Is AI in veterinary practice making your clinic smarter, or setting you up for trouble? Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita, CVPM, tackle an associate veterinarian’s concerns about how fast their clinic is adopting AI, from scribes to client emails to appointment scheduling, and what that means for quality, trust, and team culture. If you’ve ever felt torn between embracing innovation and maintaining control, this conversation offers clarity, insight, and actionable steps to strike the right balance.

Veterinary Team Leads: Confident Leadership Starts Here

When change hits your veterinary practice, your team looks to their leads for direction. The Uncharted Team Leads Summit 2025 gives your leads the leadership skills, communication tools, and confidence to navigate uncertainty, whether it’s new technology, tough conversations, or shifting team dynamics. This one-day, live virtual event is built just for veterinary team leads to help them thrive in their unique role. They’ll connect with peers, learn practical strategies for managing change, and leave ready to lead with clarity and calm. Don’t let uncertainty hold your team back, set your leaders up for success! Details here: learn.unchartedvet.com/products/live_events/team-leads-summit-2025

Veterinary Professionals: Turn Ideas Into Action

Tired of feeling stuck in the same old routines at your veterinary practice? The Uncharted Get Sh*t Done Conference 2025 is a one-day, live virtual event designed to help veterinary professionals finally move their big ideas forward. Whether you’re tackling practice improvements, personal growth, or team initiatives, this conference helps you break through roadblocks with step-by-step planning, peer support, and accountability. Stop spinning your wheels and start making real progress in your veterinary career. Get all the details here: learn.unchartedvet.com/products/live_events/gsd-2025

Upcoming events: unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events/

All Links: https://linktr.ee/UnchartedVet

Do you have something that you would love Andy and Stephanie to discuss on the podcast? If so, send us a message through the mailbag! Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag

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.

Starting a new veterinary practice is an exciting and rare opportunity to build something truly your own. In this Hall of Fame episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss take on a powerful listener question: How can you maximize efficiency and still provide high quality low stress veterinary care? The conversation quickly turns into a masterclass on designing practice culture, client experience, and team expectations from the ground up. This episode has become one of the most cited and shared episodes in Uncharted history. It’s packed with wisdom for practice owners, managers, and veterinary leaders seeking to create something meaningful, not just replicating what already exists.

Find Your VetMed Community

Feeling like you're carrying the weight of the practice on your shoulders? You’re not the only one. The Uncharted Veterinary Community is your go-to space to connect with smart, supportive professionals who understand the pressure. From real talk to practical tools, we’re here to help you build your skills and keep your spark. Ready to stop doing this solo? Start here: learn.unchartedvet.com

This One’s for the Doers

If your to-do list is never-ending and your brain is juggling 12 tabs at once, Get Sht Done* was made for you. This high-energy virtual event is all about taking action. You’ll get expert-led strategies, practical tools, and support from a community that gets what it’s like to lead from the trenches. Whether you're a manager, lead, or just someone who makes things happen, this session is your permission slip to refocus, reset, and move forward. Get the details: learn.unchartedvet.com

Upcoming events: unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events/

All Links: https://linktr.ee/UnchartedVet

Do you have something that you would love Andy and Stephanie to discuss on the podcast? If so, send us a message through the mailbag! Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag

When you're running a veterinary practice, especially a mobile or specialty service, one challenge is almost guaranteed to show up at your front desk: price shoppers. In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita tackle the nuanced topic of how to train your client service representative (CSR) to handle pricing conversations with confidence, professionalism, and compassion. This episode is packed with practical coaching advice, actionable training steps, and a hearty reminder that your team shouldn't feel pressured to apologize for the cost of care. Whether you're a new practice owner or a seasoned leader, this episode breaks down what to say, what not to say, and how to support your CSR in delivering a clear, value-based message to every caller. Let’s explore the mindset and tools your team needs to turn awkward price questions into trust-building moments with potential clients.

Find Your VetMed Community

Feeling like you're carrying the weight of the practice on your shoulders? You’re not the only one. The Uncharted Veterinary Community is your go-to space to connect with smart, supportive professionals who understand the pressure. From real talk to practical tools, we’re here to help you build your skills and keep your spark. Ready to stop doing this solo? Start here: learn.unchartedvet.com

This One’s for the Doers

If your to-do list is never-ending and your brain is juggling 12 tabs at once, Get Sht Done* was made for you. This high-energy virtual workshop is all about taking action. You’ll get expert-led strategies, practical tools, and support from a community that gets what it’s like to lead from the trenches. Whether you're a manager, lead, or just someone who makes things happen, this session is your permission slip to refocus, reset, and move forward. Get the details: learn.unchartedvet.com

Upcoming events: unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events/

All Links: https://linktr.ee/UnchartedVet

Do you have something that you would love Andy and Stephanie to discuss on the podcast? If so, send us a message through the mailbag! Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag

What do you do when a lead technician is silently drowning, and no matter how many times you offer help, they won’t take your hand? In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss tackle a deeply familiar challenge: supporting veterinary technicians who are struggling, especially when they won’t open up about what’s really going on. This episode is a must-listen for any veterinary leader grappling with how to balance compassion and accountability. With both humor and heart, Andy and Stephanie unpack what to do when your rockstar team member hits a wall without telling you why. Let’s get into this episode!

Find Your VetMed Community

Feeling like you're carrying the weight of the practice on your shoulders? You’re not the only one. The Uncharted Veterinary Community is your go-to space to connect with smart, supportive professionals who understand the pressure. From real talk to practical tools, we’re here to help you build your skills and keep your spark. Ready to stop doing this solo? Start here: learn.unchartedvet.com

Leadership Training Designed for Veterinary Team Leads

Looking for leadership development tailored to your team leads? The Uncharted Team Leads Summit is a live, one-day virtual event crafted specifically for veterinary professionals who manage the daily operations of your clinic. From CSRs and head techs to inventory coordinators and team captains, this summit delivers practical training they can use right away. Boost their confidence, sharpen their communication, and help them lead effectively. Learn more here: unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events

All Links: https://linktr.ee/UnchartedVet

Do you have something that you would love Andy and Stephanie to discuss on the podcast? If so, send us a message through the mailbag! Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag

Stephanie is a former practice manager who lives on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. With over 20 years of experience both on the floor and in the office, Stephanie is passionate about staff education, team culture, management and training. Stephanie loves to geek out about technology, especially Practice Management Software. She has experience as a practice manager in both private and corporate practices, ranging in size from one to seven doctors. She has experience as a consultant and trainer with AVImark software, paperlite/paperless transitions, practice management and staff training. Stephanie is currently the [Insert made up title here] for Uncharted Veterinary Conference.

What do you do when you're promoted, unsupported, and then demoted? That’s the raw question tackled by Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss in this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast. In veterinary medicine, leadership failure can feel deeply personal, especially when it looks like a promotion followed by radio silence and eventual disappointment. This episode dives into what it means to be set up to fail in leadership, how to recover emotionally, and how to turn that painful experience into fuel for future growth. If you’ve ever felt let down by leadership or struggled to find your way after a professional blow, this conversation is for you.

You Don’t Have to Carry It All

Feeling like everything at the clinic falls on you? You’re not alone. The Uncharted Veterinary Community is where overwhelmed veterinary professionals find support, strategy, and their people. From real conversations to resources that actually help, we’re here to make leadership less lonely. Ready to stop going it alone? Head to learn.unchartedvet.comand jump in.

Overwhelmed but Still Getting It Done? This Is for You.

If you’re the one who keeps the clinic running, Get Sht Done* is the virtual workshop that’ll help you do exactly that—with less stress and more strategy. You’ll walk away with tools you can actually use, a community that speaks your language, and a much-needed burst of motivation. Whether you’re leading the front, wrangling tech schedules, or spinning a dozen plates at once, this session is built for you. Check it out at learn.unchartedvet.com

Upcoming events: unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events/

All Links: https://linktr.ee/UnchartedVet

Do you have something that you would love Andy and Stephanie to discuss on the podcast? If so, send us a message through the mailbag! Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag

Veterinary clinics are evolving and so are the people leading them. In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita take on a deceptively simple mailbag question: “Non-medically trained practice manager?” It sparks a deep dive into one of the profession’s biggest shifts, the rise of the non-medical practice manager and the new dynamics of clinic leadership. From breaking down the growing divide between medicine and operations to offering hard-won insights from Maria’s own journey as a manager without a medical background, this episode explores how veterinary teams can rethink leadership for the better. Let's get into this episode!

Don’t Navigate Vet Med Alone

Running a practice or leading a team shouldn’t feel isolating. The Uncharted Veterinary Community brings together forward-thinking veterinary professionals for real talk, expert learning, and endless support. From live events to practical training, this is your space to grow and connect. Dive in here: learn.unchartedvet.com

Join us for the Team Leads Summit

The Uncharted Team Leads Summit is a one-day virtual event designed to empower veterinary team leads with the skills and confidence they need to succeed. Through interactive workshops and real-time collaboration with peers, your leads will gain practical tools they can use immediately to support your team and strengthen your practice. Whether they oversee the front desk, the tech team, or daily operations, this summit will help them grow as leaders and drive your practice forward.

Upcoming events: unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events/

All Links: https://linktr.ee/UnchartedVet

Do you have something that you would love Andy and Stephanie to discuss on the podcast? If so, send us a message through the mailbag! Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag

What do you do when your team is great on paper, skilled, kind, even gets along well, but when things get busy, the plan collapses and everyone starts freelancing? In this episode of the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss tackle a leadership scenario that’s as frustrating as it is familiar: what to do when the team keeps going rogue. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “Why won’t they just follow the plan?” this episode is for you. Let’s unpack what’s really going on and walk through what you as a leader can do to bring alignment, structure, and calm back to your practice. Let's get into this episode!

You Don’t Have to Navigate Vet Med Alone

Feeling overwhelmed in your veterinary role? You’re not the only one. The Uncharted Veterinary Community is where practice managers, technicians, and DVMs come together to share real talk, real tools, and real growth. Join a network of professionals who understand the challenges of vet med and are here to help you thrive—not just survive. From leadership development to daily problem-solving, it’s your go-to space for support. Explore more at: learn.unchartedvet.com

Leadership Training Designed for Veterinary Team Leads

Looking for leadership development tailored to your team leads? The Uncharted Team Leads Summit is a live, one-day virtual event crafted specifically for veterinary professionals who manage the daily operations of your clinic. From CSRs and head techs to inventory coordinators and team captains, this summit delivers practical training they can use right away. Boost their confidence, sharpen their communication, and help them lead effectively. Learn more here: unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events

Upcoming events: unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events/

All Links: https://linktr.ee/UnchartedVet

Do you have something that you would love Andy and Stephanie to discuss on the podcast? If so, send us a message through the mailbag! Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag

Dr. Andy Roark sits down with Anthony Pierlioni, VP of the Turtle Room and Manager of Training & Facilitation at VCA, to talk about his book, Veterinary Leadership Through Fresh Eyes. This heartfelt, candid conversation offers fresh insight into veterinary leadership from someone who took the long road to management, bringing empathy, emotional intelligence, and a social worker’s mindset into the veterinary world. Whether you’re new to veterinary practice management or mentoring the next generation of leaders, this episode delivers powerful reminders about how to lead with heart and hold accountability with compassion. Let's get into this episode!

Don’t Navigate Vet Med Alone

Running a practice or leading a team shouldn’t feel isolating. The Uncharted Veterinary Community brings together forward-thinking veterinary professionals for real talk, expert learning, and endless support. From live events to practical training, this is your space to grow and connect. Dive in here: learn.unchartedvet.com

Join us for the Team Leads Summit

The Uncharted Team Leads Summit is a one-day virtual event designed to empower veterinary team leads with the skills and confidence they need to succeed. Through interactive workshops and real-time collaboration with peers, your leads will gain practical tools they can use immediately to support your team and strengthen your practice. Whether they oversee the front desk, the tech team, or daily operations, this summit will help them grow as leaders and drive your practice forward.

Upcoming events: unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events/

All Links: https://linktr.ee/UnchartedVet

Do you have something that you would love Andy and Stephanie to discuss on the podcast? If so, send us a message through the mailbag! Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag

Guest Bio: I have published 5 books - one on veterinary leadership and the other four on turtles. In addition to being a veterinary leader and former practice manager, I am a turtle conservationist. My focus in life is people, helping to support them in vet med and to help bridge gaps in species conservation. Even as animal people, it has to be about people of we hope to be successful at all.