I have long been a fan of Dr. Meghann Berglund and I am thrilled to have her spread her wisdom and incredibly powerful words with all of us today. From shelter medicine to private practice and relief work, Dr. Berglund has seen a lot. And with two daughters on top of that, she has a wide range of stories and life advice to share. We are discussing everything from the staggering 40,000 animals she has spayed or neutered over her career, to imposter syndrome and postpartum depression. She is sharing her theory of lizard brain and owl brain, why you need to make sure you ask for help when you need it, and why perseverance is the ultimate key to success. By appreciating your own little acts of bravery and checking the expectations you hold for yourself, you can stop doubting yourself and start embracing the practice of courage. Dr. Berglund believes that by working to speak for those who do not have the ability to speak for themselves, we can find small victories that ultimately amount to self-confidence and freedom. Join us for an honest and down to earth conversation about sharing your issues and being okay with your normality. Have you ever struggled with some of the issues Dr. Berglund expresses on this episode? Let us know how you are getting by in the comments on the episode page.   In This Episode Finding the ‘why’ behind your passion Caring for vet school classmates beyond the years Keeping your passion fresh throughout a veterinary career The differences between shelter medicine, private practice and relief work How to check your expectations and feel more fulfilled   Quotes “Everybody has a story they can tell you, everybody has something they can teach you. And I started to realize that that's really, at least to me, what this podcast does. Everybody, no matter how well you think you know them, has treasures to offer and knowledge to give and experience to share. (10:40) “You may not know [your why] in undergrad, you may not know it in vet school. I was lucky in that I managed to find it before vet school and then I had some purpose and some direction in vet school. But I'm not sure everybody does and that needs to be okay.” (34:50) “The relief business was sort of a way to kind of dip my toe in a bunch of different places. But what it ended up being was just this really cool bouquet I got to pick from all my different skills and all the places I had worked.” (56:47) “What I have gotten out of this experience, and out of my life's journey to this point, is that most bravery is unintentional.” (1:31:41) “The merit is in the work and in the process and in the learning and not in the outcome. You can you know ‘that's fine’ and you toss it in the fail bucket and you learn something from it and you try again.” (1:51:24) “Good or bad, everybody has their treasures. And listening to people and asking about their treasures they are carrying, or their fails that they are carrying, and just saying like ‘hey I see you for who you are’, is probably a good way for all of us to connect with each other better.” (1:54:14)   Links Enjoying these stories? Consider supporting Podcast A Vet on Patreon & check out our awesome patron-only perks! Terrible, Thanks for Asking Podcast Not One More Vet QPR Gatekeeper Training Veterinary Information Network Collective Geekery Facebook Page   Find the full show notes here  Keep up with everything Podcast A Vet Follow Podcast A Vet on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Join our free community of dedicated vet professionals looking to improve their practices and lives in our free Facebook community! We'd love it (and you) if you would take 1 minute and leave us a review on iTunes!