Lauren Smith, DVM, is a small animal veterinarian from New York who has taken her passion for vet med to the depths of the internet writing various blogs for sites such as Dr. Andy Roark, and her own site, The Vetitude. Now in the process of transitioning from clinic work to her own relief business, Lauren is here to talk about everything from entrepreneurship to empathy and how to deal with haters in your comments section.  A self-described ambivert who found a safe haven in academics, Lauren has a wide range of stories and life experience to share with you today. Learn how ROSS University of Vet School helped equip her to deal with what life and the Universe throw at you, ways to work through the anxiety that may be stopping you from achieving your dream, and how to have more empathy and less compassion fatigue with your peers and clients. If you struggle to understand things from a clients perspective, want to increase your charisma in the exam room, or are having a hard time narrowing in on the core values you need in a workplace, Lauren is here to help guide you in the right direction.  Are you ready to build up your empathy muscle and come to terms with the reality that nobody is perfect? Share what you learned most from Lauren’s perspective in the comments on the episode page.    In This Episode Tools to understand a clients perspective in a non-judgemental and empathetic way How to have more empathy for yourself, your teammates and your clients  What to do when a client asks you what you would do in their position Understanding how the way you dress can convey power and charisma  Fostering open communication through self-care and identifying your core values   Quotes “I definitely like the puzzle of putting together the diagnostics and figuring out what is going on with animals. Dealing with a complex DKA or an IMHA, I'm really in my element with those.” (19:33) “More than anything, those core values, finding a place that matches your core values is going to be the most important thing in finding a job where you are happy. Because if you are surrounded by people who are doing things that don't fit your value set, you are never going to be happy.” (27:03) “We need to have more empathy for ourselves, for our teammates and for our clients. And I think those are the three things I really try to emphasize in what I try to tackle with the vetitude.” (33:58) “Empathy is a self-renewing resource, the more we practice it the more we have. And actually the less compassion fatigue we get because we are building up that empathy muscle.” (37:43)   Links The Vetitude Website The Vetitude Instagram The Vetitude Facebook Lauren Smith DVM Website Dr. Andy Roark Website The Real Reason Your Wait At The Vet's Office Is So Long by Lauren Smith These Are My Thoughts When I Lose A Patient by Lauren Smith Thank You for Not Judging Me by Lauren Smith   Enjoying these stories? Consider supporting Podcast A Vet on Patreon & check out our awesome patron-only perk 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!