Team success relies on a winning combination of communication, accountability, coachability, and trust. Having the right players in place is also key.

These messages were delivered by former basketball coach Donnie Campbell and resonated with an audience of veterinary professionals on Monday, May 26, 2025. In his welcome reception address at the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) SkillShop in Orlando, Florida, Campbell spoke of career wins and losses that taught him lessons he then applied both on the court and in life.

“You can coach your team to be really, really skilled at what they do, whatever it might be…but that doesn't mean they're going to play together as a team. That doesn't mean they're going to work together. But if you can develop your...players to be the best version of themselves, I promise you, there will be sustainable success, which is what we all wanted—sustainable success,” Campbell said.

Campbell is a career mathematics teacher, currently instructing students at Lee’s Summit North High School in Missouri. As a basketball coach for more than 30 years, he spent time working with students at Shawnee Mission West High School in Overland Park, Kansas. There, his rosters included a then-teenaged Jason Sudeikis, the actor and comedian in the eponymous role of the television show 

In public interviews, Sudeikis has said that Campbell served as the inspiration for the Lasso character, an American football coach who is hired to lead a soccer team in England. According to Campbell, the show incorporates some of his coaching traits, including signature phrases and analogies, which Sudeikis delivers humorously. While he watched the show, Campbell said he saw “many lessons that I taught Jason and his teammates 30 years earlier.”

Speaker Donnie Campbell discusses his coaching style and its' tie to the television show "Ted Lasso" during the NAVC SkillShop welcome reception. 

Dana Varble, DVM, CAE, chief veterinary officer for NAVC, said Campbell was chosen as a speaker for SkillShop for his ability to bring positivity. She was also reminded of the "believe" message in the show, written on a sign that she thinks every veterinary practice should have placed in the clinic.

 as a show really spoke to the idea...to have confidence in yourself…. There’s something about the way that Coach Donnie Campbell is and, of course, the show that he inspired, bringing the sense of positivity. Everything’s not easy. Everything’s not perfect, but it’s OK. We’ll get through, and we can do it in a way that we’re still good people. We’re still friendly. We’re still empathetic. That is a great message to remind people of,” Varble said in a 

Speaking to veterinary professionals, Campbell used basketball analogies and stories from his successful coaching career, including anecdotes about Sudeikis, to score points with the audience and deliver wisdom. “When you create better people, you create winning teams,” Campbell said, evoking a mantra that he elaborated on throughout the talk.

He said that when focused solely on winning early in his coaching career, his teams lost games much more frequently than they won. However, by pivoting to focus more on shared values and the character of his players, teams were more successful on the court. “It's about developing my players to be the best version of themselves, to be the best people they can be,” he said.

Another takeaway from the talk was that teams don’t necessarily need the “best” people but rather the “right” people. Teams need to be built on trust, accountability, and commitment, Campbell noted. As an example, he shared a story about the coach who mentored him cutting the most skilled player from a basketball squad, much to his and the player’s surprise. In his mentor’s opinion, the young athlete wasn’t the right fit for the team. “Coach looked at me and said this: 'Donnie, we have to have people [who] we can count on. We have to have people we can trust,’” Campbell said.

One person that is “wrong” for the team can potentially have a negative impact. “There's an old saying, ‘You can pick captains, but you can't pick leaders.’ Those [who] control the locker room control the team; those [who] control the office space control the team. They better be having the same message as you, and you have problems [if you don’t] pick the right folks,” Campbell said.

The longtime coach also shared what he learned through experience about leadership. “To me, a true coach—a true leader—is someone who sees potential in a team and does everything they can to help guide that team to be successful [and], ultimately, to be great. That's what a leader does. Ted Lasso says, ‘I do love a locker room; it smells like potential.’ I'm the same way,” he said.

Articles

Donnie Campbell, the coach who inspired Ted Lasso, shared experiences leading teams with NAVC SkillShop attendees. 

A game plan for team success

“My tip would be to practice...saying ‘no’ to something that you know just pushes you over the edge,” advises Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS.

Wellness Tip of the Week: Setting boundaries at work

Last week, Shaw offered 3 tips veterinary professionals can incorporate into their daily routines before bedtime for better sleep. The full video can be accessed 

For this Wellness Tip of the Week, Healthspan coach Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, is sharing advice on setting boundaries at work to support a healthy and long career. In his video, Shaw encourages veterinary professionals to practice setting at least 1 boundary, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing emotional well-being to continue caring effectively for patients and loved ones.

Below is a partial transcript, which has been lightly edited for clarity.

Hey, everyone. This is Aaron Shaw with another Wellness Tip of the Week. Today, I want to talk about boundaries. I don't mean setting boundaries like I'm walking out the front door and saying “forget it” with this career. I'm talking about setting realistic boundaries that can help you be more resilient and durable for a long, healthy, vibrant career—what we call "vetspan."

We know that chronic stress without recovery will...keep our nervous system in overdrive. We know that your baseline cortisol levels will stay elevated if you’re in a constant state of stress—it'll mess up your sleep, it'll mess up your concentration, [and] your immune system.

Setting boundaries can help protect...yourself [and] your emotional well-being. And we really need to be clear that you're not struggling because you're not tough enough. The struggle is not having an opportunity to reset your body [or] your nervous system, and this is done in no small part by learning how to set boundaries.

Some examples of boundaries could be saying no to an extra shift. It could be setting a boundary for yourself. That could mean saying, “I'm going to choose to go outside for 10 minutes during my lunch break and get some fresh air and leave my phone inside.” Give yourself a little bit of discipline and set your own boundaries for your own mental health and your own emotional well-being.

But we need to also be clear that setting boundaries isn't a sign of weakness; it’s actually a sign of strength. If you want to practice "toughness," if you will, and protect your peace of mind, your time, your long-term health, your long-term personal physical health, and your long-term resilience for this career, setting boundaries is essential. I know it can be so challenging for those of us [who] are in caregiving fields. The default is often to take care of everybody else first and second and third and fifth and 10th, and then put ourselves at the very, very back of the list—if we have time at all for that.

But ultimately, we don't want to be sabotaging our own well-being and our ability to take care of our clients and take care of the people [who] we love or the animals we love.

Videos

“My tip would be to practice...saying no to something that you know just pushes you over the edge,” advises Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS.

Dana Varble, DVM, CAE, discusses the greater impact of veterinary CPR instruction, in a dvm360 interview.

Certifying for CPR and new instructors 

Dana Varble, DVM, CAE, chief veterinary officer for the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC), recently spoke to 

 about the RECOVER CPR certification course offered at the NAVC SkillShop event in Orlando, Florida. This multi-day course includes CPR certification as well as instructor certification. In the interview, Varble explained the potential impact that these newly certified instructors can have on the veterinary profession and, ultimately, the lives of animals.

The following is a transcript of the video:

:We're offering the instructor certification. So Wednesday is teaching people who are already CPR RECOVER certified how to be an instructor, how to evaluate others. The real important thing about that is, when we do that type of course, and we're teaching people how to teach, the education is amplified. I'm not just teaching the [24] people in the [sold out] course, but I'm teaching those 24 people that then turn and teach not just 24 more people, but hopefully hundreds of other people. So, this is the kind of ripple that you commit to. You do it at SkillShop, and then you send all the folks that have passed the instructor portion out to spread the message to be able to teach people in their community and their location. And it really amplifies the message of both RECOVER and NAVC, where we are creating a profession that has the skills information, the scientific background and the practical knowledge to apply really important skills that can save pets…Teach people Wednesday, Thursday [and] they could absolutely go do CPR on Friday. So that's the great thing.

Happy Fetch Nashville week dvm360 readers! Our 2

 conference of the year kicks off this Friday morning in the Music City and it is one you cannot miss, and there is luckily still time to register. Head on over to our Fetch Nashville page to secure your spot today!

Can’t make it to this conference? Be sure to check out our dedicated 

 page on dvm360.com where you can find interviews with faculty, session coverage, and more!

As you head to Nashville, or prepare to read about it, here is what else will be available this week on dvm360.com:

The Revitalizing Veterinary Teams, Amplifying Fulfillment and Purpose initiative, which is being spearheaded by Zoetis, is recruiting veterinary practice leaders to take part in a survey that is looking to improve employee retention and engagement.

, a documentary that sheds light on the high incidence of suicide rates in the United States and looks into helping to stop the crisis, aired on PBS and Amazon. dvm360 sat down with the creators of the film, and some of those interviewed within, to discuss its impact and what the film is hoping to achieve and educate people on.

On this week’s episode of The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360, host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA welcomes Lazaro Lopes on the show to discuss his life running a practice, and how he uses his background as a Latinx veterinary professional to connect with his patients as well as lead and mentor others.

Flynn, a 1-year-old male neutered Great Pyrenees, was brought to UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital with visible tire tracks across his back leg and abdomen, for treatment of his injuries.

The latest installment of dvm360’s Clinic Center will be available tomorrow. Check out which clinics are highlighted and learn more about their openings, and if you have a clinic opening soon, send your press release to news@dvm360.com!

Sneak peek: Fetch Nashville kicks off this Friday, and other veterinary news

Kristin Kirkby Shaw, DVM, PhD, MS, DACVS-SA, DACVSMR, talks about how the condition causes changes in these felines’ mobility, quality of life, and how they interact with their owners

How osteoarthritis affects cats 

In this video, Kristin Kirkby Shaw, DVM, PhD, MS, DACVS-SA, DACVSMR, founder of Canine Arthritis Resources and Education, discusses the impact of osteoarthritis on cats. She speaks about how this condition affects not only these felines’ mobility but also their quality of life and the human-animal bond with their caregivers. As Kirkby Shaw explains, pain associated with osteoarthritis can lead to cats avoiding social interactions with their families.

Below is the interview transcript, which has been lightly edited for clarity:

Kristin Kirkby Shaw, DVM, PhD, MS, DACVS-SA, DACVSMR: 

The impacts of arthritis pain are multidimensional. What this means is that the pain affects the cat's joints and...changes their mobility, their activities of daily living, [and] the way that they can get around. And cats are, importantly, meant to be vertical creatures; they want to jump up [and] get up high. And as their joint disease and their associated pain get worse, it gets harder and harder for them to get up onto those higher surfaces.... So, the end stage of arthritis pain is where they're just no longer able to get up onto those elevated surfaces. Before then, they're changing how they get there.

The other thing that we see, though, is if their body hurts. If they ache and are trying to protect themselves from threats, they might actually pull away from engaging with their family. They may not want to be held or may not want to sit on the couch next to the family. So, there are a lot of things that impact not only the cat's mobility but [also] their quality of life and that human-animal bond that they, hopefully, have with their with their caregivers.

Kristin Kirkby Shaw, DVM, PhD, MS, DACVS-SA, DACVSMR, talks about how the condition causes changes in these felines’ mobility, quality of life, and how they interact with their owners.

The National Veterinary Talent Acquisition Association (NVTAA) has officially launched. The recently established organization is dedicated to creating a community for veterinary recruitment professionals, providing them with resources to help them become partners in building “exceptional” veterinary teams.

With the demand for jobs in veterinary medicine increasing by 124% between 2021 and 2024, the profession is expected to be the fastest-growing career of the year, according to the NVTAA.

 “With this significant expansion in mind, NVTAA is committed to providing the essential resources and support necessary to build strong, successful veterinary teams. The association is actively creating a dedicated space for talent acquisition professionals to learn, connect, and ultimately thrive in this dynamic and rapidly evolving industry,” the organization stated in a news release.

According to the NVTAA, the organization offers a platform designed to address the challenges of veterinary recruitment, with members having access to networking opportunities to connect with industry leaders and peers via online platforms and events. They also have access to a curated library of industry reports, templates, and best practices to improve recruitment strategies and make processes more efficient.

Additional benefits include the following

Community and support where veterinary recruiters can share insights, collaborate on solutions to recruitment challenges, and progress individual careers within the talent acquisition profession.

Access to additional resources, workshops, and training programs designed for veterinary recruiters. These offerings are currently under development, according to the NVTAA.

"The landscape for hiring veterinarians and veterinary professionals can be daunting alone,” Pam Hale, DVM, MBA, JM, chief veterinary operating officer, said in an organizational release.

“I have found, over the years, that working with a professional, industry-based recruiter is the optimum way to find the best candidates for filling roles. These experienced recruiting professionals can help [hone] in on the prime candidate for the position to prevent wasted time on candidates not qualified or not seriously looking for a new role. It is well worth the investment to employ a veterinary recruiter, as wasted time is wasted money. They will help find the 'right people for the right job.'

"Veterinary recruiting today requires sourcing techniques honed by professional recruiters who dedicate themselves full-time to the veterinary profession. It is well worth using their services to fill positions [and] find the best candidates in the shortest time,” Hale continued.

The resources offered by the newly launched NVTAA are designed for veterinary recruiters from varying experience levels. Members can also connect with one another through the organization’s online chat and forum platform.

Connecting professionals within the veterinary recruitment industry. National Veterinary Talent Acquisition Association. Accessed May 23, 2025. 

NVTAA has launched in hopes to revolutionize veterinary talent acquisition. News release. National Veterinary Talent Acquisition Association. May 21, 2025.

The National Veterinary Talent Acquisition Association offers resources for veterinary recruiters of varying experience levels through its membership.