Episode 616: Does Your Work Environment Feed Your Soul?

Dr. Maggie Augustyn is on the podcast to talk about burnout in the dentistry field. Dr. Augustyn gets personal about her experience with burnout and how she got to the other side of it, both personally and professionally. The biggest steps to get there was establishing a better management of workflow at home and being present at work.

This episode will inspire listeners to take the right steps to making work a lighter and more genuine load in their lives.

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Transcript:

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0:00:05.6 Kiera Dent: Hey everyone, welcome to the Dental A Team Podcast. I'm your host, Kiera Dent. And I have this crazy idea that maybe I could combine a doctor and a team member's perspective, because let's face it, dentistry can be a challenging profession with those two perspectives. I've been a dental assistant, treatment coordinator, scheduler, filler, office manager, regional manager, practice owner, and I have a team of traveling consultants, where we have traveled over 165 different offices coaching teams. Yup, we don't just understand you, we are you. Our mission is to positively impact the world of dental, and I believe that this podcast is the greatest way I can help elevate teams grow VIP experiences, reduce stress, and create A teams. Welcome to the Dental A Team Podcast.

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0:00:51.2 KD: Hello, Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera. And you guys, I am so excited to welcome our special guest today, she is someone that I actually met at Paul Goodman's Dental Nachos event, and when I heard her speak, I just loved what she talked about, and so I asked her to be a guest on our podcast. I have Dr. Maggie Augustyn on our podcast today. She, guys, is a practicing general dentist, but in addition to that, she's also a speaker nationwide, and she does motivational speaking, and she's also a columnist, she's been publishing a column in there called "Mindful Moments" in Dentistry Today. And I'm just so excited to have her on the show today. Maggie, welcome. How are you today?

0:01:30.8 Maggie Augustyn: I'm good, Kiera, thank you so much. Your energy, and your joy is so infectious.

0:01:38.4 KD: Thank you.

0:01:38.5 MA: I've got a long day ahead of me, but I am telling you, I'm going to feel extremely energized after this conversation, I can feel that already.

0:01:45.9 KD: Well, I'm glad. And I just... I love your zen. I love your, just love of dentistry, and that you understand the pains that dentists go through, that you are in the trenches with the offices. And so, I'm just glad, and I love dentistry so much, so any time I get a geek out in podcast and with a dentist, it's always a good time. [laughter] So Maggie, I gave a little intro of you, but by all means, please share anything that I missed, how did you get into dentistry? Why did you choose Mindful Moments? Just give us a little bit more of your background to your story of who Maggie is and how you came to be where you are today.

0:02:26.2 MA: Much of it has to do with the fact... I don't really know that I have a great reason as to why I became a dentist, after I got orthodontics and I was late to the game in that, I got them off in my junior year of college. I could smile and it changed my personality, changed who I was. So that's what I ended up putting on my application, I got into dental school. When I got into dental school, I did not know what a crown was, I didn't know what a root canal was, I didn't know any of those things. But I always loved science, and I loved working with my hands, and so being able to marry the two together, I have found a professional vocation, a calling, that inspires me to give, to serve. And when I am in the mouth, I am in complete flow, the outside world does not exist and time stands still. I just love dentistry, and I love learning.

0:03:23.5 MA: But having said that, for the longest time, I was definitely suffering from an impostor syndrome, and I felt that I needed to be a certain kind of person to be successful in dentistry, and that made me miserable. And so, I started looking within and figuring out what were those things that made my role as a dentist, my role as a practice owner, more difficult? And I started, I don't know, creating different pieces in my life, and started reading a lot about social science, about what drives us, about how we get to be where you are, in practicing that as well, and I ended up in a different place, in a place where I think I understand people better, I think I understand myself better, I think I understand my strengths, and I understand my superpowers, and I'm able to create an entirely different life with that, a more joyful life.

0:04:36.6 KD: That's really interesting, and I'm actually excited to explore that more, and thank you for sharing that, because that's what I really loved when I heard you speak and listened to what you were saying of... I just feel you found that inner zen, that inner balance, that inner peace. And something I wanted to chat with you about today is the topic of burnout, which I actually feel burnout does come, oftentimes, when you're incongruent with self, when you're not in that flow state, when you feel impostor, when you feel you should be doing X, Y, Z and running on the hamster wheel. And so, I'm actually excited.

0:05:11.2 KD: And Maggie, selfishly, I'm going to pick your brain on, what things did you tangibly do to get to this level of more flow? And I know that that's what you specialize in, that's what you talk about, that's what you share. So if you don't mind, in the vein of burnout, in the vein of that impostor syndrome of finding a completely different life, walk me through how. How did you do it? What were some of the tangibles? 'Cause I feel so many people can empathize, and relate, and feel right now right here, they're who you were maybe a couple of years ago, so how did you get... Again, I said this on the last podcast I was on, I feel like this is where you were, and this is where you are now. How did you cross that chasm between the two successfully to become where you are today?

0:06:00.1 MA: It's a really great question. First of all, I did not know that I was suffering from burnout, I had no idea that life could be lighter. I just thought that we were supposed to be walking in this one certain way, and I thought it just needed to be the way that it was. But the thing is that, if you feel like running away, you probably are suffering from burnout. If you have moments in your life where you just want to go to sleep and have everybody leave you alone and maybe not even wake up again, there's probably some issue with maybe depression, but that is burnout. I think symptoms are important to understand. If something doesn't feel right, if something feels too heavy, incongruent, it probably is, but there's a way to fix it.

0:07:00.4 MA: So, my process... I tell this story a lot because it has to do with the Goodmans. I met the Goodmans prior to the pandemic, and they were in Chicago, and Mary Goodman offered me the name of a life coach, her name is Lani Grass, and I'm like, "I'll just call her because I want... I need to be nice to the Goodmans, they're good people, they're great people, they do a lot of incredible things, and they know really great people." So I called Lani, and from the first conversation that I had as her being my life coach, I felt understood and I felt hope, and I felt like I could be carried, and I needed some sort of a support system that I was not necessarily getting at home or at work to help carry me through that. And it's not always a necessary step, but it was a necessary step for me, and since then I've been working with Lani for the last three years, and I feel carried and protected and taken care of in a way that I don't find somewhere else in my life.

0:08:09.8 MA: But burnout for me, it still happens, it's a cycle, and I think that's important to remember, that just because you get through or out of it once doesn't mean that it won't come back again. And many people today, whether it's in dentistry or outside of dentistry, this whole thing that's happening with the Great Resignation, that has to do with burnout. And I think there's two things that, I think, today are happening that are leading to that, and one is maybe a disproportionate workload. And the other one is a lack of acknowledgement or gratitude, or whatever it is that you need to drive you and reward you for the hard work.

0:08:49.5 MA: And so in looking at it that way, the things that I tangibly did to get myself out of burnout and put myself on the other side of joy and laughter, have had to do with, I don't know that my husband would agree, [chuckle] better management of my workflow and my dedication to my work. And for me, it meant that I was going to get someone to help me clean my house, it meant that I was going to get help at home with my daughter, with groceries and homework, and that lessened the load, because when the workload goes up, it just... It feels too heavy to carry, and you have no choice but to almost break... There's only so much that you can carry.

0:09:43.1 MA: And so, whether it has to do with reducing the amount of time that you're working, or getting help at home with some of the things that are also part of your responsibility, those are all things that I did that were important to me. And, yes, it costs quite a bit of money to have somebody help you at home, and the life coaching and all of that, but in the end, it's created a different reality for me. That was one of the things that I did. The other one, which I talked about, the perceived lack of reward, that's difficult. I was seeing a HMO and public aid patients, and I've talked in my other lectures about that also, and I think our write-offs were over 83%.

0:10:40.9 KD: I bet. Yeah.

0:10:41.5 MA: And so I... It was very difficult. And so, the amount of work that I was giving did not make sense in what I was receiving. But it wasn't just monetarily, it also had to do with the type of patients that I was saying... A sense of entitlement, a sense of entitlement not just from patients but sometimes also from your team members, and so a lot of that needed to be reworked. And so when you need to find your people, you need to find your tribe, you need to find your community, and when something doesn't fit and you're suffering from burnout, if you don't have someone to carry you, or not carry you, but someone that you could walk with, if you go into work and it's too heavy, it's not meant to be that way. And I think that's why so many people are leaving their jobs, is because they just... This heaviness has gotten to be too much to carry.

0:11:42.9 KD: Absolutely. And I think that that's the question of, how... What did you do when it was too heavy for you at work? I think it was really beautiful how you shared about home. I'm so glad you shared that because I have a dentist that I work with, and I'm hoping she's listening. I know she told me, she said, "Kiera, I feel really uncomfortable asking for help at home because I feel like I should be able to do it." I guess I would piggyback on that before we dive into the work of how to have that less heavy. How did you get past feeling like you should be able to do all this and you're... I think so many people feel like they're a failure. If it's like, "Oh, I've got to have someone help me with my house and I have to have someone go buy my groceries." I know I feel that way. I do Instacart all the time. And I sometimes almost feel embarrassed and sheepish that I'm so posh, if you will, like, "Kiera, get to the freaking grocery store and just buy your own dang groceries."

0:12:37.3 MA: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

0:12:38.8 KD: So, how did you even overcome that stigma, realizing it would help you out personally?

0:12:45.8 MA: It wasn't easy. And I'll tell you, it's also not easy with the traditional roles that we're still adhering to. I have an incredible husband who is my partner, my life partner, we've been together for almost 25 years, but we still somewhat have traditional roles, and there was still an expectation that was mostly unsaid that... And it was self-imposed too, that I needed to come home, and I needed to make sure that the fridge was stocked, and I needed to make sure to do the laundry. And I'll tell you, I was taking a CT class this last weekend, and... Or CBCT class this last weekend. And do you know what I was doing in the middle of it, while I was listening to it? I was changing loads of laundry.

0:13:32.1 KD: I'm sure.

0:13:33.4 MA: Right. So there's a part of it that we self-impose, and it's part of our traditional roles. And after I had my daughter I refused to ask for help, and I got myself in a really difficult treatment-resistant post-partum depression, and I wasn't sleeping for 10 months and...

0:13:50.8 KD: Gosh.

0:13:51.1 MA: And I just, I never want anybody to go through that, but it was simply because I was too afraid to ask for help, I was too afraid to ask my husband for help, I was too afraid to ask my family for help, I was too afraid to reduce the hours I was working. I think what it boiled down to is, I ended up creating relationships with... This is where the community comes in... With people that were similar to me. And for me, it was moms that were dentists. And we have this group of four... The four of us are really close, and we talk almost everyday. And I became encouraged by them to take that next step because they looked at it from the outside. And that was what planted that seed for me. Hiring my babysitter, which is incredible, and she's an extension of our family now, she's been with us for a year, has changed everything for me.

0:14:51.8 MA: But I had a very difficult time having a conversation with my husband and saying, "Please don't judge me, it doesn't mean that I'm a bad mom when I'm not cooking for her. It doesn't mean that I'm a bad parent when I'm not doing homework with her. It just means that I'm so darn tired, and I need some break. We're going to spend time together as a family, and it's going to be doing something than me cooking and you eating." And that was worth a lot. But as to the dentist that you're talking about, the dentist that you may be coaching, it sounds like, it's not an easy step, and I am more than happy to talk to her or anybody else in terms of encouraging it. But once you get to that point, even once you make the decision, you will feel your shoulders come down, because it's just going to be so freeing.

0:15:53.5 KD: Mm-hmm. No, I love that you said that because I actually was pulling up a book, an Audible book that I've got that was recommended to me by someone, another dentist friend, and she... It's called "Find Your People" by Jennie Allen, and it literally talks about finding that tribe of people like yourself that can connect with you. And I feel like... I know when I first hired my personal assistant, I felt snooty, I felt ridiculous, I felt like, "Who am I to do this?" But to your point, I also think I had to realize, I feel like I'm here to serve, I feel like I have a really big purpose, and not to say that cooking dinner and doing laundry is not something that's below me or above me, to me that's just not what inspired me, and so I didn't enjoy those tasks when I had to think about doing them. Those were the things that I felt were sucking energy from me. So when I realized, "Alright, those things take time... " I hate booking travel. I would rather poke my eyes out than try and figure out how to get me across the United States to all these offices. When I realized those were the things taking time, and there are people who truly love to do that, their heart and soul gets lit up by doing the laundry and cleaning the house and taking care of the kids, that is their sole purpose.

0:17:13.2 KD: To me, it gave me a lot of freedom to live my best life, to live where I want to be and where I'm the most creative and the happiest. And so... But honestly, it didn't happen until I tried it. I said, "Okay, fine, I'm going to try this, I'm going to hire somebody, and if it doesn't work out, fantastic, but I'm going to give myself at least six months of trying this with no judgment of self." Because if I'm judging myself the whole time saying, "Kiera, you should be doing this. Kiera, what are you doing?" It's never going to work. So I think for people in that boat, agreed, reach out to Maggie, reach out to other people who have done that, but I think also it's taking a step, and realizing that you only have so much bandwidth to give. And for me, I would rather give it to my clients, I'd rather give it to my creative side. And so, that was at least for me realizing that. But I love that you shared that, and how real the hardship is to actually do it and to not beat yourself up over it and not to think that you're a failure or a bad mom, or a bad spouse, or a bad human, because I think that that's the mind trying to trick us into doing more and more and more.

0:18:30.0 KD: But to see other people, I would just encourage anybody thinking about feeling that. But like you said, you have to realize it does cost quite a bit of money, it does cost to have that, but your time and your mental capacity is so far better that it's there. Maggie, I want to pivot and ask, how did you get work to feel lighter for you? Because what you said about the symptoms, I have that, I've had it. I think all of us have it. And I love that you said it's a cycle, it's not, "Oh, I've been there." It's like, "No, it will come." How do we get through it, how do we cope with it, how do we have less of that? So what did you find work-wise that was beneficial for you to have that lighter step? I'm reading back of, you said a journey with a lighter step in life, greater gratitude and self-satisfaction, living authentically to reduce that burnout, how did you create that in work? 'Cause I feel like home life, at least for me, is a little bit easier, for some people I'm sure it's not. But how did you do it at work?

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0:19:35.4 KD: Hello, Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera. And you guys, how was your 2022? I want you to look back and tell me, was it the year of years? Or was it a really hard year? Did you crush it? Or did it crush you? This is the time, guys, for end of year, Dental A Team Platinum is welcoming you, where we will physically fly to your practice, we will come and we will elevate your dreams and make them into a reality. And guys, space is limited and prices are going up. This is not a sales pitch, this is not something where I'm trying to scare you into it, I'm just facing the reality of inflation is here, flights are expensive, and I want to see as many people as we possibly can and serve as many as we can. So if you want to be part of our elite group of people, there are limited spaces, 'cause our consultants can only see as many.

0:20:26.5 KD: We are taking on 10 new Platinum offices by the end of the year, and that's it, that's all we have space for. So if you want to be one of the elite 10, come join us, be a part of our top-notch elite doctor community, be a part of our office manager and hygiene and front office communities, get your operations manual done and live the life that you've only been dreaming of today. Email me hello@the dentalateam.com, and make 2023 truly a year that's unforgettable. We are a complete tax write-off, and like I said, we are only taking 10 offices, so don't get left behind, be one of those 10. And I cannot wait to give you the biggest, warmest welcome to completely and utterly changing your life for good. Welcome to the Dental A Team, I can't wait for you to join us, [email protected]. Cheers to 2023 and making you your best self yet.

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0:21:24.9 MA: I think it boiled down for me to one thing, and that was being present and genuinely interested in participating in the lives of my patients. Now, you have to have other things taken care of so that when you walk into the room, you can just give your attention to that one person and become a part of their lives. Once I did that, once... See, I just thought that my role was to drill in teeth, and to fill them and to make crowns. Once that changed, and my role became to be there for my patients and to serve my patients, and I became genuinely interested in how the teeth are attached to the human being, and that changed a lot for me, it changed the pressure for me, and it went from, "What am I going to produce?" to "How can I make this patient healthier?" And that fed into my purpose, into my purpose of servitude. But that wasn't all... A very difficult thing to do, was to let go of the people that were in my practice and not everybody has the authority to do that, I was lucky enough to, to let go of the people that are not your people, and to create some toxicity. And if you are in a position where you can't make that decision and it feels too heavy and you are in a toxic environment, you may want to make a decision to leave and find a place that is your people. Because it is out there.

0:23:23.5 KD: Right.

0:23:25.4 MA: And I interview different people for different positions, and I've done research on hygiene burnout, and I've talked to hundreds of hygienists, and that is an issue, being in a work environment that does not feed your soul, being in a work environment that creates cattiness and comparison and competition, that does nobody any good. So, changing my people... And I almost had everybody the way that I needed them to be there for me, and the way that I was able to be there for them. There were just a few things that I needed to tweak, a couple of people that needed to be moved into either different positions or just did not belong in the practice, and that was an incredibly difficult position because some of those people were there... Were here for a very long time. But once you let go of the... Whomever brings the toxicity and the drama into the office, however difficult that is, however many times you get water thrown in your face or worse, it becomes worth it. And the moment that person leaves, oh my God... [chuckle] I know you know this. I know you know this because this is what you advise your coaching clients on. Everything is different.

0:24:58.8 KD: Yes.

0:25:01.1 MA: So finding a purpose within you to serve your patients, to serve my patients, me connecting to my patients, me seeing humans as humans and not teeth, was what worked for me, and then creating an environment of a community, of my people. And they're not just here for me, they're not just here for my taking. I, 100%, am always here for them, and will give myself to them. And I've said this to other people, I put my team ahead of my patients. Not everybody feels that way because we need patients, patients, patients, these people are my people, and I will stand up for them and I will take care of them, every time.

0:25:44.2 KD: Well, and I think doing that, one, they have your back, so that feels really good, and they know you've got their back. And so I feel like on both sides it becomes this very trust area, it becomes easy, there's more flow to it. You made a comment, and I'm curious of how you do it, of being present, and you said you take care of other things so that way you can be present. Where do you put in all the business, like the admin, the bills, where does all that fit? 'Cause I feel like so often, I'm sure you might have been this, maybe you still are, so many dentists I coach them and they're trying to quickly pay the bills in between a patient, and that is just psychotic chaos, and I'm like, "This is not necessary." But at the same time, then they feel like, "But if I don't get it done then, it's going to have to be after work or before work, which takes away from my family," which then creates this whole cascading spiral. So where do you... 'Cause I would imagine you probably have a pretty good space for admin time, CEO items, so that way you can really be present. How do you juggle that, Maggie?

0:26:50.9 MA: Yes, that's really important. I make time for that, and I make time for thinking and planning for the business. I don't just sit down and get... And wait for next year. Right now, I'm sitting down with our coaches to create some sort of a flow of how we're going to approach the next year, and that takes time. I do those things, usually in the afternoons where I meet with them. I also take time... I work Monday through Thursday, at least, clinically. And then there are times on Friday that I will carve out two to three hours and just sit and think. However, what I have discovered is that I was never a morning person. But I wake up at 6:00, I get to work by 7:00, I meditate, and then I start work, and then the first person gets to work at about 8:30. So I have peace and quiet from 6:00 to 8:30. I leave the house at about 6:45. I am very lucky my husband takes care of my daughter in the morning and drives her to school, so I don't have to worry about that, and then I can be here at work. And in those two hours that I have before the first patient comes, that's when I get a lot of this stuff done.

0:28:14.2 KD: I like that because I think finding your routine, finding where it fits... I know for me, I am a morning person, but I realized, all of my time... I think for me, a lot of the burnout has come in the past and is when... The second I wake up, it's like full-blown work mode, clear until I go to bed, and there's never that shut-off time, there's never the time where work is not all consuming, because that really can be very... I feel heavy, like you were saying before, very heavy causing that burnout. And so, I love that you talked about you come in, you have quiet, you've got meditation, and then you work on things before you jump right into patients. To me that feels like a very less stressful way to start your day, it's a very proactive rather than reactive start. And then also, I love that you talked about methodically planning because with hundreds of dentists that I've coached, that I've worked with, that I've seen, it's...

0:29:14.7 KD: I'm about to do a presentation that's about what separates the multi-millionaires from the general practices, and truthfully, it's people who plan, people who take time to think about where they want to go, to create their goals, to work through their problems rather than just having them hit them and try and answer them on the fly, but really, truly being intentional with their time, with their planning, with their practice. And I feel like, just as even I say it, that feels so much less stressful, it's almost like building those chunks in your world and trying it, and you might feel uncomfortable, you might feel awkward meditating the first time, you might feel like, "Okay, I've got all this time, what am I supposed to do with it?" And I promise it will come. But I really love how you shared getting your people around you at work, so that way when you come there, you feel supported by your community at your practice.

0:30:07.5 KD: I also agree with you, the offices that I see very successful, it is always team, community, patients, or team, patients, community, whichever one jives with you more so, but the ones who prioritize their teams first, and then patients are second, they have a camaraderie, they know that they are there. The dentists feel supported. The team feel supported. And then, like you said, having that space. Maggie, how... Was it hard to change your schedule? Did you have to change... You said you weren't a morning person, so did you have to wake up earlier? What changes did you have to make? 'Cause I think, if I was listening and in burnout mode, I might be like, "That's easy for her, she has a husband who takes her daughter to school, she's got someone there, I could never be that way." And I'm guessing you weren't this version of Maggie when you started. What would be some of the baby steps that you took to be able to get to where you are today?

0:31:05.4 MA: It didn't happen overnight. It started with me getting up 15 minutes earlier, and then having the peace and quiet, and then I got addicted to the peace and quiet. And then I'm like, "Well, what if I woke up half an hour earlier?" And then I also read some of those books like "Atomic Habits." And my favorite one that I read was "The 5 AM Club," and...

0:31:25.1 KD: Ooh.

0:31:26.1 MA: And that's... It tells you to get up at 5 o'clock in the morning. Five o'clock was a bit too early for me. But it's an interesting book because it's a story, it's not a... It is a non-fiction book, but it's a story, it doesn't break down how to wake up in the morning, it tells you the stories of five different characters. And so I started with those steps where it was like 15 minutes, half an hour. I tried working out in the morning. That wasn't happening. I would never get out of... I am just not a workout person and I still have to do it, but it's just not my favorite thing. And so, then, that was the other thing is you got to figure out what works for you.

0:32:07.0 MA: So, if waking up to get on a bike works for you, then do that. If waking up to run outside works for you, then do that. If waking up and going for a walk with your dog to get your mind clear works for you, then do that. But it really did start with 15 minutes at a time. And the other thing is, if I think back to three years ago, I didn't have the money to pay a babysitter, I didn't have the money to pay a life coach. Once I started paying my life coach after the first few times we met, everything changed. I remember after I talked to Lani for the first time, I went into work the second time, she made me realize I had a superpower of being empathetic, and I constantly was trying to prove myself.

0:32:55.9 MA: And she's like, "Just don't. Just go in there and be empathetic." And I did that, and I listened to the patient, and that patient decided to do a smile makeover. With the one free conversation that I had with Lani in the discovery session, I paid for probably a year's worth of coaching. And that's how it started, is you just take those small steps. And then it took me another two years to get the courage to talk to my husband about getting a babysitter, and then insisting on it. It didn't happen overnight. And then saying, "Okay, this is what I'm going to give up to pay for the babysitter. We don't go out to dinner, but do we really need to? This is way more important." And so they were just steps that build upon each other. And then like you said, I am very lucky that he can take her to school. But waking up... Even if I needed to take her to school, I still would wake up an hour before I needed to, because I can see... And first thing in the morning just works for me, I'm not a night owl. And again, the reverse could work for you. So if you are a night owl, don't force yourself to wake up in the morning, you're going to be miserable. See if you can maybe stay up later and then wake up later. But you've got to be able to leverage your own strengths to create that change.

0:34:17.9 KD: I love that. And I love that you just have a very gentleness about who you are as a person, and I love that you... Instead of seeing these as negatives, like, "I don't enjoy working out in the morning." But there's no, "I didn't feel a sense of shame or of guilt or of judgment," it's more just, "This is who I am, I'm going to leverage how I am, and I'm going to change things that work for me." I'm like a 90-year-old woman. Eight o'clock comes around and I am dead to the world. [laughter]

0:34:47.1 MA: That's how I am too, yes.

0:34:49.1 KD: And so there's no way... I have a marketer and he said, as soon as the sun goes down, that's when his brain clicks on, and I was like, and as soon as the sun comes up, that's when my brain clicks on, so we are polar opposites, but yet leveraging with no judgment, and finding what works for you. But I also love it... Thank you for sharing. It was two years, it started with recognizing your superpower, and then it went into realizing you can change your practice, and then two years later having a conversation with your husband because you realize that that's going to create the freedom for you. And so I think... I'm so grateful for this conversation, one, for me personally, and two, for all of our listeners. But remembering that it's a process, I don't feel like... I often think, I'm like, "Kiera, you didn't get to burn out in one day." It's been years in the making. And why should you expect yourself to get out of it in a day, a week, a month? It's really changing and fitting those patterns in.

0:35:51.5 KD: And so, I would say it's a great time right now, guys, it's end of year when this is being released. And I always love New Year's. I feel like New Year's new beginnings, fresh pages to start. You can start whenever you listen to this, if it's not the end of the year, but really to take note of, does it feel heavy? Are you experiencing the signs of burnout, whether you're a business owner or a team member? And then starting to figure out what is it that's causing that, and then really leveraging yourself, like Maggie has talked about so graciously today, of how can you leverage yourself, your superpowers, the things that make you you? I love the book recommendations you've given. I'm an early riser. I know that there are night owl books out there as well, but really leveraging that. So Maggie, thank you for that. Are there any last things that you feel would be really important for our listeners around burnout or around dentistry, or anything you've come across that would be beneficial to wrap up today's episode?

0:36:49.3 MA: I think one thing to keep in mind is that I think very often we feel alone, but chances are that there is someone out there that feels the same way that you do. And one of the beauty in the paradigm shift that we're experiencing dentistry and talking about all of these things, is that by talking about these things that were pushed aside for so many years and bringing them up to the surface and being vocal about them, maybe we're not going to feel as alone as we do, because as your client might feel alone in trying to juggle all those balls as a provider, as a dentist, maybe a practice owner, she is not alone, and that's the beauty of having these conversations. And I am equally grateful for everything that you bring to the table and speaking out about these things, and in educating your audience and your listeners to the changes that are possible.

0:37:50.0 KD: Absolutely. And I just would say, guys, like Maggie, find a coach, whether it's a life coach, whether it's a team coach, whether... But not your friends, not your family, find somebody that can really support you. That's honestly one of the reasons I love coaching our clients is because I say that it's life and dentistry, it's not one or the other, it has to be you as a person that we're developing and evolving and creating, because if you as a person are whole, your practice will flourish. And so I would just say, take Maggie's advice and reach out. If it's Lani, I know there's raving reviews of Lani. I know Maggie, you can reach out to her and chat with her, I know she does a lot of speaking, and I just know she loves people, and so [chuckle] I know she'd happily share.

0:38:39.4 KD: But find somebody who can support you because I don't... I think so often we feel, just like when you mentioned being a new mama and not asking for help and having 10 months of no sleep, that's one path, but there's another path of support and help, and it doesn't mean you're weak, it doesn't mean you're a fraud, it just means you're human. And that, I feel you're taking the secret sauce of life, that you are taking the shortcut and truly asking for help, so you're not having to try and struggle on your own. So Maggie, if people have been inspired by you, if they want to connect with you, what's the best way for them to get in touch with you?

0:39:17.5 MA: Well, I'm on Facebook as Maggie Augustyn, very easy to find. And then, my email is D-R M-A-G-G-I-E, [email protected]. And you could always try and connect with me through dentistrytoday.com, under articles, there's Mindful Moments and you can click on those and there's some more information about me there.

0:39:41.3 KD: Beautiful. And if you guys are driving and listening, Alex is amazing, she'll pop all this information in the show notes for you guys, so it's just a quick, easy find Maggie and connect with her. But I truly just hope you guys have felt inspired and realizing that burnout's real. I think that the big takeaway I took today is that it's a cycle, and remembering that it's a cycle, and it's not something that you did in the past, it's not something that's in your future, but it is a cycle, and having that support around you is really what I took from this. So Maggie, thank you, thank you all for listening. And as always, thanks for listening, and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

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0:40:18.7 KD: And that wraps it up for another episode of the Dental A Team Podcast. Thank you so much for listening and we'll talk to you next time.

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