Chad R. Brown

Thoughts and Musings from an Appalachian Vet

Hi, I'm Chad.

I've worked in barns and boardrooms, two places with a surprisingly similar need to watch your step. I spent years as a veterinarian in rural Appalachia, treating everything from cats to cattle and meeting people you couldn't make up if you tried. Somewhere along the way, I got into e-commerce, helped build and lead veterinary technician education programs, and eventually landed in charge of a large veterinary teaching hospital. These days I spend more time in meetings than muck boots, which has taught me that people are harder to handle than llamas and only slightly less likely to spit. Every one of those jobs gave me plenty to write about. Some of it I can even tell in public.

More about me

Latest Essays

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Coin Flips and Costanza: Two Unconventional Fixes for Decision Fatigue

Sometimes a coin flip is all it takes to stop overthinking. Other times, doing the opposite of what we'd normally do can teach us something about ourselves. But neither trick gets us out of being responsible for the decisions we make.

Did You Choose The Right Path?

Graduation season has a way of making you look backward. A reflection on career, identity, and the question of whether the path you chose still fits the person you've become.

Road Rage and the Pile Underneath

The moment that sets us off is rarely the whole reason we react. Sometimes the green light, the careless text, or the slow checkout line is only the match. The real question is what we were already carrying when it landed.

Dr. Chad R. Brown, Appalachian veterinarian and writer, smiling outdoors on a tree-lined street

There's no shortage of material.

People are strange. Work is complicated. And just when you think you've seen it all, somebody proves you wrong.

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