Welcome back to the Pick the Brain interview series! In these interviews, we talk with some of the (many) incredible people who make Instinct possible—from our talented team members to the passionate professionals using Instinct software in their hospitals.

Here at Instinct, we’re serious about supporting the veterinary hospitals we work with. We firmly believe software companies are only as good as their customer support teams. Even the most intuitive tools need a responsive, knowledgeable team to help you find your way around, solve problems, and customize the tools to your unique needs.

And who better to help you solve those challenges than a team staffed by people who know what it’s like to work in a veterinary hospital? This week, we’re spotlighting Taryn D’Esterre, our Hospital Support and Training Expert.

We sat down with Taryn to ask about what brought her to Instinct. Have a read!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your personal life.

I was born and raised in New Jersey but moved to North Carolina with my family 15 years ago. We currently live outside of Charlotte, NC.

My son is 11 years old. He is active in travel baseball year-round, so he keeps my weeknights and weekends busy with practices and games. He starts middle school in a few weeks and hopes to join the cross-country and baseball teams.

I have two dogs. Jax is a (roughly) 6-year-old pitbull mix that I rescued from a previous job at an ER animal hospital. When his then-owners brought him in, he was under 40 lb and in organ failure. He was dying of starvation due to a chronic foreign body, and his owners did not want to take care of him, so they surrendered him, and I took him.

My heart broke as they carried him in. He was too weak to walk or stand or even lift his head, but his tail wagged and wagged the second he had human contact—despite the condition he was in. He had exploratory abdominal surgery a couple of days later, and they got the knot of a rope toy out of his intestines. Shortly after this, we discovered he was also heartworm positive. Thankfully he underwent heartworm treatment and did well.

Fast-forward two years, and he is living like royalty now. He’s a whopping 75 lb, and he sleeps exclusively on a couch or bed and stays just a few feet away from me at all times if he can.

My other dog Susie is a 2-year-old beagle who keeps me on my toes chasing down snakes, birds, and any other moving creature she can sniff out, digging up my backyard, and not being the best listener. This explains why she didn’t cooperate for a picture. 🙂

I enjoy spending free time with family, reading, watching cooking competition shows, and watching my kiddo play baseball.

What would be a perfect day for you?

A perfect day for me would be spent on a beach in the Caribbean.

What is a dream of yours that you want to achieve in this lifetime?

I want to simply give back, especially to the people in my life who have done things for me, helped me, and been there for me. I also would love to be able to rescue as many dogs as possible.

What is one thing you can’t live without?

My son.  

Do you have a favorite quote or saying?

“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” –Babe Ruth, Babe Ruth’s Own Book of Baseball

What did you want to be when you were growing up? How did you get from there to here?

My parents are both in human medicine, so at first, I thought being a nurse might be in my future. However, I was really drawn to helping people in a different way.

For a while, I wanted to do social work. I am super thankful for what I am doing now, as I am able to help people, which is rewarding and makes me feel good about the work I do.

What’s the best piece of advice you have received along the way?

In life, the best advice I’ve been given is to be humble and thankful and try to always find the positive in everything.

The best advice I have received during my time at Instinct? That’s too much to fit in one answer. 😀 I’ve received so much support and help from everyone—it has all helped me so much in different ways.

Who or what inspired you to pursue the career you have today?

Shanna, who I worked with in practice previously, helped me find this opportunity. I’m also proud of myself for taking the risk to step a little out of my comfort zone and strive for something better by applying.

What is one challenge you have faced in your career?

Learning Instinct. 😄 I started with no experience using Instinct, so my biggest challenge (and accomplishment) so far is actually learning the software and being able to help teach and support customers using it.

What is your favorite part about working at Instinct?

The culture and people, hands down. It is the best and most positive, engaged, and helpful working environment I have ever been part of. It’s so nice to have people on many different teams and roles always working together to help each other. You just don’t see as much of that kind, giving, “teamwork” mentality in the world as much as there should be.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to follow along for more installments of our interview series in the coming months.

Think Instinct EMR (or any of our solutions) might be a good fit for your hospital? Request your demo today.