Dental Leaders Podcast

Payman reunites with bestie and occasional show host Prav Solanki for a long-awaited update on his mission to bring effortless enquiry conversion to dental clinics. Prav briefs us on the story of Leadflo from its early barebones launch to becoming the most advanced dental CRM on the market. Packed with Prav’s trademark insight on sales psychology, the conversation covers the challenges of software development, nuances of the buyer journey, and how Prav’s practice experience as a practice owner and marketer have informed Leadflo’s painstaking design. Enjoy!      In This Episode 00:01:41 - Where’s Prav been? 00:03:50 - Intro to Leadflo 00:06:18 - User experience 00:08:22 - Response, follow-up and warming 00:16:40 - Messaging 00:21:44 - Long-term buyer journeys 00:27:09 - Sales process psychology and consistency 00:32:28 - Onboarding and simplicity 00:35:46 - Emotional intelligence, cadence and frequency 00:39:23 - Personal experience 00:41:22 - Product development About Prav Solanki Prav Solanki is a marketing scientist and dental growth specialist who has supported countless dental professionals and organisations to achieve stellar growth. He is a co-owner and director of IAS Academy and founder of The Fresh, the UK’s leading dental growth and marketing agency.   His latest project, Leadflo, is described as the world’s most advanced CRM for dental clinics.

Dental technician Simon Caxton shares his unconventional path into dental technology, describing his hands-on learning style, passion for the craft, and drive to excel. Our conversation takes a deep dive into the current landscape of dental labs in the UK. We explore the challenges in finding skilled technicians, the transformative impact of digital technologies, and the value of collaboration and communication between dentists and technicians. Enjoy! 00:02:40 - Backstory 00:16:10 - Establishing a lab 00:24:30 - Challenges 00:42:15 - Dentist-technician relationships 00:49:15 - Anatomy and workflow 00:52:25 - Skills and training 00:56:40 - Blackbox thinking 01:03:40 - Business exit 01:08:20 - Aspirations  01:12:40 - Techniques and workflow 01:17:25 - Fantasy dinner party  01:21:25 - Last days and legacy                             Simon Caxton is a dental technician and director of the Romford-based Simplee Dental Ceramics laboratory.   In This EpisodeAbout Simon Caxton Simon Caxton is a dental technician and director of the Romford-based Simplee Dental Ceramics laboratory. 

This week’s episode reaches spots other podcasts miss as Payman sits down with dentist-turned-inventor Michael Alatsaris.   Michael shares his journey from a dissatisfied clinician and practice owner to a fulfilled product designer and entrepreneur, discussing the highs and lows of the painstaking process of bringing an innovative new toothbrush to market.   Enjoy! In This Episode 00:02:30 - Choosing dentistry 00:06:40 - Practice purchase 00:16:25 - Challenges of practice ownership 00:22:25 - Exit 00:27:00 - Product design 00:30:50 - Problem-solution 00:38:25 - ErgoProx 00:44:00 - Prototyping and tooling 00:51:10 - Going to market 00:56:15 - Execution Vs ideation 01:03:40 - Challenging the status quo 01:05:35 - Blackbox thinking 01:08:10 - Marketing and trajectory 01:09:09 - Fantasy dinner party  01:12:02 - Last days and legacy About Michael Alatsaris Former dental practice owner Michael Alatsaris is the inventor of the ErgoProx toothbrush for cleaning mesial and distal surfaces next to spacing.  

Dr Alex Eskander, a renowned obstetrician and gynaecologist, shares his inspiring journey from Egypt to the UK, NHS experiences, and transition to private practice. They touch on egg freezing, fertility issues, adoption, male infertility, and Dr Eskander's prostate cancer experience.

Selvaraj Balaji shares his journey from growing up in rural South India to the UK, where he is now a successful implant dentist at the helm of a small group of practices and implant training academy.   Selvaraj discusses the challenges of getting started in the UK,  the philosophy behind his  Academy of Soft and Hard Tissue Augmentation (ASHA) Club UK for advanced implant training and finding a healthy work-life balance.   Enjoy! In This Episode 0:02:05: Backstory 00:04:00: Moving to the UK 00:24:00: Surgery to general practice 00:35:22: From VT to implantology 00:41:12: Practice purchase, management and growth 01:01:22: Family life 01:06:14: Teaching and ASHA 01:16:36: Blackbox thinking 01:19:17: Talent, mentorship and training 01:25:24: Ambition and plans 01:27:36: Last days and legacy 01:28:40: Fantasy dinner party About Selvaraj Balaji Implant dentist Selvaraj Balaji owns Buckinghamshire-based The Gallery and Meadow Walk dental clinics. He is also the founder of the Academy of Soft and Hard Tissue Augmentation (ASHA) Club UK for advanced implant training.  

Take a deep breath and tune in as Jamie Clements explores the transformative power of breathwork   Jamie shares his journey from the tech industry to breathwork coach and founder of The Breath Space, discussing the scientific and therapeutic aspects of breathwork for improving physical, mental, and emotional well-being.    He offers practical advice for integrating breathwork into daily routines and insights into how it could improve focus and reduce stress in dentistry.   Enjoy!  In This Episode 00:00:05 -  Importance and applications of breathwork 00:09:05 - Transition from tech  00:16:40 - Breathwork as business. 00:27:30 - Functional breathing 00:32:55 - Breathwork in dentistry 00:39:40 - Techniques for managing panic, anxiety, and stress 00:43:40 - Male mental health  00:54:35 -  Self-soothing  01:19:35 - Personal growth 01:22:05 - Practical advice Jamie Clements Jamie Clements is a breathwork specialist and founder of The Breath Space. He has worked with entrepreneurs, politicians, and athletes to share the well-being benefits of breathwork and altered states of consciousness.

Pete Niesiolowski provides a glimpse into a dental journey that has taken him from the UK to Australia, and back.   Pete discusses life down under, the challenges of transitioning from NHS to private care, and thoughts on the overlap between implant provision and cosmetic dentistry.   Enjoy!    01.20 - Backstory 15.20 -  NHS to private practice 21.15 - Australia 27.00 -  Discovering cosmetic dentistry 29.30 - Practice ownership 31.30 - Implant journey, training and experience 51.15 - Blackbox thinking 01.13.20 - Fantasy dinner party 01.07.30 - Thoughts on the future About Pete Niesiolowski Dr Pete Niesiolowski graduated from King’s College London in 1997 with his bachelor of dental surgery degree. He has worked in general dental practice for over two decades, including eight years running a practice in Australia.  

Payman Langroudi sits down with Zak Kara, co-founder of Bounemoputh-based Smile Stories, to explore the philosophy and practices behind his success.    Zak shares insights into the importance of teamwork, thoughts on patient communication and why some conventional dental words and phrases off limits during patient consultations.   Zak also explores patient journeys, creating a practice ambience and his practice-growth philosophy.   Enjoy! In This Episode 01.00 - Private dentistry and the patient journey 04.55 - Smile Stories 11.00 - Patient selection 20.00 - Personal and professional background 28.40 - Comfort, ambience and atmosphere 32.21 - Banned words 36.10 - Practice management 01.10.00 - Practice growth 01.17.10 - Consultation and communication 01.57.25 - Leadership and structure 02.05.00 - Black box thinking 02.21.19 - Last days and legacy About Zak Kara Zak Kara is the co-owner of Bournemouth-based Smile Stories dental practice.

Emma Marshall, the CEO of Movement is Medicine, chats about the profound impact of movement on mental and physical health.    Emma shares her journey from facing severe health challenges and exploring various mainstream and alternative therapies to discovering the healing power of movement and dance.    She discusses the importance of integrating physical with mental health support and using movement as a vehicle for catharsis and trauma recovery.    Emma also touches on the societal pressures and misconceptions around health and advocates for more accessible and inclusive approaches to wellness practices.   Enjoy! In This Episode 00.40 - Emma’s story 12.41 - Alternative medicine 23.10 - Rhythm and healing 26.05 - Movement is Medicine 39.10 - Wellness and mental health 46.25 - Accessibility and socioeconomics 52.45 - Female perspectives 57:40 - Business and the rhythm of processes 01.01.00 - TED Talks and training for teachers​​. About Emma Marshall Emma Marshall is the founder and CEO of Movement is Medicine®, a neuroscientific technique for wellness and stress relief through music and dance.

Laura Horton relates her journey from dental nurse and TCO to practice owner and growth consultant.   Laura gives a clinic-eye view on the invaluable role of TCOs in shaping patient experience within the practice, shares wisdom on team growth and development, and discusses the highs and lows of practice ownership.   Enjoy!    In This Episode 00.50 - Backstory 07.00 - Nursing, TCO and consultancy 12.00 - Practice workflow insights 17.20 - Practice ownership 29.25 - Professional relationships and career development 35.00 - The TCO role 44.00 - Team training and development 01.26.00 - Friendship Vs professionalism 01.36.30 - Trust and karma 01.54.00 - Fantasy Dinner Party 02.01.10 - Last days and legacy About Laura Horton Former TCO and dental nurse Laura Horton owns and runs Flagstaff-based clinic Dental Smiles. She is the founder of Laura Horton Consulting, which provides practice growth and development support.