Kirsty Skeates – From hydrotherapy to helping pet pros with Pet Biz AI

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Kirsty Skeates is the founder of Pet Biz AI – a set of powerful, pet industry-specific AI tools designed to make life easier for small business owners.

She started out running a successful hydrotherapy centre in Beverley, Hull, and was one of the very first guests on this podcast, talking about awards.

Now, she’s ditched the wetsuit and is helping pet professionals get their heads around AI while still operating ethically and with one to one connection.

After selling her business for personal reasons, including wanting to spend time with her family in New Zealand, Kirsty began exploring how AI could solve the day-to-day struggles she knew so well from running her centre.

From social media posts and client reports to terms and conditions and team comms, Pet Biz AI has tools that support the behind-the-scenes work in pet businesses – and help you sound like you while doing it.

She shares how AI helped her manage dyslexia, why she believes curiosity (not fear) is the key to getting started, and how small businesses can use these tools to reclaim their time without losing the human touch.

All the links to connect with Kirsty and explore Pet Biz AI so you can have support in your work are at the bottom of this page.

Key takeaways

Kirsty’s journey from hydrotherapy to tech: After running a busy hydro centre, Kirsty sold her business to spend time with family—and used that opportunity to explore AI.

Why Pet Biz AI is different: Unlike general tools, Pet Biz AI is tailored for pet professionals, with specialised assistants for common tasks like social media, reports, and policies.

AI helps with accessibility and overwhelm: Kirsty shares how AI has been a game-changer for her as a dyslexic business owner, and how it can help others lighten the mental load.

Tone of voice matters: You can teach AI to sound like you – it takes some prompting, examples, and practice, but the results are worth it.

The future of SEO is changing: With AI-generated search results growing, having Q&A style content and video is becoming more important than ever.

AI for emotional support: AI can help with the tough stuff too – writing complaint emails, thinking through difficult decisions, or offering a sounding board.

You’re still needed: AI might make things easier, but it doesn’t replace the need for connection, personalisation, and your unique experience.

Topics and timings in this episode:

0.20 – What to expect from this episode and the chat with Kirsty.

1.41 – Kirsty on her background in the pet industry.

2.47 – How Kirsty went from running her hydrotherapy business to creating her own tool.

3.54 – Deciding to sell her business and change direction.

5.18 – How her experience shaped what she’s made with Pet Biz AI.

8.00 – Getting her head round technology as a business owner who has dyslexia.

11.01 – Kirsty’s advice for people who might be wary of AI.

15.01 – What the Pet Biz Ai system looks like.

20.00 – Taking the pressure off yourself to keep up.

21.45 – Using Q and A to make sure the AI overviews pick up on your content.

24.49 – How pet professionals can utilise AI search, Reddit and reels to be found.

27.04 – Ways businesses are using Pet Biz AI.

31.50 – Other ways AI can help in life from counselling to trading standards complaints!

34.28 – How context windows work.

37.46 – The importance of the personal touch and putting your personality and tone of voice in your content.

42.35 – How hallucinations work and making sure you check the AI output.

45.09 – Treating AI like an intern not an equal.

47.52 – Kirsty’s thoughts on the future of AI for pet professionals and how it can make life easier.

51.39 – What’s next for Kirsty and how to get in touch.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Connect with Kirsty on her website: Pet Biz AI website

Pet Business Content Planner & Companion

Follow Kirsty on LinkedIn

Episode summary

Prefer reading to listening? Here’s a Q&A-style version of my chat with Kirsty Skeates, founder of Pet Biz AI, taken directly from the podcast transcript.

It’s edited down for clarity, but all in Kirsty’s own words.

Can you tell us about yourself and how you got started in the pet industry?

“I’m Kirsty Skeates, and six years ago, I built a canine hydrotherapy centre with an underwater treadmill, pool, physiotherapy and laser therapy.

“I sold that two years ago and started building AI assistants for pet businesses.”

How did AI become part of what you do?

“I started using Jasper, which was one of the first AI tools out there.

“Then as soon as ChatGPT launched, I was on the waitlist and using it every day. It became this thing where I thought, ‘hang on, this could really help pet business owners like me.'”

What made you move away from your hydrotherapy business?

“It was a personal decision. My dad was sick in New Zealand, and I wanted the freedom to go and spend time with him.

“I did that – twice last year – and I’m so glad I had that opportunity. Selling the business gave me the space to do that and to explore something new.”

What inspired the idea for Pet Biz AI?

“When you run a business, you wear all the hats – writing job descriptions, contracts, terms and conditions, social media… it never ends.

“I wanted to build something that could take those tasks and make them easier for people in the pet industry.”

How does it work?

“Pet Biz AI is like your AI teammate. There are assistants for things like writing risk assessments, terms and conditions, or social posts.

“You just chat to them. They’re trained on pet industry info, so you don’t need to explain every little thing.”

What makes it different from something like ChatGPT?

“ChatGPT is a generalist. Pet Biz AI is a specialist. It’s got a pet business brain – it knows what a hydrotherapist or a groomer or a dog trainer might need.

“And you’re not stuck with just one model – we use over 20, including Grok, Claude and LLaMA.”

How has AI helped you personally?

“I’m dyslexic, and paperwork was always something I had to work around. I used to rely on my husband, or friends, or you [Rachel] for things like press releases or awards entries.

“Now, I can use AI to help with all of that – and it’s taken away so much stress.”

One of the tools in Kirsty’s app is the option to use AI to generate images

**Can AI actually sound like you?**

“Yes! The more you use it, the better it gets. You can add your tone of voice, your phrases, even past blogs to train it.

“I’ve had people say, ‘It actually sounds like me!’ That’s when you know it’s working.”

How are your clients using Pet Biz AI?

“One dog training business now dictates voice notes after each walk, and the AI turns them into polished client updates. Another client has a custom blog assistant just for their vet beds.

“We even use it to write email replies and reports in seconds.”

What do you say to people who worry AI might replace them?

“People will always want connection. AI might give you an answer, but it won’t give you you.

“We’re not replacing anyone – we’re making it easier for pet pros to show up and do more of what they love.”

What about SEO – how is that changing with AI?

“Search is shifting fast. Tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are now delivering AI overviews instead of pushing people to websites.

“That means your content needs to be Q&A based, clear, and more conversational.”

Is SEO still worth doing?

“Absolutely – but differently. Start answering specific questions and thinking about your niche.

“Don’t just write about dog training – write about training Dachshunds, or nervous dogs, or elderly ones. Segment your expertise.”

How else can AI help with content creation?

“You can write one blog and then ask AI to turn it into 20 Instagram captions, 10 Tiktok scripts, a YouTube outline, email newsletters… you name it. It helps you do more with less.

“It can also help with image generation, using images you already have.”

How can AI support your wellbeing too?

“I use it in the car like a coach. If something’s gone wrong, I’ll say, ‘This happened—what could I do differently?’

“It helps me think clearly. You can even build a morning routine assistant that tailors your day based on your energy levels.”

What’s the future of AI in the pet industry?

“We’ll be working alongside it every day. It’ll be part of our team.

“One day you’ll say, ‘Hey, what do I need to do today?’ and your AI assistant will have your to-do list, priorities, even how much energy you’ve got to tackle it.”