Mindful Vets

03/06/2026

Lesson 6: The mind matters more than we think.

Following my recent post on completing the Addo 100 Miler — a 165 km ultra trail run — this is the sixth lesson from that journey.

At a certain point in an ultra-distance race, the challenge becomes as much mental as physical.

And eventually, the mental side begins to dominate.

The body is tired.
Everything hurts.
You want to stop.

Yet somehow, you keep moving.

That is when I realised something important:

We spend so much time training the body — yet so little time training the mind.

The ability to observe thoughts without being controlled by them.

The ability to allow difficult emotions to be present without becoming overwhelmed by them.

The ability to recognise that we are not our thoughts, and we are not our feelings.

These are skills.

And like any skill, they can be cultivated.

For me, mindfulness is not about escaping reality.

It is about developing the capacity to remain steady within it.

To hold a space of calm, clarity, and compassion — even when everything around us feels chaotic.

Mindfulness creates a space between what happens and how we respond.

A space in which we can choose our next move.

To become the even keel.

The stable mountain.

The quiet place within that remains undisturbed by the storm.

In veterinary and animal care professions, we cannot always control what happens around us.

But we can learn to change how we respond to what happens within us.

And that makes all the difference.

20/05/2026

Lesson 5: To truly achieve greatness, our “why” must extend beyond ourselves.

Following my recent post on completing the Addo 100 Miler — a 165 km ultra trail run — this is the fifth lesson from that journey.

Deep into the race, alone on the mountain in the dark, running through rain and storm, difficult thoughts dominated my mind.

Frustration.
Judgement.
The need for recognition.

But over time, I stopped resisting the thoughts and allowed them to just be there.

And slowly, I realised:

They are just thoughts.
Nothing physical.
Nothing I could touch.
Nothing that could hurt me.

And once they were allowed to be there, they slowly began to pass by.

Then came a deeper realisation:

Much of my own suffering came from making myself the centre of everything.

And somewhere in that long stretch of darkness, something became clear:

This journey was no longer about me — “Bert, The Mindful Vet”.

It became about "Mindful Vets".

Not about me —
but about the wellbeing of animal care professionals more broadly.

About sharing what I have learnt about reclaiming calm, clarity, compassion, and peace of mind in demanding professions.

Sometimes the greatest freedom comes not from becoming more of a somebody —
but from letting go of needing to be one.

15/05/2026

love this! veterinary heroes

06/05/2026

Lesson 4: Our imagination becomes the limit to what we can achieve.

Following my recent post on completing the Addo 100 Miler — a 165 km ultra trail run — this is the fourth lesson from that journey.

A year ago, I ran my first 80 km ultra.

At the time, it was the furthest I had ever run — and honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was capable of it.

When I finished after 17 hours, I felt completely spent.
Certain I had reached my limit.

Later that year, I completed my first 100 km race.

Again, it felt impossible beforehand.
And again, at the finish line, after 24 hours, I felt there was nothing left to give.

This year, I set my intent on 160 km.

And something remarkable happened.

At the 80 km mark — what had once been my absolute limit — I felt fresh, knowing it was only halfway.

And by the 100 km mark, I barely noticed it, since it was just around 60% of the journey.

That was the breakthrough realisation:

The only reason those distances felt different — was because my mind had already accepted something bigger.

It’s all relative.

So often, the limits we experience in life are not physical — they are shaped by our imagination, our beliefs, and what we tell ourselves is possible.

The size of the game we play, the goals we pursue, and the life we allow ourselves to imagine are deeply influenced by intention.

In veterinary and animal care professions, it is easy to become shaped by pressure, overwhelm, fatigue, and the expectations of others.

Over time, we can begin to keep ourselves — and our experience of life — small.

But growth begins the moment we step beyond our comfort zone and allow ourselves to imagine something more — something bigger.

Perhaps the life we long for, the impact we hope to make, or the person we are capable of becoming, lies just beyond the limits of what we have accepted as real.

How are you keeping yourself small?

And what might become possible if you allowed yourself to think bigger, dream further, and step beyond the boundaries of what you currently believe you can achieve?

22/04/2026

Lesson 3: Run your own race.

Following my recent post on completing the Addo 100 Miler — a 165 km ultra trail run — this is the third lesson from that journey.

“Run your own race, dad.”

My son said it to me three times before I left.

At around 60 km — with another 24 hours still to go — those words came back.

I realised I needed to move ahead of my running partner through the night.
I run faster at night — and if I didn’t use that window, I wouldn’t finish in time.

But leaving her there, in the darkness, in what runners call the “valley of tears”, was not easy.

In the distance, I could see headlights — other runners would reach her.
But I didn’t know how the race would unfold for her.
And still, in that moment, it felt like I was letting someone down.

Still, I knew this:
if I didn’t run my own race at that point, I would not have the reserve to complete the journey.

So I moved ahead.

Hours later, she caught up again.
We ran together for a while, and then she moved ahead to finish strong.

The race unfolded as it needed to.

But that moment stayed with me.

How often do we look to others to decide what we should do —
how we should do it,
or when we should move?

Social expectations.
Professional pressure.
Comparison.

And in doing so, we drift away from what we know, quietly, is right for us.

Running your own race is not about separation —
it is about alignment.

Trusting your pace.
Your timing.
Your way forward.

And in that, there is immense freedom.

Which part of your life are you navigating by someone else’s pace?

What would it look like to trust your own?

15/04/2026

Lesson 2: Break it down — one step at a time.

Following my recent post on completing the Addo 100 Miler — a 165 km ultra trail run — this is the second lesson from that journey.

At the start, 165 km feels immense.
Almost incomprehensible.

If you hold the whole distance in your mind, it becomes overwhelming.

So instead, I broke it down.

Not 165 km —
but 14 checkpoints.

Not the whole race —
just the next checkpoint.
The next hill.
The next step.

And one by one, they add up.

Each time you reach a checkpoint, you pause, rest, refuel.
And celebrate the hills you’ve climbed!

Then you reset — and move again, to the next check-point.

In our professional lives, especially in veterinary and animal care work, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of what lies ahead.

But when we break things down — into the next task, the next conversation, the next small step — progress becomes possible.

And just as importantly, we learn to pause and recognise what has already been done.

Which part of your life feels overwhelming right now — simply because of its size?

What is your next checkpoint on that journey?

Pause now for 5 seconds and visualise yourself completing it.
Feel what that will be like.

Then go and do just that...

Not the whole journey —
just the next step.

And when you get there, pause, rest, reset...
Celebrate the hills you have climbed!

07/04/2026

Lesson 1: See the beauty — especially when it’s hard.

Following my recent post on completing the Addo 100 Miler — a 165 km ultra trail run — I’ll be sharing 10 lessons from that experience over the coming weeks.

This is the first.

Somewhere deep into the race, in the heat, fatigue, and long stretches of silence, it is easy to become lost ...

Lost in the thoughts.
Lost in the sensations.
Lost in the feeling that this is hard… this is overwhelming.

The mind narrows.
Pain feels bigger.
The world feels smaller.

And in that space, the experience can feel all-consuming.

And yet — in those very moments — something shifts when you begin to notice the small things.

- The beauty of a single flower.
- Raindrops catching the light in the night.
- Spiders along the trail, suspended in stillness.

Attention moves from the general…
to the specific.

From being lost in the immensity,
to being present with what is here, now.

Nothing about the challenge changes —
but your experience of it is transformed.

There is more space.
More calm.
More clarity.

And for a moment, you are no longer just enduring the experience —
you are part of it.

Even, at times, quietly in awe of it.

This is the essence of mindfulness —
not escaping difficulty,
but learning to be present within it.

In veterinary and animal care professions, we are often immersed in pressure, responsibility, and emotional strain.

It is easy to become lost in the mind there too —
caught in thoughts, in expectations, in the weight of what must be carried.

But when we gently bring attention back to what is here —
a connection with an animal, a moment where you know you made a difference, the presence of a supportive colleague —
we create space within the experience.

Not because the work is easier,
but because we are no longer lost in it.

Even in the hardest moments,
there is always something beautiful to notice.

And sometimes, that makes all the difference.

03/04/2026

The mind drifts to the past and the future.

But peace is always here — in the present moment.

Return… and find yourself there.

18/08/2025

14/08/2025

Seagulls rise above the waves, seeing the bigger picture before deciding where to land. Mindfulness gives us that same gift — the ability to step back and see more clearly.

When work challenges or team tensions pull you in, pause and ask:
1️⃣ Can I change this? If the answer is no, recognise that pouring your energy into it will only drain you. Shift your focus to what is within your control, and let the rest pass without claiming your peace.
2️⃣ Will this matter later? Remember the impermanence of all things — even the most intense moment will change. “This too shall pass” is a gentle reminder not to magnify its weight in your mind.

Like the Seagull View, rise above for a moment, take in the wider horizon, and then choose your next move with clarity and calm. This week, give it a try — notice how perspective changes your emotional weather.

💚 Join our animal care wellbeing community for weekly guided mindfulness sessions, practical stress-reduction tools, and support from people who truly understand your journey.

https://bertmohr.com/wellbeing-of-animal-carers-community