From Vet to COO: Staying Focused and Reaching Your Goals with Kerrie Hedley When you set your eye on a goal, doubts often come first before motivation. You tend to ask yourself, ‘Can I do this’? or ‘What if it doesn’t work’? While these are valid concerns, they will only limit and prevent you from reaching your goal. To avoid this, you have to shift your mindset and focus on working towards your objective. In this episode, veterinarian and COO Kerrie Hedley talks to us about her journey from animal care to business management. She also discusses the barriers and enablers that stop us from reaching our goals and dreams. Kerrie also shares with us her proudest moments and favourite books that may inspire you. If you want to learn how to focus and reach your goals, this episode is for you. Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode: Find out what’s stopping you from reaching your dreams. Learn how you can focus on and improve yourself daily. Discover Kerrie’s secret to success. Resources Books & Audio by Brené Brown The Chimp Paradox Coaching with Angela You’re Better Than You Think You Are by Angela Cox Episode Highlights [02:48] Kerrie Hedley’s Pompom Moments Kerrie’s first pompom moment is being able to keep her late mother-in-law’s cats alive despite having a dog. Next is her career achievements: college graduation, first clinical work, master’s degree and current team. Her third pompom moment is her research work about women in leadership. [06:36] How Kerrie Learned to Work with Animals Her first teachers are experience and observation. These two helped her learn the knowledge, skills and adaptation to work with circumstances she can’t control. [07:51] From Veterinary Practice to Becoming a COO According to Kerrie, there are differences and similarities between her work as an equine vet and COO. Both jobs require her to use problem-solving skills. She does not need to have all the answers in her head, but she needs to know how to find it. Kerrie wanted to be a veterinarian since she was 4. She worked at a local vet practice as a receptionist and at a farm, both under the XLVets organisation.  After finishing her degree and during her practice, she was continuously involved with that organisation until she could be their business manager. Listen to the full episode to follow Kerrie’s journey from an equine vet to a successful COO. [11:38] What Inspired Kerrie to Get an MBA Kerrie already had a postgraduate certificate in business management, which honed her general business skills. However, she wanted to learn more. She thought she needed support for her already high-level career. So, she took the MBA part-time and finished it after two years. [13:06] How XLVets Work XLVets is a collaborative organisation with independent vets contributing to a central pool of inspiration for their members. Their COO team’s role is to get the members to solve a shared problem like the COVID-19 situation. Every member benefits from this collaboration of ideas and solutions. [16:22] From Animals to People Management Kerrie communicates with people in both positions. Her experience as a receptionist when she was 14 also significantly contributed to her career shift as she learned how to deal with various people. [18:15] The Pandemic and the Puppy Demand The demand for puppies stemmed from people being in quarantine and working from home. People opt for dogs because they are a great first experience for taking care of pets. In 2020, as the demand rose, the price for acquiring puppies also increased. However, the problem is how these people will adapt when things return to normal. Who will take care of their dogs? [24:17] Women in Vet Practice and Barriers to Women Leadership The first barrier is your home life, which includes logistics, family and finances. The second barrier is the percepti