In this episode of Doc Secret, our guest is Perrin DesPortes, founder of The Next Level Executive. A fourth-generation dental industry professional, Perrin shares a compelling journey from his early days in the family dental supply business to becoming a respected leader in M&A advisory and strategic consulting for group dental practices. After a formative 15-year tenure at Patterson Dental and co-founding two successful startups—Tusk Partners and Polaris Healthcare Partners—Perrin now coaches healthcare entrepreneurs through his solo venture. He reflects on pivotal mentorship, the challenges of leaving corporate stability for entrepreneurship, and the personal risks that defined his leadership style. With decades of insight, Perrin offers a candid view of private equity’s impact, the evolving dental landscape, and how AI and automation are reshaping the patient experience. This episode explores themes of transformation, risk, leadership, consolidation, and long-term strategy in healthcare.

Doc Secret is sponsored by Quantics Marketing, LLC. https://www.quanticsmarketing.com/

00:00 – Meet Perrin DesPortes: From Family Business to Founder  

05:12 – Early Lessons from the Dental Supply World  

15:04 – The Patterson Years: Climbing the Corporate Ladder  

29:35 – Taking Big Risks: Rebuilding a Failing Branch  

42:10 – The Leap into Entrepreneurship with Tusk and Polaris

58:27 – Launching The Next Level Executive: Going Solo  

01:15:44 – Leadership, Burnout, and Knowing When to Walk Away

01:33:20 – Industry Trends and the Role of AI in Dentistry  01:47:03 – Private Equity, Recapitalizations, and Market Strategy  

02:04:50 – Lightning Round and Close  

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In this episode of Doc Secret, our guest is Dr. Andrew Koenigsberg, Co-Owner of Gallery 57 Dental and Founder of CAD/CAM Excellence. Based in Midtown Manhattan, Andrew shares how a single moment of inspiration with CEREC technology reshaped the course of his career—from solo practice to pioneering same-day, tech-driven prosthodontics. He reflects on building a practice around advanced CAD/CAM workflows, operating a full in-house lab, and working alongside his daughter in one of the rare father-daughter duos in dentistry. We explore his philosophy on technology adoption, the real reason he invests in innovation, and the underappreciated value of learning curves. From practice-building and patient expectations to AI integrations and the future of prosthodontics, this conversation is packed with insights on growth, leadership, and legacy.

Doc Secret is sponsored by Quantics Marketing, LLC.
https://www.quanticsmarketing.com/

00:00 – Welcome to Doc Secret & Meet Dr. Andrew Koenigsberg
01:45 – Falling in Love with CEREC: A Career Pivot
03:30 – Designing a Practice for Same-Day Dentistry
05:00 – Father-Daughter Dentistry and Practice Culture
07:00 – Building a Lab-Centric Workflow
10:00 – Challenges of Marketing a Unique Model
13:30 – Tech Adoption vs ROI: A Values-Based Approach
21:30 – Emergency Dentistry, Real-Time Treatment Cases
25:20 – How AI is Entering the Practice—Today
44:00 – Lightning Round and Close

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In this episode of Doc Secret, our guest is Marjorie Kreppel, Founder of the Counseling Center Group. After a 20-year career in marketing, Marjorie made the leap into mental health, applying her business expertise to build a 60-person therapy practice spanning seven states. She shares how loneliness became both a societal concern and personal catalyst, leading her to create a community-based care model focused on connection and evidence-based treatment. From scaling challenges and early structural missteps to building a leadership team and rigorous clinical standards, Marjorie offers a transparent look at the realities of growing a large private practice. She also discusses the power of EOS, the limits of current EMR systems, and her vision for integrating AI into behavioral health. This episode touches on themes of growth, leadership, systems thinking, and the future of therapy.

Doc Secret is sponsored by Quantics Marketing, LLC.
https://www.quanticsmarketing.com/

00:00 – Meet Marjorie Kreppel: From Marketing to Mental Health

01:38 – Loneliness as the Underlying Mental Health Crisis

04:38 – From Solo Therapist to Business Builder

07:16 – Scaling Mistakes: What She’d Never Do Again

10:22 – Coaching, EOS, and the Power of Outside Mentorship

13:52 – Core Values and Hiring with Intention

16:36 – Clinical Excellence and Evidence-Based Treatment

18:29 – The Challenge of Self-Funding Rapid Expansion

20:07 – Building Backend Systems Without EMR Integration

22:07 – Exploring AI, Carefully and Strategically 

47:00 – Lightning Round and Close

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In this episode of Doc Secret, our guest is Ella Laniado, Training Director at Brookline Adult and Child Counseling. After being diagnosed with OCD herself, Ella's path into therapy was deeply personal—fueled by her own healing, a passion for human connection, and transformative experiences in social work. From her first steps as a therapist battling imposter syndrome, to becoming a licensed clinician in three states, Ella has developed an adaptive, client-centered approach to OCD and anxiety treatment. She shares how ERP, trauma-informed CBT, and building trust through rapport and humor form the backbone of effective care, especially across diverse settings. Ella also reflects on clinician burnout, training the next generation of therapists, and the evolving accessibility challenges in mental health. This episode unpacks themes of clinical nuance, leadership, trauma, flexibility, and purpose-driven practice.

Doc Secret is sponsored by Quantics Marketing, LLC. https://www.quanticsmarketing.com/

00:00 – Meet Ella Laniado: From Patient to Practitioner
02:55 – How OCD and Personal Therapy Shaped Her Career
05:01 – First Week in Practice and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
09:59 – Lived Experience: Building Rapport and Validating Discomfort
14:30 – What Is ERP and Where OCD Care Falls Short
17:18 – Treating Kids vs. Adults: Play, Parents, and Progress
21:47 – Creative Interventions and Rethinking OCD Tools
27:50 – Teaching ERP: Flexibility Over Rigidity
33:10 – Trauma-Informed ERP and Diagnosing with Care
49:08 – Lightning Round and Close

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In this episode of Doc Secret, our guest is David Harris, Founder and CEO of Prosperident. With a background that spans military service, banking, and forensic accounting, David shares his extraordinary journey to becoming dentistry’s foremost expert on fraud and embezzlement. His career was sparked by a single phone call from a friend who suspected theft in his dental practice—and what followed was the birth of an investigative powerhouse. David recounts jaw-dropping stories from three decades in the field, highlights the psychological and financial toll of embezzlement, and offers practical advice for practice owners, DSOs, and investors alike. From red flags to internal controls, he provides a rare inside look at how trust is broken and how to rebuild systems for financial safety. If you're a practice leader balancing growth, people, and risk, this conversation is an indispensable deep dive into leadership, systems, and accountability.

Doc Secret is sponsored by Quantics Marketing, LLC.
https://www.quanticsmarketing.com/

00:00 – Meet David Harris: From Army to Forensic Accounting
01:13 – The First Case: A Pegboard, a Cheat Sheet, and a Career Begins
06:44 – Starting Prosperident: From One Client to an Industry
12:03 – Gaining Trust in the Dental Community
16:10 – Why Dental Practices Are So Vulnerable
19:43 – Profiles of a Thief: Behavior Over Background
23:17 – How Embezzlement Stays Hidden
33:09 – Emotional Damage: When Trust Is Broken
40:12 – Controls That Actually Work
59:25 – Lightning Round and Close

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In this episode of Doc Secret, our guest is Rachael Jones, Co-Founder and Therapist at Trailhead Therapy PLLC in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and co-creator of the Nurturing Balance framework. Rachael shares her journey from graduate school, where she forged lifelong partnerships, to launching a private practice and becoming a therapist specializing in perinatal mental health. With deep insight into therapist burnout, she discusses how she built a sustainable practice rooted in collaboration, boundaries, and bandwidth-conscious decisions. Rachael also reveals how she and colleague Molly Bass transformed years of clinical insight into Nurturing Balance, a powerful tool that promotes equitable division of labor during the perinatal period to protect mental health. Their research-backed program, now gaining traction across therapists, doulas, and healthcare providers, is expanding into new formats for greater accessibility. This episode explores themes of leadership, productization, mental health, innovation, and work-life design.

Doc Secret is sponsored by Quantics Marketing, LLC.
https://www.quanticsmarketing.com/

00:00 – Meet Rachael Jones: Therapist, Co-Founder, Product Co-Creator
01:36 – A Personal Path to Therapy and Graduate School Bonds
04:48 – Starting a Practice and Starting a Family
06:23 – Burnout, Bandwidth, and Building Differently
08:01 – The Power of Partnership: Working with Mackenzie
11:17 – Slow Growth, Strong Networks, and AI as a Bandwidth Saver
17:33 – Boundaries, Niches, and Therapy Beyond the Room
21:30 – Nurturing Balance: A Framework for Equity in the Perinatal Period
27:54 – Conference Debut and Bringing the Vision to Life
40:48 – Business Partnership, Product Strategy, and Go-to-Market
52:40 – Lightning Round and Close

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In this episode of Doc Secret, our guest is Dr. Devish Patel, Founder and CEO of Enamel Dentistry, a growing group practice with 10 locations across Austin and McKinney, Texas. Dr. Patel shares how a passion for hospitality, transparency, and cutting-edge technology shaped his path from a single startup clinic to a tech-forward group practice. He dives deep into how his team integrates Artificial Intelligence —from diagnostic tools like Pearl and Overjet to patient communication and revenue cycle management systems—to drive efficiency and enhance care. Dr. Patel opens up about early missteps, practical wins, and the real ROI of emerging technologies, while emphasizing team training, empathy and patient trust. From automating clinical documentation to reshaping the patient experience, he offers a grounded and forward-looking perspective on what it means to scale with innovation. This episode explores themes of leadership, digital transformation, operational strategy, and the rapidly evolving role of AI in dentistry.

Doc Secret is sponsored by Quantics Marketing, LLC. https://www.quanticsmarketing.com/

00:00 – Meet Dr. Devish Patel: Building Enamel Dentistry
01:43 – From One Office to Ten: A Growth Story
03:16 – Transparency, Trust, and Tech-Forward Care
04:45 – First AI Tools and Why They Started with Pearl
06:10 – Patient Experience, Ops, and AI Categories
08:41 – Evaluating Vendors: Pilots, Feedback, and ROI
11:59 – Tech Hits and Misses: Voice AI and Patient Reactions
17:21 – Team Culture and the Human Side of AI
21:45 – Business Acumen, Scaling, and Leading by Example
43:27 – Lightning Round and Close

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In this episode of Doc Secret, our guest is Varuna Trivedi, Clinical Director at Cedar Plaza and Martha Lake Veterinary Clinics in Seattle. Originally trained as a dentist in Mumbai, Varuna shares her unconventional journey from clinical dentistry to operations leadership across dental and veterinary medicine. After immigrating to Canada and pivoting through a Master’s in Health Administration, she rose through the ranks in a DSO, managing 10 dental clinics and overseeing M&A transitions. Now in VetMed, she applies her operational expertise to multi-site veterinary practices, navigating challenges in staffing, scaling, and client care—all while championing culture, communication, and compassion as the keys to sustainable growth.

Doc Secret is sponsored by Quantics Marketing, LLC. https://www.quanticsmarketing.com/

00:00 – Meet Varuna Trivedi: Dentist turned Veterinary Clinical Director 

01:20 – Growing up in Mumbai: Education, independence, and dentistry 

04:08 – The leap from dentistry to healthcare operations in Canada 

06:09 – Running 10 dental clinics and learning the DSO playbook 

13:26 – How Varuna broke into operations with no Canadian experience 

16:57 – Scaling lessons from acquisitions and partnerships 

25:47 – Transitioning from dentistry to veterinary medicine 

32:59 – The biggest challenge: staying consistent while scaling two hospitals 

37:22 – Surprising differences in regulation between veterinary medicine and dentistry 

43:19 – Forward booking: A dental practice system now revolutionizing vet care

1:06:51 – Lightning Round and Close

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In this episode of Doc Secret, our guest is Ken Kaufman, CFO, author, and seasoned leader in the dental support organization (DSO) space. With decades of experience scaling multi-location practices and guiding private equity-backed groups, Ken shares how financial clarity—through tools like accrual accounting, cash flow insights, and ROI-based decision-making—can transform dental businesses. Drawing on lessons from his book and real-world DSO leadership, he explains why prioritizing systems, data, and education are key to sustainable growth in a rapidly evolving dental landscape.

Doc Secret is sponsored by Quantics Marketing, LLC. https://www.quanticsmarketing.com/

00:00 – Meet Ken Kaufman: DSO CFO, investor, and co-author of Financial Secrets 

01:13 – Ken’s journey from fractional CFO to dental finance leader 

02:11 – Unlocking growth: How culture and latent opportunity drive DSO success 

04:29 – The hardest leap: Why going from 1 to 2 practices is a make-or-break move 

06:52 – What “financial clarity” really means and why it matters 

09:38 – Red flags: How to tell if your practice is financially disorganized 

11:35 – The #1 clarity tool owners ignore (and why prioritization matters) 

12:55 – Cash flow: The ultimate measure of business health 

16:30 – Why accrual accounting is critical—and how it impacts valuation 

26:14 – Post-PE: Why great operators and clear systems determine who thrives

39:41 – Lightning Round and Close

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In this episode of Doc Secret, our guest is Danny Abraham, serial entrepreneur and founder of Orca Dental AI. Drawing inspiration from his father’s orthodontic practice and a passion for technology, Danny shares how he built CephX—an AI-powered dental imaging platform now FDA-cleared and used globally. He explains how AI is transforming orthodontic workflows, reducing time and enhancing clinical insight, while also addressing compliance and regulatory needs for DSOs. Danny dives into the challenges of scaling in a regulated space and how early adoption of dental technology will separate elite practices from the rest.

Doc Secret is sponsored by Quantics Marketing, LLC. https://www.quanticsmarketing.com/

00:00 – Meet Danny Abraham: Founder of OrcaDental AI and CephX

01:10 – From tech startup to dental AI: Danny’s personal and professionaljourney

02:52 – The “aha moment” that sparked automation in dental imaging

05:13 – How CephX works in real-world orthodontic practices

08:00 – Example: Automating cephalometric analysis to save hours every month

10:14 – AI-driven airway evaluations and alerts for clinical decision-making

12:30 – Scaling across North America, DSOs, and the rise of compliance in dentistry

19:05 – What AI will disrupt next

24:47 – A vision for 2030

34:19 – Advice to founders: Solve big problems, not just isolated features

38:45 – Lightning Round and Close

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