Latest / The Wealth Cafe / From Patient To Periodontist: Meet Dr. Morgan Atanasio, DDS, MDS

Transcript

From Patient To Periodontist: Meet Dr. Morgan Atanasio, DDS, MDS · The Wealth Cafe

0:15
SPEAKER_00: Hi everyone, welcome back to another week of the Wealth Cafe, and we have an incredible coffee conversation lined up today with Dr.
0:23
SPEAKER_00: Morgan, who I am so proud to call a friend as well.
0:27
SPEAKER_00: And she has such an incredible story and working in a male-dominated industry, which we are gonna dive in, but before we do, let me tell you a little bit more about her.
0:36
SPEAKER_00: So, Dr.
0:37
SPEAKER_00: Morgan is a board-certified periodontist and implant surgeon here in New Jersey.
0:42
SPEAKER_00: And Dr.
0:42
SPEAKER_00: Morgan Atnesio specializes in everything from dental implants and gum grafting to full-arch rehabilitation using minimally invasive techniques and cutting-edge digital dentistry to deliver care that is precise, personalized, and actually built around the human in her chair.
1:00
SPEAKER_00: Love that.
1:01
SPEAKER_00: A former collegiate field hockey player, rower, at, and rower at Hobart William Smith College, Dr.
1:08
SPEAKER_00: Morgan shows up for her patients every single day through her discipline and all of the practices and the way she leads from her collegiate experience.
1:20
SPEAKER_00: She holds diplomat status with the American Board of Periodontology, serves on the boards of the NJSPID and the NJDA.
1:31
SPEAKER_00: She is vice president of the Toro Dental Alumni Association, and she also founded the Social Smile Network, which aims to help women in dentistry find their voice and stop being the best kept secret in the room, which we're going to unpack today.
1:46
SPEAKER_00: When she is not in the operatory, she is traveling with her husband Patrick, eating her way through cities she has never been to and being completely outwitted by her English setters, Seamus and Jasper, who are the cutest things in the world.
2:01
SPEAKER_00: So thank you, Dr.
2:02
SPEAKER_00: Morgan.
2:03
SPEAKER_00: I'm so happy you're here.
2:04
SPEAKER_01: I am so happy to be here, Caroline.
2:06
SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for inviting me.
2:08
SPEAKER_01: And it seems like we have a lot to talk about.
2:10
SPEAKER_01: And I thank you for the introduction because it's it's kind of nice to hear those types of things.
2:15
SPEAKER_01: You know, I never get to really sit back and reflect on like what I've done in my life so far.
2:20
SPEAKER_01: So thank you for that.
2:21
SPEAKER_00: Of course.
2:22
SPEAKER_00: And I think that's actually a perfect place to start because, and I find as women, we don't give ourselves enough credit or reflection time because we're so busy running around, whether it's taking care of like family, patients, clients, dogs that are also running nuts.
2:36
SPEAKER_00: Um, so tell us a little more about your journey so we can also take a minute to celebrate it and reflect on it.
2:44
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
2:45
SPEAKER_01: So my journey starts as a patient, actually, when I was very, very young.
2:51
SPEAKER_01: I had a precancerous birthmark removed from my forehead, which took four different surgeries to remove.
2:57
SPEAKER_01: And it was just like an incidental finding, actually, where I walked in with the family member, you know, just as the kid going in with the adult.
3:05
SPEAKER_01: And the surgeon had looked like straight past the adult and looked at me and said, What's on her forehead?
3:10
SPEAKER_01: And that was the only reason, like right place, right time, only reason why that was picked up and it turned out to be something serious.
3:17
SPEAKER_01: And I'm so thankful that right place, right time again, being there.
3:21
SPEAKER_01: But my surgeon and the whole team made me feel so at ease and so comfortable that just being around the healthcare environment as a patient was just a happy, easy place to be in.
3:33
SPEAKER_01: I wasn't afraid.
3:34
SPEAKER_01: They made me feel so at ease.
3:36
SPEAKER_01: And then shifting away from that, I finished my last surgery, I think, in seventh grade.
3:40
SPEAKER_01: I was going through oral surgery at the time and braces and all of these different things as a patient there.
3:47
SPEAKER_01: Um, all treated by a female team, actually, where again made me feel super comfortable, changed my life.
3:53
SPEAKER_01: I actually couldn't close my mouth entirely.
3:55
SPEAKER_01: My jaw was so far forward.
3:57
SPEAKER_01: And that does something to your confidence when you're in those middle school years.
4:01
SPEAKER_01: I try to push them out of my brain.
4:04
SPEAKER_01: I'm sure most people can relate to that.
4:06
SPEAKER_01: Um, and again, just kind of went through that thinking like dentistry is something that I could see myself doing if you look back on any type of uh report or project from younger years.
4:19
SPEAKER_01: It's like, what do you want to be when you grow up?
4:21
SPEAKER_01: I want to be a surgeon, I want to be a dentist.
4:23
SPEAKER_01: It was always about healthcare for me.
4:26
SPEAKER_01: And because of my patient experience and having something that was so life-saving and life-changing, um, it's something I wanted to give back and commit my life to serving others with.
4:38
SPEAKER_01: So went into high school doing a decision for dentistry program at uh was formerly UMD and J, is now rockers, and went into college knowing pre-dentals for me.
4:51
SPEAKER_01: In playing the sports and being around athletics, I did have a little period of doubt where I was kind of thinking maybe sports medicines for me, physical therapy, chiropractic, even, you know.
5:02
SPEAKER_01: So I explored my first summer off from college.
5:06
SPEAKER_01: Um, when I wasn't doing my summer training and working, I was also shadowing a bunch of different medical and dental providers.
5:13
SPEAKER_01: And every time I was around dentistry, I was like, this is the place.
5:16
SPEAKER_01: This is for me.
5:17
SPEAKER_01: I light up here, I feel super comfortable here.
5:19
SPEAKER_01: So fast forward, I take um two years off after uh college, after doing a semester overseas in Norwich, England, at the University of East Anglia, played some field hockey there, did some science classes there, but actually missed my dental admissions test date because I was over there.
5:38
SPEAKER_01: So that reeled into a one-year gap year.
5:42
SPEAKER_01: And then I was working at my uncle's uh friend's practice in Edison.
5:46
SPEAKER_01: Shout out to Dr.
5:47
SPEAKER_01: Strober, took me under his wing.
5:49
SPEAKER_01: Um, and I was there just to help with the transition from traditional charting methods to digital dentistry, even in like 2014.
5:57
SPEAKER_01: And it was a very interesting experience for me, being that I was now in an administrative end and decided to do a second gap year so I could learn more about that.
6:10
SPEAKER_01: Um coach Field talkie while I was doing that too at my former high school at uh Johnson and Clark.
6:17
SPEAKER_01: And that was great.
6:18
SPEAKER_01: And then finished up biochemistry at Ruckers because it was kind of like a suggested class.
6:23
SPEAKER_01: And then while I was applying, it was like, nope, we're gonna recommend or we're gonna require that now.
6:27
SPEAKER_01: So did that, applied to dental school, applied to 17 schools, got waitlisted to like five, rejected from everything else, and I'm panicking naturally and driving my mom crazy with maybe I'm gonna go off to California and be an enologist and study wine, culinary arts, you know, totally shifting gears.
6:48
SPEAKER_01: And I, speaking of money, put$5,000 down at a uh post back program that would, if I did really well at, would guarantee me entry into the program and the week after I got into Toro College of Dental Medicine and never got that money back.
7:03
SPEAKER_01: So I'm still a little bit bitter about it.
7:05
SPEAKER_01: But um, so I go to Toro.
7:08
SPEAKER_01: I'm part of the inaugural class.
7:10
SPEAKER_01: The dental school is not actually built, so I took a huge chance on them.
7:15
SPEAKER_01: But um, within the first couple months of school, they're like, we have to create a student government.
7:20
SPEAKER_01: And my friend Ashley, who I was playing flag football with against the medical students and PT students, naturally, still playing sports, um, says, I really want to nominate you for class president.
7:30
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, no, I've done the leadership stuff, I'm just here to keep my head down.
7:35
SPEAKER_01: I really want to get good grades in dental school.
7:38
SPEAKER_01: I've never had a time in school where I've just been able to just, you know, tunnel vision, do well at school and school only.
7:46
SPEAKER_01: I've always been involved with so many different things.
7:48
SPEAKER_01: And she's like, Yeah, well, I'm still nominating you, so you know, have fun.
7:53
SPEAKER_01: So it comes time to, you know, have our election.
7:56
SPEAKER_01: And I kind of go up and do a speech, and I'm just kind of like, if there's one thing I have ever been naturally good at, it's leading a team of people.
8:05
SPEAKER_01: I've had to work tirelessly on my grades.
8:08
SPEAKER_01: I sit in a lecture and I still have to go home and like re-listen to the lecture.
8:13
SPEAKER_01: I am very hands-on, which dentistry makes a lot of sense for me because of that.
8:18
SPEAKER_01: I can't listen to someone just like talking at me and the slides are going, and in dental school, it's like and medical and anything post-grad, they kind of talk about how it's like drinking through a fire hydrant that's just exploding.
8:32
SPEAKER_01: Like it's almost impossible to digest.
8:35
SPEAKER_01: So um, you know, figure out a way to deal with that.
8:40
SPEAKER_01: But the point is, I was saying everything else I've had to work tirelessly for in my life, like the grit, the everything, just working incredibly hard.
8:49
SPEAKER_01: But leadership's been something that's kind of just come naturally to me.
8:53
SPEAKER_01: I have no problem speaking up for others who need to be spoken up for, uh, doing what's right, empowering people, all that stuff.
9:00
SPEAKER_01: So I get elected the first uh student government president or class president.
9:05
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then we create a student government, and then I'm president for the next three years, and then decide I wanted to go into periodonics.
9:15
SPEAKER_01: Surgery just kind of lit me up, and then make my way to Rutgers and get a good education there, very, very tough education, and graduate, and here I am going into my fourth year of practice now.
9:29
SPEAKER_00: It's really cool to see like the through line of everything that, and that's why I'm so glad you shared it too.
9:34
SPEAKER_00: Just also knowing you, is it's really cool to see the through line of having all of that leadership and that involvement because you still do it.
9:42
SPEAKER_00: And like when I think of my own um, I'll say like dentist growing up and everything, it was like that was the person, they were behind a mask, like there was no personality.
9:54
SPEAKER_00: I don't know that they, you know, they would have raised issues to me, right?
9:57
SPEAKER_00: Like they would, they were still my advocate, which was awesome if there was anything wrong.
10:00
SPEAKER_00: But like you have, you are so much more than just a periodontist.
10:06
SPEAKER_00: And I mean that in the sense of like, look at all of the other things you're doing, which is why I also want us to have this conversation, is like you're starting the social smile network, which like relates back to all the leadership and the activities that you did in in college, in dentist school, like dentistry school.
10:22
SPEAKER_00: And like it's amazing to see that that entirety coming through.
10:28
SPEAKER_00: How has it then been the last four years of practice?
10:31
SPEAKER_00: Dentistry, as we know, is a pretty male-dominated industry.
10:35
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I also though love hearing that you growing up had this female team.
10:39
SPEAKER_00: What has it been like, though, working in such a male-dominated industry?
10:44
SPEAKER_00: And I also love having these conversations with you as somebody who, being in finance and financial services, also works in a male-dominated industry.
10:52
SPEAKER_00: And so do a lot of our listeners.
10:54
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
10:55
SPEAKER_01: It's been it's been an experience.
10:57
SPEAKER_01: I mean, even just in my family dynamic, a lot of the women in my family have been the professionals, have been the people that go on for higher education, and the men have gone into trades or this or that.
11:11
SPEAKER_01: But I was always encouraged to get an education and like, don't worry about your boyfriend, don't worry about getting married, like go to school and be independent, be able to support yourself.
11:22
SPEAKER_01: And that was the extent of like the finance aspect or talking about money as a female that I got.
11:29
SPEAKER_01: But um it was quite shocking for me at first to go into, I would say more so residency in my dental school.
11:38
SPEAKER_01: I was at a very, very warm, welcoming dental school environment.
11:44
SPEAKER_01: Again, being the first class, like it was just such a family environment where you hear about these medical dental schools or postgrad programs where it's super cutthroat.
11:54
SPEAKER_01: And while it's very hard, I feel like we really helped each other out.
11:59
SPEAKER_01: Of course, there are some people who kind of fall outside of that, but largely it was we believe in an environment of excellence, so let's raise each other up.
12:08
SPEAKER_01: Just because my light is shining doesn't mean I'm gonna blow out your candle, you know, that sort of thing.
12:12
SPEAKER_01: We can both be successful together and not a beat them down to build them up type of thing.
12:19
SPEAKER_01: Now, going into residency, it was largely male dominated, I would say.
12:25
SPEAKER_01: My class was 50-50.
12:28
SPEAKER_01: Before then, it seemed like there was only two.
12:33
SPEAKER_01: It was 50-50 the class above me, but before that, the the third-year class, while I was in my first year class, there was only one female there.
12:41
SPEAKER_01: And I think that was kind of the trends the years prior.
12:44
SPEAKER_01: Um, I was in an environment that was very much like you want to talk about toxic masculinity.
12:52
SPEAKER_01: I dealt with that pretty much for like the first time in my life.
12:54
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I was at a college where it was very close to Seneca Falls, like the the suffragist movement was there.
13:02
SPEAKER_01: Um, Elizabeth Blackwell was the first female doctor in the United States there.
13:07
SPEAKER_01: Um, it was a coordinate system where we had our own student governments and separate athletic associations there.
13:14
SPEAKER_01: So this was like shell shock for me.
13:17
SPEAKER_01: Um, people commenting about me being a woman and a female surgeon too.
13:23
SPEAKER_01: And I saw the way that the male residents were kind of like encouraged to be a certain way, and I was not.
13:31
SPEAKER_01: You know, if I was a little outspoken, I could see people be like, ooh, you know, that wasn't that wasn't cute.
13:37
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, well, I'm not here to be cute.
13:39
SPEAKER_01: I'm here to be a female surgeon, I'm here to be a surgeon, like, period, you know, all of us.
13:44
SPEAKER_01: So I would say my co-residents in general were very supportive.
13:49
SPEAKER_01: There was none of that, but the it was mostly, you know, uh men who were teaching me.
13:56
SPEAKER_01: I had a couple of and part-time female periodonists, but they grew up in a time period where they were like the only one, and the behavior they were subjected to was like being in a men's locker room.
14:06
SPEAKER_01: And that sort of talk, I was like, what is being said?
14:09
SPEAKER_01: We're professionals here.
14:10
SPEAKER_01: So I definitely encountered that.
14:12
SPEAKER_01: But I will say too, there have been so many male mentors.
14:16
SPEAKER_01: I've never had a female periodonist mentor in my life uh thus far who have been, who were so encouraging to me or saw something in me even in dental school.
14:26
SPEAKER_01: And also I went to a Jewish dental school as someone who's Roman Catholic.
14:31
SPEAKER_01: And I, my mentors were Orthodox men who saw me as a female, saying, like, you've got the sauce, girl, like go for it.
14:38
SPEAKER_01: We're gonna back you.
14:39
SPEAKER_01: So it was kind of a strange dynamic because I don't think people usually think of that being the dynamic.
14:45
SPEAKER_01: But I, like I said, in dental school was very much like welcoming, like, we see you for your skill set and we want you to be part of our specialty in our profession.
14:54
SPEAKER_01: But going into residency, kind of seeing that, beat them down to build them up without the building them up part type of thing.
15:00
SPEAKER_01: It was the hardest three years of my life, but transitioning out into private practice was also a huge shell shock for me, where I think periodonics, the last report I read, is large, is still 70% male.
15:12
SPEAKER_01: And going into like the local dental societies and stuff, that was where I was like, I have arrived.
15:18
SPEAKER_01: I can't wait to meet people and network.
15:20
SPEAKER_01: And I saw the same group of like 70-year-old men sitting together at the table.
15:25
SPEAKER_01: You walk in, they just kind of give you a look, don't go up and introduce themselves.
15:29
SPEAKER_01: I went up to them and said, Hey, I'm Dr.
15:31
SPEAKER_01: Morgan Atanasium, a periodonist practicing in Burton County.
15:34
SPEAKER_01: So nice to meet you.
15:35
SPEAKER_01: And it was like, you know, kind of like the you can see someone's body language when they just assume you're no one, or they assume I've gotten like, oh, are you one of the hygienists, or are you an assistant?
15:47
SPEAKER_01: Are you a team member here?
15:49
SPEAKER_01: Are you someone's wife?
15:51
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, yeah, I am, but in this space, I'm Dr.
15:54
SPEAKER_01: Morgan Atanasio, board certified periodontis implants.
15:57
SPEAKER_01: Oh, I love that.
15:58
SPEAKER_00: That's so good.
15:59
SPEAKER_00: In this space, this is who I am.
16:01
SPEAKER_00: In this space, this is who I am.
16:02
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I don't walk around with the chip on my shoulder.
16:06
SPEAKER_01: I walk into spaces where I'm like, I'm here to meet people, I'm here to talk dentistry, I'm here to learn.
16:12
SPEAKER_01: Um, I want to learn from everyone.
16:15
SPEAKER_01: And the more I got into those spaces, I realized like, I don't fit in here.
16:19
SPEAKER_01: You know, my personality and what I want to do based on my background.
16:23
SPEAKER_01: And um, I think just being a woman in this field, I had to create something like Social Smile Network.
16:32
SPEAKER_01: I just saw how other women were coming into space where I would try to invite them into the space and they're like, I'm not going there.
16:39
SPEAKER_01: You know, like it just wasn't worth their time and their money to be overlooked and somewhat disrespected.
16:46
SPEAKER_01: But, you know, it it only takes like a couple bad eggs to kind of ruin that experience and leave a bad taste in your mouth over that.
16:55
SPEAKER_01: But the more I started inviting women in the space, I said, okay, then I'm now I'm the connector person, right?
17:01
SPEAKER_01: I'm introducing people.
17:02
SPEAKER_01: Oh, you have to meet uh, you know, Dr.
17:04
SPEAKER_01: Jaya.
17:05
SPEAKER_01: Dr.
17:05
SPEAKER_01: Jaya's here, you have to meet my friend Rachel, you have to meet Cynthia, who's a pediatric.
17:10
SPEAKER_01: Then it's like just kind of connecting everyone.
17:12
SPEAKER_01: I'm sure I'm leaving out people NECA Obi, you know, all these people who I was like, get in this space and let people see you.
17:18
SPEAKER_01: And I could see the shyness of my female colleagues walking, and I'm like, I got in that space and I turn it on.
17:24
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, this is my profession.
17:26
SPEAKER_01: I belong here.
17:27
SPEAKER_01: If there is not a seat at the table, I'm pulling it up.
17:29
SPEAKER_01: I'm pulling it up, screeching that chair.
17:32
SPEAKER_01: Like, I don't care.
17:34
SPEAKER_01: So I created that space because I just realized it was so needed.
17:39
SPEAKER_01: And I'm not collecting dues.
17:41
SPEAKER_01: I'm just like, here we are, let's do it together.
17:44
SPEAKER_01: So I'm proud of it.
17:45
SPEAKER_01: I don't know what it will turn into, but you know, you've presented for our group before, which was so amazing.
17:51
SPEAKER_01: And I just hope to keep it going.
17:54
SPEAKER_00: And I think it's it's, you know, there's yes, there's a lot of bad eggs that can ruin a space, but also all you need is then one person like you who is changing that and bringing everyone up with them.
18:08
SPEAKER_00: And I appreciate number one, everything you're doing and everything you're sharing.
18:11
SPEAKER_00: But also, it's interesting.
18:13
SPEAKER_00: I look back at, you know, when I worked at one of the large banks and wealth management firms.
18:17
SPEAKER_00: And I remember there was one woman who she, I'll never forget it, right?
18:20
SPEAKER_00: Like she stood up and she, we were at an all-women's event.
18:23
SPEAKER_00: She stands up and she goes, Why should we help each other when no one ever helped us?
18:28
SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, that is the saddest mentality to have, right?
18:32
SPEAKER_00: And you even mentioned too, you said, um, you know, we can all be illuminated together and shine a light on it.
18:37
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't extinguish anyone else's, right?
18:39
SPEAKER_00: Like there is so much business to go around.
18:42
SPEAKER_00: Everyone has teeth or money in my case, and yeah, needs like help at different points and for different things.
18:51
SPEAKER_00: And I like when you have the mentality and the mindset of we can all be in a space together.
18:57
SPEAKER_00: This is our profession.
18:58
SPEAKER_00: Like, we're not going to be shut out.
19:00
SPEAKER_00: Or with the social smile network network, you're gonna build your own space as well.
19:06
SPEAKER_00: It can change things, not only for everyone around you, but in my mind, I'm also thinking, you know, back to when you mentioned that all of the mentors that you had and all the people that supported you and encouraged you were all these, you know, incredible, you know, orthodox Jewish men.
19:21
SPEAKER_00: Like, I love that.
19:23
SPEAKER_00: But also, like, you now get to be that person for the next generation, right?
19:27
SPEAKER_00: So now there is gonna be some woman who is in a dentistry school right now, 10 years, 20, 30 years from now, like maybe even your own family one day, they are gonna sit there and look and be like, oh, this is the norm.
19:40
SPEAKER_00: And like, how cool that we get to change that.
19:42
SPEAKER_00: And yes, it's hard, right?
19:44
SPEAKER_00: It's hard, it's tiring.
19:45
SPEAKER_00: We drink a lot of coffee, and but you get to change that.
19:51
SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
19:52
SPEAKER_00: Like you're ready.
19:52
SPEAKER_00: Oy ve, let's, but let's do this.
19:54
SPEAKER_00: I think is is also the difference.
19:56
SPEAKER_00: And I think that is such a beautiful thing.
19:59
SPEAKER_00: What does the future look like for you?
20:02
SPEAKER_00: And especially in this industry.
20:08
SPEAKER_01: The future for me, I uh I'm in a position right now um where I work with a periodontal practice where I am now the leader of our practice location.
20:23
SPEAKER_01: And that for me has been a goal of mine.
20:26
SPEAKER_01: Owner, practice, leader, partner.
20:28
SPEAKER_01: So I'm kind of figuring that out.
20:30
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, where do I fit in here?
20:32
SPEAKER_01: And are my values aligned with my company's values?
20:38
SPEAKER_01: And so far it seems yeah.
20:41
SPEAKER_01: Um outside of the clinical aspect of dentistry, the future for me looks like growing social smile network because I do have a passion for mentorship and leadership.
20:53
SPEAKER_01: Um you know, I always thought I was going to teach as well.
20:58
SPEAKER_01: I have a passion for it.
20:59
SPEAKER_01: Like I said, I coached fieldaki after college and just like loved being able to be around someone and also young women and guide them because I've been so lucky to have some of the best coaches at the high school level, collegiate level.
21:15
SPEAKER_01: And now even being on a master's rowing team, like around women who are coaches, were coaches, just it's amazing.
21:23
SPEAKER_01: And I I want to continue to lift everyone up and do exactly what you were saying, like, let's create this space and make it the norm where we don't have to, you know, I'm not gonna blow out your candle, you know, to make mine shine uh shine brighter.
21:39
SPEAKER_01: And I'm not going to contribute to this mentality of like we can't all exist at once.
21:43
SPEAKER_01: There's enough of the pie to go around, we can all have successful businesses.
21:48
SPEAKER_01: Um, I think at some point I would love to do, you're hearing this first.
21:54
SPEAKER_01: I would love to do some sort of wellness retreat for women in dentistry, and of course, any.
22:00
SPEAKER_01: Anyone is welcome to that.
22:01
SPEAKER_01: I went to Scrubs and Calp Scalpels, shout out to Yvette in San Diego, where it was the most inspiring experience I've ever been to as a professional, honestly.
22:15
SPEAKER_01: Just the people and the way everyone carried themselves and walked into a room and introduced themselves, and they were welcoming.
22:22
SPEAKER_01: And not to mention the world-class female speakers.
22:24
SPEAKER_01: I got to see the first ever female Asian American periodontist who's been practicing for 50 years, Joan, speak on osteoporosis and the medications that affect us as female patients or male patients who may be on the medications in our dental chair and for our lives.
22:42
SPEAKER_01: I also got to sit in the crowd and listen to the first ever female duly board certified periodontist and prosodontist in the United States talk.
22:53
SPEAKER_01: I believe her name is Ashley Oders.
22:56
SPEAKER_01: I hope I'm pronouncing that right, Ashley.
22:59
SPEAKER_01: Just remarkable, remarkable women who kept it real, our brilliant Irena Dragon.
23:04
SPEAKER_01: I mean, like the list goes on.
23:07
SPEAKER_01: And I was there and I was like, we got to do something like this on the East Coast where we do CE and we talk about the things we're excited about within periodontics and implant dentistry and all of the things that affect our patients' health is so complex, but also providing a space where women are like, any any attendee, I should say that, just come into the space and they're like, this is a worth it weekend away for me.
23:33
SPEAKER_01: Bringing in a financial expert, bringing in um, you know, anything surrounding health that is all-encompassing for us so that we can really have a great weekend together and maybe collaborate with some of the women in my field who are doing this already.
23:48
SPEAKER_01: But I think that's what's next.
23:49
SPEAKER_01: And maybe that's a 2027 goal, maybe that's a little bit aggressive, 2028.
23:54
SPEAKER_01: And I'm also working with one of my uh colleagues on a mini residency program right now.
23:58
SPEAKER_01: So when I think about leadership and I think about teaching, I always thought I was going to go into a school to do that.
24:04
SPEAKER_01: And I just see the red tape that's up.
24:07
SPEAKER_01: What I can say, what I can't.
24:09
SPEAKER_01: There's always going to be some limit or box I have to put myself into there.
24:13
SPEAKER_01: And it's just not my personality.
24:15
SPEAKER_01: Maybe I'll volunteer to school someday, but I don't know.
24:19
SPEAKER_01: I I said when I left dental school, I was like, I've sat at enough tables with the leaders and the deans and stuff like that as part of student government.
24:25
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, I could be a dean someday, um, maybe once retirement age hits.
24:29
SPEAKER_01: So, and in terms of my profession and giving back, I, you know, just got into the American Academy of Pereontology lead program.
24:37
SPEAKER_01: Thank you, which I applied for three years straight.
24:41
SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
24:41
SPEAKER_01: You want to talk about like showing up before you're ready?
24:44
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
24:45
SPEAKER_01: The qualifications for even applying were like must be in three years practice.
24:49
SPEAKER_01: I'm like first year out, I'm like applying, second year out applying, third year out applying.
24:54
SPEAKER_01: They were like, Morgan, you haven't been practicing long enough.
24:56
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, I just thought a space might open up for me.
24:58
SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm ready.
24:59
SPEAKER_01: I have experience.
25:00
SPEAKER_01: Like, I don't need to wait until three years out.
25:02
SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm ready to go now.
25:04
SPEAKER_01: But I think I'm at probably the best point in my career, life, personally, professionally, to pursue this.
25:09
SPEAKER_01: And I can't wait to see what that experience, the end of September, uh, leads me to or who I'll connect with.
25:16
SPEAKER_01: And I'm just kind of in a position where I'm like, world's my oyster.
25:20
SPEAKER_01: Can't wait to work with really cool people in all different professions to just bring it back to like the mission of welcoming everyone, lifting people up in general, no matter what field, and giving people permission to pull the seat up to the table whenever they're ready or whenever they want to be part of it, because no one's gonna say, like, I think Morgan's ready now.
25:41
SPEAKER_01: We should invite her.
25:42
SPEAKER_01: You know, it's just like do it or don't.
25:45
SPEAKER_00: Right.
25:46
SPEAKER_00: And you're now making and I also love like the mindset you have of so many of us look at a lot of these barriers and we're like, oh, this is too hard.
25:54
SPEAKER_00: Like, let me let me give up.
25:56
SPEAKER_00: And I even too, I watch my um baby, not so baby cousin anymore who is 18.
26:02
SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, I look at some of the industries that she's interested in entering and like fields she wants to go into, and I like try to harp on her this mindset too.
26:13
SPEAKER_00: So I'm sending her this episode.
26:14
SPEAKER_00: But also, it's like, what if you look at it rather than like, here's the places I'm shut out of?
26:19
SPEAKER_00: It's like, here's the door I'm walking through, and I think you do this so well.
26:22
SPEAKER_00: Here's the door I'm walking through, and then bringing everyone else with me, because that's the only way change happens in so many of those industries.
26:31
SPEAKER_00: And I think it's happening in the way you're building your network, also the way you advocate for your patients.
26:36
SPEAKER_00: I love on your social media you always share like patient stories, um, both good and crazy.
26:42
SPEAKER_00: Like, I love hearing all of it too.
26:44
SPEAKER_00: Cracks me up.
26:45
SPEAKER_00: Um, so everyone go and follow.
26:46
SPEAKER_00: We'll have Morgan share all of her socials again because it's incredible to follow.
26:50
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think that's the difference, right?
26:53
SPEAKER_00: Like, so many of us like are in careers or industries where like doing the bare minimum has become with certain generations cool, right?
27:01
SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm gonna do the bare minimum, walk away.
27:03
SPEAKER_00: But like I even think back to when that first um doctor that you saw, like, they didn't have to say anything about your forehead.
27:11
SPEAKER_00: And so to see everything now coming forward and the way that that created a ripple effect of you now advocating for your patients for this industry, I think is something that we should all take away a piece of that and bring and re have that ripple effect into our own industries and careers and whatever that might be.
27:32
SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for saying that.
27:34
SPEAKER_01: It's definitely something I set out to do and I'm very intentional about it.
27:38
SPEAKER_01: And back to like the mediocrity thing and just being okay with like I clock in, I clock out type of thing.
27:44
SPEAKER_01: I've never been that person ever.
27:46
SPEAKER_01: Like there have been some people who have said, well, it's gonna be hard, Morgan.
27:50
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, look at my life.
27:51
SPEAKER_01: When my actions will show you that I have never chosen something simply because it's easy.
27:56
SPEAKER_01: Like, if anything, I make my life harder because I want to be involved in so many things.
28:01
SPEAKER_01: And in terms of my patience, I adore my patience.
28:06
SPEAKER_01: Like, there's there's a trending reel right now that it's like, oh, some providers and meet with my patients and we're like dancing together.
28:11
SPEAKER_01: The amount of hugs that are exchanged at the end of the day because people are like, you've changed my life.
28:16
SPEAKER_01: That's my why every single time.
28:19
SPEAKER_01: I have been so fortunate to be touched by medicine and dentistry in such a way that has inspired me to pursue a career in it and beyond.
28:30
SPEAKER_01: Um, that I want others to feel that way.
28:34
SPEAKER_01: Whether, you know, someone came in to me and was like, I've been so depressed, I lost my husband, and this and that.
28:39
SPEAKER_01: Just like you hear people's stories like a hundred times a week, and you're like, oh my gosh, like I'm gonna count my lucky stars every day.
28:46
SPEAKER_01: How is this person still standing?
28:48
SPEAKER_01: And they were like, I know I've put my health on the side because I've just been so depressed, but like my goal is to get back on the treadmill again.
28:56
SPEAKER_01: And I was like, I have seen the transition from the pipeline from cleaning up your smile, your teeth, your overall health to getting on the treadmill, or whatever your version of getting back on the treadmill is like it does start with me in my chair.
29:11
SPEAKER_01: And when people have that confidence or they can feel their that their health is improving, which is like a tangible thing that I can see.
29:20
SPEAKER_01: Um, you can see it on their blood work report, you can see it on the way that they carry themselves.
29:25
SPEAKER_01: It's just incredible.
29:26
SPEAKER_01: And one of my favorite quotes ever, Caroline, is if you want to go fast, go alone.
29:32
SPEAKER_01: If you want to go far, go together.
29:35
SPEAKER_01: Period.
29:37
SPEAKER_01: Anywhere I go, I feel that the people around me who are willing to take the path less taken, the hard way, because the easy way is to just not give a crap about anything, right?
29:51
SPEAKER_01: It's just like that's the easy way.
29:53
SPEAKER_01: The hard way is to care about everything you're doing and being intentional about it and saying, I'm doing this, I want you to come with me.
30:00
SPEAKER_01: That's hard.
30:02
SPEAKER_01: Um there's a lot of, and it's scary.
30:05
SPEAKER_01: Like I started this social media account to just bring like realness back to healthcare and dentistry and share my story because I have entered spaces largely with male bosses where I have been so undervalued.
30:18
SPEAKER_01: You want to talk about the financial things and link this up?
30:21
SPEAKER_01: Where, you know, starting out in my mother-in-law's like, you know, powerhouse corporate boss lady, former chief of staff at one of the big four accounting firms, where I'm so happy my my husband grew up in an environment where it's like mom's mom's the powerhouse, dad's a business owner who was also powerhouse of a person, by the way.
30:41
SPEAKER_01: And that dynamic was encouraged.
30:44
SPEAKER_01: Um, I don't think I could have married anyone else who didn't, you know, see that dynamic or appreciate it.
30:50
SPEAKER_01: Um, but we were talking about this, and she was like, Morgan, even though you've graduated with these skills after residency, you're still entry level.
30:58
SPEAKER_01: And she kept reminding them, like, ah, I have loans to pay, I have this, I'm part-time everywhere.
31:02
SPEAKER_01: No one's paying for my health insurance, no one's paying for disability, I have no retirement until Caroline.
31:07
SPEAKER_01: You know, like all of these things happening were, and then I once I got board certified a year out, you know, I was like, I have the highest honor within my field now.
31:17
SPEAKER_01: It's time.
31:18
SPEAKER_01: If you want me to stay here, I value myself enough.
31:22
SPEAKER_01: And I see, I see the numbers, I see what I'm bringing to the practice and how I'm growing it financially, how I'm growing it with referring doctors who were just like, I'm looking for a female periodonist because my I have some patients that are like, I've had bad experiences.
31:36
SPEAKER_01: Um, not to say that all men are like this at all, but because it's a largely male-dominated field, people who are afraid of the dentist probably had a male dentist.
31:45
SPEAKER_01: You know, it's like, I don't want to make a cause and effect relationship here, but it's just the stories I hear.
31:49
SPEAKER_01: And they're like, I need someone who's gonna hold my hand and be patient with me and let me cry in the chair.
31:53
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, oh wow, I'll hold your hand and let you cry.
31:57
SPEAKER_01: Here's the tissue box.
31:58
SPEAKER_01: You know, I had a patient telling me a story the other day was absolutely gut-wrenching and heartbreaking.
32:03
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, and then she's telling me how I changed your life.
32:05
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, well, we're both crying now.
32:07
SPEAKER_01: So, and I have no problem bringing that like vulnerable side back in and showing people that I'm also human because I think doctors in general have just been, it's just the way we're trained by the people who are also trained to be that way, of again breaking them down, not to build them up, but creating this like robot-style personality where we don't have any emotions.
32:31
SPEAKER_01: But I think it's also a protective mechanism where we have to kind of protect ourselves and not, you know, carry so much, because I definitely do.
32:40
SPEAKER_01: At the end of the day, I'm getting better at that boundary.
32:42
SPEAKER_01: But it's just people, people feel the authenticity.
32:47
SPEAKER_01: And I've struggled with the idea of professionalism too.
32:51
SPEAKER_01: Like, how can I still be viewed as a professional while being my authentic self?
32:56
SPEAKER_01: Like, I like to joke, I like to prank people, I like to laugh.
33:00
SPEAKER_01: But like when I'm in surgery, I am so present.
33:02
SPEAKER_01: My staff knows there is nothing that's interrupting this moment when I'm with the patient.
33:07
SPEAKER_01: It is a, unless it is a dire emergency, like you are not opening that door to the surgical suite.
33:13
SPEAKER_01: We are here, I am laser focused.
33:15
SPEAKER_01: It's probably the only time in my life I am fully present ever is when I'm in surgery or with when I'm with the patient.
33:20
SPEAKER_01: You have my undivided attention, always.
33:23
SPEAKER_01: Um, with that being said, it's very hard and requires a lot of training in that.
33:28
SPEAKER_01: But I do, I do want people to see that like doctors are humans too.
33:33
SPEAKER_01: And I think it just makes us better.
33:36
SPEAKER_00: I think it's I agree.
33:37
SPEAKER_00: And it changes the patient doctor relationship so much.
33:41
SPEAKER_00: And I think it then has, like I said, that ripple effect.
33:45
SPEAKER_00: So, number one, I'm so proud of everything that you're doing and grateful that you shared your story and are continuing to do all of this work.
33:54
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I hope everyone took something incredible away from your story and are also inspired then to go do the same, even if it's on like the smallest scale.
34:02
SPEAKER_00: I always think things like this can have the ripple effects that we don't even realize or always know about.
34:08
SPEAKER_00: So that's why I thank you.
34:09
SPEAKER_00: And I have one final question for you.
34:12
SPEAKER_01: Sure.
34:13
SPEAKER_00: All right, what is one thing that you do every day that makes you feel wealthy?
34:19
SPEAKER_01: Ooh.
34:21
SPEAKER_01: One thing every day that makes me feel wealthy.
34:27
SPEAKER_01: Oh man.
34:31
SPEAKER_01: Um for me, I don't think it's gonna be money related.
34:36
SPEAKER_01: I think it's just gonna be I feel rich in my life right now because I am in it.
34:44
SPEAKER_01: I have been very intentional of the spaces I want to put myself in, surrounded by people who are high-quality individuals that just value serving others, empowering others, and lifting people up.
35:02
SPEAKER_01: Um in doing that as a provider, it has certainly opened doors up for me that otherwise weren't there, the more authentically myself I'm showing up, which also has some financial ramifications for that.
35:18
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then having the freedom to say, I am gonna do that course, you know, in San Diego, or I'm going to, you know, take time off and walk my dogs and go to dinner with my husband, and just being very in having the freedom to be intentional about what I'm doing feels freeing to me and feels rich.
35:43
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
35:44
SPEAKER_00: That was absolutely beautiful, and that's why I love to ask this question.
35:47
SPEAKER_00: Dr.
35:48
SPEAKER_00: Morgan, if anybody wants to connect with you after this, learn about the social smile network, your practice, chat about the dogs or anything in between, where can they connect with you?
36:00
SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
36:01
SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you so much for having me, and thank you for letting me plug myself here too.
36:05
SPEAKER_01: Um, you can find me on Instagram at drmorgan.perio.
36:09
SPEAKER_01: It's drmorgan.perio.
36:12
SPEAKER_01: On Instagram, that's my like professional account.
36:14
SPEAKER_01: And then I also have at the Social Smile Network too, where you'll see more about like events coming up with our women in dentistry group.
36:22
SPEAKER_01: And through that, you can also join a private like WhatsApp group where like all the conversation and activities going on there.
36:31
SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm on LinkedIn, but I'm not really active there.
36:34
SPEAKER_01: But you can always DM me if there's any questions.
36:36
SPEAKER_01: I have dental students or people interested in dentistry constantly reaching out to me.
36:41
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, how do you select the specialty, this and that?
36:44
SPEAKER_01: So I'm like an open book always, and that's probably the best way to reach me.
36:48
SPEAKER_00: I love it.
36:49
SPEAKER_00: And you don't have to be New Jersey-based to be in the social smile network, correct?
36:52
SPEAKER_01: No, we have women from everywhere: Seattle, Florida, California, the East Coast.
36:58
SPEAKER_01: I have one person from Canada, I think.
37:02
SPEAKER_01: Cool.
37:02
SPEAKER_01: Um, you're welcome.
37:03
SPEAKER_01: Any anyone is welcome.
37:05
SPEAKER_01: Anyone and everyone.
37:07
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
37:07
SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you so much, Dr.
37:09
SPEAKER_00: Morgan, for joining us and everything that you shared.
37:11
SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to have you on again.
37:13
SPEAKER_00: And then we can recap me like, okay, how much have you done since?
37:17
SPEAKER_00: And so uh this was your accountability for it.
37:20
SPEAKER_01: All right.
37:20
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm definitely good at having someone hold me accountable.
37:23
SPEAKER_01: But thank you so much, Caroline, for having me on.
37:26
SPEAKER_01: This has been awesome.
37:27
SPEAKER_01: I am so thankful to have you as a friend, a person who manages my finances and who has taught me so much as well.
37:35
SPEAKER_01: Um, this year, working together has been filled with so much growth, and I wouldn't do it any other way.
37:40
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
37:41
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
37:42
SPEAKER_00: This has been the best way to start the day.
37:44
SPEAKER_00: So thank you everyone for tuning in.
37:46
SPEAKER_00: And I can't wait to see you again next week for another coffee conversation.