Veterinary Burnout? Here’s How Dr. Ashley Hopkins Found Her Spark

Dr. Ashley Hopkins knew she wanted to be a veterinarian at six years old. But the road from that childhood dream to becoming the founder of a revolutionary veterinary relief network was paved with obstacles that would have discouraged many.

Growing up in Oak Park, Illinois, Ashley spent her afternoons immersed in animal care, turning her passion into action with her first job at Oak Park Pet Store during junior high. There, caring for everything from tiny turtles to towering Great Danes, she caught her first real glimpse of what a life devoted to animals could look like.

Yet throughout her academic journey, she encountered a frustrating refrain from guidance counselors and advisors: veterinary medicine was "too difficult." She should "aim lower." For a young Black woman dreaming of entering a field where only 1.7% of veterinarians share her identity, these words could have been crushing. Instead, they became fuel.

Finding Home in Vet School

Ashley's determination led her to Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine—the only HBCU in the nation with a veterinary program and an institution that has produced nearly 80% of the country's minority veterinarians. There, she found more than world-class training. She found belonging, community, and living proof that representation matters.

"As a young woman of color in veterinary medicine, I often felt pressure to prove that I belonged," Ashley reflects. "There were moments when I doubted my voice or felt invisible. Now I know that what made me different was actually my strength."

The Breaking Point

But even with her dream realized, Ashley eventually found herself at a crossroads. She loved her patients and clients deeply, but the relentless pace of full-time practice was depleting her in every way. She remembers driving home one night after a long shift and having a moment of painful clarity: she couldn't keep giving from an empty place.

Leaving full-time practice was agonizing—one of the hardest decisions she ever made. Yet stepping into relief work, uncertain and scary as it was, gave her back what she thought she might have lost forever: her life, her joy, and her love for the profession.

"Relief work gave me peace," she says simply. "It allowed me to breathe again, to reconnect with my purpose, and to rediscover joy in the work."

Building Something Bigger

That rediscovered peace led to what Ashley describes as the easiest career decision she ever made: founding Hopper Vets. The white-glove veterinary matchmaking network was an instant yes—a natural next step that felt aligned with everything she'd learned about what veterinarians truly need.

"After years of navigating the ups and downs of relief life, I wanted to create something bigger than myself," she explains. "A network that supports veterinarians as whole people. Hopper Vets came from a place of love and purpose. It's my way of making this profession kinder, more sustainable, and more human."

Through Hopper Vets, Ashley is helping veterinarians across the country find the harmony, flexibility, and community that transformed her own career. "Founding Hopper Vets truly saved my love for veterinary medicine," she shares. "It gave me the freedom and flexibility to prioritize my career, my family, and my happiness—to live the lifestyle I always dreamed of."

A Life in Balance

At home in Chicago, Ashley's days are filled with the same love that drew her to veterinary medicine as a child. Her menagerie includes Tortilla, a 47-year-old tortoise; Assata, her loyal 13-year-old shepherd-lab mix; Sage, a spirited golden Labradoodle; Basil, a sweet Yorkie-Shih Tzu mix; and Paprika, her charming flame-point Siamese cat. Each one serves as a daily reminder of why she chose this path.

Outside the clinic, she pursues balance through travel, exploring new cultures, and savoring global cuisine. "I have always loved exploring new places, meeting people from different walks of life, and finding purpose in small, beautiful moments," she says. "Whether it's through animals or people, my calling has always been to help others feel seen, understood, and restored."

If she weren't a veterinarian, Ashley imagines herself hosting wellness retreats by the ocean or traveling the world to write about culture, food, and meaningful human experiences—pursuits that reveal the same thread of healing and connection that runs through her veterinary work.

A Vision for Change

Ashley sees the veterinary profession's greatest challenge clearly: emotional exhaustion hiding behind professionalism and quiet smiles. "We are caretakers by nature, yet many of us forget to care for ourselves," she observes. "Autonomy and flexibility are no longer luxuries; they are lifelines that help preserve the heart of this profession."

Her vision extends beyond individual veterinarians to systemic change. "I want to see a world where compassion doesn't require self-sacrifice," she says. "Too often, those who give the most receive the least. I want to help build systems that protect the hearts and wellbeing of the people who make healing possible."

Through Hopper Vets, mentorship, and storytelling, Ashley is building a movement that encourages veterinarians to define success on their own terms. Her advice to her younger self resonates with this mission: "You are enough exactly as you are, even when you're afraid or uncertain."

Legacy Through Alignment

As Hopper Vets expands nationwide, Dr. Hopkins remains grounded in a mission that feels both deeply personal and universally needed. "Every one of us in this field shares a foundation of compassion for our patients, but we also need to extend that same compassion to ourselves," she says.

Her goal is both simple and revolutionary: to create an ecosystem where veterinarians can love what they do and love their lives at the same time.

"My purpose is to build a world where veterinarians no longer have to choose between their passion and their peace, where leadership begins with empathy, and where legacy is built through alignment, not exhaustion."

For Dr. Ashley Hopkins, that world is no longer just a dream. Through her own journey and the community she's building at Hopper Vets, she's making it a reality—one veterinarian, one relief shift, one reclaimed joy at a time.