The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

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   Number 1: 321. From $800K a Year to Bankrupt: What Went Wrong

   In this episode, Dr. Raheel Haider breaks down the exact red flags that turned an $800K practice into a bankruptcy — sky-high rent eating into profit margins, $10,000/month in marketing that wasn't converting, a saturated market with brutal competition, and a seller he didn't trust. This is a real case study in dental practice acquisition, practice due diligence, and the numbers every dentist needs to check before buying a dental practice. If you're a dentist considering practice ownership, a dental student planning your future, or a practice owner trying to figure out why your margins feel this tight — this episode shows you exactly what to look for (and look out for) before you sign. What you'll learn: The 4 red flags Raheel found before walking away from an $800K/year practice Why high fixed costs (especially rent) can quietly sink a profitable-looking practice How to evaluate a seller's marketing spend and patient demographics before buying Why trusting the seller's numbers isn't optional — and how to catch red flags in a P&L The difference between "not defaulting" and actually thriving as a practice owner Connect with us: Take our FREE lifestyle and practice assessment: https://thelifestylepractice.com/practice-assesment/ Learn more about 1-on-1 coaching: https://thelifestylepractice.com/coaching-services/ Get access to TLP Academy: https://thelifestylepractice.com/coaching-services/ Get the TLP Student Academy for $20 (lifetime access): https://the-lifestyle-practice.teachable.com/p/studentacademy Subscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tlp-podcast-for-dentists/id1476544801 Free ebook — "How to Achieve Financial Freedom in Seven Years or Less": https://the-lifestyle-practice.com/home-page-page Email Raheel at [email protected] Email Derek at [email protected] Email Matt at [email protected] Email Steve at [email protected]

   August 17, 2026·6min
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   Number 2: 324. The Simplest Dental Team Training That Actually Works

   Dr. Steve Van De Graaff hosts an episode on the single most common struggle he hears from dentists: leading and managing a team. His answer isn't a culture overhaul or an offsite — it's a training you can run in fifteen minutes and start using the same afternoon. The handoff has two rules. First, tell the patient what's coming next, so nobody sits in a chair wondering why they're waiting. Second, build up the team member taking over. "Erica's going to take care of you — she does the best cleanings." "Sarah's really good with insurance; she'll find a way to make this work." "Kate's in here with you today, and she's great with kids." Why it works — three effects Patient confidence. Patients stop guessing what happens next. Instead, they see a polished, organized office running a system, and they trust the practice more. Team performance. When you praise a team member in front of the patient, you're really talking to your team member. It's a Dale Carnegie principle: give someone a reputation to live up to, then praise them when they get there. Culture. When people build the habit of saying something good about a co-worker out loud every day, respect and teamwork rise with it. Connect with us: Take our FREE lifestyle and practice assessment: https://thelifestylepractice.com/practice-assesment/ Learn more about 1-on-1 coaching: https://thelifestylepractice.com/coaching-services/ Get access to TLP Academy: https://thelifestylepractice.com/coaching-services/ Get the TLP Student Academy for $20 (lifetime access): https://the-lifestyle-practice.teachable.com/p/studentacademy Subscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tlp-podcast-for-dentists/id1476544801 Free ebook — "How to Achieve Financial Freedom in Seven Years or Less": https://the-lifestyle-practice.com/home-page-page Email Raheel at [email protected] Email Derek at [email protected] Email Matt at [email protected] Email Steve at [email protected]

   September 07, 2026·9min
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   Number 3: 323. Why "Hire Slow, Fire Fast" Is Terrible Advice for Dental Practice Owners

   Firing a team member is one of the most uncomfortable parts of owning a dental practice — and according to Dr. Matt Vogt, most of the advice out there makes it harder, not easier. In this episode, Matt takes apart the popular "hire slow, fire fast" cliché and shares a real coaching conversation with a client who recently acquired a practice. The client inherited a front office where four team members had no clear roles and no defined expectations — including "Kathy," an employee who'd been shuffled from position to position for years without ever being told what a good job actually looked like. When the team pushed for Kathy to be let go, the client's gut said the same. But Matt's coaching reframed the situation: before you fire someone, you owe it to them — and to yourself as a leader — to give your absolute best effort. That means clear roles, clear expectations, real training, and honest accountability. Dr. Matt's core philosophy: people fire themselves. When you've laid everything out on the table, and someone still can't rise to the standard, the decision becomes clear, guilt-free, and fair. And the bonus? The better you get at creating clarity, the less often you'll ever need to fire anyone. Key takeaways: "Hire slow, fire fast" skips the leadership work that actually solves the problem Underperformance is often a symptom of unclear roles, not a bad employee Trust your gut on fit — but do the systems work before deciding Give underperformers a genuine, well-defined chance to succeed Clarity removes the anxiety and second-guessing from firing Systemize your office, and you'll rarely reach the firing point Ready to build a practice — and a team — that runs on clarity? Take the free lifestyle and practice assessment and start a no-pressure conversation with Derek, Matt, Steve, or Raheel. Connect with us: Take our FREE lifestyle and practice assessment: https://thelifestylepractice.com/practice-assesment/ Learn more about 1-on-1 coaching: https://thelifestylepractice.com/coaching-services/ Get access to TLP Academy: https://thelifestylepractice.com/coaching-services/ Get the TLP Student Academy for $20 (lifetime access): https://the-lifestyle-practice.teachable.com/p/studentacademy Subscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tlp-podcast-for-dentists/id1476544801 Free ebook — "How to Achieve Financial Freedom in Seven Years or Less": https://the-lifestyle-practice.com/home-page-page Email Raheel at [email protected] Email Derek at [email protected] Email Matt at [email protected] Email Steve at [email protected]

   August 31, 2026·8min
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   Number 4: 322. How I Paid Off $300K in Dental School Loans in One Year (The Full Breakdown)

   Dr. Derek Williams paid off $300,000 in dental school student loans within twelve months of graduating — then got accused of faking it. In this episode, he addresses every criticism head-on and walks through exactly how it happened. Fresh out of dental school in 2016, Derek bought a practice doing $570K at 50% overhead after evaluating close to 100 practices. In his first year of ownership, he nearly doubled production to $1.3 million — not through one big move, but through hundreds of small operational decisions: fixing the practice's visibility with a digital sign, going comprehensive with patient care, training an underdeveloped team, and bringing extractions, grafting, and implants in-house. He's honest about the cost, too — the emotional weight of a brutal first three-to-six months, dropping his daughter at a new school with no friends or family nearby, and questioning whether he could even do it. Derek also breaks down the tax timing that freed up early cash flow, the psychology behind choosing to pay off debt over investing, and how he rolled the momentum into real estate. The takeaway: paying off the loans wasn't his best investment — learning to build an exceptional practice was. The debt disappearing was just the first visible result. Connect with us: Take our FREE lifestyle and practice assessment: https://thelifestylepractice.com/practice-assesment/ Learn more about 1-on-1 coaching: https://thelifestylepractice.com/coaching-services/ Get access to TLP Academy: https://thelifestylepractice.com/coaching-services/ Get the TLP Student Academy for $20 (lifetime access): https://the-lifestyle-practice.teachable.com/p/studentacademy Subscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tlp-podcast-for-dentists/id1476544801 Free ebook — "How to Achieve Financial Freedom in Seven Years or Less": https://the-lifestyle-practice.com/home-page-page Email Raheel at [email protected] Email Derek at [email protected] Email Matt at [email protected] Email Steve at [email protected]

   August 24, 2026·25min
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   Number 5: 290. How Top 1% Dentists Manage Their Money

   Dentists are taught to equate success with production, income, and constant growth. But many high-achieving practice owners still feel stressed, restless, or burned out. In this episode of The Lifestyle Practice Podcast, Dr. Derek Williams sits down with repeat guest Dr. Talon Davis to explore a better framework for wealth, ambition, and fulfillment through the lens of Morgan Housel’s book The Art of Spending Money. They discuss how dentists often use money as a status scoreboard, why lifestyle inflation happens even when income rises, and how contentment can be engineered through intentional choices. You’ll hear practical insights about financial mindset, goal-setting, and designing a dental career you don’t need to escape. This episode is especially relevant for dental practice owners, associates considering ownership, and anyone looking for sustainable dental business growth without sacrificing mental health or family time. If you’re questioning whether your next milestone will actually make you happier, this conversation will help you reframe success and build a lifestyle-driven dental practice with clarity. Connect with us: • Take our FREE lifestyle and practice assessment: https://thelifestylepractice.com/practice-assesment/ • Learn more about 1-on-1 coaching: https://thelifestylepractice.com/coaching-services/ • Get access to TLP Academy: https://thelifestylepractice.com/coaching-services/ • Subscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tlp-podcast-for-dentists/id1476544801 • Email Derek at [email protected] • Email Matt at [email protected] • Email Steve at [email protected]

   January 05, 2026·38min
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