Speaking

Dr. Phil Richmond is an extraordinary speaker with a rich background as a veterinarian and leadership roles ranging from hospital settings to Chief Medical Officer. His unique experiences and profound expertise in wellbeing and workplace psychological health and safety position him perfectly to address the pressing concerns of veterinary professionals regarding their teams and workplace culture.

What truly sets Dr. Phil apart is his genuine approach to sharing personal stories of vulnerability, seamlessly blended with dynamic storytelling and an easygoing style that fosters engaged and interactive participation. His sessions are designed to be an enjoyable journey, thanks to his top character strength: humor. This ensures that every moment spent with Dr. Phil is not only educational but also entertaining.
Key Benefits of Dr. Phil's Sessions:
Insightful: Gain valuable insights and practical tools that can be immediately applied to enhance organizational culture and psychological safety.
Engaging: Experience an environment of engaged interaction through dynamic storytelling and an easygoing style.
Enjoyable: Enjoy a session that combines education with entertainment, making learning a fun experience.
At Flourishing Phoenix, our philosophy is simple: happy, healthy veterinary professionals create thriving workplaces. We are dedicated to transforming veterinary practices by focusing on psychological safety, resilience, and positive organizational culture. Our tailored programs and workshops provide veterinary teams with the skills they need to succeed and create lasting positive change.
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Speaking Topics

Hunt the Good Stuff: Prioritizing Positive Emotions in Vet Med
The PERMAH theory of wellbeing is the work of Dr. Martin Seligman, one of the co-founders of positive psychology. The P in the acronym stands for positive emotions. Happiness, optimism,…
Learn More
Social/Emotional Work Hazards: “OSHA for Our Brains”
Burnout & suicide prevention, job satisfaction, team retention, and patient safety—these are all topics of concern. What do they all have in common? They can be impacted by hazards and/or…
Learn More
Growth Mindset: “Be Curious, not Judgmental”
This Walt Whitman quote is at the heart of a growth mindset. Decades of research have confirmed that there is a science to resilience and success. Growth mindset is the…
Learn More
QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training
QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR and the…
Learn More
Slaying the Stigma: Alcohol and Substance Use Disorder in Veterinary Professionals
Alcohol and substance use disorders (AUD/SUDs) affect up to 12-15% of medical professionals during some point in their careers. In addition, the pandemic has increased alcohol and substance use throughout…
Learn More
Me, We, & Us: The Foundation of Workplace Wellbeing
Research and evidence from the fields of positive psychology and positive organizational scholarship has outlined the keys to workplace wellbeing. Dr. Aaron Jarden—a professor of psychology, leading organizational wellbeing researcher,…
Learn More
Proof Positive: Successful Teams Seek Psych Safety
Psychological safety is the most important aspect of successful teams. Our ability to feel safe to share ideas, to grow from failure, and to be honest with empathy allows our…
Learn More
Strengths-Based Leadership: Pillar of Efficiency, Engagement, and Wellbeing
The science and study of character strengths is the backbone of modern positive psychology. We are most efficient and effective when leaning into our “neurologic superpowers”, or character strengths. Assessment…
Learn More
Thinking 2.0: Improving Resilience & Communication Through Thought Crafting
Overgeneralizing, mind reading, jumping to conclusions, and assumptions are just a few of the thinking traps that impede performance. Successful communication and wellbeing are dependent on the ability to focus,…
Learn More
How Do We Power-Up?: Burnout Prevention and Elevating Team Cohesion
We all want a great, cohesive teams, but where do we start? A simple definition of workplace culture is whatever people learn from other people, especially by interacting with them.…
Learn More
Conquering Incivility & Taming Toxicity
This workshop delves into the pervasive issue of workplace incivility, highlighting that 98% of workers face varying degrees of uncivil behavior on the job. Drawing on insights from civility research…
Learn More

Dr. Phil Richmond’s Commitment

Dr. Phil Richmond’s dedication to veterinary wellbeing is deeply personal and driven by his commitment to honoring the people in veterinary medicine who helped save his life. He continuously learns from each experience and believes in the power of relationships and wellbeing to transform workplaces and lives.

Outside of work, Dr. Phil enjoys spending time with his family, exploring nature, and practicing Krav Maga. His diverse interests and passions fuel his holistic approach to wellbeing, making him a relatable and inspiring leader in the veterinary community.

Gallery

Hunt the Good Stuff: Prioritizing Positive Emotions in Vet Med

The PERMAH theory of wellbeing is the work of Dr. Martin Seligman, one of the co-founders of positive psychology. The P in the acronym stands for positive emotions. Happiness, optimism, and gratitude are included in this category. Positive emotion induction has a demonstrable, proven benefit to an individual’s overall subjective wellbeing. In practicing clinicians’ cases, positive emotion has been shown to induce faster and more accurate diagnoses. Attendees will be instructed on optimism as a learned skill of resiliency—one that has to do with our explanatory style regarding events and the world around us. Gratitude practices and interventions will be covered with an opportunity to engage.

Agenda:

  1. History of Positive Psychology
    • Background of Positive Psychology
    • Defining Positive Psychology and its goals
  2. Discuss Subjective Wellbeing (Happiness)
    • Defining subjective wellbeing
    • Cover foundational research on happinessHow positive emotions affect clinician reasoning
    • Discuss Sonja Lyubomirsky’s work and 12 subjective wellbeing interventions
  3. Discuss Optimism (and Pessimism) as thinking/explanatory styles
    • How these present in ourselves
    • How these affect our perception of the world
  4. Gratitude
    • Research on gratitude
    • How gratitude improves our wellbeing
    • Gratitude interventions & exercises

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand the study of positive psychology and its roots
  2. Learn the PERMAH framework of wellbeing
  3. Learn what determines happiness/subjective wellbeing
  4. Understand the differences between optimistic and pessimistic thinking styles
  5. Studies on gratitude’s effects on subjective wellbeing and decision making
  6. Learn Fredrickson’s Broaden and Build theory
  7. Learn different gratitude interventions and practice

*50 or 100 min lecture

Social/Emotional Work Hazards: “OSHA for Our Brains”

Burnout & suicide prevention, job satisfaction, team retention, and patient safety—these are all topics of concern. What do they all have in common? They can be impacted by hazards and/or risks we encounter in our hospitals. With the recent release of ISO45003:2021 “Psychological health and safety at work — Guidelines for managing psychosocial risks,” many countries have instituted legislation or guidelines to protect workers from psychological harm. Assessing, identifying, and removing/mitigating these “psychosocial hazards/risks” not only positively impact team members, the process also creates a culture of people-first veterinary workplaces—making your hospital an employer of choice.

Learning Objectives:

  1.  Describe the science of psychological health and safety in the workplace
  2. Recognize work condition hazards
  3. Recognize the work design hazards
  4. Recognize the workplace experience hazards
  5. Recognize the social support hazards
  6. Identify the most common hazards observed in veterinary hospitals
  7. Employ some of the available tools for assessing these hazards in your workplace
  8. Use the learning loop for assessing and addressing psychosocial hazards/risk in a veterinary hospital

50-100 min talk/workshop

Growth Mindset: “Be Curious, not Judgmental”

This Walt Whitman quote is at the heart of a growth mindset. Decades of research have confirmed that there is a science to resilience and success.  Growth mindset is the key to peak performance, wellbeing and personal mastery.  Uncover the impact of mindset in day-to-day life.  Learn tested practices for combating judgment, self-doubt and self-criticism while harnessing your mental power. Support others in unleashing their creativity and resourcefulness. 

Learning Objectives:

  • Learn why some people plateau while others flourish.
  • Understand how to turn obstacles into opportunities.
  • Practice preventing negative self-fulfilling prophecies (SFPs).
  • Learn to curb harmful judgments and criticism.
  • Understand how to redirect toxic thoughts.
  • Stay solution focused when your brain wants to be problem-focused.
  • Distinguish between growth mindset and fixed mindset thoughts, feelings and actions.
  • Understand how beliefs become self-fulfilling prophecies.
  • Understand the malleability of the human mind.
  • Identify best practices for redirecting judgment, blame and social comparison into useful tendencies such as curiosity, proactivity and win-win problem solving.

*50-minute interactive lecture or 2 to 3-hour workshop

QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Each year thousands of Americans, like you, are saying “Yes” to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor. QPR can be learned in the Gatekeeper course in as little as one hour.

KEY COMPONENTS COVERED IN TRAINING:
  • How to Question, Persuade and Refer someone who may be suicidal
  • How to get help for yourself or learn more about preventing suicide
  • The common causes of suicidal behavior
  • The warning signs of suicide
  • How to get help for someone in crisis

*Educational materials required, Licensed Mental Health Counselor in attendance or EAP access recommended

*50-minute lecture or 1.5 to 2-hour workshop (with or without role play experiential)

Slaying the Stigma: Alcohol and Substance Use Disorder in Veterinary Professionals

Description: Alcohol and substance use disorders (AUD/SUDs) affect up to 12-15% of medical professionals during some point in their careers. In addition, the pandemic has increased alcohol and substance use throughout the US population. These disorders are brain diseases, not moral failures. Learn what can predispose a colleague or co-worker to AUD/SUD and what to do to help someone you think might need help. See how stigma and misconceptions about these disorders affect the individual and the veterinary profession.

  • Understand the underlying conditions that increase risk for AUD/SUDs
  • Understand the direct link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and AUD/SUD
  • Learn the role neurotransmitters play in use disorders
  • Learn the prevalence among medical professionals
  • Understand signs of AUD/SUD in a colleague/co-worker
  • Learn about how stigma affects seeking treatment
  • Know what resources are available for veterinarians/support staff
  • Know the success rate of use disorder treatment in physicians

Session Length: 50 minutes

Me, We, & Us: The Foundation of Workplace Wellbeing

Research and evidence from the fields of positive psychology and positive organizational scholarship has outlined the keys to workplace wellbeing. Dr. Aaron Jarden—a professor of psychology, leading organizational wellbeing researcher, and consultant at Auckland University of Technology—described the most effective way he’s found to embed wellbeing programs into workplaces. A simple ‘me’, ‘we’, and ‘us’ framework can be understood by anyone in a veterinary organization, from doctors to support staff to CEOs. It gives a practical language to get others on board, to understand the concepts, and envision how the strategies will be implemented.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Learning the science of psychological health and safety
  2. Understanding the factors that can create individual wellbeing & resilience—the “me” aspect
  3. Understanding high quality relationships (HQCs), mattering, and psychological safety—the “we” aspect
  4. Understanding the organizational role in burnout prevention, psychological health & safety management systems (PHSMS)—the “us” aspect

50-100 min talk/workshop

Proof Positive: Successful Teams Seek Psych Safety

Program Description:

Psychological safety is the most important aspect of successful teams. Our ability to feel safe to share ideas, to grow from failure, and to be honest with empathy allows our team to bypass the “interpersonal mush” that can exist otherwise. A sense of belonging, ability to be vulnerable, and strong interpersonal relationships are the initial ingredients to create this environment. We can assess psychological safety in a team using different tools. If psychological safety is lacking, we can help foster it using specific interventions, including civility and growth mindset work.

Program agenda:

  1. Introduction with storytelling/clinical examples
  2. Discussion of Edmundson & Project Aristotle findings
  3. Evidence of psychological safety on patient care
  4. Psychological safety assessment and discussion
  5. Discussion of 5 interventions to improve workplace psychological safety

Learning Objectives:

  1. Learn the definitions and importance of vulnerability, belonging and HQCs in the workplace
  2. Learn Amy Edmundson’s foundational research on psychological safety
  3. Understand how to utilize psychological safety assessments
  4. Learn ways for increasing psychological safety in the workplace
  5. Experience methods for increasing psychological safety in the workplace

*100 min workshop ,live & interactive

Strengths-Based Leadership: Pillar of Efficiency, Engagement, and Wellbeing

The science and study of character strengths is the backbone of modern positive psychology. We are most efficient and effective when leaning into our “neurologic superpowers”, or character strengths. Assessment of character strengths and working to utilize our signature strengths serve to keep us engaged at work, home and life. The concepts of repletion & self-regulation are examined, as well as ways to increase them all. When our team members are aware and use their character strengths at work, they experience significantly higher levels of engagement and flourishing.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  • Understand the study of positive psychology and its roots
  • Learn the PERMAH theory of wellbeing
  • Learn the importance of engagement in the workplace
  • Take a short VIA character strengths assessment
  • Understand the importance of using signature strengths at work
  • Learn how to spot strengths use in others

*50 or 100 min lecture/workshop

Thinking 2.0: Improving Resilience & Communication Through Thought Crafting

Overgeneralizing, mind reading, jumping to conclusions, and assumptions are just a few of the thinking traps that impede performance.  Successful communication and wellbeing are dependent on the ability to focus, challenge and reframe automated behaviors. Learn to stay solution-focused rather than problem-focused. Understand how becoming self-aware of the processes allows you to understand clients and co-workers more effectively.

Program Agenda:

  • Thinking Traps
    • Personalization, Externalizing, Jumping to Conclusions/Mind-Reading, Overgeneralization and Catastrophic Thinking
    • Working with reframes and refocus to challenge thoughts
  • Relearning our ABCs (challenging beliefs)
    • Discuss activating events, beliefs, and consequences (ABC model)
  • Learning the interconnectedness of beliefs, thoughts, emotions, and actions           
    • How these present in ourselves
    • Once we understand them in ourselves, it can help us to understand others
  • Disputing Beliefs and Evaluating Positive Effects of Factual Substitution

*Short Q&A exercises during each section

Learning Objectives:

  1. Learn common cognitive traps and how to redirect focus
  2. Learn the relationship between events, beliefs and consequences
  3. Practice parsing beliefs and consequences
  4. Experiment disputing, reframing, and evaluating problem thoughts

*50 or 100 min lecture/workshop

How Do We Power-Up?: Burnout Prevention and Elevating Team Cohesion

We all want a great, cohesive teams, but where do we start? A simple definition of workplace culture is whatever people learn from other people, especially by interacting with them. By knowing our purpose, our strengths and creating a sense of community, belonging and vulnerability, we can begin to craft a workplace where we thrive. This can, in turn, lead to psychological safety, which Google recently showed to be the number one predictor of successful teams.

Agenda:

  • Discuss Workplace Culture and Its Elements
  • Self-compassion and Positive Emotions
    • What is self compassion?
    • Combatting negative self-talk
    • Learning interventions to effectively induce positive emotions in the wokrplace
  • Character Strengths
    • Discuss 24 VIA character strengths and their importance to wellbeing
    • Discuss signature strengths and use in the workplace
    • Cover research on improvement of workplace wellbeing when using strengths
    • Exercise: Strengths use in us/Strengths spotting in others
  • Organizational-level interventions
    • Understanding psychosocial hazards in the workplace
    • Evaluating assessments & metrics to protect and elevate team members
    • Considering policies to positively impact psychological health and safety

Learning Objectives:

  • Define purpose, calling mindset and the concept of Ikigai
  • Assess character strengths, discovering our signature strengths
  • Take VIA Character Strengths assessment
  • Learn the importance of strengths work to wellbeing and performance
  • Learn the importance of vulnerability
  • Understand what is meant by psychological safety
  • Learn the importance of high-quality connections (HQCs)

Conquering Incivility & Taming Toxicity

This workshop delves into the pervasive issue of workplace incivility, highlighting that 98% of workers face varying degrees of uncivil behavior on the job. Drawing on insights from civility research in the medical field, it underscores the profound impact that fostering an environment of respect and encouraging interactions can have on enhancing patient care, boosting performance, elevating job satisfaction, and improving retention rates. Conversely, the absence of such a civil atmosphere often increases the risk of employee burnout, medical errors, and overall poor wellbeing among staff.

The session aims to equip participants to identify signs of incivility within their workplace and understand its potential repercussions. It emphasizes the critical need for veterinary practices to not only recognize when their environment may be falling short in terms of civility but also how to take proactive steps towards improving interpersonal relations and building a supportive work culture. Through a combination of theoretical insights and practical strategies, attendees will learn how to assess the civility level of their work setting accurately.

Moreover, the workshop will offer a roadmap for designing and implementing effective interventions tailored to the unique needs of veterinary workplaces. These interventions aim to combat incivility, foster a culture of mutual respect, and ensure a positive, productive, and harmonious workplace. By addressing the root causes of incivility and providing tools for constructive engagement, this session promises to pave the way for more cohesive and resilient veterinary teams, ultimately leading to better patient care and a more fulfilling work environment for all employees.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand how burnout is directly related to civility in the workplace
  • Understand how civility positively impacts patient safety and clinic performance
  • Evaluate the level of civility in your workplace
  • Create an action plan for workplace civility

*50-minute interactive lecture or 2 to 3-hour workshop

Speaking

Virtual/in-person – National | State | Local Conferences, On-site | In-hospital, & Universities