We're back on the podcast, and we're leading with the thing that feels most true right now: life has been a lot lately.

In this episode, Katie and Claire check in honestly about what's been going on behind the scenes, share some personal reflections on navigating challenge, and remind us all that recommitting is always available, no matter how long the pause has been.

What we cover in this episode:

Showing up imperfectly (and why that's the point)Real talk on why consistency doesn't always mean showing up daily, and what it actually looks like to scale back with intention rather than guilt when life gets hard. Spoiler: it looks a lot like compassion.

Claire's experience of unexpected griefClaire shares, with characteristic openness, that she recently lost a close friend suddenly and unexpectedly. She talks about what she needed in that time, what helped, and the importance of recognising where to release pressure rather than pushing through.

Katie's health challengesKatie opens up about navigating ongoing health issues, an upcoming surgery, and how she's been learning to work with her capacity rather than against it, including preparing for recovery practically (hello, freezer meals) and letting guilt come along for the ride without letting it make the decisions.

What actually helps: Katie and Claire's honest listsNeither of them is here to hand you a five-step plan. Instead, they share, with full acknowledgement that everyone's different, what genuinely supports them:

Claire: Checking in without judgment on what she needs each day. Choosing connection over isolation, even when the pull to withdraw is strong. Moving her body as a route back to herself. And finding meaning in challenge by alchemising experience into something that can support others.

Katie: Communicating clearly (with partners, with the team, with her out-of-office). Stepping away from the scroll hole. Preparing future-you for the harder moments. And returning, again and again, to self-compassion as something that doesn't remove the discomfort, but makes the experience of it feel less alone.

Staged returns and lowering the barA genuinely important conversation about what coming back to work actually looks like after time away, and why "I'm here but not at full capacity" is an act of honesty, not weakness. Plus why modelling that out loud gives others permission to do the same.

The hormone-friendly workplace webinar with Dr. Helena TuckerThis episode also touches on the recent session Katie and Claire ran with clinical psychologist Dr. Helena Tucker (generously sponsored by Covetrus), exploring how we create workplaces that understand hormonal health, not as a niche topic, but as something that affects 100% of us in some way.

If you missed the first session with Helena on PMS and PMDD, you can catch up here:Watch: PMS and PMDD in Vet Med with Dr. Helena Tucker

And the second session in the series, the Hormone-Friendly Workplace webinar, is coming up on Saturday 11th April. Register here:Register: The Hormone-Friendly Workplace Webinar

Whether hormones are something you navigate personally or not, this is essential, not optional, learning for everyone working in veterinary.

Resources mentioned in this episode:Visit vetempowered.com for free resources including the Boundary Blueprint, blog posts, and the full WellVet menopause content archive, now available on the Vet Empowered blog.