In this episode we welcome Dr. Amber Parks - Stress and Burnout Coach for Vet Professionals. We learn about her childhood growing up in Worcester, Massachusetts with her parents and older sister. Amber reflects on playing alto saxophone as a kid in addition to participating in dance up until high school, where she made the switch to field hockey. Her grandfather’s long term illness exposed Amber to the medical field, which sparked an interest that led to veterinary medicine. She was hired by a veterinary hospital her senior year in high school, and thus began her veterinary medicine journey. Amber shares about her undergraduate years at University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she balanced a rigorous academic load and busy social life combined with the competitive pressure of getting into veterinary school. Shortly before graduation, she received the exciting news that she was accepted into Tuskegee University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, which leads us to a discussion of the competitive nature of veterinary school and the sober reality of how many undergraduates actually get accepted. Amber shares about life in veterinary school, which moves at a rapid pace and seems to be in perpetual motion. Accepting a position shortly after graduation kicked off Amber’s career in veterinary medicine, that included becoming a medical director in addition to heading out on her own to do field work. We dive deep into the professional and personal experience of what it is truly like to be a veterinarian, and the absolute grind it not only requires but demands. We touch on how corporate involvement in veterinary medicine is changing the landscape for seasoned doctors, patients and new doctors fresh out of veterinary school. Amber shares the moment she knew she was done working in her current role and what led her to change the trajectory of her future in veterinary medicine to one of helping her peers in dealing with the stress and burnout that tends to go hand in hand with it. Amber offers her clients effective guidance, support, tools and techniques to identify, heal and resolve the dark place that stress and burnout creates. We cover imposter syndrome and how our subconscious can undermine our life experience and even cause us to lean into self-sabotage. Amber also touches on how perfectionism and lack of conflict resolution skills lead to burnout. Amber’s insightful approach of helping her clients “peel back” their layers slowly through their healing process surely is one of her more effective tools as she supports and guides them. We truly enjoyed Amber’s story and learned so much about the veterinary world. We have a newfound respect for people who choose to follow the path of veterinary medicine and view Amber as an invaluable asset to the veterinary profession as a whole. We encourage anyone who is suffering from stress and burnout to reach out to Amber, but especially those involved with veterinary medicine.

Check Amber Out Here:

https://www.thestressandburnoutcoach.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dr.amberparks/

https://www.facebook.com/amber.parks.7731

Check Us Out Here:

https://genxadultingpodcast.com/

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:30 Family Background

05:49 Childhood

15:16 Being an Aunt

21:50 Grandfather's Illness Sparked Interest in Medicine

27:26 Interest in Veterinary Medicine

28:40 First Job in Veterinary Medicine

31:04 Applying to College

32:56 University of Massachusetts Amherst

37:17 9/11

39:59 Balancing the Stress and Pressure of Pre-Vet Program

47:40 Getting Accepted into Veterinary School

53:04 Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine

01:18:46 How Corporations are Affecting Veterinary Medicine

01:32:15 Career in Veterinary Medicine

01:40:34 Self-Worth Tied to Productivity

01:58:28 Imposter Syndrome

02:01:56 Perfectionism and Burnout

02:05:05 The Connection Between Avoiding Confrontation and Burnout

02:11:43 Transitioning from Veterinary Medicine to Stress and Burnout Coach

02:27:21 Reprogramming the Subconscious to Overcome Self-Sabotage

02:40:58 Peeling Back the Layers of Change

02:50:44 Client Success Story

02:54:24 Reflecting Back on a Memorable Patient

02:58:03 Helping Veterinarians Thrive Amidst the Stress and Burnout

03:07:04 5 Year Vision

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