We recently connected with Michelle Bucci and have shared our conversation below.
Michelle, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Growing up my mom was a single mom. She worked and did absolutely everything. Watching her balance everything was a testament for us as kids that we could do anything as long as we stayed focused on the goal.
Now as a business owner and mother, I understand how she did it. You do it because others are relying on you. My kids are always watching and taking notes, just like I was a as a kid. They are relying on me to be their emotional support and to lead by example with my work ethic. Every day I can show them they have the pursurverece to have a job they love and have a happy family life.
Some days are exhausting and sometimes I think ‘what else would I do if I quit my job or left my practice?’ I allow my brain to go down that path and explore the possibilities. Would I go work at a small animal’s clinic? No. I would get tired of being inside and not seeing horses. Would I leave veterinary medicine to become a landscaper? That would be fun for a while, but eventually I would want to make my own hours and run my own business. Then I would just be back at the same spot, running a business is stressful.
I let my mind go to all the other avenues and eventually realized that I’m where I meant to be. While the day-to-day of being a veterinarian, mother, and business owner is stressful and tiring, there isn’t anything else I would want to do. It helps me remember that I want to be outside working with horses. I love that I can make my own hours to be more present with my kids. I’m fortunate that when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I can take the time I need to have a break. Most of the time this is when my husband reminds me that I should take a day off to do what I want in life and that its important for me to be happy and not just make everyone else happy. So, then I take a deep breath and we (my husband and I) make a mental game plan for what needs to change so I don’t have these feelings. So, I can continue to be happy working and spending enough time with my family.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
When I went to veterinary school, I was laser focused on being an ambulatory equine vet. I loved the idea of traveling to barns for emergencies and routine care, building relationships with all the horses and owners. When I was finally in practice, I was frustrated that there were problems I just couldn’t fix. I would give the medication we had but it wasn’t enough.
That is when I started my acupuncture training. I had seen acupuncture work on job interviews but didn’t have any personal experience with it. That started a snowball of starting my own practice that focuses on acupuncture, chiropractic, and rehabilitation. I focus on horses, but we also see small animals and show livestock (cows &pigs). In this practice I can be outside doing horses, but on my own schedule. I still confer with other veterinarians to build the best treatment plan for the patients we share. Additionally, it has opened an avenue of medicine and practice that I had never considered.
As the practice has expanded, we are constantly looking for new ways to help our equine friends. Currently I would like to have some property to have a rehab center for injured horses. It seems a long way off, but I have learned to just go where my business and practice interests take me.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1) Being Open minded- being open to new experiences and new ways of learning things. All my extra-school training as at time been conflicting with things I have learned in the past. I have learned to take everything in and then think critically for yourself as to what you think is happening. Never blindly believe what someone says, but still listen and try to understand it from their perspective because you still may learn something new.
2) Be Persistent- Things have not always gone well. My very first acupuncture patient in my practice was so sick I recommended he go to the hospital. I thought ‘ this practice is never going to work’. But just stay on the course and stay true to your goal and purpose and it will eventually happen.
3) Be Patient- Everything takes so much longer than you think it will. I still struggle with patience. However, I have found if you are patient and compassionate things will work out. It’s so easy to want things to be perfect right now or not start because it’s not the perfect time. There is never a perfect time, and you can still make an impact when things are not perfect.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
Being a veterinarian and owning a business are very different hard jobs. To get to the level of being a DVM you are used to being good at things academically or know how to work hard to achieve your goal. There is not a lot of business training in vet school, and it can be hard to even find where to start. So, I get overwhelmed often!
I have struggled with anxiety of not being good enough or feeling the weight of everyone and everything on your shoulders. Unfortunately, I don’t have any big strategies, but to have a strong support network. My support network is my husband. I know I would not have been able to do most of the things I have if I didn’t know he was behind me. He has watched kids so I can go on weeklong trainings and continuing education events. He has been my constant emotional support when I’m panicking. He is the objective voice to bounce business plans off and keep me from making emotional decisions.
Now that I have had enough meltdowns and support, they have turned into what I consider ‘mini meltdowns’. Usually, it starts as an immediate problem that I panic about. I allow myself whatever needed time to ruminate about the situation. Sometimes it’s an hour and sometimes it’s 2 days. After that ‘freakout time’, I can think more logically and I write down, with pen and paper, every step that needs to happen to fix the problem. Then I can tackle them one step at a time. Just like everything else, just going one step at a time keeps the big picture from feeling too big.
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- Website: turningpointvet.com
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