Leadership Skills That Orthodontists, Especially Associates, Need Most | Ep. 8

The West of Perfection Podcast · Jun 25, 2026 · 1h 2m

In this episode, hosts Mary Katherine Wathen and Erin Van de Voorde sit down with Shannon Patterson, partner at Benson Koppelman Patterson & Associates, to tackle one of the most overlooked challenges in orthodontics today: the leadership gap.

Chapters:

0:00 — Intro & Guest Welcome

1:15 — About the Elevate the Conversation Summit

5:09 — The Leadership Gap in Orthodontics

9:42 — The Associate Identity Shift

21:30 — Building Confidence as a Leader

27:18 — How Practice Owners Fail Their Associates

40:44 — The Future of Orthodontic Partnerships

57:37 — Leadership & Practice Valuation

59:08 —…