About Maria
From the front desk to the front of the room.
Maria Pirita, CVPM, is a veterinary leadership speaker, trainer, and coach who has spent two decades learning how people actually grow into great leaders. Now she shares that path with the practices that need it most.
Maria’s Story
Maria Pirita started her veterinary career at the front desk. She answered phones, calmed worried pet parents, and quietly noticed what made some teams thrive while others burned out. She had begun her leadership journey across other service industries and found everything she had learned extremely useful in veterinary medicine.
Over 13 years in the industry, Maria rose from receptionist to Marketing and Public Relations Director and then to Executive Director before officially becoming a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager. Along the way she discovered DiSC and other leadership frameworks, and something clicked. The instincts she had relied on for years finally had language, structure, and a reason behind them.
Today Maria helps veterinary leaders skip the twenty years of figuring it out alone. She speaks at national conferences, facilitates corporate and CE workshops, and coaches practice owners, managers, and teams. She has trained regional managers and practice managers for corporate veterinary groups, led cross-hospital training groups with Uncharted Veterinary Conference, and co-hosts the Uncharted podcast.
The daughter of immigrants and fully bilingual in English and Spanish, Maria brings a people-first perspective to every room she walks into. She treats everyone the same regardless of title, makes a game out of hard things, and believes that real change only happens in the context of relationship.
Credentials
Trained, tested, and still learning
- Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM)
- DiSC Certified Practitioner
- Elite Fear Free Certified Professional
- A.A. in Business Administration
What Maria Believes
Change happens in relationship.
There’s not a single framework out there that will work on a team who lacks trust with each other. Maria starts with connection, because people grow fastest when they feel seen by the person asking them to grow.
Everyone in the practice has a leadership role.
Kennel assistant or practice owner, every person in the building shapes the culture. Maria believes every role in the practice has a responsibility to learn how to lead the people under their care, whether that’s a client or team member.
Hard things can be fun.
Accountability, tough conversations, and change do not have to feel heavy. Maria’s lectures make a game of hard things so teams actually lean in and practice. When teams practice in a safe space, they’re free to make mistakes. That builds confidence for the real stage.
Gallery
Moments Along the Way
Stages, workshops, teams, and the animals who make this work worth doing.
Let’s Talk
Ready to bring Maria to your stage, your team, or your practice?
Whether you are planning a conference, building a leadership program across your hospitals, or looking for a fresh voice at your next team meeting, Maria would love to hear what you have in mind. Share a few details about your event or your team, and she will follow up with you personally.
- Keynotes and conference sessions
- DiSC communication training
- Corporate and CE workshops
- Leadership and practice management coaching
Available in English and Spanish