From Embezzlement Crisis to Swiss Army Knife: How One Team Member’s Journey Revolutionized Dental Practice Leadership
In this inspiring episode of the Marketing 32 show, host Brett Allen sits down with Joanne Miles, the “Swiss Army Knife of Dentistry” and lead investment grade practice business advisor with Productive Dentist Academy. Joanne’s remarkable journey from dental assistant to regional DSO manager to industry leader showcases the limitless potential within dental careers. With decades of nationwide experience, she now helps practices achieve operational excellence through her innovative Clinical Calibration Institute – the first online platform designed to unite entire dental teams under one comprehensive clinical philosophy. From overcoming early career challenges to developing cutting-edge training solutions, Joanne shares invaluable insights on leadership, team development, and creating investment-grade practices.
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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- 02:25 – The career pivot: From nursing student to dental assistant after seeing three pages of dental job opportunities
- 03:18 – The baptism by fire: Becoming office manager after discovering $100,000+ embezzlement
- 04:42 – Breaking the artificial ceiling: Moving to DSO work to expand business knowledge
- 05:24 – Regional expansion role: Opening the Midwest region and training non-dental professionals
- 06:55 – Introduction to Productive Dentist Academy’s comprehensive consulting approach
- 08:20 – Unveiling the Clinical Calibration Institute: The game-changing online learning platform
- 09:35 – The calibration crisis: When teams aren’t following the doctor’s clinical standards
- 10:32 – Breaking down silos: Bringing hygienists, assistants, admin, and doctors together
- 11:27 – Global reach: Coaching teams from Belfast, Ireland to Kansas through virtual masterminds
- 13:42 – The “we’ve always done it this way” challenge and how COVID changed patient perspectives
- 15:10 – Revolutionary approach: First online platform for entire dental team calibration
- 02:05 – Risk factor conversations: Addressing root causes like medications affecting oral health
- 05:44 – The education gap: Why admin teams were historically underserved in dental continuing education
- 07:36 – Learning styles workshop: Customizing training for different team member personalities
- 08:43 – Investment grade practices: Building value for better exits and sustainable growth
- 09:43 – The leadership epiphany: Leading yourself before leading others
Joanne Miles delivers a masterclass in dental practice transformation through her unique perspective as someone who has literally worked every role in the dental office. Her journey began in 1986 as a dental assistant during a time when gloves weren’t even standard practice, but was quickly accelerated when she was thrust into management after an embezzlement crisis. This baptism by fire taught her the critical importance of systems, leadership, and comprehensive business understanding – lessons that would shape her entire career trajectory.
The centerpiece of this episode is Joanne’s introduction of the Clinical Calibration Institute, a revolutionary online learning platform that addresses one of dentistry’s most persistent challenges: getting entire teams aligned with the doctor’s clinical philosophy and standards of care. Unlike traditional continuing education that focuses primarily on clinical training for dentists, CCI brings together hygienists, assistants, admin staff, and doctors in a cohesive learning environment. The platform features on-demand modules covering everything from comprehensive diagnostics and risk factor conversations to scheduling optimization and financial solutions, all designed to break down the silos that typically exist within dental practices.
What makes Joanne’s approach particularly powerful is her understanding that successful practices require more than just clinical excellence – they need investment-grade business systems and strong leadership development. Her work focuses on helping practice owners recognize that leadership begins with self-leadership, and that creating a clear cultural north star is essential for team alignment and sustainable growth. Through monthly virtual masterminds, global peer learning opportunities, and practical implementation tools, the Clinical Calibration Institute represents a new paradigm in dental team development that prioritizes accessibility, affordability, and real-world application over traditional conference-based learning models.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Productive Dentist Academy – Comprehensive dental practice consulting and coaching
- American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM) – Professional organization for dental practice administrators
- Dr. Steven Katz Episode – Previous Marketing32 show episode on standardizing diagnosis
- Joanne Miles LinkedIn – Connect with Joanne professionally
- Joanne Miles Direct Contact – Email: joanne.miles@productivedentist.com
- Marketing 32 – Performance-based dental marketing with growth guarantee
Quotable Moments
“There’s no ceiling in dentistry, because I started as a registered dental assistant and I sit here today many years later… this industry has given me that opportunity.” – Joanne Miles
“The thing that’s so interesting about consulting is when people zig, they zag. They’re so forward thinking. They really do have a pulse on what is missing.” – Joanne Miles (about PDA’s co-founders)
“A lot of doctors want coaching and we often say the more successful you are, the more support is required. If you look at any top CEO, they have coaches, they have people supporting them.” – Joanne Miles
“Dentistry has never had an online platform that had on-demand learning for the entire team to get on the same page and calibrate and learn this at a deeper level.” – Joanne Miles
“In order for me to lead others and be the best version of myself for others, I had to lead myself first.” – Joanne Miles
“Your name is on the door. No one can care more about it than you. So you have to show up as that leader and care the most.” – Joanne Miles
Action Steps
- Assess Your Team Calibration – Evaluate whether your hygienists, assistants, and admin team are truly aligned with your clinical philosophy and standards of care
- Identify Learning Style Differences – Observe your team members to understand who needs quick implementation versus those who need time to process and absorb information
- Create Standardized Training Frameworks – Develop customized training approaches that accommodate different learning styles within your team
- Implement Regular Team Masterminds – Schedule monthly team meetings focused on peer learning and problem-solving rather than just administrative updates
- Evaluate Your Leadership Approach – Conduct honest self-assessment about leading yourself first before expecting to lead others effectively
Sponsor for this episode…
This episode is brought to you by Marketing 32—the only dental marketing agency and team with a performance guarantee that is truly invested in the growth of your practice.
If you’re not growing in that first month they work together with you, you don’t pay. They really try to find practices they know they can help and partner with you for a win-win relationship.
If you need help with your marketing, visit Marketing 32 and hop on a discovery call to see if it’ll be a great fit.
Episode Transcript:
Brett Allen (00:19)
Hi, Brett Allen here, host of the Marketing32 show where I connect with leading dentists, dental influencers, and industry experts to give you guys the latest and greatest in dentistry. Talk about the innovations and advice to help you grow and thrive in your dental practice. This episode, as always, is brought to you by our team here at Marketing32. We are the only dental marketing team that I know of that is truly invested in your growth with a performance guarantee. So if you’re not growing, we don’t get paid. We really try to find those practices that we know we can help.
And so if you need help growing your practice or curious about marketing with our team, head over to marketing32.com. We’ll set up a brief call to see if we’d be a great fit and ⁓ let’s help you grow. Quick shout out to Dr. Steven Katz had him on the show recently. We talked all about how he’s helped deliver over $300 million in practice growth across lots of different practices.
in part by standardizing diagnosis and improving case acceptance. Really fascinating episode. A lot of good advice there. So check that one out. Today I’m excited to have my new friend, Joanne Miles on the show. She is the lead investment grade practice business advisor with Productive Dentist Academy, known as the Swiss Army Knife of Dentistry for her versatile expertise.
With decades of nationwide experience, she helps dental practices grow through operational excellence, team engagement, and leadership development. Joanne is passionate about aligning business success with core values and meaningful connections. And we do have a meaningful connection, Joanne, through ⁓ Speakers Consulting Network, where we met. ⁓ Grateful for that and grateful to have you on the show. Thanks for coming on. Yeah, this will be a fun conversation. ⁓
Joanne Miles (02:02)
Yeah.
Well, thank you for having me. It’s an honor. I’m excited.
Brett Allen (02:13)
So tell us, how did you get into dentistry? What was that journey like? And then ultimately, how did you get with Productive Dentist Academy and what do you guys do there that’s so special and unique?
Joanne Miles (02:25)
Yeah, so I, like many people, have probably a similar story to mine of our beginnings. 1986, was in my doing the first two years of college. I actually thought I was going to be a nurse. That’s what I thought I wanted to do. And I walked by this dental assisting program. And it just seemed really interesting and me being sort of an analytical and practical responsible person.
Brett Allen (02:39)
really?
Joanne Miles (02:53)
I opened up the newspaper to the help wanted ads and it was three solid pages of dentistry. Right. So I was like, cool, bulletproof. I could have a job here. Right. You know, and it’s helping people, which was the thing. So I started as a registered dental assistant in ⁓ California where I grew up and ⁓ just sort of
Brett Allen (03:01)
really, wow.
Going to dentistry. Okay.
Joanne Miles (03:18)
migrated in all the little chairs of the office and did different roles. And then next thing you know, one day I was called into the doctor’s office and was told that the office manager had embezzled over 100 grand and that I was now the new office manager. And that was my first soiree into management. I would say.
Brett Allen (03:21)
Okay.
Oh man. Oh wow.
Wow, that’s like a whole, we could
go down that rabbit hole, right? Like I’ve heard some crazy stories of embezzlement by team members. that’s yeah.
Joanne Miles (03:49)
Yeah, and this was,
you know, this is the 80s, you know, so it was it was interesting. And so I that was like my first baptism by fire, if you will, of ⁓ management and running a business. And I’ve always been curious. ⁓ And so I ⁓ learned what I could. I was a voracious learner.
Brett Allen (04:01)
Yeah
Yeah, practice.
Joanne Miles (04:13)
And then I realized I kind of hit this, I would consider an artificial ceiling, because I don’t believe in ceilings and dentistry. But I needed to learn more. And so I actually went to go work for one of the larger DSOs for about seven years to truly round out my education, we’ll say. And it was very rewarding. I learned a lot. But my heart is really more in helping the private practices or group practices grow.
Brett Allen (04:28)
Okay.
Joanne Miles (04:42)
and mainly the team members.
Brett Allen (04:42)
working
with the DSO, sorry to interrupt you, were you an office manager of the DSO, of one of their practices or were you doing managing a group of
Joanne Miles (04:54)
So that’s how I started. I started ⁓ as a manager. I opened ⁓ one of their first ⁓ locations in the San Francisco Bay Area market. ⁓ then they are opening within the company came up to open the Midwest region, which was Kansas and Missouri. So I moved, you know, got a promotion, if you will, into more of a regional role to help open up a region. And so I did a lot of training.
Brett Allen (04:56)
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Joanne Miles (05:24)
of other team members, training of people who never even worked in dentistry to now run the dental business. So, ⁓ I learned a lot about, you know, real estate building, De Novos opening from scratch, ⁓ team, yeah, team development of every, every, every role in the practice. ⁓ so it was, it was a lot of fun. And then I decided I got what I needed and I.
Brett Allen (05:31)
Hmm.
wow. Yeah.
Wow.
Joanne Miles (05:51)
needed a little bit, I needed more balance to my life at that point. So I went ahead and got back into consulting. Ultimately has always been my goal consulting and speaking. And so I had the opportunity to come to productive dentist academy and become a consultant. And so I started as a team development coach and now I’m a business advisor. And then I do a lot of
Brett Allen (06:02)
You like to teach. Yeah. Yeah.
Joanne Miles (06:21)
other various things I do speaking. ⁓ So I’m excited. It’s just been this, and that’s why I say there’s no ceiling in dentistry, because I started as a registered dental assistant and I sit here today many years later, but it was from, but that this industry has given me that opportunity. And then I stepped through those doors. ⁓
Brett Allen (06:27)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, that’s awesome. So tell
us more about Productive Dentist Academy. What’s that group like? What do you guys do there? How do you work with practices? Tell us all about that.
Joanne Miles (06:55)
So we are probably considered one of the more comprehensive consulting groups because we have, ⁓ I would say, the key experts in each of the areas that would require the growth of the dental business. ⁓ The area that I work is on the business side, so it’s the coaching. So we do a lot of the ⁓ helping doctors really realize the practice of their dreams. ⁓
Brett Allen (07:00)
Mm-hmm.
Joanne Miles (07:23)
The thing that’s so interesting about consulting is a lot of this has evolved. And one thing that I will say about our co-founders, Dr. Bruce Barrett and Dr. Victoria Peterson is that when people zig, they zag. they, no, no, but they’re so forward thinking. They really do have a pulse on what is missing.
Brett Allen (07:33)
Yeah, Dr. Beer.
So they don’t follow what everyone’s doing. They’re kind of blazing their own path.
Joanne Miles (07:50)
And, you know, live events, there’s always gonna be a place for live events, but not everybody has the time or the finances. You know, a lot of team members have young families and they can’t just leave with the doctor and go do CE for a weekend. So, ⁓ the thing that’s super exciting is we’ve created a new online platform learning product called the Clinical Calibration Institute. And so here’s…
Brett Allen (07:50)
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, this sounds neat
from what you were telling me.
Joanne Miles (08:20)
Yeah, you know, and we’re here to solve a problem. So a lot of doctors want coaching and we often say is the more successful you are, the more support is required. So you know, if you look at any top CEO, they have coaches, they have people supporting them. And that’s what we do. So it’s not a pride thing. It’s like, I need help to grow my business. No, you’re really successful.
Brett Allen (08:33)
Hmm.
yeah, yeah.
Joanne Miles (08:49)
You have a limited amount of time, but you still you’ve put all this investment in school. You’ve come out of school with some pretty heavy debt. Most of them have.
Brett Allen (08:55)
100%.
Yeah, and you’ve invested
all on the clinical side and not on the administrative leadership and practice management side.
Joanne Miles (09:02)
Right.
Right. But you’re wanting
to grow. And one of the biggest things we’ll hear from Dennis is I’ve done all this education and I’ve, I thought I explained it to everybody, but they’re not, they’re not following my lead. not, not, they’re not calibrated to my standards of care. Right. So the clinical calibration Institute is an online learning platform where we have ⁓ on demand learning for
Brett Allen (09:19)
Hmm.
Hmm. There’s a disconnect. Yeah.
Joanne Miles (09:35)
every role in the practice. then ultimately it’s to bring everybody out of the silos, the hygienists in their silo, the dental assistants in theirs, the admin in theirs, the dentist, the associate dentists, bringing them all together. And so that there’s one cohesive clinical philosophy, there’s a standard of care, there’s a language behind it. And then there’s the how do we schedule the
Brett Allen (09:48)
Mmm.
Joanne Miles (10:02)
to be productive? How do we communicate to be productive? ⁓ And then it’s also a mentorship area as well. So if, say, a doctor is bringing in a new associate, how do we get them up to speed quicker? Well, they have this online platform of clinical training and learning from some of the best in our industry. And all around risk factor conversations, ⁓ comprehensive diagnostics, ⁓ carries detection, ⁓ periodontal
Brett Allen (10:21)
Interesting.
Joanne Miles (10:32)
protocols and health. So it’s really all about intervening in the disease process, but then it’s also bringing in the admin team, the dental assistants, so everyone is all lockstep. And the thing that’s really beautiful about this also is that we have monthly masterminds for each of these roles. So the hygienists have a mastermind where they can come on, it’s all done via Zoom.
Brett Allen (10:33)
interesting.
Wow.
your individual team
members are participating as well. It’s not just for the office manager or the doctor.
Joanne Miles (10:58)
Right, exactly,
exactly. we’ll have masterminds where maybe I will be one of the coaches on there facilitating, or if it’s one of our clinical calibration coaches, one of our hygienists that are on there coaching, and we facilitate learning. So it’s peer learning. They get some coaching in the moment, and that’s done monthly. And I always say the answer’s in the room. So to be able to connect people.
Brett Allen (11:20)
Mm-hmm.
Joanne Miles (11:27)
And the thing that’s super cool is this is worldwide. have people in the Institute. ⁓ I actually, we have these private communities where they can ask questions and they’ll get coaching right in the moment. And I just answered a question from a doctor’s wife in Belfast, Ireland that are in the program. So it’s…
Brett Allen (11:31)
Wow, yeah.
Wow, a lot of different
diversity then in thought and experience. Yeah, that’s cool.
Joanne Miles (11:52)
Yeah. Yeah.
And it’s, would say it’s kind of like if you’re not ready for full coaching, this is a really great product because it’s a monthly subscription. It’s for the entire team, no matter if you have 14 members or 20 team members, it’s for the entire team. And you’re paying virtually less than I would say, you know, a doctor who’s contracting with a PPO, it’s less than what you’re getting paid for a crown a month. And you can’t,
Brett Allen (12:01)
Hmm.
Wow.
Joanne Miles (12:21)
Now you’re talking about being able to increase your productivity by hundreds of thousands of dollars ⁓ for a very low fee, but you’re not compromising the learning.
Brett Allen (12:29)
Yeah.
Yeah, it
sounds like it’s also ⁓ the way you’ve structured it for the different team members and the different topics that’s consumable. It’s not going to be overwhelming from a, yeah, you know, these, these in-person events are great, like you said, but they do require a good amount of time. The benefit of doing an at-home course or, even, you know, invite size increments with your team is it, it seems like
Joanne Miles (12:43)
Exactly.
Brett Allen (13:01)
that method or modality of learning is then more able to be consumed and implemented and taking action with it. ⁓ How do you get, what are some of the challenges that you often see when you’re working with practices who are going through a training like this? You mentioned that disconnect. There’s not this cohesive ability to, you know, I’m the leader, I’m the doctor or the OM, and it’s not.
clicking, that’s one thing. Are there other things that you see in working with practices that are a common bottleneck or roadblock?
Joanne Miles (13:42)
You know, I think, you know, we all have some degree, including myself, this affliction of, we always used to do it this way. We always done it this way. Why would we, you know, switch? ⁓ And, you know, again, I kind of gave you part of my background. started in 1986. Well, I didn’t wear gloves, or glasses in school. Like, but when I touched, that was common, right? And then there was this little, you know, thing called HIV that came along and all of a sudden we were all gloved up and everything. But.
Brett Allen (13:49)
⁓ yeah.
Yeah.
Really? That was kind of common back then? ⁓ wow.
⁓ man.
Joanne Miles (14:12)
⁓ so the point is, is that we evolve and we change and we’re evolving again now with AI and technology and everything coming in. And I, we’ve COVID did a lot of, I would say horrible things to us, but the one thing, the silver lining of it for us in dentistry is at least, is that now our general population has made the connection between the mouth and the body.
Brett Allen (14:19)
Yeah.
Joanne Miles (14:41)
and that they’re actually connected. And now we have the opportunity and that’s where we really go deep into CCI. A lot of these modules are on that whole body health and linking ⁓ risk factors such as heart disease and diabetes and Alzheimer’s to periodontal disease. And then it’s teaching the team. We’ve always done it, right? Yeah. But dentistry has never had an online platform.
Brett Allen (14:41)
Hmm. Yeah.
Yeah. Well, dentistry has always known that, right? But the patients, yeah, the patients didn’t have that.
Joanne Miles (15:10)
that had on-demand learning for the entire team to get on the same page and calibrate and learn this at a deeper level. And that’s what’s so amazing about this.
Can’t hear ya.
Brett Allen (15:24)
Sorry, I glitched. think my daughter opened a Bluetooth. ⁓ I think it stopped. There’s a media disconnect.
Joanne Miles (15:27)
it’s okay.
Brett Allen (15:33)
Okay. Can you hear me?
Joanne Miles (15:35)
can. Now you’re on my left. You were on my right.
Brett Allen (15:38)
⁓ weird. Okay, well we’ll edit and try and, I don’t even remember, that kind of threw me there. It did one of these things where it’s like it connected to Bluetooth with my daughter’s laptop and then she opened it and it’s like, I don’t know why it does that sometimes, but I need to redo that. ⁓ So we were talking about COVID. Hang on, the kids are all awake now and now they’re bothering me.
Joanne Miles (15:43)
Yeah.
Yeah.
⁓
No worry.
Yeah, and so, yeah.
Brett Allen (16:08)
Can you guys give me some? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
Joanne Miles (16:14)
life. That’s okay. You
know what, I think that again, COVID, you know, all of us had to really adopt. mean, although PDA has always had a virtual Zoom, part of the component of our coaching is we’ve always been on Zoom in 2019, 2018, you know, so we were rolling. Yeah. You see, you kind of learn. And then when COVID happened, all of a sudden, you know, a lot of my coworkers were homeschooling.
Brett Allen (16:30)
you’ve got a role with the punches of Zoom. Yeah. Yeah.
Joanne Miles (16:40)
So yeah, know, now that’s not considered unprofessional anymore. It’s just considered life.
Brett Allen (16:41)
Yeah.
Let me pull up our recording and we can both listen to it and maybe we can kind of find a way to.
Joanne Miles (16:52)
Yeah, I don’t, I never remember what I was saying. I just don’t know where it glitched on you.
Brett Allen (16:57)
Let’s see. I don’t know if I can view it while I’m in the recording. Let me stop.
Brett Allen (00:01)
Okay, well, it looks like we had a glitch in our recording. So sorry about that. Let’s pick up where we left off. We were talking about COVID and how that’s opened eyes to patients and made that connection between oral health and the rest of their body health. ⁓ What we’re, yeah, help us bring this back into the recording. ⁓
Joanne Miles (00:07)
Absolutely.
Mm-hmm.
I gotcha. So
how all that tied in was, you know, the question was, is how are we bringing the teams together? How are we solving the problem of the disconnect with say an office manager or your treatment coordinator? And, you know, ⁓ now the beauty of having this platform online is to your point, it is on demand. A doctor could even say, even if they can take one piece of a recording and make that a team meeting.
Brett Allen (00:30)
Yeah.
Joanne Miles (00:52)
So now we get to have the team meeting, we get to view the learning, the lesson together, and then also implement later. Yeah.
Brett Allen (00:53)
Yeah.
That’s, yeah, that’s awesome. think,
yeah, everything being on demand is so great because you can consume it in bite size. You can schedule out your schedule so that you’re getting it as you need it. It’s not like immersing yourself in an event, consuming all this stuff and then trying to implement it and remember all the different things along the way. I do think that’s a great way to learn and a great way to make an impact in a practice.
Joanne Miles (01:09)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Brett Allen (01:27)
⁓ Is there a recommended cadence? Is there like a recommended flow that you take them through in the programs like, this week consume this video by the end of the week? Something like that, where you’re guiding them.
Joanne Miles (01:37)
Yes, mean,
it is on demand. mean, there is a ⁓ logical flow to the learning. You know, there’s some building blocks. So we will recommend that you do it in this order. But that doesn’t mean you can’t go out of order. So if you’re hygienist, like if that is your 911 in your office is periodontal disease and intervening in the disease process and getting everyone on the same page, absolutely.
Brett Allen (01:44)
Okay.
Yeah.
Joanne Miles (02:05)
jump into those modules first. We have Dr. Kim Cooch, who’s renowned in caries detection and really rethinking how we not only diagnose it, but then how do we treat it from a risk factor point of view? ⁓ Because one of the most frustrating things for dentists, dentistry in general, is that if a filling fails, say,
Brett Allen (02:07)
Right.
Joanne Miles (02:35)
⁓ The patient is automatically going to say, it’s that dentist’s fault. They didn’t do good work. But if we’re not having meaningful conversations and really getting to the root cause of why does this patient have decay in the first place? Could they be taking a blood pressure medication that’s drying out their mouth, which now raises the pH and the acidity level, so now they’re at a higher risk of decay?
Brett Allen (02:58)
Hmm.
Yeah.
Joanne Miles (03:02)
It doesn’t matter how beautiful your filling is. If you don’t address the root cause and the risk factors and then help your patient have a great change their home care. Yeah, that filling can last for life now if they’re using the right rinses, if they’re doing the right home care, if they’re coming in on the right intervals for ⁓ re-care visits, for your hygiene visits, things of that nature. we go to, that’s how deep of a level of comprehensive care
Brett Allen (03:10)
haven’t yet understanding around what’s happening.
Yeah.
Joanne Miles (03:30)
comprehensive diagnostics, and then how do we talk about it in layman’s terms so patients really truly understand what’s at stake?
Brett Allen (03:38)
Yeah, that’s cool. Sounds like these philosophies and the process applies to not just general practice, but specialties as well. A lot of everything that you’re training on. That’s really neat.
Joanne Miles (03:48)
Absolutely.
Yeah,
you know, and then it’s about getting it on the schedule. How do we help patients afford the care that they need? You know, so it’s a it is a it’s the clinical calibration institute. It may sound like it’s all clinical, but there’s some very ⁓ best practices around systems and optimizing the systems in your practice, such as scheduling your phone calls, your billing, your financial solutions, talking how to talk to patients about that.
Brett Allen (03:58)
Mm-hmm.
Joanne Miles (04:20)
So we’re coming at it at all angles. And then we’re giving them the opportunity to come on these monthly masterminds where they get to be with their peers from all around the world and the US. And then there’s a coach or two on there. So now they’re getting coaching in the moment as well. And they haven’t left their office, their home, wherever, because it’s all done virtually.
Brett Allen (04:20)
Mm-hmm.
That’s neat.
Yeah.
Joanne Miles (04:49)
And then we have the online community for quick, hey, I got a question. Can someone help me? then we will be putting on some regional events in the future. So we’re going to be building on this as well and continuing to add more modules. And again, it’s really a very low cost monthly subscription for everyone to grow together.
Brett Allen (04:55)
cool, okay.
Yeah, that’s it sounds like the amount
of, yeah, it sounds like the amount of value and the in-depth training, the spectrum of things that you cover, the team engagement. That’s sounds like an amazing opportunity at a great price, like you’re saying. How are you in working with in this program? What is your expertise? What are you focusing on? I know you’re speaking at ADOM coming up. What is it that you like to focus in on?
Joanne Miles (05:29)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Brett Allen (05:42)
when you’re working with practices.
Joanne Miles (05:44)
You know, it’s really, it’s the leadership component and the business building. So the leadership component is really helping, you know, the thing I have, I’m going to back up a little bit. So I have been a member of ADOM, American Association of Dental Office Managers. I try to think back, I think 2009. So I’ve been a member, ⁓ I’ve gone through, I’ve
earned all of my, I’m in the diplomat status now of ADOM. And there was never education for the admin team. You would go to the big conventions and in my day, they were the big conventions you’d go to. And there was pretty much 99 % it’s all clinical and maybe there’d be one or two things admin business-wise. so if you…
Brett Allen (06:22)
Hmm prior to the
wow.
Joanne Miles (06:39)
were as curious as I am to learn and how do you really run this business? Dentists are entrepreneurs. They’re still running, they’re not only the clinician, but they’re running a business. ⁓ And ⁓ so there was not a lot of education out there for my role as a manager at the time. And that’s where ADOM came in and really filled that. And we got to be with like-minded people. And now it’s a…
Brett Allen (06:51)
Yeah, very much. Yeah.
Joanne Miles (07:07)
huge organization, it’s ⁓ got some of the best education. And so I’m a huge believer. being able to now present in breakouts and to pay it forward and give to and continue to show ⁓ the team members, the administrative team members that there’s no ceiling and here are ways, here’s some ways to solve your problems. And so my breakout is gonna be on.
Brett Allen (07:11)
Yeah.
Joanne Miles (07:36)
the different learning styles that people have. ⁓ There are people who are just, know, quick, quick, quick, let me read it and I’m gonna go do it. And then there’s those that need to stop and think and absorb and take their time and process, right? And you put those two people together and there is not gonna be learning unless you have an awareness about everyone’s learning style and you create a framework to create training.
Brett Allen (07:46)
Yeah.
Process it, yeah.
Yeah.
Joanne Miles (08:04)
that is customized for each of your team members. And so that we’re going to have fun. We’re going to have, I’m actually workshopping it. I’m going to teach the OMS about their learning style. And then we’re going to simulate an actual team meeting, but through them doing the exercise. And then I’m going to give them all the tools to take that back the next week and they can actually implement this fully. So I’m really excited.
Brett Allen (08:07)
That’s awesome.
cool.
That’s why cool.
Joanne Miles (08:34)
My area is about developing the team members to be leaders in their own role, title or not, doesn’t matter. And then, as a business advisor at PDA, I’m helping doctors create what we call an investment grade practice where it has a value. when in nif and time you’re ready to sell, you have a true investment and value.
Brett Allen (08:43)
Yeah, I love that. That’s cool.
Joanne Miles (09:02)
And not only for yourself, but for whoever’s coming in to purchase the practice, the systems, everything’s so optimized that it’ll keep growing with the new, Absolutely, absolutely.
Brett Allen (09:07)
Yeah.
It’s a good asset. You get a better exit with that as well. Yeah.
Well, we’re about out of time. always, I always ask people to close with one bit of advice. If there’s one thing, something that’s been like a huge epiphany for you that you could share that has made a big impact for indentistry. What would, what would that one piece of advice be? You think that that is that you can share with everyone.
Joanne Miles (09:22)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
I think, well, for me, my epiphany coming back was leadership. However, it was about leadership in my own life. In order for me to lead others and be the best version of myself for others, I had to lead myself first. And that meant having, know, maybe looking at some hard truths that, you know, I allowed certain boundaries to break down to the point where I was now
Brett Allen (09:43)
Okay.
Mmm.
Hmm.
Hmm.
Joanne Miles (10:08)
at risk and unhealthy and tired and my vitality was gone. But that was my fault as a leader, to me. So in order to lead others in life, you have to lead yourself. And it was a real, that was a big eye opening for me. And then, this is another hard truth. Your name is on the door.
Brett Allen (10:11)
Mmm.
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
Yeah.
Joanne Miles (10:35)
No one can care more about it than you. So you have to show up as that leader and care the most. then help the people around you care as much, understand what your vision is, what the purpose of why we’re showing up every day to do dentistry. ⁓
Brett Allen (10:38)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Joanne Miles (11:01)
that’s where that leadership, it’s the culture, it’s the cultural north star of the practice. So the term leadership, unfortunately, is a little overused. But I think if there’s an alignment in whatever that is, whatever your beliefs are, if there’s alignment and then you can articulate it, you can actually say it with clarity, your team will follow.
Brett Allen (11:06)
Yeah.
Yeah.
the self work.
Yeah, I love that. It sounds like the clinical, what was the name of it again? The Clinical Calibration Institute. CCI. It sounds like that’s a great resource to help you do that. Just that. Do the self work and then communicate it so that it’s cohesive throughout the team and the practice. That’s so cool. Well, thank you so much, Joanne, for coming on and sharing all this advice and sharing about what you guys do at Productive Dentist Academy and
Joanne Miles (11:30)
Critical Calibration. Yeah, CCI.
It is. It is. Absolutely.
Brett Allen (11:54)
the work you’re doing and how you’re speaking on these things. Very cool. And if people want to work directly with you, what’s the best way, or if they want to work with PDA and do the Clinical Calibration Institute, like what’s the, where do we send them?
Joanne Miles (12:09)
So, ProductiveDentist.com and it’s dentist, not dentists. There’s no S at the end. Dentist.com. And ⁓ if you want to get a hold of me, it’s just my name, Joanne Miles at ProductiveDentist.com. And I’m on Facebook, I’m on LinkedIn as well. And if you just go to our main website page, ⁓ all of our coaching products are on there, including CCI.
Brett Allen (12:12)
Okay.
Okay, predict. Okay.
Okay.
Okay, great, productivedentist.com. We will have that in the show notes so you can click over. And again, thanks for coming on the show, Joanne. This was a great conversation. Yeah. All right, everybody, until next time on the Marketing32 show, have a great rest of your day and a great rest of your summer. Take care.
Joanne Miles (12:42)
Perfect.
Thanks for having me. This is fun.


