The Women's Veterinary Owners Retreat in Sunriver, Oregon this past weekend was wonderful. The diversity of women attending from seasoned practice owners to those in the begining stages of considering practice ownership options gave a refreshing mix of conversation to this information packed weekend. The formal presentations and the tangents were all valuable and the free flow of information, advice and support really made the weekend a success!

Sunriver Resort, Oregon

Our presentation about Taking the Leap was a fun snapshot of the different ways Dr. Thompson, Dr. Curran and I approached our goals and the various safety nets we had in place and it really showed that practice ownership has so many different choices on how to get there. Just like for those that have gone before us, it is an individual journey that really reflects the vision and personality of the owner. Hearing from everyone about their adventures of ownership and the questions from the potential owners really made the discussion lively. 

The Group in casual discussion

The rest of the weekend was filled with more wonderful discussion and advice and a huge host of presentations on various subjects pertaining to ownership. We even had time for spa treatments that were generously donated by Northstar Financial Group and Lilly (the sponsors of the retreat). Everyone came back relaxed and thrilled to learn more and open up individual discussion/story time.

I would love to thank not only Mackenzie Bolin from Northstar and Marge Strother from Lilly for the wonderful opportunity to attend this retreat and for the opportunity to speak, but also all of the wonderful ladies who participated. Many thanks to Dr. Lord and Katie and Daniela for holding down the fort while I was away - I could not have left the practice in better hands.

And today, on our 14th wedding anniversary, I want to take a moment thank Michael for helping me realize my dream of practice ownership and for all of his amazing help during this process - I could not have done it without you! 

Michael and I camping at Hell's Canyon, Oregon last year for our anniversary