The Real Talk of Dental

Dental virtual assistants are remote team members who work inside your practice’s systems to handle scheduling, insurance verification, and patient calls. If the phrase makes you picture the frustrating offshore call center from your last credit card dispute, you are not alone. Cory Pinegar pictured the same thing. Meanwhile, your front desk is stretched thin, labor costs keep rising, and AI changes the game every six months. The real question is not whether to use remote talent and technology. It is how to use them without turning your practice into a commodity.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20-year dental industry veteran and leadership coach and host of The Real Talk of Dental, sits down with Cory Pinegar, founder and CEO of Reach, formerly CallForce. At 22, Cory bought Weave’s patient recare call service for $1, then spent six months landing his first customer. He shares the business triangle that saved his company, how two hires in Brazil and Argentina turned him from skeptic to believer, and why less than 5% of his team now works inside the US. You will also hear how he pairs good humans with AI tools like Pearl, Overjet, and Claude, and why a BYU study of 311,000 adults points to human connection as your real edge. AI can buy back your time. What you do with it is what patients remember.

You’ll learn:

• How Cory Pinegar bought a dental company from Weave for $1: why a fast-growing startup let its recare call service go, and why Cory passed on a Goldman Sachs internship to take it.
• Why the game doesn’t call you in: Cory’s one piece of startup advice for the many people who sit on a good idea and wait for someone to give them permission.
• What the business triangle is and why it has to stay balanced: deeply serve your customers, deeply serve your team, and run an economically sustainable business, or one side eventually breaks the other two.
• How dental virtual assistants changed Cory’s view of international talent: from refusing to become the next frustrating offshore call center to a company where less than 5% of the team works inside the US.
• Why Reach stays focused only on dentistry: dedicated sales, marketing, and success teams who speak your language on insurance verifications, Dentrix, and Delta Dental instead of offering every ice cream flavor.
• How AI and dental virtual assistants work better together: Cory’s view that a well-trained human using tools like Pearl, Overjet, and Claude delivers more quantity and quality than either one alone.
• Why human connection is your practice’s real differentiator: patients can’t judge the clinical work in their mouth, but they remember how they were treated, so spend AI’s bought-back time on connection.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Women in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 Why offshore customer service once frustrated everyone

01:00 Cory Pinegar joins The Real Talk of Dental

03:00 Why would Weave sell a company for $1

05:00 Turning down Goldman Sachs to prove his dad wrong

08:00 Six months to land the first dental customer

09:00 The game doesn’t call you in

14:00 The moment the business realized it was bleeding money

17:00 From offshore skeptic to dental virtual assistants

22:00 Why Reach stays laser focused on dentistry

26:00 AI, cybersecurity, and nine years without a breach

34:00 Will AI turn your dental practice into a commodity

36:00 Was Cory’s dad proud of the $1 deal

Got an insurance horror story or a fee negotiation confession? Leave Brandi an anonymous voicemail for The Real Talk of Dental at https://www.speakpipe.com/TheRealTalkofDental

Connect with Cory:

Website:https://www.getreach.co/https://www.getreach.co/

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-pinegar/https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-pinegar/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

Dental embezzlement is the theft of money, product, or time by someone inside your own practice, and nearly half of dental offices report being stolen from. If you think digital payments, AI tools, or an office manager who feels like family make you immune, this is your wake up call. The person closest to the money is often the one taking it. The losses add up quietly through payroll bumps, stolen insurance checks, padded overtime, and extra PTO until it is death by a thousand paper cuts.

On The Real Talk of Dental, host Brandi Marzolino, a 20-year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Prosperident fraud examiners Courtney Staiger, a Certified Fraud Examiner and former dental assistant, and Amber Weber, a Registered Dental Hygienist, for a true crime breakdown of two real cases: a family friend who stole about $225,000 and an inherited employee who took more than $700,000 from two owners. You will learn why your CPA is unlikely to catch theft, why no payment type is safe, the one question to ask any AI payment posting vendor, and why Amber says transparency is the first casualty of embezzlement. Trust your instincts, verify everything, and get a second set of eyes on your numbers before your practice becomes the next story.

You’ll learn:

• Dental embezzlement warning signs often start small, like a $2,000 payroll bump that quietly grows to $30,000 a year when nobody cross-checks payroll, supply orders, or bonuses.
• Why your CPA will not catch dental embezzlement: accountants are not inside your practice management software, so timing gaps get excused away as insurance or deposit lag.
• Transparency is the first casualty of embezzlement, so your whole team should know how to run reports, spot check past months, and ask why numbers changed after the fact.
• How a proactive embezzlement audit uncovered $155,000 stolen from a new owner in just 18 months, plus $580,000 more from the previous owner, with no obvious red flags.
• No payment type is safe from dental office theft, including insurance checks cashed through mobile deposit and digital payments that hit the bank before or after posting.
• The question to ask any AI payment posting vendor: do you reconcile from the bank first or the EOB first? Courtney Staiger explains why bank-first is a red flag.
• How to prevent embezzlement in your dental practice with background checks, verified employment history, separation of duties, clear associate contracts, and an outside expert exam.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Women in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 Why no dental practice is immune to embezzlement

11:00 The trusted family friend who stole $225,000

16:00 How a proactive audit uncovered hidden theft

18:00 Do dentists press charges against embezzlers?

24:00 Will your CPA catch embezzlement in your practice?

28:00 Associate pay errors from adjustments and vague contracts

33:00 Why you need an outside financial exam

35:00 How insurance checks get stolen through mobile deposit

39:00 The AI payment posting question to ask vendors

41:00 ADA survey data on dental embezzlement rates

44:00 Background checks and verifying past employers

46:00 Lifestyle red flags and trust but verify

Got an insurance horror story or a fee negotiation confession? Leave Brandi an anonymous voicemail for The Real Talk of Dental at https://www.speakpipe.com/TheRealTalkofDental

Connect with Courtney Staiger and Amber Weber:

• Prosperident:https://www.prosperident.com/https://www.prosperident.com/
• Meet the team:https://www.prosperident.com/our-teamhttps://www.prosperident.com/our-team
• The Prosperident Exchange podcast:https://www.prosperident.com/podcastshttps://www.prosperident.com/podcasts

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DentalEmbezzlement #DentalOfficeEmbezzlement #EmbezzlementPrevention #DentalPracticeManagement #DentalPracticeOwner #DentalOfficeManager #DentalFraud #FraudPrevention #DentalLeadership #DentalBusiness #DentistLife #DentalHygienist #DentalAssistant #DentalTeam #PracticeOwner #TrueCrime #Prosperident #TheRealTalkOfDental

Dentist burnout is not always caused by dentistry itself. More often, it happens when everything outside the practice gets neglected: your marriage, your kids, your health, and your own personal growth. If you are hitting your numbers but feel like you are failing at home, or thriving at home while the business drifts, nothing is wrong with you. You are running your life on autopilot, and the highlight reel you see from everyone else in the industry is making it worse.

On this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, host Brandi Marzolino, a 20-year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Mike Nelson, a dental tech veteran of Dental Intelligence, Solutionreach, and Weave and the founder of The Atlas Project. Mike explains why dentistry was never meant to be your identity, it was meant to fuel your life, and how The Atlas Project helps dental professionals navigate every map of life with intention, from craft and business to connection, health, and adventure. You will hear why most practice owners cannot describe the practice they want, why resilience is a muscle you build outside the office, why changing your environment matters when you unplug, and why no one on a dental panel has it all figured out. If you are ready to stop reacting and start living a life by design, consider this your permission to begin.

You’ll learn:

• Why dentist burnout, according to Mike Nelson, usually comes from neglecting your life outside the practice rather than from dentistry being too hard, and why refilling your own battery changes how you lead.
• The Atlas Project belief that dentistry was never meant to be your identity, it was meant to fuel your life, and how to navigate each map of your life with real intention.
• Why most dental practice owners cannot describe the culture, team, or patients they actually want, and how becoming a victim of indecision quietly shapes both your practice and your home life.
• How to build resilience like a muscle through physical challenge and discomfort, so a schedule falling apart at the practice feels manageable instead of feeling like the end of the world.
• Why changing your environment matters when you finally unplug, and what Brandi Marzolino learned about sleep, rest, and her nervous system after taking extended time away from work.
• Why work-life balance for dentists starts with practicing preventative care on yourself, your marriage, and your kids, instead of waiting until dentist burnout forces a crisis you cannot ignore.
• How to see through the highlight reel from dental influencers, conference panels, and gurus, and why admitting no one has it all figured out gives you and your team room to grow.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Women in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 Welcome to The Real Talk of Dental

01:00 Successful at work but struggling at home

03:00 Mike Nelson’s path from landscaping into dentistry

06:00 Why Mike Nelson started The Atlas Project

08:00 Why most practice owners cannot say what they want

12:00 Dentistry was never meant to be your identity

14:00 Why changing your environment helps you truly unplug

17:00 What extended time off taught Brandi about sleep

21:00 Is dentistry really the cause of dentist burnout

22:00 Building resilience alone in the backcountry

30:00 Couples retreats and family events with The Atlas Project

33:00 Why does no one in dental have it figured out

Got an insurance horror story or a fee negotiation confession? Leave Brandi an anonymous voicemail for The Real Talk of Dental at https://www.speakpipe.com/TheRealTalkofDental

Connect with Mike

Website: http://www.youratlashq.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-atlas-project1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/youratlashq

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youratlashq/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DentistBurnout #DentalBurnout #DentalLeadership #WorkLifeBalance #DentistLife #DentalProfessionals #PracticeOwner #DentalPracticeOwner #IntentionalLiving #LifeByDesign #Resilience #DentalCommunity #DentalCulture #DentalWellness #MentalHealthInDentistry #DentalPodcast #TheAtlasProject #MikeNelson #BrandiMarzolino #TheRealTalkOfDental

Dental practice financials are the numbers that show whether your practice is truly healthy: your collections, your AR, your hygiene production, your overhead, and your profit. If you avoid them, you are not alone. Plenty of practice owners know what they collect each month and that the bills get paid. But they have no idea what their AR looks like, whether they overpay for supplies, or how to plan for that next big equipment purchase. Dental school never taught you the business side, so it is easy to decide you are bad with numbers when you were simply never trained.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20-year dental industry veteran and leadership coach and host of The Real Talk of Dental, sits down with Jessica Nunn, CPA, founder and CEO of Maven Financial Partners. Maven is a female-led financial consulting firm serving dental, dermatology, and plastic surgery practices. Jessica shares how she went from preparing tax returns to building a firm where clients actually look forward to their monthly numbers meeting. You will hear her core principle, big change requires big change. You will also hear why feelings aren't facts when you review your P&L, and how a budget tells your money where to go instead of wondering where it went. You already earned your seat. Now it is time to look under the hood.

You’ll learn:

• Why dental practice financials feel so scary: Jessica Nunn explains how money conflict growing up and zero business training in dental school lead owners to assume they are bad with numbers.
• What big change requires big change means for your profitability: a financial consultant brings awareness, but small tweaks rarely move the needle, so real profit growth demands real change in how you operate.
• How feelings aren't facts plays out in your dental practice financials: owners who feel they had a bad month often had their most profitable one, driven by hygiene, ortho starts, or a strong associate.
• How to fix team compensation that is hurting your profit: Jessica's take on paying your team wrong, gradual pay restructuring, and when keeping a loyal team at a higher cost is a valid choice.
• Founder-led practices vs private equity-backed platforms: why about 98% of Maven Financial Partners clients are founders working side by side with their teams, and how emotion can cloud lab and vendor decisions.
• What a dental practice budget actually does: Maven's definition of a budget as telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went, plus how a year-at-a-glance plan keeps you proactive.
• How to choose the right financial partner for your practice: why approachable advice in plain English matters, and why a CPA or advisor who leaves you feeling dumb or in tears is the wrong fit.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Women in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 Welcome to The Real Talk of Dental

01:00 Do you really know your dental practice numbers

05:00 Jessica Nunn's path from CPA to Maven founder

09:00 Correcting veteran CPAs as a young woman

12:00 Why big change requires big change

14:00 Are you bad with numbers or just scared

17:00 You cannot measure what you are not tracking

18:00 Feelings aren't facts in your dental practice financials

21:00 Why does a financial review feel like getting naked

28:00 Running your practice by values or the bottom line

32:00 A budget tells your money where to go

33:00 Finding a financial partner you actually vibe with

Got an insurance horror story or a fee negotiation confession? Leave Brandi an anonymous voicemail for The Real Talk of Dental at https://www.speakpipe.com/TheRealTalkofDental

Connect with Jessica

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-nunn-cpa-1474a417/

Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/maven-financial-partners/

Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mavenfinancial

Website: https://www.mavenfp.com/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DentalPracticeFinancials #DentalPracticeOwner #DentalBusiness #DentalPracticeManagement #KnowYourNumbers #DentalProfitability #FractionalCFO #DentalCFO #DentalPracticeGrowth #DentistLife #DentalLeadership #DentalOfficeManager #WomenInFinance #FemaleFounder #PracticeOwner #DentalPodcast #MavenFinancialPartners #RealTalkOfDental

Dental insurance fee negotiation is how your practice gets carriers like Delta Dental to raise what they pay you, and most offices are not doing it nearly enough. If you haven't touched your fee schedules in six, eight, or even ten years, you are leaving money on the table every single day. Staffing costs aren't going down. Supply costs aren't going down. As more practices weigh dropping PPO networks in 2026, knowing how in-network reimbursement really works has never mattered more.

On The Real Talk of Dental, host Brandi Marzolino, a 20-year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Michael Cembrola, a former Delta Dental sales executive with 20 years in dental benefits who now helps dentists negotiate fees with insurance companies. Michael explains why you should review your reimbursements every two years, why dental fraud and abuse cost an estimated $12 to $15 billion a year in the US, and how the Model Dentist tool he helped build scores every dentist in a network across 25 clinical and patient metrics. You'll also learn how self-funded and fully insured plans drive your prophy reimbursement, and who actually sets that $1,000 annual maximum. This is the episode where we stop picking a villain and start having the real conversation.

You’ll learn:

• Dental insurance fee negotiation timing: why Michael Cembrola recommends reviewing your reimbursements every two years, and what to do when a carrier tells you no the first time you ask.
• Should dental offices drop insurance? How your patient mix, the carriers in your area, and your growth stage decide whether staying in-network still makes sense for your practice.
• Dental insurance fraud, waste, and abuse: why an estimated $12 to $15 billion is lost every year in the US, and how honest coding mistakes by office staff quietly add to it.
• Model Dentist quality scoring: how the tool ranks every dentist in a network from tier one to tier five using 25 metrics like complication rates, fillings versus crowns, and continuity of care.
• Who really sets your $1,000 annual maximum: why employers, not insurance companies, choose the plan design, and how that misconception fuels patient frustration at your front desk.
• Self-funded versus fully insured dental plans: how employers paying the cost of care directly keeps prophy reimbursement low, and why that makes dental insurance fee negotiation so tough.
• Value-based care in dentistry: what it means to pay dentists more for appropriate, preventive care at the right time, and why dental still runs about ten years behind medical.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Women in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 Why a Delta Dental insider isn't the villain

03:00 Former Delta Dental exec thoughts on dental insurance today

05:00 Should dental offices drop insurance?

07:30 Dental insurance fraud costs $12 to $15 billion yearly

11:00 Is dental fraud mostly intentional or accidental?

13:00 Who really sets your $1,000 annual maximum?

14:30 Dental insurance fee negotiation: how often should you ask?

19:00 Model Dentist scores every dentist on 25 metrics

25:30 What does value-based care mean in dentistry?

30:30 Dentists vs insurers: who really holds the power?

32:00 Is low prophy reimbursement hurting dental hygiene?

33:30 Self-funded vs fully insured dental plans explained

Got an insurance horror story or a fee negotiation confession? Leave Brandi an anonymous voicemail for The Real Talk of Dental at https://www.speakpipe.com/TheRealTalkofDental

Connect with Michael

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecembrola/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DentalInsurance #DentalInsuranceNegotiation #PPONegotiation #DeltaDental #DentalPractice #DentalPracticeManagement #DentalFraud #DentalBilling #DentalCoding #DentalHygiene #DentalHygienist #ValueBasedCare #DSO #DentalOfficeManager #DentalLeadership #DentalIndustry #DentalPodcast #TheRealTalkOfDental

A dental sabbatical is what happens when a dentist steps fully away from clinical practice, not for a two week vacation, but for a real, intentional reset. If you've ever quietly wondered whether you could walk away from the chair for a year and come back different, this episode is proof it's possible. Dr. Matt Allen did exactly that, and it didn't just change his schedule, it changed the direction of his entire career. He talks with Brandi about the fear that keeps dentists white knuckling control, the moment he realized the four lane highway to success wasn't for him, and why slowing down turned out to be the fastest way forward.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran, leadership coach, and host of The Real Talk of Dental, sits down with Dr. Matt Allen, DDS, Co-Founder and CEO of DifferentKind, to unpack what he learned in the year he stepped away from dentistry. You'll walk away with Matt's soft focus framework for creative rest, his ikigai based approach to figuring out your next move, and his reservoir mindset for giving without burning out. This is a real conversation about fear, patient experience, and what it actually looks like to build a career on your own terms. Hit play and give yourself permission to imagine a different path.

You’ll learn:

• Why Dr. Matt Allen walked away from clinical dentistry for a full year, and what a real sabbatical actually requires before you take the leap.
• How Spain's World Cup winning soccer system explains why over controlling your dental team quietly stalls their growth and decision making.
• The difference between the fear that keeps you safe and the fear that's secretly running every decision in your dental practice.
• Why Matt reframes big career moves as experiments instead of demanding perfection, and how that shift changes what you're willing to try.
• What soft focus time taught Matt about slowing down, and how walking became the surprising unlock for his best business decisions.
• How Matt used the Japanese concept of ikigai to build A Different Kind, his patient experience company for dental organizations.
• Why AI can automate dental communication tasks but still can't replace the human trust building skills most dental teams were never taught.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Women in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 Welcome to The Real Talk of Dental

01:00 Matt Allen left dentistry to build A Different Kind

05:00 How Spain's World Cup win applies to dental leadership

08:00 Why controlling every outcome breaks down under pressure

09:00 Why fear shows up around growth and hard decisions

10:00 How dental training shrinks your focus and your control

14:00 Reframing fear as experimenting instead of chasing perfection

19:00 What led Matt to take a full year off

22:00 Soft focus time and the early seeds of Different Kind

27:00 Finding ikigai and deciding what only you can do

32:00 Why people are losing trust in AI generated communication

35:00 Matt's reservoir mindset for staying full instead of empty

Connect with Matt

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/differentkind/

Website: https://www.differentkind.com/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#Dentistry #DentalPodcast #DentalLeadership #PatientExperience #DentalBurnout #DentalCareerChange #DentistLife #DentalCulture #DentalTeamCulture #FearInLeadership #Ikigai #DentalSabbatical #DentalWellness #PracticeOwner #DentalIndustry #DentalCoaching #DentalMarketing #RealTalkOfDental

How do you scale a DSO without creating a collection of practices that operate like completely different businesses?

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Brandi Marzolino sits down with Eric Pastan, who built a 45-practice DSO and sold it to private equity, to explore what sustainable growth actually requires.

Eric explains the difference between scaling and stacking, what private equity buyers value beyond EBITDA, and why repeatable systems, realistic projections, strong culture, and operational alignment make a dental group more valuable.

You’ll also hear why Eric walked away from his first attempted transaction, how to connect growth targets to actionable KPIs, and why the highest offer may not come from the right partner.

If you are growing a dental group or considering a future sale, this conversation will help you build a business that is easier to operate, more attractive to buyers, and strong enough to grow without losing its culture.

You’ll learn:

• The difference between scaling a DSO and stacking practices.
• What private equity buyers evaluate beyond EBITDA.
• Why Eric walked away from his first attempted DSO sale.
• How repeatable systems and accurate projections increase value.
• Why financial goals must connect to practice-level KPIs.
• How to evaluate technology before investing in it.
• Why the highest offer may not be the best offer.
• How to grow without sacrificing culture or operational control.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Women in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 What private equity is really buying

03:07 Eric’s journey building a 45-practice DSO

06:13 The state of DSO growth in 2026

08:30 Scaling versus stacking dental practices

12:03 How fast should a dental group grow?

15:10 Building systems that do not depend on the founder

20:08 How uncontrolled growth damages culture

23:03 Why Eric walked away from his first DSO sale

24:52 What made the organization valuable to buyers

28:43 The systems to strengthen before selling

35:07 Evaluating dental technology investments

38:04 Advice for DSO founders considering an exit

Connect with Eric

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-pastan/

Website: https://www.elliottdavis.com/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DSOGrowth #DentalPracticeManagement #DentalLeadership #DentalBusiness #DSOStrategy #DentalPracticeGrowth #PrivateEquity #DentalPracticeAcquisitions #DentalEntrepreneur #DentalOperations #DentalPracticeKPIs #DentalTechnology #DentalPracticeCulture #DSOLeadership #DentalIndustry #EricPastan #BrandiMarzolino #TheRealTalkOfDental

Dental office cybersecurity training is the one investment most practices skip, and it is exactly why hackers keep getting in. You can spend thousands locking down your network, but if your office manager clicks one bad link, all of that protection means nothing.

Cyberattacks against dental practices and DSOs have surged through 2026, from major distributors to small single location offices, and most teams still have no idea what a real phishing attempt looks like.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Tom Terronez, CEO of Medix Dental IT, to unpack why people, not software, are the biggest vulnerability in every dental practice. Tom shares the real story behind the Fort Knox problem, why office managers are often the strongest advocates for security training, and how tech should free up your team to be more human with patients, not less.

You will walk away knowing exactly what questions to ask before you buy new technology, why trust, once lost through a bad rollout, is nearly impossible to win back, and how a little warmth at the front desk can matter more than the fanciest system in the building.

You’ll learn:

• Why dental office cybersecurity training matters more than any firewall, and how one clicked phishing link can undo thousands of dollars in IT protection.
• What to ask before your practice invests in new dental technology, so you avoid the shiny object syndrome that leads to expensive, disconnected systems.
• Why office managers are often the strongest advocates for cybersecurity training in dental practices, and why leadership still hesitates to invest in it.
• How a single mishandled tech rollout can break staff trust in leadership, and why rebuilding that trust afterward is nearly impossible.
• Why the biggest cybersecurity vulnerability in any dental practice is people, not software, and what regular training actually changes.
• How small human moments at the front desk, like a genuine hello, can matter more to patients than the most advanced technology in the building.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Women in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 Why one bad email can undo your security budget

01:44 Meet Tom Terronez, dental IT and cybersecurity expert

03:08 The missing piece in every tech rollout is people

06:21 What should you ask before buying new dental tech

07:22 Why you should never buy technology at a conference

13:54 The real gap between vendor onboarding and daily use

15:26 How one bad tech rollout can break team trust

18:00 Why losing trust is the hardest thing to earn back

21:33 A patient check-in story that shows what tech misses

33:44 What keeps DSO leaders up at night about cybersecurity

37:00 Why lack of training is the real cybersecurity gap

39:17 Why office managers are the real cybersecurity MVPs

Connect with Tom

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-terronez-9371104/

Website: https://medixdental.com/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DentalCybersecurity #DentalOfficeSecurity #DentalPracticeManagement #DentalIT #CyberAttackPrevention #PhishingAwareness #DentalTechnology #DSOLeadership #HIPAACompliance #DentalOfficeManager #RansomwareProtection #DentalPracticeGrowth #DentalLeadership #PracticeCulture #TomTerronez #MedixDentalIT #TheRealTalkOfDental

Dental practice HR compliance is the difference between protecting your business and handing an employee's attorney exactly what they need to win a case against you.

If your employee handbook has not been updated in years, or your office manager is fielding tricky HR questions with a quick Google search, your practice is more exposed than you think. Employment laws do not wait for January 1st to change, and the wrong answer to one employee question today can turn into a wrongful termination claim years down the road.

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, host Brandi Marzolino, a 20-year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Ray Brunner, a 25-year dental marketing veteran turned HR advisor at HR For Health.

Ray takes you from the wild early days of 1-800-DENTIST in the 1990s to today, and explains why Googling or ChatGPTing a sensitive HR question can actually be used against you in court. You'll also hear Ray's honest take on reinventing your career later in life, and why it's never too late to walk through a new door.

You’ll learn:

• Why googling or ChatGPTing a sensitive HR question could actually be used against your dental practice in a wrongful termination lawsuit down the road.
• The real difference between payroll, an employee handbook, and a standard operating procedure, and why confusing the three puts your practice at risk.
• Why most dental practice employee handbooks are already out of date, and what that gap actually costs you when an employee files a complaint.
• Ray Brunner's wild insider stories from the early days of 1-800-DENTIST, back when dental marketing ran on television ads and carbon credit slips.
• How Ray went from a territory rep in Philadelphia to a founding partner of a healthcare dot-com that helped build the data behind WebMD.
• Why waiting until you have everything figured out is the biggest reason dental professionals stay stuck instead of reinventing their careers.
• What Ray tells dental leaders who feel too old, or too far in, to pivot into a completely new role inside or outside the industry.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Women in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 From 1-800-DENTIST to HR For Health, Ray's origin story

01:00 How Ray and Brandi first connected in the dental industry

02:28 Ray's accidental start in dental marketing at 1-800-DENTIST

05:43 Becoming a territory rep in Philadelphia in the early 1990s

10:00 Building a healthcare dot-com that helped create WebMD

12:14 Why Ray joined HR For Health after 25 years in dental marketing

15:13 Is it too late to make a career change in dentistry

24:19 What HR actually means for a dental practice

27:00 Why your employee handbook is already out of date

35:00 Why Googling your HR questions can be used against you in court

38:00 The difference between an employee handbook and an SOP

41:00 Ray and Brandi's workshop at the Dental Leadership Summit in Austin

Dental Leadership Summit (Austin, TX, this fall):https://dentalleadershipsummit.comhttps://dentalleadershipsummit.com (use code BRANDI10)

Connect with Ray

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raybrunner/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hrforhealth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hrforhealth

Website: https://hrforhealth.com/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DentalPracticeManagement #DentalHR #DentalCompliance #DentalOfficeManager #HRForHealth #DentalLeadership #DentalPodcast #DentalIndustry #PracticeOwner #DentalTeam #EmployeeHandbook #DentalOffice #CareerChange #DentalConsulting #TheRealTalkOfDental

Servant leadership in dental DSOs starts with a simple question: do your employees dread seeing you walk in, or are they excited when you do?

If your organization is more focused on KPIs and metrics than the people earning them, this episode makes the case for why that approach eventually costs you both your culture and your bottom line.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Brandi Carter, a DSO and dental group executive known throughout the industry for building cultures so strong that team members have moved states just to keep working with her.

They unpack Simon Sinek's leaders eat last philosophy, why so many DSO executives have lost touch with what's actually happening in their practices, and why building your own support system as a leader is just as important as building one for your team. This is a candid, personal conversation about what it really takes to lead with humanity in an industry increasingly driven by numbers.

You’ll learn:

• Why servant leadership, not KPIs, is what actually keeps dental teams loyal and reduces costly turnover.
• Why leaders eat last, a philosophy from Simon Sinek's research on the military, changes how teams perform.
• Why leaders rarely get checked on themselves, and why that creates quiet resentment that hurts culture.
• How building a personal village of support helped Brandi keep pouring into her team without burning out.
• Why DSO executives need to spend real time on the floor listening before making decisions that affect patients.
• How fitness and self care became non negotiable tools for showing up as a better leader.
• Why some of Brandi's team members chose to move states just to keep working for her, and what that says about culture.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Woman in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 Do your employees fear you or love seeing you

04:16 Why connection matters more than KPIs in dental teams

06:22 Why leaders rarely get checked on themselves

09:44 Why culture always has to come before the business

11:16 The leaders eat last philosophy from Simon Sinek

14:35 Why every leader needs their own village of support

18:36 How fitness became her form of therapy

24:35 The moment she decided to prioritize her health

28:00 How grief and loss reshaped her purpose

36:47 Why DSO executives need to get back on the floor

38:44 What listening to your team could do for revenue

Connect with Brandi

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandi-carter-41122420a/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#ServantLeadership #DSOCulture #DentalLeadership #EmployeeRetention #DentalTeamCulture #LeadersEatLast #DentalExecutives #WomenInDentistry #DentalPodcast #SelfCareForLeaders #DentalIndustry #TeamCulture #DentalCoaching #BootsOnTheGround #RealTalkOfDental

Why dental assistants are leaving the profession comes down to something simple: they don't feel valued, and the data backs it up, with nearly half considering a job change in the next two years. If you've ever wondered why your best assistant seems checked out, or you're an assistant who feels invisible on your own team, this episode reframes the whole conversation using an unlikely lens: sports.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20+ year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Kevin Henry, a sports journalist turned 20-plus year dental industry advocate and host of Dental Assistant Nation, the longest running podcast devoted to dental assistants.

Kevin shares why dental assistants are consistently the lowest paid and most overlooked role in the practice, and uses a baseball analogy from his own softball coach to explain why every position on a team, and every role in a dental practice, matters more than people think. This is a fun conversation about a serious topic that every dental leader needs to hear.

You’ll learn:

• Why nearly half of dental assistants are considering leaving the profession, and what's actually driving that number.
• The baseball position analogy Kevin uses to explain why every role on a dental team matters, even the ones that go unnoticed.
• Why dentists hesitate to invest in dental assistant careers, and why that mindset is costing practices good people.
• The story of a coach who turned a player's least favorite position into her greatest strength, and what it teaches about leadership.
• Why professional athletes rely on mental health coaches, and why more dental teams should think the same way.
• Why leaving work stress at work is a skill dental teams can learn from professional sports.
• Why patients can feel it when a dental team doesn't get along, and what that costs a practice long term.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Woman in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 From sports writer to dental assistant advocate

02:11 What Dental Assistant Nation is and why it exists

06:02 How he started writing for dental assistants in 2005

08:45 The biggest problems dental assistants deal with today

11:46 Why owners hesitate to invest in dental assistant careers

14:39 The baseball position that best fits a dental assistant

15:12 The right field story about being valued on a team

22:13 Why no one wins alone on a dental team

26:32 How pro athletes reset after a bad day

28:34 Why coaches and therapists are a strength, not a weakness

33:03 What every leader can learn from a great coach

Thank you to our episode sponsors!

Check out Avora here: https://getavora.ai/

Check out Archy here: https://www.archy.com/

Check out medix Dental: https://medixdental.com/

Connect with Kevin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinhenryigniteda/

Website: https://www.kevinspeaksdental.com/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DentalAssistants #DentalAssistantNation #DentalTeamCulture #DentalLeadership #DentalAssistantRecognition #DentalRetention #SportsAndLeadership #TeamCulture #DentalIndustry #UnsungHeroes #DentalPodcast #DentalCoaching #WomenInDentistry #DentalTeamBuilding #RealTalkOfDental

Nervous system regulation for dental teams starts with recognizing who on your team is quietly carrying everyone else's weight. If you've ever been the person everyone comes to, the fixer, the calm one, this episode names that pattern and explains why it eventually leads to burnout even for the most capable people in the room.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Lorie Streeter, a certified therapeutic coach with 37 years in dentistry who spent over a decade as a dental office manager before being transitioned out of AADOM and reinventing her career at MaxAssist.

Lorie shares her backpack of rocks visualization for emotional weight, explains why leaders need nervous system regulation more than another leadership book, and opens up about starting over in her fifties. This is a conversation about capacity, worth, and what it actually takes to reinvent yourself.

You’ll learn:

• What it actually means to be a high capacity woman in dentistry, and why that strength can quietly lead to burnout.
• The backpack of rocks visualization Lorie uses to help leaders see exactly what emotional weight they're carrying for others.
• Why nervous system regulation matters more for dental teams than another leadership book or a new software system.
• How distorted filters shape the way you take feedback, and why cleaning your filters changes every relationship you have.
• What it felt like for Lorie to start over in her fifties after seventeen years doing the same work.
• The story behind the signs that led her to her current role, and why she believes the universe was talking.
• Why self love, not victimhood or toughness, is the center point every high achieving leader needs to find.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Woman in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 What it means to be a high capacity woman

02:48 Lorie's twelve years as a dental office manager

06:54 Why leaders need nervous system reset, not another book

07:57 The operating system analogy for personal growth

10:50 How distorted filters shape the way we take feedback

16:17 Why emotional safety matters more than new software

17:44 The backpack of rocks visualization for emotional weight

19:19 What is it like starting over after seventeen years

25:00 The victim versus perp scale and where self love lives

33:00 Her body knew before she did she was leaving AADOM

37:00 The elephant signs that led her to MaxAssist

39:47 Rewriting her mission statement after reinvention

Thank you to our episode sponsors!

Check out Avora here: https://getavora.ai/

Check out Archy here: https://www.archy.com/

Check out medix Dental: https://medixdental.com/

Connect with Lorie

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loriestreeter/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LorieStreeterCoaching

Website: https://www.loriestreeter.com/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#HighCapacityWomen #NervousSystemRegulation #DentalOfficeManager #EmotionalSafety #DentalBurnout #TherapeuticCoaching #CareerReinvention #WomenInDentistry #DentalLeadership #SelfWorth #DentalPodcast #SomaticCoaching #LeadershipBurnout #AADOM #RealTalkOfDental

Project management in dentistry is rarely talked about, but it's the missing piece between a visionary's big idea and a team that actually gets it done.

If you've ever watched a great initiative stall out inside your DSO or practice, or felt like you're constantly saying "get this done" without a clear plan behind it, this episode explains exactly why that keeps happening.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Abbigail Hogan, known as Abby, a former director of project management at a DSO who now runs her own project management and fractional operations business.

Abby breaks down the EOS visionary and integrator model, the Working Genius framework's activator role, and why most dental teams have someone doing project management without any formal training in it. You'll walk away with a clear way to spot the gap in your own team, and language to close it.

You’ll learn:

• What project management in dentistry actually means and why most DSOs don't have anyone formally trained to do it.
• The activator role from the Working Genius model and why it's the missing link between a visionary and an integrator.
• Why visionaries end up surrounded by yes people and how that leads to ideas that never get finished.
• Why cleaning up RCM keeps failing even when the same team keeps saying they've already cleaned it up.
• The difference between a project coordinator and a project manager, and why dental teams need both roles.
• The exact language for pushing back on a CEO's idea without damaging trust or sounding aggressive.
• Why every good idea deserves a backlog instead of an immediate yes, and how that protects your team's focus.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Woman in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 What project management actually means in dentistry

02:51 Meet the person dentistry's DSOs are missing

06:52 How she built a project management team inside a DSO

12:00 What actually counts as a project in dentistry

15:05 Why RCM cleanup keeps failing without a project owner

18:32 What an activator does that a coordinator can't

20:32 How to translate a visionary's idea into a real plan

25:06 Why do visionaries burn out from answering every question

33:43 Why pushing back on your CEO builds more trust

34:30 The power of putting good ideas on the backlog

39:38 The rose bush story and what it teaches about projects

Thank you to our episode sponsors!

Check out Avora here: https://getavora.ai/

Check out Archy here: https://www.archy.com/

Connect with Abbigail

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbigailhogan/

Website: https://www.thedsopm.com/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#ProjectManagementDentistry #DSOOperations #WorkingGenius #EOSModel #DentalLeadership #FractionalProjectManager #DentalOperations #VisionaryIntegrator #DentalTeamBuilding #PracticeManagement #DentalPodcast #ActivatorRole #DentalBusiness #WomenInDental #RealTalkOfDental

A DSO alternative for dentists exists, and it's built to make sure the company can never sell itself to private equity. If you have ever felt like your only two options are staying solo forever or eventually selling to a DSO, this episode breaks down why that's not actually true, and what the real numbers look like right now in 2025 compared to the frothy days of 2022.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Mike Baird, CEO of Accelerate Dental and former CEO of Henry Schein One, to unpack why he built a minority-partnership model where doctors keep majority ownership and the group is legally barred from ever selling. Mike shares the real recapitalization data behind today's DSO market and the outcomes his doctors are seeing, including doubled collections and 50 percent higher personal income over five years. This is the conversation every dentist weighing their next move needs to hear.

You’ll learn:

• Why the two options most dentists think they have, staying solo or selling to a DSO, aren't actually the only choices.
• The DSO alternative model where dentists keep majority influence and the company can never sell itself to private equity.
• Why DSO recapitalization multiples dropped from 14 times revenue in 2022 to closer to 10 times in 2025.
• The real odds of getting recapped in 2025 versus what brokers and DSOs are telling dentists right now.
• Why private equity ownership in medicine created three minute doctor visits, and why dentistry is following the same path.
• The real numbers behind doubling collections, growing equity value 2.5 times, and raising personal income 50 percent over five years.
• Who is actually the ideal fit for a minority partnership model instead of a traditional DSO buyout.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Woman in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 The two options every dentist thinks they have

03:22 Mike's alternative to DSOs, Accelerate Dental

05:10 Why most dentists don't know their real options

06:07 How he built the model by interviewing 100 dentists

09:00 Why 80% of doctors in medicine work for a corporation

13:01 The Walmart story and what it means for dentistry

18:19 What is the real downside of selling to private equity

20:11 Why DSO recap multiples dropped from 14x to 10x

21:49 The real odds of getting recapped in 2025

25:24 How the Accelerate Dental model actually works

30:47 Who is the ideal fit for this model 38:25 The real numbers behind doubled income and equity

Connect with Mike

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accelerate-dental

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bairdmike/

Website: https://www.acceleratedental.com/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DSOAlternative #DentalPrivateEquity #DentalPracticeOwnership #DentalGroupPractice #DentalIndustry #PracticeTransition #DentalBusiness #DentistIncome #DentalLeadership #HealthcarePrivateEquity #DentalConsolidation #PracticeOwnership #DentalPodcast #DoctorOwned #RealTalkOfDental

Oral preventive assistant controversy is exactly what turned former ADA president Dr. Brett Kessler into one of dentistry's most polarizing figures online.

If you've seen the online pile-on, the accusations of being a DSO sellout, or the anger over an OPA policy letter, you already know how fast dental industry misinformation spreads. Brandi Marzolino sits down with Kessler to unpack the real story behind the backlash, the misquotes, and the sound bites stripped of context that turned one signed letter into a viral controversy.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20-year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, hosts this conversation with Dr. Brett Kessler, former ADA president and founder of Dentistry Reimagined, his executive coaching practice for dental professionals. You'll hear how Kessler separates fact from misinformation on the OPA debate, why DSOs keep getting mistaken for private equity, and how the shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset carried him through 27 years of recovery. This is a real talk about staying grounded when the internet decides who you are.

You’ll learn:

• What the oral preventive assistant policy actually allows, and why a single Nevada support letter turned Dr. Brett Kessler into the center of a viral dental hygiene controversy.
• Why dentists mistake DSO partnerships for private equity ownership, and what Brett clarifies about PDS Health's actual funding structure after his post went viral.
• How McCarran-Ferguson and ongoing ERISA reform efforts show the ADA's real, if slow, progress on dental insurance regulation.
• Why Brett Kessler started Dentistry Reimagined, his leadership coaching business helping dental professionals build their own voice and purpose.
• How shifting from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset became the turning point in Brett's 27 years of recovery from substance abuse.
• Why "anything is possible" and "they go low, I go high" became the guiding principles behind Brett's leadership under public criticism.
• What Brandi and Brett both learned about accountability, humility, and putting in the reps from their shared recovery journeys.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Woman in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 Why Brett Kessler became dentistry's most polarizing president

02:01 Welcome back for a third appearance and the ongoing backlash

06:50 What the oral preventive assistant policy actually says

07:48 How a Nevada support letter sparked the OPA outrage

12:04 Why DSOs get mistaken for private equity sellouts

19:21 Launching Dentistry Reimagined to coach dental leaders

21:11 Is the ADA doing enough on insurance reform

22:48 McCarran-Ferguson and the fight over dental insurance rules

29:53 Pivoting to the recovery principles behind it all

31:00 What almost cost him his sobriety early on

41:27 Why the haters never outnumber the support

Connect with Dr. Brett

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-brett-kessler/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bikodds/

Phone: 720-989-7960

Email: bikodds@gmail.com

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DentalPodcast #Dentistry #ADA #OralPreventiveAssistant #DSOs #DentalLeadership #DentalRecovery #SobrietyJourney #GrowthMindset #DentalIndustryNews #DentalInsurance #ERISAReform #DentalHygiene #OrganizedDentistry #DentalWellness #RealTalkOfDental

Starting a dental consulting business looks like freedom from the outside, but the reality is a nine to five that turns into a twenty four seven you never fully clock out of.

If you have ever thought about leaving your day job in dentistry to coach, consult, or build something of your own, this episode is the honest version nobody posts on social media. You will hear what it actually feels like when a scarcity mindset takes over, when clients start walking, and when you have to decide if the dream is still worth it.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Brittany Rogars, founder of SKF Practice Solutions and one of the most sought after Open Dental consultants in the industry, for round two of their conversation.

Brittany walks through her PIVOT method for handling business chaos and the moment she lost 40 percent of her clients in a single week. You will walk away with a real framework for deciding if entrepreneurship is actually for you, not just the highlight reel.

You’ll learn:

• Why starting a dental consulting business trades a nine to five for a twenty four seven you have to actually love.
• The PIVOT method Brittany uses to process, trust intuition, validate internally, seek outreach, and stay tenacious through business chaos.
• What happened when Brittany lost 40 percent of her clients in a single seven day span and how she rebuilt.
• Why a scarcity mindset is the biggest thing killing new dental consulting businesses before they even get started.
• Why hiring the right team, not doing it all yourself, is the best gift Brittany ever gave her business.
• Real talk on why delegation is still a daily practice even after years of running a growing company.
• What to ask yourself before you decide you want to start your own business in dentistry.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Woman in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 Brittany Rogars origin story from soap maker to consultant

03:40 What life as a dental entrepreneur really looks like

07:37 Losing her sense of smell and pivoting into Open Dental

08:43 The scarcity mindset that almost made her quit

15:00 What is the biggest gift she gave her business

19:19 Why delegation is still a daily practice for her

22:44 What to ask before you start your own business

26:51 Why you have to fall in love with the suck

32:00 Trading a nine to five for a twenty four seven

32:21 How scarcity mindset kills new consulting businesses

39:20 Breaking down the PIVOT method step by step

42:27 Details on the second annual Open Dental Users Workshop

Connect with Brittany

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skfpracticesolutions

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skfpracticesolutions

Open Dental Users Workshop: https://skfpracticesolutions.com/opendentallive

Website: https://skfpracticesolutions.com/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DentalEntrepreneur #DentalConsulting #OpenDentalSoftware #DentalPracticeManagement #WomenInDentistry #DentalLeadership #SmallBusinessOwner #EntrepreneurMindset #ScarcityMindset #BusinessCoaching #DentalIndustry #StartingABusiness #PivotMethod #DentalPodcast #FemaleEntrepreneur #BusinessOwnerLife #DentalCoaching #RealTalkOfDental

Employee benefits compliance for dental practices is no longer optional paperwork, it's a legal responsibility every practice owner and DSO leader now carries under federal law. If your team has ten people or ten thousand, you are the fiduciary on that plan, and that means real liability if your broker compensation isn't documented and your benefits process isn't transparent.

Brandi Marzolino, 20 year dental veteran and leadership coach, sits down with employee benefits advisor Emily Stellflug to break down the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), the 2021 law reshaping how dental practices and DSOs manage healthcare costs, broker pay, and risk.

Emily shares how practices of every size can build full transparency into their premium dollars, why an unhealthy, underinsured team quietly kills production, and how she rebuilt her own career and confidence in her mid-40s while caring for her mother in hospice. This episode will change how you think about your benefits plan.

You’ll learn:

• What the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) requires from every dental practice that offers a health plan, and why treating benefits like a set it and forget it line item creates real legal exposure.
• Why broker compensation disclosure is now a legal requirement for employers, and what happens if your practice does not have that documentation on file.
• How dental practices and DSOs can get full transparency into where premium dollars actually go, from admin costs to pharmacy spend to claims.
• Why an unhealthy, benefits starved team leads to more call outs, lower production, and unhappier patients, and how a strong wellness program changes that equation.
• What Emily Stellflug learned about humility, mentorship, and imposter syndrome after pivoting from dental practice management into employee benefits in her mid-40s.
• How to reframe a scary organizational change, like updating your benefits plan, using the same mindset that helped Emily navigate a career pivot and a family health crisis at the same time.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Woman in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 Meeting Emily at Women in DSO and their bonding story

04:26 What the Consolidated Appropriations Act means for your practice

09:11 What are the biggest compliance mistakes employers make

11:49 Why no one questions their employer's benefits process

13:44 How to get full transparency into your premium dollars

16:59 Why call outs from an unhealthy workforce kill production

19:05 What are other ways to build a great benefits culture

21:46 What are the biggest misconceptions about changing benefits

25:38 What prompted Emily's career pivot in her mid-40s

29:54 How Emily did the inner work during her career transition

33:20 What the Knicks comeback teaches about chasing big goals

37:26 Caring for a parent while building a new career

Connect with Emily

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-stellflug/

Website: http://www.mahoneygroup.com/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DentalIndustry #DentalPractice #EmployeeBenefits #DentalHR #BenefitsCompliance #DSO #DentalLeadership #HealthcareCosts #WomenInDentistry #CareerChange #DentalCulture #HRCompliance #BrokerCompensation #MentalHealthParity #DentalBurnout #PracticeManagement #TheRealTalkOfDental

Dental Entrepreneur Woman is the support community Anne Duffy built after one phone call ten years ago, when a friend in the dental industry was reduced to tears over a comment about her smile.

If you have ever walked into a room full of dental professionals and felt like you did not belong, Dental Entrepreneur Woman is proof that feeling does not have to be permanent.

On this episode, Anne Duffy, founder of Dental Entrepreneur Woman, joins host Brandi Marzolino to mark two milestones at once: ten years of Dental Entrepreneur Woman and the 50th episode of The Real Talk of Dental. Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Anne Duffy to trace how one phone call turned into a magazine, then a movement, then a retreat that now sells out with over 250 women every year.

You will hear how CliftonStrengths reshaped the way Anne Duffy leads, why DeW's principle that the answer is in the ladies room guides the community, and what it actually feels like the first time you walk into a room of 250 women and wonder if you belong. Press play and find your seat at the table.

You’ll learn:

• Why Anne Duffy started Dental Entrepreneur Woman after a single phone call with a friend who was told her smile looked insincere, and how that moment became a ten year movement for women in dentistry.
• How CliftonStrengths showed Anne Duffy the difference between the balcony and the basement of a strength, and why knowing both changed the way she leads Dental Entrepreneur Woman.
• What it actually feels like to walk into your first Dental Entrepreneur Woman retreat as an outsider, and how Brandi Marzolino found her own seat at the table.
• Why Dental Entrepreneur Woman pairs new members with established ones through its mentorship program, and how one connection eases the overwhelm of a 250 woman retreat.
• The core principles that keep Dental Entrepreneur Woman a safe space, including why gossip and gatekeeping have no place in the community.
• How Anne Duffy as an activator and Brandi Marzolino as a strategic thinker show why different CliftonStrengths build stronger movements together.
• Why Anne Duffy calls herself an accidental entrepreneur, and what that means for anyone building a community without a five year plan.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Woman in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 The smile comment that sparked Dental Entrepreneur Woman

03:00 Welcoming Anne Duffy to The Real Talk of Dental

05:00 Anne Duffy's 46 years in clinical dental hygiene

08:00 Why weren't women getting dental industry speaking gigs

09:00 What phone call started Dental Entrepreneur Woman

12:00 What CliftonStrengths revealed about Anne Duffy's gifts

17:00 Why Anne Duffy wanted to bring love to dentistry

24:00 DeW's principle that the answer is in the ladies room

26:00 Brandi Marzolino's first Dental Entrepreneur Woman retreat

28:00 The matching dress moment that meant she belonged

38:00 Partnering with Ryan Vet on Dental Entrepreneur magazine

DeW Retreat

• Charlotte, NC
• November 12–14, 2026
• Register here: https://www.dewlifecrew.com/offers/HiYAFNRX/checkout

Connect with Anne

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-duffy-b421882/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dewlifemag

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dewlifemag

Website: http://dew.life/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DentalEntrepreneurWomen #WomenInDentistry #DentalIndustry #DentalHygienist #WomenSupportingWomen #DentalLeadership #DentalCommunity #DEWLife #DentalPodcast #WomenInBusiness #DentalCoaching #CliftonStrengths #DentalRetreat #DentalEntrepreneur #WomenInDental #DentalMentorship #DentalCareer #BelongingInDentistry #RealTalkOfDental

Dental assistant digital workflow training is the missing piece between the technology your practice already paid for and the results you're still waiting on. Practices across the country are dropping six figures on intraoral scanners, 3D printers, and CAD/CAM systems, then handing the keys to team members who were never properly trained on any of it. The technology sits. The ROI doesn't come. And the dental assistant, who could be running that entire workflow, is still being treated like the lowest rung on the ladder.

Brandi Marzolino, 20-year dental industry vet and leadership coach, sits down with Wayne Glassoff, co-founder of the Digital Dental Assistant Academy (DDAA), to dig into what's actually broken.

Wayne spent 20 years on the vendor and manufacturer side, selling SprintRay 3D printers and watching dentists reject technology with one excuse: "My team can't learn this." That excuse launched a company. The DDAA launched March 1, 2026, as the first structured education platform built specifically to train dental assistants in digital workflow execution, from intraoral scanning to 3D printing to simple design. Wayne and Brandi also go there on loyalty, toxic dental sales culture, and what it actually looks like to define success on your own terms.

You’ll learn:

• Why dental assistant digital workflow training is the single biggest bottleneck holding digital dentistry adoption back, and what most practices are doing instead of fixing it
• What co-founder Wayne Glassoff saw while selling 3D printers at SprintRay that convinced him the real problem was never the technology, it was the training
• How the Digital Dental Assistant Academy trains dental assistants to own the full digital workflow, from scanning to printing to design, so practices finally get ROI on their technology investment
• Why dental assistants remain the most undercompensated and underutilized team members in dentistry despite doing more hands-on work than almost anyone else in the office
• What loyalty actually looks like in dental sales and why Wayne says it's harder to find than people want to admit, on both sides of the relationship
• The difference between a high-pressure sales approach and the consultant-educator approach Wayne built his entire 20-year career on, and why dentists responded to it
• Why the real bottleneck in digital dentistry is not the technology or the budget, it is that 85 to 90 percent of the digital work still sits with the dentist when it should be flipped

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Women in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 Introduction and why dental assistants inspired this episode

07:00 Why dental assistants are the lowest paid despite doing the most

06:00 Why dentists hesitate to hand digital tools to their assistants

07:00 Wayne's 20-year journey from Monster.com to dental technology sales

09:00 The dentist objection that launched the Digital Dental Assistant Academy

11:00 How Wayne and his co-founder landed on the same idea at a Chicago trade show

14:00 The bottleneck holding digital dentistry back in practices right now

18:00 What loyalty really looks like in dentistry and why it is hard to find

21:00 How changing commission plans breed rep disloyalty across the big three distributors

24:00 Is dog-eat-dog sales culture still alive on the vendor side of dentistry

29:00 Why smart people resist coaching and accountability the most

34:00 Wayne's sales philosophy: consultant and educator, not salesperson

Connect with Wayne

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-glassoff-7a93898/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wglassoff/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wayne_glassoff_3dprints_teeth/

Website: https://theddaa.com/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DentalAssistant #DigitalDentistry #DentalWorkflow #DentalTraining #DentalAssistantLife #DentalTech #DentalTeam #DentalPractice #DentalBusiness #DentalPodcast #RealTalkOfDental #BrandiMarzolino #DentalLeadership #DentalCulture #DigitalDentalAssistant #3DPrinting #IntraoralScanner #DentalSales #DentalBurnout #DentalAssistantEmpowerment

A dental practice emergency exit plan is the document that protects everything you built if the unthinkable happens. And most dentists don't have one. Whether it's an unexpected death, a contentious divorce, a disability, or a personal decision you'll deeply regret, the cracks that destroy practices usually don't come from outside. They come from you.

In this episode, Brandi Marzolino, 20-year dental industry veteran and host of The Real Talk of Dental, sits down with Mary Fisher-Day, CEO of The Dental Business and decades-long expert in dental practice transitions and valuations.

Mary has been called in for divorces, sudden deaths, murder-suicides, plane crashes, and affairs that ended in six-figure losses. She breaks down exactly what an emergency directive looks like, why your practice loses value every week after you're gone, and what dentists are doing right now that's quietly destroying what they've worked so hard to build.

The takeaway is simple: don't be an idiot, and don't leave your family holding the mess.

You’ll learn:

• A dental practice emergency exit plan gives your family access to funds and a roadmap the moment something goes wrong, so your kids aren't waiting on a GoFundMe while the practice loses value weekly.
• Practice culture directly affects your valuation number, because buyers see the chaos in your collections data even when you think you've hidden it.
• Keeping a toxic team member to avoid conflict is one of the most expensive decisions you can make as a practice owner, and the cost shows up in your numbers.
• Divorce from a workplace affair doesn't just hurt your marriage. It can trigger a forced practice valuation and hand half your business to someone walking out the door.
• A baseline practice valuation updated every few years functions as a life insurance policy for your practice, and it gives your family control instead of panic in a crisis.
• When a dentist dies without an emergency directive in place, the practice can lose 10 to 15 percent of its value per week, and the family is left making impossible decisions while grieving.
• The behaviors that ruin dental practices rarely involve clinical mistakes. They are the ones that are entirely within your control.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Women in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 Welcome to The Real Talk of Dental

01:30 Why doctors take advice from the wrong people

05:00 What a practice transition expert actually sees

09:00 Should dentists sleep with their team members?

12:00 How an affair triggers a forced practice valuation

14:00 Treating your team wrong and what it costs you

17:00 The doctor who got arrested on the golf course

19:30 Anger in the operatory: it still happens

21:00 What is really cracking your practice foundation?

27:00 What is included in an emergency exit plan?

31:00 When a dentist dies with nothing in place

34:00 The 2016 plane crash that changed everything

37:00 Why dentists avoid emergency planning and why that's a mistake

39:00 The theme of this episode: don't be an idiot

Connect with Mary

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dental-business/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thedentalbusiness/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedentalbiz/

Website: https://thedentalbusiness.com/

Connect with me

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

#DentalPractice #EmergencyExitPlan #DentalPracticeValuation #PracticeTransition #DentalBusiness #DentistLife #DentalLeadership #PracticeProtection #DentalCulture #DentistDivorce #DentalSuccession #PracticeOwner #DentalPodcast #RealTalkOfDental #BrandiMarzolino