Episode #11 – Kevin Maher

Farm Foundation for Success
Growing up in a family of nine, Kevin Maher used his work ethic and innovative flair to start multiple entrepreneurial ventures in his impressive career.

Transcript

Speaker 1:
Welcome to The People of Animal Health podcast. The host of our podcast is Stacy Pursell. Stacy is the leading executive recruiter for the animal health and veterinary industries. She’s the founder of Therio Partners and The VET Recruiter. Stacy has placed more professionals in key positions within the animal health and veterinary industries than any executive search professional. And along the way, Stacy has built relationships with some outstanding people who are doing incredible things to make a difference. The People of Animal Health podcast features industry leaders and trailblazers who have made a significant impact or are making an impact in the animal health and veterinary industries. Stacy chats with them to learn more about their lives, their careers, and the unique and interesting things that they have done to contribute to the animal health or veterinary industry. She is here to share their stories with you. Now, here’s the host of our podcast, Stacy Pursell.

Stacy Pursell:
Hello everyone, and welcome to The People of Animal Health podcast. On today’s show, we are talking with Kevin Maher, an entrepreneur who has had a fascinating career in the animal health industry. Kevin is a serial entrepreneur. He created the GlobalVetLink business, GVL, which was the first animal health online regulatory compliance business for veterinarians that continues to grow nationally and expanding internationally, and following that success and a successful exit from GVL, founded VetMeasure. Welcome onto The People of Animal Health podcast, and how are you, Kevin?

Kevin Maher:
I’m doing well, Stacy. Thank you very much.

Stacy Pursell:
Well, good. I’m so glad that you’re here today, Kevin. Thank you for joining us. I know that you’ve had tremendous success at this point in your career, but I’d love to start off at the bottom, and at the very beginning of your career. What was your life like growing up and where did you grow up, Kevin?

Kevin Maher:
Well, I was very fortunate to grow up in a family of nine and on a dairy farm in Central Iowa. When you get off the school bus at age five, you were expected to go out into the barn and work dairy… Help prepare dairy cows for milking, feed dairy calves, going through just all the feeding, and all the different tasks that are important in a dairy farm. So, that was really the origin of my interest in animal health and animal science.

Stacy Pursell:
I talk to so many people in the animal health business that grew up on farms, dairy farms. I’m curious, when did you first figure out what you wanted to do professionally?

Kevin Maher:
When I was out feeding calves, as I got into high school years, I saw these airplanes flying overhead, coming in on approach to Des Moines Airport. The farm is about 30 miles east of the Des Moines Airport. And just thought looking up there, I thought, “One day, I’m going to be up there. I’m going to go up there and see the world. Somehow I’m going to apply what I’ve learned here on the farm and make that happen.” So, that’s the kind of a quick, short story of where that started.

Stacy Pursell:
Wow. And then, tell us the story of the beginnings of your career. At the beginning of your career, where did you start, and what was your origin?

Kevin Maher:
Yeah, my career really was started the foundation of animal science. I have an animal science degree from Iowa State University, and I worked at the vet school part-time. I started my own hauling operation with another vet school employee, part-time employee. So, we did that on the side, plus I went back and forth and helped my dad out on the dairy farm. So, quite busy during college. And so, having learned to manage multiple priorities, I wanted to extend that into a profession. I always believed that I’d come back to the farm, but I wanted to start out and work in the industry. I was influenced by a professor at Iowa State in animal science, the late Dr. Lauren Christian, and he was just a great, great individual. And in swine, he was a swine production specialist, and he helped me really gain an interest in the swine industry and helped made the initial introduction to a division of Ralston Purina that was looking for someone to work in their swine genetics division. So, that’s how I got my start.

Stacy Pursell:
And then what happened from there? Tell us where did you go next in your career?

Kevin Maher:
Well, my goal was to see the world, as I mentioned earlier. So, I was able to really advance within that business. It was owned by Purina. Now, it’s called PIC, and then it evolved on from there. But PIC was where I really got my start, and then I ended up deciding that after five years and had multiple promotions in that first five years out of college, I got involved in snow skiing. Snow skiing was my passion. I got involved in that and went out to Colorado quite a bit, multiple times per year. I decided, “Well, if I don’t move out to Colorado, I could end up getting married, tied down, and never leave the state of Iowa.” So, I went to Colorado and that’s really advanced my career into other businesses that brought me into global opportunities for promoting products in animal science from electronic identification, handheld computers, software technologies that really helped advance animal agriculture.

Stacy Pursell:
Kevin, how did you go from there to becoming an entrepreneur?

Kevin Maher:
You know, having experience with electronic identification and being involved in national associations, I can’t emphasize enough the value of being involved in national associations and in the case of US Animal Health Association is one, and I’m now chairman of the board of the National Institute of Animal Agriculture. And so, those associations really built a network of animal health professionals that had a passion for animal health. That’s really what brought me to a level of understanding more deeply the needs of animal health. And so, my first business really resulted from that interaction, understanding that there was a problem that needs a solution, and that problem was that there’s a paper-based system out there that has multiple part forms for health certificates and the health certificate process for traceability. My experience with electronic ID at that time and different forms of animal ID, handheld computers, and dealing with traceability, that really, just one day, it just kind of all came together, regulatory animal ID traceability, the compliance for interstate movement. I came up with the idea of GlobalVetLink and started that. I found a state through the association that was interested in being the first and kicked it off in Florida, and then it went from there.

Stacy Pursell:
Walk us through GlobalVetLink as you had that idea to start that business to the point that you exited. Just give us an overview of that experience, if you will.

Kevin Maher:
Yes, starting that business was very exciting and it did require a lot of travel, a lot of face-to-face meetings with veterinarians, with state health officials, federal animal health officials, diagnostic laboratories, universities. And so, I started building a team, and I mean, initially, I was going to Florida every couple of weeks. My first hire was a rep that I was able to… She was able to spend a lot of time in Florida. She’s still with the company and the ability to bring it from an idea to a level that started ramping up in the vet practice world and through the associations and making presentations at these national events and helping educate state and animal health officials and private veterinarians about the product and the service, it just kept on growing. So, really, my highlight of that experience was… Or my goal was to get all 50 states on board. And so, the highlight of that experience was getting our 50th state signed in 2008. So, from 2001, we started with Florida. 2008, we had our final state signed, Rhode Island. And so, we had the whole US on board.

Stacy Pursell:
Well, tell us how you exited from GVL. Did you sell that business? Or I know that now you’re involved with a different business, VetMeasure. How did you transition from GVL to VetMeasure?

Kevin Maher:
Yes. I transitioned out gradually. I remained on the board of directors and involved to some extent. Then I did a full exit. So, I did sell out in… Had a good exit in 2018. And I started VetMeasure slightly before that. So, really the beginnings of VetMeasure was really based around what difference can we make in animal health from a technology standpoint that is actually on the animal and providing real-time health metrics so that veterinarians and animal owners can have more non-invasive and objective data in order to make more solid health decisions.

Stacy Pursell:
Tell us about your plans with VetMeasure.

Kevin Maher:
The goal was really that we work through is to start out with canine. And so, we started with a collar, and we did research with Colorado State University, and that’s where we ended up learning about the technology initially, license of technology and over time, it evolved from a collar on a canine patient to a harness. So, around the thoracic cavity, closer to the heart and lungs of the animal, and the axillary region where we’re getting our temperature readings with great accuracy. That’s where this company started and focused again on canine for in-practice monitoring of canine patients, and then the ability to ultimately have at-home monitoring so that the veterinarian can have an extended level of care and consults for patients that leave the practice, and maybe they’re under a prescription that they want to be able to follow to see if that prescription is having the intended impact on heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature through the various metrics that can help measure it and identify recovery from a surgery, from an illness, or what have you.

Stacy Pursell:
Wow. You’ve started multiple businesses, so serial entrepreneur. You’ve spent your life’s work in the animal health industry, had a lot of success. When did you first feel like you were truly beginning to gain traction with your career? Was there a certain point in time when you felt things are really going well for me here?

Kevin Maher:
Well, I think in the startup world, you never feel like you’ve totally addressed all the needs that are out there. So, I guess a lot of entrepreneurs put pressure on themselves and say that well, we can still do more, and that’s what keeps you going, and that’s what keeps you innovative. But I would say as I mentioned earlier, getting the 50th state on board, having the recognition by states, and animal health officials, and veterinarians that this product is needed. It makes a difference. It’s making a difference and the ability to have real-time traceability, rather than going to a file cabinet or file cabinets to try to find out where these animals went from state A to state B, where was the origin farm, what were the health records on that farm and those animals before shipment. I would say that that’s really what I really feel a lot of gratitude for is that the fact that it did and still does today make an impact.

Kevin Maher:
And so, with VetMeasure, that’s what we’re learning is you develop a new concept, a new idea, and then we just recently had our vet advisor, Dr. Steve Garnett, he’s based out of South Carolina and Charleston. When you talk to someone that you have a device that’s monitoring a patient, and it really made a difference in terms of the real-time diagnosis, being able to have repeated readings on preset intervals can really make a difference when you may or may not have staffing that can do the manual measurements and disruptive to the patient to the extent that it could disguise the true readings if that animal is a little bit agitated by rectal thermometer or stethoscope, or what have you. So, those are the things that really helped in my mind, just some examples of that really I feel were rewards for the work that I put into these companies.

Stacy Pursell:
What advice would you have for future entrepreneurs in the animal health industry, people that have an idea or want to start a company, or have a product and want to build something from the ground floor? What advice would you give to someone like that?

Kevin Maher:
Well, I would say it’s always good to… If you have an idea, you’re motivated to do something different or on your own. So many times people say, “I’d love to start my own business, but I have no idea what to do. I have no idea what product I could make or build or service.” And so, I think a lot of it is just comes from within. It’s just spending time reflecting on all the things that happened in your career to this point, and mentors and people that you know, how can you really assemble all that information to a point and funnel it down to, “Wow, this is a concept, this is an idea that I’m excited about, I want to run with.” It’s not for everybody. Not everyone can come up with a concept or idea that may be earth-shaking or take off the way that they thought that it would.

Kevin Maher:
I mean, there’s so many different entrepreneurs out there that have had challenges. Definitely, we all have challenges. So, that as well. The other part that I would recommend, Stacy, is that people would connect within their network, within associations. I’m a really big fan of national associations that can build your network of experts within a species specialty, or health specialty that you’re interested in, and it may be even regional or geographically, and then how that could really help support and build and might to get you to the point where you can launch that idea successfully.

Stacy Pursell:
Well, networking has been a common theme that most of our guests that have been on our show have said that that was one of the keys to their success was their network, and the people that they know, their mentors, people that helped them get to where they have gone. So, great advice. I know that successful people often have some high points and some low points along the way. Walk us through the highest high and the lowest low on the journey of your career.

Kevin Maher:
Yeah, I guess the highest high, it’s difficult to just select one. I would say that it was a big deal, getting a 50th state signed. It was like a political campaign of sorts is bringing all 50 states to the point where this platform that GVL created is going to make a difference in and I want to be part of it. The other high would be just coming up with the concept of VetMeasure. And man, there’s so many people that are so excited about this in the pet industry as well. I would say at the moment that currently what keeps me going and motivated is just a lot of the great feedback that we’re getting from people that say, “Wow, this is needed. This is really something that this technology that you’ve developed is going to be a huge success.” And so, we’re working through that.

Kevin Maher:
The lowest I guess would be for both companies is I started GVL at a trade show in Florida, and on the way into the first vet practice, we have vet practices lined up all over the state for demos and for meetings, and got through the first vet practice, and the veterinarians were all standing outside and it just was really odd feeling and had no idea what was going on, and it happened to be the morning of 9/11. And so, that was a huge shock, and all the practices that we had appointments with in Florida kept the appointments. They didn’t have any clients coming in. People were pretty well staying at home, and then when it started… But anyway, after things went well as we got the vets practice of onboard and they were very, very loyal and especially the ones that came on during that time.

Kevin Maher:
With VetMeasure, a low would just be the fact that you’re trying to raise funding to build a company and increase growth, and during the pandemic, that’s a little tougher. A challenge for us is to get in and then the supply chain challenges. But fortunately, we finally got through that just in the last few months. So, we have product now. We’ve got inventory to sell. We do have the final supply chain issues addressed. So, it’s one of those things where you go through these challenges with any startup that you may or may not anticipate. Those are just a couple of examples.

Stacy Pursell:
What have you learned from some of those challenging experiences?

Kevin Maher:
I guess the main thing is that don’t give up. Just have faith and you can weather the toughest times, and you can’t isolate yourself. You really have to work with your team, and with either board members, investors, people that you have something in common with in terms of that direction and that passion. So, those would be my main suggestions when you’re facing adversity or challenges.

Stacy Pursell:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yeah, good advice on those. The people in common is a common theme. Kevin, I’m curious, what has been the most surprising thing to you up to this point during your career in the animal health industry?

Kevin Maher:
The consolidation that continues. Having been in the industry for quite a few years, just the adjustments to consolidation, whether it be biopharmas or any supplier, manufacturer, and of course, the vet profession itself, lot of consolidation going on there. And I don’t want to say it’s bad, it’s all bad, but so I’m just saying that that’s a surprise that I think a lot of people didn’t expect to see the consolidation of veterinary practices occurring the way that it is and some of the other entities within the animal health.

Stacy Pursell:
Yeah, that consolidation, that’s one of the major changes that I’ve also witnessed over my career in the industry. What other changes have you seen over the years in the animal health industry besides the consolidation?

Kevin Maher:
In my early days of introducing technology to the veterinary profession, I’ve learned that just over the years that veterinarians are more conservative in their spending and not as quick in some cases to make a change or an adaptation. But I’ll tell you, once they understand the technology, once you get their attention and they understand what you offer, as I mentioned earlier, they’re very loyal. We do find that they come on board. My goal has always been to give them strong support, make sure that they can talk to somebody, or get an online connection so that they can address any questions that they may have during the onboarding process or during the usage process of technology. So, those are the things that I really believe are important in any startup is that you just identify where there might be some gaps to fill in and make sure that you can make that pathway so that your business and the advantages of veterinary practices can gain from your offering, your technology, your product will definitely be realized and can be replicated.

Stacy Pursell:
That makes sense. Kevin, what does your crystal ball say about the future of the animal health industry?

Kevin Maher:
I think there’s going to be… There’s continuing to become more and more change. More changes are arriving. And I’ve just had a discussion with a large investment group and looking at their portfolio as my position as chairman within IAA, I had just had a discussion with them, and from our associations perspective, what changes are you seeing and what investments are they making in agriculture. And animal health has not been as large of an investment as crop, and production and technology is going into autonomous vehicles and different things in the crop area that we’ve all heard about. I really believe that animal health will gain traction in that arena of technology. I think that the ability for the technology to become affordable, more affordable and/or more realized in terms of daily routine and daily management of whether it be a livestock farm or it be a veterinary practice, what technologies that are evolving today can make a difference in that practice and that operation that don’t exist today.

Kevin Maher:
I really believe that there’s going to be a lot of new things coming along, that we’re just one piece of that, and our product is an example. It could evolve from the smart harness that we have today to a lot of different features that we’re envisioning. I won’t go into that right now, but we know that within dairy calves, beef calves, foals, other species that there’s definite information that’s vital that can help improve animal well-being and the productivity and the awareness of diseases that are approaching upon an operation or an individual case.

Stacy Pursell:
Are you seeing any areas of the industry where technology is evolving the fastest or quicker than other areas of the industry?

Kevin Maher:
It just seems to me that in the crop production side, there’s been more evolution and adaptation, and that’s partly due to labor shortages, and just trying to deal with rural America challenges that producers have. As they scale up, how do they handle more crops, more acreage with the same number, or a challenging number of employees?

Stacy Pursell:
Are there areas of the industry that you would say are behind when it comes to technology?

Kevin Maher:
I would say that practice management software has evolved over the years is one example where some practices were a little slower to adapt to that technology, and now it’s pretty unusual for a practice not to have a PMS, a practice management software program. And now that there’s other features that are being added to practice management software that would integrate data, such as our technology. You want to pull data into a patient record. So, instead of keying that in manually, how does that data get in electronically, how does it get in, in an automated fashion? That’s just one example where I really believe that in animal health that there’s ways of advancing that data so that can make a difference and that you have the outcomes data to support treatments. Veterinarians prescribe a treatment and that outcomes data, there’s a gap there. You don’t really have proof that that treatment is impacting that animal in a positive way or in the way that was anticipated, whether it be dosage or product type or the actual diagnosis, then I really believe that there’s now a big opportunity for this type of technology to evolve and in helping that decision-making and in the actual outcomes.

Stacy Pursell:
Well, I can say firsthand from a talent perspective that animal health companies or veterinary practices that don’t have the latest in technology that it can be a deterrent when it comes to their hiring. For example, I’ve talked to veterinarians that are interviewing with practices that don’t have electronic medical records, and it’s a deterrent. They don’t want to work there. They want to go where they do have practice management software.

Kevin Maher:
Yeah. So, I’ve heard that as well before.

Stacy Pursell:
Kevin, I’d love for you to share more with the listeners about the kinds of projects that you’re up to right now.

Kevin Maher:
Sure. What we’re doing now is, we’re really cover this in several ways with previous comments, is that how can we make a difference by bringing our technology to a level of integrating with other suppliers of data and information and metrics. How do we integrate in a way that just makes it more seamless, and so that the ability for a vet practice to implement our system, it allows them to onboard it and get the staff trained up and going as rapidly as possible and have this on every patient, and then how they would evolve. So-, we’re looking into now is how do we evolve this to at-home monitoring. So, we would classify that as an active in the canine world, an active dog harness. So, rather than only being in the practice itself, so for the dog owners, as well as for service dogs, military. There’s the ability to really move this technology into several different categories that were not… They’re not being addressed in that way today.

Kevin Maher:
Those are some things that we’re working on, and also the livestock species. Having grown up on a dairy farm and having a lot of experience with dairy and swine and beef, as well as equine, I’m passionate about moving our company and our programs to those additional species levels. And our discussion is ongoing with some major vet schools that have interest in our technology and where the research priorities that they have might be a good fit for what we’re doing and what we’re evolving into.

Stacy Pursell:
Kevin, what does a typical day look like for you in your role today?

Kevin Maher:
In a startup, all this time, you’re managing everything from… Maybe not directly managing, but managing people and managing the business in a way that you’re dealing with the financial side, you’re dealing with the product development, and the engineering, and the manufacturing, and inventory, and sales, and PR, and all the different aspects, trying to balance and focus on the areas that I can bring the most value. And so, my typical day is just having the priorities for that week and that day and making sure that I can address the ones that are in my wheelhouse and that I can make a difference in how I would enjoin others within the organization to actually continue going after their milestones and helping them obtain those milestones in a timely fashion.

Stacy Pursell:
Well, that makes sense. You’re wearing a multiple hats in your role. I’ve noticed that successful people tend to have some daily habits that have helped them to achieve success during their career. I’m curious, what are some of the daily habits that you believe have allowed you to achieve success in your career?

Kevin Maher:
I guess a combination of prayer, morning and night, and exercise, and eating a good diet. And so, I do try to make sure that I’m not eating junk food or drinking sodas all day, or what have you, trying to keep in good shape and working out, and just keep that routine going and not have like a two-week gap. I just couldn’t live with the two-week gap or two-day gap. So, either if it’s not being in the gym, doing a class or an exercise, doing it online, or doing a long walk, those are routines that I really think keep me energized and keep me going, and when you hit the office first thing in the morning, you’re raring to go.

Stacy Pursell:
Yes, those things are important. Some entrepreneurs may have a tendency to let their health slide because they’re so busy, excuses like I can’t find the time, but what you’re saying is it’s important to make your health as a priority, which when you’re eating right and exercising, you’ve got that energy because it takes a lot of energy to be an entrepreneur and to build and grow a company. Kevin, I’m curious, is there a mentor that you’ve had that’s made a big impact on your career?

Kevin Maher:
I would say the earlier mentor would be Dr. Lauren Christian. When I was looking for my first job out of college or my senior year, his classes always made an impact on me. His style and his delivery and his one-on-one discussion and connections with industry and his involvement in the industry just taught me at a college-age that wow, this is important to be connected throughout the industry that you have a passion for, and the ways that I really had never thought about. And so, that mentoring got me really involved in my first career, the start of my career, my first job. And then as I moved from there into associations, as I talked about, the importance of extending your network outside the university environment and outside the states to across the country, across the world.

Stacy Pursell:
What has been the biggest adversity that you’ve had to fight through during your career?

Kevin Maher:
I think the biggest adversity would be reflected back when I started both companies. As I mentioned earlier, 9/11 was soon after the launch of the first company and the pandemic was within a year and a half… We actually, we launched at the VMX conference in Florida, and then the pandemic hit soon after that. And so, those were two of the bigger challenges. You worry. You stay awake at night, just trying to come up with solutions, but it all works out if you’re resilient in the startup world, you’ve been through it before. It’s worked out, and I’m grateful for that.

Stacy Pursell:
Yeah, both of those were black swan events. Nobody could have foreseen that in our future. You mentioned the pandemic, there’s been so many industries, unfortunately, that have been impacted by that. Our industry has really thrived with this pandemic, and in some areas increased and grown which is so intriguing to me. What advice would you give the younger version of yourself?

Kevin Maher:
I guess to be bold, to step out and make decisions maybe more quickly, and excuse me, not to overthink things or drag on with some decision-making in the past. There’s multiple examples over the year, but I think the younger version, I would just say be bold, be structured, be organized, and make sure that your goals that you’re reaching for are, and measureables, are well defined, and you have the ability to make an adjustment. You not just going down the same pathway again and again, hoping for a better result, that you again are bold and able to put a stop on something and make a choice to go in a different direction or whether it be in a product, a employee, a contractor, what have you, just a lot of examples that I could give over the years.

Stacy Pursell:
So, be bold. Step out. Don’t allow fear to keep you from doing the things that you want to do and that you can do. Kevin, what is your superpower?

Kevin Maher:
Superpower, that is one that I’d have to think through that one a bit more. Some people call me overly optimistic. I guess the optimism part of it is something that’s come up before. I don’t know if I’d classify that as a superpower or not, but the ability to come back with a positive response and not say that this is never going to work, this is the end of this journey, or what have you. But I think I would like to think that it is resilience and optimism.

Stacy Pursell:
Well, I find that entrepreneurs do have a degree of being optimistic. I think you have to be. Not everybody is cut out for it. There’s always going to be those negative naysayers who tell you, you shouldn’t do it, or you can’t do it, or it can’t be done. And I think you have to be optimistic to plow through all of that because when you’ve got an idea and you’ve got those goals, you don’t want to let those things, especially fear, hold you back. And resiliency, I think there’s such a lack of that sometimes in our culture today. I think that’s very important and especially with entrepreneurs, you have to be resilient, but I think that’s an important characteristic for everyone to have. What do you struggle with the most? What is your weakness or your kryptonite, if you will?

Kevin Maher:
I would just say that it’s just overthinking, just worrying too much about maybe an issue that you’re trying to solve, and not sleeping, not having a solid night’s sleep because you’re waking up trying to solve that problem or come up with a solution that that problem doesn’t seem to match with the one you came up with earlier. That’s probably the big thing I struggle with, and I know a lot of entrepreneurs struggle with that as well, whether it be through trying to sleep or just during the day or out for a walk or a bike ride, or what have you. Sometimes you just got to let go. You got to just let go and hope that this time that to relax your brain, your heart, your mind, you can just get yourself to a better state to deal with it, and solutions seem to come up at odd times.

Stacy Pursell:
I can relate to that. That’s one of my weaknesses is not getting enough sleep. When I do lay down and go to sleep, I go right to sleep, but I have a tendency to stay up too late at night and just working on things. So, not stopping and saying, “Okay, it’s time to go to bed.” So, I can relate to that. Kevin, what message or principle do you wish you could teach everyone?

Kevin Maher:
I think the main message would be and the principle would be just to be consistent in your… I think it’s important to get enough sleep, and that you’re up and going at the same time every day, and that you don’t go to work late into the nights. To me, I think that if you can just… I just learned over the years that if I’m consistent in terms of bedtime, and getting up, and exercise, and eating habits, and all of it, my day goes much better, and I’ll be very much more energized than if I had a lot of variability in all those factors. So, that’s my suggestion in terms of consistency and for a daily impact.

Stacy Pursell:
Yes, consistency is key. Some of the guests on our podcast say that they’ve had a key book that really helped them to change their mindset and their approach to success. Do you have a key book in your life that has impacted you the most? I’d love to hear that story.

Kevin Maher:
Well, there’s one book that I think really kind of fits in with what I’ve just been talking about, and that’s the book by Brené Brown and the exact name of it, sorry, make sure I have it right, okay, The Power of Vulnerability. So, that’s the book that I read in the last year, just kind of brings out the ability to have the courage to show up when you can’t control the outcome. Just being able to have that, again, that resilience and the ability to understand that vulnerabilities are there, and just ability to have the courage is very important. So, she goes through that in detail, and I think it’s a very popular TED Talk as well.

Stacy Pursell:
Yes, I’ve heard of that book. I haven’t read it myself, but somebody told me early in my career that the first step to anything is to show up and showing up is the first step. It’s a big part of success is you have to show up. That’s good advice, and I’m going to read that book. I haven’t read any of her books yet, and I’ve heard a lot of people talking about them. So, I need to read that myself. Kevin, you’ve got the mic. What is one thing that you want to share with our listeners of The People of Animal Health podcast before you drop the mic today?

Kevin Maher:
Well, Stacy, the thing I would like to share would just be that when you have a passion for a field, and in my case, it’s animal health, is that you live that daily and you really develop your career and your direction, your priorities that associate with success in that career. And there’s multiple success stories that we talked about today and resources that I’ve mentioned, but I really believe that that’s the important part is really identifying and highlighting what that passion is, and so that you’ve got that front and center and are able to really make a difference as you move forward in your life.

Stacy Pursell:
Well, Kevin, thank you. I want to thank you for joining us today here on The People of Animal Health podcast.

Kevin Maher:
Thank you. It’s been a pleasure and I really hope that this has been helpful to your listeners.

Stacy Pursell:
Yes, thank you.