VETERINARY WELL-BEING BUDDY

About Us

MEET OUR INSPIRATION

BUDDY

RETIRED THERAPY DOG & BRAND MASCOT

I rescued Buddy when he was 10 months old after I had stalked his profile on PetFinder.com while I finished an internship across the country - rescuing him will forever be one of the best days of my life!

Almost 13 years later, he has supported me through so many difficult times - he could make me laugh at his goofy ways, he could comfort me with his soothing energy, and he could help me get out of bed on days when it felt the hardest.

I wanted to capture Buddy's personality and energy in our brand, because he is the inspiration for why we do what we do! I've relied heavily on veterinary teams throughout Buddy's lifetime to provide the highest quality care - from the time he broke his canine in half trying to escape his crate as a puppy, to recent discussions about his quality of life as a senior dog.

We are forever grateful to the teams that have cared for Buddy throughout his lifetime, and that's why we've dedicated our business and brand to supporting YOU.

MEET OUR FOUNDER

Melyssa Allen, MA, NBC-HWC, DipACLM

VETERINARY WELL-BEING COACH

As a double board-certified lifestyle medicine professional and health and wellness coach, I am trained to use therapeutic lifestyle interventions to coach veterinary professionals on adopting health promoting habits that support physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

I have firsthand experience witnessing the dedication of veterinary professionals in their careers while I worked as an animal trainer. After transitioning to a role coaching human healthcare professionals during COVID, I recognized the need for more support resources given the unique occupational challenges within the vet industry.

Using my training in mental health, well-being coaching, and lifestyle medicine, I dedicated my business to include comprehensive well-being solutions to support veterinary professionals, teams, and organizations.

OUR VALUES

Positivity | Compassion | Empowerment | Wellness | Humor

OUR MISSION

Bringing lifestyle medicine to veterinary medicine

“Effective health promotion strategies need to be implemented to reduce the risk factors for burnout and compassion fatigue, and should include efforts from the organizational, practice/collegial, and individual levels.”

Lovell, B. L., & Lee, R. T. (2013). Burnout and health promotion in veterinary medicine. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 54(8), 790.

Melyssa is the author of the book, Healthy Living Doesn't Have to SUCK, and is dedicated to teaching ways to make healthier habits more accessible in your life! Knowing and understanding the shortage of time and energy that veterinary professionals tend to face, Melyssa

Through her time coaching human healthcare providers, she learned that engaging in lifestyle medicine practices and positive psychology activities acts as a protective factor to adverse health conditions, such as burnout. In an effort to extend these resources to professionals within veterinary medicine, Melyssa has created courses and coaching programs to educate, empower, and engage veterinary professionals in creating habits to support health and happiness!

OUR BRAND

Originally, our brand name was Mind-Body-Thrive Lifestyle because I had started my business with more of a general population focus. It captured our well-being messaging just fine, but as I started focusing in on veterinary professionals I wanted something that would more clearly share who we serve and what we do...

That's how the Veterinary Well-Being Buddy brand came to be! Not only that...but as Buddy continues to age, I wanted to bring him front and center to our brand - so our new logo is extra special to me:

The hand in the logo?

It's an outline of mine.

And the paw??

An outline of Buddy's paw print...!

(I know, I know...I'm crying too!)

Buddy has always been part of my brand's story, and now it is truly his legacy - and my goal is to capture Buddy's energy in our brand! From his ability to make you laugh and uplift your spirit, to his ability to comfort you during difficult times...that is what we strive for in our business: to meet you wherever you are at on your journey!

Coach

Melyssa received her clinical training working with first responders, combat veterans, cancer patients and survivors, and burntout healthcare professionals during COVID.

Trainer

Melyssa lived out her childhood dream as a marine mammal trainer for almost 8 years working alongside many dedicated veterinary teams!

Author

Melyssa is the author and podcast host of Healthy Living Doesn't Have to SUCK, her groundbreaking workbook dedicated to teaching people how to transform their lives through small, positive steps!

MY BACKGROUND

My love for animals started when I was only 4-years-old and I've been chasing my dreams ever since!

While I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a marine mammal trainer and made incredible memories with amazing people, I am excited for my new dream!

My animal training career helped me develop many skills that I continue to use today:

Effective Public Speaking
Extensive Knowledge of Behavior Modification
Ability to Improvise
Sensitivity to Behavioral Cues and Body Language

I am grateful that I made the leap from training animals to "training humans...!" Although I no longer use fishy snacks and belly rubs with my clients, I thoroughly enjoy the process of coaching veterinary professionals to restore their well-being with positive health habits!

VMX 2022 START-UP CIRCLE

After being accepted into the Start-Up Circle at VMX2022, I received overwhelming appreciation and gratitude for my decision to dedicate my business to supporting veterinary professionals!

Since then, I have had the honor of serving numerous vet teams, presenting at veterinary conferences nationwide, and leading out on transformational group coaching experiences!

I cannot express enough gratitude to the companies that have been cheering us on from the beginning:

Love Huvet
Veterinary Survival Box
Relief Rover
Hound
Association of Veterinary Technician Educators (AVTE)
Talkatoo
Beyond the Leash
Suveto

Professional

Clinical Psychology, M.A.
Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach
Board Certified Lifestyle Medicine Professional
Health Educator at a hospital system of 23K+ employees
Former Clinician Well-Being Coach at a hospital system of 20K+ employees
Expert for Inlightened
Lake Nona Performance Club Medical Advisory Council
Secretary - Fitness and Medicine Member Interest Group, American College of Lifestyle Medicine