Straight Up With Steph

What if your dental career could be so much bigger than what happens chairside?

Bethany Montoya is back on Straight Up With Steph®, and this time we’re talking about building a career outside of the operatory. After 14 years as a dental hygienist, Bethany has built experience in education, speaking, writing, consulting, key opinion leader work, and now works as a clinical education manager for HuFriedyGroup.

Bethany also spent years believing that clinical hygiene was essentially all she could do with her education—something I hear from dental professionals all the time.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Career options beyond traditional clinical dentistry
• Do you need an advanced degree to leave the operatory?
• Why dental companies value clinicians
• Transferable skills you may not realize you have
• How to start networking in the dental industry
• Building relationships with dental reps and companies
• Conferences and in-person networking
• Imposter syndrome and perfectionism
• Why failure can actually move your career forward
• How to figure out what you want to do next

About Bethany:

Bethany Montoya, MBA, BAS, RDH, is a registered dental hygienist, educator, industry key opinion leader, and editorial director of DentistryIQ’s Clinical Insights newsletter. She has a passion for advancing modern disease prevention. She specializes in exploring the intersection of clinical practice, professional growth, and innovation within oral health care. Through her writing, she aims to educate, inspire, and spark meaningful dialogue in the dental community. 

Connect with Bethany:

https://linktr.ee/humanrdh

www.instagram.com/humanrdh

To watch on YouTube, click here

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Polished Posture. The information shared in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making significant lifestyle changes. 

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What if dental professionals started treating their bodies like athletes do?

Dental work requires hours of precise movements, static postures, repetitive gripping, awkward positions, and intense concentration—yet most clinicians receive very little education on how to physically prepare their bodies for those demands.

In this episode, I’m joined by exercise physiologist and strength and conditioning specialist Gil Spitz, who works with surgeons, medical professionals, and dental clinicians to improve what he calls professional durability.

Gil considers dental professionals “precision athletes,” and we’re breaking down what that means—and how changing the way you train, move, and recover could help you feel better throughout your career.

We talk about:

• Why pain has become so normalized in dentistry
• What makes dentistry uniquely demanding on the body
• Why dental clinicians can be considered “precision athletes”
• Why changing positions may matter more than maintaining one “perfect” posture
• The importance of microbreaks and movement throughout the clinical day
• Why you may be stretching the wrong muscles
• The importance of strengthening the posterior chain
• Why unilateral exercises can help address imbalances
• What recovery should actually look like after a clinical day
• Why a 20-minute workout can absolutely be enough

One of my favorite takeaways from this conversation is Gil’s philosophy of the minimum effective dose. You don't necessarily need to spend hours working out—you need to strategically prepare your body for the physical demands you're asking it to handle every day.

If you know another dental professional who thinks neck, shoulder, hand, or back pain is simply “part of the job,” share this episode with them.

About Gil

Connect with Gil:

surgicalstrong.com   

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gil-spitz-088346138/

To watch on YouTube, click here

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Polished Posture. The information shared in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making significant lifestyle changes.  

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Your mouth may be telling you far more about your health than you realize.

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I’m joined by Dr. James Goolnik, a London-based dentist, nutritionist, author, and holistic health advocate who believes dentistry should look beyond simply treating teeth and gums.

We start with sugar—including why James wrote a cookbook to help people kick their sugar habit and why eating less sugar can actually be much easier and tastier than you might think. And yes, we talk about the irony of dental office breakrooms being some of the WORST when it comes to candy, baked goods, and junk food!

From there, we dive into the bigger picture of oral and whole-body health, including what our gums, tongue, saliva, sleep, airway, and daily habits may be telling us.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Simple ways to eat less sugar without feeling deprived
• What the oral microbiome is and why it matters
• What bleeding gums may tell us about oral health and inflammation
• How sleep, airway, mouth breathing, and oral health can intersect
• Saliva and microbiome testing and the future of prevention
• Mouthwash, DIY whitening, oil pulling, and other popular oral-health trends
• How dental professionals can start looking beyond “brush and floss”

Whether you’re a dental professional looking to rethink prevention or a patient who wants to better understand what’s happening in your own mouth, this conversation will give you plenty to think about.

About James

Connect with James:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-goolnik/

Twitter: https://www.x.com/jamesgoolnik

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OptimalDental-Health/shorts

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesgoolnik/?hl=en

Website: https://www.jamesgoolnik.com/

Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kick-Sugar-James-Goolnik/dp/1527249417" 

To watch on YouTube, click here

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Polished Posture. The information shared in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making significant lifestyle changes.  

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Dental Coding, Fraud & the OPA: What Every Dental Professional Should Know 

Dental codes might not sound exciting—but using the wrong one could have much bigger consequences than you realize.

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I’m joined by dental hygienist and coding expert Kathy Forbes, RDH, BS, FADHA, for an eye-opening conversation about CDT codes, insurance, fraud, and why dental professionals need to understand exactly what they’re documenting and billing.

Kathy explains why simply choosing the code insurance will pay for can become a serious problem—even when the intention is to help the patient. We also dig into the descriptors behind CDT codes, why they matter just as much as the code itself, and the surprising lack of coding education many hygienists and dentists receive.

Then we get into one of the biggest conversations happening in dental hygiene right now: the Oral Preventive Assistant (OPA). If an OPA is only permitted to scale supragingivally, can an office bill a traditional prophylaxis code? Kathy explains why the current descriptor creates a potential problem and what would need to change.

We also discuss:

• Common coding mistakes dental offices make without realizing it
• Why choosing a code based on insurance coverage can cross an ethical or legal line
• Why there technically isn't a “cleaning” code
• The difference between a code number, title, and descriptor
• Why CDT descriptors can change from year to year
• Why hygienists currently lack a voting seat on the Code Maintenance Committee
• How new treatments like desiccation therapy and non-fluoride varnishes are coded
• How using 999 codes can help demonstrate the need for future procedure codes
• The potential coding problem with supragingival-only scaling and the OPA
• Why assisted hygiene may offer another solution to the dental hygiene shortage
• How medical billing could become a bigger part of dentistry’s future

If you work in dentistry, understanding coding isn't just the business team's responsibility. What you document and what gets submitted can affect your patients, your practice, and potentially even your license.

Share this episode with a hygienist, dentist, assistant, or practice owner who needs to hear this conversation.

To watch on YouTube, click here

OPA Podcast

Topics Discussed: dental coding, CDT codes, dental hygiene codes, D1110, dental prophylaxis, dental insurance, dental billing fraud, OPA dental, Oral Preventive Assistant, dental hygienist, assisted hygiene, dental insurance billing

About Kathy 

Connect with Kathy:

Email: [email protected]   

Website: https://www.kathysforbes.com/

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Polished Posture. The information shared in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making significant lifestyle changes. 

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Have you ever walked into a room and completely forgotten why you were there, struggled to find a word you KNOW you know, or suddenly felt more anxious, irritable, or overwhelmed than ever before?

If you're in perimenopause or menopause, there may be a very real reason your brain feels different.

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I’m joined again by Jules from Brain Body by Jules to break down what fluctuating hormones are actually doing to our brains during the menopause transition.

I also share my own experience with brain fog, anxiety, overstimulation, and cognitive changes—including the point when I genuinely worried I could be developing early-onset dementia.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What happens to the brain as estrogen and progesterone fluctuate
• Why perimenopause can affect memory, attention, focus, and decision-making
• The connection between hormones, GABA, anxiety, and irritability
• Why you may suddenly wake up feeling anxious for seemingly no reason
• Simple ways to calm and regulate your nervous system
• What “brain fog” actually means—and why it doesn’t necessarily mean your memory is failing
• Brain fog vs. cognitive changes that may warrant a conversation with your healthcare provider
• The potential role of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
• Why advocating for yourself during the menopause transition matters
• Easy brain exercises you can use to challenge attention, memory, and cognitive flexibility

If your brain just doesn’t feel like YOUR brain anymore, this conversation may help you better understand what’s happening—and give you some practical ways to support yourself through it.

Share this episode with another woman who needs to hear that she isn’t the only one experiencing these changes.

Topics Discussed: perimenopause brain fog, menopause brain, menopause memory loss, perimenopause anxiety, menopause anxiety, estrogen and the brain, progesterone and anxiety, menopause cognitive changes, brain fog in women, hormone replacement therapy, HRT, women’s brain health

Ep 91: How to Train Your Brain for Better Focus, Memory & Mental Clarity

About Jules

Connect with Jules:

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/brainbodybyjules/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brainbodybyjuless

Skool: https://www.skool.com/brainbodybyjules-9310  

To watch on YouTube, click here

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Polished Posture. The information shared in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making significant lifestyle changes.  

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Are carbs really making you gain weight—or have we been blaming the wrong thing?

I’ll admit, I’ve struggled with the “carbs are bad” mindset myself. But carbs play an important role in energy, exercise, and building muscle, and cutting them simply because we’re afraid of the scale may be working against our goals.

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, Hannah is back to help us rethink our relationship with carbs and get away from the all-or-nothing nutrition advice we constantly see online.

We talk about:

• Why carbs have been demonized for so long
• Whether eating carbs actually causes fat gain
• Why the scale can go UP when you increase your carbs
• The difference between water weight and actual fat gain
• Why carbs are important for energy and strength training
• Protein vs. carbs—and why your body needs both
• What to eat before and after a workout
• Fruit, potatoes, bread, pasta, and other carbs we’ve been taught to fear
• Why fueling properly matters for physically demanding jobs like dentistry
• How to stop obsessing over the scale and focus more on strength, energy, and body composition

Hannah also shares what happened when she intentionally increased her own calories and carbs to support her goal of gaining muscle—and why she started hitting new PRs in the gym almost immediately.

If you’ve spent years thinking you need to eat fewer carbs to stay lean, this conversation might make you look at your plate very differently.

About Hannah:

Hannah Hutson is a functional fitness, balanced nutrition, and mindset coach. She empowers entrepreneur women to build wellness into their lives to level up their businesses. Hannah has gone through the process of building her own business from the ground up and knows how detrimental burnout can be for not only your health but your business, too. She knows that the key to success in one’s career is to make sure your health is at its peak. When your health is diminished, your ability to think becomes impeded, which will reflect as poor work in your business. The pressure from work can lead to chronic stress, which can affect your sleep, cause an imbalance in your hormones, spike your blood pressure, cause weight gain, mood swings, brain fog, relationship issues, and so much more. If you don't take care of yourself, you won't be able to take care of your business. Her mission is to teach women how to implement health-promoting behaviors and habits into their daily lives to help them recharge and be the best boss they can be.

Connect with Hannah:

Instagram

To watch on YouTube, click here

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Polished Posture. The information shared in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making significant lifestyle changes. 

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If you’re walking, doing yoga, or taking Pilates several times a week, are you doing enough to protect your muscle as you age?

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I’m welcoming back Pilates instructor and pelvic floor expert Emma Bromley for a conversation every woman approaching midlife needs to hear.

And here’s the surprising part: Emma is a Pilates instructor who says Pilates alone isn’t enough after 40.

As muscle mass begins to decline with age, strength training becomes increasingly important for maintaining strength, supporting our bones, and helping us stay independent later in life. Emma explains why progressive overload matters and how women can begin lifting heavier—even if they’ve never considered themselves “weight lifters.”

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why muscle becomes increasingly important as we age
• Why Pilates, yoga, and walking are valuable—but may not provide enough stimulus to build muscle
• What “lifting heavy” actually means
• How progressive overload works
• How many days per week women should strength train
• Why recovery is an important part of building muscle
• The fear that lifting weights will make women “bulky”
• Five foundational movements for women new to strength training
• Why breathing and pelvic floor function matter when lifting heavier
• Why it is never too late to start getting stronger

Emma also shares an important reframe: instead of asking whether you’re too old to start, ask yourself what waiting another year could cost you.

If you know a woman who thinks walking or Pilates is all she needs to stay strong as she ages, share this episode with her.

Topics discussed:  strength training for women over 40, lifting weights after 40, midlife muscle loss, Pilates after 40, progressive overload for women, women and muscle mass, strength training menopause, building muscle in midlife, healthy aging for women

About  Emma

Connect with Emma:

IG: @bromleymethod

FB: @bromleymethodofficial

Youtube: @bromleymethod 

To watch on YouTube, click here

Episode on Pelvic Floor

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Polished Posture. The information shared in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making significant lifestyle changes. 

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Why do some relationships feel easy and secure while others leave us overthinking every text, questioning ourselves, or constantly needing reassurance?

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I’m joined by psychotherapist Emma Mead for a conversation about relationships at every stage—from navigating the early days of dating to building healthier, more secure long-term relationships.

We talk about dating apps, texting anxiety, ghosting, red and green flags, communication, people-pleasing, self-trust, and how our attachment styles can influence the way we connect with others. Emma also explains why anxious and avoidant people are often drawn to each other, how to recognize unhealthy patterns, and what secure relationships actually look like

We talk about:

• Secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized attachment
• Why anxious + avoidant relationships can feel so intense
• Dating apps, texting anxiety, and ghosting
• Red flags AND green flags in new relationships
• People-pleasing and self-abandonment
• Learning how to communicate what you actually need
• How to tell avoidance from a lack of interest
• Trusting your intuition again
• Whether attachment styles can change
• How attachment patterns can even show up at work

Emma also shares practical ways to recognize when old patterns are being activated and how we can begin responding differently instead of automatically reacting.

Whether you’re dating, in a relationship, or simply trying to understand yourself better, this conversation is packed with those “ohhh… THAT’S why I do that” moments.

About Emma

Connect with Emma:

Instagram - @perfectly_emmperfect    

To watch on YouTube, click here

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Polished Posture. The information shared in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making significant lifestyle changes. 

Click for Hygiene Month Sale

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Stop waiting until you feel "ready."

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I'm joined by executive coach Thomas Passalacqua to explore one of the biggest obstacles standing between dental professionals and the career they actually want—not lack of talent, but limiting beliefs.

If you've ever thought "I'm just a hygienist," "I'm not qualified enough," or "Maybe someday when I'm more confident..." this episode is for you.

Together, we unpack the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, why discomfort is actually a sign of progress, and how taking imperfect action often creates the confidence you're waiting for.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why so many clinicians feel trapped in the operatory
• Fixed mindset vs. growth mindset explained simply
• The stories we tell ourselves that quietly hold us back
• Why confidence comes after taking action
• How to overcome fear of judgment and social media
• Why failure is really just feedback
• Practical ways to start exploring life beyond clinical dentistry
• The importance of curiosity, pausing, and challenging your assumptions

If this episode encouraged you, share it with another dental professional who needs the reminder that they're capable of more than they realize.

Topics Discussed: dental careers, leaving clinical dentistry, growth mindset, executive coaching, limiting beliefs, entrepreneurship, dental hygienist career, professional development

About Thomas

Connect with Thomas:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaspassalacqua/

https://ascendpropathways.com/   

To watch on YouTube, click here

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Polished Posture. The information shared in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making significant lifestyle changes.  

Click for Hygiene Month Sale

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Hormones don't just affect your mood—they can completely change your oral health.

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, Stephanie sits down with returning guest Barbara Tritz, RDH, to discuss one of the most overlooked topics in dentistry: how hormones influence the health of our gums, teeth, saliva, and supporting bone throughout every stage of life. 

In this episode:

• Why hormones affect oral health more than most clinicians realize
• Puberty, pregnancy and menopause through the dental lens
• The surprising connection between pregnancy and oral bacteria
• Why perimenopause often begins years before women expect
• Estrogen's role in protecting gum tissue, bone and saliva
• How dry mouth increases cavity risk
• Why Barbara believes salivary testing should become standard of care
• Practical strategies to protect your mouth during hormonal changes

If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who could benefit from it.

Topics Discussed: hormones and oral health, pregnancy gingivitis, menopause dental health, perimenopause gums, dry mouth, bleeding gums, dental hygiene, women's health

Links mentioned:

Fn induces premature and term stillbirths: https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/iai.72.4.2272-2279.2004 

Dry Mouth Blog:

https://queenofdentalhygiene.net/2023/12/defeat-dry-mouth/

Hormone Blog:

https://queenofdentalhygiene.net/2026/07/hormones-and-oral-health

About Barbara

Connect with Barbara:

Blog: queenofdentalhygiene.net

Facebook: Barbara Tritz RDH

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-tritz-2021 

To watch on YouTube, click here

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Polished Posture. The information shared in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making significant lifestyle changes. 

Click for Hygiene Month Sale

(Code POLISH200 for $200 off cordless polishers)

(sale ends 10/31/26; discounts cannot be combined)

 To connect with me: 

🦷Polished Posture Club
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