightening and I look at your history at your work history starting up starting your own practice when you have a one-year-old.
So what was I thinking exactly why I want to say clearly what y Ro tell us why is it is it well a couple of different reasons if you haven't worked this out already on pretty opinionated.So I really I like to do things my way.
My way and I felt that there was an opportunity for to me for me to be able to run a practice the way I wanted to also working as an associate with two kids in daycare paying daycare fees really financially just it didn't work out by the time you paid your pay the child care fees.
There was really there was very very little left over and that that can get a little bit disheartening.I think might really Me I just wanted to be happy.I just wanted to go about my day to day life and help horses and chapter clients and be happy.
So that's that's the way I decided to go.And you know, I'm really glad that I did I the place there was before really was a wonderful place and I learnt such a huge amount from there.But really it wasn't for me long term.
So this was the right thing to do.Okay, so Venture Venture and challenge versus stability in yes.Yeah, we have versus it and that's exactly right.Yeah.Yeah, that's exactly what I'm getting at is that it has to be a personality trait because I see your reasoning but it's still very scary for a lot of people the yeah that I think a lot of it comes with experience as well.
I mean, I would approach a difficult surgery for example.Only now to compare to when I was I was starting out one of the good things about going into practice by yourself.Is that the buck stops with you?If your say, for example, if it's an emergency, you just have to get on with it.
You don't have the option to call somebody over or you know, refer in that in that very immediate instance.You just have to do it and I think that you can really be surprised on just what you can do when the pressures on so he's if you say You approach things differently now to do when you are well if you said difficult surgeries you approach it differently to in Europe just starting how actually I do now.
I'm actually a lot more cautious because I think to begin with I was a little bit too gung-ho and kind of Hack and Slash and all those things that surgeons aren't meant to be and now I know a lot more about the anatomy because the anatomy of the head is incredibly complex and you can you can do a lot of damage.
By cutting in the wrong area or I mean I remember this is a long time ago.Now I had a horse with a mass in its throat and we went to cut it out and I accidentally cut through the products Library Duct not kind of realizing or maybe not paying close enough attention and the owner would ring and she sent me a photo a video the next day and the day after and the day after of the horse that feed time and then just had this stream of saliva coming out when when the feed bucket was near so I think I'm a lot more cautious now compared to when I when I first started I would like I could imagine like I had a dog which decided to bite down on a chainsaw and it dropped open the side of its mouth like the Joker and I was like, you know, y'all stitched back together and stuff and I didn't really think very hard about ducks and the like kind of things and it was like, I don't know if I could even fix Actually to be honest, but then it came back and his big swelling on the side of its neck and I'm like, oh God, thank me.
You know, that's probably slag.Yeah, but I thought for a second that you were like, oh you're hacking slashing your what I told his larynx out, you know, I wasn't wasn't wasn't that bad.I remember in general practice.
I was cutting off the Mast Cell on the cervical region of a dog. and I was like You know, there's got to be the jugular here somewhere and like I was slowly just sitting down trying to figure out where the bird was.I took forever and I was like being really cautious and there's just one little piece of fat.
I picked it up and I was like that.I just chopped it and all the sudden blood gushed everywhere not on the wrong side of the table and then either let go and run raining outside table grab a hemostat and kind of clamp it off and all and I was threatened really bad and then I remembered like I knew you would about three months prior.
I went to spend time with my oncologist who do a lot of stuff.Your Insight on my face and roomy singing him chop out like an axillary mass and the amount of blood that was lost there and then he asked me this question about you know, haven't you how much how many jugglers directing you can take in a dog and I was like none and he goes now you could take they who I was like, well where does the blood draining then?
He is like in the vertebral veins and I was like, so then instantly then it was like this.Oh look, you know they got another one.It's better than actually we both want you back.Bad, yeah, and I think that confidence comes with with experience and exposure to that sort of thing.But as a new grad, you don't know what you don't know.
Yeah.Yeah, totally so practice ownership with a with a one-year-old and a little bit a three-year-old three four year old at the time.I was four.Yeah, he was four at the time.How how do you how do you make that work?
What's the how does it look practically?Um, well, how do we make it work it when I look back at it now I go.Oh my God.What was I thinking that was just the crazy to boot with lived in a rural area.
So to get anywhere was you know to get to daycare or get scores 40 minute drive.So the 40 minutes they're 40 minutes back.So it added another element to it.Look I know.I think we just made we just made it work we didn't have Family around us and as I said living and living in a rural area we coped with it for the first year.
My husband took over cooking the dinner because it never know what time I'd be home which was fine by me.It was very Bland but you know, we survived we utilized a pairs which they can, you know, they can be a real blessing but also there's a flip side to that as well because you can get some really crazy people live.
We're living in your house.But I think for me the the real turning point was this was down just outside of or between Canberra and yes in Southern New South Wales in winter time.And I had kind of work.
This is before I start the practice.No, actually it wasn't it was after I had worked a whole day had come back we've done the dinner Bath Bed Bed routine.I'd gone back to the computer was topping up all my notes during all that sort of thing and then Is about to go to bed went.
Oh, I haven't hung that washing out.We're not going to have uniforms for you know two days time.So it was hanging the washing out and the washing was freezing as I was putting it on the line and I just went this is this is ridiculous.I'm putting Frozen pose on the line knowing that it would be cameras funny.
It's cold at night, but that's beautiful beautiful sunny days.And I swear this is really dumb got it got to do something.So we got an au pair and she was really really lovely.We and we've had I think about 15 since then some of which have become were you know, and we'll be friends for life or had some been really fortunate to have some really wonderful wonderful people and I think also having oh pairs it worked well for us, but just it alleviated a lot of the guilt associated with trying to balance having having a career and having a family as well.
Say for example when the boys Of two boys when they were younger and they were in child care.What would happen at closing time?When you when you're on call you on your way to daycare and you get a call with an emergency and it's a real emergency a big-time emergency.
You're not going to leave your kids at daycare sitting there after it's closed.But it also you can't leave the horse as well.You know, you have people relying on you.So so for us having an au-pair really helped to alleviate that guilt that the kids weren't always going to be the last kids at daycare.
After being there for you know X number of hours, but yeah, it takes it takes work as well.You really need to interview you and find someone that's a right fit.We had we had one girl.She which is lovely, but she just had no clue.
I had a colleague.Dr. Nelson down at my place and we were doing some surgery on a cult.It was actually abdominal surgery for a case that For whatever reason couldn't go to referral so we were kind of the last stop before it it got the highway to Heaven and the repair was driving in pick the kids up from school and was driving in this is sort of in the afternoon and the kids are like, oh look mom, he's over there and I want to go and see Mummy so she stopped the car and open the gate and took the kids in through through through the paddock out into the into the backfield we were doing it so they could watch.
And then she felt like she might like to have a cup of tea so she left them there and it was just it was him and I gloved up all sterile with and it was a Clydesdale.This is a big horse leaving two little kids.They're like don't touch anything.Don't touch anything don't go there.
So I had to describe out and call her and said you'd like you need to come and get this kids.This is this is not funny and it's and it's not safe.You need to come straight away.So I think I'm just not really not really thinking.But but anyway that the surgery went well the horse survived and prospered and their kids the kids are fine.
So don't work that.Well, it wasn't quite like immersion if I'd ever actually find the owner anything.They never really liked when I was doing is doing repair work with me as that walk around the corner of the Berkeley on Mom.Can you not do that now a fine with everything else?
I'm it's interesting to hear about their therapy thing.It's been an ongoing debate in and our house is yes or no yes or no.I'm leaning towards years and my wife still on the know with the idea of having a as you say it's just Stranger in your house is that it's something to get used to but do you reckon that's a that's a potential Lifesaver that that's the way to go.
Look at it worked really really well for us.I think yeah.People have different situations and I think if you had family close by or lived in an area that had closer access to daycares and schools and things like that.
It might not necessarily work well for them, but the interview process is really important because you can't just take anybody a lot of au Pairs and I think it's happening more and more see families taking them in as just, you know a place.To sleep for a couple of nights when they land in a new country and we have had people leave in the middle of the night and get a text the next day saying this is you know, I don't think looking after kids is for me and I'm off which either if it's sort of you do take it a bit personally because you are inviting people into your home the great ones we've had though like we still, you know be friends with them friends of them forever.
I like lifelong friends.So I think just picking the right person.You do have someone else living in your house and after a while, you know, their family may be stops being so polite to each other because there's like a stranger in the house and everything kind of gets back to normal.
So they see they see what you like what sorts and all so it's just there something to consider would mean I might have talked to out of it now.No, I was getting into it actually listen to this.
You know the extra pair of hands because there's just this always so much to do.So to have have someone that can you know, take the laundry out or start the dinner or pick up some bread on the way home something like that that it can really be quite helpful and make your life a lot stressful as are a lot less stressful, but on the other hand, you also have to manage them.
You can't just put them in that role and say there's the fridge there's the bedroom.Okay off you go.See you later.They do take a lot of management, especially in the early days.Yeah, that's true.Actually, I've heard that before as well especially because if you don't give them structure then what happens is there that you know, it's like a cunning one communicated expectations and then you know, the things don't work whatever they don't know what their responsibilities are and then you're not really actually getting someone that helps you you're getting someone that you can have to actually manage even more so later if you don't set expectations right staff, Yeah, it's just like having stuff.
Dad.Oh, well, I don't really have an impaired for myself, but I actually have had the thought of actually getting a new pair of myself.Do you have it a bit?I've somehow gonna do have video.Please just call him.So maybe that's that's different.
Yeah, they just called different names having my mom is actually retired as of today and and she's like Charlie.Can I just spend time with you and like he hates but Tommy we will do she's Don't you know just cook your food and and like you're hanging you hang your washing and stuff and I was like Mom.
Look, how did you put if you really want it you can arrange that so they actually the conversation I had today was she goes she goes, um, she goes, oh, I just got made redundant today and I'm like, that's great news.Mom.I've been like I've been waiting for this day, but I tune I do take away go traveling.
So I do try to take her internationally where I go traveling the hardest thing for her is actually getting on the plane, which is the plane she's fine and she's been lands in the country.So they gave it getting on the plane seems of pre-drought bit.So so that's our payer and World trips or whatever.That may be though.If if your mum get sick of you she can come and live with us for a while a lot of surcharge one of the other really important things that I should mention is that for people that are doing Emergencies having to get your kids out of bed at 10 o'clock or 11 o'clock or 3 a.m.
To go and see an emergency is just miserable.So so knowing that you can just leave the house with everybody asleep and everyone safe.It's definitely it's worth its weight in gold.Yeah, I've known several people who had a Pairs and have had very positive experiences as well as mixed wants to and especially around with you said Olivia about them turning up in his disappearing and then leaving the Lord.
Judge, or they'll come through in the same come in come in come in and they don't turn up.So yes.Yeah, so it unfortunately it's too common.Yeah.Mmm, so you've survived even more than survive the last decade of your life.You looked like a very really thrived with that practice ownership and then I imagine starting to be a specialist is not a walk in the park either very time consuming.
If you if you had to go back to if you could go back to ten years ago and talked.Olivia just about to buy into a victory practice or starter and victory practice.What would you tell us anything any advice to just give up?Huh?That's funny because that's one of the questions I asked when I'm interviewing people.
So I haven't really taken the time to consider how that would have that well, I don't think I think knowing what I'm know now, I think if the opportunity presented itself, I would have been better buying buying a practice or buying into a practice rather than starting a practice.
Itís because you really have to reinvent the wheel to do that but practice that's existing, you know should already have all those processes or you know, all written down.They have existing clients.
They have Revenue that that's there from day one.I think that I was just really lucky to be in an area that really demanded the services that I was offering there was a big call for it and the area that I I was in had probably still has the highest horse ownership per capita in Australia.
And there was you know to vet practices servicing while servicing that area.So there was very much a need a need for it.But if I was to go back 10 years, so what would that have been 2009 so that was just before starting the practice.
I would have told myself that.It's going to be better than you think.It's also going to be harder than you think.Yeah, that that's probably I don't think I would really change anything.
Yeah, I wouldn't change a thing lot life happens life happens for you not to so we get to you know, it's remember those books as kids Choose Your Own Adventure.That's that's reality.That's every day.You don't Golden Ages ago back when you don't like what you read ahead.Yeah.
I always yesterday or something Choose Your Own Adventure.I dare my Diet Cokes.Okay, let's go back.We don't get a do-over in real life.He really run life.Yeah Yuri is right.When you find yourself in a situation.
He kind of had no choice really hate you more the choices, you take controlling move forward whichever way that may be but yeah, once you land it on spikes and your own adventure book and that's pretty hard to undo.That is the readers Lone Wolf ones and they're all about fantasy.
There's all these with lots of spikes Lots Demons that just burst into flames and like instant explosions.So I think it's pretty uncommon for that to occur in reality and now world so hopefully hopefully there's not a word for it.
I like that you say you would have told yourself that it's got to be harder than you think.Maybe you shouldn't tell yourself maybe ignorance is bliss to go.Yeah.Yeah.Yeah, but I had one.
My old bosses pulled me aside and really wonderful person say that you you won't be able to please everybody all the time.So don't try and that was that was really Sage advice because I think the Temptation is when you're a newly-minted practice is to go out and be everything to everybody but it just doesn't work like that and I've been I've been fortunate I've managed to find my nation.
I really love what I'm doing and it all just goes from there.Hmm.And I do like what you said regarding. the perspective on starting your own versus buying in it's actually not something that I've heard so far anyone really say with regards to practice ownership and things like that because yeah, like it's phenomenal amount of systems and processes and then yeah the burden of building revenue and and creating customer bases and so forth so forth and then started small when you are all that person that's a massive undertaking and a steep learning curve and and I suppose it comes down to how much would you pay?
I have all question.Would you ask yourself?You know, we'd how much would you pay to have all that stuff already sorted 250,000 if it if that's the case and maybe that's rather by in as opposed to start your own.I think I think it depends on individual circumstances.
I don't think you can just put a blanket number on it depends how big the practices and also we know that practices in Australia.This is a really sad sad fact that most Best practices in Australia only making between three and five percent profit, which is why would you bother you you know, you're buying yourself a job you'd be better off taking that money and put it in the bank and getting nine or ten percent back for you know for thought that what that's worth.
I don't know.It's it is that a you notice that a similar number globally always that uniquely Australian.I don't know but I They surprised if it was just if it was just Australian.Yeah, it is pretty sad, isn't it?
Yeah, so what will run practices tend to be up, you know AB in the tin the teen so above tens and then very well very well run practices can go can go higher so yea wow.But it obviously worked for you because you said you what part of your motivation was was Financial to go the ownership.
Definitely.Yeah.Yeah.I mean, I'm not here to brag brag about that if I can if I can help people in their lives by listening to what we have done and how we managed everything then that's that's finest enough for me, but we were definitely were above the 50% on that another and that's thanks to X1 Dentistry.
There was a really strong demand for it and that the overheads Why yes, it was it was it was a good practice.What's the secret the secret is I think becoming the expert and finding your Niche.
So to be known as that person.Who's that who's really really good at one thing just draws so many people from from further afield rather than being good at everything.So I think being the expert rather than the Jack of all trades, but in saying that I think there's room there's room for both.
So maybe be the expert and employ the Jack of all trades.I think strong practice management as well.I in my previous job.I was introduced to practice management by the owner there.They had a strong interest as well.
So I did get a lot of exposure to that sort of thing.And again, it's just it's just the love of learning.I've started to learn a little bit and like, you know light bulbs will go after that makes sense.So you go and you go and find out where those conferences or look online and you know find the books to read so Could get better educated in this stuff.
I think you know we used to say that what's a sort of mean the other day.We used to say that ignorance.What was it ignorance was caused by a stupidity was caused by ignorance, but now we have Google and nothing's changed.So there's plenty of information out there on every single subject that you could ever imagine and it's just yours yours for the taking 335 million dollars per day is being spent around the Hold on self-education product.
So not not only in veterinary medicine but everything anything that you can think of, you know, how to manage your kids better how to how to have an amicable divorce.How did how to buy and sell houses anything you can think of is available and it's all out there.Yeah, and it's for and it's a lot of it as free as well.
That's the yes.That's D.That's an incredible thing.I'm the last five ideas just with podcasts and audiobooks.You don't have to Down and read stuff you can just learn constantly as you go.It's okay.It's okay.It is an incredible time where you did you self-educate when it came to management or did you do any official Management training?
I did a lot of myself when I call it self medicate with I got involved in gosh.What's their name with Sam Bowden when he used to own it the who runs the the boot camp.
Do you guys do you guys know who I'm talking about?About her numerous times goodness, you'll have to have together.He's a little bit involved involved in that as well the business boot camp time some isn't it?
Terrible?I can't remember his name, but just went just found various conferences and listen to practice management streams there.I also did a lot of Tony Robbins work.So a lot of people don't know.
To Tony Robbins is but he is really the master when it comes to Not only living your best life, but also business and learnt just an incredible amount of skills through the work and conferences.We did there that through business Mastery courses and things Yeah, business Mastery.
I was a platinum partner for year.So travel all around the world doing really incredibly crazy crazy crazy things and just got a massive amount exposure of people from all walks of life.The thing about people people think that Veterinary practices are different from every other business and they always think that their Veterinary practice is different from any other business, but you know business is business.
It doesn't matter what you're selling or whether it's a product or service.You know a pair of shoes.It's the same thing.Hmm.Yeah, it's kind of like you get a create a circle or a group of people with have like a different perspective on things and sometimes that kind of broadens and opens your mind.
It's kind of like a circle if your current so-called people and not necessarily aligning with you were assisting you and your movement forward then expose yourself to a different.Aunt Circle people not sorry dump your friends, but then, you know open your mind up to different perspectives and a lot of those courses masterminds and things like that are have an amazing sort of place for in just having people with maybe a broader Visions sometimes and solve your problems.
Yeah.You said your business is business.Yes.Yeah, and I think they when you get to choose your friends.I'm not Lucky, I love my family.By the way, if any of them are listening, but they say that you become the average of the what is it four or five people you spend the most amount of time on time with so if you've got people that are very negative and down in the dumps and have no ambition, then it's human nature to want to come down to that level level of energy.
So I think elevating your peer group is something that is makes a really big difference in a holding you to higher standards.And as people that are going to challenge you it's just it's a different different different way of doing it.
I think I may have said this before on this podcast, but I've actually spent a less time with some people in my life based on the fact that I actually I didn't think that they were actually helping me move forward and become the person that I wanted to be and also the way that they were speaking about things was not Surly constructive necessarily positive it was in anything the language that was used was actually detrimental to my actual mindset.
So so not necessarily cut them out as friends, but then actually just actively decided that actually I wanted to spend more time with other people in that was one of the things that I actually really helped me move forward in the last kind of three years, which was just a different P crew.
I think you should really celebrate actually identifying that and then taking action on it because so many people just don't even think about it.They're happy just to just to go along same old same old and life just sort of drags on by mmm.There's this way it's this way.You never called me anymore traitor.
Well now that you have a mustache Man Dirty Mario is this is this for movember?You can't stop talking.I can't get past the the week and a half phase when it's like starting to itch my nostrils and or something.
Yeah, so little bit.How did you achieve that surrounding yourself with people to be motivated you to be better where right if you live in the city now, but it sounds like you are quite rural quite a in the middle of nowhere.Do you how do you do that?
Well for me as I mentioned before sort of got involved in the Tony Robbins world with personal development.That's something I've always always really loved and started going to the the conferences and did something crazy and signed up to be a platinum partner, which is it's a stupid amount of money that you paid but the outcomes and the results of that.
It's just been you know, you just can't put you just can't put a dollar value on that one of my aims.Joining this was to increase the quality of my peer group and that has delivered a hundred times over so my closest friends now they are actually mostly International but they are people that have I guess they share similar views on life to me in that there's opportunities everywhere you look and living your best life and being grateful.
I it just makes such a difference.So even though we're not geographically close.We do make an effort to get together.We went in eyes weren't spent a week in Bali couple weeks ago with some some girlfriends.So there was for for CEOs that it took us eight months to find a find a five-day period where we could all go, but just to just to go out there and spend time together, but I guess that program there really is giving me kind of an international Family in that I know that I can go anywhere in the world and put a call out if I need something there's going to be someone who's going to step up there for me.
So I guess that's not not accessible to everyone but there are plenty of places.You can go like just look just look at the meetup groups that are happening all around Australia.So finding people that have similar interests if it is practice management, you know find a group of people that are discussing this go to the Chamber of Commerce or look for meet us there.
There's always opportunities out there.You just have to look.Yeah.Yeah.Yeah, and I remember old in a mastermind and in about three kind of online communities around professional development coaching but also business as well and the the talk and the mindsets and the problems in just their approach problems is completely different to what I was used to and it just, you know, all the sudden it starts to become the way that you think as well.
And as you said you invested a lot of money around I can't imagine like Platinum partnership would be close to a hundred k or something like that.Right?But that is in a money that's investing back in itself time and time and time and time again just solving bigger issues bigger problems pushing yourself further and stuff and you know, we're sleeping to now so now that's a really appreciate you sharing that so some people don't believe in orders or look they see person development as motivational speaker or something that there's so much depth to that that you know, if you could be the best version of yourself, you know, what could what's possible for you?
That's right.And I think people need to look at it not how much it's going to cost them.But what the return on investment is going to be.So if you're paying $10, what are you going to get out of it?Is it going to be something that if you need to put a monetary value on it, are you going to get five bucks back?
Are you going to get hundred back hundred bucks back, you know or Whatever the case might be.I really don't think that money is ever wasted on improving yourself and continue it to continuing education.As long as you implement it my I guess I was a typical conference.
Junkie and I have been for a long time.I always made sure I went to two conferences a year, but you've got to implement an otherwise you just going there to have fun and have a holiday.Yeah.Mmm.It's true.It's very easy to get all excited and about all the stuff you.
Ooh learning and and be all yeah big plans but coming back and having a plan how to how do you implement it?And how do you put into action is?Yeah.Have you got any advice on that?Well, I think him in the veterinary Community this you know really as as an overall.
It's a really great bunch of people people get into this career because they care I think that's the most common the common reason, you know caring and loving animals.So if you have a special interest in something something find someone who can help you, so whether it's you know asking your previous lecturers or your Boss, I'll put it on venal put it on Facebook.
Somebody will know somebody who can help you and I think you'll be really surprised on just who steps up of the woodwork to you know, take take you under their wing or offer advice or if they can't help you there might know someone who can I can give a really good example of this actually because when I was before I had credentialed for American Veterinary Dental College, I had about 25 to 30 cases.
Has still left to do before before the deadline for credentialing and all of these cases had to be in small animals a small animal dentistry and I had done quite a lot here in Australia through Gary Wilson and back Tucker and Aaron Forsyth over it another clinic in Brisbane, but I was still short a huge amount.
So I was talking to one of my girlfriends in the u.s.About this and she goes well, you know what?I know someone who might be able to help you so She put in a call to them and I ended up flying to the US and going to a practice just outside of Dallas Fort Worth in Texas.
And these people are just just wonderful people.So Larry Campbell and is the Vets name over there.He didn't know me from a virus soap.They took me into their home took me into their vet practice and I stayed there for two weeks doing procedure after procedure.
He gave up a huge amount of time.Ami and resources for me to be able to do this but this is a person that I had never met before but just because I knew somebody who knew them he had been in a similar situation and face the difficulties that I had faced and he didn't want me to go through that.
So, you know, that's just an example of how people can really step up for you if you just I guess put the intention out there and ask That's because I hadn't intended to talk about this tonight, but it's funny.These are all seems ask these questions about performance and stuff.
Like that is a big performance jumpy aren't going to is Jackie O covers and I just I just thought implemented as it's always the way with the interviews.I love it.I always have a plan of what we're going to talk about it.It's we hardly ever hit any of those topics because it's just gets interesting these other things pop up.
I am going to ask you though about your It Steph your new project that you're working on.You know, my new project.That's briefly really Gerard is going to be interested in hearing about this.Yeah, so that's super exciting.So there's a bit of a backstory to this.
I was fortunate enough to be invited by Kirsten Jackson from Dental vet in Perth.Wa to come and join on a trip out to the Gili Islands in Indonesia, and that was run under the banner of animal aide abroad to go out to These remote islands where there's no motorized transport to go and treat the ponies out there.
So doing it doing dentistry and you know wounds and Welfare and all that sort of stuff and also I was also very fortunate that ran lab was were able to sponsor me for this trip.So I thank you.Thank you and live.I'll just looks like that in great bunch of people.So it's so I was like, oh this is going to be fun.
I'll go and do some Dentistry the idea we would also was would also teach some veterinarians some local veterinarian.As well as some vet students and I can go out and have fun doing that and I can have a holiday as well because I love going to Bali all those all these beautiful beaches and scuba diving and I got out there and was it was working very closely with a local veterinarian out there really wonderful wonderful lady, but I was just blown away by their thirst for knowledge because just like in Australia they got very little education on equine Dentistry.
You and that it was almost like we're almost joined at the hip for that week because she wanted to see everything I was doing and what else could she learn and I took along an old textbook and gave a kind of an impromptu lecture one night over dinner just about perfect like simple pathology and things like that and it really got me got me thinking because continuing education can be really quite difficult for some people to access, you know for these Indonesian vets in particular.
They almost always have to travel internationally.Lee and that's really expensive and to take time off work and organized child care and things like that, so I was thinking to myself there's you know, really there has to be a better way.So I thought about putting together some online lectures in equine Dentistry.
I did some research and there's only there's less than 10 hours of continuing education available in equine Dentistry for veterinarians.There's plenty available by Les dentists own on veterinarians, but I think that often One or sometimes the content there can be you're not quite a science-based as we would really like it to be so I had this idea and I talked to a couple of people about it and got a lot of support and so what we're doing now is we're into is I'm interviewing other veterinarians or experts in their field about their Niche, I guess subject or area of interest and this thing has just got bigger than Ben Hur it started off as just a handful of lectures.
It's now Elite 50 which is which is crazy but you know everything from just really basic stuff to intermediate and then advanced stuff and it's really applicable to people so to for new graduates or people wanting to get better at Dentistry all the way through to practice owners who want to give their veterinarians some continuing education, but don't necessarily want them to have to leave for a week to do it so you can kind of do it in your own time.
I Mentioned before that I just been to Bali with some girlfriends to have a holiday over there.I mean, I'm no different for anyone else.I had to cook seven meals to put in the freezer when I was gone because my husband can call but you know after a long day of working and everything else and I'm not there to share the load it's you know, it's not something I wanted them to do.
Plus I knew that they would actually get good food rather than you know, take away things always So it's this really it's just it's just a different way of approaching it.If you can you know much like podcast most people I think we'll listen to podcast while they're doing something else like they're walking or the driving.
So it's something that doesn't take any extra time out of their day.So to be able to access this sort of Education whenever you want I think is really really valuable.So I'm super excited about this project and I have been absolutely Blown Away by just how enthusiastic the other veterinarians are with this Venture.
Like people are just coming out of the woodwork.They want to help with this they can see the value in it and look at the quality of the speakers and the education and yeah, I'm just this is this is the new project.So this is this will be done under the banner of the veterinary Dental company.
We're launching that in the AAP in December in a couple weeks or very very short amount of time and then we'll be launching it in.Raelia closer to the middle of 2020.So how do we find that when when the time comes we'll put it in the show notes.
I love you can send me all the time.Well, maybe I think for people that are interested will find them rather than them having having to find us so just by using some some new I guess marketing techniques and things like that to get some get some exposure the word all definitely be out there.
But if not, you can just Google the veterinary Dental company, you know, well, Find it on Facebook, I guess so is it go we're talking videos or is it audio interviews or how are you?How are you doing videos?Yeah video interview.So more a conversational style look like a lot like this in where you get on an interesting topic and you it's not necessarily on the agenda.
But you kind of take a deeper dive into it because it's interesting and people are enjoying themselves.So it's not I guess the more formal type of lecture where somebody stands up and talks in monotone for a very long time and you start to get Sleepy because you just had lunch.
Yeah, so just just a different way of delivering education.Cool.I think it's when it's going to be accessible to people around the world.As long as you've got an internet internet connection.You can get a think it's a great way of doing it.I noticed that I said earlier.
I'm a bit of a podcast and audiobook addict but there's definitely a style that works.Well because as you say it's very often with whilst driving or exercising or something else where you can't you can't text book concentrate, but if it's conversational your brain keeps up with it and could take a taken all the facts.
I think it's great.It's a great.After doing it, you know, we want to reach a thousand veterinarians in the first year.So if we can reach a thousand veterinarians that can potentially do a thousand horses where we're looking at impact in the lives of million horses in the first year.
So that definitely ticks the box with improving animal welfare.And I think that also, you know just to help veterinarians become more confident and knowledgeable in this area.It's a really underrated area equals Dentistry such a such a young science and every horse has a mouth is an opportunity to do some good really wherever you turn.
So if we can also help the Vets by increasing their education and that in turn can improve their practices or you know, maybe a more profitable practice or make them a more valuable employee.Yeah.I think I think it's just a win-win for everybody if they can if people can These they Services then there's going to be more money in the local community, you know, and that improves the kids sporting opportunities and I could just it's a never-ending Circle.
I think it just has really far-reaching consequences.And I think that's just what I'm just so excited about it.It's a great way of looking at it.I like that.I like to saying every horse is a mouth.Sometimes people struggle with finding motivation or finding purpose in the in the work that they do.
But to put we bring it back to simple level like that.Literally one horse one mouth.If it's it's everything every horse every year one under actually how much of you know like this big Vision the impacting a million mouths, right that is incredibly daunting for some people so good for you is energizing the fact that is it part of Challenge and Adventure, right?
You know, this is the impact of a daunting.You or is it is the community have around you help support you gosh.That's a tough one to answer.So this project has its really it's taken on a life of its own.
It's good.It's got its own heartbeat.Now.I think that that is very motivating for me to know that we can potentially reach that many horses and help that many veterinarians.It definitely has tie at times has become overwhelming but I have a close girlfriend who she was one of the one of the ladies I spent some time in Bali with who is as well as a CEO.
She also has a business coaching company and she charges us $500 an hour for her coaching, but she's my friend.So she does it for free and the good thing is she's very she calls a spade a spade.She's not not.
Shy to tell me when I need to pull my head in or pull my head out or you know, anything like that.So I have her to ring when it starts to get overwhelming because I think it's very easy when you're doing a project you become so close to it.It's really you can't see the woods for the trees you you're so involved in it.
You can't see the big picture.So she's someone that I call and I think just having my time scheduled appropriately.Works really well and just I guess eating the elephant one bite at a time.
So and I'll throw another Tony Robbins comment in there, but they say you'd be amazed.What what's the comment?It's something like don't compare what you can do in one year compared to what you can do in 10 years or something along those lines.
So if you've got a big project look at look at the long-term of it because you can work really hard and you'll get a great result.But if Get that result and then you multiply it by 10 for 10 years that result.All of a sudden just becomes absolutely massive.
And so that's what we're that's what we're hoping to do with this.That's awesome.Watch out.I'm like, I might turn you guys into equine Veterinary dentists.Well, here we go.So that was my big achievement because I almost killed three times such a horse's.
So if you get me back into the horse field, you know, that that would be an achievement.I know what I think if you're saying that you're holding a horse rusts.You've obviously been out of it for quite So things have changed quite a lot.That's right.
So we talking about podcasts and audiobooks and things like that.I you a podcast listener or audiobook listen or I do.Yes.So especially when I was studying for my exams podcast like that girl was always really good even though you know, most of it was completely small animal base.
There was a really is, you know, really good podcasts are applicable to all species.In Pharmacology and things like that the EV J and E ve podcasts.I quite enjoy so that helps just to keep you up on latest published Publications and research Tony Robbins.
Obviously Rich Dad Poor Dad Robert Kiyosaki.I really enjoy his dry wit and sense of humor.Okay, and then of course, we've got the audio books for car trips like David walliams is pretty Popular in our household right now.
Who's that?Sorry David Williams.He's a children.Yeah, not his children in the world and things like that.It's pretty funny.Yeah, they quite listen to build for two adults as well.Unless I like I like some things that I submit itself to in the car.
Yes.All right, there's will go under on the list.There are anything else that you want to that you want to ask me.It's a before like the conversation is going down a rabbit hole that I was the rabbit hole that I always like it's never dull that you did that you live in isn't it?
It's a rental but I live in which is personal development performance and stuff like that.So but it's you know, the more we expose that it's it's not motivation, right?It's it's everything, you know, it affects all areas of your life and it's a last thing that people think about they think the clinical knowledge It's a thing that's going to make them successful.
But if you marry clinical knowledge with like personal development, then that's when things start to happen.If I that's when you know, there's no use being a smart, you know, amazing clinical person.If you then can't structure your time.You can't then have more think bigger Visions or tackle difficult situations better and things like that.
Like it has to be together let anyone take yeah, and the I think the important thing there from my personal experience and what I still do wrong is I'm aware of this but then I still think I should do it all by myself.
I you know, I I know I should get better at these things and then I want to learn about it but things don't happen properly and I think it's because sometimes we don't go looking for the external help or invest in that Tony Robbins course or in a coach or something like that.
It's a I think I'll keep bumping my head on that on that one until Finally listen and take what the heck.It's actually a good a good point that you raised about about coaches because coaching now is becoming a lot more normal and accepted.For example, Tiger Woods, the greatest golfer of I guess our time has three coaches that now I'm not a golfer.
So I don't know if I'm calling them the right thing, but he has one coach for his backswing one coach for his forward swing and then one coach for his sweet sweet finishing swing.So I think If someone like Tiger Woods can have three coaches, then it's not you know that far out of this world to think that we might have have one and as there's people that are really taking this on board.
So Emma Davis who is a colleague from down in Canberra.She's really taken the ball and run with this and she's offering Veterinary specific coaching.So there's definitely an opportunity there.So shout out for Emma, but there's lots of different places you can go and Actually have to be Veterinary specific but just having somebody that's going to keep you accountable because I think that's the thing that is makes the most amount of difference with coaching is that they're there to kick you up and but if you don't do what you say you're going to do, yeah.
Have you got anything else that you wanted to talk about?Um gosh.Well, I'm just looking at the nights that I wrote and I don't think we've talked about any of that.Have we have but that's okay.That's okay.Probably just look I think asking for help is really important.
I don't have you guys heard of the term second shift.No.Hmm.It is more applicable to women to in Working Families.I'm not saying only women but I think usually women and it's when you do a full day of work you pick the kids up or you know, or someone pick the kids up and you get home.
It's then time to start the second shift.Yeah, and that's the housework and the cooking and you know the homework and all of that sort of stuff and I do think that a lot of this load does fall on woman's shoulders.I'm really really lucky.
My husband is fantastic at this sort of stuff.Tough and we really share the load but I think asking for help is important.I mean you can you can even just go online and Google this, you know tips for working moms.But you know things like Outsourcing the the ironing getting a house cleaner in cooking two meals at once it makes it can make a really big a really big difference.
So there's you know, there's a plethora of tips and tricks out there available to help people and you know, I think people are really quite hard on them.Those two sometimes so I think it doesn't have to be perfect.I heard I heard or read.
I can't remember on somewhere the other day that one lady puts her kids to bed in their school uniform at night, which kind of makes sense and she I think she had four or five kids.So I mean I struggle to get two kids out the door in the morning on time let alone four or five I bet it's just horrendous.
So if you can kind of, you know if you need to scoop my equipment A car then it just saves that that stressful stressful morning routine.So there's all sorts of things like that available if you just go looking for it.Yeah, I think people are hardest I've done that before 6:00 and like I didn't I did that inadvertently because my mom was just overwhelmed.
So I just went to bed in my school uniform work up in my skew same screen.Went to school the next day.You know, I think there's a couple of will stay quite what they mean.Not anybody are just laughing River.Maybe they meant to clean one.
There was this girl that I really liked and primary schools of bait for and she goes what's that on your neck and like no no, it was dirt with David for begin.Shall we so that's the Other Extreme anyway, but that's it.I think you're asking for help thing.
And this I can again say it from personal experience with myself and and my wife this got this got to be a to some degree a bit of a pride thing in it as well.Like it's feel like maybe it's a weakness if you have to ask for help because why can't I go or manage my own life look at everybody else.
They doing fine.Let's definitely a stumbling block is to is to say yeah.I do.You know what I actually And I think I can do this alone.I need somebody else to do to tap to tap in to give me a hand with this.Yeah.Yeah and just having things like, you know date nights or nights out with girlfriends.
Just you people need a break.It can be it can be really tough to hold everything together all of the time and I think that's a really unreasonable expectation of Working Families these days I you know, I think that the work-life balance really is is a bit of a misnomer.
However, I think that you can have it all but you can't have it all at the same time.So different areas of your life will become more important as you know, throughout life say for example, if I've got I did my written exams in January December was a write-off.
I was studying crazy number of hours a day and you know didn't spend so much time on other things, but after they're over you can then Can then rebalance and I think if you see if you're spending quality time with your family and they have a there have that emotional bank.
Then people can cope or families can cope with that in the short term.I don't know how well it would work in the long term.But if you have that emotional bank, then then the ups and downs of busy weeks and busy months.I think that you just get to sail through it a little bit more more smoothly.
Justic, I feel like we need to talk to more but I think we'll have to do it again at a seconds that sure we could carry out.I could take a chance you for ages.I'd love to know what else is on your list, but now we've opened up your listed and yeah, it's all quality stuff will probably just this one if you've I don't know if I will add to swear on this podcast is probably not maybe she should just go.
Okay someone told this to I want them and I really feel like I need to pass it on but if you've had a shitty day and you've maybe yielded the kids and you know, you've dropped a dozen eggs or whatever.
It is after your kids are asleep and make sure there are slight first just go and wash them sleep for a couple of minutes because you really you can't be cranky at a sleeping child because they are just so Angelic.I just don't know how they managed to do.It must be an evolution thing to stop you stop.
Makes it makes it all worthwhile when you can see you could sleeping.There's a there's a song It's Gonna bug me a lift to edit this out.I will I'll come back to who it was but he has a song about kids and about putting kids to bed and it is very the songs are all very inappropriate.
But very true some of the some of the stuff he talks about you're not supposed to talk about and he's got a line in One song that says it's funny how you left with him grows the closer to did that they look that's hilarious.That's very true.
But you're close to the wrap up this episode, but I think once your stuff is out there we'll catch up again for lunch and we'll get you back up.But I'm going to wrap up this one with the last question that we always have to wrap up with.
So you are talking at a conference to all of the veterans new grads of the world, which is pretty much what you'll be doing with your current project and you have a few minutes to give them one little bit of advice.What will you tell them my advice would be to find something that you're interested in and get really good at it.
I remember doing the clinical placement in must've been fourth and fifth year at Uni and I went to a vet clinic.Wake up on North Coast of New South Wales and they were in the midst of a lunatic.
No, it wasn't a part of an outbreak that so they had a lot of tick paralysis in in that area and being a bit of a gung-ho vet student by the time the fourth one came through the door that day and my what else have you got in there?I hit by car or dog with a broken leg or something like that and I don't you find this a bit monotonous and I really clearly remember the vet.
Saying actually as a new grad, it's fantastic because when you see something or you're doing something over and over and over again, you get really really good at it and that in turn gives you a great amount of confidence and you're able to talk to clients and appear more confident and that just helps with just general overall life in practice.
You've got the one thing you're really good at it so you can just take it and run with it and when the clients then trust you because you do have that.And confidence they do allow you to I guess will not allow you but that you do sort of get to broaden your horizons in in practice that way because they already know you and trust you.
So I think that that really hit home for home for me is just to just to find something that you love and just just take it and run with it.Yeah, there's definitely something for that confidence of being good at something that starts spilling over into the other.
Other areas of your work is just having that core of confidence really goes a long way.Doesn't it?Yes.All right, we can wrap it up there and I just remembered it needs and must be it's okay Tim Minchin.Thank you.Thank you for having me love me love what you guys are doing Tim.Tim Minchin mentioned the lullaby song Google that go look at it, but do it when the kids aren't listening.
Thank you so much for your time Olivia.I loved it I think is going to be a lot of

Dr. Olivia James