Love Your Practice

Story vs. Fact Welcome to the 8th episode! I just want to give a shoutout to all my fans and say "thank you!". Starting a podcast has been on my to-do list forever, but I've been doing this for a month now and I couldn't be happier. I asked for reviews and you guys responded in droves! It's been such an amazing experience that I've decided to share it with everyone. I'll be reading a review before each of my episodes from here on out just so any new listeners - and my longtime ones too! - can really engage with what others are saying. What I'm talking about to do is such a freeing concept. Once you hear about it you're going to feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders. That concept is Story vs. Fact, and it's going to give you a brand new perspective on your career. You're going to look at your dental practice in a whole new light, I promise. Story vs. Fact isn't about the news or social media. The stories and facts I'm talking about are our own interpretations of the world around us. Our five senses are responsible for interpreting all the data and all the emotions we run into as we go through our day on this planet. We see, taste, smell, hear, and feel everything in the world around us, and we organize this information based on how it affects us. Unfortunately, you can't always trust these interpretations because your brain gets very comfortable with routine data, and it can sometimes rush over or stress over certain data points. Think about it. When you hear some bad news at your dental office, your brain starts running over all the possible outcomes. These possibilities aren't always positive ones because your brain is trained to prepare for the worst. What I'm here to tell you on today's podcast is that these kinds of thoughts are automatic. We can't stop them from happening because it's how our brains and bodies are programmed to survive. What we ARE capable of is deciding to give meaning to those thoughts, or not. If you remember from my earlier episodes, I talked about how thoughts inspire feelings. Feelings then fuel our actions, which means that your thoughts are ultimately in charge of all of your actions. How powerful is that? You are in control of your life, and today's episode is all about how you can harness the facts in your thoughts instead of listening to all of the stories. The trick to mastering this concept - and what I'm diving deep into on this episode - is recognizing that all of your thoughts are neutral until you apply a negative or positive emotion to them. But if you can think positively, or at least remain neutral about certain things, you'll notice how powerful it can be to simply change your thoughts. It's more than just looking for a silver lining, too. What I'm talking about today will teach you how to actively participate in your thought process. I want you to stop worrying about the stories of things that could be but haven't even happened yet and find a thought that generates a positive feeling inside you. That's what today's episode is about. So tune in now and ask yourself - what stories have you been telling yourself? In This Episode You Will Learn:

• What some of my listeners have been saying about my podcast 1:45
• Where I learned this concept of Story vs. Fact 4:00
• How your brain really interprets sensory data 5:02
• When and how your perspective starts to affect your interpretation of this data 7:45
• All of the ways your thoughts affect and empower your life 11:15
• Why the Story vs. Fact principle is so critical to the success of your dental practice 14:37
• The kinds of negative stories other dentists tell themselves and how you can break that thought process 18:07

Resources:

• Visit my website: TheLifeCoachForBusyDentists.com
• Listen to more episodes: Feeling Good Podcast
• Listen to Brooke Castillo's podcast: The Life Coach School Podcast

Have you ever walked into a room and just KNOW that you interrupted an awkward conversation? You happened upon all that negative energy and now it's influencing your entire day. It even has the power to change the trajectory of your day, for better or for worse. But what happens when you take control back from those emotions and choose to be in a different mood?

That's what we call "emotional intelligence" and I'm unpacking it all on today's episode.

Humans are pack animals. That means we pick up on each other's emotions. We can communicate without words, and we pick up on these nonverbal cues more than our conscious mind is aware of. That's our emotional intelligence at work, and it's responsible for driving our moods and ultimately our actions as we go through our daily routines.

As dentists, our emotional intelligence is our biggest factor in determining the success of our practice. We set the mood for the day with our mood. Our assistants and our patients both pick up on what subtle emotional cues we're giving off for that day, which means it's our responsibility to set everyone up for success with - dare I say it - a positive attitude.

Tapping into your emotional intelligence is as easy as simply choosing to be in a better mood. As the communication leaders in our practice, we need to encourage positive discussion among our employees and redirect any conversations when they get too bitter or cynical. It's like putting your best foot forward, even if you don't really want to. But even on those hard days, you can still find ways to channel your energy into something positive.

My dental happiness experiment was inspired by just that, with a little help from Primal Leadership, one of my favorite books. I'm discussing that book and how it inspired me today, and I hope that you try out your own happiness experiment after tuning in. I have a little project for you at the end of this episode, and I really hope you participate because I can't wait to see what kind of techniques you're all using to hype up your mood and bring the right kind of energy to your work day.

In This Episode You Will Learn

• The definition of emotional intelligence and what it means to us 1:39
• How our moods drive our actions 2:42
• How our mood affects our dental practice, our assistants, and our patients 4:20
• All about my dental happiness experiment 7:43
• What it means to act like a toddler when you're running a dental practice 11:45
• How to share the right kind of mood with your employees and patients 14:30

Resources:

• Visit my website: TheLifeCoachForBusyDentists.com
• Listen to more episodes: Feeling Good Podcast
• Read my blog: The Dental Happiness Experiment
• Read the book from today's episode: Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman

Today we’re getting raw and personal. If you’re ready for some juicy details, then tune in right now. I’m taking you through all the ups and downs of my weight loss journeys. That’s right, we’re talking about more than one weight loss journey today. Because losing weight is never a one-and-done kind of thing. There’s lots of twists and turns. My adventure even comes with a bikini contest! 

We’ll all try anything once if we think it will help us lose weight. For any dentist who’s ever struggled with their weight, you know how frustrating it can be to lose those pounds and keep them off. I’m sharing my personal journey with weight loss on today’s podcast so you can see that you’re not alone in this. 

Remember when I was talking about over-desire and over-hunger? This was back in Episode 3, but I’m giving a quick refresher today because this desire and this hunger are all contributing to your weight loss roadblocks. Over-hunger is why we’re always starving when we’re on a diet, and over-desire is why we ate that entire box of girl scout cookies for dinner. Both of these emotions are triggered by our hormones that are in charge of digesting our foods. Once you know what they are and where they come from, you can finally tap into a weight loss plan that actually works. 

As you listen to my personal journey today, you’ll probably notice how distracted I was from healthy living. It’s not easy to lose weight, especially when other variables come into play. Growing up poor means not having access to healthier foods, and raising a family and starting a dental practice makes it even harder to find time to exercise and live well.

Having a lot of things on your plate, so to speak, sometimes means health and wellness falls to the wayside. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Life happens. What matters is that you’re here today listening to how you can improve your lifestyle and get back to making healthy living a priority. My life coach techniques will show you any problem and how you can change your reaction to it. And if you’ve been following me, then you know that I do free consults.

After listening to today’s episode, if you have any questions or are curious about starting a new kind of diet, visit my website. I would love to meet you and talk one-on-one about your goals and how you can reach them!

In This Episode You Will Learn

• The definitions of over-desire and over-hunger 1:14
• How I started on my own weight loss journey 4:00
• What my weight loss plan looked like after dental school 7:43
• All about my second adventure in weight loss after my divorce 9:30
• How over-desire snuck into what I thought was a perfect health plan 10:55
• Why I signed up for a bikini contest 12:40
• What changed my mind in January 2019 16:55 
• How my life coaching techniques work 18:25

Resources:

• Visit my website: TheLifeCoachForBusyDentists.com
• Listen to more episodes: Feeling Good Podcast

Welcome back to Feeling Good! I'm very excited about today's episode because I've been nerding out on thoughts, feelings, emotions, and where all these things come from. So many of you are telling me that you're stressed and worried, whether it's about your dental practice or your health and wellbeing, and believe me, I know how you feel. I've been there. We've all been there. But I don't want you to feel discouraged. I'm here to tell you that it's totally possible to feel better, and here's how:

You are fully capable of feeling better no matter the circumstance when you understand where all your thoughts and emotions are coming from. Today I'm breaking down our evolutionary and natural development of emotions and why they motivate us to feel or act a certain way. All animals have emotions because it's nature's way of keeping us alive, but these days our emotions are manifesting in modern ways.

Nature uses emotions to agitate us into action. These emotions cause a vibration that gets us to move within and react to our environment, but this modern environment is not in our evolutionary genetics. This causes our body to react in ways we might think are weird or out of place. I'm sharing tips today that can change the way you think about your emotions and therefore change the way you react and feel about certain modern hindrances, like a fear of rejection, for example. We all have that fear, whether it's in our interpersonal relationships or in our dental practice, and there are ways to combat this negative emotion and feel better, happier, and more at ease.

The techniques to fight off these negative thoughts and feelings are known as "meta-cognition". I'm explaining what meta-cognition is and how you can do it in today's episode. These techniques will help you create a more positive pattern of thinking. If you're interested in learning more about how you can watch the way you think and feel better no matter the circumstances, this episode is for you. Tune in now and visit my website to learn more ways to practice meta-cognition.

In This Episode You Will Learn

• Where all your complicated feelings and emotions are coming from 3:00
• Why I refer to emotions as vibrations and what this means to our wellbeing 7:20
• Where feelings come from and how our thoughts influence the way we feel 10:02
• Positive meta-cognition techniques to combat negative feelings 14:48
• How to practice and get really good at meta-cognition 17:19

Resources:

• Visit my website: TheLifeCoachForBusyDentists.com
• Listen to more episodes: Feeling Good Podcast

 

If you’ve been listening to my podcast, you might be wondering: what in the world is a life coach for dentists? What does she mean by that? What I mean is that dentistry is more than just drilling and creating tooth dust. Life is stressful enough, and my job is to help my fellow dentists reduce that stress and live better, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. Dentists face special challenges when it comes to our relationships and managing our stress, and I’m specifically trained to address these unique challenges.

I’m talking about one of those unique challenges today. Today’s episode is a follow up to my previous episode #3 Why I Was Overweight. I’m going to be talking about how you can make some really big changes to your lifestyle that will help you lose weight and live healthier.

Nature has goals for you that influence how and why you eat - and sometimes overeat - certain foodstuffs. But we don’t live in that prehistoric environment our bodies were designed for. We aren’t hunter-gatherers anymore, we go to the grocery store and pick our favorite foods off a shelf. While this so much easier, it’s also so much easier for us to gain weight. I have tips that can help you recognize this evolutionary process and use it to your advantage, and that’s what I’m sharing with you today.

I’ve got 6 key principles to help you lose weight. These principles will help you reduce that over-hunger and over-desire for sugary foods and help you actually stick to a diet that doesn’t leave you feeling hungry all day long. You’ll be able to finish that last crown at the end of the day without your stomach growling at your patients. If you’re ready to learn a new way to lose weight, and actually stick to it, tune in right now to the Feeling Good Podcast for Dentists!

In This Episode You Will Learn

• 3 basic ways I help dentists live more fulfilling lives 1:03
• Steps for reducing over-hunger and over-desire 3:39
• How supernormal stimuli influence our hunger patterns 6:05
• How to avoid the most unhealthy foods 8:28
• All about intermittent fasting and why I call it “dining in” 11:40
• Techniques to train your body to become fat-adaptive (and what I mean by that) 14:29
• The right ways to plan ahead and “cheat” on your weight loss plan 16:30
• My favorite self-help weight loss books 18:40

Resources:

• Visit my website: TheLifeCoachForBusyDentists.com
• Listen to more episodes: Feeling Good Podcast
• The Obesity Code by Jason Fung
• The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz

Welcome back to my third episode! This is a more science-y episode, but don’t expect it to be as dry as a high school textbook. I’m talking today about the two main reasons why I was overweight. You might see a lot of similarities between my lifestyle and yours, and I hope what I’ve learned can help you finally kick that weight. 

Yes, weight gain can be narrowed down to two big reasons: over-desire and over-hunger. In my last episode, I talked about dopamine and how it can relieve your stress and make you feel great. Unfortunately, this dopamine is released whether the behaviors are healthy or not. This can trick you into eating more, especially when it comes to our favorite sweet treats and candies, or what I refer to as “concentrated foods”. You start to desire these kinds of foods that aren’t always good for you and can cause you to gain weight, or make it harder for you to lose weight. 

Modern food is designed to hit that bliss point in our brains and release that surge of dopamine. This only entices us to eat more and more and more, and you know exactly what that leads to. Luckily, I’ve learned a new way to eat that overcomes this desire and helped me finally lose weight over this past year. You don’t have to fight the dopamine anymore. There’s a way you can break free and lose weight, and I’m talking all about it in today’s episode. 

Tune in now to hear how sugar influences your physical hunger and why this sugar just makes you hungrier and hungrier. This hunger combined with your desire for concentrated foods is what makes it so hard to lose weight. I’ve designed a weight loss plan, tweaked it for the dental community, and made it possible for you to eat, stay full, and lose the weight so you can get back to the healthy lifestyle your body is really craving. 

In This Episode You Will Learn

• How over-desire triggered my weight gain 0:58
• What triggers the emotions and feelings around food and weight gain 2:50
• All about concentrated foods 5:15
• Which combinations of foods hit that “bliss point” in our brain 8:25
• All about physical hunger and why you get so hangry in the middle of the day 13:24
• Where sugar is hiding in all of these “healthy” foods 19:36

Resources:

• Visit my website: TheLifeCoachForBusyDentists.com
• Listen to more episodes: Feeling Good Podcast

Want to grab a glass of wine after work? Yes please! I'll meet you at the bar and enjoy myself a glass of red with you.

But why are we craving this glass (or two) of wine after work? What's happening to our brains and bodies after a long day at the dental office? Where do these cravings come from and why do we always seek them out after a particularly stressful day? The secret is in the dopamine, and I'm explaining why in today's episode of Feeling Good.

Nature developed systems that keep your body in line, and every action our brain thinks is essential to our survival is rewarded with a treat. In this case, that treat is dopamine, a neurotransmitter that boosts your mood and reinforces certain behaviors. Dopamine is our natural stress reliever, and we will seek out whatever action, that glass of wine, that sugary treat, or maybe even a hug from a lover or friend, in order to get that rush of dopamine. Our brain doesn't realize that some of these behaviors are unhealthy, but we seek them out because they're normal, easy, and they've become a part of our routine.

This doesn't mean we don't deserve those glasses of wine after a hard day's work. What I'm here to explain today is WHY we want that glass of wine. Once you understand why, it's easier to retrain your brain and develop different ways to release dopamine and relieve stress that makes sense for our lifestyle as dentists. You don't have to keep relying on the supernormal stimuli to relieve your stress, and my way of coach-splaining in today's episode just might inspire you to start looking for new ways to retrain your brain! Tune in now to hear all about the secrets of dopamine and dentistry!

In This Episode You Will Learn

• All the physical and mental challenges we work thru in the dental office 1:50
• How the Motivational Triad influences our behaviors 4:46
• How our bodies use dopamine to influence our actions 5:47
• Why our brain rewards us for bad or unhealthy behaviors 9:50
• How a bird's behavior mimics our own human behaviors 12:00
• How life coaching can help you retrain your brain 14:59

Resources:

• Visit my website: TheLifeCoachForBusyDentists.com
• Listen to more episodes: Feeling Good Podcast

Welcome to the brand new Feeling Good Podcast for dentists! I'm Laura Mach, a practicing dentist and professional life coach. I've been practicing dentistry for 12 years now, so I know a little something about stress. That's why I started this podcast. I'm here to help dentists manage their stress and start treating themselves better. Whether that means balancing your schedule, managing your dental office, or just learning how to talk to yourself better - this podcast is for you.

In today's first ever episode I'm giving you a sneak peek of the stress management techniques I teach as a life coach for busy dentists. I'm running my own private practice on top of being a full-time wife, mother, and life coach, and I know the toll stress can take on your life. I started this podcast to help dentists "deal with the feels", as I like to say. We all have emotional reactions to our worrisome thoughts, and I have a few tricks that can help you manage that kind of anxiety.

These emotional reactions are completely normal. It's also completely normal to worry about your dental practice and your patients. But all this worrying can disrupt your life, especially your sleep schedule. If you're losing sleep over your dental practice, tune in right now to learn the keys to worrying less. I'm here with tips on how you can let go of your perfect expectations, accept the sometimes messy disorder of the dental life, and break that vicious cycle of negative thinking. No matter what the day throws at you, from payroll to patients, you can still manage that stress and get a good night's sleep, I promise.

The biggest thing you'll learn in today's episode is my technique for meta-cognition. I'm talking about how you can learn to watch yourself think and train yourself to ignore those anxious thoughts. We have over 60,000 thoughts a day, and not all of them are correct or even important. I have a few ways tricks to help you organize your thoughts so you can stay focused on what really matters and stop stressing about the things that don't.

Of course, you can't get rid of your stress overnight. That's why there will be more episodes of the Feeling Good podcast coming your way. Listen now to our first ever episode so you can learn the keys to worrying less and kickoff your new, stress-free lifestyle!

In This Episode You Will Learn:

• How I can help dentists manage their stress and balance their lives 1:30
• What a stressful day for a dentist looks like 2:38
• 3 theories I have on why dentists worry so much 6:22
• Why we have such emotional reactions to stressful thoughts 11:47
• 3 key ways to worry less 15:00
• The practice of meta-cognition and how to do it 17:34

Resources:

• Visit my website: TheLifeCoachForBusyDentists.com
• Listen to more episodes: Feeling Good Podcast
• The Life Coach School