In this episode, Dr Jesse Green sits down with psychologist turned entrepreneur Ali Hill, co-founder of Pragmatic Thinking and host of the Stand Out Life podcast. Ali unpacks the difference between the obligations that come with your position as a business owner and the ones you have simply inherited from social programming or people pleasing, and why untangling the two is the real key to protecting your time. She also shares how she and her husband have engineered their own business around school terms and family priorities, and the honest conversations it takes to hold a boundary once you have set it.

The conversation moves through grit, resilience and the point of diminishing returns, before landing on practical, minimum viable ways to protect wellbeing without adding another task to an already full day. If you are a dental practice owner trying to work out where your practice ends and your life begins, you won't want to miss this episode.

In This Episode:

• 01:20 Ali explains the origin of her "head mechanic" analogy and the psychology patterns she sees again and again in business owners
• 16:02 Separating your position from your person: where genuine obligation ends and inherited expectation begins
• 21:03 Why work and home have always bled into each other, and being kind to yourself about that overlap
• 23:56 How Ali and her husband engineer their business around school holidays, and the honest conversations it takes to protect that boundary
• 27:00 Building a culture of wellbeing in your team by role modelling it yourself, and why numbing so easily gets mistaken for rest

Resources and Links:

• Join the free Savvy Dentist Facebook Group
• Connect with Dr Jesse Green on LinkedIn

Ali Hill's:

• Books, Stand Out, Dealing with the Tough Stuff, and Work from Anywhere
• Podcast, Stand Out Life
• Business, Pragmatic Thinking

Mentioned in this episode:

Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle

If your practice can’t run without you, it’s time for systems - not more theory. That’s why we created the Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle - five powerful, system-driven programs including Front Desk All Stars, the Million Dollar Dentist, Practice Manager Masterclass, Advanced Treatment Coordinator Training, and High-Performance Hygiene. Each course delivers practical, step-by-step systems your team can use every day to build accountability and create a self-managing practice. Save $2,000 for a limited time — visit savvydentist.com/team-training.

Team Training Bundle 2025

Patients rarely say yes to treatment on logic alone. Jesse breaks down why case acceptance language for dentists needs to speak to emotion first, using a "fireside chat" to uncover what is really motivating a patient before the exam even begins. He then introduces the want, need, logic framework, a technique that links a patient's emotional driver to the clinical need you have identified, always closed out with a clear logical reason that prevents buyer's remorse.

Jesse also shows how to scale this skill across a practice by teaching associates conversational frameworks instead of rigid scripts, so team members keep enough structure to guide the conversation while sounding like themselves. If you are looking to boost case acceptance across your practice without feeling pushy or scripted, then don't miss this episode.

In This Episode:

• 01:16 Why people make buying decisions emotionally, then justify them with logic afterward
• 02:38 The fireside chat: uncovering what's really driving your patient before you start the exam
• 03:15 Introducing the want, need, logic framework for presenting treatment
• 07:34 Teaching the framework to associates through conversational structure, not rigid scripts
• 09:45 Overcoming the "salesy" feeling: ethical treatment planning and the 100 reps rule

Resources and Links:

• Join the free Savvy Dentist Facebook Group
• Connect with Dr Jesse Green on LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle

If your practice can’t run without you, it’s time for systems - not more theory. That’s why we created the Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle - five powerful, system-driven programs including Front Desk All Stars, the Million Dollar Dentist, Practice Manager Masterclass, Advanced Treatment Coordinator Training, and High-Performance Hygiene. Each course delivers practical, step-by-step systems your team can use every day to build accountability and create a self-managing practice. Save $2,000 for a limited time — visit savvydentist.com/team-training.

Team Training Bundle 2025

What happens when a 46-year-old walks into a company where the average age is 23, and has to earn the respect of every person in the room? In this episode, Jesse sits down with Stephen Scheeler, the former inaugural CEO of Facebook ANZ and now CEO and MD of Omniscient, a company using AI to map the human brain.

Stephen's career has zigged and zagged through startups, Silicon Valley, McKinsey and big tech, and the dental practice leadership lessons he's picked up along the way are gold for any practice owner navigating change, technology and team dynamics.

From the deceptively simple question (“teach me how to do your job”) to the dangers of unchecked power and the realities of adopting AI without losing your mind, this conversation is packed with insights that go well beyond tech. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the pace of change or wondered how to lead a team that knows more than you do in certain areas, this one's for you.

In this Episode:

• 04:12 The unconventional career path that took Stephen from avoiding work in his twenties to running Facebook's Asia Pacific ad business
• 08:00 The one question Stephen asked over 100 Facebook employees, including Mark Zuckerberg, that changed the way he led forever
• 23:30 Three things every practice owner can learn from Facebook's accountability failures and what unchecked power really costs a business
• 28:00 Why Stephen told his team to ignore AI for two years, and the crawl, walk, run framework he's now using to transform his company
• 38:00 How Omniscient is using AI and connectomics to map the human brain, and what precision brain medicine could mean for the future of healthcare

Resources and Links:

• Check out Omniscient Neurotechnology
• • Join the free Savvy Dentist Facebook Group
  • Follow Dr Jesse Green on LinkedIn
  • Visit Savvy Dentist website
  
  

Mentioned in this episode:

Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle

If your practice can’t run without you, it’s time for systems - not more theory. That’s why we created the Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle - five powerful, system-driven programs including Front Desk All Stars, the Million Dollar Dentist, Practice Manager Masterclass, Advanced Treatment Coordinator Training, and High-Performance Hygiene. Each course delivers practical, step-by-step systems your team can use every day to build accountability and create a self-managing practice. Save $2,000 for a limited time — visit savvydentist.com/team-training.

Team Training Bundle 2025

What if the patients you're losing every month are costing you more than the ones you're spending thousands trying to attract? In this episode, Jesse flips the script on practice growth, arguing that dental practice patient retention, not marketing, is the real lever most practice owners are ignoring.

Jesse introduces the "leaky bucket" problem: new patients pouring in the front door while existing ones quietly slip out the back. He breaks down exactly where those leaks happen, shares a real case study of a Victorian practice that grew from one and a half chairs to well beyond three without spending another dollar on ads, and answers a listener question about fixing white space in the appointment book. If you've ever wondered whether you have a marketing problem or something else entirely, this one's for you.

In this Episode:

• 00:02 Jesse opens a brand new series on the patient journey, starting with where things are quietly going wrong before they ever reach your books
• 00:42 Jesse shares the bucket analogy that exposes the real reason your marketing spend isn't translating into a fuller appointment book
• 01:40 The blunt truth about why most practices don't actually need more new patients, and what they need instead
• 02:16 Inside the Victorian practice that went from one and a half chairs filled to expanding well beyond their original three, without spending another dollar on ads
• 03:13 Jesse explains why Disney holds the gold standard for customer experience, and what dental practices can borrow from the happiest place on Earth
• 04:22 The three sneaky leaks draining your patient base that most practice owners never think to look for
• 04:41 Why unmanaged cancellations and no shows could be costing you more than you realise, and the two-part system Jesse recommends to catch them early
• 05:00 The treatment plans sitting untouched in your software right now, and why reaching out isn't about selling
• 05:37 Jesse breaks down the recall system, arguably the most important retention tool in your practice, and why it's so often mismanaged
• 06:47 A listener question about fixing white space in the books, and Jesse's answer might change the order you tackle your growth plan

Links & Resources:

• Join the free Savvy Dentist Facebook Group
• Follow Dr Jesse Green on LinkedIn
• Visit Savvy Dentist website

Mentioned in this episode:

Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle

If your practice can’t run without you, it’s time for systems - not more theory. That’s why we created the Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle - five powerful, system-driven programs including Front Desk All Stars, the Million Dollar Dentist, Practice Manager Masterclass, Advanced Treatment Coordinator Training, and High-Performance Hygiene. Each course delivers practical, step-by-step systems your team can use every day to build accountability and create a self-managing practice. Save $2,000 for a limited time — visit savvydentist.com/team-training.

Team Training Bundle 2025

What if the biggest growth opportunity in your dental practice isn't more new patients - it's the ones who are quietly slipping away? In this episode of The Savvy Dentist Podcast, Jesse makes a compelling case that patient retention isn't a marketing strategy, it's a wealth strategy. And the numbers, as Jesse lays them out, are genuinely confronting.

Most practice owners are so focused on filling the front door that they haven't noticed the back door is wide open. Jesse breaks down exactly what that's costing you in real dollar terms, shares the story of a practice that turned a leaky bucket into a wealth machine, and gives you the systems and thinking you need to get your retention rate where it belongs. If you're serious about dental leadership and building a practice that sustains you financially for the long haul, this one is essential listening.

In This Episode:

• 00:38 The story of a Brisbane practice and the staggering number of patients it lost over seven years
• 02:00 Jesse runs the numbers on a typical practice and reveals just how much revenue is quietly walking out the door each year
• 02:35 The invisible ways practices lose patients that most owners never even notice
• 03:26 The fix isn't complicated, but it does require something most practices are missing
• 04:55 The story of a practice that was spending $5,000 a month on ads - and still going backwards
• 05:35 What an audit of the recall system revealed, and the gaps that were quietly draining the practice dry
• 06:10 What happened when the systems were tightened up
• 07:09 Why your patient base is your most powerful financial asset, and what's really standing in the way of it being managed properly
• 08:42 Jesse invokes a famous business thinker to settle the debate on whether retention actually matters.

Links & Resources:

• Join the free Savvy Dentist Facebook Group
• Follow Dr Jesse Green on LinkedIn
• Visit Savvy Dentist website

Mentioned in this episode:

Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle

If your practice can’t run without you, it’s time for systems - not more theory. That’s why we created the Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle - five powerful, system-driven programs including Front Desk All Stars, the Million Dollar Dentist, Practice Manager Masterclass, Advanced Treatment Coordinator Training, and High-Performance Hygiene. Each course delivers practical, step-by-step systems your team can use every day to build accountability and create a self-managing practice. Save $2,000 for a limited time — visit savvydentist.com/team-training.

Team Training Bundle 2025

What happens to your dental practice when life throws you a curveball? Not a minor inconvenience - a genuine crisis. Health problems, family emergencies, the kind of stuff that stops you in your tracks. For most practice owners, that's the moment they discover whether their business is a life raft or a dead weight. And the difference, as Jesse shares in this episode, comes down to what you built before the storm hit.

Dental practice financial resilience isn't just about having a rainy day fund. It's about systems - the ones that keep running when you can't. In this episode, Jesse unpacks a real story from a friend who nearly lost it all, breaks down the gaps that almost sank them, and shares practical strategies for price-shopping calls, economic downturns, and reclaiming your agency as a practice owner.

In This Episode:

• 00:44 Why one practice owner's personal crisis became the ultimate stress test for their business
• 01:16 The four financial systems that kept the wheels turning when the owner couldn't show up
• 01:53 The slow leaks hiding in your practice right now that aren't screaming for attention
• 02:44 Why price-shopping phone calls are actually buying signals, and how your reception team might be misreading them
• 03:06 The difference between a script and a framework
• 04:06 How to handle the "how much is a crown?" call in a way that books appointments instead of losing them
• 06:38 What practising through recessions, the GFC, and COVID has taught Jesse about financial resilience
• 07:29 The danger of dental Facebook groups during tough economic times
• 08:25 Why your business results are more within your control than you think — and the skills you need to start building now.

Links & Resources:

Episode 548 — The Four Financial Systems for Dental Practices

• Join the free Savvy Dentist Facebook Group
• Follow Dr Jesse Green on LinkedIn
• Visit Savvy Dentist website

Mentioned in this episode:

Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle

If your practice can’t run without you, it’s time for systems - not more theory. That’s why we created the Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle - five powerful, system-driven programs including Front Desk All Stars, the Million Dollar Dentist, Practice Manager Masterclass, Advanced Treatment Coordinator Training, and High-Performance Hygiene. Each course delivers practical, step-by-step systems your team can use every day to build accountability and create a self-managing practice. Save $2,000 for a limited time — visit savvydentist.com/team-training.

Team Training Bundle 2025

Most dental practice owners are exceptional clinicians. They've invested years and significant money mastering their craft, but when it comes to the business side of the practice? That can be a very different story. In this episode of the Savvy Dentist Podcast, Jesse Green makes the case that running a successful practice isn't about finding the easy button - it's about doing the hard work to master the systems that actually build dental practice wealth.

Jesse unpacks why so many practice owners stay stuck, and what it really takes to move from financially reactive to financially bulletproof. If you've ever wondered whether your money is working as hard as you are, this one's for you.

In this episode:

• 00:44 Why most practice owners have mastered their clinical skills but are leaving serious money on the table when it comes to business
• 01:07 The tennis vs pickleball analogy
• 02:49 The first of four essential financial systems Jesse says every practice owner must have
• 04:09 Why one popular book changed the way practice owners think about money management - and how to apply it in a dental context
• 05:20 What a practice dashboard actually needs to show you
• 07:00 The fourth financial system that ties everything together
• 08:54 A cautionary tale about smart people who lost $100,000 looking for a shortcut
• 11:05 Rachel's Q&A: Jesse walks through a step-by-step framework for working out exactly how much wealth you need to build — and how to reverse engineer it into your practice financials.

• Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
• • Join the free Savvy Dentist Facebook Group
  • Follow Dr Jesse Green on LinkedIn
  • Visit Savvy Dentist website
  
  

Mentioned in this episode:

Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle

If your practice can’t run without you, it’s time for systems - not more theory. That’s why we created the Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle - five powerful, system-driven programs including Front Desk All Stars, the Million Dollar Dentist, Practice Manager Masterclass, Advanced Treatment Coordinator Training, and High-Performance Hygiene. Each course delivers practical, step-by-step systems your team can use every day to build accountability and create a self-managing practice. Save $2,000 for a limited time — visit savvydentist.com/team-training.

Team Training Bundle 2025

In this episode, I chat with Verne Harnish. Verne is the founder of the world-renowned Entrepreneurs' Organisation (EO), with over 11,000 members worldwide. He is also the founder and CEO of Gazelles, a global executive education and coaching company with over 180 partners on six continents. Verne has spent the past three decades helping companies scale up.

In today’s episode, we chat about:

• The 4 key elements that determine why some businesses make it and others fail
• Why you should never make a decision alone
• Ways dentists can compete and scale in a competitive market
• Expert customer service tips
• Finding ways to scale when you love your own craft
• Why you need a daily huddle.

Links & Resources

• Join the free Savvy Dentist Facebook Group
• Follow Dr Jesse Green on LinkedIn
• Visit Savvy Dentist website

Mentioned in this episode:

Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle

If your practice can’t run without you, it’s time for systems - not more theory. That’s why we created the Savvy Dentist Team Training Bundle - five powerful, system-driven programs including Front Desk All Stars, the Million Dollar Dentist, Practice Manager Masterclass, Advanced Treatment Coordinator Training, and High-Performance Hygiene. Each course delivers practical, step-by-step systems your team can use every day to build accountability and create a self-managing practice. Save $2,000 for a limited time — visit savvydentist.com/team-training.

Team Training Bundle 2025