Why fixing behavior often fails: Using the CORE Element to change veterinary team performance

The instinct when something isn't working is to fix the behavior, but according to Jennifer Edwards, DVM, ACC, CPC, ELI-MP, that is often where the fix goes wrong. In this episode of The Resilient Vet: Mind and Body Strategies for Success, Edwards breaks down the CORE Element framework, a conscious leadership model she created that locates the real driver of outcomes not in what people do but in how they're thinking, feeling, and perceiving long before they ever act. Cohost Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, asks Edwards what this looks like inside a real clinic, where difficult conversations get avoided, frustration builds quietly, and patterns tend to repeat regardless of who's in the room. The conversation explores how developing conscious awareness, ownership, and intentional response can shift leadership outcomes in clinical settings, and why addressing the cause rather than the effect is what actually creates lasting change.

Below is a partial transcript, lightly edited for improved clarity.

Edwards: If you've ever been in a situation in your life where you feel like, "Gosh, I know what to do, so why am I still not doing it?" this episode is going to answer that. The issue is not your knowledge. It's not your motivation or effort. It is something deeper that most people never look at.

Today, I want to talk to you about something that I reference all the time—the CORE Element, a framework I created for conscious leadership. I realized recently that I often mention that I am the creator of the CORE Element leadership framework in my intro, but I've never actually explained what that is. So, here I am today to break it down in a really practical way, not just for leadership but for how you show up in your entire life.

Welcome to The Resilient Vet podcast. We help vets and their teams build lasting, fulfilling careers through sustainable mind-body strategies. I'm Dr Jennifer Edwards, conscious leadership coach, former practice owner, and the founder of the CORE Element framework. As a former practice owner with many years in the profession, I help veterinary professionals and leaders with the inner parts of leadership—strengthening leadership, communication, and culture—so they can perform at a high level without sacrificing well-being. And I'm here with my cohost, Aaron Shaw.

Shaw: I'm excited about this episode. Thank you for the intro. My name is Aaron Shaw. I am here because I get tired of seeing great people in vet med burn out, break down, and leave the work that they care so deeply about. So I created Project Vetspan to help vet leaders build healthier, stronger, more durable teams. We do this in 3 steps: assessing where the strain is, installing practical systems that really help, and reinforcing those systems so they become part of the clinic culture.

Speaking of clinic culture, I would say it is pretty directly related to leadership and, to use your words, Jennifer, conscious leadership and this CORE Element that you often mention here. So let's dive in. What is the CORE Element?