Find ikigai in veterinary medicine: From parachute kid to thriving veterinarian (Dr. Zonram Liao)

Zonram Liao grew up as a parachute kid in California leaving high school with a 2.4 GPA, but something important happened where he knew that he could give back to the community that took care of him. Right after vet school at Ross, Dr. Liao helped build thriving start-up Banfield hospitals and recently opened his own clinic in his hometown called, Sunshine Veterinary Care. During the pandemic, he started over-the-counter health solutions (Wellnergy Pet) to support pet parents who couldn't get in to see the veterinarian.

This is a story of community, a circle of giving and finding ikigai in veterinary medicine. Ikigai is a Japanese term that means "a reason for being" or "a meaning for life". It can refer to something that brings joy, value, or fulfillment.

Resources:

• Episode on YouTube 
• Dr. Liao on LinkedIn
• Dr. Liao on Instagram
• Dr. Liao's veterinary clinic, Sunshine Veterinary Care
• Wellnergy Pet 

Transcript

Zonram Liao: [00:00:00] It's, it's not often that, you know, 23 year old loser coming out of college with a 2. 4 GPA, 1. 9 GPA freshman year on academic probation can come out, become a, uh, someone with a, with a doctor in front of his name with a degree, experienced amount of success I've had. 

Megan Sprinkle: Every story we get to share on Vet Life Reimagined is special and amazing. And there's one every once in a while that comes by where I think, Wow, when are they making this into a movie? And that's the case with Dr. Zonram Liao. In high school, you would never have guessed he would become a highly successful veterinarian and practice owner. 

Megan Sprinkle: Start his own supplement business that wins on a TV show called America's Big Deal and express the most fun in his career. He may talk a lot about luck, but luck is when work meets opportunity. His story is one of community and a circle of giving. I'm so excited to share this episode, so let's get to the conversation with Dr. 

Megan Sprinkle: [00:01:00] Zonram Liao. 

Megan Sprinkle: Do you mind sharing your beginning story? 

Megan Sprinkle: Your childhood and then, Up to getting interested into veterinary medicine. 

Zonram Liao: No, of course, of course. First of all, 

Zonram Liao: thank you so much, Megan for having me on here. , it's an honor to be referred , as a guest. I'm glad you guys thought of me and, I think my story is interesting. , but yeah, I guess most people would just call me Dr. 

Zonram Liao: Z nowadays, but you know, humble beginnings as just Zonram, growing up as a parachute kid here in, Diamond Bar, California, and I'm guessing, most of the audience doesn't know what a parachute is. basically when it comes to, what a parachute kid is, my parents, immigrated here in the 1980s. 

Zonram Liao: United States when English isn't your primary language, and you're not able to pick up the language as easy as you thought you would. Making a living here is pretty tough, you know, so when I was 15, 16 years old, parents basically left me and my sister here to our own devices, uh, so that they [00:02:00] could, you know, go back to the motherland per se in Taiwan and China. 

Zonram Liao: And, make a better living, make some more money so they can provide for me and my sister a little bit better. And they would just send money over here, back to the United States here in, you know, the Southern California area where we lived. They would maybe visit maybe once every six months or so for a week or two. 

Zonram Liao: And they would go back and, you know, that's why they call us parachute kids. Cause it's just kind of, we were parachuted down in the U S and left here as they, fly back to the other country. it was very different, growing up this way, you know, a lot of times we were on our own and I was very, very lucky that the community here in, Diamond Bar, California kind of took me and my sister in, they helped raise us, you know, restaurant owners, Boba shops, cafe owners, they would, you know, let us hang out for three to four hours, taking one of the tables, to do homework, to take naps, you know, they really helped us out. 

Zonram Liao: gym owners that left the doors open so I could shoot hoops until, you know, midnight [00:03:00] and stay out of trouble. You know, these, these are my people. And, as far as, my community goes, it's really important that when I became a veterinarian, that I come back here and practice and give back to them. 

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah. And did you, , have a place to stay? , sleep at 

Megan Sprinkle: night? Did you have family that was close that kind of was at least a stopping point? I'm just trying to kind of picture the whole thing. 

Zonram Liao: No, yeah. Good question. So, there was a group of us, like 10 to 12 

Zonram Liao: of us that were like this. In high school, they used to call us the Lonely Boys because our parents were never around and we would all kind of just stay over at each other's houses whenever one of the parents were in town and they would like just cook for us and take care of us or sometimes our aunts would do the same thing because they would do the same with their kids, even if they're like just one city over, it's okay. 

Zonram Liao: We just hang out with them, you know, all day. And there's just a lot of time spent with the family and the people in the community here. [00:04:00] 

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah, and I think that was also when you started to get 

Megan Sprinkle: interested in animals, too, because weren't you helping watch a family member's dog or something like that? 

Zonram Liao: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that and yeah, that kind of leads into it because you know when you're on your own for so long You kind of get led astray I'll be I'll be the first to admit. 

Zonram Liao: I was the worst college student I came out of college with like a 2. 4 GPA. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life I had no focus. I I just wanted to fish and play basketball and party And you know, I was you know at college I was on my own, kicked out of the house because of my poor grades, working, at a Chinese supermarket stocking, frozen fish at this time and being a lonely boy, you know, someone asked me, one of my aunts asked me to watch her dog for her while she leaves the country. 

Zonram Liao: and I took care of her dog and, her parachute kid. even though me and my parents [00:05:00] were on talking terms, I was still able to, you know, connect with the community there. but during this time, the dog got really, really sick and they found out, you know, the dog was, vomiting and having diarrhea when I was there. 

Zonram Liao: I took it over to, uh, the emergency clinic. I didn't know what to do. They found a big tumor in the abdomen. And at that age, you know, I was around 23 years old, 22 years old, I had to make some really tough decisions on my own while also taking care of, a parachute kid. 

Zonram Liao: And, after I had to make those tough decisions, I decided, hey, I never, I never want one of these parachute kids to, to have to go through this again. Me or, or younger, younger kids, like, handling these situations on their own is, is not ideal, especially without guidance. So I decided the best way I could. 

Zonram Liao: give back to the community, especially for the animal loving community, like me is, to become a veterinarian and be able to offer guidance to, to the parachute kids in my area. [00:06:00] So, you know, very luckily I, after I, uh, I decided on this. I talked to my parents, you know, tell them what I want to do with my life. 

Zonram Liao: And if they would help sponsor, you know, just, just a few, a few hundred dollars for my, you know, applications in the veterinary school, I'll come up with the rest, you know, I'll make them proud and very, very luckily they said, okay, let's . let's do it. And, the rest is history, you know, I applied to 30 schools with that poor GPA. 

Zonram Liao: Luckily I had a, you know, high GRE score at like 97th percentile. And, some schools took me and I was on the next flight over to Ross. 

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah. Was that a culture shock going to Ross at all? Or how was your, you know, arriving in Ross and starting this? 

Zonram Liao: Yes, it's pretty funny. It is actually okay for me because I was alone for so long. 

Zonram Liao: So when I went to the country, I went to Ross, I was still alone. You know, so [00:07:00] I was pretty cool with it. Ross is a tiny island, just like Taiwan, where, my parents are from. I used to visit. So it went from alone and a tiny island type of feel to. Alone on a tiny island type of feel. So it was pretty, it was pretty okay. 

Zonram Liao: I acclimated pretty well and honestly had the best time of my life at Ross. So yeah, it was good. 

Megan Sprinkle: That's great and I hope you bring that kind of perspective to other students because I know a lot of And I can talk to myself for myself to coming into vet school. You're nervous. You're, studying all the time. And so the fact that you, it sounded like really embrace this experience as yes, you were there to learn. You had a kind of a mission. There was a reason you came, but you also had a lot of fun as well. Is there anything else that you would like to share? 

Megan Sprinkle: Maybe tit for people going through vet school? 

Zonram Liao: Yeah, for sure. I mean, vet school is not easy for sure, I'll tell you that. But honestly, the way I thought of it was, you know, I get a chance to pursue a career and [00:08:00] not just a regular career. I, now that I'm coming to find it even more, it surpassed my dreams. 

Zonram Liao: It, it's a amazing career and the longer I stay in it, the, the more amazing it is. 10 out of 10 beats stocking frozen fish at a Chinese supermarket. Let me tell you that. And the second I was able to find a way to not have to do that job or my previous job of doing exterior painting of houses in the summer, like that, those are, really, really tough jobs and jobs that don't feel like careers to me that you can really fall in love with, that you want to do long term, versus veterinary medicine, where the second I step foot into it, it's like, Oh. 

Zonram Liao: I found something that I can do for a long time that I could really, really love. And, and I can see the impact I can make doing this. And now that I'm seven going on eight years in, yeah, as a veterinarian, I see it every day. It's amazing. for students out there, just keep that in mind when you're studying. 

Zonram Liao: It's really an [00:09:00] amazing career. 

Megan Sprinkle: I can definitely tell you that there was somebody, at least one person, if not a lot more who really needed to hear that. So thank you for sharing that. And you also mentioned that. as you were getting out of vet school, you actually felt really confident that you were ready to, get into practice. 

Megan Sprinkle: What happened in vet school? What did you do? how were you able to feel so confident leaving vet school and getting ready to, to be full doctor in practice? 

Zonram Liao: Well, I mean, I got really lucky. I'll, I'll tell you that I got really lucky. I had a really good, Really good mentor. you know, when I first started in the field, you know, when I was applying for schools, I met this amazing mentor, his name's, I'm going to shout him out. 

Zonram Liao: His name is Dr. Wang at Pet Care Animal Hospital in El Monte, California. And he kind of took me under his wing and he said, Hey, I've seen your resume. I know you were a loser before, but it looks like you're ready for a change. And I said, yeah, I am. I really am. He's like, [00:10:00] This is what you do. 

Zonram Liao: And he kind of taught me the ins and outs. I spent every break, with him every single day, learning procedures, picking his brain, asking tons of questions, when I was working with him as, as an assistant, when I was working with him during my breaks, he's told me I've asked more questions than any other student he had just because I'm so curious, not just about the procedures he was doing or the techniques he was doing. 

Zonram Liao: But why did he talk to this client that way? Why did he talk to this client in a different way? why did he start his own, own clinic? what do you think about when it goes into that? You know, picking his brains here and there, here and there, here and there, because I shortly realized, you know, uh, or very quickly realized He was pretty much about the same thing that I was about giving back to the community and so I Was really lucky I found a like minded mentor and getting that much experience with him Gave me a ton of confidence coming out of school And then I think you also you know you you put in enough hours of work and you see What your colleagues are doing or your [00:11:00] contemporaries are doing and you're like, oh, maybe I can Just out of sheer will beat that out a little bit. 

Zonram Liao: Oh, these guys are waking up at seven. Maybe I could wake up at five. Oh, these guys are going to sleep at 10. Maybe I can go to sleep at 12. And you know, those extra two, four hours a day, two four hours a day, it adds up. And sooner or later you, you realize, hey, no matter what type of. amount of work that these guys are doing on their breaks, they're not going to be able to catch up, right? 

Zonram Liao: Because I put in that work and it makes me feel a little bit better. Maybe it's irrational confidence. I don't know. But that's, the way I kind of, I guess, negotiated it with myself and it felt really confident coming out of school and I got, I got lucky. It's paid off, you know. 

Megan Sprinkle: There are definitely times in life and career when it is that putting in the hours, doing the reps, right, and especially when you're in that learning stage. So being able to recognize when you are in that season of doing a lot of reps and really soaking in that experience and learning from it, asking tons of questions, [00:12:00] Oh my goodness. 

Megan Sprinkle: If that was the only thing people could take away, especially our younger audience, like if you're thinking about going into vet school or you're in vet school or new grad, Ask tons of questions. It does not make you look stupid. It makes you look engaged and interested. So love that that was something that you did and discovered was really helpful in boosting your confidence. 

Zonram Liao: you hit it on the head. And on top of that, you know, when I was a new grad, something that really helped a lot, just coming out of school was. Taking on all these relief shifts and relief shifts, especially if you can get relief shifts with another doctor there. Okay. You feel a little bit better than the safety net, but if you, even if there isn't, okay, if you're doing six, seven shifts, You're doing a ton of things at the same time. Okay. Number one, you're getting more reps than anybody else. Yeah, you're working six days a week when people are working four, right? And you're getting that many more cases. And also, you know, number two, you're helping to pay off your loans. Okay, so you're killing two birds with one stone. 

Zonram Liao: Go ahead. That first year is so [00:13:00] important to do this. And then year two, year three, you're going to feel way better. 

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah. And I think you learn a lot about yourself too. I think that's a big part of the confidence piece is being comfortable in who you are as a doctor, understanding where you seem to Excel a little bit more of those areas. 

Megan Sprinkle: I think those are all important in it. And it really comes with putting in the reps and trying different things. And especially if you can do it with someone else, That's great. Cause then you have that safety net to maybe. Feel a little bit more comfortable to, try something new or, or cause you have somebody there you can ask questions. 

Zonram Liao: the reps and it's the brain picking. That's, that's really what it is. Exactly. 

Megan Sprinkle: Now you said you were confident, but then there's also the showing other people and getting them to be confident in you. So you mentioned that Banfield really was impressed with you and had you doing [00:14:00] some pretty neat things, you know, pretty soon after vet school. 

Megan Sprinkle: So one, how did they get that confidence in you? And then do you mind sharing a little bit about the first few years working with Banfield? 

Zonram Liao: Yeah, honestly, I, I think I got really lucky. I have no idea how I showed up, popped up on their radar, I guess, but I just came into Banfield, new grad out of school, like any other doctor, they had pretty good, salary, sign on bonus, they contribute, to my student loans, you know, so kind of a no brainer coming out of school, and I'm sure I was like any other new grad coming out of school, to them, but, In my area where I wanted, always wanted to practice and come back to my community, there was only one Banfield and that was a brand new Banfield that had only opened for, a year or maybe not even, I don't think even two years before I was there. 

Zonram Liao: So essentially a brand new Banfield. And so I went in, I think the [00:15:00] Banfield grossed like 300K the year before. and then I went in and. I don't know how or, or why it just, it doubled when I went in there, I guess I caught on pretty fast, I took on all the relief shifts that, the other doctor needed, because there's just the two of us, which makes me a single doctor day for three days and her a single doctor day for three days and then an overlap and she was out in practice for about three, four years at that time already. 

Zonram Liao: So it was a lot of lonely days by myself. but luckily I, I made it through a lot of days. The, relief shifts where the other doctor wasn't there. I had to, I had to cover for her. I think same thing. they kind of track the progress there and saw that we helped the clinic grow from 300 K one year to 700 K the next to 1. 

Zonram Liao: 2 million the next. And they really liked that. So when the next Banfield startup, opened nearby, they decided it would be idea to send us over there and, and [00:16:00] help start that one up. And we went ahead and did it. And that one became very, very successful, very, very fast as well. And, uh, Yeah, kind of we somehow became, correlated with this, reputation of helping Banfield start up and become high volume, well practicing, high quality medicine clinics. 

Zonram Liao: And, uh, I was happy to help with that. And honestly, I, I was. You know, there is a stigma about Banfield in the veterinary field. but to be completely honest, my experience with Banfield has been great. I'll tell you that I have had great mentorship, great guidance. 

Zonram Liao: I was able to learn a lot. I think you just have to Pick and choose what you want to learn, right? So because of being part of those two startups, now when I open my own clinic, hey, I know what we call KPIs, so key performance indicators. I need to look for in my clinic. I know how to, create, time efficiency and, nurse efficiency in my clinic because of Banfield, you know, uh, what type of, Things you can do to create repeat [00:17:00] customers, things like that, that, that really help. 

Zonram Liao: Yeah. And, it was great. I practiced good medicine. and now I bring a lot of, you know, what I learned from Banfield to the table at my new practice. 

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah. Now, just out of curiosity, I understand why you went to Banfield. There's a lot of perks. Did you already, kind of early on, did you think about potentially owning your own practice one day? 

Zonram Liao: Good question. The dream was always to open my own practice because I saw how my mentor worked. And, , I saw him open the practice and the impact he had on the community by owning his own practice. so I saw that happen in front of my eyes and I said, Hey, when I get a chance to, I'm opening a practice right in the heart of where I grew up, where the community is and, uh, give back that way. 

Zonram Liao: So yeah, now I'm able to do that. I'm really happy. made the dream come true. 

Megan Sprinkle: Now, when the pandemic hit, were you still working for Banfield at that time? 

Zonram Liao: Yes. Yes, I was. I [00:18:00] was. 

Megan Sprinkle: That I'm sure was as many people listening to this know, it was completely bonkers. when the pandemic hit, because you had mentioned Banfield is a high volume kind of clinic. 

Megan Sprinkle: You were seeing around 35 patients a day and then the pandemic. hit and that. That changed and a lot of other things changed. So do you mind sharing your kind of pandemic experience? Because something kind of cool kind of came out of it as well. 

Zonram Liao: So yeah, yeah, thanks Megan. Yeah. So yeah, something a little bit different about me is when, you know, when the pandemic hit, I was working at Banfield, uh, man, pet numbers that I was seeing, you know, I was seeing 30, like you said, 30 to 35 patients a day, But when the pandemic hit, corporate regulations cut that down to 16, 12 to 16 right away, just to help curb the disease and transmission and things like that, which helped for sure, you know, uh, from a [00:19:00] public health point of view, it left a lot of pet parents, Backed up. 

Zonram Liao: Yeah. When it comes to seeing their vet and, needing to get a vet appointment for urgent issues, you know, like for example, diarrhea. So during this time, if you're a pet parent out there or you're a doctor out there, you know, veterinary visits were backed up three, five weeks at a time. Right. And, you know, being from the community that I was practicing in, you know, everyone had my number, everyone had my email, everyone had, you know, Instagram. 

Zonram Liao: So they would be sending me, pictures of, For example, like my basketball coach at like 8 30 a. m. One random Thursday sent me pictures of like doggy diarrhea all over his, his sofa, his living room floor. It was really one of the worst, one of the worst images I got from him before. Uh, in my life and it was like blood in it too. 

Zonram Liao: And he was like, Dr. Z, Bambi has diarrhea. I've been up since 5 a. m. dealing with this mess. What the heck can I do? They said I can't [00:20:00] see you for two and a half, three weeks. what is going on? And I said, and it was at that point, and really it was my basketball coach who kind sent me that text that kind of drove me into this. 

Zonram Liao: But I decided at that point to come up with some solutions. that pet parents could get over the counter, to help with their pets so they can hopefully, you know, give their pets some relief, give themselves some, some help, you know, and hopefully avoid a veterinary visit altogether if they could. But if they couldn't, at least, you know, they tried something, right? 

Zonram Liao: So I started coming out with my own line of probiotics and anti-diarrheals. You know, I kind of sold it out the back of my, back of my garage, decided to slap a brand on it. and I was really lucky, you know, people in my community loved it. That it kind of took off. They suggested that I start selling online so they can, buy it, at their leisure. 

Zonram Liao: So I was like, Oh, that's, that's smart. I'll try that. Look, kind of looked into it, research how to start a Shopify store. And, it kind of took off from there. I realized that this wasn't [00:21:00] just a problem that the community was dealing with. It was a problem that pet parents throughout the U S was dealing with, and they were buying products, through my website, I was able to help provide for, pet parents everywhere. 

Zonram Liao: And, By a stroke of luck, I end up somehow catching the attention of people, uh, that work for USA network. they put me on TV where I pitched to some big box retailers, in a show called America's big deal. It's like, America's got talent mixed with shark tank. At the same time and, kind of launched me into the retail space. 

Zonram Liao: And I'm really lucky that my brand, uh, that I started that day or that year called Wellnergy Pets is now in retail stores like CVS pharmacies, Lowe's Home Improvement, Chewy. com. Uh, we just applied to get into Walmart. We'll see how that meeting goes, you know, and, it's been a ride, but it's been a lot of fun, and really what keeps me going here, it's just hearing all the, all the pet parents really, really grateful to have something they can reach for on their shelf instead of [00:22:00] just, you know, historically praying that diarrhea stops on their, on its own, uh, for example, or having to take their pet to the vet right away. 

Megan Sprinkle: I love that it started really with being very connected with your community. And I still think that's kind of a theme for you is, you know, that's why you went into vet med was to give back to the community. That's how this started was being very connected and, you know, being inspired by your poor, poor basketball coach. 

Megan Sprinkle: Um, that's terrible for him. 

Zonram Liao: Shout out coach Solomon. 

Megan Sprinkle: And the other thing I just, I want to point out because, I always want people to realize that they may have the power to do these really cool things. It's you see it at the end and you see it as a big thing. But, you even said before we started recording that you are. 

Megan Sprinkle: Very not much a technology person. And yet you figured out a Shopify store. I'm sure you figured out like how to get co [00:23:00] manufacturers to help you produce these products. I seriously doubt you were in your tub, like making these. Uh, so that's, that's amazing. 

Zonram Liao: I'm not a mad scientist. I found co packers and co manufacturers 

Megan Sprinkle: so that, that's a big deal. You're still working on that. And then we kind of tease that you still had in your heart that you really wanted to open your own practice. So how did you end up getting The inspiration and finally actually opening up the doors right in the middle of your hometown. 

Zonram Liao: Yeah, so, it was, you know, one project after, uh, after another, I guess, since COVID started. So, Banfield, full time, and then moving from that into, full time Banfield plus, pet products, online, we call it e commerce. Yeah, running an e commerce store. And then, you know, very [00:24:00] quickly. I actually found out that there was an old veterinary clinic in my hometown that shut down. , the lease ran out on the old veterinarian there. 

Zonram Liao: He retired. , and the landlord was looking for another veterinarian to, to take his spot. He found me through like local schools, uh, where some of the pet parents knew me and he reached out to me and said, Hey, I heard about you. I've heard your story. Do you want to take a look at this, this space and, see if you guys want to take it over. 

Zonram Liao: And the second I drove there, I knew where it was. Cause it was in the heart of my hometown and opening up a vet clinic there. was something I had my eye on since 2019 when I went like two years into being a vet and I found out there was a vet clinic there. , it is literally three minutes from my middle school, three minutes from my elementary school, and five minutes from my high school. 

Zonram Liao: So I was like, that's a location that I would want. And lo and behold, it dropped into my hands. So [00:25:00] I'm not going to tell you it was more inspiration than luck. It's definitely a lot of luck. but, starting, what, January now, it's been open. Uh, I spent two months, renovating it, which is actually really, really fast. 

Zonram Liao: But the skeleton of a previous clinic was already there, you know, so I didn't have to do very much. I just had to get equipment in, I did redo all the counters, I had to get some kennels in, surgery tables, exam tables, and once that stuff was in, I could start running the clinic. And, uh, man, it's been, it's been so much fun. 

Zonram Liao: It's, it was beyond anything I ever dreamt of. our clinic has kind of exploded in the last six months. And a bit after being a part of two startup Banfields, I personally, despite working for those Banfield, a big name corporate companies, I've never seen a startup clinic grow so fast. it's been amazing. 

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah. I think you said. Even being open six months, you are already bringing in revenue that outpaced like the [00:26:00] first four years of your two doctor practice at Banfield? Something like that? 

Zonram Liao: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, I'm on pace. If I look at my revenue for the last three months, that gives me a pace of about 900k for this year, which was more than that. 

Zonram Liao: The first startup Banfield did in like two years, you know, so it's insane. Um, and I'm just one doctor too. So, uh, it's, it's been a pleasant surprise. I don't want to, you know, blow steam up on my butt or get my head too big, but it's, it's a lot of work. but. I'm telling you, the thing is, not a single day in the clinic since I graduated has really felt like work to me. 

Zonram Liao: I'm blessed, and you know, I get to see the people that help raise me, the aunties and uncles, help raise me. They bring their pets in, you know, to see me, and it really feels like I'm giving back, and that just feels like fun to me. It doesn't feel like work, so it keeps me going. Yeah, and you're doing exactly what you set out to do, you know, back when you were that 22, [00:27:00] 23 year old. 

Megan Sprinkle: So, you had also mentioned your dream was to be able to not have a parachute kid, not be able to help their pet. So my guess is some of that could be financial, right? but. How are you able to do something special? Like, is, is that something that you're also focusing on is really serving that part of the community? 

Zonram Liao: Yeah, actually, really, really good question. So, definitely I have parachute kids bring their pets in, to my clinic and, you know, in tough situations and in easy situations. But the key is, you know, giving them guidance. Like, Hey, this might be how you know we raise pets in Taiwan, but now in the US we know a little bit better. 

Zonram Liao: There's so much more research. Hey, this is what we can do. Giving them guidance. They're keeping up to date on vaccines and flea preventive, something as simple as that. Or, you know, when they're here for the tough times, hey, this, even this morning, I had to actually, Uh, patient come in with H G E. [00:28:00] And, uh, it belonged, it was a little poodle that belonged to a parachute kid. 

Zonram Liao: And he had no idea what to do. He said, oh my god, there's this bloody diarrhea. It looks like cranberry jam. Like, I'm freaking out. I'm like, it's okay. We're going to help you guys take care of it. See that's what I'm here for, but on top of that I realized hey There's a lot of kids in this community that might be interested in being vets, also becoming veterinarians and in my community at Diamond Bar High School where I went to high school Where I went to middle school There's zero other students that I knew in my classes above or below me that came out and became veterinarians. 

Zonram Liao: None of them. And so I think I can become a face, a representative, Asian representation. in the veterinary field, I think is, is really important and is really needed. and at the very least, I can do that in my community where, now I have right now one, two, seven, eight volunteers, in my clinic, three of them in high [00:29:00] school, three of them in college, and two of them in vet school. 

Zonram Liao: And so if I'm able to help These kids, these parachute kids, you know, kind of chase their passion trailblaze for them and show them there's a way to get into vet school. You know, as a member of this community, I'm going to show them how to do it. 

Megan Sprinkle: Oh, wow. That's amazing. luckily you, you had someone that was close to the community that helped you, you know, understand that, no, I'm ready to, I finally figured out what I want to do and I'm ready to dig in and, and make a, you know, a huge change for me and my community. 

Megan Sprinkle: And now you're able to do that and you're doing it even bigger fold back. And I'm sure that's super exciting to watch them, ask questions and get excited as well. 

Zonram Liao: Yeah, I don't know that's a dream until you're living in it, right? people say you're gonna do what you always dreamt of. 

Zonram Liao: I think, even more so in my case, it's I get to do things that I never even dreamt of. And that's exciting. And I'm able to to do that for the other kids in this [00:30:00] community and help them and, and like you said, do it in multitudes, right? At an even higher level, then I've, done my job here. 

Zonram Liao: I've, I've left my mark. I've helped the community and you know, it's really rewarding. 

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah. And I can definitely see that's where your heart is. I also see that you are part of lots of other projects on the side, not to mention the, the Wellnergy pet brand, but , I saw that you were like doing some, maybe part time work or something with Vetster leave no pause behind, like there's some other organizations that you seem to be helping as well, what drives you to do that? 

Zonram Liao: Yeah, yeah, actually really really good question So a few different things, you know that kind of piqued my interest and I was curious about giving back to the community also, you know includes giving back to the less fortunate in the community, right? 

Zonram Liao: And it's not just the upper middle class So I did want some experience Learning the ins and out of kind of a low [00:31:00] cost clinic and at what that demographic, struggle with and the communication with them and how practices that work there, you know, what are their, their wins and, what are their, areas where they can improve and help, So that's when I kind of went into Leave No Paws Behind. That's when I went into the street dog coalition that I volunteer with for every AVMA conference, to kind of learn that stuff. I think it's really important to get some perspective there. So when you come out and you have your own clinic, okay, you know how to deal with different situations, provide for people that, that are having difficult time, I think it's just it's just trying to learn more. 

Zonram Liao: Yeah. And now I got that experience. You know, I think it makes me a much, more, know, I say holistic. I don't mean like holistic, like medicine wise. I just mean the same big picture wise of all the things that people can be going through as as a practice owner and as a veterinarian. I think that's important, you know, and then on the Vetster side of things. 

Zonram Liao: I always thought, Hey, with new [00:32:00] technology, it's really important to see what it's like. Yeah. Uh, what's coming next in veterinary medicine. I did a couple of shifts with them just to see what does the future have in store for telemedicine? Is this something I would like to incorporate into my practice at some point? 

Zonram Liao: You know, I just kind of wanted to get the ins and out of that. So I have these little, little projects here and there that I, I just am curious, so curious about, at different avenues in vet med, where vet med is going and growing. and I'm trying to, Pick up things as much as I can while also, you know, running these two businesses, being a full time veterinarian. 

Zonram Liao: And so this is how I try to get different experiences. It's through, different, opportunities like this, and also some of my, influencer stuff on, on Instagram. 

Megan Sprinkle: Oh goodness. Okay, so now I have to go find you on Instagram and yeah, I still think it kind of comes back to you're still trying to figure out how you can serve your community. And when you are. That community veterinarian, you do need to understand that everybody comes from a different place. And, , some people [00:33:00] don't love the word empathy, but you need to be able to understand, listen, maybe to understand their, situation so you can best serve them. 

Zonram Liao: Absolutely. I think it's the right word here, you know, because everyone's going through something different and you try to relate to as many people that are going through different things and different experiences as much as you can. No better way to do that than to to kind of live it yourself, you know, 

Megan Sprinkle: and at the same time, you're looking for possible innovations to make it all even better, which. 

Megan Sprinkle: It's important because our world is changing so quickly and you sound like you are a person that, it's like, well, let's try something, whether it's, well, let's put together some over the counter type of medication to help people or, let's see what. 

Megan Sprinkle: New technology is out there that might be able to help me do my job even better. So you're, continuing that curiosity, to help. 

Zonram Liao: Yeah, I mean, yeah, I mean the, the word is why not, you know, why not, try it, go for it. If it fails, Hey, you've learned something, we [00:34:00] call it tuition, you know, and it's a sweat equity and, and you put in that tuition, be it if it's. 

Zonram Liao: Effort, if it's time, if it's money, then the most important thing is I don't see anything, even if a quote unquote failure, you don't really see it as failure. You don't give up. You just, if you learn from it, is it really that much of a failure? If you, if you gain some experience from it, that you can apply to a future situation, you didn't really lose, right? 

Zonram Liao: You, gain something there. So experience as you can, you'll be curious about as much as you can. And, The time is not really wasted or lost unless you don't apply what you learned in that situation to your future self. 

Megan Sprinkle: Exactly. Well, speaking of future self, I know that you're still very young and in your practice, it's been doing very well. 

Megan Sprinkle: But when you think about your next few steps for yourself and your career, what are some of the things you're looking forward to and kind of striving for? 

Zonram Liao: Oh, that's a, that's a really good question. right now I'm in [00:35:00] so much, how do you say a part of so many things that the next few steps, I'm sure it's going to take a little bit longer, than how all of this came about, this came about really quickly, uh, everything I'm going through, uh, over the last four years, but definitely at least over the next five, if it comes together even quicker than it does great. 

Zonram Liao: If it doesn't, that's okay. But I think over the next five to 10 years, I can really build a network of, animal hospitals in this area, with like minded individuals, I think is, is the most important thing, right? I'm not trying to, to build a bunch of hospitals, make a ton of money. actually, it can be a big headache, yeah, to take on that much. 

Zonram Liao: However, if I find a like minded individual. that wants to give to the community, and I can give the opportunity to someone to do that with another clinic where we can practice the same way, have the same culture, you know, treat the staff the same way. I think that's important. To just branch out a little bit over there, and, [00:36:00] at the same time, you know, think about as I get a little bit older, I know you say I'm still young, but, you know, I just look young. 

Zonram Liao: I'm going to be 36 soon. And I think at this point, my. Measure of success isn't so much the money I make or, or an exit strategy or whatever. It's really about the impact I leave behind and the influence I leave behind on, on the next generation. So really I'm putting a lot of, Thought, effort, time, money into raising the next generation of amazing veterinarians. uh, you know, it goes by decades and I'm going into year eight and decade comes up in two. And after that, that's, that's the next step. and the philosophy is this, okay. And I sound a little bit like an old person rambling. 

Zonram Liao: See, we're, we're talking about age here, but the philosophy, is if, if you just do good things. you try to help people, you try to help pets, you know, everything else will come. and I truly believe that. And when it comes to the next steps, [00:37:00] everything else will come for me. But if I keep doing good things, finding opportunities to help people, help pets, okay, then everything else will come. 

Zonram Liao: And, uh, hopefully I leave behind, uh, a good amount of impact and influence for that next generation by doing so. 

Megan Sprinkle: That's a wonderful philosophy. And I think probably a big part of why you stay so energized in what you do is that's always the mission and the goal and, and how you make decisions is that you are trying to always do something good and give back. 

Megan Sprinkle: So at least that's, that's what I see and feel when I listen to your story. So I think that is. Pretty amazing. And hopefully other people will appreciate it as well. 

Zonram Liao: Yeah. I mean, we call it Ikigai, which means, your, your purpose. If you found your purpose and you're working towards it, like I said, Megan. 

Zonram Liao: Not, not a single day. You see this big, I almost [00:38:00] cussed out here, you see this big giant smile on my face right now talking about it and thinking about it and going into work every day. It's because of that. It's, it does not feel like work. It's so much fun. It's so much fun teaching. It's so much fun helping people. 

Zonram Liao: even on, on days where not everything goes your way, you know you did your best. I can go home. I can. Eat well, I can sleep well, I can wake up the next day and do it all again. 

Megan Sprinkle: I love that. And I mean, I feel like you've spoken gratitude the whole time, but I do always love to end with this final question. 

Megan Sprinkle: And that is, what is something that you are really grateful for? Just like the first thing that pops into your mind right now. 

Zonram Liao: Oh, you're, you're already know I'm, I am grateful, grateful for my community. I am. So grateful for the aunties, the uncles, my parents, who are back in the U. S. now, you know, The people, my mentors, the people that raised me, you [00:39:00] know, everyone that has helped me along this way, it's not often that, you know, 23 year old loser coming out of college with a 2. 

Zonram Liao: 4 GPA, 1. 9 GPA freshman year on academic probation can come out, become a, uh, someone with a, with a doctor in front of his name, with a degree, experienced amount of success I've had. And, uh, kind of get the opportunity to give back, to the community. that's something I'm really grateful for and I'm going to continue working to do. 

Zonram Liao: And, and honestly, that's to make, everyone that in the community that's sacrificed and helped me and, uh, everything, make them proud. If, if I can do that, I've done my job here. So yeah, that's what I'm grateful for. Grateful. I get to do this every day. 

Megan Sprinkle: I hope you enjoyed this fascinating veterinary story. We can make an impact in so many places. Check out the show notes for lots of resources. Please make sure you are subscribed on your podcast app, subscribe on the YouTube channel and follow me on [00:40:00] LinkedIn, where I hang out the most. You can contact me on LinkedIn, on the website at vetlifereimagined. 

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Megan Sprinkle: And I hope to see you next time on that life reimagined.