Smarter Vet Financial Podcast

Recent Episodes

1. SVP Rewind: Dr. Ernie Ward on Leadership, Imposter Syndrome & Becoming Your Best Self

   Jul 17, 2026

   Dr. Ernie Ward, a 33-year veteran veterinarian, author, speaker, and entrepreneur, joins Tom Seco to discuss leadership, imposter syndrome, and personal development within veterinary medicine. The conversation covers persistent challenges veterinarians face—including self-doubt, pricing anxiety, and burnout—and emphasizes that leadership begins with leading oneself rather than managing others. Ward shares his philosophy on continuous self-improvement, the importance of mental and physical health, and overcoming self-limiting beliefs.

2. How SmartVet AI Helps Vets Reduce Cognitive Load & Improve Decisions with Dr. Jamie Laity

   Jul 10, 2026

   Dr. Jamie Laity, founder of SmartVet AI and second-time veterinary practice owner, discusses her journey from practicing veterinarian to entrepreneur and the development of her AI diagnostic tool. SmartVet AI uses artificial intelligence to interpret blood work and generate diagnostic reports for veterinarians, helping reduce cognitive load and improve clinical decision-making. Laity explains how the tool pattern-matches blood work results against patient history and physical exam findings to generate differential diagnoses, treatment recommendations, and client-friendly summaries, designed to support rather than replace veterinary expertise.

3. Understanding Veterinary Real Estate, Leasing vs. Owning, and Future-Proofing Your Practice with Brian Wine

   Jul 3, 2026

   Brian Wine, founder and CEO of The Wine Group, discusses veterinary real estate strategy with host Tom Seco. The episode covers the pros and cons of leasing versus owning veterinary hospital properties, valuation misconceptions, and how to future-proof real estate for maximum value at exit. Wine emphasizes the importance of understanding lease terms, landlord responsibilities, and working backwards from personal goals before making major real estate decisions.

4. How Remote Teams & AI Are Changing Veterinary Practices with Kelly Cronin

   Jun 26, 2026

   Kelly Cronin, a certified veterinary technician specialist in emergency and critical care with an MBA, discusses how remote teams and AI are transforming veterinary practices. She shares insights from her work with TEEM, a platform that connects practices with trained remote workers to handle administrative tasks like phone calls, recare scheduling, and client follow-ups—freeing up on-site staff for clinical work. The conversation covers operational inefficiencies in veterinary medicine, the importance of proper management training for technicians, and how practices can work smarter through technology and delegation.

5. Episode 205 - 4 of 4: Why Many Practice Owners Regret Selling

   Jun 19, 2026

   CJ Burnett and Tom Ceco, co-founders of Florida Veterinary Advisors, discuss why veterinary practice owners often regret selling their practices. Part 4 of a 4-part series, this episode explores common regrets including selling too soon or too late, poor deal structures, underestimated taxes, loss of identity post-sale, and the emotional attachment to practice ownership. The hosts emphasize the importance of financial planning, post-sale vision development, and understanding that selling is a life transition, not an ending.

6. Episode 204 - 3 of 4: How to Turn Your Practice Sale Cash Into Income

   Jun 12, 2026

   Tom Seco and CJ Burnett, co-hosts and co-founders of Florida Veterinary Advisors, discuss strategies for veterinary practice owners to convert practice sale proceeds into sustainable retirement income. Part 3 of a 4-part series, the episode addresses common retirement anxieties—market volatility, tax uncertainty, lifestyle inflation, and longevity risk—and introduces a three-bucket framework (guaranteed income, variable income, and true liquidity) designed to create market-independent income streams and reduce reliance on investment returns.

7. Episode 203 - 2 of 4: The 5 Years Before Selling Your Practice Matter Most

   Jun 5, 2026

   CJ Burnett and Tom Seco, owners of Florida Veterinary Advisors, discuss the critical 5-year period before selling a veterinary practice. This is episode 2 of a 3-part series on exit planning. The hosts emphasize that the years leading up to a sale matter far more than the final months, covering priorities like profitability, financial reporting, expense management, leadership team development, and associate retention in the 5-3 year window, followed by owner compensation normalization, facility upgrades, and operational documentation in the 3-1 year window.

8. From Big Decisions to Bigger Impact: Leadership Lessons with Dr. Emily King

   May 29, 2026

   Dr. Emily King, founder of All-Star Veterinary Clinic, discusses her leadership journey from founding a practice in Indiana to selling it to Southern Veterinary Partners in 2021. She shares her core leadership principles—intentionality, operational excellence, leader development, strong culture, and financial responsibility—and emphasizes the importance of transparent communication during practice transitions. King now works relief at the clinic, maintains an active social media presence for veterinary education, and co-founded Practice Pro, an online learning platform for veterinary leadership and practice growth.

9. Episode 202 - 1 of 4: Is Your Veterinary Practice Actually Sellable?

   May 22, 2026

   Tom Seco and CJ Burnett, co-owners of Florida Veterinary Advisors, discuss what makes a veterinary practice sellable in this first episode of a four-part series. They explore key factors that determine practice value, including consistent profitability, strong teams, systems and processes, stable client bases, clean financials, and limited owner dependence. The hosts identify critical value detractors such as owner over-dependence, key staff instability, declining margins, outdated equipment, and poor bookkeeping, emphasizing that a truly sellable practice can operate effectively without the owner's constant involvement.

10. Episode 201 - Why Two Veterinarians Can Earn the Same… But Build Completely Different Lives

    May 15, 2026

    CJ Burnett and Tom Ceco, hosts of the Smarter Vet Financial Podcast, explore why two veterinarians earning identical incomes can end up in vastly different financial positions. The episode challenges three limiting money mindsets: equating busyness with success, postponing financial decisions with 'I'll catch up later,' and relying on practice sale as retirement. The hosts propose three mental shifts: controlling income flow rather than just earning it, replacing busyness with intentionality, and aligning personal and business financial goals for greater stability and confidence.