Podcast
The Uncharted Veterinary Podcast
Hosted by Uncharted Veterinary Community · EN
The Uncharted Veterinary Podcast is for veterinary professionals who want to ace the tough parts of practice that happen daily but don't get discussed. We'll cover topics like how to manage workplace conflict, take exceptional care of pets and people, convince pet owners to follow your advice, have difficult money conversations, survive toxic co-workers and much more. If you want to up your communication, efficiency, management, or marketing skills so you can get more success and enjoyment from your career, then this is the podcast for you!
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
407 - How To Schedule Recheck Visits
5d ago00:59:14Tap to summarizeUrgent care slots turning into a dumping ground for recheck visits? Maria sits down with Dr. Andy Roark to unpack why forward booking breaks down, how to get doctors comfortable handing recheck visits to trained technicians, and what it actually takes to build team accountability around the schedule. If your practice is drowning in progress checks, this one's for you.Mentioned in this episode:Care is Your Calling Join us for the Medical Director Summit!Care is Your Calling
Transcribe →406 - War Against Smoke Breaks
2w ago00:48:53Tap to summarizeBring back smoke breaks! Well... kinda. Your team skips breaks, works through lunch, and pushes through stress because there's "too much to do." But what if that's actually hurting productivity, resilience, and patient care? In this episode, Maria Pirita, CVPM and Ron Sosa, CVPM discuss why veterinary medicine may have accidentally created a culture that discourages breaks, what we lost when "smoke breaks" disappeared, and how leaders can build healthier, more sustainable teams. They explore the connection between breaks, psychological safety, neurodiversity, and performance, along with practical ways to make breaks work in even the busiest practices.Mentioned in this episode:Care is Your Calling Get the Protocol Training Game Here!Join us for the Medical Director Summit!
Transcribe →405 - Frustrated with All The Feelings
3w ago00:50:24Tap to summarizeIs managing feelings just practice management life? Host Maria Pirita and Dr. Andy Roark tackle a mailbag from a practice leader exhausted by constant team “feelings,” passive-aggressive conflicts, and the sense that leadership must coddle and babysit instead of getting work done. They agree that emotions are part of leadership, but emphasize the goal is not endlessly mediating drama, it is building a team that can self-regulate and resolve conflict. They discuss reframing feelings as part of the job, distinguishing one-off issues from patterns, and diagnosing whether friction is a systems problem (unclear roles, expectations, SOPs) or an interpersonal problem involving a specific person. Tools include root cause analysis using repeated “whys,” training in conflict management and DiSC communication styles, setting culture through team agreements or “great team” exercises, reinforcing purpose and appreciation, and coaching with intentional friction so escalating to leadership is not the easy button.Maria Pirita is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager, Elite Fear Free Certified Veterinary Professional and former hospital administrator. In her work with Uncharted Veterinary Conference and beyond, Maria has presented to veterinarians and teams across the US and Canada on topics including veterinary marketing, feedback, team building, and positive work culture. With over 10 years of experience in veterinary medicine and over 20 years in leadership, she's passionate helping leaders develop their skills. Maria loves any activity that involves creativity or learning something new. This leads to an abundance of hobbies including crafting, traveling, cooking and aviation.Mentioned in this episode:Join us for the Medical Director Summit!Care is Your Calling Get the Protocol Training Game Here!
Transcribe →404 - How To Let People Go When The Team Likes Them
4w ago00:45:46Tap to summarizeHost Maria Pirita and guest Ron Sosa, CVPM and author of Rewriting the Rules, tackle a mailbag question about what to tell a veterinary team when a well-liked employee must be fired for reasons that did not directly affect coworkers. They discuss the leader’s mindset, balancing empathy with business needs, and avoiding over-explaining, justifying, or revealing confidential details. Key goals are stabilizing the team, providing as much clarity as possible while maintaining privacy, and minimizing loss of trust, including addressing fears like “Am I next?” They share examples such as termination for time theft, warn against “giving it away” indirectly, and recommend a communication approach that states the facts, sets boundaries, validates emotions, and quickly moves to an operational plan. The episode also notes community support, documentation, and resources like the Don’t Get Sued course module on at-will employment and wrongful termination.Ron Sosa is the Executive Director of Uncharted Veterinary Conference, a published author, international speaker, and veterinary leader with more than 20 years of experience in operations, practice management, leadership development, and consulting. From client service representative to business partner to industry educator, Ron has built a career around helping veterinary professionals create healthier teams and more sustainable workplaces. As the founder of Syn APT Neuroinclusive Leadership, he is especially passionate about neuroinclusive leadership, workplace culture, burnout prevention, and helping people thrive at work.Mentioned in this episode:Care is Your Calling Get the Protocol Training Game Here!Join us for the Medical Director Summit!
Transcribe →403 - Should Vets Really Be Involved in Client Finances?
Jun 300:49:03Tap to summarizeDr. Andy Roark joins Maria Pirita, CVPM, to tackle one of the most emotionally charged challenges in veterinary medicine: client financial conversations. How do you recommend the care a pet truly needs without judging a client's wallet, carrying the weight of their financial decisions, or compromising your standards? Together, they explore spectrum of care, pricing transparency, client communication, and practical ways to build trust while helping pet owners make informed decisions. Mentioned in this episode:Care is Your Calling Join us for the Medical Director Summit!Get the Protocol Training Game Here!
Transcribe →402 - The Team Doesn't See How We Support Them
May 2700:48:21Tap to summarizeWhen veterinary leaders build a culture centered around support, flexibility, and growth, it can feel deeply personal when the team still says, “I don’t feel supported.” In this episode, Maria Pirita and Dr. Andy Roark unpack the tension between caring for your people and protecting the operational health of the practice, especially when multiple team members go back to school at the same time. From expectations and accountability to emotional ownership and leadership boundaries, this conversation explores what happens when support without structure starts creating chaos instead of culture.Mentioned in this episode:Care is Your Calling Get the Protocol Training Game Here!Join us for the Medical Director Summit!
Transcribe →401 - The Clinic Is Fully Staffed… But Still Completely Overwhelmed
May 2000:49:05Tap to summarizeThe veterinary clinic is fully staffed… so why does everyone still feel completely overwhelmed? In this episode, Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita unpack the hidden systems, workflow bottlenecks, communication breakdowns, and leadership challenges that leave veterinary teams drowning despite having enough people on paper. If your practice struggles with burnout, operational chaos, client service pressure, or constant overbooking, this conversation is a must-listen for veterinary leaders, practice managers, and team leads.Mentioned in this episode:Get the Protocol Training Game Here!Care is Your Calling Join us for the Medical Director Summit!
Transcribe →400 - 400th Episode!! The State of the Pod Address
May 1300:15:21Tap to summarizeDr. Andy Roark marks the 400th episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast with a solo reflection on how Uncharted started in 2016 to go beyond entry-level practice management, grow a community, and balance practical strategy with the human side of leadership. He credits key contributors including Stephanie Goss, Dr. Jessica Vogelsang, Danielle Lambert, Ron Sosa, and Maria Pirita, and shares plans for the podcast to evolve with more team voices, more interviews with outside experts, slightly shorter episodes, and a refreshed approach to mailbag questions while keeping the mailbag open at podcast@unchartedvet.com. He highlights new and upcoming training partnerships with NAVC and VetFolio, promotes an on-demand course called “Don’t Get Sued” focused on HR mistakes driving lawsuits, previews events in Orlando and a return to an Uncharted conference tied to VMX, and closes with career advice to do more of what you love and less of what you don’t, expressing optimism about the future of veterinary medicine.Mentioned in this episode:Get the Protocol Training Game Here!
Transcribe →399 - Selling Your Practice To A Group
May 1100:18:42Tap to summarizeThinking about selling your veterinary practice but worried about losing your culture, team, or control? Dr. Mary Sheridan shares her real experience navigating the sale process, what she got right, what she’d do differently, and how she protected what mattered most.This episode is brought to you ad-free by Blue River Pet Care!This podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Uncharted Veterinary Conference. This content should not be considered financial, legal, or business advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified professionals before making decisions related to their individual circumstances.Mary Sheridan is originally from New Jersey, and her first degree from Middlesex College was in Marketing Art and Design. She worked in advertising as an Art Director for two years before returning to school to pursue Biology. Following a stint at California State University, she received her B.S. from Portland State University in Oregon. In 1996, she earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Kansas State University. Following graduation, she moved to Maine and joined the staff at Winthrop Veterinary Hospital. She became an active member of Maine Veterinary Medical Association and served as its president in 2003. After seven years of practice, she left WVH to pursue an interest in emergency medicine and critical care and joined a 24-hour emergency hospital. She moved to North Carolina for two years and continued to gain extensive experience in internal medicine and surgery. In 2006 the allure of Maine pulled her back north and she rejoined her friends at WVH and become a partner with Bill Bryant. Mary is a member of the board of Kennebec Land Trust. Her husband, Matt Crane, is a financial advisor with Edward Jones. Their son, Finn, is a mechanical engineering major at RIT. When she gets spare time again she hopes to return to Community Theater.
Transcribe →398 - My Boss Makes Me the Bad Guy
May 600:42:27Tap to summarizeMaria Pirita hosts the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast with guest Ron Sosa to answer a mailbag from a practice manager who feels stuck after a visionary practice owner announces exciting upgrades and perks to the team before anything is approved, budgeted, or discussed, leaving the manager to backtrack and appear like the “bad guy.” They discuss assuming good intent, how visionary leaders often verbally process ideas that land as promises, and how this dynamic erodes trust and credibility over time. Using DISC concepts, they frame the issue as a coordination gap between visionary and implementer roles, emphasizing shared intention over blame. Practical steps include using calm I statements, building protected owner-manager meeting cadence with agendas, creating guardrails like “no surprise announcements,” asking filter questions about realism, timing, and communication, using exploratory language such as pilots, and coaching the team to respond with clarifying questions.Ron Sosa is the Executive Director of Uncharted Veterinary Conference, a published author, international speaker, and veterinary leader with more than 20 years of experience in operations, practice management, leadership development, and consulting. From client service representative to business partner to industry educator, Ron has built a career around helping veterinary professionals create healthier teams and more sustainable workplaces. As the founder of Syn APT Neuroinclusive Leadership, he is especially passionate about neuroinclusive leadership, workplace culture, burnout prevention, and helping people thrive at work.Maria Pirita is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager, Elite Fear Free Certified Veterinary Professional and former hospital administrator. In her work with Uncharted Veterinary Conference and beyond, Maria has presented to veterinarians and teams across the US and Canada on topics including veterinary marketing, feedback, team building, and positive work culture. With over 10 years of experience in veterinary medicine and over 20 years in leadership, she's passionate helping leaders develop their skills. Maria loves any activity that involves creativity or learning something new. This leads to an abundance of hobbies including crafting, traveling, cooking and aviation.Mentioned in this episode:Get the Protocol Training Game Here!Care is Your Calling Join us for the Medical Director Summit!
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