It's no secret that the most common career path in the veterinary field is the one that leads to small animal care. But that's not every vet's calling. Today we talk with Dr. Myra Barrett about what it takes to break out of that track and specialize in an area that really lights you up. Dr. Myra Barrett is a board-certified radiologist specializing in equine radiology, as well as President of the Large Animal Diagnostic Society, founding partner of Inside Information Radiology a telemedicine radiology company, Assistant Professor of Radiology at Colorado State University, and head of Equine Radiology. On top of all that, she’s also a skier, mountain biker, and super mom. Today we talk about her journey from operating on her stuffed animals to a Stanford degree in Psychology to her now trailblazing the official specialization of equine radiology. She discusses the work-life balance and how to manage a relationship while going to vet school and doing your residency. We also talk about the importance of boundaries and knowing what kind of lifestyle you need as an individual. How to you navigate the work-life balance? Do you have any activities or rituals that help? Leave us a comment below and let us know on the episode page!   In this episode: How she built her own residency to specialize in equine radiology rather than small animals The importance of give and take in managing a relationship as a vet school student Managing personal priorities and building your work lifestyle to fit your needs Dr. Barrett’s past as a girl riding horses bareback in Montana   Quotes: “There’s nothing better for the soul than time at the barn” 8:20 “The traditional residency is very heavily small animal weighted… [which] takes away that time where you could be becoming an expert in that field where you really want to train.” 27:38 “You can’t be excellent at everything, and we put this pressure on ourselves to be excellent at everything and we can’t be and we need to back that down a little bit” 37:43 “It’s not always the internship or the residency. There are a lot of roads that can lead to happiness and success.” 1:01:54   Links 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!