Dental Entrepreneur Woman - Winter 2021

Winter 2021

The Resolution of a Lifetime Grace Rizza

Saying “YES” Erinne Kennedy, DMD

We Learn From Many Masters Kathryn Gilliam, BA, RDH, FAAOSH

Addressing Chronic Pain With the Power of Passion for Life, Family and Work Adele Reische

Grief is Love Holly Anne Mitchell

Ending the Sellout Economy Victoria Peterson, SsD

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Happy New Year, DeWs! But even though we have turned the page to 2021, in some ways I feel like many are still treading water, waiting for something to calm the seas and save our lives, our jobs, our dreams.

Winter 2021 Editor and Publisher Anne M. Duffy, RDH Assistant Editors Michael Duffy JoAnn Schutte Creative Consultant Beth Linesch Design and Layout Brian Rummel Production [CURAtive] James B. Kennedy Reilly Williams Winter Contributors Jamie Collins Kathryn Gilliam Erinne Kennedy Holly Anne Mitchell Victoria Peterson Adele Reische Grace Rizza Sandi Roggow Social Media Nicole Mackey Web Management My Dental Agency Charter Sponsors A-dec Crest Mary Fisher-Day Inspired Hygiene Patterson D5 Patterson Fuse Shofu Editorial Office 12233 Pine Valley Club Dr Charlotte, NC 28277 704-953-0261 Fax 704-847-3315 anneduffy@dew.life Send materials to: DeW Life Magazine 8334 Pineville Matthews Rd Ste. 103-201 Charlotte, NC 28226 Guidelines go to dew.life

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Advisory Board Emeritus Linda Miles Advisors to the Board Victoria Peterson Katherine Eitel-Belt Board Dr. Meghna Dassani Cris Duval Vanessa Emerson Dr. Hazel Glasper Jasmin Haley Suzanne Kump Tonya Lanthier Dr. Laura Mach JoAn Majors Lorie Streeter Rachel Wall

Now, I know if you’re reading this, you are a part of our community. And if you’re a part of our community, I hope you remember the tenth principle of our DeW mission - “Never give up on your dreams!” There are so many times when I think of that tenet, and it resonates loud and clear. If it doesn’t for you, I’d encourage you to call a fellow DeW, because sometimes we need a nudge toward positivity, to keep pushing towards those dreams.

As I write this, the country is still dealing with hate, fear and death. In fact, we as a country recently witnessed the storming of the Capitol. In thinking back on the images and reactions to come out of this terrible event, I found myself struck by John Lennon’s poignant 1971 song “Happy Christmas (War is Over),” and thought I’d share a few of his profound words …

And so, this is Christmas For weak and for strong The rich and the poor ones The war is so long And so happy Christmas For black and for white For yellow and red ones Let’s stop all the fights We must not be complacent. We must stand for change. DeWs, let’s be the change.

Junior Board Dr. Shakila Angadi Christie Bailey Dr. Erinne Kennedy Minal Sampat Dr. Amisha Singh

Let’s live our DeW principles to bring our spirit of love, inclusion, peace and acceptance to not only our dentistry bubble, but also the world at large. Invite the DeWs you know to join us. All are welcome! As Jamie Collins writes in this issue, “It might be your role to mentor this year.”

At our DeW Life Retreat in November, Dr. Sharon Parsons proclaimed, “Ladies, this is our time!” and I’m sure you’re nodding your head in agreement. It is our time.

With that being said, I’m excited for you to dive into this edition. If you read it cover to cover, I know you’ll find some inspiration.

I’m excited to feature Grace Rizza as our cover DeW. Her story was not an easy one to tell, but I’m humbled by her candor and humility. Similarly, I’m honored that Adele Reische and Kathryn Gilliam offered contributions that speak to the challenges and growth they’ve experienced in their careers.

We’ve also teed up Dr. Erinne Kennedy, who has been with us from the beginning, to encourage you to say “yes” and how that simple act can affect your overall mindset. I’d also encourage you to fill out Sandi Roggow’s chart if you are looking for a place to start and how to know it’s the right fit.

Finally, we have a new section entitled Reflection, in which Holly Mitchell and Victoria Peterson give pretty moving pep talks. Sometimes, we all have moments when we need some inspiring words to get through the day.

That’s not all. We’ve packed a lot into this issue, so I hope you enjoy it. At the end of the day, I’m not going to tread water in 2021. I’m going to swim, and I want you all to join me.

Let’s make a difference, because together, we can.

Love,

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WINTER 2021 Resolution of a 6 The Lifetime

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Grace Rizza

16 Mentorship 101 Jamie Collins, RDH

Learn From Many 18 We Masters Kathryn Gilliam, BA, RDH, FAAOSH

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22 Addressing Chronic Pain

With the Power of Passion for Life, Family and Work Adele Reische

26 Saying “YES”

Erinne Kennedy, DMD

28 Finding a Dental Hygiene

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Position You Love Means Finding a Dental Office You Like Sandi Roggow, RDH, BA

32 Grief is Love Holly Anne Mitchell

36 Ending the Sellout Economy

Victoria Peterson, SsD

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Living Your Strengths 22

WWW 10

Success 28

DeW Dish 12

Reflection 32

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THE RESOLUTION OF A LIFETIME By Grace Rizza

A

n Unanswered Prayer

After graduating from Marquette University in 2007, the job market was obsolete. I remember sending my portfolio, resume, and cover letter to over 100 businesses upon graduation, with no avail. As I drove to my first promising interview at a marketing company, my nerves were in control. I turned up the music and sang along to ensure my energy exuded confidence.

Apparently I missed that the speed limit had just dropped.

I was pulled over and issued my very first speeding ticket.

The eyes of this young perfectionist welled with tears I couldn’t hold back, and my eye makeup was destroyed. I dried my face, and turned the radio back up.

Thanks to God, despite interference, I arrived with time to spare.

Despite my preparation and prayers, I did not get that job. However, the experience gained in the interview may have been what aided in my first real opportunity. Not too long after a stint of rejections, I was hired as marketing director for a 2-location dental practice. Sure, it was a bit unconventional, but it was work and it was marketing, and I was thrilled. I had no idea it would be the start of an amazing career and passion. In 2009, about 2 years after accepting this amazing opportunity, I was hungry for a new challenge. With a conviction to do more for dentistry, I launched my little business, Identity Dental Marketing.

To outsiders, first year in business would have appeared to be a joke. I worked well over 40 hours per week and earned all of $12,900 before taxes. (That’s not a typo. I’m not missing a zero.) Most would have considered this a massive failure, however I did not. I was grateful for a

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few steady, loyal clients. I was taking care of myself, my dog, and my clients and I was learning rapidly.

Despite many ramen noodle dinners, I truly enjoyed each challenge and each new lesson.

Despite the financial woes of my first couple years, it was always evident that my business was a gift from God. His plans for my life were so much better than my own. As the years continued, the business continued to grow, and I have been continually blessed with the ability to serve many wonderful clients and employees.

The Key to Financial Health - Work Harder & Smarter Before marriage and children, I often worked nights, weekends, and holidays. According to the many business gurus and authors, success comes to those who work for it. My own personal mantra was “work smarter and harder.”

In March of 2014, I was sitting in the delivery room, unknowingly about to encounter an unplanned C-section after many hours of unsuccessful labor.

I decided it was a good time to open the laptop and get ahead on some emails. After all, I didn’t want to lose all that I had worked so hard to gain. I only had a couple employees at the time and they were not yet ready to hold down the fort.

In hindsight it’s clear that for many years I didn’t fully own the business. In many ways, it owned me. No matter what I was doing, my thoughts would drift back to what I could do better, how I could grow, or how I’d

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I justified the activity with these thoughts: “Well, I earned the money and I can spend it how I want.”

“I work hard and this is as cheap a break as therapy.”

“Finally, I have a clear mind and a break from my own thoughts. I deserve this.”

“I’m not addicted to it at all, so there’s no harm done.”

“My kids are asleep anyways, I’m not missing time with them.”

“My husband knows I’m gambling. I’m not lying about it.” handle the next big challenge at hand.

The slick talking, jet flying, elitists are constantly encouraging us to live the dream. They teach that financial success is within your reach and once you have it, you’ll have it all. There’s an unspoken promise that fulfillment will be found in your next, bigger paycheck. I believed them.

After all, in a world where #MeTime and #SelfCare reinforced the same resounding promise: “Put yourself first and you’ll be fulfilled.” How could giving myself more time for fun, NOT be the way to fulfillment?

Each year, I’d plan exactly how I’d grow bigger and stronger. New Year’s Day was always my favorite holiday.

It represented a fresh start and the ability to do better next year. I had attained the American dream. I had a wonderful family that I love. What could possibly be missing? I knew there was something, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Despite buying a Peloton, getting massages, reading more, splurging on overpriced coffee, lengthy family vacations, I still think back to my past life and remember the indescribable feeling of absence. It wasn’t depression or anxiety. It was just a feeling of normal nothingness that I believed accompanied everyone’s earthly existence. I had been blessed with the business of my dreams, a loving family, plenty of time for myself. I had the things that I thought would always bring fulfillment: people to love, something to do, and something fun to await, yet I still felt a desire for more.

They Key to Emotional & Physical Health - Me Time

I had achieved the financial, emotional, and physical health I desired, but my soul was unsettled.

Once money was no longer a stressor or even a challenge for that matter, I decided to lighten my work load and spend some time with myself. If I got a free afternoon, I’d get a massage or take a walk. I’d go through phases of regular exercise and healthy eating. After all, the supplement-selling moms on social media seemed pretty happy after lifting weights and eating salads. The world of mompreneurs seems to have one collective message: put yourself first and you’ll be fulfilled. So, that’s what I tried to do.

A New Lens During the challenging year of 2020, God came to me in an unexpected way. For the first time in many years, I deeply pondered life and death. I asked God to give me clarity in my faith.

Those breaks weren’t enough. I still couldn’t shake the feeling that I should be working. I stumbled upon machine gambling, and thought that it would be a good solution for me. After all, I finally was able to turn off my mind. I was able to escape the endless emails, the chaos at home, and most importantly to fill the small void that I didn’t even recognize, let alone understand.

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He soon put people and circumstances in front of me that allowed me to become keenly aware of the evil in this world. The depth of darkness in this world is inconceivable to most. There were days when I had wished I didn’t know what I had discovered. There were days when leaving my bed was not an option. This enlightenment process led me to abruptly have a deep need and desire for truth and unshakeable faith.

addiction was healed and in its place a more present mind was given to me. He replaced the void in my heart with His love.

Thanks to God, despite interference, I arrived at my new life with time to spare.

About the author: He answered my prayers. In a series of unbelievable events, God revealed truth to me. He worked miracles. My faith began to grow rapidly. The more I seek clarity, the clearer things become. The lens through which I saw the world was replaced with a new, clearer lens. I started to question my life, no longer by the standards set by this world, but this time by the standards set by God. It all became clear. Financial health, physical health, and emotional health are all temporal gifts that are wasted when not founded in spiritual health.

It became clear that these gifts are not ours to keep, but given to us by God to share.

It became clear that the highest level of self-care is care of others.

Grace Rizza is the CEO of Identity Dental Marketing, mom to 2 feisty daughters, and an educator Grace is extremely passionate and knowledgeable about marketing, corporate culture, sales, and innovative business development. Annually, Grace presents at about 20 professional events, where she teaches groups of business owners how to achieve growth in the most ethical and efficient ways. In addition, she hosts over 500 private marketing consulting sessions per year. She enjoys helping others by providing highly insightful, individualized, effective marketing plans.

Contact Grace Rizza directly to schedule an individual marketing planning session or to learn more about having her speak to your group at grace@identitydental.com.

It became clear that good behavior doesn’t require justification.

Gambling was replaced with charitable giving. Wasteful “me time” was replaced with prayer and study. A work

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DeWs had so much fun opening the DeW Box of Love. Your contribution made our Dew Life Retreat special, and we are forever grateful!

THANK YOU! A huge THANK YOU to our retreat sponsors. We couldn't DeW it without you.

WHO, WEAR, WHEN

We thank all the DeWs who joined us for the 2nd annual DeW Life Retreat. You mean the world to us! Together we DeW!

DeWing Coffee is our time every Wednesday morning at 9:30 EDT. Please find the link on our private FB group. Calling all DeWs!

DENTISTRY’S STORY DRIVEN MARKETING AGENCY

WWW.S8E8.COM

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who, wear, when

sonya Dunbar sonyadunbar.org

owner, I have endured and am still overcoming racism in dentistry, a profession that is not very welcoming to women of color.

What obstacles have you overcome in your life?

I have overcome the shame of being born with the disability of Dyslexia.

What do you do to turn around a bad day?

I always pray.

I remember I have to give someone permission to make me angry, and I do not give many people that permission.

I begin to think about all the things for which I am thankful, and that (having the attitude of gratitude) always makes me happy.

What “DeW” leaders do?

What is the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is working with people who are at the end of their natural life and to help provide a better quality of life for them.

Who has been the most influential woman in your life?

My grandmother. I spent every summer with my grandmother. She was my safe place. My childhood was tremendous. My grandmother was my rock. She would load me with wisdom about life daily. She was the reason I turned to dentistry. She told me a smile is a gift you can give away and still keep for yourself. As a child I made up a game staring and smiling at people until they smiled back. That made me feel good; hOwever, I noticed some people did not smile back. Many were ashamed of their teeth. That began my journey in dentistry: my wanting to make people feel good when they smile. My grandmother may be gone from earth, but her wisdom and wise teaching live on in me daily.

1. I pray every day throughout the day.

2. I have an AMAZING personal relationship with GOD. 3. I am respecting my body; I work out every day.

4. I am careful what I allow in my body and mind.

5. I practice self-care and self-love every day.

6. I remove energy vampires from my life.

What is your favorite Indoor/Outdoor Activity?

I love golf and tennis.

What famous person living or dead would you like to have lunch with and what would you ask them?

Maya Angelou. I would not say anything. I would just listen and allow her to pour wisdom into my life.

They are playing your theme song as you walk on stage. Name that tune!

I have two: "Conqueror" by Estelle and "The Champion"

by Carrie Underwood.

What obstacles have you overcome in your career?

What is the best gift you ever received?

I have had to overcome salary and promotion discrimination. As an African American business

Mr. Gerald Dunbar (my husband)

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Michelle watkins Instagram: @elevate_dental_hygiene

What advice do you have for the new person in your office?

Ask how you can be of assistance, and welcome any training you can have.

What is your favorite Indoor/Outdoor Activity?

As you can probably tell, it’s fly fishing. I live in an area of the Idaho mountains where I can be on the creek or river in minutes. I fish year-round and find much peace on the river. I call it "river therapy."

What is your favorite place on earth?

When my husband and I were in our mid twenties we hosted our first foreign exchange student from the northeast region of Italy. One year we were able to go visit and attend her wedding at nearly the age we were when we hosted her. It was the most beautiful place I had ever been, and I really yearn to go back there. I felt a deep connection with the area like nothing I’d ever experienced before; and someday, perhaps my husband and I will retire there.

What does balance look like?

What is the best part of your job?

Balance is all about filling all your buckets... finding those moments to enjoy your personal life, your academic life As a hygienist there are two parts of my job I absolutely and your professional life. love: One is the instant gratification. I find it much like painting... you can visually see progress and success. What movie always makes you laugh?

The second part of my job is the friendships I have forged with my patients. The connections on a day-to-day basis There are so many... but Doris Day and Rock Hudson in are what really keep me going back to work. I knew I would "Pillow Talk" is always a go-to for laughs. My husband and love talking to people and learning about their lives, but I I have also seen "Crazy, Stupid Love" so many times we had no idea it would be so amazing. generally can quote it for any given moment in our daily lives.

What do you do to turn around a bad day?

What is the best gift you ever received?

Lean on others for support. It’s amazing how my 12-year- The gift of motherhood. I’m very fortunate I get this old son can instantly tell when I’m having a bad day, and experience and have been very lucky with my two boys he wants me to tell him all about it. He gives me a hug, and who are kind, generous, healthy, loving and unique.

I just melt. I’m able to relax and put things into perspective after hearing myself out loud.

How do you take your coffee?

What is your guilty pleasure?

Nespresso with three Stevia packets and coconut milk from the can. It has a higher fat content, and I even travel Popcorn on a late night while binge watching a series with with it so I can guarantee it makes it in my coffee in the my husband. morning. If ordering from a coffee shop, I also like chai tea with two shots of espresso with coconut milk.

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Maggie Augustyn Facebook: Maggie Augustyn

What obstacles have you overcome in your life?

Learning to navigate life with mental illness: the dark force attempting to keep me down.

What do you do to turn around a bad day?

I remind myself of the fact that (I believe) all people do the best they can with what they have.

What “DeW” leaders do?

Life is about people and relationships. DeW leaders cultivate those with support for others. They listen, encourage and mentor.

They are playing your theme song as you walk on stage. Name that tune!

“This is Me!” from the Greatest Showman

What is your favorite place on earth?

What ignites your sense of injustice?

I’m a Libra with an overtly sensitive palate for what is and isn’t fair, right and honorable in the world. Dealing with narcissistic and selfish people is very difficult for me.

Sometimes it seems like they make the world spin in the opposite direction.

Who has been the most influential woman in your life?

Hands down: my grandmother and my mother. Kind, loving, selfless women. They worked tirelessly their entire lives, never complaining. Though recently, I’ve met strong women like Victoria Peterson, Grace Yum Zimmerman, Anne Duffy and Lani Grass (the list goes on and on) who have been brave enough to follow and fulfill their aspirations. It’s made dreaming easier for me. I’m less afraid to dream big. Bigger than big, even.

Hawaii and on the couch between Scott, Ally and Coco

What is the best part of your job?

I feel like I’m supposed to say "the people" or "relationships." However, as a true introvert, dentistry itself is my favorite. With loops on, inside the mouth, I’m in flow. The rest of the world doesn’t exist. It truly is my happy place.

What is your favorite Indoor/Outdoor Activity?

Stand-up paddle boarding and bike riding in a place surrounded by trees.

What does balance look like?

Being able to live in the moment with no guilt about the past and no anxiety about the future. Being able to breathe slowly and deeply. Finding gratitude and How do you measure your success? peace. Being true to yourself. Having the courage to say "no" when appropriate. Spending most of your days Not the way I should. I still seem to use the misguided in flow. societal rubric of what I’ve amassed materialistically.

Happy to say, though, that the tide is turning. I, now, focus on "flow," "peace" and living up to my newly self-appointed mission and purpose.

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MENTORSHIP 101

By Jamie Collins, RDH

W

hat is a mentor? According to the dictionary, a mentor is “an experienced and trusted adviser.”

We all have learned from others throughout life, whether it is personal or professional. As children we learned from adults and older children the ways of life and learned to expand our minds. Our interests were molded from continual learning and guidance at all stages of life, making us who we are today. As we continue to age into adulthood, the learning and interests in certain topics continue to evolve. We learn from others and, no matter our age, look for guidance along the way.

Each individual’s journey is no single path, and there are twists and turns in the road of life and career. A mentor comes in many forms and may be as a parent, friend or someone who is a complete stranger. It also may be a chance meeting with someone in the profession; and, over a glass of wine, a friendship is started. This is how my professional story began to evolve, and one of the most impactful mentor/mentee relationships of my career blossomed. Many of us either know of or have heard of Patti DiGangi, owner of DentalCodeology and Beyond Oral Health. Her larger-than-life personality and drive for success led to a successful career in speaking, writing and business. Patti has learned by trial and error many of the tips and tricks of business, speaking and writing and has opened her arms to mentoring others. My story is just one in the vast group of Patti’s mentees.

While having a relationship with a mentor can help enlighten and uplift an individual, it also must be a good fit for the mentor to mentee. Finding the “right fit” can be a challenge, and, as Patti will tell you, she has to learn to not take the outcomes of a mentee’s career path wins and losses personally. Personalities and the needs of both involved parties must also be considered.

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For me personally, I started out having a little dream of writing. After our chance meeting and a glass of wine, Patti encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone.

Through guidance and some tough love she has helped me craft my voice on paper and, when the time came, made introductions to editors in the industry.

While the mentor/mentee relationship could be argued it benefits the mentee more, there are some perks for the mentor as well. My personal belief is to pay good deeds forward, whereas I had Patti and others help guide me along my journey, I often meet others who are also looking for some advice along the way. Mentoring students, youth, new hygienists and others is a way of giving back to others in honor of those who helped mentor me along my journey.

Many ask, “How do I find a mentor?” There is really no right or wrong way, however it requires you to make yourself a little vulnerable. To make change and learn, you must exhibit vulnerability to open your mind, to accept suggestions and, most of all, to be honest. As a mentee it is hard to ask for help, but you will find the mentor is usually more than willing to offer advice on what they found works and what doesn’t. The relationship allows you to bounce thoughts and ideas and ask for advice from someone who has lived similar experiences.

The difference between a good mentor and a great mentor is more than just a common interest. Not everyone who is willing to be a mentor is a great resource. For example, a mentor who works well with me and my personality and goals may not be the best choice for another person.

Likewise, I probably would not be the best choice as a mentee for some of the most successful mentors. As Patti noted in one of our many conversations, mentors

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"On too many occasions to count, Patti has made me think and evaluate the hard questions about what I want to do and how to accomplish my goals (once I figured them out)." must learn not to take the mentees' outcomes personally.

How a person applies the advice and guidance does not reflect on the mentor.

A great mentor is more than just a cheerleader; they must also be willing to challenge the mentee by asking the hard questions required for growth. On too many occasions to count, Patti has made me think and evaluate the hard questions about what I want to do and how to accomplish my goals (once I figured them out). To say I felt uncomfortable and vulnerable trying something new is an understatement, I have a tendency to worry about others' interpretation of my programs and articles.

However, with each win I also learned to share those with others and always think of my mentors and how they helped shape me at this place in life. I have shared many phone calls and Zoom meetings.

Dental hygiene has been made to feel like a solitary profession; many are the only hygienist in their practice and often feel isolated. The truth is there are many great networking opportunities, including dental conferences, that bring professionals together with the opportunity to meet some of the greatest minds in the industry. Dental hygiene is more than just dental hygiene; there are so many great minds that have a particular expertise and are willing to help another. Whether it is in dental sleep medicine, oral-systemic links, myofunctional therapy or a perio-queen, most of us have something to offer to others. Students are often paired with a more “seasoned” hygienist to learn some of the tips and tricks of the profession. A clinical mentor may encourage everything from talking with patients to clinical techniques. There are no limits to what a mentor can help with.

I still connect with my mentors and in turn have been able to give back to their causes. As Patti grew her Beyond Oral Health business, I was able to present mastermind sessions on various topics and help raise brand awareness within my own dental circle. Not only was I able to give back with course content for Beyond Oral Health, it was mutually beneficial to building my own speaking career; and I'm thankful to Patti for including me with the opportunity. It afforded me the opportunity to become involved in other aspects outside the clinical operatory, including the Dental Coding Consortium. A large part of being a mentee is the appreciation and taking constructive suggestions as they apply.

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As we grow and evolve as individuals and professionals, you may meet people through stages of life that leave an impact and potentially change the trajectory of your life or career. Whether a chance meeting or sought-out introduction, the ability to have a mentor who becomes a friend can alter and change your journey for the better.

Open your heart and hands to others to make a change.

About the author: Jamie Collins, RDH, is a clinical practicing hygienist in Idaho and Washington states dedicated to advancing the dental profession. She has been in the dental field for over twenty years, both as an assistant and hygienist. With a passion for patient care, especially those with higher risk factors, Jamie enjoys sharing the tips and tricks of the dental profession through speaking and writing for various publications. In addition to clinical practice, Jamie is also a speaker, educator, contributor to multiple textbooks and curriculum development and contributor as a key opinion leader for various companies. Jamie can be contacted at jamiecollins.rdh@gmail.com or visit mydentaleducator.com.

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WE LEARN FROM MANY MASTERS By Kathryn Gilliam, BA, RDH, FAAOSH

F

oreword

Twenty-five years ago, I wrote an article entitled “We Learn from Many Masters.” It was about how, as clinicians, we must bring our hearts and our souls into our work with patients. I had had many clinical articles and a few continuing education courses published by that time, so I fully expected that article to be accepted and published, as well. The first editor to whom I sent it turned it down. I submitted it to another. And that editor declined to print it. One by one, all of the editors I had worked with politely refused to print the article. Each said it was well-written and very thought-provoking, and each said that this was not the climate in which to discuss philosophical or religious content in a dental journal, and that I should stick to writing about the science. I was disappointed because spirituality is an important part of my life and because I bring my heart into my patient care all day, every day, in one way or another. I’ve always said, “I love my patients back to health,” and I believe that’s why I have such meaningful relationships with my patients and why I love and feel so privileged to do what I get to do every day. I couldn’t believe that my colleagues wouldn’t want to read about and discuss this topic that was so close to my heart. I’ve since written many articles and continuing education courses covering important scientific aspects of dentistry and dental hygiene. An admitted science geek, I’ve enjoyed researching and writing every one of those pieces. And for years the article about spirituality and love in dentistry has never left my mind or my heart. I feel that now, more than ever, we need to lead with love, so I decided to write it anew. What follows are my thoughts on this philosophy of patient care, and I take full responsibility for the content. My gratitude to the publisher is immeasurable.

Thank you. Namaste.

One of the most pivotal moments in my life happened at my dental hygiene school graduation. My father, Phillip Kamish, DDS, MD, an internationally acclaimed practitioner and my idol, took my hands in his and said, “You have healing hands, just like mine.” This blessing and charge have been my standard ever since. I have spent my life and my career loving dentistry the way he did and trying to make him proud.

Dentistry from the Heart… and Soul Poet Kahlil Gibran wrote, “Work is love made visible.”

Does your work feel like love? Or does it feel more like you’re running on a hamster wheel, seeing only the blur of mouth after mouth, and not the whole person attached to each? We’ve all had those days when we’re overbooked, we’re running late, another patient needs an unexpected occlusal adjustment, someone’s anesthesia isn’t profound enough and extra injections are needed, and an emergency patient needs to be worked in before lunch. Our heads swim with mental to-do lists. We’re stressed and exhausted. It doesn’t have to be this way.

When I first read Harvard Divinity School graduate Wayne Muller’s book, "Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal and Delight in Our Busy Lives," this thought jumped off the page for me: “In the trance of our overwork, we take everything for granted. We do not have the time to savor this life, nor to care deeply and gently for ourselves, our loved ones, or our world.”

I wonder, do we not have the time, or do we not take the time?

Muller continues, “In our drive for success we are seduced

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DeWERS that they may not take the time to connect deeply in a personal way with the person in the chair. The busyness in dentistry is relentless. If we’re not careful, our days can feel like we’re trapped in a revolving door to get ‘em in and get ‘em out. That’s the last way we want to run our practices if we want to feel truly fulfilled and enlightened by our profession.

by the promises of more: more money, more recognition, more satisfaction, more information, more possessions, more security. Even when our intentions are noble and our efforts sincere – even when we dedicate our lives to the service of others – the corrosive pressure of frantic over activity can nonetheless cause suffering in ourselves and others.”

I truly believe the profession of dentistry is built on the most noble intentions. I’ve had the honor to work with and coach some of the most sincere, caring professionals in my thirty-plus years in this profession. These are people who are committed to making a difference in the quality of people’s lives, who feel a benevolent sense of purpose for what they do. And I believe the hectic pace and pressures inherent in dentistry can cause even the most dedicated professionals to sometimes lose focus on the individual attached to the mouth in front of them. The demands of caring for patients and staying on schedule can affect the way we respond to the emotional needs of those who seek our help. How patient and attentive can we be if we feel we don’t have a moment to spare?

Work has become our way of establishing our personal identity. Work is a way to create social status, to build self-worth, to find satisfaction and potentially to find meaning and purpose in life. Career accomplishment can build one’s sense of esteem; but without deep human connection, is it really enough for long-term happiness, fulfillment and enlightenment?

The Reverend Kusala Bhukshu, a Buddhist Monk, wrote, “Every day you spend making a living is a chance to find personal fulfillment and even more to the point, enlightenment.”

Finding enlightenment while making a living in dentistry can be challenging. By the very nature of our patient scheduling, we are ruled by the clock. When I observe my coaching clients, and even at times in my own practice, I see dental professionals who are so busy trying to stay on schedule, to fully attend to their patients' treatment needs, and to accomplish all of the tasks required in each appointment within that ridged time allotment,

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If we serve our patients to the best of our abilities and we’re well-rewarded, why are so many of our colleagues frustrated and disenchanted with dentistry? It’s possible that some of us feel disconnected because while we’re trained to be outstanding technicians and scientific thinkers, we’re not encouraged to bring our emotional and spiritual selves to work. In our culture, it’s considered ill-mannered to discuss controversial topics such as religion and spirituality in the workplace. We’re taught to avoid these subjects lest we offend someone of different beliefs and values.

I believe that if we treat all religious and philosophical beliefs with respect and honor, they cease to become controversial. And I believe deeply that we must allow ourselves to relate to our patients on a personal, human level in order to feel connected. Spirituality, in my humble opinion, isn’t just for Sunday morning in church or Friday night in synagogue. It’s meant to be an integral part of the way we live our lives every day.

If you’re feeling stressed out and like something important is missing and you’re beginning to wonder if you’ve chosen the right career path, think again. You don’t have to abandon the training and experience you’ve worked so hard to attain. It is possible to do enlightened work. You simply need to find inspiration to transform your practice towards a more spiritual path.

The Wisdom of Solomon, a Jewish text also found in many Christian bibles, states that wisdom “hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.” As it is said, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

I believe that once you chose to find inspiration you will see it everywhere you look, including in your patients.

I have had patients say the most surprising things to me, seemingly out of the blue. When I was expecting my first child and experiencing some symptoms that made me fear I might miscarry, a patient to whom I had revealed nothing about my condition touched my arm and said, “I believe you will have a healthy baby. Find peace in knowing that the universe is carrying this child with you.”

Her words brought tears to my eyes and wonder to my heart. How did she know I was worried? I had no idea but was deeply grateful that she shared her insight with me. I did indeed carry that child to term, with the blessings of the universe. That moment, and others, reaffirmed for me

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DeWERS my belief in the deep and mystical connections we share with one another.

Many years later, as I was losing my father, a brilliant dentist, to the ravages of dementia, a dear patient of mine whom I had not told of my father’s condition hugged me and said, “I see your father in your eyes. He will live on in your heart, and he will guide your hands as you care for your patients.” The marvel of her intuitive knowing never ceases to amaze me.

Another patient, a Christian minister who knew my father’s condition, began reciting verses to me in Hebrew while I was performing his oral cancer screening. When I admitted that I didn’t understand, he translated the passages for me. He had recited the Jewish prayer for healing, the Mi Shebarach, and had asked God to grant my father refuat hanefesh, complete healing of his spirit.

This man is now very ill with Parkinson’s disease and we quietly pray these same prayers together for him at every one of his dental appointments.

is most familiar to me, God, to symbolize this essence.

I realized that all of the faiths that I had experienced and studied valued the same thing but used different names and terminology. At the core of all spiritual teachings one learns that God is Love. And in my opinion, love is what we need more of in dentistry.

I have found the following foundational beliefs to be beneficial as I practice a more spiritual loving form of dentistry:

All people are truly sacred How would your patient’s experiences in your practice change if everyone on the team treated each patient as if they were the embodiment of God? Imagine the experience you would create for your patients if you treat everyone with the reverence that you would show to your Heavenly Father.

Roman Catholic Nun, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, known There are many masters, many prophets and spiritual as Mother Teresa, chose to see every person as Jesus guides who share inspirational lessons. Every spiritual Christ in disguise and treated them as such. Australian practice has insights to guide us on our quest for professor of Psychiatry, Philosophy and Anthropology, enlightenment, for compassion, for human connection. Roger Walsh, author of Essential Spirituality, states, “As The Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, we see and treat others, so do we see and treat ourselves. says, “Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your Seeing the sacred in others helps us recognize the values.” I believe he reminds us that while preserving sacred in ourselves.” I find this is so important in giving faith in one’s own tradition, one can admire, appreciate ourselves grace when we inevitably fall short of our own and respect other traditions. While some may fear that high expectations. this might dilute one’s foundational beliefs, I believe it can serve to enhance our spirituality and lead us A beautiful tradition of recognizing the sacred in others closer to enlightenment. As you open yourself up to the is the Sanskrit greeting, namaste, which has been abundance of inspiration all around, you may find that translated to mean “I bow to the light I see in you” and this abundance strengthens the lessons learned from “The greatest good in me is honored to recognize the your own faith. greatest good in you.” There are numerous variations of the translation that are all extremely reverent, My idea of spirituality grew out of both my traditional acknowledging the holiness of the other person and the Jewish upbringing and my explorations of different holiness of us all. I say a silent “namaste” as I greet my religions, from Baptist to Buddhist to Baha’i. The sages, patients, hoping they will subconsciously or intuitively prophets and theologians I have studied share the basic feel the reverence I’m extending to them underneath our fundamental values of love, kindness, compassion, traditional, “Hello! So great to see you!” forgiveness, patience, generosity, service and honesty.

Studying different traditions can foster awareness It is more blessed to give than to and understanding. It can improve our everyday lives, receive relationships and sense of purpose. As you explore these lessons from different spiritual masters, you may In the monotheistic traditions of Judaism, Christianity find your personal values become more defined and and Islam, love and service of others are often given equal meaningful. status with love and service to God. Chinese philosopher Confucius taught, “Make it your guiding principle to do Whether you use the term God, Heavenly Father, Almighty, your best for others.” Some traditions hold generosity Holy Spirit, Allah, Buddha, Brahman, Waheguru, Higher and service in such high esteem that they are considered Power, Universe, Supreme Being or any number of other the essence of spiritual life. Service is an expression of terms, they are all used to describe a spiritual essence spiritual awakening. Our service to others also serves bigger than us. For ease in this text, I’ll use the term that ourselves. Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Prize winning author

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Dentistry is a profession dedicated to service. The key to true professional fulfillment, in my opinion, is to begin to serve our patients’ spirits as well as their health. When I have a patient in my chair who has an emotional need that I can intuit, I feel it is my calling to create space for their emotional care if they are open to it. There are times we may not even accomplish any dental treatment. If I simply listen deeply and intently, share a prayer, share a tear, hold hands, hug my patient or otherwise offer comfort, I believe I am serving them to the best of my ability in that moment. Of course, one must use sensory acuity. You must be able to intuit your patient’s desire for this emotional connection or preference for privacy, and respect those needs.

Everyone comes from good intentions Success coach Anthony Robbins, not a religious prophet but a source of wisdom and inspiration for me, shares this core belief. When I accepted it as one of my personal core beliefs, it had a profound impact on my life. I now believe that no one intends to be a difficult dental patient or a difficult team member. They may simply be afraid or have an unmet need of some kind. Robbins also teaches that every communication is either a cry for help or a loving response. Realizing that your more challenging patients or co-workers don’t intend to stress you out but may actually have an unmet need will help you see them in a more charitable light. When it dawned on me that one of my most difficult patients’ blustery behavior was a cry for help, a need for significance, according to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I was able to change my approach to him. Once I met his cry for help with the loving response of making him feel extra important, instead of my own cry for help in feeling annoyed by his behavior, I became more loving, and he became much easier to love.

Our intentions transform our deeds Our motives can transform our actions from the mundane to the spiritual. If we perform our daily activities in a spirit of service, those activities will be transformed as will our experience of them. The underlying intention is critical in spiritual life. So, as we perform a cancer screening, a prophylaxis or a crown preparation, with the intention of serving our patient at the highest physical and spiritual level, our service is elevated to that of the Divine.

Muhammad, the founder of Islam, stated that “All actions are judged by the motives prompting them.” The same actions can be performed with the thought of just getting

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it done, with one’s focus on the payoff at the end, or they can be performed with a pure and giving heart, with the intention to serve the needs of the other person to the best of one’s ability. It is easy to understand the difference one’s motives make on the outcome of the action. When you perform acts of service with the primary intention of benefitting or blessing the other person, the result will ultimately benefit, or bless, you.

By embracing these foundational beliefs and allowing oneself to be inspired by the many masters who have come before us and who can guide us along the path to more enlightened work, I contend that you will find more fulfillment, satisfaction and happiness in your work. I invest my energy and my love into my relationships with my patients, and we have developed bonds far beyond those of simply professional clinician and patient.

I believe that as more dental professionals allow themselves to connect more spiritually with their patients, dentistry will evolve into a more fully integrated health care profession. We will begin to more consciously address our patients’ emotional and psychological needs as well as their dental needs. When we take the time to support our patients’ emotional well-being and make accommodations for their psychological needs during their time with us, they will know we truly see them as sacred individuals.

This is the holistic, mind/body approach that some healthcare practitioners are beginning to successfully integrate into the traditional practice of medicine and dentistry. Embracing the mind/body approach starts with the heart. When we connect heart to heart and soul to soul with our patients, they will be served on a more meaningful level, and we will find more fulfillment in our careers.

We learn from many masters. We simply must be willing students with open minds and open hearts.

About the author: Kathryn Gilliam, BA, RDH, FAAOSH, HIAOMT, is a Certified Biological Dental Hygienist and Founder of PerioLinks, LLC, a consulting and speaking company. She is focused on empowering dental professionals to powerfully impact the whole-health of their patients and grow their practices.

Kathryn’s interest in the medical side of dentistry led her to years of advanced study of oral-systemic connections and the medical model of care. Kathryn guides teams to integrate the latest science into practical clinical protocols.

Even after over 30 years as a dental hygienist, Kathryn still loves and is passionate about her career as a dental hygienist, and she feels her purpose is to love her patients back to health. To book Kathryn to speak or to discover how she can partner with you to grow your practice, contact her at kathryn@periolinks.com or www.Calendly.com/coachkathryn.

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LIVING YOUR STRENGTHS

ADDRESSING CHRONIC PAIN WITH THE POWER OF PASSION FOR LIFE, FAMILY AND WORK By Adele Reische

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ould you agree that the personality of a dental practice management coach is tied to service and helping others? As a woman, this is a big part of how I obtain fulfillment. So much that self-care can be neglected. We all know it is important for us to take care of ourselves. However, we can get so involved in helping our clients that we ignore warning signs and the voice inside of us telling us to stop and slow down.

This was the story until my body spoke louder than my thoughts and demanded my attention.

This process of a cadence of strength deepened after my primary care doctor said to me on Friday, February 13, 2015, “Adele, I think you should consider a change of lifestyle because every test we have run for you in the last few months shows me that you are a healthy 50 year old woman.” My response was, “Then why the F*** do I feel like I am 100 years old?” He had no answer, and all he could do was stare at me and say, “I really don’t know.” This was unacceptable. I needed answers.

I turned 50 in August of 2014, and everyone warned me that when you turn 50 you start falling apart. Earlier that year, two weeks prior to my daughter’s April wedding, I was walking down the boat dock, a walk I had walked more than a thousand times; and I fell, twisting both of my ankles. I thought to myself, is being clumsy part of falling apart after 50? This small incident was the beginning of what was to become a decline in my health.

My passion since 1996 has been coaching and training practices. I absolutely love what I do, and I had no desire to change my lifestyle. As I walked out of that appointment, I immediately picked up my phone, called my friend Tami of 36 years and asked her for a referral to the homeopathic doctor she and her husband Charlie had been seeing. Her immediate response to me was, “Thank goodness, Adele, as it is about time you sought advice somewhere else.”

Here is where my journey began. A battle of chronic pain with an unknown diagnosis was just beginning but so was my determination to face it with the power of passion: Passion for life, passion for family and passion for work.

The power of your thoughts is at the core of my belief system. I remember thinking to myself several times, “Am I making myself sick?” The moment I recognized that I was thinking bad thoughts in my head I would immediately say out loud, “I am a strong, healthy successful businesswoman.” I would repeat this several times in hopes of forging my own reality. Unfortunately, this determined repetition did not help with the pain that I was experiencing.

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A few weeks later I saw a homeopathic doctor in Reno, Dr. David Edwards. Dr. Edwards explained the results of my MRI taken in February as having microvascular ischemic disease. Multiple mini strokes. He also thought I might have polio after the 2nd visit. I saw him 7 times over a 3-week period. My mother or my oldest daughter, Samantha, had to drive me at this point because I was too tired to drive the distance. On my last visit he said, “Adele, you need to see a neurologist as soon as possible because I believe something is seriously wrong with your spine.” As Samantha was driving me home from Reno, my primary care MD called and suggested I see a neurologist. To this day I strongly believe Dr. Edwards immediately called after I

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LIVING YOUR STRENGTHS left the office and spoke with my primary care MD to have him call me that same day.

Up until this point I was still working with my clients 3 to 4 days a week, which was a welcome distraction until my body had another plan. My left side started to be affected, and I had to see a neurologist as soon as possible. I was dragging my left foot and tripping over both feet, I was walking very slowly, my left hand was not working and I was completely out of breath... more exhausted than I had ever felt in my life. Finally, on April 14, 2015, I saw the neurologist, Dr. Han. After a 2-hour appointment he said, “I have good news and bad news: The good news is it is not in your head. The bad news is you have something seriously wrong with your spine. I would like to get an MRI of the C-Spine and do a spinal tap.”

The next morning at 7 a.m. I had an MRI of my C-Spine & Thoracic. As Samantha was dropping me off at home, Dr. Han was calling my home phone asking me to come back in as soon as I could. I asked if I needed to bring anybody with me. He said, "Yes, that would be a good idea."

Hearing a statement like this, you can only imagine how I felt. Both my husband, Ken, and Samantha went with me back to the office to discuss the results of my MRI of the C-Spine. Dr. Han’s first question was, “Are you ready to be hospitalized?” My response was ONLY if I needed to be.

“Why, what is going on?” Dr. Han went on to explain that my spinal cord was being compressed due to severe disc degenerative disease and that there was a lesion in the spinal cord. He would like to do a spinal tap as soon as possible to confirm what he suspected to be Myelitis. He also wanted to speak with a neurosurgeon regarding the lesion and what type of treatment we should start first.

Overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions, I was filled with a new sense of optimism after finally obtaining a true diagnosis, and I had hope for a great treatment plan.

We have turned a corner, or so I thought.

The series of appointments between local neurologists, home health care and UCSF started to determine what type of treatment would be done to address the multiple diagnoses that I had been given. In addition, I was placed on 100mg of Solumedrol drip to reduce the swelling in my spinal cord.

I had a home health nurse, Mercy, administering the treatment for the swelling. On April 24th my resolve was tested, and a new health concern turned into the scariest moments of this journey. Mercy came to replace my IV port because my vein had blown, and she checked my pulse. She took my blood pressure and knew something was drastically wrong. She remained calm and said, “Hmmmm something is not right. Let me go get my other blood pressure cuff.” She took my blood pressure again

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and said, “We need to go to the emergency room.” I asked why, and she said, “Your heart rate is at 42 beats per minute, and that would be okay if you were an athlete."

My heart was failing, and Mercy just saved my life.

Ken met me and my daughter at the emergency room, and within the next 24 hours I was in surgery having a pacemaker placed. The next few weeks I spent recovering. I had to cancel going to my favorite annual events such as the CDA & SCN. I was determined to get better, but I knew that I still had to deal with my spine.

May 14, 2015, I had my first visit with the neurosurgeon, and after 6 weeks of steroids to decrease the swelling in my spine, I had C-spine surgery where a plate was placed in my neck. The next six months were spent dealing with pain & swelling, but the neurosurgeon’s response was, “You’re lucky to be walking. I fixed your problem that you came in with. If you’re still having pain, then you need to go through pain management or file for permanent disability.” I thought there’s no way! I can’t give up my business and stop doing what I love. At that moment I made the decision to prove him wrong.

Since then I’ve had many more MRIs, surgeries, physical therapy and other health challenges, but my work and family have keep me going. I can’t sit for long periods of time and still battle with chronic pain; but when I’m doing what I’m passionate about, like working with my clients, sitting on the porch with Ken or spending time on our

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DeW DATES Mark your calendars: Hinman Dental Meeting March 12–13 Atlanta, GA Virtual and in-person

DeW Learning Crew Quarterly talks and networking April 16 • July 16 • October 15 2–4 p.m. EDT Virtual platform RDH Evolution April 16-17 Virtual platform DeW Life Retreat 2021 November 11-13 Charlotte, NC

houseboat with family and friends, the pain just seems to dissipate, and I know I have won the day’s battle.

My goal in writing this article was not intended for you to feel sad for me. My goal in writing this article is to share with you to Never Give UP! Never give up on yourself.

Never give up when you know in your heart something is not right. Never give up when the doctor says it is all in your head. Never give up on doing the things you love to do such as living a full life, spending quality time with your family and doing a job you absolutely love. I know for certain that what kept me going was the love and passion I have for life, family and the work I do supporting dentists and their teams.

Live life to the fullest, my friends, with the power of passion for WHATEVER you choose to be your passion!

About the author: Adele Reische of Practice Dynamics brings a unique blend of training, support and insight to her clients, coaching them through the shift from surviving to thriving. With over 35 years of experience in dentistry, management and speaking, Adele rallies the troops to action, engaging everyone on the dental team as they work together to affect positive change and growth for the entire practice.

Adele enjoys spending time in the great outdoors with family and friends houseboating, in addition to hunting and fishing with her husband, Ken, of 36 years.

WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU. For over 100 years, Patterson Dental has built relationships with practices of all kinds, listening to needs and delivering industry-leading solutions. From office design to dental supplies, we offer the help you need to create the ideal practice environment. And a de-stressed office means you’re free to provide the best possible care to every patient.

WE ARE PATTERSON.

Technology Partner

Comprehensive Solutions

Practice Well-Being

Adele is the Director of Member Relations with the Speaking Consulting Network (SCN) and is also a graduate of The Consulting U, a masters training and continuing education program specifically for dental practice management consultants. Adele is an active member of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants and the American Association of Dental Office Managers, is a Certified Consultant in Employment Law and is the Director of Provider Affiliations with The Allana Smiles Foundation, Allanasmiles.org.

Adele Reische, Coach & Speaker Office: 888-425-3235 x 702 Cell: 530-701-3978 Email: Adele.Reische@Practicedynamics.net www.practicedynamics.net

Your Guide to Practice Success

CONTACT YOUR LOCAL BRANCH 800.873.7683 | PATTERSONDENTAL.COM

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Companies that care: Align Technology, Inc.

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corporate partners! Since 2007, Align has given more than

great fit for the work that we do at Align–

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our HERO Program helped volunteers teach more than 600,000 kids how to prevent dental disease last year.

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Thank you, Align!

Be an Oral Health Action HERO! February is National Children’s Dental Health Month−the perfect time to teach kids how to keep their smiles healthy. Find out how to get involved at AmericasToothFairy.org.

LIVING YOUR STRENGTHS

SAYING “YES”

By Erinne Kennedy, DMD

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e can all agree that the year 2020 (and into 2021) has been and continues to be less than predictable. A common theme in conversations that I have had with friends and colleagues is their career transitions. While for many the global pandemic resulted in a forced career change, for others I think the reflection that resulted from such an emotional experience prompted a realignment of their career choice with their life purpose. Professionally, I have elected to change my career in 2020, as a result of my own personal reflection.

As I prepare to move from a full-time clinical position to a full-time academic one, I thought I might share some of the resources that I use to know when to say "yes."

Often times, when I am working with students they think, a confident "yes" takes a few minutes or at most a few weeks to come to. But in my experience a confident "yes" is the culmination of years spent getting to know yourself. Over the last two years, a few of my mentors, family and friends asked me, “What do YOU want, Erinne?” Most of the time I was so overwhelmed with my daily to-do list, I would give them a “Let me think about that” response. I didn’t mean to be evasive; I simply just didn’t know the answer. And worst of all, I didn’t want to admit that I didn’t know. Eventually, I realized I needed to study something, and that something was myself. I decided to get to know myself personally, professionally, spiritually and relationally, in hopes of discovering what I wanted.

Like many students who are asked the same question, next, they wonder how? Here are a few journal prompts that I used to get to know myself better and dream bigger!

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Strengths, Weaknesses, Likes and Dislikes One of my long-time mentors, asked me to take a piece of paper and mark it into 4s. Then, for each one of the squares, write either strengths, weaknesses, likes or dislikes. For each of these words, I thought long and hard about how I would describe myself.

For my strengths, I took Strengths Finder 2.0, one of Anne Duffy’s favorite exercises. Also, for my strengths and weaknesses I looked back on my DiSC profile, Myers Briggs results, leadership style inventories, and Enneagram tendencies. Collectively I jotted down everything that I could. Then I asked myself, “What do I like to do? What do I not like to do? What brings me joy?”

Throughout this journaling prompt I realized you can in fact be really good at something and hate it.

Alternatively, you can love something and still have a few areas where you need to grow. The key is not to have a job where you use all of your strengths and none of your weaknesses. Or a job where you do all things that you love and none that you dislike. Honestly, that isn’t reality. But it is important for you to have a career where you spend most of your time doing what you love, whether or not you are a master at it yet.

Dream Job Have you ever purchased a new car and then realized that that make and model are everywhere? Almost like your brain ignored that entire make and model for the last decade, but once you own one there are at least 20 in every parking lot.

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LIVING YOUR STRENGTHS

"Often times, when I am working with students they think, a confident ‘yes’ takes a few minutes or at most a few weeks to come to. But in my experience a confident ‘yes’ is the culmination of years spent getting to know yourself."

One evening, when I was talking about my hopes, dreams and career path, my dad asked me, “Erinne, I want you to write down your dream job description.” I looked at him with bewilderment. At the time I was VERY young in my career and probably had only read a handful of job descriptions in my lifetime. Day after day he kept asking me. Finally, I decided to go to every public health website that I knew and look at every available job description.

For each description I only wrote down the role, activity or benefit if I thought “Oh, wow, that’s great!” At the end of the exercise, I had a list of about 14 "things" that would make up my dream job description. And I realized why he wanted me to do this activity. If I wasn’t thinking about what my dream job would look like, I would never be able to spot it. However, like that new car, once you are aware of it, you quickly see it everywhere.

Life-Giving and Life-Draining Activities In the midst of my reflection and decision making in residency, my cousin sent me a podcast that she thought would help, “The Next Right Thing” with Emily P. Freeman.

Many weeks, this podcast offers me 13 life-giving minutes of rest and reflection. But more importantly, it helps bring this weekly practice of decision making into my life, helping me curate my next right thing. While I have listened to EVERY episode, and a few of her audio books, I would love to draw your attention to Episode 3: Make the Most Important List. You might be thinking your grocery list is important, but in this episode Emily highlights making a list of life-giving and life-draining parts of your life. More than a typical pro/con list this helps you articulate what moments of your week bring you a lifegiving energy, and which do not. Personally, I made this list using subcategories like personal, relational, career and spiritual activities. While there are some life-draining activities (taxes anyone?) that you can’t escape, you can choose a career that has you performing more activities that bring you that life-giving energy.

Life Purpose Statement Lastly, after over a year and a half of reflection, my aunt and personal mentor asked me to do something she did in her early twenties, to write a life purpose statement.

Like me, you might be thinking, "What is that?" A life purpose statement is a mission statement for your own life! Personally, I narrowed down my core values

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and passions into a statement that I can do for others, and this blog helped. (https://www.beliefnet.com/ inspiration/articles/5-steps-for-writing-a-life-purposestatement.aspx) After months of reflection and editing, my life purpose statement is “I am a pioneer who creates an equitable environment for learning, change and selfdiscovery by sprinkling kindness and passion in all spheres.” I can tell you why I chose every word of that statement, and each word is as important as the next.

This statement alone doesn’t guide my decision, but it does help answer whether or not the opportunity you have in question fits into your life purpose.

If you are thinking about a career change or have been forced into one over the last year, I hope that you find the time to listen to your inner you and learn more about yourself. Have you ever heard a quote that you think about for months after you hear it? You might be at a park, waiting at a stop light or washing dishes, but you think about that quote that keeps popping up in your mind. A few months ago, a friend shared a quote like this with me, “A ‘yes’ to someone else is a ‘no’ to yourself.” I disagreed at the moment and didn’t know why. The context of the quote was definitely about setting boundaries and making sure that I was taking the right self-care precautions during the pandemic, but it wasn’t sitting right. And then I realized that the process I had walked through to get to my most recent "yes" helped me learn so much about myself, that when I finally gave someone my "yes," it was not only a "yes" to someone else, but it was a "yes" to myself, too. Without a framework for understanding ourselves, we can rush into decision making without knowing who we are and our life purpose, and quickly our "yes" to others really is a "no" to ourselves. However, I encourage you today, to learn so much about yourself that when someone receives a "yes" from you, you can know with confidence that you are giving yourself a "yes," too.

About the author: Erinne Kennedy DMD, MPH, MMSc graduated from Nova Southeastern College of Dental Medicine in 2015.

She received her MMSc in Dental Education from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and is a boardcertified dental public health specialist. She is the Director of Pre-doctoral Education at the Kansas City University College of Dental Medicine. Contact Erinne at erkennedy@kansascity.edu.

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FINDING A DENTAL HYGIENE POSITION YOU LOVE MEANS FINDING A DENTAL OFFICE YOU LIKE

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n many of the online dental hygiene group discussions, a dental hygienist will share their feelings of frustration with the dental environment they are working in. Often, other hygienists will recommend finding a different dental environment or an office they love to reignite their passion for dental hygiene.

When I first started thinking about this article, a pandemic was something we studied in school. Now that we have spent almost a year living in a pandemic, the needs in finding a dental hygiene job have changed a bit. Certain procedures and the office environment that did not have to be thought of before, now become more important. In some areas of the country, a shortage of dental hygienists has occurred. More clinical dental hygienist wanted ads are appearing, and more dental hygiene opportunities are becoming available.

Do you remember having to try on different sizes and types of nitrile or latex gloves before you found a size that fit your hand properly? A glove that did not pull at your palm, that was a size that would allow you tactile sensation and allow you to work comfortably?

Finding a dental hygiene position is a bit like that. You need to find a dental office or dental group that meets your needs and expectations, is a comfortable fit, doesn’t cause you physical, mental or emotional harm and allows you to feel like you belong and can work comfortably.

I have 47 years of experience working in dental offices.

I have spent 41 of those years working clinically as a dental hygienist. During that time, I worked full time, part time, as a perio hygienist and as a temp hygienist. I also taught clinical techniques, radiology, and dental hygiene

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By Sandi Roggow, RDH, BA

seminar at a local community college. I beta tested dental products for many product manufacturers, and I worked as an ambassador for a periodontal office. I have worked as a clinical representative for a major dental supply company as well as a researcher for a dental insurance fraud company. I have worked clinically in 35+ offices and have visited over 1100 different dental offices in 2 different states.

Every dental office is like a fingerprint. Each one has its own feel, lighting, décor, scent, temperature, temperament, personality and philosophy. Some offices have strong mission statements posted on the front office wall for the staff to follow. Other offices have no structure or organization whatsoever to guide the staff.

With all of this to consider, how do you begin to find an office that is going to be a place you want to work? We all have different needs. We also have different values. And now, during a pandemic, what additional needs must be considered?

How do you develop a clear mental image of your ideal dental office? You will need to develop a list of things important to you to begin your search for an office that fits your needs and values. If you have worked in other dental offices before, you may have begun to develop a list of “must haves,” and things you “will not tolerate.”

To help you develop your needs list, you can start by spending a little time identifying a values list for yourself.

I was once told, even if I am a total opposite in personality with another person, if my values match theirs, it will be much easier to work together. Value matching can work in dental offices also.

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SUCCESS Review the chart below, and select 5 or 6 core values you feel are most important to you. For a more comprehensive list of core values to evaluate, simply do an internet search for core values and a more extensive list can be found online.

Selecting my core values Accomplishment

Orderliness

Accuracy

Focus

Participation

Achievement

Partnership

Acknowledgment

Freedom

Peace

Fun

Performance

Authenticity

Gratitude

Growth

Productivity

Harmony

Recognition

Honesty

Respect

Risk-taking

Connectedness

Humor

Contribution

Courage

Joy

Independence

Kindness

Trust

Excellence

Family

Fame

Once you have selected 5 or 6 values that are most important to you, you will want to ask yourself what each value means to you. Also, reflect on how that fits with your current life. Reevaluate your core values as circumstances and stages of your life change.

With your list of these values, you can now start to look at dental hygiene positions with a clearer lens. You may find it easier to decide between job offers simply based on your core values.

For example, if family is especially important to you, working in an office that requires you to stay late on most days may conflict with your family value. If respect is important to you, you may not be able to feel comfortable with being told that hygienists do not really help the practice's bottom line. If peace or kindness are values that are important to you, you may struggle in an office that has an unbalanced leadership and management system or a gossiping staff.

In the chart below you will find working conditions that can make your job harder to perform. I have worked in offices with each of these difficult working conditions.

Working conditions I will not tolerate • Not providing proper dental hygiene instruments

• Not being able to count on a paycheck on payday or paycheck bouncing

• No interest in staff learning new techniques

• Expectation to punch out when patients are not present

• Unrealistic expectations without training on equipment or software

• Not being open to new ways of doing things

• Poor infection control procedures

• Micromanaging by office manager or dentist

• Working in a toxic work environment

• No time to sharpen instruments • Impossible number of procedures to be done within each appointment • Not providing adequate time to write chart notes • Mold growing in faucets • Never acknowledging good performance • Team gossips about co-workers • Dentist has trouble controlling anger

• Equipment that causes ergonomic challenges, i.e. lighting, operator chairs, etc.

• Fixed income with no opportunity for any increase in income over time • Equipment that breaks down often • Difficult management staff • Inadequate amount of time to provide proper patient care

• Double booking hygiene patients

• No time to manage basic personal needs- drinking water, using bathroom

• Inability to ask for time off or take a sick day

• Not providing timely doctor exams, causing hygiene schedule to crash

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• Dentist does not support hygienist when patients are confrontational • Not ordering necessary supplies • Management being unapproachable • Not being able to take a lunch hour or leave on time on most days • No support with instrument processing, perio charting, scheduling, treatment planning • Office manager tries to tell hygienist how to perform hygiene procedures • Management staff showing favoritism to some employees

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SUCCESS In the same way you selected your values, once you have selected things you will not tolerate, you can start to eliminate positions that will be difficult for you to function at your best.

I always wished a dental hygiene job description could be as honest as possible. If they stated “fast-paced,” will that mean 30-minute hygiene appointments or double-booked hygiene appointments?

If they listed “friendly office,” did that mean friendly within the staff or friendly to the patients or both? What did they mean by upbeat, positive person? Will that mean that I must work under conditions that could be difficult? Am I expected to stay positive no matter how I am treated? Do I have to stay upbeat even though I am stressed due to poor instruments or inadequate time to properly treat the patients in my schedule?

If a job description is looking for the VERY BEST hygienist, how do I fill those big shoes? If the description says they are looking for a rock star to join the team, what exactly does that mean? Job descriptions that state they are looking for someone who is compassionate, able to multi-task and be patient-focused can also be confusing.

Positive dental office attributes Below is a list of dental office attributes you might consider important. This is not an inclusive list, but it is a list to guide your thinking about attributes many dental hygienists desire in their dental office home.

• Kind, caring and friendly dentist and staff • Entire team shows mutual respect towards each other, supports each other, values each team member • Enough time to provide quality care, with clear and realistic expectations of what can be accomplished during hygiene appt.

• Benefit package that is paid by employer • Patients are the center of the practice • Dental office has a clear vision • Lunch hour and bathroom breaks are provided • Management team shows concern for their staff members • Office allows PTO for staff member when sick • Dentist provides prompt exams which help hygiene department stay on schedule

• Dentist provides high quality of dentistry and supports the hygiene department to do the same • Office has established good systems and provides a handbook to help everyone understand what is expected of each team member • Staff is understanding and supportive of each other • Opportunity for growth and development is provided • Office has a bonus system for the entire staff to work towards • Proper PPE and infection control practices are followed • Office is professionally run, not drama driven • Office has quality equipment for the hygiene department • Staff treat each other like they treat their patients

• Paid for hours worked including meetings and huddle

Dental office attributes I desire Now it is time for you to write a job description for the office you want to work in. What does that look like? Having a clearer picture of what you want or need in an office may begin to give you an idea of what you are looking for in a dental hygiene position. Once you have identified what you are looking for, it will be easier to eliminate offices that will not meet your needs.

Remember, just like looking for a new relationship, house, car or a pair of nitrile gloves, one size does not fit all. What you are looking for in your “Good Dental Office” may be completely different than what someone else is looking for.

We have not yet discussed the basic full-time benefit packages dental hygienists may be looking for when searching

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Here is a chart for you to start to fill out with what you are looking for in a dental office.

Focus on what is important to you. Identify what you will not tolerate. Use these notes to help you sort out what you do want, and note that in this chart also.

(For example: I want to work in an office that provides quality instruments for me to work with.) Keep this list in your phone or handy to review when you are headed for a job interview. Make changes to this list as your life circumstances or values change.

Dental Office Attributes I Desire:

for a new position. This list can include health insurance, dental and vision insurance, 401(k) matching, paid time off, CEUs provided or a bonus program. There are other benefits some offices offer. Remember to keep these in mind as you search for a new position.

The pandemic has affected the dental hygiene professional in a way that you were not affected before the pandemic. Now, you may be looking for an office that is striving to create the safest environment possible for both their patients and their employees. This can include adequate PPE, plastic shields, air filtration, following CDC guidelines, etc. Will the precautions an office is taking align with your values? This also needs to be considered when looking for the office you would like to call home.

If you follow the steps discussed, you will have a better chance of finding a dental office that stands out and will meet your employment needs. This will prepare you much better than if you simply go on an interview without thinking about what you need first. This list you have created will give you many things to ask about during an interview. Bring it out when you are discussing the position. It will help you get your questions answered and eliminate some possible confusion later.

There may be times during your career that it will not be easy to find the opportunity to make a change to a different dental office. If that happens, use these exercises to open a conversation in your current employment setting. Help the office define the values that are important to the entire dental staff. Maybe you will be able to find common ground and help create a healthier working environment for everyone.

Being in alignment with what truly matters to you will help you make a decision about which dental hygiene position is best for you.

About the author: Sandi has an extensive background in the dental industry, including 40+ years as a practicing dental hygiene clinician. She has also worked as a clinical instructor, lectured, authored numerous articles and contributed to a dental hygiene academic textbook. Sandi has experience in research, SEO content marketing and sales along with legislative lobbying efforts surrounding licensure and children’s healthcare.

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REFLECTION

GRIEF IS LOVE

By Holly Anne Mitchell

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arning: this is not a dainty piece on thinking positively. Though as a hypnotist, life coach and practice growth coach, I often teach dentists how to rewire their own brains and build a culture of extraordinary joy and peak performance in their practices, the prompt I gave myself for this article was the following: “If you were to die tomorrow, what would you want to say today to leave behind?” This is what showed up. Ok, there, I warned you.

As morbid maybe as this prompt was, I’ve been fascinated with death since I was a little girl. “Begin with the end in mind” Stephen Covey writes in "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," and that image of coffins, mine and that of my grandfather when I was 5, was my own personal jet propulsion engine throughout my childhood and remains with me today. I remember learning what dying meant when they told me of his sudden heart attack at age 54... that someone could be there one moment and be wiped off the face of the earth the next throttled me. Sobbing uncontrollably in my tiny black dress and patent leather shoes on the day of the funeral services, I grasped the reality of what loss meant, and I remember ruminating with deep remorse that the last thing I said to him was not “I love you.” I never exit a conversation today without that phrase.

Suddenly drawn to and simultaneously repulsed by the macabre, I developed a juvenile obsession with horror movies and books with grisly subject matter, finding the idea of contracting a fatal childhood illness so terrifying it made me obsessive and hypochondriacal, though at the same time there was a romance to it; and I remember writing a Last Will and Testament in my 3rd grade composition notebook, along with goodbye

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letters of profound love and gratitude to those who would mourn me deeply if I were to tragically pass away. My mother, alarmed by my shadow curiosities, banned Stephen King books from the house. As a personal protest, I would go to the library and sit in the aisles between the stacks reading for hours, imagining what it would be like to fight alongside my playmates against the evil child eater Pennywise the Clown. (Hey, I warned you, didn’t I?) The nightmares were the worst. My father and I had those in common: vivid, gut-wrenching, inescapable dreams that made you fear sleep and wake up covered in sweat. Later, I learned this was a panic disorder and that the anxiety he felt daily had been passed to me through some kind of genetic or psychic transmission. Mental illness, the gift that keeps on giving.

I am my father’s daughter in so many ways, because of him, in spite of him. So many parts of him are me: his humor, his discipline, his love of learning, his desire for adventure. His face is my face. His athleticism is my athleticism. His darkness, my darkness. The greatest gift he gave me was my love of music. My father was a drummer. I used to sit on his lap as a baby while he played for me, and I sang with him before I could talk. He even pumped Van Halen through a pair of giant headphones into my mother’s belly while I was dancing in the womb. My favorite memory of my father is one of me, coming home from school, feeling the house tremble and blare with classic rock and roll. I think he played his music so loudly because it helped whatever pain was inside him to shake itself free. I ask him who the singer is, and he says, “Jimi Hendrix.” I stare at him blankly. “You don’t know Jimi Hendrix?” I shake my

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head. “Hold on,” he says and rolls up the carpet. A blues guitar begins to play, “There’s a red house over yonder, that’s where my baby stays…” He tells me to stand on his feet, and I dance with him. And in that moment, one of the few I can remember, I feel my father here, fully here, and happy. And I was happy.

I read that those who consider their inevitable death are happier. For example, in the tiny Tibetan country of Bhutan, known as “the happiest country on Earth,” the residents contemplate death five times a day as part of their Buddhist tradition. If two-thirds of Americans report general unhappiness in their day-to-day lives (don’t let their Instagram profiles deceive you), maybe the Bhutanese are onto something. As I examine the pictures around my home of those who have passed on, knowing I will, too, at some indeterminate point, I am filled with an insatiable hunger to live full-out with no regrets, and I surrender into gratitude knowing that everything changes.

“Don’t die with your gifts still inside you,” writes author Todd Henry. This is almost word for word what my father said the last time I saw him. I play the memory often like a favorite record, listening for a lyric or note I maybe hadn’t heard before. I am holding his hand next to the hospital bed. He is agitated, restless, his face pale and bony, his lower body swollen with fluid. “I’m sorry I didn’t do more for you, Baby. I’m sorry I’m an old man, and I wasn’t...” he drifts. “Hey,” I say to him, squeezing his flesh beneath the tubes, “Fifty percent of me is you, you know.” I smile, my heart leaking straight into my eyes. “Yeah,” he laughs. I add, winking, “And I’m pretty awesome. So I think you did a pretty good job.” He smiles again, his body softening. “I guess you’re right, Baby. I guess I did.” In that moment, any armor I had built against him in the last 32 years

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vanishes. It isn’t even forgiveness because there’s no longer anything to forgive, it’s just space. It feels like we are breathing one breath, an amalgamation of a sigh, a laugh and a cry all in one; and I feel the part of him that is me and the part of me that is him recognize our true souls, the "he" and "me" we were before the world ever shaped us. It was love, pure and spacious.

Long weeks later, my father passed from cancer at the age of 63, the night before my sister and I were scheduled to travel to our hometown in Florida to say goodbye to him. My grandmother called to tell me the news, and I fell to the ground and wailed a wild screeching moan for hours that tore at my throat for days. The Irish call it keening, a primal, singing form of grief. I felt the chasm open inside of me, bottomless, and I disappeared into it, knowing that there in that void were the remnants of his spirit being escorted to eternal spaces beyond. There were no words that night that could have soothed... only my sister and me weeping and chanting the words, “I’m so sorry. I love you,” over and over to one another. Or maybe we were saying it to him, I don’t know.

Something happened to me that night that healed me, changed me while being swallowed up by the darkness.

I now feel my father’s love in a way he never could have loved me when he was alive; his body and nervous system just weren’t capable of it. Someone asked me a few months later, “Have you recovered?” Yet, I don’t think we ever recover from grief, I think it integrates. In every moment of my life worth celebrating, in every beautiful thing I see, I am reminded that my father is not here to celebrate or to see it. Then again, maybe he is. The truth is, I don’t think I want to recover from grief. That chasm that opened has never closed, and it makes me a more compassionate person; it connects me to the darkness

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REFLECTION What do I want the world to know about my story? That grief is love. It’s the connection I feel between myself and the decay of each second. And as I walk through the world moving closer toward death, I feel more alive than I ever have before. It’s like saying a thousand goodbyes to everything around me with my heart broken open.

Goodbye to this day, to this tree, to this friend, to this body at this age and to this second, all the while repeating “Thank you, I love you, goodbye.” Every goodbye is a wondrous moment of reverence, attention, gratitude, sorrow and extraordinary joy. Here is what it means to be alive, and I will spend the rest of my life thankful to all I have lost in order to have found it.

Maybe you, too, have lost something in the wake of this pandemic: a dream, a friend, a lover, a job, a family member, a fortune, a sock. Whatever needs grieving, can you open yourself to grief, and let it alchemize you? All is not lost in loss. Loss is the beginning of a much deeper love, one that is unlimited, unconditional, unchanging if you allow yourself to break open inside of it and access the spaces underneath. After loss, we can find a new opportunity: to choose to hold sacred the temporal fragility of our intimate connection with life and love and to welcome our souls in a moment of grace to be broken and healed each time we get to say goodbye. So goodbye for now, and hello to the next now already goodbye-ing and gone. Thank you, Dad... I love you, goodbye.

in others, so that I can enter and bring my light. Knowing that my own death is waiting helps me focus my energy on what truly matters to me... because I know too well that life is way too short to waste my attention or my tears on things that don’t take up real estate space inside my heart.

About the author: Holly Anne Mitchell is a speaker, singer, writer, hypnotist, and life and business coach in the dental industry. She is the founder of the LeadWell Network and is known as “The Tony Robbins of Teeth.” Holly is currently writing a book on grieving well, and this article is an excerpt from that book, scheduled to be published in late 2021. To learn more about grieving or leading well, you can find Holly at hollyannemitchell.com or on instagram @leadwellnetwork.

I am my father’s daughter. Six months have passed, and I feel him, working behind the scenes, like my own guardian angel with a crooked halo and a set of Zilgjian drumsticks. That’s all he ever wanted to do, really, was to help me. And now he can. I carry his stories with me for my someday children. I feel myself dancing on his feet when I’m writing a song. I am free now of needing to prove to anyone (including myself) that I am enough because he is so, freaking, proud of me.

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ENDING THE SELLOUT ECONOMY By Victoria Peterson, SsD

“R

ise and shine, you have to go to work.” Unspoken social consciousness says, “Do this job or starve and be words of the alarm clock. How often does your homeless.” soul respond with a resounding “NO!”?

And, here is the dirty secret, as our personal appetite for Exploring the disconnect between our job, our joy and consumption of goods and services rose to unsustainable our economy may be a way of bringing more purpose levels, we all played a part in the creation of this sellout and meaning back into our society as a whole. Let’s economy. begin exploration through the lens of our economic infrastructure.

In our hearts we know this is true. It is difficult to look at restroom attendants or those doing menial tasks in the Consumer spending is responsible for 73% of the US eyes. We sense the loss of dignity and the waste of human economy. What is the byproduct of all this spending? I potential. invite you to begin noticing the garbage trucks, the gas station clerks, the hotel maids, the shelf stockers and So, what does this have to do with me? In many ways, the Amazon boxers... the many service workers it takes our consumerism points directly toward a loss of our to support this economic infrastructure. Paying attention inner connection to self and one another. Big business to the people behind the scenes of our modern world is knows this and has actually systematically designed our ground zero in discovering how to level up and bring more world to keep us emotionally apart. Disengagement from meaning into our own daily routine. our food source, accumulation of things, and craving of entertainment as a distraction from our own emptiness As a society we have supersized everything. Local bed- keeps the sellout economy spinning round and round. n-breakfasts became economy inns. Local suppliers became supermarts. Local entertainment became There it is, our collective unspoken truth. Consumption megaplexes. The expansion of the money economy also has become a replacement for true connection, respect, expanded the need for dehumanizing jobs. self-expression, development of our own talents... a balm for our inner turmoil.

Ask anyone scrubbing toilets for a living, “Why do you do this?” and the answer is likely, “This is the best/only But no more. COVID-19 shut down the sellout economy. job I could find. I have to put food on the table.” Society We’ve learned to live with less and to BE more. It was relegates many to sell their mind, talents and soul in (is) scary for us to think about losing the security of our exchange for security. jobs, the dwindling of savings, the fear that we will lose our businesses or homes. The grief over lost loved ones In essence, our society has collectively created a new is real, and in the midst of all of this there is also another form of slavery that has snared almost all of us. The reality...

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"Exploring the disconnect between our job, our joy and our economy may be a way of bringing more purpose and meaning back into our society as a whole."

The reality of the gift of time, connection and creativity.

Our desire for genuine relationships began trumping the excitement of another disposable bobble. The search for inner truth over outer influence is on the rise. Collectively, communities are taking back their power and owning their voice.

For some, this has been a painful time of reckoning, as we discovered our outer world of gaining more wasn’t matching our inner desire of giving more. We lost our way, and the COVID time-out helped us find the path back to ourselves.

As my friend Anna Stephens has said, “I have learned that I can be in hard times and stand on a firm foundation of my values.” .

.

.

“Rise and shine, it’s time to co-create.” Unspoken words of my entrepreneur’s soul.

Work provides us with more than money. For most entrepreneurs, it is a calling, a choiceless choice in the way we move through life. We are willing to be the trailblazers, to cut through the noise and bring beauty into Fully awake and aware, how do we make more conscious the world. We create jobs, we sustain communities, we choices? For me, it’s comes down to asking two simple enliven the spirits of those we meet. questions: The invitation before each of us is to be aware of how our What can I DeW? businesses add to the disposable, consumptive economy versus a more sustainable, balanced world. As a leader, What will I DeW? asking the questions, “What can I DeW? What am I willing to DeW?" provides clarity to seek a better way.

What can I DeW? This question directs me to lean into my strengths and discover how I can express my unique Perhaps from this place of common ground we can each talents. My top strengths help me to seek new paths do our part to chip away at the sellout economy. through learning, then connecting the dots and activating new models of business. These are my natural gifts and talents. Regardless of my role, from gas station attendant (yes, I did that and cleaned the toilets) to CEO of an About the author: Inc5000 company, I will be learning, connecting dots and Victoria Peterson, CEO & co-founder of Productive discovering new ways to accomplish things.

Dentist Academy, has served dentistry in many capacities including hygienist, consultant and multiWhat will I DeW? This question inspires me to action. My practice owner. Her passion is to help others tap into talents today are engaged primarily in strategic planning their highest potential. Productive Dentist Academy for my company, public speaking, writing and facilitation provides live, online and in-office training to bring of group discussions to support others’ growth. These are team alignment to doctors’ philosophy of care and the things that provide my life with purpose and meaning business goals. She can be reached at 800-757-6077 or regardless of financial status, restrictions in travel and all Victoria@Productivedentist.com. the other perceived hardships of 2020.

In each moment, we can look at a situation and ask, “What can I DeW? What will I DeW?” This cadence invites us to live in integrity with our word. There is so much we can do in any given day. The follow-up question shapes priority and purpose; it is rooted in our core values.

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