We were lucky to catch up with Shannon Gregoire recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shannon , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Betting on your dreams

My entire career has been built on taking risks and betting on myself to succeed in order to achieve the life I hope to someday have. I believe my success so far has been because I’ve made decisions to take risks of all sizes, in order to get closer to my goals. I truly believe that if you never take risks your life will be full of ‘what-ifs’ and I would rather hear an unfavorable answer than to have never asked at all.

I took risks in my undergraduate career by taking difficult courses that were difficult to obtain high grades, I did extra clubs, took on leadership roles and volunteered at various animal clinics to create a well-rounded application. When applying to veterinary school, I risked my comfortability by applying to schools that were far from home. I ended up taking one of the biggest risks of my life when I accepted a seat at a veterinary school in LA County that was over 3,000 miles from home. I landed at LAX with only what was in my suitcase to my name, going to live with classmates I’d yet to meet and start one of the most difficult doctoral programs in the country. The results of those risks was exponential personal and professional growth. Diamonds are made under extreme pressure and I truly believe that when you take risks on what you’re passionate about and jump in without hesitation, you will emerge from the pressure having a profound increase in self-confidence, stress tolerance and risk taking ability. I look back to realize how much I’ve changed and that I am a different person than 1, 2, even 4 years ago.

When applying to my clinics for my first veterinarian position, I risked opportunities by being extremely clear on what my needs and expectations were, as well as what I wouldn’t tolerate in an employment offer. The hard-work and risks paid off when I finally found the clinic I’m working at and I could not be happier.

My advice for anyone who is afraid to take risks is that you’re life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Prepare yourself, work hard, and take risks on your passions.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a practicing Veterinarian in MA and CT. I work full time in CT and also provide relief services through Relief Rover.

I’m also the podcast host of Simply Pets (caters to pet parents and educational topics) and Vet Candy IRL (caters to veterinary professionals about cutting edge therapies, new technology and trends in veterinary medicine).

My passion for the human-animal bond and creating healthy, long-lasting relationships between humans and our pets sets myself apart from everyone else. I also emphasize spectrum of care and love discussing multiple options with the pet parents I serve on how to best help their furry family members. Through my media work, I bring resources not only to my colleagues, but also to all the pet parents out there looking for reliable information.

I’m most proud of the impact I’ve made both locally and all over the country to many colleagues and pet parents. I would like client and fans to know that I always provide down-to-earth and professional communication in order to help as many humans and animals be happy, healthy and thrive with one another.

Pet Candy is the best resource for all my pet parents where they can be updated each month with our magazine and also listening to SimplyPets podcast.

Vet Candy provides over 100 hours of free CE for my colleagues, as well as new cutting-edge research and technology updates. When you head over to Vet Candy IRL, you’ll hear from a variety of the most passionate and forward-thinking professionals in the veterinary space working to make veterinary medicine the best profession for generations to come.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Communication skills and emotional intelligence have huge impacts on your success in veterinary medicine. The ability to work well in teams, independently, how to ask for help, how to read emotions and situations and respond accordingly are all skills under this umbrella.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

If I could go back, I would still choose veterinary medicine as my career. There is so much room for professional development and career diversification that the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.drshannondvm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drshannondvm
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drshannondvm
• Youtube: Search “Shannon Gregoire” to find the Vet Candy and Pet Candy videos!

Image Credits
Barnes Portrait Design (magazine covers and white coat) ; Images by IBA (headshot)