Where are the grown-ups?!

You look like you know what you’re doing.

You’re answering questions, making decisions, and being introduced as “the vet” or “the nurse” even when part of you still feels surprised that people are listening to you.

And yet, inside, there’s a quieter, more uncomfortable thought running in the background:

When does this start feeling real?!When do I feel like I know what I’m doing?!

You thought by now it would feel easier. That confidence would just… arrive.

Instead, you find yourself double-checking treatment plans with collegaues, feeling a flicker of dread when someone asks for your opinion and finally relief at the end of the day that “nothing went wrong” - rather than the pride you should feel.

If any of this feels familiar, this CPD day was created for you.

Why self-doubt shows up in vet practice

Veterinary work asks a lot of you, physically, intellectually and emotionally.

You’re required to make complex decisions with incomplete information, often under pressure, often alone. You close the consult room door and immediately start mentally reviewing everything you didn’t say.

Should I have offered bloods sooner?

Was I confident enough?

The owner probably thinks I missed something.

Outcomes aren’t always clear, feedback is inconsistent, and there’s rarely a neat sense of “I did that right.”

Over time, that environment can distort how you see yourself.

Instead of trusting your judgement, you start second-guessing it.

Instead of recognising your competence, you focus on what you don’t know yet.

Instead of feeling grounded in your role, you feel like you’re constantly catching up.

This isn’t a confidence flaw.It’s a very human response to working in a profession where certainty is rare and responsibility is high.

Why more knowledge doesn’t fix this

When self-doubt creeps in, the instinctive response is often to learn more.

Another course. Another textbook. Another guideline to memorise.

You can know the protocols, understand the pathology, and still feel your stomach drop when it’s your name on the decision.

Because self-doubt doesn’t live in your CV. It lives in your internal narrative - the quiet voice that tells you another colleague would have handled it better, or that it was “only luck” that things went well this time.

This is where mindfulness comes in

Mindfulness helps with self-doubt not by convincing you that you’re brilliant, but by helping you tell the difference between not being good enough and just feeling like you’re not good enough.

So instead of automatically questioning yourself, you learn to pause, notice what’s actually happening, and stay with the decision in front of you, rather than disappearing into “what if I’m wrong?”

It’s not about forcing confidence or pretending you don’t care.

It’s about recognising when you’re doing a good job (and owning it when you do) while also being able to see clearly when you genuinely need to learn or ask for support.

What this day is (and isn’t)

Where Are the Grown-Ups? is an interactive, in-person CPD day designed to help veterinary professionals understand self-doubt.

This isn’t a motivational talk. And it’s not about “just believing in yourself” (if it was that easy, you’d have done it already). 

It’s about learning to spot self-doubt in the moment, before the overthinking, double-checking, or reassurance-seeking takes over, and responding in a way that lets you go home feeling proud of your day.

Over the day, we’ll explore

• How imposter syndrome shows up day to day, not just how it feels in theory.

• Why more experience doesn’t automatically make it disappear

• How mindfulness helps you disengage from unhelpful thought patterns and differentiate between not feeling good enough and genuinely not being good enough

• Practical, in-the-moment tools to let go of self-doubt without being cocky

• How to build longer-term confidence that isn’t based on being perfect

Everything is practical, interactive, and grounded in real veterinary life.

This day is for you if

• You often wonder when you’re going to feel more confident

• You second-guess decisions, even when they’re reasonable

• You avoid cases you want to take on because you think colleagues can do them better

• You feel out of your depth more often than you let on

• You want to feel steadier in your role, without pretending to be someone you’re not

  
  

Not so you never doubt yourself again, but so doubt stops dictating how you work, decide, and show up.

What past clients and attendees say

Since learning how to work with my imposter syndrome, challenges at work that would previously have been all-consuming now just feel like part of the day.

Lucy’s workshops are easy to practically apply to everyday life. It’s actual tips you can put straight into practice as well as long term strategies.

Before working with Lucy, I didn’t realise how much of my day-to-day behaviour was being driven by imposter syndrome.

I’ve been implementing the strategies Lucy taught and I’m starting to enjoy opportunities that I would previously have felt anxious about.

Practical details

Format: In-person, interactive, small group

Who it’s for: Anyone working in veterinary practice

6 hours in CPD

Location: Clevedon Hall, BS21 7RH, just 5 mins from the M5

Date: Wednesday 13th May 9.30 - 16.30

Cost: £175 including lunch

Imposter syndrome rarely announces itself loudly. It shows up in the small moments; hesitating before you speak, double-checking a decision you already made, feeling a rush of relief at the end of the day that nothing went wrong.

Left unexamined, those moments quietly drain energy. 

Decisions take more effort than they need to.

Work feels heavier, even when you’re doing it well.

This CPD day offers something different.

A chance to pause, understand what’s really happening in those moments, and learn how to meet them with more steadiness and self-trust - so decisions feel clearer, your mind feels quieter, and you can leave work knowing you did a good job, rather than just hoping you got away with it.