I was invited to a podcast… and this is what it reminded me (2021)

It has been a while since I last ventured on my own blog…

With COVID and everything else going on in this world, I guess I just did not feel like writing anymore.

Yesterday though, I was invited… to participate in a podcast.

That was something new to me – after all, over the years, I explored blogging, video-editing… but audio-only content and podcasting ?

It just felt like it was not my thing…

But actually… I truly enjoyed it !

I mean – I did not “create” anything here.

I just sat down and talked about canine reproduction and how passionate I am about it.

And you know what ? It felt AMAZING !

It was just a casual discussion, during which I could share facts, thoughts and stories…

Simple, laid-back, relaxed… easy…

And while I was talking on this podcast, I was actually reminded of three important things that have always been very dear to me.

Stick to your passion

I had put aside my passion for writing and teaching canine and feline reproduction for a while now.

Doing this podcast made me realize how much I miss this.

Sure, in my current job, I don’t have as many opportunities to talk about these topics…

But when I thought about it, especially in this digital world we today live in, I realized : it is a lame excuse.

During the last couple of years, I have actually learned tons in terms of content production.

I have a lot of fun with a personal Youtube channel of mine on which I tell – in French – the adventures of my expat family.

I am not Steven Spielberg yet – nor do I intend to be – but hey, I am not too bad when it comes to video-editing I think !

I have also been working on my writing skills : every day, to kick off my day, I start it by journaling – since Jan 1st 2021, I have already written 70,000 words – and still counting !

Writing has always felt… liberating.

And I discovered I could have so much fun while video-editing…

I thought often of using these skills to share my passion… but so far, it remained a distant dream.

Doing this podcast made me realize I would actually enjoy getting back in the game and doing this.

I probably won’t be as prolific as I used to be… but still… I can – I should – put a little bit of myself out there on a more regular basis.

After all, canine and Feline reproduction is a field of veterinary medicine I care deeply about.

So I should definitely try to put more and new content out there I think !

I still have a lot to share in this field !

Share your story…

Something else happened on this podcast…

I was asked to share my “veterinary” story.

I am a story-teller at heart, so I gladly did this… and actually, while doing so, something truly resonated with me.

I shared how my life has been in fact a series of coincidences.

I never intended to become board-certified in canine reproduction, it was not the plan at all originally…

I wanted to spend one year training in this field at the veterinary school of Alfort in Paris, and then going to private practice.

I was not expecting to fall in love with this discipline and ending up staying for 7 years…

All because of the great mentor I met, who taught me how fulfilling clinical research and teaching could be.

If you ever read these lines, Boss F., I can’t thank you enough for everything you did for me !

I never intended to live in Canada. I never intended to live France to go abroad actually.

Sure – I always had in the corner of my mind this “American dream”.

But in my dreams, I’d end up in Florida or California, what sounded like a perfect place for a “tropical” guy like me (remember I was born on an island in the middle of the Indian ocean, I am built for warm weather actually).

Canada had never ever been on my radar…

And yet, this is where the opportunity came from…

This is where I built new skills…

This is where I enjoy living for now more than 9 years.

I remember sharing my unusual path to Mexican veterinary students a few years ago, telling them that the beauty of being a veterinarian is that we can really be anything we want to be… and that there can always be new opportunities that we might not have been expecting…

My favourite moment was when some of them came to talk to me at the end of the lecture, saying how inspiring they had found my words to be.

When I heard that, I thought to myself – hey, that is definitely worth sharing.

Indeed, life is made of coincidences…

You’ll never know what comes next, you’ll never know what to expect…

Actually, experience taught me that you should always expect the unexpected.

All stories are unique. All stories are worth sharing.

If I can inspire even one person on Earth, I’ll see this as a victory !

… so that others can be inspired by it !

And that was another important podcast-moment for me !

During the discussion, I shared that I truly hope that more veterinary students will consider getting involved in my field of expertise.

Veterinary medicine is of course about saving lives, that’s why we have disciplines like internal medicine and surgery.

But you can also help create life actually ; you can help bringing to life healthy kittens and puppies.

At the end of the day, that is what my discipline is all about actually.

I don’t visit veterinary schools very often these days obviously – but through those digital media, I can actually convey as well these messages.

I’ll try to write and share more often from now on.

It will not only be about canine and feline reproduction – don’t worry, there will be a fair share of it 🙂 -.

But it will also be about the journey.

The last few years have been truly interesting…

I learned a lot about the world, about myself…

This blog here allows me to share my thoughts, my experiences, my joys, my fears.

And again – if even only one person can be inspired by my messages, I’ll always see this as a victory !

So these 2 hours I spent recording this podcast were… enlightening.

It reminded me lots of things. And it also gave me new content creation ideas.

I have a lot of friends in canine and feline reproduction I’d love to connect with.

We could actually have a chat about our passion for small animal reproduction, what we have seen in this field… and just record our discussion and share it.

I don’t expect a million listeners – even if that would be nice I think 🙂

But that sounds like such a simple way to share our knowledge in this field… Any volunteers ?

Yep – this podcast reignited the flame…

I’ll try to post more I promise !