Payman meets Kunal Thakker, the founder of Tooth Club, a rapidly growing dental practice group in the UK.

Kunal shares his journey from a career in banking to disrupting the dental industry, discussing his approach to creating a patient-centric experience, scaling a dental business, and the challenges of maintaining quality while expanding. 

He offers insights into his marketing strategies, recruitment practices, and the importance of company culture in building a successful dental group.

In This Episode

00:04:35 - Backstory

00:09:50 - From finance to dentistry

00:21:10 - Tooth Club

00:25:25 - Setting up squats

00:31:25 - Recruiting and retaining

00:37:35 - Measuring success

00:43:00 - Painless injections

00:49:55 - Management and structure

00:57:30 - Marketing

01:08:25 - Ethics and motivation

01:25:35 - Blackbox thinking

01:27:20 - Fantasy dinner party 

01:28:20 - Last days and legacy

About Kunal Thakker

Kunal Thakker is a former executive director at Goldman Sachs and the founder of Tooth Club—a membership-based chain of dental practices.

Payman Langroudi chats with Mark Allan, General Manager of Bupa Dental Care. Mark shares insights into leading one of the UK’s largest private healthcare organisations, discusses current challenges and opportunities in the dental industry, and offers valuable leadership advice. 

The conversation touches on corporate dentistry, talent acquisition, the importance of listening to frontline staff, and how tech is shaping the industry’s future.

In This Episode

00:00:55 - Dentistry—first impressions

00:06:00 - Bupa's brand, reputation and impact

00:10:30 - Organisation and structure

00:14:15 - Recruitment and career progression

00:24:50 - Frontline staff and corporate strategies

00:28:35 - Dental insurance

00:33:55 - Leadership approach

00:38:35 - Work-life balance

00:47:45 - Bupa's acquisitions and strategy

00:52:50 - Data and AI

01:06:35 - Fantasy dinner party

01:14:35 - Last days and legacy

About Mark Allan

Mark Allan is the General Manager of Bupa Dental Care. Prior to this role, he served as General Manager for Business & Specialist Products in Bupa's UK Insurance business, responsible for the commercial leadership of business & specialist products, SME and corporate channels for private medical and dental insurance.

Manrina Rhode recounts her journey from practice fresh from dental school in high-end London clinics to owner and CEO of the upscale DRMR practice and medical skincare line.

She discusses her experiences in cosmetic dentistry, teaching, product development, and practice management. Dr. Rhode also opens up about personal challenges, including divorce and loss, and how these experiences have shaped her both personally and professionally. 

In This Episode

00:01:15 - Evolution of Veneers

00:04:35 - Backstory and pursuing dentistry

00:16:35 - Early career

00:41:35 - Work ethic and generational differences

00:54:50 - Personal Challenges

01:07:00 - Practice ownership

01:21:45 - Product development

01:29:30 - Teaching and mentoring

01:46:35 - Quick-fire questions

01:50:50 - Fantasy dinner party

01:51:50 - Last days and legacy

About Manrina Rhode

Manrina Rhode is a cosmetic dentist and founder of the DRMR dental clinic, aesthetic studio and medical skincare brand.

This week, we take a walk into the archives with a look back at an early conversation with a true dental leader.

Andy Moore discusses balancing his stellar career with a healthy, happy home life, reveals the story behind his architecturally stunning practice, and gives a peek into hanging out with Richard Branson and Larry Page. 

Enjoy!

In This Episode

02:12 – The perfect environment for practice

13: 07 – The power of delegating

15:03 – Hiring process – an oft-overlooked trait

18:43 – Achieving work-life balance

25:21 – Getting into implants

35:13 – A life-changing case

47:05 – Teaching other dentists

About Andrew Moore

Andrew is a dentist, educator and owner of Advance Dental Clinic, which was given an award for design by the Royal Institute of British Architects. 

We’re stepping back into the deepest recesses of the archives this week with a look back at one of our earliest conversations with Harley Street Dental Group founder, Mark Hughes.

Mark reflects on learning from setbacks to achieve success, reminisces about his globetrotting days, and reveals the unlikely design inspiration behind his trailblazing Harley Street practice.

Enjoy!  

In this episode:

02:34 – Backstory

06:04 – Choosing a career path

10:02 – University – highs and lows

11:10 – Mark’s travels

18:23 – Owning and growing a practice

26:15 – Working on strengths and weaknesses

33:21 – Boutique inspiration

34:58 – Define Clinic

38:13 – Choosing a business partner

41:18 – Mark’s educational program for dentists

55:43 – Mark’s biggest mistake

56:21 – A clinical tip

59:44 – Success stories

About Mark Hughes

Mark Hughes is an award-winning cosmetic dentist and founder of the Harley Street Dental Group chain of London-based clinics.

In this solo episode of the Dental Leaders podcast, Prav discusses the importance of humanising the sales process in dentistry. 

He touches on the need to move away from rigid, formulaic approaches and instead focus on connecting with patients as one would with friends or family. 

Prav provides practical advice on handling conversations about treatment costs, addressing patient concerns, and securing commitments. He stresses the importance of confidence, open communication, and understanding the patient's perspective to create a more effective and natural sales process.

In This Episode

00:01:35 - Rrigid sales processes

00:02:45 - Inner confidence

00:04:30 - The 'dance'

00:09:00 - Expectations and frank conversations

00:15:30 - Upselling and cross-selling

About Prav Solanki

Prav Solanki is a marketing scientist and dental growth specialist who has supported countless dental professionals and organisations to achieve stellar growth.

He is a co-owner and director of IAS Academy and founder of The Fresh, the UK’s leading dental growth and marketing agency.  

His latest project, Leadflo, is described as the world’s most advanced CRM for dental clinics.

Adam Marsh and Ala Rozwadowska, the creators of Dental Audio Notes (DAN), an AI-based platform for recording and managing dental patient consultations.

Adam and Ala discuss the importance of capturing emotions and sentiment in patient interactions and share their vision for revolutionising communication in dentistry. 

The conversation delves into the technical aspects of their AI-powered software, its benefits for dentists and patients, and the future of dental record-keeping. 

Enjoy!

In This Episode

00:02:40 - Backstory

00:19:40 - DAN in practice

00:32:55 - Tech specs

00:41:35 - Consent and communication

00:47:35 - AI

00:57:35 - Capturing sentiment and emotion

01:16:20 - Features and getting started

01:27:35 - Last Days and Legacy

About Adam Marsh and Ala Rozwadowska

Adam Marsh and Ala Rozwadowska are the founders of the DAN AI platform which supports dentists in creating complete, accurate and contemporaneous records by secure audio recording.

This episode of Mind Movers features Sonia Szamocki, founder of 32Co clear aligner training startup Sonia shares her journey from studying medicine at Oxford University to becoming an entrepreneur in the healthcare tech space.

The conversation covers Sonia's early life and education, her time at Oxford, and her transition from practising medicine to consulting at Boston Consulting Group. 

Sonia discusses the challenges she faced in her career, including burnout and the difficulties of balancing work and personal life.

In This Episode

00:02:55 - Backstory

00:06:00 - Oxford University

00:11:35 - Medicine to consulting

00:16:35 - Work-life balance and burnout

00:23:25 - Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

00:30:40 - Healthcare and NHS challenges

00:37:35 - Culture and generational differences

00:41:45 - Darkest days

00:48:40 - Family, work and gender

00:58:55 - 32Co

01:14:35 - Advice for young female entrepreneurs

About Sonia Szamocki

Sonia Szamocki is a dentist and founder of the 32Co clear aligner training platform.

Payman chats with Instagram favourite Teki Sowdani, who shares his journey from his initial work experience to his time at Sheffield University. 

He discusses growing up in Essex with Iraqi parents, and how this shaped his perspective.

Teki also discusses his meteoric career progression, and rise to prominence on social media, and his journey into practice ownership. 

He candidly discusses the professional and personal challenges he faced, including a medical diagnosis that profoundly impacted his life and career outlook.

In This Episode

00:01:55 - Backstory

00:05:55 - Study

00:08:15 - Outsider mentality

00:11:35 - Early career

00:15:15 - Social media

00:21:10 - Cancer

00:31:25 - Clear aligners

00:45:20 - Darkest day

00:54:50 - Composite bonding

01:04:35 - Dental monitoring

01:20:45 - Practice ownership and management

01:24:50 - Teki's future plans and potential sale of his practice

01:30:40 - Final questions: fantasy dinner party guests and life advice

About Teki Sowdani

Teki Sowdani is the founder and owner of London-based Teeth by Tekki clinic and a prominent voice on Instagram under the @teeth_by_teki handle.

This episode of Mind Movers features Hunter Michael Shepard, a recovery advocate and content creator who shares his personal journey through addiction and recovery.

Hunter discusses his early experiences with drugs, starting at age 12 with Adderall, alcohol, and marijuana. 

The conversation covers Hunter's rock-bottom moments and the impactful words that led to recovery. him to seek treatment seriously. Hunter describes his rehab experience and early recovery, including how he began creating content about his journey.

In This Episode

00:02:20 - Backstory

00:04:15 - ADHD and overmedication

00:06:00 - Drug use

00:12:10 - Hunter's experiences in juvenile prison

00:24:35 - Addiction and relationships

00:31:25 - Opioid crisis

00:37:35 - Reaching rock bottom

00:43:15 - Recovery

00:56:30 - Addiction intervention and management

01:03:35 - Breathwork and community

01:08:25 - Recovery advocacy

01:11:30 - Future plans

About Hunter Shepard

Hunter Michael Shepard is a recovery advocate and content creator who overcame a severe drug addiction that began at age 12. Hunter now works as an interventionist and case manager, helping others struggling with addiction. He's known for his social media presence, where he shares his recovery journey and provides support to those in need.