I am back with another wonderful guest today. Meet Barbara, a clever dentist who found a great way to stay in dentistry without the pressures of private practice.

Barbara has a really cool and unique story. She practiced dentistry for 5 years before she decided to switch gears. What she does now will have you smiling.

It had to be 15 years ago that we met each other. We share a close mutual friend, and it was always fun to share this connection. We instantly had a lot in common– especially our confessions that we weren’t loving dentistry all that much. In fact, we were pretty honest, disclosing that we didn’t like practicing at all. We were both looking for alternative careers in dentistry– or not in dentistry at all.

I remember it so clearly when she told me about her gig at Brite Smile. Do you remember Brite Smile? It was a chain of upscale boutique whitening stores that popped up all over the country. Barbara had found a job in a Brite Smile in Manhattan. She suggested I look into it for myself. That same path wasn’t in my future, but having those conversations with Barbara were helpful to spark my own creativity in searching for opportunities.

Getting ideas from others is a great way to find inspiration for ourselves. (That’s a hint.)

Fast forward to today, and out of this experience, Barbara has built a thriving business of her own. The Brite Smile chain didn’t make it, but Barbara did. She was able to take the concept and open her own version of it called Modern Smile. Listen to her story about how her job allowed her to leave private practice, gave her the confidence to learn new skills, and even lead to a regular gig on QVC selling Smileactives after care home whitening products.

Want to see her in action on QVC? Check out this video. She’s a natural!

You never know… If we stay open to new opportunities, we might just find some great alternative careers in dentistry.

If you are enjoying these stories and want to share yours, let’s talk! Whether you’ve decided to stick with dentistry or make a career change, we’d all love to hear from you. Click here to contact me!

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