Veterinary Woman Role Model – Cassie Leonard

Cassie Leonard is an engineer, best-selling author and executive coach. Her experiences as a working parent in a male-dominated industry revealed the value of mentorship, self-advocacy, and how to know when it’s time to accept help from others. Cassie is keynote speaker at SPVS Congress 2025.

In our Veterinary Woman Role Model Profile, Cassie discusses how applying a broad array of personal and professional skills across all areas of life can support career growth, collaboration, and well-being.

Please summarise your journey:

My journey in STEM and leadership has been shaped by the joy I found in problem-solving and my growing passion for advocating for women and working parents in technical professions. After earning my Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from UCLA and a Master’s in Aerodynamics and Aerostructures from the University of Sheffield, I spent 16 years at Boeing, growing from an entry-level structural engineer to a Senior Leader in Mechanical Engineering.

In 2021, I had the opportunity to speak on a panel at the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) National Conference, where I shared my experiences as a woman and mother in STEM during the pandemic. I was so surprised by the feedback I received after that panel. The majority of women in the audience had either thought they couldn’t stay in STEM and be a mother, or they felt alone on their journey to balance a technical career with motherhood.

This inspired me to launch ELMM Coaching, where I focus on helping technical professionals reach their career goals while staying connected to their personal values. ELMM—short for Engineers, Leaders, Moms, and Mentors—provides solutions for women and working parents in STEM, aiming to build community and drive meaningful systemic change.

In 2023, I published my first book, STEM Moms: Design, Build, and Test to Create the Work-Life of Your Dreams, which became a bestseller. I’m currently working on my second book, which explores the diverse experiences of women in STEM and offers practical solutions to support their success.

I live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband Patrick and our two sons, ages 10 and 14.

What has been your top success and what have you learned from this?

My greatest success has been raising two wonderful children who are a joy to be around, and who seem to still want to spend time with my husband and me!

My second greatest success was finding the strength and clarity of purpose to move away from corporate stability to a new professional lifestyle that challenges me in all the right ways.

What has been your biggest challenge, setback or failure and how have you overcome it? How did you grow or change as a result?

When the pandemic hit and my kindergartener and 4th grader were suddenly home, looking to me for both entertainment and emotional support, I was overwhelmed. I had just accepted a challenging new role as Vehicle Leader for an ‘at-risk’ developmental program on the other side of the country. I was trying to figure out how to lead a virtual team for the first time, build an authentic network in a digital environment, and limit screen time for my kids, all while trying to carve out space for self-care. It was a mess.

The process was rarely pretty, and some days were downright ridiculous. But over time, I learned to apply my management skills at home to orchestrate two school zones and two work zones in the house. I also realized I could use my mom skills at work to create a supportive community, helping my team navigate the unknowns.

By blending my personal and professional worlds, I found that my broad array of skills could be applied across all areas of my life, making me more resilient and capable in both.

How would you describe yourself in a sentence?

I am an engineer, leader, mom, and mentor living a fun and fulfilling life.

What advice would you have given to your younger self, that you would now give to others wanting to follow your path?

I would tell my younger self—and anyone else—to seek out a diverse array of mentors who you trust, including some who are doing exactly what you want to do, and some who have chosen entirely different paths. Be open to mentoring others too. Right now, today, you have skills, perspectives, and unique thoughts that others will benefit from discussing over a warm cup of coffee (or tea).

I couldn’t have got where I am today without…

My community of support—from mentors who generously shared their time to daycare teachers who cared for my boys with love. I am so thankful for the people I have surrounded myself with.

What is the most helpful book you’ve read and why?

Making Flex Work, by Wendy Cocke, has been a wonderful reminder that women in STEM don’t need to settle for the status quo. By advocating for ourselves with practical tools, such as a business plan, we can create flexible work arrangements where we are at today.

What would be your top tip for vet mums about balancing career and family?

My top tip for vet mums is to be clear on your priorities. Know what matters most to you in both your personal and professional roles and let that guide you through tough decisions. When you’re focused on your priorities, it’s easier to make choices that feel true to you, even on the days when nothing feels easy.

Know what matters most to you in both your personal and professional roles and let that guide you through tough decisions.

What are you most looking forward to sharing with the veterinary community at SPVS Congress 2025?

At SPVS Congress 2025, I’m excited to share strategies for making goal-aligned decisions throughout your career, celebrating the authentic networks we build, and setting boundaries to create space for self-care. We’ll have fun exploring new ways to engage with these concepts, using interactive approaches to bring them to life. I’m especially looking forward to offering insights from a systems engineer’s perspective, helping the veterinary community walk away with fresh ideas on how to approach career growth, collaboration, and well-being.

Follow Cassie on social media:

www.linkedin.com/in/cassie-leonard

https://www.instagram.com/cassie_finding_balance/

Join Cassie at SPVS Congress, Hilton Birmingham Metropole, Thursday 30th January to Saturday 1st February 2025. Built to inspire the whole practice team, the SPVS Congress theme for 2025 is “connect, collaborate, progress” – how focusing on building quality networks and embracing collaboration enables you to make positive changes in your professional and personal lives. The non-clinical leadership and management programme offers a combination of lectures, panel sessions and interactive workshops providing in-practice case studies, high levels of audience participation and practical steps to implement on your return to practice. Session topics include recruitment and retention; practical menopause support; empowering nurse teams, entrepreneurial skills for women and embracing neurodiversity in the workplace.

Tickets are available from just £395 for the 3 days – with added discounts on group tickets for the whole team. Full details on the programme, fun-packed social events and focused exhibition can be found at: https://spvs-congress.co.uk/

Many thanks to Cassie for sharing her story to inspire veterinary women to aspire and grow into their full career potential.

If you would like to share your story please get in touch at info@veterinarywoman.co.uk

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