You read that correctly, we’re wrapping up the Filling You In with A-Squared podcast series, as Drs. Anushka Gaglani and Abhishek Nagaraj explore other channels for sharing lessons learned and the formulas that have spurred and sustained their success growing Areo Dental Group into a thriving business in the Chicago area over the last decade. Over these thirty episodes, A-Squared have had the wonderful opportunity to draw out insights from leaders and innovators across dentistry, other healthcare sectors and business. “On this final episode, we’re taking a step back to synthesize what we heard, highlight the themes that kept showing up, and share the ideas that genuinely reflected and influenced how we think about leadership, systems, and growth,” says Dr. Gaglani.

Key observations include:

• How high-performing organizations are built on systems, not personality or instinct;
• Why growth emerges not from chasing tactics, but from disciplined sequencing;
• Why culture is not aspirational language, it’s a carefully built system;
• What they learned from the experience of being interviewers.

This is a thoughtful close to the series, and a practical lens on how strong organizations are built. Thanks for joining us!

Mentioned in this episode: Areo Dental Group

Could you work closely every day with your life partner? How about running a busy and expanding business?On this episode of Filling You In with A-Squared, Drs. Anushka Gaglani and Abhishek Nagaraj share the model that has spurred and sustained their success growing Areo Dental Group into a thriving business in the Chicago area over the last decade. For Dr. Gaglani, clear ownership of responsibilities is key. “Early on at our first practice, we were both involved in most decisions which felt collaborative, but in practice it created overlap, rework, and confusion for our team about where final decisions actually came from,” she shares. Clearly defined lanes based on each person’s strengths also accelerate decision making speed and quality, a big plus for a growing enterprise.

And what about the disagreements that are bound to come up between all business managers? The key here, Dr. Nagaraj says, is separating issues from individuals. “Not all disagreement is bad, right? So we’ve made it part of the governance structure and make sure that it is framed around criteria and not positions, and certainly not around ego.”

You’ll also learn about these crucial topics:

• How to maintain boundaries between work and home;
• Preventing the executive partnership from being a bottleneck;
• Why working together at the executive level requires more structure, not less.

This is an honest, fascinating look at the personal dynamics and operational framework that allows the business and private spheres to thrive simultaneously.

Mentioned in this episode: Areo Dental Group

This is a must-listen episode for anyone involved in taking over a business and trying to move it to profitability as quickly as possible. “In our experience, speed doesn't come from doing everything at once. It comes from understanding what actually matters first, what can wait, and what will quietly break the business if you ignore it,” says Dr. Anushka Gaglani, Co-CEO at Areo Dental Group.

And, as she and her business and life partner Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj share on this on this episode of Filling You In, keeping the long game in mind is also critically important. “We're not just thinking about getting back to profitability. We're thinking about building something that can stay really healthy after that initial push is over,” he says.

Drawing on their experience successfully turning around multiple practices in the Chicago area, Anushka and Abhishek offer tested approaches to handling the many moving parts in these projects, including:

• The three core benchmarking layers;
• Distinguishing symptoms from root causes;
• Change management and team buy-in.

You’ll leave this conversation with a roadmap of practical steps and leadership moves that can shape your own business journey, plus the kind of candid advice that’s hard to come-by as we continue this super informative five-part series.

Mentioned in this episode: Areo Dental Group