Veterinary Voices

Julie South | Veterinary Recruitment Marketing Strategist
  • 5.0 (2)
  • CAREERS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Most vet clinics are proud of their culture. They know it's special — it's what makes them tick. What they don't know is how to share those stories in ways that mean something to other vets and nurses. That's culture storytelling. And Julie South — founder of VetClinicJobs — shows vet clinics how to do it. You'll hear real vets and nurses talking about what it's actually like to work at their clinics. Not the polished corporate version — the real moments that show how teams handle pressure, support each other, and why someone would actually want to work there. That's the kind of proof that builds trust before anyone's even looking. You'll also learn which stories to share and when, how to stay visible to great people even when you're fully staffed, and why the quiet months between hires are actually your biggest opportunity. Each episode gives you something specific to do that week — a story to share, a shift to make, a pattern to break. If you're tired of starting from scratch every time someone resigns, this podcast shows you how to become the clinic people are already watching.

  1. Living and Working at Energy Vets Taranaki with Nicky Smith - Vet Nurse Supervisor - 1032

    1 DAY AGO

    Living and Working at Energy Vets Taranaki with Nicky Smith - Vet Nurse Supervisor - 1032

    Head Vet Nurse Nicky Smith on Team Support, Community, and Life in Taranaki In this REAL+STORY episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South speaks with Nicky Smith, Head Vet Nurse at Energy Vets in Taranaki. Nicky has worked in veterinary clinics in New Zealand and overseas, including time living in Auckland and abroad. But when the time came to settle and raise her family, she made the deliberate decision to return to Taranaki — the place she calls home. In this chat, Nicky shares with Julie what support inside a veterinary clinic actually looks like when things get busy. Emergencies walk through the door, schedules change instantly, and the whole team moves together to make sure patients receive the care they need. She talks about how the nursing team mentors younger nurses, how new ideas are welcomed, and why humour, trust, and looking out for each other are essential in a profession that can be stressful and emotionally demanding. The conversation also explores life outside the clinic — why Nicky chose to raise and educate her children in Taranaki, the strength of smaller communities, and how the region’s people rally around causes that matter. Nicky is also the founder of the Cape Egmont Half Marathon, a community event she started after losing her father to cancer. If you’re curious about what working inside a supportive veterinary team looks like day to day — or how community shapes life in regional practice — this episode offers a candid perspective from someone leading the nursing team on the ground. In This Episode 00:05 – Introduction to the REAL+STORY series with Energy Vets  01:24 – Nicky’s background and why she returned to Taranaki  03:31 – What “supportive team culture” looks like in real clinic life 04:35 – How the nursing team develops and mentors younger nurses 05:45 – Returning to Taranaki after living in bigger cities 06:44 – Why Nicky chose to raise and educate her children in Taranaki 09:55 – Community life and founding the Cape Egmont Half Marathon 13:07 – Favourite piece of veterinary equipment: the Bear Hugger 13:51 – Three words Nicky uses to describe the team 14:00 – Energy Vets’ “best kept secret” as a workplace 14:44 – Working across two clinic locations 16:05 – How after-hours works in practice 17:14 – A memorable patient case: nursing a farm dog back to health 19:16 – How new ideas are introduced and adopted inside the clinic 20:47 – Patient handovers and communication inside the team 22:04 – The type of person who fits best at Energy Vets 24:20 – What it really means when the team “looks out for each other” Hiring Link If you’re an experienced small animal veterinarian exploring your next step, you can learn more about current opportunities at Energy Vets Taranaki here: vetclinicjobs.com/energyvets Links Mentioned Cape Egmont Half Marathon   About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. Through VetClinicJobs, she helps forward-thinking veterinary clinics show what working there i Struggling to get results from your job advertisements? If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic. The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

    29 min
  2. Job Adverting Month 5 - The Expensive Surrender - 262

    4 DAYS AGO

    Job Adverting Month 5 - The Expensive Surrender - 262

    By month five of job advertising, most vet clinics and their teams are exhausted. Posting everywhere didn’t work. Rewriting didn’t work. Spending more didn’t work. But the vacancy hasn’t just stayed a vacancy — it’s started affecting the people who are still there. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South explores what happens when a role has been open for four to six months and the pressure inside the clinic starts to build. Teams have been covering the extra work. The goodwill that carried the first few months begins to wear thin. Quietly, people start weighing their options. That’s when the conversation inside many clinics shifts. Instead of searching for the right fit, the thinking becomes: we just need someone. Julie unpacks why this “warm body” thinking feels responsible in the moment — but often creates a far more expensive problem when the wrong hire lands in an already exhausted team. This episode also looks at why the five-month recruitment cycle doesn’t end when a role is filled. In many clinics, it simply resets — except the team begins the next cycle already depleted. And Julie explains the alternative: building recognition before you need to advertise, through Culture Story Centre infrastructure that allows vets and nurses to get to know your clinic long before a vacancy appears. Because clinics that build recognition first rarely reach month five in their advertising at all. Stay to the end for two simple questions that reveal which type of clinic you want yours to be. In This Episode 00:00:06 – Introduction and the five-month recruitment cycle 00:01:16 – When more advertising and spending still doesn’t work 00:01:55 – What happens when a vacancy drags on for months 00:02:43 – The shift in team morale when “temporary” becomes permanent 00:03:44 – Quiet decisions exhausted team members begin making 00:04:49 – The arrival of “warm body” hiring thinking 00:05:51 – How desperation reshapes recruitment briefs 00:06:43 – When the wrong hire lands in an already stretched team 00:07:37 – The Job Application Decision Gap explained 00:08:45 – Why the five-month cycle simply resets 00:09:52 – Building recognition before you need to advertise 00:11:01 – Clinics that fill roles in month one or two 00:12:19 – Two questions every clinic should ask itself Mentioned in This Episode Cultural Visibility Stress Test A short eight-question exercise designed to help clinics see whether the Job Application Decision Gap might be affecting their recruitment. It takes about three minutes and is free to complete. careers.vetclinicjobs.com About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to move beyond reactive job advertising by building recruitment infrastructure that creates recognition before a vacancy appears. When vets and nurses can see that a clinic is their kind of place, recruitment stops being a start-from-scratch exercise every time a role opens. Struggling to get results from your job advertis Struggling to get results from your job advertisements? If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic. The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

    14 min
  3. Living and Working at Energy Vets Taranaki with Dr Sieara Claytor - Small Animal Veterinarian - 1031

    6 MAR

    Living and Working at Energy Vets Taranaki with Dr Sieara Claytor - Small Animal Veterinarian - 1031

    Energy Vets, Taranaki | Starting Out as a New Grad In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with Dr Sieara Claytor, a 2025 graduate working in her very first full-time veterinary role at Energy Vets in Taranaki. Sieara moved from the United States to study in Australia and has now started her career in rural New Zealand. Six months in, she’s already managing emergencies, assisting in surgeries beyond routine desexings, handling after-hours responsibilities, and working across two clinic branches. Rather than focusing on “graduate programs” or formal structures, this conversation looks at what support actually feels like day to day — senior vets scrubbing in alongside her, nurses staying late when needed, multiple vets available when things get busy, and space to ask questions without hesitation. Sieara also talks about adjusting to rural life, commuting without traffic lights, wildlife cases, pig-hunting injuries, and the reality of after-hours in a regional clinic. If you’re a new graduate — or someone mentoring one — this episode gives a clear sense of what challenge-with-backup looks like in practice. In This Episode 00:00 – Introduction to the REAL+STORY series with Energy Vets 01:05 – Sieara’s background and first impressions as a new grad 03:30 – Rural caseload: emergencies, variety, and learning fast 04:52 – What support in surgery actually looks like 06:43 – Realising you’re more capable than you thought 07:56 – Moving countries and adjusting to rural life 09:16 – How after-hours really works 11:32 – Differences between the two clinic branches 12:50 – The early-career lens on Energy Vets Hiring Link If you’re an experienced small animal vet exploring your next step, you can find out more about current opportunities at Energy Vets Taranaki  About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. She works with veterinary clinics that want to show what working there is really like — not just list job requirements. Through VetClinicJobs, she helps clinics make their culture clear and recognisable, so vets and nurses can tell whether a clinic is Their Kind of Clinic long before a vacancy appears. Struggling to get results from your job advertisements? If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic. The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

    15 min
  4. Why Random DIY Recruitment Tactics Don’t Work - ep 261

    3 MAR

    Why Random DIY Recruitment Tactics Don’t Work - ep 261

    By month four of advertising, most vet clinics and their teams are exhausted. Posting everywhere didn’t work.   Rewriting didn’t work.   Spending more didn’t work. So you start trying random things. A Facebook post.  Asking your team to share.  Updating your careers page.  Boosting something for $50… maybe $100. Because something has to (read: needs to!) stick. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South unpacks what really happens around week fourteen of the recruitment cycle—when clinics move into DIY mode and start layering scattered tactics on top of a system that’s already failing. The problem isn’t effort.   It’s infrastructure. Social posts disappear.  Website updates sit buried.  Shared job ads still look like unknown clinics making familiar claims. These tactics create bursts of visibility—but they don’t build recognition. This episode contrasts the clinic pushing water uphill with random activity… and the clinic that built permanent culture story centre infrastructure months earlier—so when they advertise, they’re not starting from scratch. Stay to the end for one direct question about how many tactics you’ve tried that went nowhere. In This Episode 00:00 – Introduction: Month four and the shift to random tactics 01:12 – Social posts, staff shares, website updates 02:19 – The “maybe something will stick” phase 03:58 – Why your website isn’t designed for recruitment recognition 04:44 – Why staff sharing helps—but can’t replace recognition 05:29 – Buried posts and disappearing visibility 06:20 – Using the wrong tools for the job 07:15 – The clinic with permanent culture story centre infrastructure 08:15 – Why month four doesn’t have to become month five 09:28 – The question about pushing water uphill About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to move beyond reactive job advertising and random tactics by building permanent recruitment infrastructure—so when they need to hire, they’re not starting from cold. Struggling to get results from your job advertisements? If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic. The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

    10 min

  5. 27 FEB

    Living and Working at Energy Vets Taranaki with Vet Nurse Alana Howard - 1030

    Energy Vets, Taranaki | Why Alana Came Back In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with vet nurse Alana Howard about why she returned to Energy Vets after starting her nursing career there 20 years ago and then spending years working in Australia. Alana talks about what made coming back feel like the right decision — not just professionally, but personally. She compares different clinic environments and explains what stands out at Energy Vets: how nurses are trusted to use their skills, how new graduates are supported in surgery, and how the team steps in when things get busy. This isn’t about job titles or polished culture statements. It’s about what day-to-day teamwork actually feels like — no behind-the-scenes friction, people sharing knowledge freely, and a team that works across two rural clinics without things falling apart. Alana also reflects on raising a family in Taranaki, commuting without traffic lights, and why rural schooling and coastal living have been part of the decision to stay. Across this conversation, you hear what steady support sounds like from a nurse’s perspective — not from leadership, but from someone working on the floor every day. In This Episode 00:00 – Introduction to the REAL+STORY series with Energy Vets 02:20 – Why Alana chose to return 03:04 – What feels different about this clinic 07:31 – Nurses using their full clinical skillset 09:52 – Supporting a new graduate in surgery 11:27 – How the clinic has grown over time 12:36 – Living and raising a family in Taranaki Hiring Link If you’re an experienced small animal vet exploring your next step, you can find out more about current opportunities at Energy Vets Taranaki   About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. She works with veterinary clinics that want to show what working there is really like — not just list job requirements. Through VetClinicJobs, she helps clinics make their culture clear and recognisable, so vets and nurses can tell whether a clinic is Their Kind of Clinic long before a vacancy appears. Struggling to get results from your job advertisements? If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic. The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

    16 min
  6. Why Spending More on Job Ads Doesn't Equal More Applicants - 260

    24 FEB

    Why Spending More on Job Ads Doesn't Equal More Applicants - 260

    Why Spending More on Job Ads Doesn’t Work By month three of advertising, most vet clinics assume the problem is reach. Not enough applications?   Then not enough visibility. Not enough visibility?  Spend more. Premium placement. Featured listings. Boosted posts. Maybe even a recruitment agency. But the real problem isn’t reach. It’s recognition. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South unpacks what actually happens around week ten of the recruitment cycle—when rewriting hasn’t worked, posting everywhere hasn’t worked, and the numbers start looking impressive while the applications still don’t. Because exposure isn’t the same as recognition. And paying to be seen doesn’t fix being unknown. Julie explains why month three is when budgets escalate, agencies start circling, and something more dangerous begins to build: the wrong kind of recognition. The clinic that’s been advertising for 10 weeks. The clinic people start questioning. This episode contrasts two very different outcomes:  The clinic that keeps upgrading listings and reinforcing concern… And the clinic that fills a role within days—not because their ad was premium, but because they weren’t unknown. Stay to the end for two questions about what your recruitment budget is actually building. In This Episode 00:00 – Introduction: Month three and the instinct to spend more  01:44 – Premium placement and the visibility trap  02:30 – Exposure vs recognition: why big numbers don’t mean results  03:33 – The uncomfortable money conversation  05:07 – The recognition you’re building (and why it’s not good)  06:12 – What actually creates the right kind of recognition  07:26 – Why premium placement amplifies but doesn’t create trust  08:13 – The exhausted clinic at the $2,000 mark  09:01 – The clinic that fills the role in three days  09:53 – Two questions about what you’re really paying for About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to stop escalating job ad spend and instead build recognition before they need to hire—so when they do advertise, they’re not paying to be unknown. Struggling to get results from your job advertisements? If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic. The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

    12 min
  7. Living and Working at Energy Vets Taranaki with Large Animal Veterinarian - Dr Michelle Gosling - 1029

    20 FEB

    Living and Working at Energy Vets Taranaki with Large Animal Veterinarian - Dr Michelle Gosling - 1029

    Energy Vets, Taranaki | Growing a Career That Grows With You  In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with Dr Michelle Gosling about what it looks like to build a long-term veterinary career in one place — and why she never felt the need to leave Energy Vets after joining as a new graduate in 2013. Michelle reflects on her journey from new grad to senior large animal vet, working parent, farm services manager and, most recently, shareholder in the business. Rather than focusing on titles, this conversation traces how responsibility, trust and flexibility have expanded alongside different stages of her life. What emerges quietly throughout is a picture of a clinic that adapts as people change — supporting maternity leave, part-time work, leadership development and ownership without forcing people into a single version of “progression”. This episode will resonate with vets who are thinking beyond their next job and trying to picture whether a clinic can still fit years down the track — as careers deepen, families grow and priorities shift. In This Episode 00:00 – Introduction to the Real Story series with Energy Vets 01:05 – Michelle’s journey from new graduate to shareholder 02:27 – Moving to Taranaki and settling into the region 03:56 – Family life, schooling and working four days a week 05:12 – Support, flexibility and parenting at Energy Vets 06:38 – The role of farm services manager and developing people 08:14 – Being invited into ownership 09:24 – Who fits best at Energy Vets 14:12 – What long-term progression really looks like in practice Hiring link If you’re an experienced small animal vet exploring your next step, you can find out more about current opportunities at Energy Vets Taranaki at: vetclinicjobs.com/energyvets About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to show what working there is really like — not just list job requirements. Through VetClinicJobs, Julie helps clinics make their culture recognisable and familiar, so vets and nurses can tell whether a clinic is Their Kind of Clinic long before a vacancy appears. Struggling to get results from your job advertisements? If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic. The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

    17 min
  8. Why Better Job Ads Don’t Work (And What Actually Does) - ep. 259

    17 FEB

    Why Better Job Ads Don’t Work (And What Actually Does) - ep. 259

    When a job ad doesn’t deliver suitable applicants, most clinics assume the problem is the wording. So they rewrite it. Add more detail. Highlight mentoring. Emphasise work-life balance. Polish the benefits. And wait. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South explores what’s really happening in month two of the recruitment cycle—when “posting everywhere” hasn’t worked, and rewriting feels like the logical next step. But vets and nurses aren’t analysing your headline. They’re pattern-matching. And when your clinic is unfamiliar, even the best-written ad becomes just another unknown name making familiar claims. This episode unpacks why better copy doesn’t fix a recognition problem—and why some clinics fill roles without obsessing over wording at all. Stay to the end for a question that may change how you think about every job ad you’ve rewritten. In This Episode 00:00 – Introduction: Month two of the recruitment cycle 01:14 – The rewrite instinct and why it feels productive 03:03 – Pattern matching: how vets and nurses actually scroll 04:41 – Why even professional copywriters can’t solve this 07:45 – What job ads are really designed to do 08:52 – Two clinics, two very different outcomes 09:44 – The question about how many times you’ve rewritten the same ad 10:55 – What happens in month three About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to stop relying on reactive job advertising and instead build recognition over time—so when they do need to hire, they’re not starting from cold. Struggling to get results from your job advertisements? If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic. The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

    12 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Most vet clinics are proud of their culture. They know it's special — it's what makes them tick. What they don't know is how to share those stories in ways that mean something to other vets and nurses. That's culture storytelling. And Julie South — founder of VetClinicJobs — shows vet clinics how to do it. You'll hear real vets and nurses talking about what it's actually like to work at their clinics. Not the polished corporate version — the real moments that show how teams handle pressure, support each other, and why someone would actually want to work there. That's the kind of proof that builds trust before anyone's even looking. You'll also learn which stories to share and when, how to stay visible to great people even when you're fully staffed, and why the quiet months between hires are actually your biggest opportunity. Each episode gives you something specific to do that week — a story to share, a shift to make, a pattern to break. If you're tired of starting from scratch every time someone resigns, this podcast shows you how to become the clinic people are already watching.

Information

  • Creator
    Julie South | Veterinary Recruitment Marketing Strategist
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    295
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Veterinary Voices | Veterinary Podcast | VetClinicJobs | HaloBiz Limited
  • Show Website
    Veterinary Voices