This week, we’re asking a question that’s been rumbling under the surface of vet med for far too long: Are clients really the problem, or have we lost our grip on what’s actually going wrong?

To tackle this, I’m joined by Dr Seth Mathus Ganz, a board-certified small animal surgeon and founder of Agile Veterinary Surgery, who brings a rare perspective from working inside hundreds of practices. Seth has spent over a decade performing advanced procedures, mentoring vets, and observing what helps teams thrive - and what quietly holds them back.

Together, we look at the stories we tell ourselves about clients, discomfort, and growth, and how those stories shape our daily experience of the job. Seth offers a surgeon’s-eye view on why confidence and trust are built, not demanded - and how leaning into the right kind of challenge helps us grow skill, self-belief, and professional satisfaction.

We talk about feedback loops, compounding habits, and the long game of mastery - the kind that makes veterinary work feel meaningful, energising, and sustainable again.

So grab a coffee, take a breath, and join us for a thoughtful conversation about how we can build a healthier, more fulfilling future for vet med - one decision at a time.

[00:00] Clients as “the enemy”

[02:29] A surgeon’s front-row view

[04:03] The vet–client war story

[06:43] The victim mindset problem

[07:47] How “difficult” clients are made

[08:57] Avoiding discomfort blocks growth

[11:18] Two kinds of resistance

[14:42] Losing the magic of the job

[17:27] Growth compounds or stalls

[26:01] Why having a plan matters

[30:50] Clients as mirrors, not enemies

If you’re ready to turn insight into action, book a call with us at the Veterinary Leadership Academy. We’ll help you clarify what’s in the way and define your next move. Book your call here.

Connect with Dr. Seth Mathus Ganz:

Instagram: @ask_a_veterinary_surgeon

Follow Dr. Dave Nicol for More Leadership Insights:

Instagram: @drdavenicol

Learn more about leadership training: Veterinary Leadership Academy

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Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share it with a colleague who’s ready to bring the magic back to vet med.

In this episode of the Veterinary Leadership Success Show, I’m responding to the reaction.

Specifically, the wave of comments that followed a recent episode and social posts about a new graduate’s early experience in practice.

If you saw the Instagram reel or Facebook video, you’ll know the conversation struck a nerve.

Some comments were thoughtful and supportive. Others were angry, frustrated, and aimed squarely at “weak graduates”, falling standards, and a profession that feels like it’s under siege.

Today, I want to slow that conversation down.

Rather than adding to the noise, this episode looks beneath it, at the fatigue, the stretched systems, and the pressure that’s been building across the profession for a long time.

We talk about grit, resilience, mentorship, and why toughness isn’t something people arrive with on day one. It’s something that gets built, or broken, by the environments we place them into.

If you’re worried about standards, frustrated by how hard ownership has become, or quietly wondering whether the profession you love is changing in ways you don’t recognize, this is a conversation worth sitting with.

Referenced Posts:

Instagram reel:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DTvXiAlCSZX/

Facebook video:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1397139445528655

Episode Outline:

[00:00] – Why this conversation exploded

[02:45] – Are graduates really the problem?

[05:30] – The myth of “grit” at graduation

[08:40] – Why our early careers weren’t the same

[11:30] – When hard work turns into attrition

[14:15] – Mentorship as leadership, not therapy

[16:45] – The damage caused by sink or swim

[18:30] – What high standards actually look like

[20:00] – The responsibility owners still hold

[21:45] – Building resilience the right way

Follow Dr. Dave Nicol for More Leadership Insights:

Instagram: @drdavenicol

Learn more about leadership training: Veterinary Leadership Academy

Enjoyed this episode?

If this episode made you pause or reflect, I’d really appreciate you leaving a review on iTunes and sharing it with someone else in the profession. These conversations matter – and how we handle them shapes what comes next.

Be safe. Be well. And take care of each other.

Part 1 laid bare what happens when well-meaning practices ask too much, too soon, without the systems to support it.

In this second conversation, we deliberately turn the lens the other way.

I’m joined by Dr. Moriah McCauley, a veterinarian now five years into practice, who shares what it looks like when graduate support is done well – thoughtfully, deliberately, and humanely.

Moriah’s story matters because it shows what’s possible. She’s still in the same practice five years on, not through resilience alone, but because the system around her was built for success from day one.

Together we talk about what attracted her to the role in the first place, how expectations were clarified early, and why mentorship is not a single person or a buzzword, but a culture. One that includes planned progression, real availability, psychological safety, and permission to be human when life gets complicated.

This episode explores the practical reality of guiding – not grinding – graduates. What it requires from leaders. What it asks of graduates. And why, done properly, it creates loyalty, competence, confidence, and long-term value for everyone involved.

This conversation forms the second half of a two-part series and sits alongside the session I’ll be delivering at VMX 2026: Guiding, Not Grinding.

Episode Outline:

[00:01] – Why this conversation matters

[02:00] – Meet Dr. Moriah

[04:30] – Choosing a first practice

[07:00] – Spotting a culture of mentorship

[09:30] – Gut instinct and psychological safety

[12:00] – Setting expectations early

[15:00] – What good mentorship looks like

[17:30] – Being supported through hard moments

[21:00] – The cost of investing in graduates

[24:30] – Return on investment, done properly

[27:00] – Learning the hardest skill: communication

[30:30] – Why Moriah stayed

[32:30] – What leaders need to hear next

Follow Dr Dave Nicol:

Instagram: @drdavenicol

Learn more about leadership support and training: Veterinary Leadership Academy

See more from Dr. Moriah McCauley: https://www.instagram.com/dr.moriah.mccauley

Connect with Dr. Moriah McCauley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moriah-mccauley

Enjoyed the episode?

Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. These conversations matter, and sharing them helps move our profession forward.