What 2025 Taught Us & How Vets Can Step Into 2026 (Mel Barham & Sonja Olson)

In this special end-of-year episode, host Dr. Megan Sprinkle is joined by returning guests Dr. Melanie Barham and Dr. Sonja Olson for an honest, grounding conversation about reflection, mindset, and what veterinary professionals can carry into 2025.

Rather than predictions or resolutions, this episode focuses on perspective—what felt hard this year, what quietly improved, and why small moments of reflection can change how we move forward. The conversation explores community, self-compassion, innovation, and the shared responsibility of shaping the future of veterinary medicine together.

This episode is a reminder that progress doesn’t require perfection, and that meaningful change often starts with listening, curiosity, and connection.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why pausing to reflect matters more than rushing into the next goal
• How community supports resilience and growth in veterinary medicine
• Why innovation starts with trying—not having all the answers
• The balance between hope and challenge in the profession today
• A mindset to carry into 2025 rooted in curiosity, courage, and compassion

Resources:

• Episode on YouTube
• Melanie Barham on LinkedIn
• Sonja Olson on LinkedIn
• Dr. Melanie’s website 
• Dr. Sonja’s website 
• Join Sonja on a veterinary wellbeing retreat in Costa Rica, March 2026  

Vetsie, the AI-powered tool for veterinarians, made by veterinarians.  Learn more or apply at Vetsie.com and use promo code Vetlife to get your first month for just $1. 

Transcript

Megan Sprinkle: [00:00:00] Welcome to Vet Life Reimagined. Today's episode is a little different and really special. As we wrap up the year and look ahead to 2026, I invited back two returning guests, friends, and trusted voices in our profession, Dr. Melanie Barham and Dr. Sonja Olson for an honest end of the year reflection and mindset conversation.

It's about pausing long enough to ask. What did we accomplish and learn this year, and how do we want to move forward? In this conversation, we reflect on what felt hard, what quietly improved, and what many of us in veterinary medicine are carrying into the new year, both personally and professionally.

You will hear thoughtful insights on navigating uncertainty, staying curious, and creating space for both growth and compassion for yourself and for others. If you've been feeling tired, hopeful, reflective, or all of the above, this episode will likely resonate. This is an episode to [00:01:00] save and re-listen to for encouragement.

All throughout the year. So join us for a grounded, encouraging conversation about where we've been and how we might thoughtfully step into what's next. So I hope you'll stay till the end, and I'll share an ending message about what to get excited for in our next episode to start the year. So let's get to the conversation with doctors Mel and Sonja.

We got together not too long ago and we were having a great conversation that I thought would be super relevant to. Bring onto the podcast. , To start with, do you mind reminding people a little bit about you and your backgrounds, and then we'll start getting into some of this wonderful, meaty conversation about what you've seen this past year in veterinary medicine and kind of hope to see in this coming new year.

Mel, do you mind starting with you and we'll, then we'll go to Sonya. 

Melanie Barham: Sure. Thanks for having me, Megan. It's so great to be back. This is good. So I'm Dr. Melanie Barham. I am [00:02:00] located in Canada and I am a veterinarian.  I also have an MBA in sustainable commerce and a project management designation.

This past year I also got some additional coaching qualifications and business coaching and conflict coaching.  And that these are all subspecialties and then career coaching as well. I already had. But, so a couple things that have changed since I was last on the podcast. I've had a lot, I've had an interesting career in veterinary medicine, and I truly believe there's so many different ways to be satisfied as a veterinarian and so many different career paths, which I, why I love Vet Life Reimagined.

It's just such an important topic. You know, I've worked across all types of different parts of the agriculture sector and the veterinary sector, and been really lucky to work in different roles as well, whether that's in surveillance in academia, in equine practice and performance practice.

And more recently I've moved into supporting businesses and also organizations and leaders as they move forward. One of the things that I realized that I really. Love and I'm also really passionate about is, is supporting leaders as they grow and organizations and [00:03:00] businesses to grow with purpose.

So not just growing for the sake of it but growing on purpose and growing intentionally. Mm. Um, so I do that through my business, MKB strategic consulting, where I do strategic planning coaching, and then consulting and speaking as well. 

Megan Sprinkle: Wonderful. Sonia? 

Sonja Olson: It's so fun to hear all of that.

It's been a journey. Hey, uh, and it's so fun to be back with you on this, this, I love your podcast too. I always enjoy hearing the stories that are brought forward from our colleagues and so it's great to be back with two of my favorite veterinary colleagues today. So I'm a long-term emergency clinician times several decades while I was in clinical practice.

Currently I live over in Vancouver, Washington, so just south of Vancouver, bc and what I'm spending my time in a hundred percent now, it was evolving over a course of time while I was still in clinical role. It was really clear to me that I also care about humans as an animal and their wellbeing.

The suffering that they experience. And so much of it seems so [00:04:00] unnecessary, particularly for our caregivers, and that really lights a fire under my, belly and heart to keep being a champion for people doing good in the world. It's hard work, it's emotional work, it's meaningful work, and people end up not necessarily having the information, the awareness, the resources that they need to do this work sustainably.

So, but they're there. And the fact that it's there and that we didn't know about it for so long and so many people suffered, left the profession, died by suicide, experienced mental health crises, physical crises. I just, I honestly, I get all like, riled up about it. I'm like, I will not abide. It cannot stand.

So I'm very passionate now about speaking, writing, coaching, um, really being in a place of collaboration with like-hearted, like-minded souls. I love collaborating and bringing these conversations together. One of the [00:05:00] things I'm really wanting to see more of is global conversation. This one health mindset where we do such good in the world as veterinary professionals and finding each other, finding the causes and moving problem solving together faster, more efficiently as healthier versions of ourselves and utilizing collective intelligence.

I think it's just, oh, we're just primed to do it. So I see myself as just honestly as, uh, a huge cheerleader and champion for this and helping people make the connections that they need and get the resources that they need. So that's what I'm up to full time with heart storming wellness. People may be like, what's that all about, Sonya?

What's that name? It's 'cause I come from here. People who know me know that's true, that I am as about as authentic as you get. And it's important to me that we have conversations that are not over intellectualized. , That we really come from our space of values and of heart and [00:06:00] purpose. , So I'm really looking forward to utilizing, like Mel, I added coaching to my repertoire this year.

Neurotransformational coaching, yum, yum, Neuroscience to some of the things I'm doing. And I've submitted my second book, my rep manuscript is in, so this next year I'm excited. I, I will be a contributing author and in my own book, four books. When I was reflecting upon it, I was like, that's amazing.

So super excited for what 2026 is gonna bring for collaborative conversations. 

Megan Sprinkle: Super exciting. Yeah, I know both of you have had a huge year. And Sonia you make a good point too, is the, we like neuroscience, we like science and, and that kind of thing, but we also have to go back to the heart side of things too.

Mm-hmm. The. Purpose, the, the values, the passions, those kinds of things as well. And we were talking about how important it is to have time to [00:07:00] pause and reflect on those things. Like what do we value, what gets us excited? What maybe makes us feel sad too, right? Like we, we need to reflect on all of the things so that we can.

Also move forward in the correct direction.  So both of you are great at being able to do self-reflection and, and pause and, and reevaluate. So I would love to kind of get your thoughts both on a personal level. it's the end of the year. It's a great time to do this activity

so like starting a new, habit it, they recommend like starting on a Monday or something like that. But anytime it's like something new or a start is a great time to do this. So, how have you done this where you have stopped to reflect personally?

Let's start with personally 'cause I think it'll also merge into what you're probably seeing as a mm-hmm. Veterinary community as a whole. So, Mel, what about you? , So thank you for being [00:08:00] willing to be vulnerable. These are vulnerable questions.

What are some of the things that you've kind of, , decided for yourself and, and that might help guide you going forward? 

Melanie Barham: Yeah, good question. First of all, I feel like. If you are constantly doing things and you're super busy, it is hard to make space to stop and reflect. Like a lot of people might be listening to this, and if I was listening to this I might be thinking, okay, I'm just limping to the finish line here.

I just need to get through Christmas. I've just finished Thanksgiving, or I'm just, oh my gosh, I can't, I, there's so much to do around this time of year whether you have a family or you don't, or whether you're traveling or not for the holidays. There's just so much to do to wrap things up at the end of the year.

It's a, it's also okay if you, if you aren't able to write at this moment, self-reflect, but there can also be really micro reflections as well. It doesn't have to be a big like journaling retreat for three days or like even an hour. You know? It can be just, oh. I am actually better at this than I was last year.

Or like, oh, this [00:09:00] isn't the way that it would've been this time last year. And I really appreciate that it doesn't have to be perfect to be pretty good, , to do a small reflection. And I'm always reminded, I have a lovely friend who, you know, if there's something hard that I'm going through, she's like, wow.

I, do you think you're better at this than you were last time? Yes, I think I'm so, like we just sort of give each other a high five, like, oh, I think I am better at this than last time. Um, or, you know what, , this would've been a lot harder for me and it would've taken a lot outta me a year ago.

And now like whether that's a procedure that you're getting better at or whether that's conflict or whether it's like doing something, we forget how far we've come. It was a real lesson for me this year. I, I decided with my new business when I, I launched it a year and a half ago, almost two years ago now.

But when it was the year mark, I decided I was gonna take the day off and I was gonna just call it founder's day. And I was gonna have, have the day to myself and just do something fun. And I kind of vaguely felt, I felt bad for doing that 'cause I felt like I hadn't done enough, or that it hadn't gone well enough, or that I hadn't done very much at all.

And so I challenged [00:10:00] myself to like do a reflective practice that I do often with teams and tallied up all of the wins that I had or just the things that had gone well 'cause I didn't wanna focus on the stuff that had gone badly just yet. I think it's important to do that, but I just tallied up the stuff that had gone right.

And I looked at the list and I thought, oh, actually, like if I hadn't done this, I would've felt this vague sense of unease that I hadn't done very much 'cause I think generally in our society, we compare ourselves all the time and we don't think about it and we're always thinking, I'm not good enough.

So, it was never more evident than, that moment in time where I had this really big feeling like I hadn't done very much or hadn't done enough. And then I tallied it up and I was like, wow, I have helped 19 entrepreneurs this year. I have helped businesses grow. I have helped so many startups launch.

I have done all of these facilitated things. I have done all of these speaking things and I have done all of, you know, and it was like, oh, and that's great. And isn't that wonderful? Like. I actually did it. I did what I said I was gonna do, and I did better than I thought I was [00:11:00] gonna do. Isn't that wonderful?

Like, but if I hadn't paused to do that, I would've just felt this vague sense of unease and just kept going on that treadmill of like never enough. So, it was a big lesson for me for sure. 

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah, I just wanna comment for those that are feeling like you're limping until the finish line or just living to Christmas, I totally get it.

I am, I'm kind of there myself. So just to relate for those individuals. And you mentioned talking with a friend and your friend helping you reflect and, and so I think. Being around individuals or communities where they help you do that is super valuable.

Those relationships and connections are really important to help us be our best selves and, and remember, you know what we've done well. Mm-hmm. So, I just wanted to comment on that too is finding those individuals that will help you do that. So, yeah. What about you, 

Sonja? 

Sonja Olson: Hmm. I love all of this, and I really love a few things that. That we're bringing [00:12:00] up here. Number one is the power of the pause. You know, it's just, vital. And as you say, Mel, it can be just a moment. It can be just where you really reflect. If it's in the daytime and you're practicing and you have, you know, we call this forward for many teams, right?

Have you celebrated your micro wins today? Have you taken a moment to notice all the differences that you made in the animal's lives and the people's lives? So, it's really a practice, isn't it? It's something that we as a community haven't really developed as a routine, and so it's something that we can role model, right, by doing it ourselves and then teach it, um, to our teams and so that they're practicing it more regularly for them themselves, personally and professionally.

But it's our natural human selves and the way that we're wired, that we aren't necessarily focusing on the positives on the wins. We know this to be true, and of course. Geeking out on the neuroscience, uh, for a moment is that there's so much capability with neuroplasticity for us to choose a healthier approach, uh, a different perspective, opening up the [00:13:00] lens and saying what else is true, and having, as you say, each of you having a colleague, a trusted friend, to really hold space for you and say, have you considered what else might be true about this? And can I tell you what I see? I love that by the way, having trusted colleague, friend to say, what do you see? What am I not seeing about myself? Right? Because we're so hard on ourselves, so hard on ourselves, and my goodness, I know we try not to necessarily go swimming in the comparison pool, but we do it.

So, oh, just being mindful that you're already amazing. And awesome. Okay. It doesn't mean a lot of extra doing to make you qualified to be in the Cool Kids Club, whatever that is. Can we just lean into the fact that many days we're doing the best we can, which is already pretty amazing, and celebrate that you did the best that you could [00:14:00] today honestly, with the resources that you had, and that maybe you have some aspirations and some dreams to stretch.

How are you going to get there? What are some of the steps, mini steps that you can take? Who's gonna support you along the way? How can you support yourself, right? With all that self-compassion and self-awareness. Living a life that's not just your professional life. These are things that I've been reflecting on.

Then I'm really calling in. Very much this year. It felt like a lot of doing. And then assess doing and assess. 'cause I'm really trying to feel into what do I love doing? Where do I feel like I, Sonia can have the biggest impact with me and what I do and know and where do I feel less excited? Where do it, where does it feel like more like work than.

Fun. So really, really paying attention to these things. Uh, really listening to [00:15:00] my values, what feels values aligned. And I think this December it was very much my intention to not have as much doing on my plate so that I could take the time to lean into quiet moments to go for those. Meditative walks to spend time with friends.

And also I scheduled very intentionally time with people in my community who I really look up to and respect, who are doing things much longer than I have, or maybe about the same amount of time. And what's it like for you? What have you learned? And we can maybe have this external processing and clarification just by talking.

I sort of feel like that's what we're doing here too, which is like, where am I in this? What have I learned? What would I want folks to know and be easy on themselves with, as well as courageous? 

Megan Sprinkle: May I ask, [00:16:00] you said you have intentionally set aside time to talk with people in your community that you look up to. Are you speaking to veterinary specific or is this like a broader community? 

Sonja Olson: A little bit of a broader community? Yeah, so these are, um. These are friends that I've met through life. Right. But also through the veterinary community for sure. I mean, I have to be honest in saying that I feel like the people that really get where I am and what I'm trying to do are gonna be most likely my, my veterinary colleagues, they can better understand the issues.

But we all know that. Caregiving concerns don't, doesn't just live in Vet Med. So, I really feel like it's helpful for me to talk to people that are outside of Vet Med and just be like, what's it like, you know, in spaces of human med education, teaching law. You know, I, I think there's lots of different places of stressors that I [00:17:00] don't know their experience.

I'm curious as a human, what, what have you figured out and what's working and what do you wish there was more of? So just hearing it from different spaces and then also every time, and I'm be, you guys have this experience too, trying to explain what you do and why you do it to friends and family members.

Just having had Thanksgiving gone by, um, they're like, whatcha doing again? And why are you doing it? And I'm like. It's a great practice. You get to practice. Using different words and approaches with folks that are outside what we know. I found that to be really healthy. 

Megan Sprinkle: that's a good way of putting it instead of frustrating sometimes.

Both of us have very non-traditional career paths, so every time we have to explain like what we do, I, I, at least personally, I'm like, oh, go. Here we go. 

Melanie Barham: Easier. It used to be a lot easier. There we go again. Yeah. When it was like. Horse vet that makes sense to people or like cat and dog [00:18:00] vet. That makes sense.

Right, exactly. Um, can I add one thing that, um, that has been a reflection for me also is that, sometimes when it is hard to reflect something good about yourself, , what I have found is a useful way to even kick that off. And to be able to see those things is to be very specific and intentional about kind of complimenting somebody else or like being grateful for somebody else's stuff.

I was very lucky at, um, at the weekend I was away for a trip for Community Veterinary Outreach, which is a charity that I work with. And I'm the CEO of when we got to go to, uh, the Arctic Circle this past week, and then also to Vancouver, which was very cool to visit their regions, which was amazing to see the leadership that's in action there.

And one of the things that I loved to do and I really appreciated doing was, um, was just notice it like, 'cause I got to kind of look around and see what everyone was. Doing and, um, without having to be as in as much of a rush was to say at the end of the day, like, wow, thank you so much so and so, like, , I noticed how much attention you paid to our clients or how, 

how careful you were with this stuff [00:19:00] and

just be very specific, but also to share with them how much it meant to, to probably those other people. 'cause I could kind of see it from the outside. Um, one of our volunteers was there who was manning the pet supplies area and was just incredible with our clients and really great to talk with them and to find the right harness for them and stuff like that.

Or find the right bowl for their, for their pet. Um, and just really, you know, really connected with them. And I talked with them afterwards and they actually, they used to be a client of ours where they had, they'd gone through some very difficult times with, um, housing vulnerability.

And so, they come back every time to volunteer, which I thought, isn't that cool? But I wouldn't have got to know that if I hadn't chatted with them or if I hadn't noticed how great they were with our clients or just to look around. So sometimes it's just about opening your peepers to like see what everybody else is doing instead of just focusing on your to-do list or what's right in front of you.

Megan Sprinkle: Hmm. Ooh. I love that. That's really good. And kinda on that, moving into the broader veterinary medicine sphere, I highly respect both of you [00:20:00] for you're in a unique position, like you've both kind of explained that so far. Mel, you talked about supporting entrepreneurs and startups and leaders and Sonya, same like you do a lot of leadership and culture development with an organization.

So you've spent the year in. Really unique places and situations. As you reflect on veterinary medicine as a whole for the past year, what kind of comes to your mind? How are you leaving this year feeling about veterinary medicine and what you've interacted with?

Melanie Barham: Sonja, do you wanna go first? 

Sonja Olson: Yeah. Uh, 

The two words that come to mind are I feel challenged and hopeful. Honestly, I, I feel like we've made progress, but oh Lord, there is work to do when I talk to you. Sorry, mal, sorry for coffee. Um, I feel like there's, from very. Uh, from varied places around the globe. It's not just, you know, north America, right?

These are conversations around how do we create a [00:21:00] sustainable profession, for the good that we wanna do in the world with the animals that we wanna serve. And for the joy of being in the veterinary profession? H ow do we keep working towards, cultural spaces, team medicine spaces, family?

Health with animals, affordability spaces. These are big conversations that give me a lot of hope that they're even on people's minds. And that we have language that we're using now. And yet, boy, these are big issues. They're super complex. And the other thing that gives me hope is that we are amazing problem solvers.

It's, you know, we are complete nerds for, for complex problems. So, I feel like we're equipped and yet it's gonna take, again, I mentioned it before, the collective intelligence instead of competing, instead of it being my solution, my company's solution. Oh, please knock it off. It's so inefficient. Can we please just work towards great solutions And then sharing them?

Can we create templates and share them? Can we create [00:22:00] novel approaches for Vet Med that maybe aren't novel in other places? We borrow them, you know, from other places. That's multidisciplinary. That's smart. Interprofessional. So, I am hoping the bridges are being built. I am hopeful that there are more and more folks in our vet sphere that are those bridges and they understand enough from these different places to bring it towards our communities to foster the conversations that are necessary.

Um, so rather than getting bogged down in the frustration of having the same conversation for the 5 billionth time about why wellbeing matters for veterinary professionals? Take a deep breath. Recognize it's an opportunity to educate and to clarify, how many times have we done that with clients, right?

It's an opportunity to clarify and to team. So, we keep it up. We keep it up. So challenged and hopeful. How about you, Mel? 

Melanie Barham: Hi. You're always so good at coming up with these, with like a word and being succinct about it. Sonia, I just love [00:23:00] that like you, I think you always said it. You've always said a word for the year, don't you?

Sonja Olson: Mm-hmm. 

Melanie Barham: You're always so good about that, and I can always just think of a word salad, but, but I think about, I guess what I have thought about too is, is really that , I tend to think of our industry often as like change averse or like maybe not as innovative as others, or, I feel like I've often sat in that critical space about our profession that it's as for me, I'm always like, oh, we're never, we're not moving fast enough.

We're not doing things fast enough. But I have seen this year, I guess I, I do feel like there are so many people who are doing cool things and there are opportunities to move forward and people are owning. Maybe it is. Maybe they're picking up their collective piece of the big wicked problem and doing, doing their bit, because Nobody is gonna come along and solve all of the problems for us. And if they did, we probably wouldn't like the solution. Right. Um, yeah, so I think I've seen lots of people picking up the mantle of, I'd really like things to be different in my, that in areas that I can [00:24:00] control or areas that I have influence over.

 So, I'm going to do this, um, or I'm going to try this small thing, move in this direction so that the finally the dam will break and things will actually change for the most of us. And I, I see that, and I think there's so many cool instances of, of organizations or individuals doing those things.

Like in. Just doing their, their little bit to make sure that we're all moving forward with some of these big challenges that we face. Whether that's affordability, whether that's workforce, sustainability, whether that's, you know, just, just technology or what that looks like.

I've just loved seeing some of those neat, neat things. Mm-hmm. And people coming forward and saying, I think I might have a solution. And then you know others saying that's great. That sounds amazing. Let's do it. Or, yeah, that's great. Just because you don't know every single step along the way.

It's okay. You can just get started and just do the next step. 

Megan Sprinkle: Hmm. Yeah. It makes me think about what Sonia was talking about with having the conversations, right? Like just [00:25:00] start by bringing up an idea within the right. Environment. Right. And start having the conversation and start where you are.

Right? Like it, it doesn't have to be that you're going to solve all the problems, but I think. Like again, you said we're great. Um, I, I'm trying to change it to solutions finders instead of problem solvers. It's solutions finders repositioning, how we're thinking about this. Hmm. Um, 

I have, I mean, I have a podcast full of examples. I, I think of the way that we see the world and we're called to do something about it too. I think that is. Extremely hopeful. And, uh, before I forget, Sonya, if you have a word for the year, what was your word this year? 

Sonja Olson: Um, this year it was, um, it was trust.

Megan Sprinkle: Oh, okay. 

Sonja Olson: So, it was me really leaning into trusting myself, my intuition, and my deeper knowing and [00:26:00] trusting that the universe was gonna bring opportunities towards me that were meant for me. And that I just needed to pay attention, and if things didn't come towards me, that they weren't meant for me or not right now.

Hmm. It was, it's a very uncomfortable space. Lemme be clear. It's, that's a hard space. Just, just like, be like, okay. Because we, you know, I think we have a tendency of, of not just veterinary professionals, but I think a lot of us that are high achieving individuals we're go-getters. And it's hard to not be in a space of, uh, feeling like you're controlling your destiny, you know?

So I feel like it's, uh, a place where you wanna pay attention and be alert in the driver's seat, but also if that interesting little jog of the road looks interesting. Do you have the time to maybe take a diversion and take a little drive and see what's interesting and cool over there that you wouldn't have otherwise discovered?

Yeah, trust. [00:27:00] 

Megan Sprinkle: I think that's really good because I think personally me reflecting a little bit, I have seen a lot of pockets of where people have really felt like there wasn't a lot that they could control. Like there's a lot of, , like people we would never have thought would lose a job, losing jobs and mm-hmm.

Having trouble finding jobs and, AI is, . As much of an enthusiast as I am, you know, back to the, it's moving really fast and that's a little scary too, is to see this thing that we know has potential impact and it's moving super fast and we're. We are just trying to keep up understanding it, right?

So that can be kind of, um, that feeling of a little bit of out of control as well. And so I, I think those are good things to talk about as well. And, and maybe a good pivot into looking forward into the new year. As [00:28:00] you know, we've reflected, we've also talked about understanding, you know, looking at what we can control and what we would like to do going forward.

So as you. Are thinking about 2026 moving forward, w what are you personally looking forward to in, uh, your career path? , And then also what are you kind of thinking that the profession might be heading into? And, , share your thoughts there. 

Sonja Olson: Yeah, no, this is great.

And it's exactly the space I'm swimming in this month. so as we think about where we're going into this next year, I've been, as we just mentioned, yeah. I choose a word. So I've been thinking what is my, gonna be my word for this next year? And I think what I'm leaning towards is, intentional, you know, being very intentional.

And so I'm, that means I have to slow down. That means I have to have those moments of quiet and reflection and integration to be in alignment with and be able to discern, is this the right [00:29:00] space for my time, my energy now, or do I need to maybe say not right now, or No, thank you. , Boundaries. Super important for us, right?

As part of self-care, so intentionality. What I'm excited about myself, and it's something I'm calling in, is that I'm feeling very moved about. Being more connected with our global veterinary colleagues in communities that I feel have not really received the amount of resources, conversation, speakers, et cetera, that we are blessed to have in North America, Europe, and Australia.

What about Latin America? What about the places like India and China and the Philippines and Africa? There are veterinarians doing great stuff in these places, and they're removed from us to a degree by just a bit. How can we create that community space of, of support, of learning from one another, as well as, um, also creating, I, I want there to be more of a flow of, [00:30:00] of information.

So this is where ai, this is where the, um, power of. As, as much as we have to respect it and be, you know, careful with the things that we do with communication, we can use it for good, you know, for global communication and connection. So I'm, I'm personally feeling very excited and inspired by the idea of increasing the communities that I am connecting with as I go into 2026.

I don't know what that looks like yet, you two, but I'm figuring it out. I'm figuring it out. 

Megan Sprinkle: That's fair. , Just love hearing your thought process 

Sonja Olson: flowing. 

Megan Sprinkle: What about you, Mel? What are you , thinking about for the next year for yourself and what you're kind of looking at for veterinary medicine as a whole?

Melanie Barham: , Yeah, good question. I'm not as clever as Sonya being able to put one word on the year, but I do think about, I guess the phrase that I think about is like the time is now for lots of things like around, if you have a cool idea. , I don't think there's ever been a better time to bring it to fruition , we have some [00:31:00] economic downturn, we have some challenges in the market where, you know, maybe before.

Appointments are a little bit slower now, so there's lots of time to try different things. So I think for entrepreneurs, I think if you have a, a solution that might work in your practice or you think that there's a way that you can help pets better, or a way that you can, you know, help this world better, I think there is a good time to do that.

. And so, yeah, the time is now kind of thinks is maybe the, it's not necessarily the opposite of what Sonia's saying So's like, maybe not now. , But I think, you know, for me, like the time is now to move forward and to lean into things that you wanna do, , that you're thinking about. I guess that's what I think about is like, we need to hear from many voices in the industry to be able to design solutions that will work for everybody.

, You know, if you're waiting for some wonderful corporation or some group to. Decide to figure out the answer. Um, I, I think we might miss out or I think we might get things that are not designed for us. So if you have a solution to a problem, I think at the time is too. To say it or to do it, or to take it into [00:32:00] action, even if it's a small pilot or even if it's just a teeny weeny idea, or you're thinking it would never work.

I'm not sure. It might, it might be the coolest thing ever. It might be. I, I think that there could be some things that could change the game, right? , I really think back to like, you know, 20 years ago we didn't have emerge clinics, you know, there wasn't a thing or 30 years ago wasn't a thing.

, There may be some people who say like, nah, that'll never work, but I think just try things And that's what I'm gonna have to try to live by too, which is just trying things and moving forward and seeing like, you're probably making a fairly educated guess.

because if you've lived it and you're sitting there thinking, I think I could solve this with something or other, chances are you've probably thought through probably more than a lot of other people, you know? 

Megan Sprinkle: Very good point. I I love that too. It it is. Both sides of the coin, right?

It's the not everything comes at once. So some of it is the do what you can and , things [00:33:00] happen. , Nobody wants to hear this, right? When you're in the thick of it, of, maybe it's not time, right? But at the same time, it doesn't mean that you don't do anything, uh, or just assume everybody else will figure it out. If you have a thought, if you have ideas, start finding the right places to share those ideas. Mm-hmm. And. Whether it is a colleague that you trust or it's individuals like yourselves, you two are some of the people that I come to as, my group for reflection, for my group for encouragement.

, A very honest, reflection too. You don't want the people that'll just say, yeah, it's amazing. Like, you know, right. You want the, the people that you trust to tell you all of it. And so, you know, you are some of those for me as well. And so finding that group of people to collaborate with, to have these conversations, to decide what's one thing that we could start doing to test it out.

To [00:34:00] try it out to see. Or you know, like if this is something that we, we feel like we can get behind and we're excited to try it. , I. 

Melanie Barham: I would also like to say that I think there is value in it being a failure.

There is value and it's like, oh, the market wasn't ready for this. Or like, you know what? That didn't work at all. there's value in that because like, let's say that, I don't know, even if it's something simple, like, I wonder if I did this differently in conflicts, if this would make a difference or if this would be better.

At least, you know, like if that was a miserable failure, like that was the worst idea of all time, then you know, you're not sitting on it and being like, well, I've had this idea and I'm just never acted on it. , Or , it might be the best thing since sliced bread, but there's also value. And like I have lots of colleagues who have, you know, had a business idea, launched something, it didn't work out or the market wasn't ready for it.

I think about, there was a, there's a lady in my area who, a wonderful veterinarian who. , Started an on-call business that was for equine veterinarians. That had been tried two to three [00:35:00] times before. I was one of the, like the one of the middle people who had thought about trying it and got a business model together and stuff, and it wasn't, the market wasn't right for it, so it wasn't the right time.

But you know, those, it kind of took some of those stakes in the sand to get things moving, right? So even if it fails, there's value in that. And that's totally true for almost every innovation. There'd be like an early predecessor of, I don't know, even the computer or like a CD or like whatever it is.

Like there's always these early things that maybe they didn't take off, but there's value in it. So even if you're not the biggest success in the world with it, there's still value in doing that and trying it. And if it's a massive failure and it's really terrible and it was the worst idea to manage a conflict, or it was the worst idea of all time, cool, then, you know, be like, well, I'm gonna move on.

Right? 

Sonja Olson: Data, it gives you that data, right? It's like, and it moves you forward and it moves, whatever that solution finding is. Forward. It's, and I love the idea of failing forward. I mean, that's, and now when I hear you, I get so inspired about your entrepreneurial heart, [00:36:00] you know, because it's just like 

Melanie Barham: me.

Sonja Olson: Let's see what happens. 

Melanie Barham: Let's try this out. Oh, it's not easy to, it's not easy to be in that space, and it sucks, but it's, 

Sonja Olson: no, but it's, it's, it's a space. That's the thing that I love, that I would love to bring towards people too, is embrace. The courageous heart of discomfort in the learning. , What do they say, embrace the suck, where it's like, yeah, you know, it's like, oh, this is really uncomfortable.

The not knowing is hard. The not feeling understood is hard. Not having the resources that you feel like are needed to really move an initiative forward can be hard and uncomfortable. All of that, though. Uh, , moving forward intentionally and keeping the conversation going and, and believing in the potential outcome.

Maybe we don't know exactly what that looks like. Maybe we don't know the timeframe, but believing it is possible. I think that takes a lot of, of courage and stamina, you know, so we have to, I was [00:37:00] just sharing this with a mentee yesterday. How do we create the conditions for success? you know, and how do, and a part of that is just literally tilling the soil, you know, and laying down the seeds.

And some of the seeds , won't come to life and others will. 

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah, I think it's a combination of planting seeds and the mindset of learning from everything. And I don't know exactly when it, the episode will come out aligned with this one, but I interviewed Mike Mossop, who is now one of the C-suites of Covet, and he started his own company before that, that he ended up folding, you know, like he had to close it, it didn't work.

Hmm. But with that experience, and yes, it sucked, but through that experience and the connections that he made through it, he was able to find this amazing opportunity with Co-Vet. Mm-hmm. And so, [00:38:00] yes, it, it's hard. Being an entrepreneur is super hard. I listened to so many podcasts and it's over and over again.

. It is so hard. But again, you're doing something. You're d eveloping relationships and connections. You're, you're trying things and if you're embracing the learning mindset, the growth mindset along the way, you'll be successful in some way. , It may not look exactly like you thought at the beginning.

But the combination of those things I think are great ingredients for success in the long run. 

Melanie Barham: Yeah, I think I think about your podcast, Megan. Like, did you know everything about being a podcast host and like doing a podcast before you started? 

Megan Sprinkle: Not at all. 

Melanie Barham: I know. That's the thing. It's like nobody's like, nobody's gonna be go back and be like, gosh, , no, it's okay. Like nobody, you know, people will see the late. Stage and they're like, oh, look at what a wonderful success you are. And I'm like, well, 

Sonja Olson: but isn't that true of everything that we do?

Right. I mean, I was just listening to a third year veterinary [00:39:00] students preparing to go into fourth year, and they were interviewing one of their prior schoolmates who's been out in Vet Med for nine months. Mm-hmm. And just, oh, it was such a rich conversation because they were all just like, ah, failure.

Ah, do I know enough? Oh my gosh. You know what? And yet there was such excitement. Yeah, the enthusiasm to get going and to try and , let's just remember that, you know, let's remember the enthusiasm, the excitement of getting the opportunity to try, even though it may not show up the way we expected.

We're going to make mistakes. Hello humans, and we're gonna learn from them. So this is the way. 

Megan Sprinkle: Well, I think that's a great mindset to go into a new year. And like I said, you know, it's finding the people that you can go to with your ideas and suggestions and, and just finding a network again is one of those ingredients.

To set yourself up for success is finding that good group and network, , to surround yourself with. And like I [00:40:00] said, you two are, are people that I, I count as some of that community for myself. And you are both doing wonderful things, like you talked about being coaches and things like that. Do you mind sharing a little bit more about how people can find you, like what you're currently doing now so people know and can reach out?

Melanie Barham: Yeah, go ahead, Sonya. Oh, you're pointing at me. Okay. Hold on. Um, yeah, so you can find me , on LinkedIn is where I hang out most. , You can find me at Melanie Barham on LinkedIn. Feel free to add me as a connection. Uh, you can also follow my business at Mkb Strategic. . Consulting, limited. That's on my website is uh, mkbstrategic.com.

So find me there and I'd love to hear from you if you have a cool idea, if you're looking for support, um, if you're looking for strategic planning as an organization or as a leader. Yeah. And, or if you're just wondering, I wonder if this would work. , I wonder if this would be a fit or not. I'd be happy to chat.

Sonja Olson: Hmm. Yay. Yep. Same as LinkedIn, uh, Sonya Olson, DVM on LinkedIn. I hang out there frequently. My [00:41:00] website, is sonjaOlsondvm.com and I am really keen to hear from folks that are looking for support for themselves, for their teams. They're talking about culture and how to bring it to life in a way that is, impactful for the folks being in the different seats.

That they are in our communities. I also am very excited to facilitate, workshops alongside folks. Let's collaborate. Let's come together and talk about solutions, right, Megan, as you said, I love that. Let's talk about solutions focused. I love it. And something that I, I do have on my heart that is. Still fairly new that I will bring up is that there's that conservation medicine part of me that I'm still developing retreats, wellness retreats.

So I'm doing it again in March. For those that are curious, Costa Rica retreat with Sonja, that will not suck, by the way. That's an amazing place. And I promise that it would be a meaningful experience, but I'm hopeful that that is gonna be something that I will have the opportunity to do alongside others, and support wildlife [00:42:00] conservation, environmental action efforts around the world.

So, , this is the one that I'm doing this coming year, but I am excited for folks to reach out. Also, like we were saying, if you need a safe space to just. Talk about, like, I'm thinking about what do you know? Who, do you know every one of us on this podcast, w e do this regularly with each other? And then we're like, oh wait, I know someone, it's not me that knows this, but this person, you can start here.

You can start with Megan or with Mel, and let us support what you're thinking about and dreaming about or trying to find a solution for. 'cause if we don't have it, we are so very excited to introduce you to other folks that we know. 

Megan Sprinkle: Well, thank you both. , I honestly absolutely love getting to spend time with you, so this was a great opportunity to bring it to the larger veterinary community.

So thank you so much for what you do, and I look forward to seeing everybody in the new year. 

I wanna thank Melanie and Sonia for [00:43:00] their honesty, their perspective, and their steady presence in this space like it does for me. I hope this conversation reminds you that none of us are navigating this profession or this season alone. As the year comes to a close, I hope you give yourself permission to pause, if even briefly, to notice what you've accomplished, what you've learned, and what you are grateful for.

In the coming year, you don't need to have everything figured out. Sometimes the most meaningful progress comes from simply staying curious, staying connected, and staying kind to yourself and to others. Next week, we'll begin 2026 with our annual vision casting episode with multiple experts in the profession.

A chance to zoom out, look ahead. And thoughtfully explore what is next for veterinary medicine and for each of us within it. It feels like the perfect way to start a new year together. Thank you for being part of this community, for listening, reflecting, and for showing up. However this year ends for you.

I hope you step into the [00:44:00] next one, feeling supported, hopeful, and open to possibility. Until next year, let's keep reimagining what's possible in veterinary life.