If your practice runs only when you’re watching every corner, you don’t have a business—you have a job with extra stress. In this episode, I sit down with Kiera Dent of Dental A-Team to break down the CEO mindset so you can step out of micromanagement, build a self-managing team, and get your time—and sanity—back.

I’ve lived both sides: the dentist who does everything and the CEO who trusts systems and people. Kiera and I dig into the exact levers that turn chaos into consistency: vision, numbers, and simple systems your team can actually follow. We also talk honestly about burnout, identity, and why delegation (done right) becomes your most profitable “procedure.”

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The CEO Mindset: Why your role is vision, culture, and execution—not every task on the floor.

• The “YES” Model: You/vision → Earnings & profitability → Systems & team development.

• Chaos Killers: Tighten handoffs, morning huddles, block scheduling, and role clarity to stop daily fires.

• Delegation that Sticks: Empower + hold accountable so responsibility never boomerangs back to you.

• Burnout Antidotes: Detach identity from output, build recovery time, and lead with numbers, not guesswork.

• Stress Reducers: Align goals with your actual life, master cash flow, fix one KPI/system at a time.

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Key Takeaways 

00:40 Introduction and Event Announcement

01:50 Understanding the CEO Mindset in Dentistry

03:35 Systematizing Practices for Growth

05:30 Overcoming Micromanagement

08:44 Identifying Chaos Creators in Dental Practices

12:46 The Role of a CEO Dentist

17:25 The Importance of Delegation

22:58 Mindset Traps and Overwhelm in Dentistry

29:14 Reducing Daily Stress in Dental Practices

33:54 Lightning Round Q&A

40:08 Conclusion and Call to Action

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Connect with Kiera

Want Kiera’s help turning your practice into a self-managing, growth-ready business? Here’s where to reach her:

• Website / Consulting: https://www.thedentalateam.com/ — book a call and explore services

• Podcast: Dental A Team Podcast (practical, team-centric systems every week)

• Text Kiera’s Team: 775-243-5100

• Instagram: @dentalateam for tips, playbooks, and event updates

Tell her you heard her on The Raving Patients—she’ll know exactly what you’re after.

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Learn proven dental marketing strategies and online reputation management techniques at DrLenTau.com.

This podcast is sponsored by Dental Intelligence. Learn more here.

This podcast is sponsored by CallRail, call tracking & lead conversion software for dentists. Find out more here.

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