If you have ever attended a lecture or conference where you left feeling rejuvenated and motivated only to realize the day you return to work that nothing learned could be plugged into real life, then you are in the right place. As a recovering motivational speaker addict, I now look for techniques and advice that truly make a difference.
Having spent far too long feeling like something was off with my career, I finally realized I had something to say. This blog is my attempt to recover from my own burnout and cynical views I picked up along the way. It is the expression of all I have learned, am still learning, and still need to learn. It is my connection to a world of people who feel unsatisfied but still show up anyway.
My name is Jen, and my journey through veterinary medicine has had highs and lows and lots of in betweens. In 2008, I graduated with an applied science degree and my license as a Registered Veterinary Technician. Terrified and inexperienced, I started in general practice. A few years, and a lot of tears, later, my confidence grew, and I joined an emergency and referral hospital as an Internal Medicine Technician.
Internal Medicine is where my path became a stairwell. I eagerly climbed it as fast as I could. This is where I fell in love with my work, my skill level soared, and I hit my highest highs until I peaked as a boarded Veterinary Technician Specialist in Internal Medicine. It’s also where I accidentally became a supervisor which changed the trajectory of my career.
As veterinary medicine went corporate, I went stale. The changes at that practice left me feeling deflated and abandoned. Leadership skills I had worked so hard to develop no longer seemed to matter. The mentorship I came to rely on vanished. The toxic traits of the culture began to really weigh on me and pretty soon I was considering leaving the field altogether. I needed a change.
With an impressive resume, I obtained a position as the practice manager of a privately owned general practice. I got the change of pace, just not the one I was expecting. Here is where I learned to be a balanced human being and redefined my ideas of success. That may sound great, but these attributes were hard earned through some of the most difficult situations I have ever had to face using resilience I didn’t think I had. And I am still learning to find and respect my own boundaries.
I hope you’ll join me on this winding path of reflection, growth, and recovery. Finding personal fulfillment looks different for everyone and I hope to be one step toward helping you find yours.