In this episode of Burnout Bites, we sit down with Dr. Sonya Dunbar, affectionately known as The Geriatric Toothfairy. Sonya is an international speaker, award-winning author, Mindset Detox Coach, and a visionary healthcare leader with over 30 years of experience in dental hygiene and geriatric oral health. She’s also the CEO and Co-Founder of Mobile Dental Xpress, transforming access to dental care for seniors and homebound individuals across multiple states.

We dive deep into:

• Mindset matters: How cultivating a healthy mindset fuels resilience, purpose, and impact in your personal and professional life.
• Caring for the elderly: The unique challenges and rewards of providing dental care to seniors and homebound patients.
• Combating burnout: Practical tips for staying energized, inspired, and compassionate while serving others.

Whether you’re a dental professional, caregiver, or someone navigating the demands of healthcare and life, Sonya’s wisdom will inspire you to care for yourself while making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

www.linkedin.com/in/geriatrictoothfairy

Connect with Dr. Sonya Dunbar:

• Being Her Unapologetically conference 1/24/ 26 www.bhuconference.com

In this inspiring episode, Kari sits down with Jayla Bryant, a former dental assistant and current dental hygiene student who is passionate about elevating and educating the next generation of dental professionals.

Jayla shares her journey from dental assisting to pursuing her dream of becoming a dental hygienist, opening up about what motivated her transition, the challenges she’s overcome, and the growth she’s experienced along the way. With a heart for connection and a commitment to spreading awareness about the dental field, Jayla brings an authentic and uplifting perspective to the student experience.

Listeners will hear:

• Why Jayla decided to take the leap from dental assisting to dental hygiene school
• How her background as an assistant strengthened her confidence and clinical skills
• Tips for students considering the transition into dental hygiene
• The importance of mentorship, community, and representation in dentistry
• Jayla’s vision for using her platform to educate, connect, and inspire others

Jayla is engaged, community-focused, and dedicated to making a positive impact in the dental profession. Her story will resonate with aspiring hygienists, current students, and anyone navigating a career transition within dentistry.

You can contact her on every platform under Jaloodental

Listen as I discuss the importance of mental health with Sydney Reece who is the VP of operations at Mind Body Optimization. We discussed why mental health is so importance for overall wellness and how burnout can effect every area in our lives.

As we celebrate May as Mental Health Awareness Month, lets make sure we we are creating a culture where we make sure we support one another and take time to connect with others and to also make sure we are doing ok.

Mind Body Optimization has various programs that they can assist in helping individuals, family's, and groups to achieve overall health and wellness.

Mind Body Optimization: mindbodyyo.com

Lynn Pencek has had a diverse career as a dental hygienist. From working as a clinical dental hygienist to working with companies such as Nobel Biocare, Hu-Friedy, and Orascoptic to delivering her own dynamic presentations on implant maintenance and more.

Listen as we discuss how she has successfully navigated the dental industry to have a diverse career that affords her the opportunity to pursue ever changing passions!

To connect with Lynn Peneck use the following links

www.PracticeAtYourBest.com

Lynn Pencek, RDH, MS | LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com/in/lynnpencek

Dental Hygienists are interested in nonclinical alternative options that are available to them. Many are however unsure how to go about getting these positions that they adamantly desire as either a side gig or to transition from clinical to nonclinical positions.

In this episode listen as I talk with Allison Norris is the founder and CEO of The Dentele Group, LLC about how we can successfully attain a non-clinical role as a dental hygienist.

The leading non-clinical recruiting agency renowned for its concierge approach to hiring.

The Dentele Group under Allison’s leadership specializes in placing non-clinical talent across executive, sales, operations, and technology roles. Allison's commitment to elevating the industry extends beyond recruitment. She actively mentors dental professionals, empowering them to find their passion and purpose.

Her dedication and influence have been widely recognized: she has been published in Dental Entrepreneur Women Magazine, Dentistry Today, Group Dentistry Now, AGD Impact, received the prestigious Rising Star Denobi Award in 2024, and was honored with the Who’s Who in America award. Through the Dentele Group, Allison has become a source of hope for dental professionals to discover new meaningful careers.

You can reach her at:

AllisonNorris@thedentelegroup.com

https://thedentelegroup.com/

Daily dental professionals present treatment options to their patients and are asked "what does my insurance cover?" We know that unfortunately, dental benefits might be barrier for patients in receiving the treatment the desperately need.

Kandra Sellers, RDH, BA has been able to successfully bridge the gap between medical and dental benefits, by focusing on oral systemic health and medical billing as the Founder & CEO of TIPS Medical Billing.

With over 35 years in the dental industry, Kandra has had many different career roles due to the fantastic mentors she has met along the way. She is no longer seen as “just a dental hygienist,” which is a profession certainly not to be minimized. Instead, Kandra is now viewed as a predominant educator in the field of oral systemic health intertwined with dental medical billing, as well as creator and CEO of TIPS Medical Billing.

Kandra is able to educate, implement processes, and professionally coach doctors and team members to the next level of where the dental profession is heading. In creating TIPS (Tandem In-Practice Solutions), the niche is implementation to ensure successful outcomes to billing the medical procedures that dentists do every day. Dental practice owners seeking a coach that can elevate their practice production and revenue through solid protocols for optimal oral systemic solutions and medical billing are raving about Kandra’s ability to move both doctors and team members towards excellence.

You can connect with her at

email: kandra@tipsmedicalbilling.com

website: tipsmedicalbilling.com

In this episode, Janoa Hayes, LDH, and I discuss the importance career and personal development while advocating for ourselves and our profession. Janoa Hayes is the hygiene training developer for Heartland Dental.

Janoa was born and raised in Lexington, KY and attended the Dental Hygiene Program at Lexington Community College. She and her husband live in Indianapolis, IN and has one daughter. Janoa has always enjoyed Dental Hygiene and has truly felt that her career has been satisfying career.

She is motivated by the opportunity to improve the quality of lives of others clinically and to have a lasting impact on the careers of dental professionals through education and inspiration.

As a member of the Heartland Dental family since 2000, Janoa has embraced a variety of roles reflecting her passion to serve: clinical Dental Hygiene, Hygiene Mentor roles, course speaker and presenter, and now, Hygiene Training Developer as part of Heartland Dental University, Hygiene Academy.

Listen in as we discuss the importance career development and advocating for ourselves to both advance our profession and the overall health and wellness of the patients we serve.

In this episode I took the show on the road and interviewed attendees of the RDHUOR conference in Denver Colorado. I attended as a speaker and an exhibitor and was able to ask professionals what they loved about dental hygiene and what they did to prevent burnout.

Listen as I speak with Amanda Hill, Tanya Dunlap, Kerry Lepicek, Machell Hudson, Melissa Calhoun, Irene Iancu, Dr. Joy RDH, Toni Meyerkord, Alyssa Aberle, Alyssa Delgado, Kimberly Augustus, Bethany Montoya, Kevin Lopez, Amanda Hale, Michele Strange, and An Chih "Angela" Do about what they love about dental hygiene and what they do to prevent burnout and overwhelm in their career.

In a time where many dental hygienists state they at time have a complicated relationship with dental hygiene...or have fallen out of love with it...I found myself surrounded by over 2500 hygienist who are passionate about their careers and heavily invest in themselves.

Ask yourself what do you love about about dental hygiene and if you've fallen out of love with dental hygiene what can you do work on your relationship?