On Monday 2^nd November, XLVets members can tune in to the XLVets Festival, which runs online for the next two weeks. The event comes on the back of recent BVA survey* that showed 45% of veterinary respondents are concerned about their own risk of stress and burnout. The Festival is inspired by the community’s ‘Thriving in Practice’ initiative and includes everything from clinical updates, to sessions on building resilience and confidence, as well as fun events such as chocolate and beer tasting and even a comedy gig. The yoga and meditation session is on the evening of 12^th November and can be booked by anyone in the profession for free.

The Festival was developed by the community’s operations team in conjunction with feedback from members, as a replacement for national meetings that normally allow face to face contact. This year, not only was that not possible but there was a need to support teams during the COVID pandemic, which in itself has put pressure on everyone. The Thriving in Practice support initiative is well established in the XLVet calendar as a way to support veterinary professionals in their practices and with this Winter predicted to be increasingly difficult, it was felt that everyone might need additional tools and support to help them face those challenges positively.

Benefiting from the support of Norbrook Laboratories, Boehringer Ingelheim, MSD, Zoetis and Pets App, the event offers sessions from some high-profile experts from within and outside the profession. Notably, Professor Steve Peters’ team at The Chimp Paradox champions a mind management model based on neuroscience principles and will tackle imposter syndrome. Award winning speaker, Marcus Child has worked with business leaders across 36 countries and will deliver a session on positive reframing which aims to build confidence and courage.

The social events also benefit from something a little extra, with impressionist Alfie Joey of Britain’s Got Talent fame hosting a pub quiz, a gig from comedian Carl Hutchinson and the independent Tiny Rebel Brewery leading the beer tasting. The open to all yoga session, ‘Wind Down: Yin Yoga with Guided Meditation’ is being led by VetYogi’s Chloe Hannigan and includes a full 90 minutes of calm and relaxation.

Kerrie Hedley, XLVets Chief Operations Officer, says that in addition to supporting its members, the XLVet community also wanted to share this session with their colleagues, “This year has been hard for everyone and the core values of Thriving in Practice include ‘giving’ and ‘connecting’. By sharing Chloe’s session we hope to help others to learn some new coping strategies, build resilience and reduce stress.”