a six-month leadership experience
for veterinary practice Managers
Leader
Become a founding member.
We begin in September 2026.
You can be deeply compassionate, powerfully effective, and fully committed to your team without becoming responsible for everyone and everything.
Veterinary managers carry far more than their job descriptions.
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You hold the schedule, the conflict, the complaints, the staffing gaps, and often the emotional climate of the entire hospital.
The workday may end, but the weight often follows you home. You replay the difficult conversation, worry about the struggling employee, and wonder how tomorrow’s gaps will get filled. Over time, carrying the needs, problems, and emotions of an entire hospital can make even deeply meaningful work feel unsustainable.
You don’t need to become less caring. You need a way to lead without carrying it all.
here’s what's possible:
It’s possible to lead with compassion without carrying everyone. I’ll show you how.
This six-month group coaching experience gives veterinary practice managers the tools, support, and community to lead with greater clarity, navigate difficult conversations, protect their capacity, and create a version of leadership that feels sustainable. You’ll also learn how to stop being perpetually “on,” create healthier boundaries around your availability, and reclaim more energy and presence for your relationships, your rest, and the life you have outside the hospital.
Built for the realities of veterinary management..
Most leadership programs focus on systems, strategy, and performance. This one addresses the human side of leading a veterinary hospital: emotional labor, nervous system regulation, boundaries, accountability, team culture, and the pressure to be available to everyone.
With more than 25 years in veterinary medicine, I’ve created a space where managers can speak honestly, learn practical tools, receive meaningful coaching, and connect with people who truly understand the work.
You won’t have to explain why it’s so hard.
We all get it.
AN INVITATION TO CARRY LESS, NOT DO MORE.
You already have enough people depending on you. This program will not become one more thing you have to manage.
This program is designed to support your capacity, not compete with it.
Join the calls live when you can. Watch the replay when you can’t. Bring what’s actually happening in your hospital to the coaching sessions, and use the private community whenever you need support. There are no gold stars for overextending yourself here.
You don’t have to perform. You can’t fall behind.
Hi! I’m Julie. I used to work with animals, and now I support the people who care for them.
I’m a Certified Compassion Fatigue Specialist, Master Life Coach, and former veterinary hospital administrator with more than 25 years of experience in veterinary medicine. I know this industry from the inside. I’ve worked as a veterinary assistant, hospital administrator, and veterinary sales and training professional. I’ve seen how easily capable, compassionate leaders become the person everyone turns to, and how quickly that responsibility can consume their energy, confidence, and personal lives. Today, I help veterinary professionals understand their nervous systems, set boundaries without guilt, navigate difficult relationships, and remain deeply caring without carrying everything. This program brings together my experience in veterinary medicine, leadership, burnout, compassion fatigue, and coaching to help you lead your hospital with greater clarity and create a life that still belongs to you.
The Lighter Leader is perfect for veterinary practice managers who:
Care deeply but are tired of carrying everyone.
Are the person everyone turns to when things go wrong.,
Replay difficult conversations after the workday ends.
Want boundaries without losing their compassion.
Want to handle conflict with clarity and confidence.
Want support from managers who truly get it.
What’s included:
Six months of support focused on your well-being, capacity, and life both inside and outside the hospital
Two 90-minute live sessions each month: one guided training and one coaching and conversation session centered on what you’re carrying and what you need
Trainings on emotional labor, nervous system regulation, compassionate boundaries, difficult conversations, and creating a sustainable relationship with work
Recordings of every live session, so you can participate even when your schedule changes
A private online community where you can speak honestly, receive support, and connect with veterinary managers who truly understand
Ongoing guidance and coaching from Julie throughout the six-month experience
WHAT WE’LL EXPLORE TOGETHER
The Lighter Leader begins with you, the person behind the role. Over six months, we’ll move from understanding what you’re carrying to caring for your nervous system, setting compassionate boundaries, navigating difficult conversations, creating a healthier team culture, and building a version of leadership that supports your life instead of consuming it.
This first group is something special. As a founding member, you’ll receive preferred pricing and help bring The Lighter Leader community to life.
FOUNDING MEMBER PRICE
$1,500
FOUNDING MEMBER PRICE
$400/month
how it works
Apply to Join
Complete a short online application so we can make sure The Lighter Leader is the right fit for you.
Choose Your Plan
Once we’ve confirmed it’s a good fit, you’ll receive an email inviting you to choose your preferred payment option.
Meet Twice
Join us twice each month on Thursdays at 2 p.m. ET: one 90-minute guided training and one 90-minute coaching and conversation session. Recordings are provided.
Feel Lighter
Put what you’re learning into practice so you can lead with more steadiness, leave more of work at work, and have more energy for the rest of your life.
What You Get Back:
Because the goal isn’t simply to become better at your job. It’s to have more of yourself left when the workday ends.
Evenings that aren’t spent replaying conversations from work
Days off that feel like days off, not recovery periods
More patience and presence for the people and animals you love
Mental space for rest, creativity, relationships, and interests outside the hospital
Greater trust in your team’s ability to handle more without your constant involvement
A clearer sense of who you are beyond being the person in charge
More energy to enjoy the life you’re working so hard to build
Reframe your thoughts and beliefs surrounding work, self-care, expectations (yours and other's) and your life
FAQ
The Lighter Leader is for veterinary professionals whose role includes leading people and carrying responsibility for a practice. That may include practice managers, hospital administrators, medical directors, practice owners, or veterinarians with significant management responsibilities.If you’re the person people turn to with staffing concerns, conflict, difficult decisions, and the emotional weight of the hospital, this program was created with you in mind.
No. We won’t be covering scheduling systems, inventory, finances, or the mechanics of running a hospital. The Lighter Leader focuses on the person behind the role. You’ll learn to care for your nervous system, navigate the emotional weight of management, create compassionate boundaries, and build a healthier relationship with work.
We’ll meet twice each month on Thursdays at 2 p.m. ET. Each session is 90 minutes. One is a guided training and the other is a coaching and conversation session. Everything beyond that is flexible. There is no homework to keep up with and no way to fall behind.
Every live session will be recorded and added to the private program space. Attending live gives you the opportunity to connect and receive coaching, but a changing hospital schedule won’t prevent you from participating.
Not at all. Your calendar, Zoom links, recordings, and resources will be easy to find in one private online space. I’ll also be available to help if you get stuck.
The Lighter Leader combines a structured six-month experience with the support of other veterinary managers who understand what you carry. Private coaching offers completely individualized, one-to-one support focused on your specific circumstances. If community, shared learning, and ongoing support appeal to you, The Lighter Leader is likely the better fit.
