587: How to Find More Energy and Purpose in Your Days - Katrina Sanders

How to Find More Energy and Purpose in Your Days

Episode #587 with Katrina Sanders, RDH – The Dental WINEgenist

Do you want more excitement and focus from your career? Then your first step is to discover who you are. Today, Kirk Behrendt is back with Katrina Sanders, The Dental WINEgenist, to help you with the self-discovery process that will uncover the vision and mission that matters to you most. She shares her journey, advice, and the steps she took to ignite her passion and pursue her dreams. Are you ready to find joy in the work that you do? To get started, listen to Episode 587 of The Best Practices Show!

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Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Register for Katrina’s next Disease Prevention & Wine Tasting course (October 5-6, 2023)

See Katrina’s 2023 speaking events

Find your Unique Ability

Main Takeaways:

Find your unique ability.

Discover your mission and purpose.

Always be learning and always be inspired.

Create a lasting impact that is outside of dentistry.

Be raw, authentic, and honest. People will support you.

Quotes:

“The reality is, inside of dentistry right now, we are seeing niched practices and we are seeing niched clinicians who are stepping into very unique roles inside of their practice where, now, if they are taking the time to reflect on these things — so, number one, something that you're really good at. I talked to hygienists all the time that are like, ‘I'm really good at social media. I really enjoy posting videos, or doing cutesy little reels, and things like that on social media.’ Well, if you're really good at that, why are you not utilizing this as an aspect inside of what it is that you're doing in clinical practice? Couldn't you take something like this and lift this into your practice? So, little things like that. What are some of the things that you're really good at?” (16:25—17:17)

“So often inside of dentistry, we're so focused on, ‘A hygienist is only as good as the number of minutes that his or her fingers are in somebody's mouth.’ . . . I think we have to change. I think we have to flip that mindset to say, ‘Actually, we have these amazingly talented people who absolutely are good and are trained as clinicians.’ I know how to hold an instrument. I can hold an instrument very well. I can scrape a tooth very well. But there's so much more to me. And one thing that I found inside of clinical practice is how thrilling when you get to step into that so much more inside of your practice.” (19:07—19:48)

“It’s the thing that we aren't measuring that we should we measuring, and that is people cannot look away if you are being raw, authentic, and honest. People can't not follow if you have a mission because everybody wants to get behind a mission. They do. As long as that mission is not hurting somebody, people want to get behind that.” (20:53—21:23)

“I'm not here to make dentistry comfortable. I'm here to make dentistry better. There's a difference there because when you make dentistry better, that oftentimes means that you have to make dentistry uncomfortable. So, you know what that looks like? That looks like getting reviews in my course evaluations that say, ‘How can she say that now it's okay for you to probe dental implants?’ Well, it has been for a long time. I'm not here to make it comfortable for everybody else, because that's what you learned in school 25 years ago, so it's comfortable for you to just hear the same things that you heard 25 years ago repeated so that you know that you're doing a good job. I'm going to make dentistry better, and that means that I'm going to say what's going on in research right now. And that may mean that you're going to have to go back to your clinical practice and make some edits. But that is because when we make dentistry better, we make our community better.” (26:59—27:44)

“What blows my mind is how much if you focus on something else or you expose your brain to something different, how if you're actually listening, you're paying attention, you're soaking it up, where you can pull inspiration from.” (32:19—32:33)

“I think one of the things that we get so focused on when we're in the hustle and bustle is doing the hustle and bustle and not giving ourselves the space, the latitude, the grace, to absorb or soak other things. I've got about four books that I'm reading all at the same time, and then three books that I'm listening to on Audible. And part of the reason why it takes me so long to get through these books is because I'm soaking up so much from it. I'm stopping, I'm reflecting, and I'm thinking, ‘What lesson can I pull from this information? How can this inspire or empower me?’ Sometimes, it's not in my work. Sometimes, it's just, ‘How can this empower me or inspire me to be a more empathetic person?’” (34:32—35:18)

“Sometimes, when I'm absorbing content or I'm pulling inspirational pieces from around me, it's not even just, ‘Well, how can this make me a better speaker? How can this make me a better business owner? How can this make me a better hygienist?’ but, ‘How can this make me a better human?’ Because at the end of the day, when people are working with me and getting behind my mission, they're getting behind me and who I am as a human, the things that are important to me.” (36:09—36:34)

“Take the time to really reflect on what are the things that you are really good at.” (37:51—37:57)

“That decision [to pursue your dream and mission] is a horrifying decision to make because you are placing max bet — this is like Las Vegas. You are max betting. You are putting all the chips in on yourself, on who you are, on the missions, the things that matter to you, the things that drive you, the things that excite you, and you are making an assumption that the very things that excite you excite other people in your community, in your world. And that is horrifying. But I will say, if I could go back in time and tell myself anything, seven years ago when I started writing all this out, it would be just do it. Just leap. Be fearless. Go. Because my biggest regrets are when I held back, when I thought, ‘Oh, no. This slide is too pink. It's going to offend people. Oh, no. This research study, dentistry is not ready for that.’ When I held back, those are the things I regret.” (44:17— 45:20)

“One of my favorite quotes, this is from the musical, Godspell. In one of the songs, “A Beautiful City”, the lyric says, ‘We may not reach the ending, but we can start slowly but truly mending brick by brick, heart by heart.’ I love that because it really means like, I may not reach the end. I may not hit my absolute mission. But every audience member that I connect with, every patient that I serve, every person who listens to something that I'm doing is getting a small piece of me. And I implore anybody listening to this to consider what they're doing on a daily basis — waving to somebody when you're driving in your car, smiling to somebody when you're in the elevator, complimenting somebody.” (48:07—48:55)

“I think the bow in all of this is taking the moments that you love most about the work that you're doing, acknowledging your why, and never forgetting what your mission is, using that as a driver on the days when you are exhausted, you have no voice, and Kirk Behrendt is next door screaming and bouncing off the walls. Take those moments and go, ‘He has a mission. I do too. And we are both here screaming as loudly as we can for that mission,’ and recognize that it is also an incredible honor to share in that mission with people who are like-minded. So, Kirk, thank you for screaming through the walls, because that absolutely echoes the passion that I have, the drive I have. Thank you. And my hope is those of us who are listening to this podcast can look to their colleagues, their doctors, their assistants, their team members, and recognize that these people are alongside you in that same mission.” (50:30—51:39)

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

1:24 Katrina’s background.

5:06 How to find focus, passion, excitement, and joy in your work.

15:47 Find and utilize your team’s unique abilities.

19:48 Katrina’s “why” for her mission.

30:43 Always be learning.

37:14 Take nontraditional paths.

41:06 Change the world outside of dentistry.

45:54 Brick by brick, heart by heart.

50:18 Last thoughts.

Katrina M. Sanders RDH, BSDH, M.Ed, RF Bio:

In the ever-changing world of dental science where research, technology, and techniques for patient care are constantly evolving, dental professionals look to continuing education to provide insight, deliver actionable steps, empower, and create a dramatic impact within their clinical practice.

With wit, charm, and a dash of humor, Katrina Sanders enchants dental professionals with her course deliverables, insightful content, and delightful inspiration. Her message of empowerment rings mighty throughout her lectures and stirs a deep sense of motivation amongst course participants.

Katrina is the Clinical Liaison for AZPerio, the country's largest periodontal practice. She performs clinically, working alongside Diplomates to the American Board of Periodontology in the surgical operatory. Katrina perfected techniques during L.A.N.A.P. surgery, suture placement, IV therapy, and blood draws. She instructs on collaborative professionalism and standard-of-care protocols while delivering education through hygiene boot camps and study clubs.