Leading Veterinary Teams From the Inside Out

We Don’t Just Coach. We Partner.

At Full Circle Lab, we exist to bring humanity back to veterinary medicine.

Veterinary professionals enter this field with passion and purpose—but the weight of student debt, understaffing, and emotional strain can quickly dim that light. The result? Burnout, compassion fatigue, and a disconnect from the work they once loved.

That’s where we come in.

We partner with practices and individuals to help them reconnect with their purpose, build emotionally intelligent leadership, and create cultures where people—and their passion—can thrive again. It’s about returning to the heart of why they started. And staying there.

Ready to Lead With Clarity and Confidence?

Meet Your Team

Crystal Stokes, MA, LMFT

Founder & Managing Director

  • Crystal Stokes, MA, LMFT

    Crystal is the founder and managing director of Full Circle Lab. With a background in veterinary medicine, psychotherapy, leadership development and coaching, and business operations, she leads with a blend of emotional intelligence, strategy, and heart. Her work is deeply rooted in evidence-based practices and high-performance coaching, and she's passionate about helping veterinary professionals rediscover purpose, build resilience, and lead from a grounded, values-driven perspective.

    Crystal has walked in many shoes—starting as a GP and then overnight ER veterinary technician, then becoming a licensed therapist, director of operations, certified professional coach, and leadership consultant. She understands the unique challenges of veterinary medicine, not just clinically, but emotionally and culturally. That’s what drives her to build stronger, healthier teams across the profession.

    She’s also the host of the Vet Med Wellness & Leadership Podcast, where she dives into the heart of veterinary culture, burnout, and what it really means to thrive in this field.

    Favorite way to start the day: Sunshine, coffee, and anything animal related (petting dogs at the local coffee shop is a great start).
    Fun fact: She also worked as a medical exercise specialist all through undergrad and grad school and lived abroad in Vienna, Austria for 3 years.

Francesca Tocco, MSW, LCSW

Director of Strategy

  • Francesca Tocco, MSW, LCSW

    Francesca is a licensed clinical social worker with 18 years of experience, specializing in the intersection of mental health, social work, and veterinary well-being. She brings an empowering, empathetic presence to her coaching, helping clients realign with their values and make sustainable life changes. One of her proudest moments was becoming the first in her family to attend and graduate from college. Motivated by her love for animals—and her own pack of five—Francesca believes deeply in the capacity for growth. Her coaching style is empathetic, collaborative, and empowering. She starts her day with a cappuccino and a walk with her dogs.

Dr. Ashlee Bruewer, DVM, CVA, CCFP

Leadership & Wellness Coach

  • Ashlee Bruewer, HCI-CLC/CHC, CCFP

    Ashlee brings six years of experience and a unique blend of life/health coaching and veterinary leadership to the Full Circle Lab team. With a strong foundation in client communication and compassion fatigue prevention, Ashlee offers a DVM-informed perspective to coaching. She’s passionate about helping veterinary professionals thrive and navigate this field with confidence and clarity. Her proudest career moments include cultivating the BETTER Coach Program and supporting clients through life-changing transformations. Ashlee’s coaching style is supportive, philosophical, and outside-the-box. She starts her day with coffee and cinnamon, and most people don’t know she has a love for genetics and participated in research on equine coat color patterns.

Susan Swendsen Harris, MSSW, LCSW, VSW

Leadership & Wellness Coach

  • Susan Swendsen Harris, MSSW, LCSW, VSW

    With over 11 years in social work, 6 years as a veterinary social worker, and nearly three decades of experience in animal rescue, Susan brings a trauma-informed, deeply compassionate perspective to the Full Circle Lab team. She holds specialized certifications in trauma intervention and emotional support for veterinary professionals, and is proud to have co-presented trauma-informed trainings at a national level. Inspired from a young age by the connection between people and animals (starting with her pony at age 3!), Susan finds purpose in walking alongside the incredibly kind and talented individuals in vet med. Her coaching style is compassionate, listening, and kind. She starts her day with a glass of mango juice and, for fun, she loves working with wood—from restoring furniture to building outdoor cat shelters.

Dr. Natalie Fayman, DVM, CPC, PCC, CPQC

Leadership & Wellness Coach

  • Natalie Fayman, DVM, PCC, CPC, CPQC

    With over three decades as a veterinarian and four years as a professional coach, Natalie blends deep industry knowledge with empathetic guidance. She specializes in addressing imposter syndrome, people-pleasing, and handling challenging personalities. Her coaching is grounded in personal experience with burnout and a strong desire to support others in healing and growth. Natalie is most proud of earning her PCC and helping countless professionals reconnect with their purpose. Her coaching style is empathetic, practical, and growth-oriented. She starts her mornings with spiced coffee and is also a 5th-degree black belt in Japanese Ju Jutsu.

Dr. Sonja Olson, DVM, C-MMT

Leadership & Wellness Coach

  • Sonja A. Olson, DVM

    Dr. Sonja Olson brings 10 years of experience supporting veterinary professionals through crisis care, emotional well-being, and peer mentorship. With credentials including DVM, C-MMT, and MHFA Instructor, she specializes in providing grounded, compassionate support during critical moments. One of her proudest career experiences was being an emergency clinician and peer supporter during Hurricane Katrina. Sonja is motivated by the strength and heart of the veterinary community, and she’s inspired daily by her calling to serve. Her coaching style is compassionate, curious, and practical. She starts her day with a matcha latte made with oat milk — yum! And for fun? She’s a big fan of sci-fi books and movies.

Chelsey Nisbet, MSW, ASW

Leadership & Wellness Coach

  • Chelsey Nisbet, MSW, ASW

    Chelsey offers over 16 years of experience in social work and six years in veterinary well-being support. A grief-support specialist, she’s especially skilled in helping individuals grow through life transitions. She’s passionate about helping people connect to their core values and purpose, even in moments of deep challenge. Chelsey’s coaching style is holistic, nonjudgmental, and encouraging. She’s proud of every student she’s mentored and carries a deep respect for the people in vet med. Her mornings start with iced coffee—and she’s secretly obsessed with all things miniature, from dollhouses to tiny furniture.

Ana Kurashvili

Program Coordinator

  • Coming Soon

Dr. Jeff Werber

Strategic Advisor

  • Coming Soon

Florian Selch

Strategic Advisor

  • Coming Soon