Speaking & Training

Dr Natasha Wilks is an accomplished speaker & trainer.  She has spoken extensively at veterinary practice and conferences in Australia and internationally.  She takes complex material and simplifies it for maximum engagement and impact.  
She is passionate, enthusiastic and committed to serving her audience.

There are many challenges that veterinary practices are facing at the moment. 
Increased workload, increased work demand, staff shortages, disengagement and reduced productivity as a result of burnout and compassion fatigue. 

Natasha is passionate about helping teams rediscover their passion for practice and to see the joy in our daily interactions. Natasha is still in practice and understands the stressors of practice and teaches teams how to manage them and enhance their resilience. 

Previous Clients Include:

Natasha presented at the AVAPM conference in 2013 on Client Engagement, in 2014 on The Five Steps to Success and in 2015 on Building Client Relationships.  Natasha presented at the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020 AVA Conference, the 2018 AVA Queensland Conference, the Brisbane Veterinary Practitioners Conference in 2015 & 2017, 2021, the Sunshine Coast Branch in 2019 as well as the BPV Pub nights.  In 2016, Natasha presented 2 sessions at the ASV Conference and discussed Mental Health Awareness at the AVBA Conference.

Natasha trains veterinary practices within Australia and Internationally.

Natasha has been a volunteer speaker with BeyondBlue since 2016 and has been involved with the Zoetis and Beyondblue initiative since 2019.

She has spoken on webinars for The Webinar Vet Australia, The Webinar Vet UK and for Turbocharge Your Practice private trainings.

Natasha has contributed articles to the Australian Veterinary Journal in March, April and July 2015; AVBA, In The Black Magazine and VetAnswers blog and FatD Purple paper on Dentistry in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Natasha is a contributing author to the Vet Coach 8th Edition book.

Topics Include:

These topics can be tailored for speaking engagement and in-practice training

Personal Insight & Self Awareness

  • Self Awareness
  • DISC
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Aim for Excellence Not Perfection
  • Career Planning

Clients:

  • Building Strong Client Relationships
  • Understanding Clients to Improve Compliance
  • What Do Clients Want?
  • Dealing with Challenging Clients
  • How to Communicate for Impact & Influence

Your Wellbeing

  • Finding Your Purpose In Practice
  • Building Resilience to Cope with Adversity
  • Realistic Optimism is Essential
  • Stress Management
  • Applying Positive Psychology to Improve Wellbeing
  • Compassion Fatigue and Burnout Prevention

Veterinary Income

  • Increase your Turnover
  • Stop the Leaks
  • Sales isn’t a Dirty Word
  • Salary Negotiation

Natasha can tailor presentations to suit your desired outcome.

In practice, on-site training can consist of:

  • A lunch & learn, which is usually a 60 to 90 minute session, for practices within the Brisbane, Ipswich, Sunshine & Gold Coast region
  • Half day training for practices within the Brisbane, Ipswich, Sunshine & Gold Coast region
  • Full day training within Australia
  • Multi-day trainings within the Australasia region and internationally

For Enquiries and Natasha’s rates: 

Call:  +61 434 836 178

Email:  natasha@highperformancevets.com

Enjoyed Natasha’s presentation, loved every minute of it! Content was realistic and practical, delivered with warmth and style. She handled the hard truths of a work place (veterinary practice) with a positive and constructive view and really helpful ideas that are quick and easy to implement with potential for big benefits.

 

Dr. Michelle Blowes

I loved Dr Natasha Wilks’ presentations at #AVAConf2016! I found Natasha’s presentations on career planning to build your personal reputation and on resilience (coping with adversity in practice), absorbing and well presented. I appreciate Natasha’s style of bringing practical steps into some of the toughest everyday issues and really handing over practical coaching tips that everyone can walk away with. Natasha speaks from experience and that gives great credibility to how vets can benefit from career planning and self-care. These presentations confirmed for me that finding a career coach like Natasha is a great thing to do as with so many opportunities for different veterinary career paths a coach can help me define career goals and make sure I am always headed down a great path!

 

Dr Emma Davis

I have watched Natasha take up the baton for positive psychology in the veterinary profession and cannot speak highly enough of her commitment to coaching veterinarians and their staff in the direction of excellent mentation.

Positive psychology is the way forward in mentation for the veterinary profession and Natasha as a veterinarian and coach is paving the way forward.

Natasha has a real passion to drive positive psychology and foster resilience through presentations and coaching. These are endeavours we have to embrace as a profession.

Dr. Brian Mc Erlean MVB MRCVS

AVA Benevolent Fund Trustee

Current and Previous Engagements 2022

  • UQ Veterinary School, First Year Orientation
    Topic: Thriving in Veterinary School
  • Veterinary Wellness Club, March 10, Hotel HQ, 7pm
    Finding Your Joy
  • Greencross Conference, Rescheduled to 22-23rd October
    The Importance of Positive Leadership

2021

  • UQ Veterinary School, First Year Orientation
    Topic: Thriving in Veterinary School
  • BVP Conference
    Sustainable Success. Burn Brightly Without Burning Out
  • Private Practice, Brisbane
    Workshops: Dealing with Difficult Clients and Communication in Practice
  • Private Practice, Central Queensland
    Wellbeing Seminar
  • Private Practice, Gold Coast
    Workshop: Managing Stress in Practice
  • Private Practice, Springfield
    Workshop: Consultation Room Efficiency and Effectiveness 
    Workshop: Sustainable Success 
  • Zoetis
    Webinar and Training Videos on Wellbeing & Managing Mental Health During the Current Challenges
  • Private Practice, Western Queensland
    Workshop: Team Communication in Practice
  • Vet Summit
    Resilience Skills to Cope with Constant Change
  • Vets on Call The Ugly Truth Webinar Series
    Setting Boundaries
  • Cenvet Wellbeing Symposium
    Finding Your Joy
    Setting Boundaries 

2020

  • UQ Veterinary School, First Year Orientation
    Topic: Thriving in Veterinary School
  • Zoetis
    Topic: Maintaining Good Wellbeing
  • Global Veterinary Career Summit
    Career101: Rediscover Your Passion For Practice
    Campfire: Veterinary Coaching, Why and How
  • AVA VetFest2020
    Topic: Practical Strategies for Maintaining Mental Wellbeing in Practice
  • VetPartners
    Webinar Series: Wellbeing, Stress Management & Resilience
  • Private Practice
    Wellbeing Seminar

    2019 

    • Zoetis Beyondblue Initiative
      Webinar: Mental Health in the Workplace
    • AVA Sunshine Coast Branch, Caloundra
      Topic: Asking for Help is a Sign of Courage
    • Private Client, Veterinary Practice, Victoria
      Full day team workshop, High Performing Teams
    • Attended the 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology, Melbourne

    2018 

    • AVA East Coast Roadshow, Hamilton Island
      90 minute Workshop: Your Brilliant Career: The Highs, The Lows and In Between
    • Central & North Queensland Tour
      Wellbeing in Practice Seminar

    2017

    • Attended:  VetSet2Go Conference, Kingscliff
    • WebinarVet Practice Management Webinar, UK.
      Topic: The Leader Who Isn’t.
    • Private Practice Webinar Training
      Series of Webinars on Understanding Clients, Dealing with Difficult Clients, Managing Stress, Resilience
    • AVA Conference, Melbourne
      Topic: Happiness! The Power of Positive Psychology to Enhance and Improve Performance
    • Attended: Happiness & It’s Causes, Sydney
    • AVA Veterinary Summit on the Summit, Brisbane
      Afternoon Workshop: Developing your Personal Skillset for Wellness & Resilience
    • Private Corporate Client
      Series of Workshops on Personal Leadership, Resilience, Embracing Change, The Positive Workplace
    • Brisbane Veterinary Practitioners Branch Meeting, Stradbroke Island
      Topic: Surviving the First Year
    • Private Client: Local Emergency Centre
      3 hour workshop on Resilience and Stress Management

    2016

    • AVA Conference, Adelaide
      Topics: Building Resilience: How to Cope with Adversity in Practice. 
                   Career Planning to Build your Reputation
    • AVA Sheep Veterinarians Conference, Dubbo
      Topics: How to Approach the Working Dog Conference
                    Building Resilience: How to Cope with Adversity in Practice
    • AVBA Conference, Melbourne
      Topics: Awareness of Mental Health Issues in the Workplace
                  Strategies for a Mentally Healthy Workplace
    • Private Practice Training, Brisbane
      2 Workshops: Team Communication in Veterinary Practice
      Stress Management and Resilience
    • Private Practice Training, Dubai
      I spent 4 days with a large private practice in Dubai training the whole team. The topics included personal development, communication strategies, building strong relationships with clients, stress management and discussing fees & charging appropriately.  I had spent 3 months previous to the engagement coaching and training the veterinary team to improve charging within the practice.
    • WebinarVet, UK
      Webinar: Identifying Leaks in Your Practice

    2015

    • AVA PanPacific Conference, Brisbane
      Topic: Understanding Clients to Increase Compliance
    • AVA Practice Management Conference, Sydney
      Topic: Building Client Relationships
    • Private Client: Full Day Workshops to Large Corporate Group, Sydney
      Topics: How to Deal with Difficult Clients
      Understanding Clients to Increase Compliance
      Coping with Stress in Practice
      Wellness: Using Positive Psychology to Increase Well-being
    • Brisbane Veterinary Practitioners Conference, Stradbroke Island
      Topic: Burnout and Compassion Fatigue
    • Private Client: Local Intensive Care Facility
      Topics: Personal Leadership in Practice
      Workplace Communication
    • Private Client: Specialist Centre, Brisbane
      Topics: Work-Life Integration
      Dealing with Compassion Fatigue

    2014

    • AVA Practice Management Conference: Sydney
      Topic: Five Steps to Success
    • Private Practice, Geelong
      Day Workshop: Team Communication, Building Relationships with Clients, Stress Management, Improve Well-being