FlightPlan: Quick Consults

Brenda Tassava Medina, CVPM, CVJ
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Entrepreneurship

Helping you navigate the turbulence of Veterinary Practice Ownership in 25 minutes or less. After all, your practice didn't come with an owner's manual!

  1. 19h ago ·  Video

    Growing Together: Mentorship at Every Stage of a Veterinary Career

    When we talk about mentorship in vet med, the conversation usually stops at new grads. But what does meaningful mentorship look like 5, 10, or 20 years into your career? In this episode, Brenda is joined by Dr. Dani Rabwin and Dr. Stijn Niessen to explore professional growth that goes way beyond a clinical skills checklist. We dig into why leadership development should start on day one and how working through imposter syndrome can actually be a sign you’re growing. Then we look at how veterinary organizations can build a culture where mentorship flows in every direction. From peer mentorship that reminds us we’re not alone, to “mosaic mentorship” (finding mentors in lots of different places), virtual options, and the reminder that mentors can learn from their mentees too.  Panelists: - Dr. Dani Rabwin, Founder of Ready, Vet, Go - Stijn Niessen, PhD, Professor of Internal Medicine at Royal Veterinary College and Founder, Virtual Veterinary Internship Thank you to VIN for partnering with us for today's episode. Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

    Growing Together: Mentorship at Every Stage of a Veterinary Career

  2. Oct 30 ·  Video

    The Price of Fear: Don't Let Economic Uncertainty Haunt Your Veterinary Practice

    In this Halloween special, Brenda asks a spooky question: what if the biggest threat to your practice isn’t the economy, but the decisions you’re making because you’re afraid of it? Brenda takes on the monsters hiding in your financial closet. The monster under the bed telling you to freeze your fees. The vampire quietly draining your margins when prices don’t keep up with costs. The ghosts of clients who haven’t been back (and why lower prices aren’t always the fix). Along the way, she shares a practical exercise for reviewing your top ten services, how to get your team confident talking about money (no more “unfortunately, the doctor wants to do these tests”), and real scripts for the toughest client conversations about cost. She wraps up with a five-step Halloween survival kit to keep those financial monsters away for good. Because compassion and financial sustainability aren’t opposing forces. They depend on each other! Thank you to VIN for partnering with us for today's episode! Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

    The Price of Fear: Don't Let Economic Uncertainty Haunt Your Veterinary Practice

  3. Oct 23 ·  Video

    Are You Really Using Your Veterinary Technicians? The Case for Better Technician Utilization

    As Vet Tech Week wraps up, host Brenda Tassava Medina sits down with Kitty Olson, CVT, FFCP, CVBL, and Carol Hurst, LVT, CVPM, CVJ, CCFP, to ask a big question: are you really using your veterinary technicians? They talk about what changes when practices stop seeing techs as support staff and start seeing them as medical professionals who expand what the practice can do. They also cover where tech talent gets left on the table, why trust and delegation matter so much, and whether your practice is short on people or short on skill. Kitty and Carol also take on the “it’s just quicker if I do it myself” mindset and share what happens when a practice truly invests in its techs: better retention, a team that feels valued, technician appointments that help the business, and a doctor-tech partnership that lifts everyone, assistants included.  Thank you to VIN for partnering with us for today's episode! Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

    Are You Really Using Your Veterinary Technicians? The Case for Better Technician Utilization

  4. Oct 16 ·  Video

    The Cost of Silence: Building Psychological Safety in Veterinary Medicine

    What happens in your hospital when someone is afraid to speak up? A tech notices a missed med. A CSR knows the schedule isn’t working. A manager disagrees with the owner but keeps the peace. That silence costs you in turnover, lost ideas, and sometimes patient safety. In this solo episode, Brenda Tassava Medina takes on the topic that keeps coming up with practice leaders nationwide: psychological safety. Drawing on Amy Edmondson’s book, The Fearless Organization, she covers the four workplace zones, why safety and accountability go hand in hand, and 7 leadership habits you can start this week. She also asks the hard question: what if YOU are the reason your team stays quiet? Pick one habit. Practice it. Keep going. ✈️ Thank you to VIN for partnering with us for today's episode! Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

    The Cost of Silence: Building Psychological Safety in Veterinary Medicine

  5. Oct 9 ·  Video

    AI in Veterinary Medicine: What Should We Hand Over, and What Should We Hold Onto?

    AI is everywhere right now, but where is it actually making a difference in the practice? Today's conversation skips the product pitches and focuses on what matters: reducing friction around the work your team is already doing. From AI scribes and admin support to client follow-up, workflow orchestration, and turning data into insights you can act on, the right tools can get your team to trusted answers faster. The big takeaway? When AI takes the right things off our plate, it can actually make veterinary medicine MORE human. Panelists: Dr. Brian Hur, Principle AI Scientist, President of Association for Veterinary InfomaticsJessica Fuller, CVPM, CCFP, HABc, VP of Community at Pawsitive IntelligenceThank you to VIN for partnering with us for today's episode! Learn more about VIN AI mode HERE! Learn more about Pawsitive Intelligence HERE! Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

    AI in Veterinary Medicine: What Should We Hand Over, and What Should We Hold Onto?

  6. Oct 2 ·  Video

    Less Stress, Better Care: The Enduring Legacy of Dr. Sophia Yin

    Twelve years after losing Dr. Sophia Yin, her push to take patient fear and stress seriously still shapes veterinary medicine. Today's panelists talk about how far we've come from labeling patients "difficult" or "dominant." They also dig into what happens when low-stress handling becomes part of the whole practice: fewer bites, happier teams, and clients who see how much you care. The key? Training, buy-in, accountability, and building it into your SOPs, because it takes a village. Panelists: Dr. Christine Calder, Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, Director of Behavior Educational Content for VIN Behavior AcademyBradley Phifer, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KSA, Executive Director for the Certification Council for Professional Dog TrainersJoy Stizza, RVT, Clinical Supervisor and Practice Leader at Town & Country Veterinary HospitalThank you to VIN for partnering with us for today's episode! To learn more about Sophia Yin and Low-Stress Handling: https://cattledogpublishing.com/https://www.vin.com/vinmembers/ceThanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

    Less Stress, Better Care: The Enduring Legacy of Dr. Sophia Yin

  7. Sep 25 ·  Video

    Your Veterinary Career is a Marathon, NOT a Sprint!

    Melissa Mauldin and Brenda Medina both started at the front desk, and 40+ combined years in veterinary medicine later, neither path looked like a straight line. Melissa worked her way from CSR to bookkeeping, practice and regional management, and now VP of HR for Encore Vet Group. Brenda thought she'd become a tech before realizing the medical side wasn't for her, working her way up from CSR to Hospital Administrator and then a veterinary consultant. Together they talk about why success doesn't have to mean a promotion, how sprinting from role to role leads straight to burnout, and what Brenda learned the first time she rolled out a job level program.  Plus, advice for newer associates thinking about leaving the profession: come in like a sponge, take time to find a special interest, and remember your skills might just fit a different practice better. Thank you to VIN (Veterinary Information Network®) for partnering with us for this episode! Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

    Your Veterinary Career is a Marathon, NOT a Sprint!

  8. Sep 18 ·  Video

    The Cost of Care: Why Veterinary Medicine Needs to Stop Apologizing - PART 2

    If we want vet professionals to have sustainable careers and real, livable wages, that has to come from somewhere: the care we provide. In Part 2, practice owners, Dr. Brianna Armstrong and Dr. Marie Maher dig into what that means on the business side, why teams need to stop apologizing for what things cost, and how pricing confidently (while still working within the spectrum of care) is what lets a practice actually pay its people what they're worth. Then a parent of a veterinary student shares what she hopes practices will one day offer her daughter. Her daughter, finishing vet school now, weighs in on what a sustainable career should look like, from friends already hitting burnout to why "firing a client" sometimes has to be okay. This one's for every vet professional thinking about what the career should pay, and it's especially worth passing along to any vet students you know! Panelists include: Dr. Brianna Armstrong, Practice Owner at Firehouse Animal Health CentersDr. Marie Maher, Practice Owner at Tranquil Tabby Mobile Cat VetResources mentioned: Dr. Armstrong created a free Hospital Culture Interview Guide for veterinary professionals. It includes 33 questions to ask, what to listen for in the answers, and red flags to watch for during an interview or working visit. Download it here!WMPB Fees 2026: Redefining Value Through Strategic PricingVeterinary Fee Consults with Encore Veterinary ConsultingWith thanks to Dr. Eve Harrison of The House Call Vet Academy, whose coaching shaped several of Dr. Maher's comments throughout this episode!Thanks for listening! Website: https://encorevet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encoreveterinaryconsulting Instagram: @encorevetconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encore-veterinary-consulting

    The Cost of Care: Why Veterinary Medicine Needs to Stop Apologizing - PART 2
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Helping you navigate the turbulence of Veterinary Practice Ownership in 25 minutes or less. After all, your practice didn't come with an owner's manual!

Information

  • Creator
    Brenda Tassava Medina, CVPM, CVJ
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 FlightPlan: Quick Consults
  • Show Website
    FlightPlan: Quick Consults