In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Sheila Samaddar, a powerful yet deeply relatable voice in modern dentistry and advocacy. Sheila's story is one many women will recognize — growing up different, navigating spaces not built with her in mind, and slowly discovering that the traits she once tucked away were actually the roots of her leadership. From her early years as an immigrant child learning to belong, to becoming a respected clinician, mentor, and advocate, Sheila shows us what it looks like to lead quietly, intentionally, and with conviction.

We explore Sheila's evolution from introverted observer to confident policy voice, her commitment to uplifting young women in dentistry, and the personal journey of finding clarity and boundaries as a high-achieving woman balancing career, community, identity, and rest. She opens up about the moments she almost quit, the systems she relies on to create ease in her life and practice, and why mentorship and representation are the foundations of her legacy.

Sheila also shares candid insight on being a Key Opinion Leader, the value of integrity in partnerships, the realities of clinical fatigue, and what her next chapter looks like as she continues stepping into a bigger, more expansive version of herself. If you've ever felt "too quiet," "too different," or unsure whether your voice matters, this conversation will remind you that your power is often already there — it just needs space to rise.

What you will learn:

• How introverted women can lead, influence, and advocate without becoming someone they're not

• Why representation matters and how Sheila supports the next generation of women in dentistry

• The role of cultural background, identity, and belonging in shaping leadership

• How to simplify advocacy and make your voice heard in policy spaces

• The systems that create clarity, reduce stress, and support sustainable success

• What it means to build a legacy rooted in mentorship, passion, and purpose

• Where Sheila is headed next and how she's redefining her evolution as a clinician and leader

About Dr. Sheila Samaddar

Dr. Sheila Samaddar comes from a long line of medical professionals and found her passion for dentistry early, helping in her mother's dental office at the age of seven. She earned her undergraduate degree from DePauw University in Indiana, where she participated in a dental mission trip to Sierra Leone, and later contributed to dental aid efforts in Peru and Grenada. She is currently developing bi-annual dental aid services to Haiti with the humanitarian group Archangel Airborne.

After graduating from Howard University College of Dentistry, Dr. Samaddar completed an Oral and Maxillofacial Internship at DC General Hospital and an Implant Residency at Howard University before opening the South Capitol Smile Center in 2008, where she has proudly served her DC community ever since. She is an active member of the American Dental Association, the DC Academy of General Dentistry (President, 2017–present), Greater Washington Women Area Dentists, Renaissance Study Club, and the DC Dental Society. She has also been chosen as a national spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry.

A lifelong learner, Dr. Samaddar earns hundreds of continuing education hours annually and holds numerous professional certifications. She is recognized as Washington, DC's #1 Solo Practitioner for Invisalign, a Gold Plus Provider, and part of the Bethesda Invisalign Store Preferred Providers team. A long-time Capitol Hill resident, she balances her career with family life, raising two children and two rescue dogs. Outside of the practice, she enjoys dance, water sports, musicals, travel, and connecting with her local community. Website: https://www.southcapitolsmilecenter.com/meet-your-dentist-washington-dc/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drshesam/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsamaddar/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drshesam/

About Dr. Meghna Dassani

Dr. Meghna Dassani is a high-performance strategist, biologically-driven leadership expert, and award-winning dentist who helps women stop living overwhelmed and start leading with clarity, strategy, and science.

For over two decades, she built and scaled a thriving dental practice, became a nationally recognized airway sleep expert, and trained thousands of clinicians across the world. But her deeper calling emerged in the conversations happening behind closed doors — with women doctors who were exhausted, overextended, and silently questioning whether this version of success was worth the cost.

Meghna saw a pattern:

Burnout wasn't a mindset issue.

It was a biology issue.

And leadership wasn't a personality trait — it was a learnable system.

That's when The Making of Her was born.

Today, Meghna blends neuroscience, physiology, business strategy, and real-world leadership to help women doctors and leaders operate at their highest level — without grinding themselves into the ground. Her frameworks support women in making better decisions, executing at a higher level, and reclaiming ownership of their time, energy, and results.

Through her mastermind, The Expansion Collective, her newsletter The Audacity Edit, and now The Making of Her Podcast, Meghna is on a mission to give women the tools, language, and systems to rise without burnout — and build the kind of lives they don't need a vacation from.

This isn't self-help.

This is science-backed leadership for women who are done settling.

Meghna lives in Houston with her husband and their two daughters who are her greatest reminders of legacy, courage, and possibility.

The Making of Her is where strategy meets real talk.

Where biology meets leadership.

Where women stop shrinking and start becoming the version of themselves they always knew existed.

Welcome home. Connect with Dr. Meghna Dassani

Website: https://www.meghnadassani.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthysleeprevolution

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meghna_dassani/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@meghna-dassani