Claim OwnershipFilling You In: A Dental Podcast with A-Squared
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Join dentist entrepreneurs, and spouses, Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj for insights from dental industry experts and innovators on current and emerging trends in business practices, patient care and career development and what it takes to be successful in this dynamic field. Perfect for anyone passionate about business, the future of dental care, and dentists looking to become elite clinicians over time.
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“Over time, and honestly through a lot of pressure, we learned that culture isn't something that’s just nice to talk about, it's a system underneath every decision, every handoff, every patient interaction, and every leadership moment.” That’s just one example of the hard-earned, candid wisdom you’ll be hearing from spouses Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj on this episode of Filling You In as we continue their super informative five-part series sharing the inside story of how they’ve built their thriving business, Areo Dental Group.
As you’ll discover in these dynamic conversations, they do not hold back on revealing lessons learned -- sometimes the hard way -- on what it really takes to grow, lead, and sustain a high-performing, patient-centered organization.
In this episode, you’ll learn about:
Moving from culture by example to culture by design;
Why psychological safety is essential for surfacing problems early;
How every hire and promotion reshapes culture;
Guarding against cultural drift.
Don’t miss this special conversation packed with practical insights that can shape your own business and leadership journey.
Mentioned in this episode: Areo Dental Group
Wisdom Drop Warning! This episode of Filling You In: A Dental Podcast with A-squared kicks off a unique and super informative five-part series in which dentist entrepreneurs Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj share the inside story of how they have built Areo Dental Group, a thriving business in the Chicago area, over the last decade. As you’ll discover in these dynamic conversations, they do not hold back on revealing the lessons they’ve learned -- sometimes the hard way -- on what it really takes to grow, lead, and sustain a high-performing, patient-centered organization.
From turning around underperforming practices to managing conflict to building culture to working together as spouses, these episodes are packed with practical, honest insights that can shape your own business journey. Whether you’re a practice owner, emerging leader, or entrepreneur, this series offers a valuable, unfiltered look at what it takes to help employees reach their potential, and build an organization of lasting value.
In this episode on their leadership and management philosophy, you’ll learn about:
Leadership by design (systems over personality)
Transparent performance management
The “leaf-branch-trunk-root” distributed decision making model
How to manage conflict
Mentioned in this episode: Areo Dental Group
“I think turning fear into growth and frustration into opportunity serve you well in entrepreneurship and in life,” says Shiv Gaglani, MD, the founding partner of Ganglia Ventures, who racked up major wins in both realms before he turned forty. Reframing his emotions is just one enlightened element in the formula that has led to Shiv’s remarkable record of accomplishment that includes earning undergraduate degrees in engineering and health policy, as well as an MBA, from Harvard; shepherding the popular and influential Osmosis medical education platform from a start-up to a successful exit; and earning a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. Throw in Forbes contributor, Tedx speaker, author, triathlete, and you are starting to get the picture. On this very special episode of Filling You In with A-Squared, hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group -- who happen to be Shiv’s sister and brother-in-law -- explore the insights he gained throughout his journey and learn about his approach to personal and professional fulfillment.Highlights include:How Osmosis applied insights from social media and streaming platforms to improve medical education.The importance of having deep empathy with your customers.His current areas of investment interest, from K-12 education to proactive healthcare.Don’t miss this wisdom-packed and lively conversation with three successful entrepreneurs reflecting on the key factors to individual and business growth, and the lifelong pursuit of learning.Mentioned in this episode:Ganglia VenturesAreo Dental Group
“Conflict isn’t positive or negative, it’s neutral. It’s what you do with it that determines the outcome,” says Dina Lynch Eisenberg, founder of Talkola, a new AI-powered simulator designed to help leaders practice and improve their conflict resolution skills. In this lively Filling You In conversation with Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group, Eisenberg draws on her decades of experience as an ombuds, mediator, and organizational health expert for clients such as Twitter, Bank of America, and Coca-Cola, to reveal how the superpower of “conflict readiness” can be a competitive advantage for dental practices and other teams, especially when it comes to employee retention. She also illuminates the often overlooked factor of “shadow friction” that erodes trust and productivity over time. Tune in to find out how Talkola’s AI coaching environment helps leaders build confidence through realistic role-play, turning avoidance into empowerment and workplace friction into growth. With a mantra of “less drama, more dentistry,” Dina also addresses:Tips for turning tension into teamwork.How developing conflict skills protects culture, profit, and peace of mind.Why conflict readiness is the next frontier of organizational resilience.Mentioned in this episode:TalkolaAreo Dental Group
Regular listeners to Filling You In with A-Squared have heard many of our guests discuss the increasing presence of artificial intelligence in dentistry, but the focus has mainly been on its use for improving patient flow and operational efficiency. Today, we want to look at AI’s role in patient care, including the development and approval of treatment plans. For that, we turn to Dr. Wardah Inam, the Co-Founder and CEO of Overjet, a leading provider of AI technology for the dental industry, which in just a few years has already had an impact on making dentistry more clinically precise and patient-focused. As Dr. Inam tells hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group, AI-enhanced images produced by Overjet can increase patient comprehension. “People don't understand how to read x-rays, so having a tool that can put colors and annotations and markups on it and bring that x-ray more to life can communicate the diagnosis more effectively with patients.”This engaging conversation with Dr. Inam – who has been ranked among the 32 most influential people in dentistry and listed by Inc. Magazine as a Top 100 Female Founder – also covers:Overjet’s role in smoothing out interactions with insurance plansHow dental schools are using Overjet’s technologyVarying acceptance of AI technology among dentistsMentioned in this episode:Overjet AIAreo Dental Group
On this episode of Filling You In with A-Squared, Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group welcome a pre-eminent force in healthcare media whose popular magazines, newsletters, podcasts and conferences have become an essential source of information and insights for decision makers in the industry. Scott Becker has built the extensive Becker’s Healthcare media platform while a practicing lawyer for over thirty years at McGuire Woods, repeatedly ranked as one of North America’s most innovative law firms. What began with small conferences and a newsletter has grown into a thriving conference business and a portfolio of influential publications. Becker is quick to share the credit for this successful track record with the people he’s worked with. “If you want to grow and do something significant, you've got to build teams and I’ve been able to find people who are givers and have a "thrive-thrive” mentality, not a zero-sum approach. I've also been fortunate to have fantastic partners,” he explains.Don’t miss this insider look at media, law and entrepreneurship in the healthcare space that also covers: Key lessons learned about business growth and investing;Why it’s so critical to address the shortage of doctors in the U.S.;The good, bad, and ugly of private equity’s role in healthcareMentioned in this episode:Becker's HealthcareAreo Dental Group
“Strategic Coach is a platform for entrepreneurs to perform from and multiply their vision for the future,” says Dan Sullivan, its co-founder and president and one of the world's foremost experts on entrepreneurship. More than 20,000 people have enrolled in Strategic Coach to further their personal and professional success, and millions more have benefitted from Dan’s dozens of books, including, Who Not How and 10x Is Easier Than 2x.In a lively conversation packed with useful insights, Filling You In hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group delve into Dan’s fascinating back story to understand the basis of his talent for helping entrepreneurs reach their goals. One key, he shares, is figuring out what their unique abilities are and what they are seeking. “When entrepreneurs tell me their stories, what I'm looking for is the mindset, and if you expand your mindset, then your personal capabilities increase, but also your ability and your desire to really be a great team member.” This super valuable episode also covers: Why a bad decision is better than no decision;The importance of multiplying what is already working;Why Dan prefers to work with entrepreneurs who have no final destination in mind. Mentioned in this episode:Strategic CoachAreo Dental Group
As we’ve learned from our previous guests, the pace of change in the dental field seems to be accelerating all the time, with practices and DSOs striving to keep up. Much of this change comes with legal implications, and we’re going to devote this episode of Filling You In with A-Squared to understanding how to adjust legal strategy with regard to what’s new with partnerships, compliance, and the governance of artificial intelligence. Our expert guide is Jena Taft, Senior Counsel in the Dental Service Organizations Industry Group at Dykema, a leading national law firm, who says the first step practices should take is to make sure their legal house is in order. “The most important thing you can do right now is look internally at what you've already got to make sure it is being done correctly and see how you can update it and fine tune it for current conditions.”In terms of the use of AI in dentistry, Jena stresses the importance of making adjustments with patient privacy in mind. “Many practices have never thought about AI being used to monitor patient calls and what extra problems that might bring.”Join hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group for a conversation that offers a wealth of knowledge on those topics, plus:The importance of robust compliance plans, The evolving nature of partnerships. Risk management for operations and executive teams.Mentioned in this episode:Dykema Law FirmAreo Dental Group
As we've heard from other guests on Filling You In with A-Squared, the slowdown in rapid acquisitions in dentistry due to high interest rates and other economic challenges has resulted in more focus on same store growth. For a closer look at this trend, Areo Dental Group Co-CEOs Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj turn to Santosh Patel, Chief Revenue Officer at Subscribili and co-founder and board member of Complete Specialty Solutions. In those roles, Santosh is leveraging over twenty years of large-scale operations experience in the medical and dental industries to help DSO, group and solo practices grow through technology-driven, operationally sound strategies. Some key advice includes centering your growth on quality, not quantity and focusing on the fundamentals. “Let's understand what's growing, what's working and if we know this works, let's rinse and repeat and not keep doing A, B, C, D tests,” he shares. A newer growth strategy relies on offering subscription plans that drive patient retention and revenue without reliance on insurance approvals. “You're not looking for authorizations, you're not getting denials, and it gives you more flexibility in meeting patient needs.”This insightful conversation also covers:Why Santosh thinks a “concierge” model is coming to dentistry;How to reconstruct your staff learning system to make it more compelling;The role of AI in improving practice operations and patient relations. Mentioned in this episode:SubscribiliAreo Dental Group
Today on Filling You In with A-Squared, our hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj introduce you to one of the fastest growing comprehensive dental groups in the country, which is also one of the most interesting because of its commitment to serving people at all income levels, as well as for its theatrical flair. Rodeo Dental and Orthodontics has nearly 50 locations across Texas, Arizona, and Colorado, providing pediatric and general dentistry, orthodontics, cosmetic care, and specialty treatments to hundreds of thousands of patients every year and garnering more than 60,000 five-star reviews on Google and Facebook. What patients highlight in those reviews is the caring, positive and convenient experience at the core of Rodeo Dental’s mission. “The number one thing that the patients responded to was the friendliness of the staff. It's not your lobby that's going to do it, it's you,” says Dr. Saam Zarrabi, Rodeo’s co-founder and CEO. Tune into this inspiring episode to learn how Dr. Zarrabi and his leadership team have created an organizational culture that produces that friendly attitude as well as efficient patient flow and high quality care. You’ll also learn about: How Dr. Zarrabi’s childhood shaped his interest in serving lower income populations;His deep insights into maximizing patient flow to provide sufficient access to services;How Rodeo creates a fun and engaging environment for patients, especially children, through themed celebrations and creative opportunities.Mentioned in this episode:Rodeo Dental and OrthodonticsAreo Dental Group
If you own a dental practice, are you an entrepreneur or are you just self-employed? Our guest today on Filling You In, Eric Morin, has helped many dentists understand the difference and transform their practices into wealth-generating enterprises. “If you're truly an entrepreneur, that means you're investing in scale, leadership, and have a greater vision for your organization,” he tells hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj. As a business strategist, leadership consultant, and president of Tower Leadership, Eric has empowered thousands of dentists to scale their operations, build lasting wealth and create a life of purpose and freedom. Critical factors in making this transition are having the right mindsets and understanding your identity and how it might be getting in the way of achieving your goals. “If you haven't done your own identity work, start doing it because the way you see yourself and the beliefs you have because of that are everything.”In this fascinating discussion, Eric also highlights:Investing in leadership to scale your practice;Reflecting on your organization's purpose to attract talent;Differentiating between linear and exponential growth strategies.Mentioned in this episode:Tower LeadershipAreo Dental Group
Nearly all of our previous Filling You In guests have mentioned culture as an important ingredient in building successful dental practices and practice groups, but today, we're going to take a deep dive into what that means, how it's created, and how it works. Our guide is Josie Sewell, a trailblazer in the dental industry, known for helping practices across the country improve their culture and performance using a human centered approach. As she explains to hosts Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj and Dr. Anushka Gaglani, it all starts with leadership. “When you have a strong, decisive leader who also respects the contributions of others, it brings a practice to life,” says Sewell, Founder of joyFull People and Co-Founder and Creator of The Dental Operating System. In this uplifting episode we explore Sewell's experiences transforming toxic work environments into spaces of high love and high accountability, and her belief that leadership, empathy, and strategic planning is a blueprint for thriving dental practices. Using a broader lens on the industry, Sewell also discusses the challenges DSOs face, cautioning against ignoring foundational practice-level issues in pursuit of rapid growth. Tune in for many other insights that include: · The importance of developing leadership skills in dental associates;· How to create a culture that nurtures both patients and staff;· Why it’s important to have male and female leadership.This is a must-listen for anyone interested in creating a positive team culture in their organization.Mentioned in this episode:Winning with Dental Associates: 1-Day Masterclass with Dr. Eric J. Roman and Josey SewellAreo Dental Group
If you’re wondering how your dental practice compares nationally, or just want to know what the latest trends are in the sector, today’s show is a must-listen as we welcome Beth Gaddis, Editor in Chief at Planet DDS, to share insights from the company’s 2025 Dental Industry Outlook Report based on data collected from the thousands of practices it serves with software solutions. Headlining the findings is that AI and automation are impacting everything, from the patient journey to insurance verification to claims processing and more, presenting opportunities for improvement of business practices. “Being able to automate the transfer of data so that team members don't have to leave what they're doing and can keep everything within the same ecosystem allows them to be more efficient than ever before,” she tells Filling You In hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj. The report is also loaded with valuable benchmarks of key metrics such as average cancellation rates, number of new patients per month, case acceptance rates and much more. This highly insightful interview with Beth also covers: How the “Gig Economy” model is coming to dentistryNew options for patient financingHow her background in journalism influences her work Mentioned in this episode:Planet DDSAreo Dental Group
Today on Filling You In with A-Squared, we're delighted to welcome a respected voice in dentistry to the podcast who has played a particularly important role in advancing women as leaders in the industry. Dr. Aman Kaur has done this both through her mentoring relationships and through founding Women in DSO, the fastest growing dental association with over 50 partner organizations across the globe. “It has grown because it is built around the needs and gaps women had experienced in the industry over many, many years,” she explains to hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj. Benefits of membership include mentorship programs, wellness programs, legal assistance, and much more, and plans are underway to add elder care, pet care and other benefits that Dr. Kaur describes as “women centric.” Dr. Kaur believes supporting women in these and other ways and boosting their presence in senior roles is not only the right thing to do, but it is good for business. “We just know statistically by having more women in leadership, we will be closer to our consumers because more than 80% of financial decisions of any household are being made by women.” Turning to a broader look at the DSO industry, Dr. Kaur sees growth in joint venture models that align the interests of dentists, DSOs, and financial partners. "You've got to be sitting in the same boat, looking at the same direction, have the same goals." In this highly informative conversation, Dr. Kaur also addresses:How to drive results through clinical excellence and operational discipline;Her perspectives on effective DSO structures and business models;Her take on private equity firms and their role in supporting DSOs.Mentioned in this podcast:Women in DSOAreo Dental Group
To be a successful entrepreneur you need to be all-in, but that creates the risk of letting your business become your identity. Lifetime entrepreneur Steven Neuner – who has built, scaled, and exited multi-million-dollar companies – joins us on this episode of Filling You In with A-Squared to explain how to prevent that from happening and share other insights about how to be successful in business without sacrificing your life priorities. One key step is determining your purpose first and then building from there. In fact, he thinks Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs should be flipped on its head. “Most of the value creation in our personal and professional lives happens by really being intentional around purpose.” Steven helps entrepreneurs achieve new levels of freedom and growth as a strategic coach and mentor, and through his work with Superpowers, a company which matches entrepreneurs with growth-minded executive assistants, a core theme of a book he co-authored called Superpowered. In his wisdom-packed conversation with Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj, Neuner also talks about: Common mindset traps that hold people back; Making sure your priorities do not compete with each other;Finding your superpowers. Mentioned in this episode:stevenjneuner.com SuperpowersAreo Dental Group
You could call Brian Colao a sort of legal midwife for DSOs, because he was in the trenches helping dentists form practice groups even before the term DSO was in use. In fact, Brian’s work has led to legal opinions that helped define the legality of the DSO model and set the standards for compliance and due diligence. As he explains to our hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj, what was a relatively small practice area thirty years ago has blossomed as DSOs have grown in acceptance. “Today, we have about 765 dental clients in all 50 states, six Canadian provinces, Europe, Australia, and Japan. I never in my dreams thought it would get that big.” Beyond laying legal groundwork in the space, Brian, as director of the Dental Service Organizations Industry Group at the Dykema Law Firm, has also been involved in developing new business structures including different types of joint ventures. He’s particularly proud of creating what he calls dedicated specialty program agreements that allow GP practices to integrate specialists who perform singular services -- such as wisdom teeth extractions -- so they don’t have to refer patients out to other providers which, he says, is a win for the specialists and the practice owners as well as their regular patients. “The acceptance of the treatment plan is a lot higher than it ever would be because the patients trust their practice.” In this lively episode of Filling You In with A-Squared, Brian also reveals: How new AI technologies can fuel growth;How Europe’s regulation of dentistry compares to the U.S.;Why he thinks this is the golden age of dentistry.Mentioned in this episode:Dykema Law FirmAreo Dental Group
When discussing consolidation in dentistry, most of the attention centers on profit-driven players such as DSO’s or private equity firms, but there’s not as much focus on what’s driving individual practice owners to seek affiliation or acquisition. Today on Filling You In, we’re going to get a ground level perspective on what’s motivating dentists to join larger groups from one of Areo Dental Group’s newest partners, Michael I. Farr, DMD. By the time Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj connected with Dr. Farr last year, he had established a thriving practice in the Chicago suburbs called Smiles by Farr, but he realized continuing to go it alone might end up holding him back. “The landscape of the industry is changing, and if you're going to keep up with changing times and be competitive, you really need to be affiliated,” Farr shares. In this candid conversation, Dr. Farr also acknowledges he needed help managing inefficiencies and other challenges in his practice. “When you're trying to elevate and improve and take it to the next level, the only way to do that is with a team.” Realizing we shared the same values and vision, Areo Dental Group was delighted to form a partnership with Dr. Farr in order to support him in reaching new goals for his practice.This insightful and fun interview with a special member of the Aero Dental family also covers: What it takes to build a successful team;The lessons about hard work he learned from his entrepreneurial father;Why a guy living in the Chicago area wears a cowboy hat and cowboy boots.Mentioned in this episode:Smiles by FarrAreo Dental Group
Action; Will to Win; Bring the Fire; Close the Gap. You might expect to hear these motivating words coming from a coach during a big game, but you will also hear them in the morning staff meetings at Vision Dental Partners, an emerging practice group with eight locations in Indiana and South Carolina. As you’ll discover on today’s episode of Filling You In with A-Squared, the company’s founder and CEO, Dr. Brad Hughes, has centered his growing business on those concepts. “We focused on those because they tell a story of the people that we want to work with, the people we feel like we are, the way we want the story about our culture and our company to be told,” he tells hosts Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj and Dr. Anushka Gaglani. Of the four, having a bias toward action rises to the top. “I probably say the word action 40,000 times a day. It's like, I can't do it for you. You've just got to do the damn thing. Nobody cares if you screw some things up. I think that’s so important.”Tune in to learn how these core concepts play out in day-to-day operations at Vision Dental Partners and gain from Dr. Hughes’ insights on other key aspects of business success, including: Why he is obsessed with employee loyalty and how to achieve it;The importance of having an efficient schedule;Why he asks team members evaluate his own work.Mentioned in this episode:Vision Dental PartnersAreo Dental Group
Believe it or not, Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj are NOT the only married couple in the dental field that hosts a podcast! Today’s guests, Kim Larson and Bill Neumann, are co-hosts of the top-ranked Group Dentistry Now podcast where they and their guests share the latest news, trends and insights in the space.What makes them so effective as hosts is the deep understanding of the industry they’ve gained over the last decade running the multimedia company they co-founded, also called Group Dentistry Now, which provides news, education, product information, consulting, and other services to DSOs and dental group practices. As Kim explains, one reason they launched the company is they realized there was a lack of information about DSOs, and what was available cast them in a very negative light. “But the more I researched it, I thought, there's so much good that they are doing to help with patient access and clinical training that isn't being shared, so it really became our mission to start a company that would help explain DSOs and groups to people,” says Kim. They’re also focused on keeping people up to date in a rapidly changing industry. “There are more options than ever for dentists looking to transition, to sell their practice, to form a partnership with an organization. If we don't pay attention to that, you'll get left behind pretty quickly,” adds Bill.On this episode of Filling You In, you’ll also hear these trusted voices in the dental industry discuss: Their expectations for the pace of practice consolidation;The course on DSOs they developed for the largest dental school in the US;And what younger generations of dentists are seeking.Mentioned in this episode:Group Dentistry NowAreo Dental Group
Our guest on this episode knows how to put a smile on people’s faces, and not just because he’s a skilled dentist. Dr. Eric J. Roman also believes part of his job is to infuse love into group dentistry and give dental associates the playbook for performance and joy. That’s right up our alley at Areo Dental, where we strive to help our employees uncover their inner greatness and achieve a healthy work-life balance. “The playbook is a six week program where we give associates an accountability coach and a content pathway and some support. I'm giving them the tools, then I'm showing them how to execute on using the tools quarter after quarter because I believe systems create love and systems get results,” says Roman, who has over a decade of experience running high-powered, multi-location dental companies. Based on personal experience, Dr. Roman believes systems can get results in your personal life as well, motivating him to co-found 1LifeSystems a program that helps people create an intentional family life. Join hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group for an uplifting conversation that also provides insights on:How to define a great work culture;Leveraging what’s unique about yourself;Personal performance habits, and much more. Mentioned in this episode:1LifeSystemAreo Dental Group
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