Conversations with Dental Friends

Can one mentor transform your career? Confidence, Icon and education What difference can one supportive person make to the direction of your career? In this episode of Conversations with Dental Friends, Rachael is joined by Dr Kiran Shankla, a restorative and cosmetic dentist based in Reading. Kiran explains why dentistry was never originally part of her plan and how a conversation with a family f...

Could paediatric dentistry unlock your full scope? Confidence, care and career growth What if a successful paediatric appointment does not end with completed treatment, but with a child feeling slightly safer than they did before? In this episode of Conversations with Dental Friends, Rachael is joined by dental therapist Bradley Wilson. Bradley’s career began with musical theatre, dance and perfor...

Can saying yes shape an extraordinary career? In this episode of Conversations with Dental Friends, Rachael is joined by Dr Nicola Gore, a restorative dentist, practice owner, educator, author and Vice President of the College of General Dentistry. In this episode, we cover: Growing up between England and Iran and nearly leaving dental school Accepting a last-minute foundation training position Wo...

Can success cost you your health? High performance without burnout What if looking after your health was not separate from building a successful dental career, but one of the most important parts of it? In this episode, Rachael is joined by George Vernon, a health and performance coach who works with dental professionals, practice owners, business leaders and other ambitious professionals. George...

Could saying yes transform your dental career? From safe beginner to paediatric leader What if the next step in your career is not part of a carefully mapped-out five-year plan, but simply an opportunity you are curious enough to say yes to? In this episode of Conversations with Dental Friends, Rachael is joined by award-winning dental hygienist and therapist Imogen Fox, whose incredibly varied ca...

Could dentistry prepare you for business? From clinician to founder What happens when the career you worked so hard for no longer feels like the right fit? In this episode of Conversations with Dental Friends, Rachael is joined by dentist, facial aesthetics practitioner and founder of Whip Belfast, Dr Ariba Karim. Ariba shares the honest story behind her journey from dentistry into hospitality and...

What if the answer to burnout isn’t simply doing less, but learning how to live, work and succeed in a completely different way? In this episode of Conversations with Dental Friends, Rachael is joined by specialist periodontist, author, coach, international speaker and fellow podcaster Dr Rana Al-Falaki. Rana was the first periodontist in the UK to begin using lasers in daily practice and has deve...

From making blue-tack braces 🦷😂 to becoming a dental therapist, educator, content creator for 245k+ people, and working with some of the biggest brands in dentistry… Anna Peterson’s journey is a powerful reminder that you don’t always know where one decision will take you. In this episode, we talk about career pivots, confidence, social media, and what it really looks like behind the polished de...

In this episode of Conversations with Dental Friends, I’m joined by Dr Ambrish Roshan, dentist, educator and dental photography enthusiast, for a conversation about finding your direction in dentistry, building a career around the things you genuinely enjoy and why photography can completely change the way you practise. Ambrish shares the story of moving from Singapore to Ireland to study dentistr...

SEASON FINALE 🎙️✨ I genuinely cannot believe we’re already at the final episode of Season 5 of Conversations With Dental Friends 🥹🤍 I’m joined by the brilliant Caitlin Miller, Dental Therapist and Head of Dental Hygiene and Therapy at Bupa Dental Care 👏 This conversation felt SO important because we spoke honestly about what it’s really like working within corporate dentistry, the future of de...

New episode of Conversations With Dental Friends is live 🎙️✨ This week I’m joined by the lovely Stacey Saagar and honestly… this conversation felt like such an important reminder that careers in dentistry are allowed to evolve alongside you 🤍 We spoke so openly about confidence, growth, balancing career ambitions with real life, and navigating the pressures that can sometimes come with working i...

New episode of Conversations With Dental Friends is live 🎙️✨ This week I’m joined by the amazing Raahbia Maan and honestly… this conversation felt SO honest, motivating and refreshing 🤍 We spoke about what it really looks like to build confidence in your career while navigating the pressures of dentistry, social media, personal growth and figuring out who you are both inside and outside of the c...

New episode of Conversations With Dental Friends is live 🎙️✨ This week I’m joined by the brilliant Ibby Numan and honestly… this conversation felt like such an important one for anyone navigating their career in dentistry 🤍 From starting out as a Dental Nurse at the Eastman, to training as a Dental Therapist during Covid, moving into education, working with BADT and helping therapists build conf...

new episode of Conversations With Dental Friends is live 🎙️✨ this week I’m joined by Tracy Doole and honestly… this conversation is such a good reminder that your career doesn’t have to fit into one box 🤍 from starting out in business and temp jobs before finding dentistry through dental nursing, to becoming a dental hygienist, educator, sustainability advocate, BSDHT executive member and clinic...

New episode of Conversations With Dental Friends is live 🎙️✨ This week I’m joined by the incredible Elaine Tilling, someone who has spent decades shaping the dental profession through education, advocacy, public health work and mentorship 🤍 From joining the Royal Air Force at 17, to becoming a dental hygienist, educator, speaker and passionate advocate for oral health, Elaine’s career journey is...

Another week, another conversation 🎙️✨ and this one brings a different perspective on building a career in dentistry 💭 This week I’m joined by Alan McCartney a name many of you will recognise through his work with global dental brands 🌍🦷 We’re diving into what it really looks like to step beyond the clinic and into the business side of dentistry and how to build a career that evolves with you...

New episode dayyyy 🎙️✨ This week on Conversations With Dental Friends I’m joined by the incredible Lauren Long and honestly… this conversation is SUCH an important one for dental therapists everywhere 🫶 Lauren shares her journey into dental therapy, the challenges she faced getting started and how finding the right supportive team completely changed the direction of her career 💭 Now thriving wi...

✨ NEW EPISODE ✨ This week on Conversations with Dental Friends I’m joined by the one and only Joe Lovett 🎙️ And honestly… this conversation felt very full circle 🫶 The first time Joe and I spoke around 6 years ago it completely shifted the way I viewed my dental career and opened my mind to opportunities outside of the surgery 👀 One of the BIGGEST topics in this episode is networking and if th...

We’re back ✨ with a brand new episode of Conversations with Dental Friends and this one is so worth your time 🎧🤍 This week I’m joined by Dr Chinwe Aquono truly human sunshine ☀️ and an associate dentist whose career path proves that there is no one “right” way to build something incredible. It’s thoughtful, it’s non-linear, and it’s a reminder that curiosity can take you further than any set pa...

We’re back 🎙️✨ with another conversation with Dental Friends, and this one is packed with value 💭 This week I’m joined by Megan Fairhall 🦷✨ dental therapist, teeth whitening expert, and founder behind MF Academy & She Runs Things 💫 If you already follow her, you’ll know she brings both clinical expertise and serious business mindset and this episode is exactly that blend 🤍 In this episode we...

Season 5 is officially LIVE 🎙️✨ …and we’re kicking things off with a big one, episode 50 (!!) with the incredible Cat Edney 🦷💫 After hearing her name come up again and again in previous seasons, I knew we had to get Cat on the podcast, and this conversation did not disappoint 🤍 In this episode we get into: ✨ going straight from A-levels into dental therapy ✨ recognising when it’s time to ste...

Season finale energy 🎙️✨ This week on Conversations with Dental Friends, I’m sitting down with Dr Sarah Armstrong, who bought her own practice at 28 (yes, really). We get into: ​Building a business plan ​Designing a purpose-built refurb ​Learning as you go (because you have to) ​Risk vs reward and actually backing yourself ​Grit, resilience, and taking those skills into everything you do This epi...

What does it really look like to maximise your dental therapy career? 🎙️ Welcome back to another episode of Conversations with Dental Friends. This week I’m chatting with Robbie Stewart, dental therapist and Dental Therapist of the Year 2025 and it was such a great conversation. In this episode we get into: ​ Working in Australia 🇦🇺 what that experience was really like ​ Maximising your dental the...

🎙️ Welcome back to Conversations with Dental Friends! This week I’m joined by the brilliant Linzy Baker, a dental therapist who has truly gone from strength to strength in her career. From investing in herself early to building momentum in practice, Linzy shares so many insights for anyone looking to grow and maximise their scope in dentistry. In this episode we chat about: ✨ Why persistence real...

From dental therapist → practice consultant → educator… with a few pivots in between. Welcome back to another episode of Conversations with Dental Friends 🎙️ This week I’m chatting with Poppy Dunton (@dunton.consulting) — a dental therapist and practice consultant who’s worked in almost every role in dentistry… and has the perspective to prove it. In this episode we talk about: 💡 Why work experie...