Why dental assistants are leaving the profession comes down to something simple: they don't feel valued, and the data backs it up, with nearly half considering a job change in the next two years. If you've ever wondered why your best assistant seems checked out, or you're an assistant who feels invisible on your own team, this episode reframes the whole conversation using an unlikely lens: sports.

Brandi Marzolino, a 20+ year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Kevin Henry, a sports journalist turned 20-plus year dental industry advocate and host of Dental Assistant Nation, the longest running podcast devoted to dental assistants.

Kevin shares why dental assistants are consistently the lowest paid and most overlooked role in the practice, and uses a baseball analogy from his own softball coach to explain why every position on a team, and every role in a dental practice, matters more than people think. This is a fun conversation about a serious topic that every dental leader needs to hear.

You’ll learn:

• Why nearly half of dental assistants are considering leaving the profession, and what's actually driving that number.
• The baseball position analogy Kevin uses to explain why every role on a dental team matters, even the ones that go unnoticed.
• Why dentists hesitate to invest in dental assistant careers, and why that mindset is costing practices good people.
• The story of a coach who turned a player's least favorite position into her greatest strength, and what it teaches about leadership.
• Why professional athletes rely on mental health coaches, and why more dental teams should think the same way.
• Why leaving work stress at work is a skill dental teams can learn from professional sports.
• Why patients can feel it when a dental team doesn't get along, and what that costs a practice long term.

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Woman in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 From sports writer to dental assistant advocate

02:11 What Dental Assistant Nation is and why it exists

06:02 How he started writing for dental assistants in 2005

08:45 The biggest problems dental assistants deal with today

11:46 Why owners hesitate to invest in dental assistant careers

14:39 The baseball position that best fits a dental assistant

15:12 The right field story about being valued on a team

22:13 Why no one wins alone on a dental team

26:32 How pro athletes reset after a bad day

28:34 Why coaches and therapists are a strength, not a weakness

33:03 What every leader can learn from a great coach

Thank you to our episode sponsors!

Check out Avora here: https://getavora.ai/

Check out Archy here: https://www.archy.com/

Check out medix Dental: https://medixdental.com/

Connect with Kevin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinhenryigniteda/

Website: https://www.kevinspeaksdental.com/

Connect with me

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222

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