Why does innovation struggle to take hold in dentistry—even when the technology is sound and the science is solid?

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, I sit down with Jessica L. Woods, MPH, RDH, FADHA, Founder of Executive RDH, to examine the persistent gap between innovation and adoption in oral healthcare.

Drawing from more than 20 years across clinical practice, public health, nonprofit leadership, and corporate innovation, Jessica breaks down why clinicians—especially hygienists—are often underutilized as strategic leaders, and how that misalignment quietly derails progress.

We talk candidly about where founders and executives unintentionally create friction, why clinician adoption is so often misunderstood, and what needs to change if innovation is going to scale in meaningful, sustainable ways.

In this episode, we explore:
• Why adoption—not innovation—is the real bottleneck
• How underutilizing clinicians limits strategy and growth
• Where leadership structures break down between vision and execution
• What’s coming next in prevention, diagnostics, and care delivery
• How positioning clinicians as leaders closes the gap

This episode is for leaders, founders, and clinicians who want innovation to actually work—not just look good on paper.

Season 5, Episode 7
The Adoption Gap
Now streaming.

Alright, podcasters—that’s a wrap on this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast! If you got something out of today’s convo, do me a favor—share it, tag us, and keep the conversation going.

Remember, entrepreneurship isn’t just about the grind—it’s about the growth. Stay bold, stay human, and keep pushing the limits.

Catch you next time. Until then—keep it psycho.

@thechiefpsychopodcast @thechiefpsycho

What happens when we stop treating hygiene like a production role and start treating it like a human-centered profession?

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, I sit down with Bethany Montoya, MBA, RDH—a practicing dental hygienist, educator, industry key opinion leader, and Editorial Director of DentistryIQ’s Clinical Insights—to talk about the realities of practicing across different systems and what it means to bring humanity back into oral health care.

Bethany shares insights from working in both corporate and private practice settings, her perspective on disease prevention, and how education, writing, and professional involvement can become powerful tools for change. This conversation goes beyond surface-level debate and gets into identity, values, and responsibility within the profession.

In this episode, we explore:
• Corporate vs. private practice and what each environment reveals
• How hygienists can get involved and educate their communities
• The role of modern disease prevention in shaping the future of care
• Using education, voice, and leadership to drive meaningful change
• Human-centered practice in systems built for efficiency

This episode is for hygienists and healthcare professionals who want to think critically, lead intentionally, and practice in ways that honor both the provider and the patient.

Alright, podcasters—that’s a wrap on this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast! If you got something out of today’s convo, do me a favor—share it, tag us, and keep the conversation going.

Remember, entrepreneurship isn’t just about the grind—it’s about the growth. Stay bold, stay human, and keep pushing the limits.

Catch you next time. Until then—keep it psycho.

@thechiefpsychopodcast @thechiefpsycho

What does it really take to stop asking for permission and start building a career on your own terms?

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, I sit down with Sade Morel, RDHAP, a dental hygienist in alternative practice, entrepreneur, and trailblazer redefining what autonomy in hygiene can look like.

Sade shares her journey from clinical practice to building an RDHAP model rooted in access, ownership, and dental–medical integration. We talk candidly about the realities behind practice ownership, the planning required to make it sustainable, and the internal identity shifts that come with choosing leadership over comfort.

This conversation goes beyond titles and credentials. It’s about responsibility, vision, and what happens when you decide to build a future that fits who you are, not who the system expects you to be.

In this episode, we cover:
• What it takes to build and run an RDHAP practice
• Expanding access to care through mobile and integrated models
• Creating opportunity and mentorship for fellow hygienists
• Strategic planning so ambition doesn’t turn into burnout
• The mindset shift required to truly own your path

Whether you’re in dental hygiene, healthcare, or any profession where the traditional path feels too small, this episode is a reminder that autonomy is built, not granted.

Alright, podcasters—that’s a wrap on this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast! If you got something out of today’s convo, do me a favor—share it, tag us, and keep the conversation going.

Remember, entrepreneurship isn’t just about the grind—it’s about the growth. Stay bold, stay human, and keep pushing the limits.

Catch you next time. Until then—keep it psycho.

@thechiefpsychopodcast @thechiefpsycho

Some leaders earn their titles. Others redefine them.

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, Erin Haley-Hitz steps into the spotlight to dismantle every outdated expectation of what leadership in dentistry should look like.

A former ADHA President, seasoned clinician, educator, consultant, and nationally recognized voice in dental hygiene, Erin brings three decades of experience to a conversation rooted in honesty, courage, and the messy reality of growth. She opens up about the parts of her journey most people never hear: the pivots, the pressure, the breakthroughs, and the moments where choosing bravery over comfort changed the trajectory of her entire career.

We dive into authentic leadership, the emotional stamina it takes to serve at the national level, and what it means to lead with both backbone and heart. Erin breaks down the evolution of the dental hygiene profession, the responsibility of influence, and the power of staying aligned with your values even when the room disagrees.

If you’ve ever questioned your voice, your path, or whether you’re “qualified enough” to step into bigger spaces, this episode hits like a permission slip. Erin takes us behind the scenes of her leadership era, her advocacy work, her relentless pursuit of education, and her vision for modern dentistry that actually serves people.

This conversation isn’t polished. It’s real. It’s human; and it’s a masterclass in breaking the mold.

Alright, podcasters—that’s a wrap on this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast! If you got something out of today’s convo, do me a favor—share it, tag us, and keep the conversation going.

Remember, entrepreneurship isn’t just about the grind—it’s about the growth. Stay bold, stay human, and keep pushing the limits.

Catch you next time. Until then—keep it psycho.

@thechiefpsychopodcast @thechiefpsycho

Florie Mancilla, RDH, is not your standard-issue hygienist. She’s a 24-year force who’s tested the full bandwidth of this profession: clinical care, teledentistry before it was cool, running mobile units, teaching the next generation, shaping corporate training ecosystems, and now redefining whole-health impact as an Oral Wellness Consultant.

In this episode, we get into the actual lived reality of being a clinician in a system that doesn’t always know what to do with ambitious, multidimensional talent. Florie breaks down:
• Clinical autonomy and why most people are using the term without understanding what it demands
• The rise of new roles in dentistry and the strategic opportunities they create for hygienists to lead, design, and innovate
• Corporate life from the inside: the politics, the leverage, and the freedom that comes when you stop waiting for permission
• Community and public health as the roots of real systemic change
• Identity, purpose, and professional evolution when your career refuses to fit into a single lane

Her story is the blueprint for every hygienist who feels stuck, underestimated, or miscast in a profession that’s finally being forced to evolve.

If you’ve been wondering where autonomy, advocacy, and expansion actually begin, this conversation is your signal.

Alright, podcasters—that’s a wrap on this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast! If you got something out of today’s convo, do me a favor—share it, tag us, and keep the conversation going.

Remember, entrepreneurship isn’t just about the grind—it’s about the growth. Stay bold, stay human, and keep pushing the limits.

Catch you next time. Until then—keep it psycho.

@thechiefpsychopodcast @thechiefpsycho

It’s Halloween week — and this conversation takes the mask off what “sustainability” in healthcare really means.

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, I sit down with Brittany Cox, MA, RDH — a sustainable systems strategist and emerging policy architect leading healthcare into a planet-first future. With a Master’s in Oral Health Promotion and advanced training in leadership and coaching, Brittany bridges clinical insight with environmental innovation to help organizations build systems that work — for people, the planet, and the future.

Together, we dig into:

• What’s hiding behind the buzzwords of sustainability
• How ethics, waste, and policy intersect in modern healthcare
• Why true sustainability starts with systems, not slogans
• How advocacy and accountability create long-term impact

Brittany’s approach blends evidence-based strategy with deeply ethical leadership — proving that sustainability isn’t just about compliance or optics. It’s about reimagining how care is delivered, and who it’s designed to serve.

Alright, podcasters—that’s a wrap on this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast! If you got something out of today’s convo, do me a favor—share it, tag us, and keep the conversation going.

Remember, entrepreneurship isn’t just about the grind—it’s about the growth. Stay bold, stay human, and keep pushing the limits.

Catch you next time. Until then—keep it psycho.

@thechiefpsychopodcast @thechiefpsycho

The conversation that started in Hygiene Unchained isn’t finished — it’s evolved.

In the Season 5 premiere of The Chief Psycho Podcast, Derik J. Sven returns to take the gloves off again. A 20-year veteran clinician, author, and reformer, Derik brings clarity, courage, and conviction to the fight for hygiene autonomy and public-health reform.

This time, we go deeper into:

• The real-world impact of restrictive supervision laws
• Why autonomy is the key to solving the hygiene shortage
• How policy and profit still dictate access to care
• What it looks like to build systems that actually serve people

Derik’s not here to make noise — he’s here to make change.

Hygiene Unbound is more than a conversation; it’s the continuation of a movement.

Alright, podcasters—that’s a wrap on this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast! If you got something out of today’s convo, do me a favor—share it, tag us, and keep the conversation going.

Remember, entrepreneurship isn’t just about the grind—it’s about the growth. Stay bold, stay human, and keep pushing the limits.

Catch you next time. Until then—keep it psycho.

@thechiefpsychopodcast @thechiefpsycho

We’ve been told that “work-life balance” is the key to happiness. But what if that’s a myth?

To close out Season 4 of The Chief Psycho Podcast and I/O Psychology Awareness Month, I sat down with Dr. Kelly Reburn — an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, leadership coach, and CEO of The IO Psych Group (@theiopsych). With over a decade of experience driving culture and leadership initiatives, Kelly helps organizations and leaders cut through the noise and focus on what really matters: people.

In this episode, we dive into:

• What burnout actually looks like (and what to do about it)
• Why “success on paper” often still feels empty
• The myth of work-life balance
• How leaders can create cultures that support actual humans, not just output

Kelly brings science, heart, and strategy to the conversation — making this the perfect way to wrap up Season 4.

Alright, podcasters—that’s a wrap on this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast! If you got something out of today’s convo, do me a favor—share it, tag us, and keep the conversation going.

Remember, entrepreneurship isn’t just about the grind—it’s about the growth. Stay bold, stay human, and keep pushing the limits.

Catch you next time. Until then—keep it psycho.

@thechiefpsychopodcast @thechiefpsycho