Why We Still Love Vet Med After Many Years w/ Dr. Molly Brinkmann

Welcome to another episode of Questions With Crocker! This episode is a special one... while attending the Western Veterinary Conference this year Shane and I interviewed multiple veterinarians for future podcast episodes. The second episode in this series is with one of my good friends, Dr. Molly Brinkmann (@drmollysays)! The three of us discuss why Dr. Molly started social media, her ADD/ADHD hacks, why she still loves veterinary medicine after so many years, and more.

Episodes release weekly on Thursdays at 9am EST and are available on all podcast platforms including a video version on YouTube!

Have a question for the podcast? Email questionswithcrocker@gmail.com for your question to be featured on an upcoming episode!

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@questionswithcrocker

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/questionswithcrocker/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClk4BQm7SRDXJpdzraAkKRw

TIMESTAMPS
Intro 00:11
Who Is Dr. Molly Brinkmann? 00:56
Why Dr. Molly Started Doing Social Media 01:58
Why Dr. Molly Wants To Be A Practice Owner 07:52
Has Dr. Molly Ever Had Issues With Management And Social Media? 13:30
Dr. Molly's ADD/ADHD Hacks 17:47
Dr. Molly's Husband's Involvement In Opportunities 23:25
Why Dr. Molly Still Loves Vet Med After So Many Years 29:42
Do Comfort Rooms Help With Euthanasias? 32:16
42:48 Outro

Transcript

0:00

[MUSIC] Welcome back to another episode of Questions with Crocker. With me, Dr. Crocker, my husband Shane.>> I felt like we've done 47 of these in less 30 minutes.>> You have.>> We did one this morning. It's just we're in Vegas and we are feeling the effects of Vegas. So we also have the delightful Dr. Molly Brinkman here. Thank you so much for joining me.>> Thanks for having me.>> And we are on day three, I think, of Western Veterinary Conference.>> What? I don't even know what day to.>> It is a blur.>> Yeah. >> We've had a blast. Good CE, good friends.>> Yeah.>> And I am podcasting in my hotel room, which-->> I love it.>> Sounds a little creepy when everyone asks where we are.>> Welcome to my hotel, yeah.>> I'm like, come to my room. That doesn't sound awkward at all.>> So we are excited to be here and actually get to talk in person. That is why this is great. And questions with Crocker is based on the fact that people send us questions. And I also just get to pick the brains of fellow veterinarians that I love in a door. So first off, I want you just to introduce yourself, where do you work, where you from? And I'll probably expand on that because you probably will leave things out.>> Okay. My name is Dr. Molly Brinkman and I am a small animal general practice veterinarian. I am the medical director of Beacham Animal Hospital, which is in Franklin, Tennessee, close to Nashville. It's nice. It's nice. It's a great place.>> It is.>> I grew up there and has changed a lot, but it's kind of like a bougie place people to move to. Everybody wants to move in Franklin. So yeah, so I practice there. I have a family. I have two kiddos, so four-year-old boy and two-year-old girl. And I do social media.>> You do.>> So do social media. She is Dr. Molly Spaz. And I discovered you on social media because you are hilarious. And I get jealous of funny people. I'll be real honest. Like Shane is really funny, just naturally. I have to work hard sometimes.>> I will be funny too.>> But you are hilarious and you go for it and you do really great videos that are based off of breeds of dogs responding to different situations. And you obviously have other content. That was what really caused you to start to grow and get out there. So I want to know how that idea came about and really in general, why you jumped on social media and why you enjoy it?>> Yes. So I started doing it as an educational thing.>> We all do.>> Right? We're like, we're going to educate.>> I'm going to teach.>> Yes.>> I'm going to change the perspective of the people. So that was the original thought. And I'm going to, I'm like, distinctly remember having a conversation with one of my really good friends. You know, you're going to make a page for like that education, for pet parents. You know, there's like nobody doing that. Which I had no idea there were lots of people doing that already.>> I still think it's a very small number in our industry.>> Yes. But there are some of us. Yes.>> So I was like, oh, I'm just going to do it. So I made a TikTok, which I knew nothing about. It was like, what the children were doing. But I was like, I'll get on the TikTok. So I made a TikTok and did some stuff. And it was fine. Like I had some followers. And then I was at a new job and it was kind of slow because it was a new practice. And I don't know. I had time. My brain is insane. So I just one day started thinking about, you know, what would be really funny is if I sort of translated dog breed behaviors into human behaviors. So like, what would this dog breed do if they were a human in a certain situation? And I have this kind of empty medical facility. So how would a dog breed act as a human at the doctor's office?>> Right.>> So that was like how it hatched. And then I thought about it for a long time because I was like, am I really scared?>> Were you scared?>> And when you explain that to your husband, he's like, that's a great idea.>> You know what? He's used to it and he's like, okay.>> Are you referencing this?>> I'm just asking for a friend.>> I feel like this is, yeah. I mean, he's used to my like crazy ideas. So he just, he's so great. He's like, okay, yeah, yeah.>> Yeah.>> That sounds great, Molly.>> Yeah.>> Like, let me know when it happens.>> Exactly.>> Yeah, no, I definitely like molded it over for a while, let it kind of develop. And I was, did feel like people were going to think I'm ridiculous. Is this professional?>> Oh, yeah.>> Yeah, that whole social media questions. But I did it and it went viral.>> And it's great.>> It's fun, it's funny.- Diggaviral and you continued to do it and make it better and better.- And put them in scenarios that, like, like Thanksgiving and like, the hay ride. I mean, when you're jumping off the hay ride like a border call and like, running, and I was just like, this is amazing.- Because it's so relatable, and that is the whole point. And everyone who has any type of these breeds of dogs is like, that's my dog. And so that's really all social media needs to be as entertaining and relatable. And then you can throw in education because you're also showing a Frenchie they can't breathe and you're showing issues that are common in some of these breeds. So there is still a component of education. Yeah, for sure.- I mean, this will fear of, is this professional? What are people gonna say? Is any of that like, come to fruition or is it really like, you know, nobody?- Oh, well, there's of course.- Oh, there's always the haters.- People online who, I did a, I've been doing that, you know, I'm a whatever, of course I blah, blah, blah. So I've done a couple of breeds and I did the doodles.- And so the doodle people are kinda coming at me right now, which is fine.- They're like, perfect.- They're like, perfect.- Yes.- Yeah, they're very passionate about defending doodles. But yeah, so like currently, there are multiple comments in that under that.- But from a fellow like veterinarian, do you feel like for the most part, like you're at a conference? Is anyone been like, oh, you do those breed videos? Or are you getting like, oh my gosh, you're hilarious?- Yeah, I love it.- And you know, you have to, there's the phrase, you have to laugh, either you laugh for your crime, right? So I think people in vet med just get it, like we have to, you have to be lied about something.- You do.- It's just all too heavy.- You do. And I think that there's people, like I've seen pet owners in your comments say, oh my gosh, I wanna come to you, I'm gonna bring my pet to you. You look like you're such a great veterinarian. And so it's the flip side where people find you trustworthy and they think like, you know, I can go to you and I can talk about whatever and I can do what I need to do for my pet versus someone who's very buttoned up and you don't really know who they are and they don't show their personality.- Yeah, and I kinda have been surprised, not surprised at that, but it's like super encouraging. There's a dentist on social media, I don't know if you've seen him. He's a pediatric dentist, I think. There's a couple, like the dental world on social media.- Wow.- There's some great, like in a great way, but there's this guy and he just shows up on my page, but he, a lot of his thing is about, you know, he doesn't wear scrubs, he doesn't wear white coats, he just wears regular clothes and just is like cool, and normal and relatable.- And the kids like to go there.- Yeah, he has like basketball hoops in the dental office. And yeah, I think that we have changed into veterinary medicine a lot, but we are still stuck in the past in so many ways also. And when you really talk about like private versus corporate practices, one of the ways you can define who you are is by showing your personality on social media and by not even having to be the shiniest, newest practice, but there's some great veterinary accounts that even have, I have a lot of older practitioners that say, like I don't even know how to use the Instagram, you know? And I'm like, let's Instagram, not the Instagram, but yeah, I probably say that.- The Instagram.- But they have some young technicians who have made some great videos where the older practitioner is just there, but they're funny and they're a little dry. And it's all run by their team, but you just get the sense that they really enjoy each other. And I think that that is important for our industry.- Yeah.- And I hear that too, like I try to show clinic life what it's like working day to day, me and Chris. So we have our, what is your,- I have Aaron, we all have a bearded man, a balding technician.- That is, what is that?- Sorry, Aaron, contact HR immediately with this.- Like, you're a cool though, right?- Like Chris, my, Chris is cool. He laughs about that.- Aaron got recognized in town the other day from a video, and he was like, this is awesome. And I'm like, yes, I got him hooked now. Like he wants us to make the videos.- It's literally the same because Chris does not have social media. His wife does, she works with us too. And, but like the last couple weeks, he's like, do I need to make an it's, (laughs)- And I'm like, yes, you do.- Yes, like show what you do, show the one that, you know, yells beep for the dental X-ray machine.- I love it.- People message me that like, we need more Chris content.- Yeah.- Like it's coming. But yeah, people comment like, oh my gosh, I would do anything to come work with you. Which like, they probably shouldn't, because it is crazy. But, you know, they see like, oh, it can be, that may it can be fun. And it can be positive and encouraging.- And we're real people.- And we're real people.- Which I think helps. You're still always gonna have difficult clients. You're gonna have difficult situations. But I think I have a lot more people that will sometimes say like, I didn't realize how hard the job is. I didn't realize how much you guys actually do. And so bringing awareness to that is, is a lot of what we're doing. And then we get to meet each other in life. And it's great. So, a couple things, I do know you work at a general practitioner, the medical director, but you have goals to be a practice owner. And I wanna know a little bit more about why. And are you thinking that's going to happen? Eventually, is there a plan? Because a lot of people say, I wanna be a practice owner, but there's no concrete plan. And we've kind of talked about this. So where are you at in the process?- Sure.- So I have had a lot of jobs in veterinary medicine in my almost well nine years now practicing. So I was actually talking to Dr. Satan last time about this. I have seen so many different ways to do small animal vet med. I've been in lots of different practices, but have the whole time had the eventual goal of owning a practice. And so every job I've gone into it, like with the lens of, maybe I could own this practice by this practice, or I'm gonna learn what I want a practice that's mine to look like being here. So I've learned a lot of things I do wanna do, and a lot of things I don't wanna do.- It's like building a house.- We lived in a lot of,- You get a few tries.- We lived in seven houses in like, I don't even know, 12 years or something.- That's how, yeah.- It was a lot of hate moving.- Yeah, but now we built and we're good now.- You're good now.- Yeah, so this is my sixth job in veterinary medicine. So yes, practice ownership is still my goal. Beach of Manimal Hospital, where I work now is a cool full circle place because I was an assistant there. I guess it's been 15 years before that school for a year, full time. So I worked there, the doctor that owns it now worked there then. He bought it a few years ago, and a year and a half ago, I was practicing in Nashville, it's in Franklin, which is just south, and he called me and was like, okay, it's time, like are you ready to come back? And I'm like, well, I am not making another move until it's like, toward ownership. And he's like, okay, well, perfect because that's what I want. That's what I want is to have someone to succeed my...'Cause he doesn't wanna do it forever, necessarily. And so, yeah, so I am in a leadership position and the plan is for eventual buy-in, maybe gradual, maybe altogether, none of that is like...- But I like how you were like, this is what I want and you put it out there. Shane often used to tell me'cause I did a couple different jobs too, and I would come home and maybe gripe a little bit about this decision was made or this is happening and I really think it should be done this way, and he finally looked at me and he's like, listen, you either need to...- I was not that aggressive.- Listen. He maybe said it, honey, no. He said, you either need to stay where you are and you need to understand you're not an owner. You have no real control. You need to show up into your job and leave and just it is what it is, or you need to leave and you need to make what you want. And I was like, that is so valid because I wasn't gonna change anything where I was and my frustration, I loved the people I worked with, I loved what I was doing, but my frustration was in the way things were run and not being able to change it. And then I remember when I bought my practice and I was standing there and I was talking to people and I was like, you know, it might be nice if like we thought about doing it this way and did it that and one of them looked at me and they said, you're the owner, you can do whatever you want to do. And I was like, I was like a kid in a candy store. I'm like, oh my God.- I fold, yes.- And it just was this realization of like, I can finally look at something and say, we can do that better and we can actually do it. And it was very empowering and having a team that supported that made a difference. But I think you either have an owner personality or you don't.- Yeah, and it can change, but it is, like literally I've had some really good friends and my husband, we've had this conversation with me of stop griping because you either, like you're never gonna be happy unless you have some type of influence in what's happening. And so that's what you need to focus on is getting to that point. And I think it's hard for people and young vets who know they wanna do that, to be somewhere and not have the control or the ability to make those decisions. It's really hard.- It is.- And do what you just said and just be there. I'm a doctor here, I'm gonna just do that. And I think that's kind of like a litmus test for younger, like newer vets. Do I wanna be a practice owner not? Well, how do you feel as not a practice owner?- Right.- Like if you feel some angst frustration, probably means you should consider that.- Yeah.- And there's a lot of paths to practice ownership now. Because you can start a practice, you can buy a practice, you can now partner with certain corporations and they will help you buy a practice. So to me, there's really no, you can't do it. Yeah, I think there's so many different pathways. And we bought an old building and are renovating. You are in an older building also.- We've seen it in person.- I have seen it. Wonderful vibes, but very similar to mine where it feels a little like,(mimicking music) and dark and just not as bright and light and all the things that we want. So do you have some goals long term of things you would like to do and change? Or is that really long term?- No, it's not really long term. And my boss wants a lot of the same things and so it's good.- It's good.- Great because he's kind of a unicorn. He's like, come help change things and lead the way. So I've had some of that ability as not an owner which is really cool.- Yes.- And so we've over the, I've only been there just over a year now and we've made huge changes. Our staff is the ones that are hung on and are still there are amazing'cause they've just like been on the ride and adapted.- And adapted so well 'cause we in a year, they went from all paper records to no paper records. Like Dave, my, I told Adam, I said, the first day of work, I will not ride on paper so we will be paperless the first day asking patients. And so I worked for a month setting up their paperless system and not seeing patients and then we did that and we've changed a lot of like medical just kind of protocols and some, we've added like layers of leadership and just logistics and we're getting a new short phone system in a month.- Yes.- And I love that stuff. And so yes, it's been like a ton of change already and the building is, we're cramped, we're out of space and it is dated and amazing and dark and so all that, we're figuring out the best way to fix it.- To fix it.- I do think it's interesting though because of your social media, you kind of came on board with that. So was there a conversation where you said like, hey, this is something I'm doing?'Cause I don't know if he was aware of it or not.- Oh, he was called you.- Well, he is not on social media.- Right, so he was not aware.- But you really, you have to have your boss like say, like yes, you can film, yes, you can do stuff.- 100% - Totally fine with that. So was that a conversation or were you just kind of like, and this is part of the package?- No.- Well, we hadn't talked in a long time so he just kind of was like, hey, how are you? What are you doing?- Yeah.- What did you know?(laughing)- He was like a golden retriever on and he was someone who was like not on social media. So he was like, what? Talking about. So that was a funny conversation. But no, yeah, I was very upfront about it a lot because the job I was at was not very cool about it. It had actually been a real struggle. And so.- Which is so strange. Like it's almost free marketing for the company.- It is.- 100% free marketing for the company.- Yeah.- Yeah, it was, I don't, I think there are a lot of factors that play.- It was interesting because it was like a new practice that was not super busy.- I was gonna say, they would benefit from marketing in my opinion.- Yeah.- If you are doing it for free on social media.- Yeah. Yeah. No shade. Like obviously, I feel like say who that was. But.- Yeah.- But it was odd. I thought it was odd.- It was just interesting.- Do you feel like he, your new boss was just kind of like, sure, just like do whatever? Or do you feel like he's seen the benefit of it? Like since you started and since you were doing more.- Well, when I told him,'cause I was nervous about it because of my experience.- Right.- 'Cause like I went viral or whatever you wanna say.- It's viral. It's okay.- I went viral.- He did it.- He was at that practice. And so that was my only experience. And it was negative. And so like Ryan and I were like, I was like, well, you know, he said he's fine with it, but like does he really know? Like what if he, what if I come and then he's not? Because it changed at the last job. Like they were cool at first and then they weren't cool about it. And so, but Adam was like, oh don't care. Like you do whatever.- I don't know what you're talking about.- But I think he did really, I mean he was like, I don't do social media, but I know it's like powerful.'Cause like we don't have social media, but like we should have it if you're coming. And so we're also working on that. I cannot run to social media. So somebody else is gonna have to run the clinic page. But yeah, it's been like great. He does not care. That's good. And I told him I said, look, I'm gonna make content work. I will work as hard if not harder than any other doctor that's there. I will be productive. It will not take away from what I'm doing. Or like my professionalism with our clients or my care of my patients. So I was like, I assure you it will not take away from any of that. And he's like, okay, great, as long as that's the case, I don't care. And I, we shoot, I film stuff when we're closed sometimes. My best friend actually works at our practice now. She's never worked in vet med. And she is like my behind the scenes hype girl. And she helps film and create ideas and all the things. Yeah, that's fun.- I love it. I remember when I started kind of doing more and thinking about it and Shane and I, he's good about like touching base. And I feel like your husband is the same way. I'm like, okay, you have a lot going on. But basically saying like, what is the goal? Yeah, like you're doing all these things. But is there a goal? Like obviously, I love being creative. I love having fun with it. The connections and networking has been incredible through it. But it was good to sit and say like, yes, I enjoy this. But is there a goal with it? And through it, partnerships have happened. And I've learned a lot and it's open doors for more speaking and brand awareness. So it has definitely been worth it. And I think even owning our own hospital, having my own account has helped with that also. So, but it was, it's good I think for people that are thinking about doing more social media, it's fun to put content out, it's fun to be creative, but it is a lot of work. And there does need to be some intention behind it other than just, I wanna see my followers grow. Because they could all go away tomorrow. So my thing is what would I be left with, right? If it was gone from all that hard work. Totally. Yeah. And it's a lot more time. I think than most people, yes. Like if you don't do it, you just really don't realize. How much it is.- I realize how much it is easier for me to go just being served real day than to do social media.- Yeah.- But I enjoy both. So, okay, so we had some questions submitted for you specifically.- Okay.- It was fun.- No, no, no, no, it's fun. I think it's good because it's a reflection of all the different content that you have on here. So, my content's a little ADD.- So actually that was one of the questions.- Oh gosh.- And you talk about that.- What the mad are you all specifically?- I'm very hoping about it.- So, yeah, that's what it is.- So, I can't say his name, I feel bad. But he wanted to know what are your ADD ADD hacks for being a veterinarian? Because we do need to be efficient. And I will tell you, we've recently had some like family who can very much affect the way you function. So, I'm interested to hear your thoughts.- Yeah. So, I have had, my parents were aware that I had ADD as a child, but I functioned pretty well in, I mean, well in school. And so I've had conversations with my mom like,'cause I've never taken medication for ADD. And my mom was like, yeah, we chose not to do that because your room was a huge mess at all times. My poor mother, but she's like, you did well in school. It didn't really affect that. And so, we just, we're gonna not do that unless you needed it for school or whatever. So, anyway, I have been dealing with it.- Adapting. - Adapting, yes.- Yeah, which is like, when I went to college, I actually had to study for the first time. I couldn't just rely on, you know, whatever skills. And so, that was an adjustment for sure. And I think that made it harder. And in practice, it has been interesting. I'll never forget when I was on community practice in vet school on that rotation where at UT, you like, they have a community practice for students and so it's kind of like general practice. And I remember at the end, I had a great rotation, like I loved it. And Amy, the doctor that was my like, I don't know, reviewing me, she like put, part of her feedback was my recommendation for you in practice because we are similar is to make yourself lists because you're just, you can't keep up. You need to make yourself a list.- Yeah.- And so, I was like, yeah, okay, but I'm like, I'm too ADD to make a list. So, I just have to figure out, I'm really good in the moment. Like if I'm busy, I can multitask like the best of them. Like, if I can run four rooms, if I have enough text, I can do it. It's like charting like records, and the sitting and like doing the more busy work that is hard for me. And so I've had to figure out just the best ways, the tools to make it efficient and the least amount of actual busy work. So I'm still figuring that out. Like I'm currently, I need to get on my computer and catch up on some medical records. But I think--- Do you use templates?- Yeah. Have you thought about using like scribe dictation software any of that?- Yeah. So I have just started using some of that. So scribe note is an app I've been trying. That's AI. So it records your conversation with the client and your staff. And it is, how do it know? It's so smart. And then it makes like a soap, a medical record out of it. And so, and we use cornerstone at our practice. And I've made a lot of templates for my medical records where I know how I say things over and over again. And so it's just there. And if I need to change it, I can. So I think like pre-made templates are really important for people like me who have a hard time with those tasks. And I have a, I like to send clients emails, like discharges and lots of communication. And so I just have to make myself, when I'm typing one, remember, save that as a template for the next client that needs that. Yeah. And I, but I do make, I do make lists, not always, but lists. Do help me. Do you see yourself forgetting things sometimes though? Like, I know you said you don't take medication. Like have you ever thought about if I did, how much more efficient could I be? Yeah, I do think about that. Like, because it's hard to know. And we, we've dealt with medication in our family. And we saw, it was like a huge difference. And I struggled with like, do we do that or not? So there's nothing, like it's, this is nothing worth it. It's so different for everyone. Yeah, great. And we are, we say it's all time, we're not experts. So like we are not experts on ADD, ADHD. It's personal experience. But I do, this is a, our jobs are very task-oriented. They are very detail-oriented. And so I struggle, and I can't even imagine if you like, have a hard time with that, you know, a hard, that can make it. And I am, I over commit to, so like, what? It was fun, that hard to believe. No way. But I mean, like in day-to-day, little practice ways, like I'll be, my texts, I mean, they're saints, but I'll be like, chatting with a client. I'm like, oh yeah, I'll send you this and this and this and like, I'll call you tomorrow to check on that. Yeah. And my, my really good texts are back there, like, making me a list because they're like, oh, she'll forget to do that. If I don't write this down or send her a reminder in a call back in Cornerstone, Dr. Brinkman, you promised this client you would do that. Yeah. So yeah, it's, and I think people, like, having staff that really knows you, and they appreciate you for your flaws too, and you recognize this is my weakness. And I need someone to help me with it. Not a personal assistant, but just someone who's aware. Well, they actually, there's actually a lot of conversations right now about like neurodiversity and that med and the fact that a lot of people do have those things. And so letting the team know being open with leadership and that way, people don't look at it as like, you don't have a year records done. Like, people are a little more understanding of why and how they can help and like, you are able to voice like what you need to. So I think it's an interesting conversation to be had. And I love how open you are with it because a lot of people, it seems like are like, yep, I'm right there with you. And I think I'm sure there's like a connection, intelligent people who are, you know, high functioning and do these hard jobs, scientific things. Right. I think it's, that's why it's very common for there to be neurodiversity because that's who is doing this higher level of thinking and education and all of that. I love how you're like, I got to college and I had to start studying. And I'm like, like, I got to organic chemistry and I was like, I was like, what is it? It's another language. I was the same way I was like, what just happened? So it definitely, we talked about that a lot with pre-med students and recommendations. I'm like, you have to learn how to study and you have to learn what works before a vet school. Yeah, because like for me, college was like one new level. I thought that was bad. And the vet school is like, okay, maybe I need medication. I need help. I need more lessons. What am I going to do? Yeah, that's funny. So Shane is here and Shane kind of knows like, hi, Shane. We haven't talked to you. I'm sorry. Hi, no, but he knows like my crazy and like how I take on a lot of things. And you just said like I over commit. So what is your process and is your husband involved in kind of the discussions around opportunity, around things around you being a practice owner? Like, oh, yeah, how, how supportive is he? Does he ever say like, what about this? Or is he just a good sounding board? What's your relationship like with that? Yeah, I mean, like kind of all of the above, it just depends. My husband Ryan and I could not be more different like personality wise. So we're very, you know, opposites attract and also a lot of times work well together because I'm like this crazy, like squirrel, you know, what am I going to do next? I'm always thinking about what could we do? And he's much more of a like in the like a realist pessimist. Downard. No. No, it's not, but you can't if if if we were both like this, yes, it would, I don't know what would happen. So he is a sounding board. So I have a tendency to just do and not use a sounding board. I always say Shane helps me actually get it done. So he is like more of a great idea, but like how? And what do you need to get that done where I'm just like, but it's a great idea. Yeah. Think through the actual, you know, process for sure. And so it is nice to have someone who is more of a let me actually think through this. Well, and it's like when social media, when all of this started, Ryan was kind of like, okay, this is becoming like a lot of time. What are we? Where are we going with this? And so it's good. Yeah, because you need someone to like, okay, let's check in like what's happening? What are we doing? No, I mean, he's such a great support. He teaches high school. And so my kids go to school with him. There's actually a child care for the teachers. And so they go to school with him. So he takes kids to school. He brings kids home from school and is home with them in the summer. And so he just is like amazing support and dad and that's how I like my husband. Like he's fun. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I think it's great. And it is traditional in some ways and not in traditional in others. And I think it's good to just know what each other needs and what you need to in like communicate all that. And like it's marriage. We're always starting to figure it out. How long have you been married? 10 years, 11th of summer. And were you married before you went to that school or? We got married between second and third year. Nice. My mother planned my wedding. Like I will see you there. You're like, I'll show up. Yeah. And we're addressed. Yeah. And we're addressed about like I'm going to be a veterinarian because. And by conversation, did you warning? Like, no. I mean, we, okay, we had been together forever. So Ryan and I dated for five years. Oh, okay. And then we were engaged for like a year and a half before we got married. So we were together a long time before we actually got married. And Ryan, he actually worked in the NFL first and then he went back to school to be a teacher. And so one of us had to get out of school because somebody had a, you know, pay rent. Makes money. And so we had to wait till he got home school. So he knew, I think he did it. And nobody was signing up for it. But, yeah. I mean, I had, you know, he knew I was going to go to that school the whole time. And but really, neither of us knew what that looked like. What did 100% as a career, really? Well, and you went into equine also. Yeah. Yeah. This is a whole nother podcast because we both are, you know, horse girls and I think that's like a certain personality also is he a horse person at all because Shane almost got killed by my, I feel like I should marry Ron instead. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. No. Ryan did not like grow up a horse person. I had a horse. The first time I took him to like meet my horse, I let him get on and he bucked him off and, you know, I had to like, I'm not. If he had almost get stitches from watching the horse one, you were at a town. Listen, you tied the horse wrong. He pulled off the, the railroad track, you almost died, yes, but you didn't. So like, he called me like, so this thing happened, I'm like, what happened? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That would be right. That sounds like something that would happen. Yes. Ryan. No, funny story. Ryan, no, he did not grow up in any type of role like agricultural setting. And so, I mean, like fishing. Yeah. That's a, but not, no, not horses or cows. And so yes, we moved, I moved him to Colorado and was doing an equine surgical internship. We lived in this house. It was like smaller than this hotel room. That was like 10 feet from the barn, the treatment barn. And we were, somebody we were talking about the other day, he would get up if we were dumping a colon and collic surgery. Joanna would be like, go get Ryan. So I go, wait, Ryan. Yeah. He'd have to come like help us. He'd be in shoulder deep in a horse with Donna. Um, just to say, Ryan did not also get his hand stuck in a horse ladder. No. Yeah. Well, I was working at a repro facility and so Shane gave me a visit me and there was a really big full. And I was like, I need your own. And so you really do. And so you got in there. I love that. I love stuff in my hands and I love being dirty. He hates getting dirty. And there's juices everywhere. And he's just like pulling out. And I was like, do not let go of this leg because I was trying to get everything in position. And he was just like, what is happening? And I remember I looked over at him and there's like, you know, baby horse legs and stuff. And I was like, man, this guy loves me. Like he's doing this. Yeah. You know, it's like, okay. Yeah. He's in us. We're going to make it. Yeah. We're going to be okay. No, I don't like it. Cause this is actually a PSA for any future partners of veterinary and people. Yeah. Morning. Morning. Yeah. But then the baby full was morn. And it was cool, right? Because you were part of it. And it was like, he's like, no, I looked around him and he was like a little emotional. Like that was, you know, yeah, I was emotional for a lot of reason. The baby horse was not one of the reasons. But we made it. We made it. Yeah. Yeah. So Ryan got lots of exposure to all of that. We lived in Colorado. So that was cool. That's cool. And those are some of, for me, those are some of the memories, honestly, like the internship just the two of us, like before kids where we were just like ending together. We had like no money. Yeah. And we were just working and like supporting each other. And we moved to a new place where we didn't know anyone. And it was just us. And we always talk about how that was like so great for a marriage. Cause we just did this thing together. And no one else was there with us. And nobody else in our life now, like was there. And so it's like our own thing. Yeah. Now I'm like, how did I survive life without all of that? And we actually talked about that. We were in California saying we didn't know anybody and trying to figure out, okay, where do we go next? We contemplated Colorado in a few other places, but I can't imagine not being our own family at this stage. Yeah. And that's why we left to go come back and be with family. Yeah. The life stage that you go through, we talked about this too, but like it dictates very much. I think where you go, where you work and it's good to recognize like, okay, now we need more support. Now we need to be somewhere. And I know you have family. You have your church. Like you have a lot of people that you feel very supported by and having kids. It's helpful too. So I think that is one big thing. Another thing I want to know is you still seem to really love what you do. Is this a question from you or someone? This is me. He's like, get back on track. I mean, we're just talking. No. But you still seem to really like love what you do. And I'm the same way and it's been a while. And there's a lot of people in this profession that say they actually regret becoming a better-nearing and they wish they hadn't, which it makes me so sad. This is a lot of work to put into something that then like, not love it. Why do you think you still love it? Do you think there's anything specific or is it just part of your DNA? Well, I definitely think it's like part of my DNA. Why am I getting emotional? I don't know. I get the same way. I love, I love, love, love what I do. And I think it's going back to my ADD. I think part of that has something to do with why this is like the perfect job for me because it's always different. You never know. You never know what's going to happen. No matter what you do, I don't care. GP, emergency, research, you just never know, right? And so it's always something cool and fun and funny and hilarious and terrible and sad and infuriating, but it's all gross. Like you learned so much from all the things you go through as a veterinarian. And I think, and it makes me sad that people struggle, not because I think there's something wrong with them and they shouldn't struggle. I just wish I could like give everyone the joy that veterinary medicine gives me because I do think it's like the greatest profession, which is Dr. Shuto's podcast, but I really believe that. And that's part of what I would love to impart on people, not just pet parents, but like veterinarians. Like, this can be such a wonderful job. And I just wish I could help everyone figure out how to make it feel wonderful for them. I think people haven't always found their place yet. And when you find your place and it's different for everyone and you find your people, it makes a huge difference. And one of the worst things we can do is have all the feelings and not reach out and not connect because even, you know, through social media, yes, we're silly, yes, we do things, but like you are a true friend and we met through that, right? And I know if I have a hard day, Shane is there. Shane loves me. He's a support, but he sometimes still doesn't like get it. And so being able to like talk to somebody who like truly gets how ugly and how beautiful it can be is a really life changing sometimes. So we're crying. I know. We're getting emotional because there's a lot. Yeah. I just want people, if they're listening to this, to not feel alone and to feel like they can reach out and to feel like they can find their place. Yeah. Not all good. Like it's not at all. And that is something, and I maybe I don't do it enough. I probably should have more, but like something I want to portray is that it's beautifully sad and like it's like euthanasia. Like I want to write a book of just euthanasia stories because like it is terrible and wonderful and peaceful and agonizing and hard and easy all at the same time. And it's, that's kind of how all of that met is. And it is, it's like no one gets it. No. So question on euthanasia specifically. So in the renovation, we're doing a comfort room. And I know that helps, helps a lot with the patients, right? And the owners, is that also help with the veterinarians to see it go more smoothly or I think. Yeah. I like having a space that is like a calm space and it doesn't feel like an exam room. So I like having it where you can sit with the pet and you're, there's a couch or you can, and you can even like have smells in there that are soothing and you can dim the lights. And to me, it is a better experience than a maybe feeling more sterile cold. Yeah. You know, hospital type situation. So I think so personally. Also, and I have worked at a practice with a, with a great comfort room, whatever you call it. And I like that even if it's not in a separate place, like even if it's in the middle of the practice, it doesn't feel like it. And usually it is quieter because I hate feeling like, because we're cramped. And so we have to do euthanasias in just an exam room. You can hear everything. Like just the world around is just going on. And in some ways, it's like reflective of grief. Like you are in this terrible situation and just like, like the world spins madly on. And it's just nice to provide like a safe, quiet, isolated space where that is all that's happening in, in the client's world and in you as the veterinarian's world in that moment. And so the, the lack of distraction, I think is what's really important about that. Yeah. That was definitely a priority with the renovation. And I think one of the main things people say to you when you say I'm a veterinarian is they say like, well, I could never, I could, and I love the idea of really pulling back the curtain on what these in age experience should be and the closure it can provide and the ease of suffering. I mean, it is a really important part of our job that is also so unique to our job that it's not, it's not something that people just get easily. So I like how we've gone from talking about silly dog breed. This whole thing is a no sorry. No, it's not worth it. To talking about human youth nature, but we could talk all day and we can't. We need to get to the conference. We need to go networks. So we are going to wrap things up. Is there any final question? Yeah. That was question with rocker. I don't care. That was a question with rocker questions are the worst. Well, just do another session. You had rocker, you had question. We still, we filled the briefs out. If you enjoyed this podcast, make sure to listen to us on Apple or Spotify. Leave us a rating. Hopefully a good one. We'll pay for good reviews. I'm sorry for this roller coaster. You're good. And then if people want to reach out to you, what is the best way to connect with you? So just you can find me at Dr. Molly says on TikTok and Instagram and if you need to reach out by email. It is there in both places. I love that. I love that. Thank you for being here. Shane, thank you for being here. I have no choice. I know the choice. T-Joo. Shane was just kind of an audience here today. Thank you. But at least now you can meet your BFF Ryan today. Yes. We'll be good. That will do. That will do. We should do all four of us on a podcast. That would be even more 80 days. But yes, Shane's would come. It'd be fun. Oh, that's cute. All right. Don't steal our ideas. Yeah. India. All right, you guys. Thank you so much for listening and have a wonderful day.(laughs)(upbeat music)