Dr. Ashley Hopkins Brings Career Coaching to WVC Vegas: Because Burnout Isn't a Badge of Honor

Vet Candy Ambassador Goes Live from the Best Conference on the Planet This Weekend

When we asked Dr. Ashley Hopkins to be a Vet Candy ambassador for WVC Vegas 2026, we knew we were bringing something different to the table. While other ambassadors will be covering the latest in cardiology or the coolest surgical techniques, Ashley is bringing something the veterinary profession desperately needs to talk about: how to actually love your career without destroying yourself in the process.

Your Guide to Work-Life Balance (Yes, Really)

Starting this weekend, Dr. Hopkins will be recording live from WVC Vegas 2026, bringing you insider access to the lectures, the conversations, and the breakthrough moments happening at what veterinarians consistently call the best conference on the planet. But she'll also be asking the questions most conference coverage ignores: How are you actually doing? What would make this profession sustainable for you? What does success look like when it doesn't require self-destruction?

Who Is Dr. Ashley Hopkins?

Ashley knew she wanted to be a veterinarian at six years old. She fought through guidance counselors telling her the career was "too difficult" and she should "aim lower." She graduated from Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine—the only HBCU with a veterinary program. She achieved her dream.

And then she hit the wall.

The relentless pace of full-time practice depleted her. She remembers driving home 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 one of the hardest decisions she ever made.

But stepping into relief work? That gave her back her life, her joy, and her love for the profession.

From Burnout to Building Something Better

That experience led Ashley to found Hopper Vets, a white-glove veterinary matchmaking network helping veterinarians across the country find the harmony, flexibility, and community she discovered in relief work. She's basically a career coach for veterinarians who are tired of the narrative that says you have to sacrifice everything to be a "good vet."

"Founding Hopper Vets truly saved my love for veterinary medicine," she says. "It gave me the freedom and flexibility to prioritize my career, my family, and my happiness—to live the lifestyle I always dreamed of."

Why We Picked Her

Because conferences aren't just about the latest research or techniques. They're about careers. Sustainability. Finding your people. Figuring out how to do this job for the long haul without burning out by 35.

Ashley gets that. As a young Black woman in a field where only 1.7% of veterinarians share her identity, she's navigated challenges most of us can't imagine. She's felt the pressure to prove she belongs. She's experienced the invisible exhaustion hiding behind professionalism and quiet smiles. And she's built a solution that's helping veterinarians redefine success on their own terms.

Plus, she has a 47-year-old tortoise named Tortilla. So she clearly knows something about longevity.

What to Expect

Dr. Hopkins will be dropping live content throughout WVC Vegas 2026, covering everything from the must-see lectures to the conversations happening in the hallways about what veterinary medicine could be. Expect real talk. Expect vulnerability. Expect the kind of conference coverage that reminds you why you fell in love with this profession in the first place—and how to keep that love alive.

Whether you're at WVC trying to figure out your next career move, or you're at home wondering if you can sustain another year in practice, Ashley's coverage will hit different.

Because compassion shouldn't require self-sacrifice. The coverage starts this weekend.

Follow Vet Candy's WVC Vegas 2026 coverage as Dr. Ashley Hopkins and our ambassador team bring you live from the show floor.