Shows / Next Level Executive
Next Level Executive
For dentists ready to grow from practice owner to business leader. You built a successful dental practice. You show up, you produce, and by every visible measure you have made it. But somewhere between your second hire and your hundredth patient, a new question started forming: what am I actually building toward? Maybe you are wondering whether to bring on an associate, add a second location, or finally have the partnership conversation you have been putting off. Maybe the practice runs well…
Episodes
- Next Level Executive
Your Key Dentist Leadership Skill: How to Think Like a CEO (part one)
Whenever I’m asked how to transition from a clinician to a CEO, I reply with the simple answer, “Just give yourself the title and be done with it.” You and I…
- Next Level Executive
Group Dental Practice Leadership: 4 Surprising Mistakes You Make in Strategic Planning
I’m constantly asked the question, “How do I build a group dental practice that runs without me?” It’s easier said than done, but a major component of it is to…
- Next Level Executive
Leading Your Group Dental Practice: Strategy vs Tactics – What’s the Difference?
Everyone I’ve worked with has the desire to transition from a Clinician to a CEO for one common reason: they’re burned out on clinical services and they want…
- Next Level Executive
Leading Your Group Dental Practice: Key Takeaways from the CEO Working Group Session
“Dental Practice Executive Leadership” probably wasn’t one of the courses offered in dental school, but it has become of paramount importance in building and…
- Next Level Executive
Why We’re Going to Have 2 or 3 More DSOs IPO in the next 18 months
In December of 2025, Park Dental Partners, a doctor-owned and debt funded group of close to 100 practices in Minneapolis, went public. They’re not going to be…
- Next Level Executive
What’s Going to Happen to the Zombie DSOs – and What You Need to Prepare for Now
A few months ago, I dropped an episode on “The Era of the Zombie DSO” where I shared my view on the 50 to 70 PE-backed DSOs that couldn’t get a recap done…
- Next Level Executive
You Should Quit Trying to Scale Your Business
In a world still focused on “10X’ing your business” and “Scale for Sale,” there’s only one problem with all of that: this growth strategy is completely wrong…
- Next Level Executive
Built to Win: a Deep Conversation with Dr. Chris Murphy & Dr. Matt O’Shea
I created a component of my Next Level Executive program called “Entrepreneurial Leadership” for a reason: because I truly believe that you and I can create a…
- Next Level Executive
Doubling Down on Commitment: Should You Stay or Should You Go?
Everyone in this audience is a successful clinician and business owner, but each of us has experienced a point of burnout from owning a dental practice. So, if…
- Next Level Executive
The Last Thing You Need is a Strategy
If you’re going to build a group dental practice that isn’t dependent upon you or your clinical skills, then it had better be one that that executes at a high…
- Next Level Executive
The Most Overlooked, Easiest Tool in Leading for Results
Everyone loves to talk about “scaling your group dental practice” and “growth strategy” for your practice. Sometimes the most obvious answer is right in front…
- Next Level Executive
The 4 Questions that Help Leaders Drive Results
Why do so many successful dentists struggle to become even marginally effective CEOs? To be effective in a leadership role means you have to be able to create…
- Next Level Executive
You’re Ready to be a Leader – Even Though You Don’t Realize It Yet
Many early-stage executives wonder whether they’re truly ready to be a leader. We talk about this “transition from Clinician to CEO” as if it were easy. It…
- Next Level Executive
How to Build a Performance-Driven, Culture-First Group Practice: Dr. Paul Lund & Misty Wales
The late Peter Drucker has a timeless quote that you and I have probably referenced 1,000 times: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” I’ve had enough unique…
- Next Level Executive
My Rescue Plan for Your Mid-Career Crisis
Everyone talks about evolving from a clinician to a CEO. And nobody starts a business expecting to fail. However, every single one of us hits a point when our…
- Next Level Executive
Fundamental Mistakes to Avoid in Recruiting
To create a successful partnership means you must have the right Associate, but to have the right Associate means you have to recruit the right candidate…
- Next Level Executive
Partner Spotlight: Darby Dental
As business owners, we owe it to ourselves to pick our trusted advisory team carefully. One of the areas of greatest opportunity is typically your dental…
- Next Level Executive
Three Critical Reasons Dental Partnerships Fail
Have you ever wondered why it is that after 15 years of ownership only around 2% of dental practices fail, yet industry experts indicate that between 50% to…
- Next Level Executive
Your Associate Isn’t Ready to Become a Partner - and You May Not Be Either
I get more questions about Associate Dentists wanting to become Partners than any other topic. It doesn’t matter if it’s the structure or a buy-in versus an…
- Next Level Executive
The Biggest Decision You Will Ever Make in Your Business
Practically every Associate at some point wants to become a Partner, and most Founders want their Associate to become a Partner. But “time served” is for…
- Next Level Executive
This is the Moment You’ve Been Waiting for
One major difference that separates a great Clinician from a successful CEO is the ability to understand changing market dynamics while living through them…
- Next Level Executive
Welcome to the Era of The Zombie DSO
Many Founder dentists have based their growth strategy on “scale for a sale.” If you’re one of them, you’re not going to like this episode. Today’s world of…
- Next Level Executive
Taking Your Biggest Career Risk - I'll Go First
S3 E2: Your Biggest Career Risk – I'll Go First Everyone likes to talk about transitioning from Clinician to CEO, but nobody talks about what you actually have…
- Next Level Executive
Trailer
Next Level Executive is back — sharper, more focused, and built around the one conversation that almost no one in this space is willing to have with a practice…
- Next Level Executive
Creating a Business that Compliments Your Life: Dr. Ben Tolley & Dr. Geoff McIntosh
All of us should aspire to own businesses that allow for entrepreneurial freedom when it comes to time, money, relationships and purpose. Ever wonder what that…
- Next Level Executive
My Most Popular Episode!
As I'm about to relaunch the podcast, I figured I'd share the episode you've downloaded the most, which is...My Own Personal Journey?! Well, judging by the…
- Next Level Executive
Partner Spotlight: AccessDSO Solutions
As we roll through 2026, I will be sharing some interviews with a few curated company relationships. These are companies I know and trust, and people whose…
- Next Level Executive
A Masterclass on Metrics
I've taken quite a few calls and had a lot of conversations recently that all seem to orient around metrics and benchmarks. Wondering if you're on the right…
- Next Level Executive
The Power of Quitting
To be effective, you have to improve your decision making skills. What happens when you get it wrong? Do you really understand the price you - and your team -…
- Next Level Executive
Leadership in an Emerging Group Practice: Dr. Nate Tilman & Dr. Dan Hostrander
Being an Effective Executive of an emerging group practice is easy to talk about, but hard to accomplish. You're going to learn from two guys directly what it…
- Next Level Executive
Entrepreneurial Leadership: Change, Evolution & Growth
If it's one thing I've learned in my journey as an entrepreneur, it's that "certainty yields comfort, but uncertainty yields opportunity." That being said, I…
- Next Level Executive
Entrepreneurial Leadership: Why I Don’t Have Goals for 2026
Have I lost my mind?! Or is the business SO BAD that I have no possible outcomes for the year?! Not exactly... In this episode, I'll give you a LOT to think…
- Next Level Executive
Partner Spotlight: Gary Bird & SMC National
As we roll into 2026, I will be sharing some interviews with a few curated company relationships. These are companies I know and trust, and people whose…
- Next Level Executive
Effective Executive: Delegation and Sowing the Seeds of Failure
Is your leadership approach one of being "hands off?" Do you like to "delegate and hold people accountable?" Do you want to know what's wrong with that…
- Next Level Executive
Effective Executive: Personal Inflection Points & Key Decisions to Make (part 2)
My audience is filled with growth-oriented entrepreneurs, but no one's growth journey is linear. It's filled with peaks, valleys and bumps along the way. Last…
- Next Level Executive
Chief Clinical Officer Workshop: Key Takeaways with Dr. Jason Tanoory
My Executive group and I just spent two full days with Dr. Andrew Matta diving deep into topics like: establishing your clinical philosophy; developing a…
- Next Level Executive
Effective Executive: Professional Inflection Points & Key Decisions to Make (part 1)
My audience is filled with growth-oriented entrepreneurs, but no one's growth journey is linear. It's filled with peaks, valleys and bumps along the way. In…
- Next Level Executive
Winning at Life AND Business with Dr. Michael Carpenter & Dr. Max Meinerz
We should all hope to build great businesses that compliment the lives we want to lead. Dr. Mike Carpenter and Dr. Max Meinerz are two friends who have done…
- Next Level Executive
Effective Executive: Leadership - “Why does it feel like I’m doing it wrong?”
Have you ever felt that uneasy feeling like you're unqualified for the leadership role you now have? Are you unsure of what the role actually is and how you…
- Next Level Executive
Effective Executive: Dealing with Conflict, Problems & Setbacks
As leaders, we deal with conflict on a constant basis and all too often all we want is to "make it go away." Only rarely does the situation demand true…
- Next Level Executive
Freshly Brewed: Reflections on My First Year
2025 Was an incredible year for me and I learned a lot during those 12 months. My own insights might create insights of your own. This episode is taken from my…
- Next Level Executive
Personal Journeys: from Clinician to CEO with Dr. Ed Hood, Dr. Milton Cook and Bill Ladd
Everybody loves to talk about exits and multiples as some sort of brass ring, but those who fall into this way of thinking overlook one key point of success in…
- Next Level Executive
Entrepreneurial Leadership: Redefining Success
Is your business a point of constant stress that makes you suffer from "the fear of missing out?" Or is it a vehicle that compliments what you want out of…
- Next Level Executive
Partner Spotlight: Jon Fidler of Fidler & Associates
As we roll into 2026, I will be sharing some interviews with a few curated company relationships. These are companies I know and trust, and people whose…
- Next Level Executive
Entrepreneurial Leadership: Winning at Business and Losing at Life
Are you chasing your dream? Or someone else's? Successful entrepreneurs don't suffer from "FOMO" because they're building a business that's congruent with…
- Next Level Executive
Effective Executive: Predicting Your Outcomes through Lead Measures
Everyone loves setting new goals every year. We also love assigning deliverables and holding people accountable. That being said, do you ever wonder if you're…
- Next Level Executive
Effective Executive: Leading from the Front
Reinventing yourself in front of your own team is arguably the most difficult part of any leadership journey. That being said, it's critical to your success…
- Next Level Executive
Effective Executive: THE Key Point of Failure in Your Goals for 2026
Did you spend a lot of time over the Holidays planning out your goals, objectives and "rocks" for 2026? I bet you did...and I bet you overlooked the one key…
- Next Level Executive
Partner Spotlight: Don Watson & Scott Haberman from Eide Bailly
As we roll into 2026, I will be sharing some interviews with a few curated company relationships. These are companies I know and trust, and people whose…
- Next Level Executive
2026 is FULL GAS: Program Details for the New Year!
WOW...has the Next Level Executive program evolved quickly over the last 12 months! What began as a four-quarter curriculum now has an entire second tract of…
- Next Level Executive
Becoming an Effective Clinical Executive with Dr. Andrew Matta
For the first episode of 2026, this one is a sledgehammer! You're going to love this conversation I have with Dr. Andrew Matta. We talk through several…
- Next Level Executive
Reflections on My First Year
This was "Year One" of the new business...and what a year it has been. I recently took some time to reflect on all of it, so I figured there might be a few…
- Next Level Executive
Freshly Brewed: The Fundamentals of Execution (part two)
This episode is taken from the Freshly Brewed essay I recently wrote on that very topic. I hope you enjoy it. If you do, please be sure to subscribe to Freshly…
- Next Level Executive
Freshly Brewed: The Fundamentals of Execution (part one)
This episode is taken from the Freshly Brewed essay I recently wrote on that very topic. I hope you enjoy it. If you do, please be sure to subscribe to Freshly…
- Next Level Executive
Partner Spotlight: Rachel Wall, Inspired Hygiene
For many general dentistry practices and emerging groups, the Hygiene Department is typically an area of untapped potential. It's also a department where a…
- Next Level Executive
Taking Inventory of Yourself: Action, Ambition and Aspiration
I've had quite a few "one-on-one sessions" with the members of the Executive program and I'm hearing a familiar refrain: "WOW, these are great businesses to…
- Next Level Executive
Freedom, Risk & Economic Cycles: My Conversation with Dr. David Phelps
We've all been living in an echo chamber of "DSO Conference of the Month" sessions lately. I recently attended the Freedom Founders "Real Wealth Conference" in…
- Next Level Executive
My Sincere Thanks and Gratitude
As we roll into the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I wanted to take a few minutes and reflect on things I'm grateful for and, more importantly, people to whom…
- Next Level Executive
Maximizing Your Practice: My Interview with Dr. Tarun Agarwal
Dr. Tarun Agarwal is probably a known name to many of you - and for good reason. He has literally done it all in the world of dentistry. He's also a good…
- Next Level Executive
Top "10-12" Mistakes People Make Building a Group Practice?! (part 2)
When someone asks me why they should join the Next Level Executive program, I frequently tell them that "I already know the top 10 to 12 mistakes you're going…