July 8, 2024 • 36 mins
Ever wondered how a career transition can dramatically alter your life? Darren, a Registered Dental Hygienist who switched paths from law enforcement to dental hygiene, shares his inspiring journey and the pivotal moments that shaped his career. From the influence of his sister’s career to a transformative dental procedure, Darren opens up about the emotional and practical aspects of his new profession. Through it all, he underscores the importance of community, mentorship, and maintaining focus amid life's demands.
Discover Darren's strategies to avoid burnout, especially with the challenges posed by COVID-19. Learn about the benefits of temping in the dental field, the significant impact of flexible schedules, and the evolving roles within dentistry. Darren's candid discussion on balancing family responsibilities and career aspirations provides valuable insights into creating a fulfilling life.
Join us as Darren shares where you can follow his journey on Instagram at @dare2focus, reflecting on the unique energy and depth he brought to our conversation. While his account is currently personal, he hints at exciting possibilities for a dedicated professional presence in the future. This episode is a testament to the power of determination, the importance of clear vision, and the need for a bit of "craziness" in pursuing your dreams. Don't miss this heartfelt and enlightening episode filled with practical advice and personal anecdotes.
Discover Darren's strategies to avoid burnout, especially with the challenges posed by COVID-19. Learn about the benefits of temping in the dental field, the significant impact of flexible schedules, and the evolving roles within dentistry. Darren's candid discussion on balancing family responsibilities and career aspirations provides valuable insights into creating a fulfilling life.
Join us as Darren shares where you can follow his journey on Instagram at @dare2focus, reflecting on the unique energy and depth he brought to our conversation. While his account is currently personal, he hints at exciting possibilities for a dedicated professional presence in the future. This episode is a testament to the power of determination, the importance of clear vision, and the need for a bit of "craziness" in pursuing your dreams. Don't miss this heartfelt and enlightening episode filled with practical advice and personal anecdotes.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
All right, you guys, welcome to podcast.
All right, you guys, welcome toDentalish season three.
I have a very special guesthere.
He is a male RDH, so that lessthan 1% RDH on his name.
His name is Darren and hegraduated about a year, a little
bit over a year ago, and he'sbeen making some moves.
(00:27):
You've probably seen him hereand there at Brown Girl
Conferences, at the ADHA.
He has a lot of mentors in thiscommunity and I really, really
wanted to get him on thispodcast so he can share a little
bit about his journey himselfand what is he up to as a male
RDH and how he's stepping inthis female dominated territory.
What's up, darren?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
What's up?
Family Darren, the hygienisthere, people, first and foremost
, I just want to show myappreciation to the organization
.
You didn't have to bring me onthis podcast, but you did so.
Love to you, love to theassociation.
I've been practicing, like yousaid, actually for some months,
I think 10 months now.
I think it'll be a year.
(01:09):
It'll be a year, yeah, thisJuly, upcoming July.
So, and even with, you know,little experience, I can't
stress enough the importance ofcommunity, right, having those
people that could guide you, youknow, having mentors that can
direct you and help you alongthe way.
As you know, this is a verysmall industry, right?
(01:33):
So I think it's in our bestinterest that we lean on one
another and we support oneanother.
So, with that being said, Ijust want to express my
willingness to help those whoare in situations that I've been
in.
You know what I mean.
Whatever support you need,whether if it's guidance,
insight, knowledge, whatever thecase.
(01:54):
So, with that said, you couldfollow me.
I don't know if I should givemy Instagram now.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
You better get that plug.
You better plug it in.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, yeah yeah, go ahead and follow me at Dare to
Focus, that's at D-A-R-E, thenumber two, f-o-c-u-s.
Holler at your boy.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
So listen, your Instagram page Dare to Focus.
I know when I hear that.
I know what it means for me.
But what does it mean for you?
Because there's something,there's a message in your name.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
I'm pretty there's a message exactly there is a
message and ironically, I cameup with that concept in hygiene
school so you know nowadays wegot a lot of distractions right.
Hygiene school is very demanding.
It requires focus, it requiressacrifice.
Some things you may normally do, you cannot do right.
(02:49):
So I challenge myself, dare tofocus on the task at hand.
And you know what I live bythat phrase even now, and it's
actually something that I wouldtell my younger self to do.
I would tell my younger self todevelop the tendency and the
characteristic to focus early.
That way, when you get in your20s and your 30s, it's habitual.
(03:12):
You know what I mean.
You already know not to bedistracted by just frivolous
things and your focus on thegoal at hand.
So dare to focus.
That's where that comes from.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
And I and I read something and it always stuck
with me and it says distractionsdo not become distractions
until they're done distractingyou like you don't even know you
opening up you, you slidingyour phone open distraction yeah
, that's true what thosedistractions are.
Oh, I'm hungry, let me go, letme see what I want to go ahead,
go out and get door, dance or goout to eat.
(03:43):
Like that's a distraction.
I don't know about y'all, butI'm not gonna say I have adhd.
But I will start something, andstart something totally
different and it goes like, ohman, I was doing that case in
point, my kids.
Last night I did the brown birdrdh lounge.
I opened it back up.
It's something that we startedduring covid um just to help
each other uplift each other,give each other information.
(04:04):
And I opened it at 8 pm and myboyfriend was like, are you
going to order food for the kidsto eat?
And I'm like, yeah, order it.
We got that large 10 o'clock.
They looking at me like I waslike dang.
Oh my god, I was like it's adojorno in the freezer.
I put that thing right in yeah,yeah, yeah he was so mad he was
like that.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
That's crazy.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Everybody's looking at me with their stomach poked
out and their lip poked out.
But I was like I said.
I'm sorry I got distracted, itwas one of those things, but I
love that Dare to focus.
I knew it was a message inthere.
I'm like why would it?
And a lot of people don't thinkof anything when they see stuff
like that but I was like ohthat is the message.
So your younger self, yes, yeah.
(04:46):
Why would you tell your youngerself what was the young Darren
like?
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Not focused.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
In what way?
I mean All over the place.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
I mean, yeah, there's a lot of, you know, external
influences out here.
Of course, that just drains us.
We were talking about energyearlier, right, drains us.
We was talking about energyearlier, right.
And, like you were saying, likeit it only is aware
subconsciously, or you are onlyaware of it subconsciously,
which you're not aware at it ofit at all.
You know what I mean when it'shappening, but only when it's
(05:15):
done right.
So at a very young age I was, Iwas drained and I wasn't focused
, and you know, you know, whenyou're young, you dare yourself
to do all type of crazy things,right, and, for whatever reason,
we have the courage to actuallycarry out those challenges
Right.
So it's a little bit of reversepsychology, you know, instead
of daring yourself to dosomething that's meaningless,
(05:37):
dare yourself to focus onsomething that's going to
benefit not only you, but otherswho surround you in the future.
Not only you, but others whosurround you in the future, so
that you know that's why.
But specifically, I was focusedon everything that didn't serve
me as a person.
You know what I mean, whetherit be gangs, whatever.
(05:57):
You know what I mean Justthings that almost made me a
product of my environment.
Let's just say that.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Right, Because that was what I mean.
That was what I mean.
That was what you saw.
That was what was around, I'massuming that's what I was
exposed to.
Yeah, that's all I knew um, sowhat made you get into dentistry
, like what made you say, hmm, Iwant to just be at somebody's
mouth, playing at somebody'smouth.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
We call it playing at somebody's mouth yeah, yeah, um
, you know that's interestingbecause I really didn't know
what I was getting myself into.
I thought this was all bychance, I thought this was just
a mistake at first, you know,and it was because of that.
I didn't know All I knew.
I just wanted to add value tomyself, I wanted to increase my
(06:41):
earnings and I wanted to get outof law enforcement.
That's all I knew.
And I didn't.
I didn't realize, you know, whatmy influence or what I was
being influenced by, until I hadtime to reflect on my
experiences over the years.
So I came to the understandingthat my sister was was part of
the reason why I even thoughtabout teeth when I was just
(07:02):
trying to do something differentwith my life, right?
So, back back home in Detroit,she was a dental assistant and
she worked her way up to adirector.
Eventually, and before I left,I had the opportunity to visit
one of her offices and Ireceived treatment there.
Right, moment of transparency.
I had a pretty large diastema,I must say, in between eight and
nine.
(07:22):
You did, I did, I did.
It was I.
I still got one now, but it waseven.
It was even bigger than what itis now.
So they fixed that for me.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
More importantly, wait, hold up, wait, wait, a
minute, wait.
Let me zoom in on this here,because I can't tell you do what
did they do?
You got braces or did you getbonded?
I could not tell no it wasbonded.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
It was bonded yep, direct composite bonding.
And they made it moreaesthetically appealing.
And you know what it was that?
It was at that point that Isaid to myself internally I like
what they do, you know, theymade me, they made me more
confident, right?
Not?
Only that, but the patient toprovide a relationship was
(08:03):
thorough and comprehensive.
No, who, no, who would haveknown that I would get into
dentistry, you know, years later.
But but the patient to providea relationship was thorough and
comprehensive.
Now, who know who would haveknown that I would get into
dentistry.
You know years later, butthat's the point is you know
those impressions, right, thosepast impressions.
You never really know how muchof the influence that they have
on your current decision makinguntil you've reflected on those
experiences.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
So this wasn't really by chance, this was all by
design, by friends right, right,and I'm sitting here listening
to you and I'm just like nobodyreally realizes how much your
smile and your appearance reallymakes a difference, like your
whole trajectory of what youthought you were going to be
doing in life changed becauseyou were changing.
(08:45):
That's very, very deep.
What we do is more than justwe're changing lives, changing
lives.
We're changing lives.
That makes me happy to knowthat.
What did your sister say whenyou graduated?
That makes me happy to knowthat.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
So what did your sister say when you graduated?
She was thrilled because I gaveher a shout out.
I had a big speech during mygraduation because I was former
class president.
So I had a big speech and ofcourse I gave her all the praise
because if it wasn't for her,you know, I wouldn't be in the
position that I am now.
So she was just thrilled, Iknow she cried.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
I know she was boohooing.
Yeah, I feel like I can onlyimagine I'm acting like I was
there deja vu.
So okay, yeah, you, you aredefinitely.
Um, I can tell you're a leader,you're gonna do, you are doing
something great right now.
I don't know what it is, butbut I felt that, like you said,
you're class president.
I'm like, of course he wasclass president, but I can tell
that, okay, so it wasn't bychance.
(09:51):
So now you're 10 months in.
A lot of people say when theyget out of dental school, they
feel like they've been hit for10 years.
Does it feel the same withdental hygiene?
Do you feel like you've been inlonger than you've actually
been in same with dental hygiene?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
do you feel like you've been in longer than
you've actually been in?
You know what I do.
I do and it's based on you knowthe reactions and how my
patients react to my performance.
But then I get to looking atradiographs and I see some
calculus is still there and Iknow that I'm still a rookie in
this thing.
I got some work to do, so, uh,it's a humbling.
It's a humbling experience.
I do feel like I'm a veteran,but I'm not definitely not a
(10:29):
little bit.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Uh no, it'd be hygienist doing this for 30
years.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Uh, leaving calculus behind that's why, that's why my
butt hopped out of that chair.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
I don't even I love calculus.
Oh well, I mean somebody elsecan get it, I'm good it's not an
easy job.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Like it's not easy, like I don't know where that
impression came from, like wejust seeing 16, 18 patients and
you're cleaning effectively.
What?
Come on now.
And I know that, just being 10months out.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
But yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
And it's one of those things where you're in an
environment and you havepressure and you have, maybe, a
production goal, maybe you havetwo columns, maybe you have one
column, but you're dealing withpeople who may be having a great
day, who may not be having agreat day, and now that is your
responsibility.
Now you have to see them.
(11:17):
In a block of time Nobody'sgiving you like hygiene school
four hours to see one patient.
I got to take blood pressure, Igot to review medical history.
I have to make sure I don'thurt them.
Now I gotta warm up to thembecause I don't look like what
they seem for.
And you got on gloves and you,you might be nervous.
Shit.
I still get nervous in.
You know my own practice.
I get nervous like your.
Your hands are sweating.
(11:37):
Now you have these instruments.
Maybe they're not sharp, maybesomething's not working, but you
don't want to feel like youdon't know what you're doing
because the calc is messed up.
So you're like all right, getthrough it.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
You're going through it.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Right, you be going through it back there.
But you're like, I know I gotthis, I know I'm good.
And then, like you said, youtake that x-ray and you're like,
oh, calculus is still there.
And then you're like, all right, I don't say minorities, but as
minorities we want to do sogood, we want to overachieve,
and when we see something, we'relike we got to fix it.
We ain't just putting that outbecause it's a reflection of me
(12:11):
and my whole community comingbehind me.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
We're crossing our T's and dotting our I's because
of what we represent and who weare.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
That's how it is that we're going back and getting
that calculus.
Man, because we're going backand getting that calculus man,
the right.
It's going to look bad on theperson coming behind me, so let
me just go ahead and fix thisand make sure it's good.
So I'm glad you realized thatearly on.
But, most importantly, you arewho you are.
If you're that type of personthat's going to do your best,
you're going to do your bestwherever you are and whatever
(12:40):
you're doing.
If you're the type of personthat was like, oh well, you're
going to be that type ofhygienist, you're going to be
that type of dentist, you'regoing to be that type of friend,
I mean, it is what it is.
I truly believe people are whothey are until they get to the
next life and you choose to bethat same person and relive what
you're doing, or you change,and you change.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
You spiritually right , right, right, right.
So it's like, if you know, youknow right, because, yeah, those
who know they're gonna do whatthey need to do in that very
moment, you know they're notgonna risk having to repeat.
If you know what I mean.
You know what I mean.
Let's get it right the firsttime and just call it a day,
like you already know internallywhat you have to do.
That goes back to what I wassaying about what you feel is
real right.
(13:26):
What you feel is real.
A lot of times we have thisinternal voice, and it may not
even be a voice, it can be justa feeling, right, but we
disregard that feeling becauseit's not apparent, it's not
readily seen, readily available.
And then we seek that which isreadily available and at the end
of the moment or at the end ofthe experience, you realize,
(13:47):
damn, I should have listened tothat gut feeling.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Yep, and I would say, like we got, we have three
brains right, one brain, onebrain.
You got your brain, you'reobviously.
Then you got your heart.
You know you have your heart,like you feel something, then
you have your heart.
You know you have your heart.
Like you feel something, thenyou have your stomach.
You have that.
You get feeling in your stomach, you get butterflies, there's
(14:12):
something going on.
You got three brains and if allthree of them say yes, then you
go, you move into that.
That is our spirit, telling uslike you got a thumbs up,
because there's always somethingpulling you, like sit your ass
down, but you're like no, itcan't be it, I'm tripping.
And then you look back andyou're like I should have
listened, and that's in anythingthat we do.
(14:33):
It could be crossing the street, it can be accepting a job.
We call it red flags.
We just, oh, it's red flags,flags, flags, flags.
No, that's your gut, that'syour intuition, that's your
heart, that's your brain, and Ithink enough of us don't,
because it could be too good tobe true type of thing or
perception.
You know what's reality andwhat isn't is hard to tell
(14:56):
nowadays.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
That is true, that is true.
That is true.
Perception is everything andyou know, know, social media.
We talk about social media.
The gift and the curse of it,right, has a lot to do with how
we think and the concepts thatwe actually adopt.
So, um, with that said, I justkind of I kind of filter what I
am exposed to on social media soif you end up, following me.
(15:20):
You don't see, I ain't got nofollowers or anything like that.
It's because of that.
But.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Wait.
So I was.
I was talking to somebodyearlier today and we were saying
what you view becomes you.
So we were talking about theyounger generation and what they
see and we were talking aboutwhy they choose to go to
somebody and get veneers donewho isn't a licensed
(15:47):
professional.
And I told the girl sheactually teaches high school
students and she's a dentalhygienist.
I said I blame the quoteunquote celebrity dentist
because I said they're up hereposting that they're doing
veneers on celebrities andpeople want to look like those
celebrities that follow them,that idolize them, but they
(16:08):
don't have the twenty thousanddollars to spend on it.
So they're like I'm just gonnago over here and they hear the
word veneers.
They hear the word veneers andthey're like well, I'll just get
it done here.
It's no different than thepeople years and years ago, um,
that were going in basementsgetting like you know, butt
injections and surgery and stuff.
It's no different than thosepeople.
(16:28):
It's cheaper, it's moreconvenient.
I don't have to be told I needa deep cleaning and I need
x-rays and I need an exam, likeI don't need to go through all
of the loops.
And most people don't havedental insurance.
We act like dental insurance isfree, or you know, someone just
has twenty thousand dollars onit no, they don't they just want
to look like that celebrity.
So I'm like I said, the dentistshave to take responsibility for
(16:51):
what they're promoting yeah,that is, that is very true.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
I feel like there's not a, there's not enough um, I
don't want to say policing, butcontrol in that area.
You know what I mean.
Like they're not really theyenforce everything else, but
when it comes to dentistry,there's really no penalties.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Well, there they are but it's not.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
You don't really see it that often you know what I
mean To where we're actuallyprotecting the patient, because
the idea is to protect thepatient, right.
So you don't, you don't see itenough Like, how are we going to
stop?
You know um, this malpracticing.
You know how are we going tostop that?
Speaker 1 (17:32):
because that's a big issue in my opinion well, I'm
not going to repeat the samething I said on the on the last,
because that's always thequestion like how do we stop it?
Yeah, um, it's not going tostop unless you start affecting
the people's money.
Who's it's a fit.
If it's not affecting theirmoney, they don't care.
(17:52):
They get their money throughlicensure, getting a license,
and you apply for your boardsand that's how they get their
money and it's not affectingthem.
And those patients that go seethese people they're not paying
that.
So if it's not affecting theirdollar, then why would they care
?
It is America.
It is America and I'm not aboutto get political, but like we
(18:13):
be outraged about the craziestthings and I'm like huh, nobody
should be paying to go to school.
There was a doctor that wasarrested and went to prison for
falsely diagnosing patients withcancer.
He made millions and millionsof dollars of telling people
that didn't have cancer thatthey did.
(18:34):
He's like that was wrong and itwas unethical.
People died.
He told kids they had cancer,people that didn't have cancer.
They were going through chemo.
It was affecting their families.
It was all done for money.
What makes you get to that?
Speaker 2 (18:49):
That's crazy, where you actually play with people's
lives.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
He was getting paid.
Isn't that so sad, that's sad,that is very sad.
As a provider, that somebodywould get paid millions to
diagnose people with cancer thatdidn't have cancer.
And historically, we know aboutthe Tuskegee Airmen and we know
about how historically, blackpeople were used as like guinea
(19:16):
pigs and test dummies for a lotof medicine.
So when you hear like hey,there's not a lot of black
people that go to the dentist,like they don't go to the doctor
either, because it's likethere's there's something
generational telling them like Idon't want to be, you know,
falsely diagnosed, I don't wantto give, be given medicine.
So then they trust yeah, theytake alternative routes right,
(19:39):
unless it's somebody that lookslike me and you like, okay, I
trust this person because youknow they.
They look like me.
So it's a lot of deep-rootedstuff going on and that's why
these patients are.
These people are going to theircousin or their friends or the
near techs, and it's because thetrust isn't there, the
education isn't there, and weneed more people like us in the
(20:01):
field and outside of the field,you know, just representing to
say like hey, ask me a question,or you shouldn't do this or you
shouldn't do this.
And I think it's refreshing.
And we're not talking about thegeneration that is, we're
talking about the ones comingafter us.
So just getting getting to themearly, but you're so 10 months
in, you feel like it's beenlonger, but you're easily
(20:23):
reminded that it hasn't been.
How do you prevent burnout?
Speaker 2 (20:28):
so for me I have to switch it up.
I can't do hygiene every day.
I do hygiene three days out ofthe week Monday, wednesday and
Fridays On the days that I'm notthere, of course.
Two days and Thursdays I'm inschool.
So it kind of works out for me.
(20:48):
And I do some select Saturdays,depending on if I want to
practice an extra day.
But that's how I preventburnout.
And then another way is justbeing very vocal about my
schedule.
To be honest with you, I knowwhat I can do.
I know what I'm willing to do.
I know what I'm not willing todo.
And I stand on that and I don'tconform, and I don't accept less
(21:12):
at the end of the day.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
And it is what it is.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
You know what I mean.
You're going to find peoplethat's going to work with you.
You're going to find peoplethat don't want to work with you
.
It's just how it is.
You know what I mean.
No one party is better than theother.
It's just two different stylesof practicing.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Are you temping or are you working in private
practice?
Speaker 2 (21:35):
I am temping right now but I do have a primary
office who I give uh priorityover my booking because we have,
we develop a relationship likethat.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
but I'm still, I'm still attempting, okay, okay, so
you have a little bit offlexibility in your schedule yes
, yes, yes and prior to 2020,prior to covid 19, there were no
temping jobs out there.
Like you could not find a jobtemping and it's so crazy.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
I've heard that.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
You could not, I remember, because I was trying
not to, I ended up staying inthe office.
It was so toxic, it was just sobad.
I was there for seven years andI quit twice and went back and
I was only getting paid $28 anhour In 2020?
Wow.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
In 2020?
Wow, in 2020?
.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
That was just four years ago I was getting paid $28
an hour.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
You see how things change so quickly.
That's crazy.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Over the course of four years.
That was probably like aminimum.
Was that a minimum or was thatlike a?
Speaker 1 (22:27):
That was in North Carolina.
That was where everybody NorthCarolina.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Okay, okay.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Yeah, yeah, I don't know.
Okay, okay, yeah, yeah, I don'tknow, I think Georgia right now
, the rate where I the rate inColumbus, georgia, is $38.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Columbus.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Georgia.
Okay, I don't know, what is itin Atlanta?
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Right now like the minimum for temping.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
Yeah, for temping 57.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
57.
Yeah, and that's just how it is.
You things change.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
health become, you know, primary in america and all
of a sudden you know we're morevaluable so with every uh, with
every ying, there's gonna be ayang and I'm like I wouldn't
flips.
You know they're trying tointroduce dental, dental doing,
dental assistant doing thingsdoing that too.
(23:18):
They're pushing for it.
But the bottom line is,dentistry is a business and a
lot of things are businesses andif they're not being profitable
it just doesn't work.
And I'm afraid, and I'm scaredfor our profession because I'm
like, yes, they're paying 50 to60 to 70.
Somebody told me she wasgetting 70 dollars, 75 dollars
(23:39):
an hour and I was like, man,it's gonna come down, it's gonna
come down hard, it's gonna haveto.
That's just the way, the laws,what goes?
Speaker 2 (23:49):
that makes sense.
Yeah, yeah, one extreme to the.
Yeah, I just hope it's not thatdetrimental to where it's like,
wow, like, like.
What is a dentist now?
Speaker 1 (24:00):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
To that extent because, as you said, they're
trying to expand the functionsof assistance.
So who knows where that goes.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
Darren, you're not going to have anything to worry
about because you're going toschool to become a dentist,
because that's your plan.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
That's the blueprint I am going.
That's the plan.
If God directs me in adifferent direction, then so be
it.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
What do you see, your ?
What do you see?
Like you're a hygienist rightnow and you did it because you
you had the experience at yoursister's office.
But, um, a lot of males are notdental hygienists.
So do you feel like you want tobe a dentist because that's
what you see?
(24:48):
Or is that just you want to fixthings or what like?
What is your?
Speaker 2 (24:52):
what is the reason to become a dentist, the main
reason, your number one reason,like right so dentistry was um
the goal even before hygiene,and the main reason was because
of restorative dentistry.
You know, I wanted the autonomyum I'm a tourist, so I'm kind
(25:12):
of stubborn.
I don't have a problem withworking under somebody, but
there's a thin line between youknow respect and having respect
and being a people pleaser, anda lot of times people want you
to people please.
I'm not a people pleaser, so toeliminate that from even
happening.
(25:33):
I just say, ok, let's just go,let's just do dentistry.
You know what I mean To thatregard.
But implant dentistry andcosmetics was the goal from the
start.
Why did I choose hygiene first,only God knows, but it was a
blessing, to say the least.
And of course I wanted to gainfoundational knowledge, the
skills and, of course,connections to give me that edge
(25:56):
over other.
You know dental candidates,because you know it's
competitive.
It's competitive out there.
You know hygiene is supercompetitive, dentistry even more
competitive.
So that's what the goal was atthe end of the day, right right,
right.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
No, I can see that, and everybody I asked that
question to not even did anybodyask that question to.
That was my answer too.
I'm going to do what I want todo.
I don't want to answer to noone.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
It is what it is, you know.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
That was my answer and the funny story, the reason
why I started Brown Girl RDH wasbecause in high school I wanted
to be a dentist and then Iended up getting pregnant and I
was like, oh, I can't do it nowbecause I'm going to have this
baby, so I guess I'll dosomething else.
And then I called the dentalhygiene school and I'm like,
yeah, I'm about to have a baby.
And they're like you better dodental assisting because this
(26:40):
needs a program for you.
So I was like, all right,whatever I'll do dental.
It was all online.
They tried to deter you fromthe hygiene.
I didn't know, I was 19.
So I didn't know.
I really didn't know.
So I did dental assisting.
I didn't know really the bigdifference as far as income.
So back then I was making $7.25at Rainbow, like I was like
(27:03):
anything, like I was getting $10as an assistant.
I thought I made it right.
So I actually, you know, didthe dental assistant program,
was working in the office as adental assistant.
The dentist just treated me sobad.
He just treated me so bad and Isaw he didn't bother the
hygienist and I'm like, well,he's not bothering her.
(27:24):
So I went over there.
I was like, what do I have todo?
She was working on her ownpatients.
She was driving a Hummer.
I was like, oh, I want theHummer too.
Oh, I'm on the Hummer too.
Like I'm, I wanted her life.
And, um, I asked her what do Ihave to do?
She's like, oh, you gotta applyfor this program and this is
hard and the prereqs and blah,blah, blah.
And I'm looking at her like,huh, that's it.
So I applied and I actually gotin um, but when I got in it was
(27:47):
like, okay, you need all thismoney for this stuff.
And I was like I don't have themoney.
I got this.
I'm not going.
And then my friend was tellingme about student loans, so I
ended up taking out all thesestudent loans that I'm still not
paying for, by the way, and Igraduated in 2012.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Tell me about it.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
You said you're not paying for.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
No, I haven't paid yet.
I graduated in 2012.
I have not paid a dime.
I defer.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
Y'all.
I better call them people andtell them to defer.
You're going through a hardshipTalking about student loans.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
Where's the reparation, please?
Hello, reparation.
So, anyways, I kept saying like, okay, I'm going to go, I'm
going to go.
Every time I tried to take myprereqs or try to do something,
I had to help a family member.
Somebody moved in my house.
My mom has 10 kids.
At least every single one of mysiblings have lived with me and
(28:39):
I have taken care of them.
My brother and his girlfriendand his kids live with me.
So every single time, it wassomething where I had to take
care of somebody else and Istarted saying I'm a hygienist,
why am I?
Why am I going through this?
And I was like it gotta beother people like me, just that
can't, just can't get it becauseof their family or because of
their burdens or theirresponsibilities or even their
guilt, because I think a part ofme was like I'm successful, so
now it's my responsibility tohelp my family.
(29:00):
That's what I felt.
And um 2020, I was going toUniversity of Pembroke.
I was working at a practicethat where they were open at
night, so I would work from twoto ten, and then I would work on
Saturdays and Sundays, and thenI would go to school during the
week and I would take theclasses online for, um, um, my
biology degree so I can get intodental school.
(29:21):
And I even visited EastCarolina University like I was
all in their programs, all up inthe pictures and stuff, like
I'm gonna be a dentist.
And then COVID hit and then Ihad my kids that I had to
homeschool and I could not dothe homeschool and I could not
take care of my kids and and dowhat I had to do.
So I ended up dropping out and,um, I was just like, dang, I'm
(29:44):
gonna go back, I'm gonna go back.
And then the opportunity camefor me to manage a practice in
Georgia and I'm like, for sureI'll do it.
And I was like, maybe I'll domobile dentistry because I want
to be my own boss.
And two years later that was in2020, 2021.
So 2024, I opened my secondpractice in Georgia.
(30:09):
I don't have to do hygiene, Ican still run a business and I
can employ people and workalongside dentists and, you know
, be their partner and notnecessarily work for them.
So it ended up translating intothat.
But now I'm looking and I'm likeif I were to work for a dentist
, I would probably.
If I were to become a dentist,I would probably be making the
(30:30):
same amount of money that I maderight now.
So you mentioned that you, um,you're one of your kind of
mentors or someone you follow onsocial media is Dr Golden, and
I connected with Dr Golden um,my fellow Sagittarian and uh and
uh and, and he owns a practicein Florida and a lot of what I
(30:54):
know now.
He literally shared with me asa practice owner and like really
to mentor and help on thebusiness side of it.
So he got there and you knowhe's like you know, my friend,
you got a DSO now and he's likethat's what I'm talking about.
He's like I'm trying to getlike you and Dr Golding to go
against this.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
You know what I mean like that's what I'm talking
about.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
He's like I'm trying to get like you and Dr Goldberg,
you know what I mean.
So I look at things like I keepsaying like why didn't I become
a dentist?
Or what happened, like I don'tthink I was supposed to.
But hygiene is definitely astepping stone to get where I
wanted to be, because when, Ilook back at it, I'm like I
probably would have been workingfor somebody.
Oh, probably not.
No, knowing me, I would havefigured it out.
But, um, you would have had tostart somewhere.
(31:35):
You know what I mean.
You gotta grow your patientbase, you gotta build your skill
, um, and I was just like I.
I know each thing is a steppingstone for the next, and you
can't unlock that next chapterunless you go through it first.
So I had to go through all ofthat to get to get to my happy
place.
And now, you know, I haven'tworked in like two years.
(31:59):
I work from home, you know.
But I've been in the office fortwo years and me and my
boyfriend were like, we're aboutto buy a house in Africa and
we're going to work remotely andI'll take the kids over there.
And this time next year we willbe in Tanzania.
Actually, on May 1st what wastoday, today's like April 27th
(32:19):
From May 1st to the 15th, we'regoing to Africa, we are going to
go see our house that we'regoing to buy what part?
Speaker 2 (32:26):
What part of Africa?
Speaker 1 (32:27):
On to Tanzania.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Tanzania.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
You say yeah, they have a whole town there.
It's about population of eightmillion people and in zanzibar
um in tanzania is a littleisland, but we're going to see
the house that we're havingbuilt and in five years it'll be
paid for that is amazing andy'all just talk about goals
ain't, no, ain't, no credit overin zanzibar um there's no
(32:53):
interest.
So get your butt over there inzanzibar.
Get you a house interest.
So get your butt over there inZanzibar.
Get you a house and go back toAfrica.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
We going back.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
Yeah, Wow, Honestly, one don't quote me, Darren.
One dollar is $2,500.
So like $5,000, you'll be amillionaire over there.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
I've heard of something like that.
I've heard of that.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Say $5,000 a month, say you get $5,000 a month.
Let's put it like this peoplefrom other countries come here
open businesses and they livelike and then go back right yeah
, but we're the only people thatdon't want to go back that's a,
that's a bridge we gottareconstruct, to say the least.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Like I don't know.
Well, we know where thatseparation happened, but um,
yeah and you know what.
We're making progress.
It's a mental thing.
You know what I mean.
We're making progress.
There's a lot that's happeningin america now.
Um, that is, it benefits theblack community, and I mean
black Caribbean, I meanfoundational black Americans, I
(33:59):
mean Africans.
You know what?
Speaker 1 (34:00):
I mean.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
So we're getting better, generally speaking, with
that subject.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
We are.
We're waking up, so I guessthat's the year of the awakening
right.
That eclipse was a reset.
The solar eclipse, it was areset.
The solar eclipse, it was areset for us.
What are we really doing?
And let me tell you I ain'ttrying to put my business out
there, but I'm sitting herepaying 1200 for a car.
We're selling everything.
(34:25):
We don't need it, we don't needit, we don't need it.
The same amount of money youput for a car, you can just live
happily, comfortably.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
Yeah, in africa, right in africa there's a
different, it's a different caryou can just live happily,
comfortably, yeah, in Africaright In Africa.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
It's a different value system.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
It's a different value system, I think, this
American dream that we all adoptright, it separates us from the
true essence of what we need tounderstand about life and what
we need to embody in this liferight, it completely separates
us and it puts us in a positionwhere we just have to survive
(35:02):
and we'll do anything to survive, right, and then you get to
throw in the glitz and glamoursin there.
Not only do we want to survivenow, we want to thrive, right.
But with that being said, witheach step, in each form of
distractions, anotherdistraction we're separated from
.
You know the life that we'resupposed to be living, and it's
(35:22):
just something to think about.
You know something to take heedto and look at those, those
different countries in Africa,and see how they live.
You know, and see how, whatthey value and how they thrive.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
Yeah I, I, I'm 110% Like I don't need things at this
world, cause guess what?
Once you get the degree, youknow you get the Gucci bag or
you get the Mercedes or the BMW,then what?
It's nothing.
You still feel empty.
But you have to get up and youhave to bust your butt and work
and you know no, why does that?
(35:56):
Why not make life easy?
that's all you have to do is goto another country and and have
my online store and all I needto do is make 1200 a day.
Forget just you if you hadanother person.
Both of y'all had side hustleslike you could not worry about
anything and long, live longerand eat healthier.
Half this stuff we're eating isnot real food anyway that's
(36:17):
another rabbit hole.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
You go down right there.
So you talk about your gutbeing one of the uh, what you
say, your brain is one of yourbrains, right?
So you're feeding your brain,we're feeding our brain trash,
I'm gonna say we, because I eatsome of that stuff too.
Sometimes I'm not, I'm not, uh,you know, pardoned, but for the
most part I try to.
You know, I try to be consciousabout what I eat.
(36:39):
But to your point, that's one ofthe reasons why like if you
were to ask me the next fiveyears.
What would I be focused on?
I'm going to be focusing ondeveloping myself as a person,
right, and I don't want thatstatement to be taken lightly.
We need to highlight thatstatement because, as you, were
saying you could be a rocketscientist, for example.
Right, you have all theaccolades, you have all the
(37:01):
acknowledgement, but have missedthe essence of true
self-discovery and personaldevelopment.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
Right.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
That's most important .
I'm talking about takingadvantage of those innate,
god-given qualities, thosetalents that you've had from
birth, that you didn't have tolook outside of yourself to find
or seek, because once youdevelop those qualities, then
you have found your purpose inlife, regardless of what your
occupation is.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
That's your purpose yeah, and, and if everybody has
one, I think everybody has one.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
Everybody has one.
Speaker 1 (37:36):
It's just those distractions that distract you
from what, and they're there onpurpose.
Facebook is not free for noreason, trust me, it's there for
a reason, everything is therefor a reason, and I, really
recently Well, it's always beenin me, but I've always wondered
like, hmm, that's strange.
(37:57):
Y'all trying everything else,but this huge platform.
We're not making money.
And then they even went as faras trying to pay influencers, so
they want you to get on theredancing.
Speaker 2 (38:07):
You see that, and then the algorithm controls what
people are exposed to.
It goes back to that right.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Right, they want you to watch it.
Speaker 2 (38:14):
It's crazy.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
I said something about arthritis and my brother's
like where's the Tylenol?
Guess what was on my newsfeed,bayer Tylenol?
I said there's no way possible.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
Hey Siri.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Hey Siri, hey Alexa.
So I started saying how do youbecome a millionaire?
And I don't see nothing likethat on there.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
It's a big game, you know.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
You talk about going to Africa.
Guess what?
I don't see nothing popping onmy timeline.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
Right.
They don't want no BlackAmericans going to Africa.
No, don't do that.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
But I see all the foolishness in it and it's
really like we shouldn't even be.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
It's too much.
It's too much.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
It's a reason why certain people don't do certain
things.
People be like oh, jay-z don'thave.
I'm just saying Jay-Z.
No way, shape or form.
Am I a Jay-Z fan?
Jay-z don't have no Instagram.
He don't follow nobody onInstagram.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
I wonder why.
That's a good example, though.
I'm glad you mentioned him.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
If he's so high I don't want to say high.
Okay, you go in the bank, right, you go in the bank and you got
your bankers down here.
But have you ever looked up andseen?
There's other levels, thehigher you go in the bank, the
more money is up there.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Talk about private accounts and private services.
Speaker 1 (39:36):
I'm looking at what's up there.
Oh, that's just nothing, youdon't worry about that over
there Now.
I'm trying to figure out.
I'm not just innovating forwardLike what's up there, so that's
where Jay-Z is and he lookingdown like yo, y'all worried
about this, y'all worried aboutthe sexy reds.
Like no, no people, let's befocused.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
So what do you?
What do you say?
He said you want a gram holdingmoney up to your ear.
There's a disconnect.
We don't call that money overhere.
Come on, man, you gotta.
You gotta pick up the gems thatthey be dropping sometime you
know, this is like people butthen you got like you said you
got sexy red.
You can come on 50 times out ofthe day on the radio.
I don't even listen to theradio.
Speaker 1 (40:15):
I heard oh my gosh, I'm going to go on and on and on
and talk to you.
Somebody said, or I heard orsomething, that music, what
you're listening to, is it's aspell.
Oh yeah, talk to me.
Yeah, it's a spell.
Oh yeah, talk to me.
Yeah, it's a spell that yourepeat it.
You know the words by heart.
(40:36):
Do you know?
I cannot recite a song anymore,like I can't sing a full song.
That's because I'm disconnected.
But my kids, word for word, Iknow it.
I know the chords.
Kindergarteners, they know thechords.
It's a sound.
It's a spell what you're reading, what you're looking at, what
(40:58):
you are listening to.
Speaker 2 (40:59):
Turn it off.
Turn it off.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
That is very important right there, because
that subconscious that we weretalking about right.
It just captures, and captures,and captures, and it can't
differentiate between what'sgood and what's bad for you
captures and it can'tdifferentiate between what's
good and what's bad for you,right, right and things are, and
things are funny and cute andculture.
But the way things are shiftingand when you start paying
attention, you're like the mostnastiest disrespectful things
(41:23):
are the ones getting glorified.
You're like this is happeningnot by chance, this is perfect
and it's set makes you want tojust pick up and move to africa,
right that's what I'm justabout to say belize too.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
I've been looking to belize yeah, what do you do?
Speaker 1 (41:40):
you get up and you leave.
You get up and you leave andyou worked, or you work towards
it yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (41:48):
So that's that.
That's one of my goals, youknow.
And that's one of the reasonswhy I, kind of you know, stayed
to myself a little bit, whichcould be a good thing and a bad
thing, right you?
Speaker 1 (41:58):
study yourself.
It's never bad.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
Never a bad thing.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
Because guess what?
Speaker 2 (42:04):
I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (42:06):
You know I had to get to this point.
The horses in the races havethese blinders on and the only
thing that they can see is thisway right, what's in front of
them?
I forget what you call them.
They're blinders, but theycan't see the other people.
They can't see the horses, theycan't see the crown, but
they're just.
They put those blinders on themand all they can see is like
(42:31):
what?
Nothing wrong with it.
You'll just get to where you'regoing quicker.
That's how I look at it, whattime?
look at it interesting you needto be that horse.
Those are the winners, right?
Don't see nothing else buttheir one goal.
Speaker 2 (42:44):
Let's just focus yes, okay, very very, very
purposeful goal, though, right,it's not like um, egotistical at
all.
You know it reaches far beyondselfish intent.
But you reap all the benefitsand you reap all the the fruits
of what's to come, you know soyou don't really have to worry
about that.
Speaker 1 (43:04):
It just comes when you will come and we, we all
know what's for you is for you.
But you got to be selfish, yougot to have those blinders on
and you got to be a little bitcrazy.
Speaker 2 (43:15):
You got to be crazy.
You have to be borderlineinsane.
I'm glad you said I'm not bymyself.
Speaker 1 (43:22):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (43:24):
I'm glad you said that.
Because, some days.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
I'll be like bro.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
You told me about this plan you had four years ago
.
You still want to do this plan.
You got to be out your mindwhen you can just settle down,
do hygiene six days a week andcall it a life.
You know what I mean.
Like what do you want?
What are you striving for?
It's bigger than me.
This is for generationalinfluence.
Speaker 1 (43:46):
Yep, yep, yep.
And then we always say, likeyou got to help people, whether
through mentorship, giving them.
There's no such thing asgatekeepers.
I hate when people are like, oh, I had this idea, I'm going to
tell you, but I don't want totell you.
I got to say, oh my, what younot telling me?
For I promise you I can doanything.
I don't want to.
I'm it's that mindset like,okay, I don't want to share it
(44:07):
because it's my idea.
Well, guess what?
Somebody's gonna do it.
Nothing's recreated we're justhere and we don't have it and
it's nothing that we're creating.
So people that do that likethey're never gonna start,
because they're never gonnastart and then, go in their head
like, oh, I don't want to tellmy idea and you probably thought
it is like I'm the least personyou got to worry about, you
(44:31):
know.
But anyways, darren, this waslike a real deep podcast episode
, it went it went left, it wentfar left, but it's okay so we're
wrapping up here.
So we did say at dare to focus,but where can people find you?
Hit you up, follow.
(44:52):
But where can people find you?
Hit you up, follow you um.
Where can they find you at?
Speaker 2 (44:56):
so that's that's instagram.
That's my instagram account.
It is my personal account, sothere is no um dental content on
there.
It may be time for me to makeone, but yes, but for now, at
dare to focus, that's instagram.
At d-a-r-e, the number twof-o-c-u-s holla at your boy all
(45:16):
right y'all.
Speaker 1 (45:17):
Thank y'all.
This was a very, very deeppodcast.
I'm so happy to have darren onhere.
Um, I feel like I knew himforever and I still feel like I
don't know him at the time.
It's so weird.
That's called energy, people,energy, energy, capital e.
Um.
All right, darren, thank you, Ido appreciate it.
Bye, you guys I appreciate it.
All right, you guys, welcome to podcast.
All right, you guys, welcome toDentalish season three.
I have a very special guesthere.
He is a male RDH, so that lessthan 1% RDH on his name.
His name is Darren and hegraduated about a year, a little
bit over a year ago, and he'sbeen making some moves.
(00:27):
You've probably seen him hereand there at Brown Girl
Conferences, at the ADHA.
He has a lot of mentors in thiscommunity and I really, really
wanted to get him on thispodcast so he can share a little
bit about his journey himselfand what is he up to as a male
RDH and how he's stepping inthis female dominated territory.
What's up, darren?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
What's up?
Family Darren, the hygienisthere, people, first and foremost
, I just want to show myappreciation to the organization
.
You didn't have to bring me onthis podcast, but you did so.
Love to you, love to theassociation.
I've been practicing, like yousaid, actually for some months,
I think 10 months now.
I think it'll be a year.
(01:09):
It'll be a year, yeah, thisJuly, upcoming July.
So, and even with, you know,little experience, I can't
stress enough the importance ofcommunity, right, having those
people that could guide you, youknow, having mentors that can
direct you and help you alongthe way.
As you know, this is a verysmall industry, right?
(01:33):
So I think it's in our bestinterest that we lean on one
another and we support oneanother.
So, with that being said, Ijust want to express my
willingness to help those whoare in situations that I've been
in.
You know what I mean.
Whatever support you need,whether if it's guidance,
insight, knowledge, whatever thecase.
(01:54):
So, with that said, you couldfollow me.
I don't know if I should givemy Instagram now.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
You better get that plug.
You better plug it in.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, yeah yeah, go ahead and follow me at Dare to
Focus, that's at D-A-R-E, thenumber two, f-o-c-u-s.
Holler at your boy.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
So listen, your Instagram page Dare to Focus.
I know when I hear that.
I know what it means for me.
But what does it mean for you?
Because there's something,there's a message in your name.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
I'm pretty there's a message exactly there is a
message and ironically, I cameup with that concept in hygiene
school so you know nowadays wegot a lot of distractions right.
Hygiene school is very demanding.
It requires focus, it requiressacrifice.
Some things you may normally do, you cannot do right.
(02:49):
So I challenge myself, dare tofocus on the task at hand.
And you know what I live bythat phrase even now, and it's
actually something that I wouldtell my younger self to do.
I would tell my younger self todevelop the tendency and the
characteristic to focus early.
That way, when you get in your20s and your 30s, it's habitual.
(03:12):
You know what I mean.
You already know not to bedistracted by just frivolous
things and your focus on thegoal at hand.
So dare to focus.
That's where that comes from.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
And I and I read something and it always stuck
with me and it says distractionsdo not become distractions
until they're done distractingyou like you don't even know you
opening up you, you slidingyour phone open distraction yeah
, that's true what thosedistractions are.
Oh, I'm hungry, let me go, letme see what I want to go ahead,
go out and get door, dance or goout to eat.
(03:43):
Like that's a distraction.
I don't know about y'all, butI'm not gonna say I have adhd.
But I will start something, andstart something totally
different and it goes like, ohman, I was doing that case in
point, my kids.
Last night I did the brown birdrdh lounge.
I opened it back up.
It's something that we startedduring covid um just to help
each other uplift each other,give each other information.
(04:04):
And I opened it at 8 pm and myboyfriend was like, are you
going to order food for the kidsto eat?
And I'm like, yeah, order it.
We got that large 10 o'clock.
They looking at me like I waslike dang.
Oh my god, I was like it's adojorno in the freezer.
I put that thing right in yeah,yeah, yeah he was so mad he was
like that.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
That's crazy.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Everybody's looking at me with their stomach poked
out and their lip poked out.
But I was like I said.
I'm sorry I got distracted, itwas one of those things, but I
love that Dare to focus.
I knew it was a message inthere.
I'm like why would it?
And a lot of people don't thinkof anything when they see stuff
like that but I was like ohthat is the message.
So your younger self, yes, yeah.
(04:46):
Why would you tell your youngerself what was the young Darren
like?
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Not focused.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
In what way?
I mean All over the place.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
I mean, yeah, there's a lot of, you know, external
influences out here.
Of course, that just drains us.
We were talking about energyearlier, right, drains us.
We was talking about energyearlier, right.
And, like you were saying, likeit it only is aware
subconsciously, or you are onlyaware of it subconsciously,
which you're not aware at it ofit at all.
You know what I mean when it'shappening, but only when it's
(05:15):
done right.
So at a very young age I was, Iwas drained and I wasn't focused
, and you know, you know, whenyou're young, you dare yourself
to do all type of crazy things,right, and, for whatever reason,
we have the courage to actuallycarry out those challenges
Right.
So it's a little bit of reversepsychology, you know, instead
of daring yourself to dosomething that's meaningless,
(05:37):
dare yourself to focus onsomething that's going to
benefit not only you, but otherswho surround you in the future.
Not only you, but others whosurround you in the future, so
that you know that's why.
But specifically, I was focusedon everything that didn't serve
me as a person.
You know what I mean, whetherit be gangs, whatever.
(05:57):
You know what I mean Justthings that almost made me a
product of my environment.
Let's just say that.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Right, Because that was what I mean.
That was what I mean.
That was what you saw.
That was what was around, I'massuming that's what I was
exposed to.
Yeah, that's all I knew um, sowhat made you get into dentistry
, like what made you say, hmm, Iwant to just be at somebody's
mouth, playing at somebody'smouth.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
We call it playing at somebody's mouth yeah, yeah, um
, you know that's interestingbecause I really didn't know
what I was getting myself into.
I thought this was all bychance, I thought this was just
a mistake at first, you know,and it was because of that.
I didn't know All I knew.
I just wanted to add value tomyself, I wanted to increase my
(06:41):
earnings and I wanted to get outof law enforcement.
That's all I knew.
And I didn't.
I didn't realize, you know, whatmy influence or what I was
being influenced by, until I hadtime to reflect on my
experiences over the years.
So I came to the understandingthat my sister was was part of
the reason why I even thoughtabout teeth when I was just
(07:02):
trying to do something differentwith my life, right?
So, back back home in Detroit,she was a dental assistant and
she worked her way up to adirector.
Eventually, and before I left,I had the opportunity to visit
one of her offices and Ireceived treatment there.
Right, moment of transparency.
I had a pretty large diastema,I must say, in between eight and
nine.
(07:22):
You did, I did, I did.
It was I.
I still got one now, but it waseven.
It was even bigger than what itis now.
So they fixed that for me.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
More importantly, wait, hold up, wait, wait, a
minute, wait.
Let me zoom in on this here,because I can't tell you do what
did they do?
You got braces or did you getbonded?
I could not tell no it wasbonded.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
It was bonded yep, direct composite bonding.
And they made it moreaesthetically appealing.
And you know what it was that?
It was at that point that Isaid to myself internally I like
what they do, you know, theymade me, they made me more
confident, right?
Not?
Only that, but the patient toprovide a relationship was
(08:03):
thorough and comprehensive.
No, who, no, who would haveknown that I would get into
dentistry, you know, years later.
But but the patient to providea relationship was thorough and
comprehensive.
Now, who know who would haveknown that I would get into
dentistry.
You know years later, butthat's the point is you know
those impressions, right, thosepast impressions.
You never really know how muchof the influence that they have
on your current decision makinguntil you've reflected on those
experiences.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
So this wasn't really by chance, this was all by
design, by friends right, right,and I'm sitting here listening
to you and I'm just like nobodyreally realizes how much your
smile and your appearance reallymakes a difference, like your
whole trajectory of what youthought you were going to be
doing in life changed becauseyou were changing.
(08:45):
That's very, very deep.
What we do is more than justwe're changing lives, changing
lives.
We're changing lives.
That makes me happy to knowthat.
What did your sister say whenyou graduated?
That makes me happy to knowthat.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
So what did your sister say when you graduated?
She was thrilled because I gaveher a shout out.
I had a big speech during mygraduation because I was former
class president.
So I had a big speech and ofcourse I gave her all the praise
because if it wasn't for her,you know, I wouldn't be in the
position that I am now.
So she was just thrilled, Iknow she cried.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
I know she was boohooing.
Yeah, I feel like I can onlyimagine I'm acting like I was
there deja vu.
So okay, yeah, you, you aredefinitely.
Um, I can tell you're a leader,you're gonna do, you are doing
something great right now.
I don't know what it is, butbut I felt that, like you said,
you're class president.
I'm like, of course he wasclass president, but I can tell
that, okay, so it wasn't bychance.
(09:51):
So now you're 10 months in.
A lot of people say when theyget out of dental school, they
feel like they've been hit for10 years.
Does it feel the same withdental hygiene?
Do you feel like you've been inlonger than you've actually
been in same with dental hygiene?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
do you feel like you've been in longer than
you've actually been in?
You know what I do.
I do and it's based on you knowthe reactions and how my
patients react to my performance.
But then I get to looking atradiographs and I see some
calculus is still there and Iknow that I'm still a rookie in
this thing.
I got some work to do, so, uh,it's a humbling.
It's a humbling experience.
I do feel like I'm a veteran,but I'm not definitely not a
(10:29):
little bit.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Uh no, it'd be hygienist doing this for 30
years.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Uh, leaving calculus behind that's why, that's why my
butt hopped out of that chair.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
I don't even I love calculus.
Oh well, I mean somebody elsecan get it, I'm good it's not an
easy job.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Like it's not easy, like I don't know where that
impression came from, like wejust seeing 16, 18 patients and
you're cleaning effectively.
What?
Come on now.
And I know that, just being 10months out.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
But yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
And it's one of those things where you're in an
environment and you havepressure and you have, maybe, a
production goal, maybe you havetwo columns, maybe you have one
column, but you're dealing withpeople who may be having a great
day, who may not be having agreat day, and now that is your
responsibility.
Now you have to see them.
(11:17):
In a block of time Nobody'sgiving you like hygiene school
four hours to see one patient.
I got to take blood pressure, Igot to review medical history.
I have to make sure I don'thurt them.
Now I gotta warm up to thembecause I don't look like what
they seem for.
And you got on gloves and you,you might be nervous.
Shit.
I still get nervous in.
You know my own practice.
I get nervous like your.
Your hands are sweating.
(11:37):
Now you have these instruments.
Maybe they're not sharp, maybesomething's not working, but you
don't want to feel like youdon't know what you're doing
because the calc is messed up.
So you're like all right, getthrough it.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
You're going through it.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Right, you be going through it back there.
But you're like, I know I gotthis, I know I'm good.
And then, like you said, youtake that x-ray and you're like,
oh, calculus is still there.
And then you're like, all right, I don't say minorities, but as
minorities we want to do sogood, we want to overachieve,
and when we see something, we'relike we got to fix it.
We ain't just putting that outbecause it's a reflection of me
(12:11):
and my whole community comingbehind me.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
We're crossing our T's and dotting our I's because
of what we represent and who weare.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
That's how it is that we're going back and getting
that calculus.
Man, because we're going backand getting that calculus man,
the right.
It's going to look bad on theperson coming behind me, so let
me just go ahead and fix thisand make sure it's good.
So I'm glad you realized thatearly on.
But, most importantly, you arewho you are.
If you're that type of personthat's going to do your best,
you're going to do your bestwherever you are and whatever
(12:40):
you're doing.
If you're the type of personthat was like, oh well, you're
going to be that type ofhygienist, you're going to be
that type of dentist, you'regoing to be that type of friend,
I mean, it is what it is.
I truly believe people are whothey are until they get to the
next life and you choose to bethat same person and relive what
you're doing, or you change,and you change.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
You spiritually right , right, right, right.
So it's like, if you know, youknow right, because, yeah, those
who know they're gonna do whatthey need to do in that very
moment, you know they're notgonna risk having to repeat.
If you know what I mean.
You know what I mean.
Let's get it right the firsttime and just call it a day,
like you already know internallywhat you have to do.
That goes back to what I wassaying about what you feel is
real right.
(13:26):
What you feel is real.
A lot of times we have thisinternal voice, and it may not
even be a voice, it can be justa feeling, right, but we
disregard that feeling becauseit's not apparent, it's not
readily seen, readily available.
And then we seek that which isreadily available and at the end
of the moment or at the end ofthe experience, you realize,
(13:47):
damn, I should have listened tothat gut feeling.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Yep, and I would say, like we got, we have three
brains right, one brain, onebrain.
You got your brain, you'reobviously.
Then you got your heart.
You know you have your heart,like you feel something, then
you have your heart.
You know you have your heart.
Like you feel something, thenyou have your stomach.
You have that.
You get feeling in your stomach, you get butterflies, there's
(14:12):
something going on.
You got three brains and if allthree of them say yes, then you
go, you move into that.
That is our spirit, telling uslike you got a thumbs up,
because there's always somethingpulling you, like sit your ass
down, but you're like no, itcan't be it, I'm tripping.
And then you look back andyou're like I should have
listened, and that's in anythingthat we do.
(14:33):
It could be crossing the street, it can be accepting a job.
We call it red flags.
We just, oh, it's red flags,flags, flags, flags.
No, that's your gut, that'syour intuition, that's your
heart, that's your brain, and Ithink enough of us don't,
because it could be too good tobe true type of thing or
perception.
You know what's reality andwhat isn't is hard to tell
(14:56):
nowadays.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
That is true, that is true.
That is true.
Perception is everything andyou know, know, social media.
We talk about social media.
The gift and the curse of it,right, has a lot to do with how
we think and the concepts thatwe actually adopt.
So, um, with that said, I justkind of I kind of filter what I
am exposed to on social media soif you end up, following me.
(15:20):
You don't see, I ain't got nofollowers or anything like that.
It's because of that.
But.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Wait.
So I was.
I was talking to somebodyearlier today and we were saying
what you view becomes you.
So we were talking about theyounger generation and what they
see and we were talking aboutwhy they choose to go to
somebody and get veneers donewho isn't a licensed
(15:47):
professional.
And I told the girl sheactually teaches high school
students and she's a dentalhygienist.
I said I blame the quoteunquote celebrity dentist
because I said they're up hereposting that they're doing
veneers on celebrities andpeople want to look like those
celebrities that follow them,that idolize them, but they
(16:08):
don't have the twenty thousanddollars to spend on it.
So they're like I'm just gonnago over here and they hear the
word veneers.
They hear the word veneers andthey're like well, I'll just get
it done here.
It's no different than thepeople years and years ago, um,
that were going in basementsgetting like you know, butt
injections and surgery and stuff.
It's no different than thosepeople.
(16:28):
It's cheaper, it's moreconvenient.
I don't have to be told I needa deep cleaning and I need
x-rays and I need an exam, likeI don't need to go through all
of the loops.
And most people don't havedental insurance.
We act like dental insurance isfree, or you know, someone just
has twenty thousand dollars onit no, they don't they just want
to look like that celebrity.
So I'm like I said, the dentistshave to take responsibility for
(16:51):
what they're promoting yeah,that is, that is very true.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
I feel like there's not a, there's not enough um, I
don't want to say policing, butcontrol in that area.
You know what I mean.
Like they're not really theyenforce everything else, but
when it comes to dentistry,there's really no penalties.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Well, there they are but it's not.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
You don't really see it that often you know what I
mean To where we're actuallyprotecting the patient, because
the idea is to protect thepatient, right.
So you don't, you don't see itenough Like, how are we going to
stop?
You know um, this malpracticing.
You know how are we going tostop that?
Speaker 1 (17:32):
because that's a big issue in my opinion well, I'm
not going to repeat the samething I said on the on the last,
because that's always thequestion like how do we stop it?
Yeah, um, it's not going tostop unless you start affecting
the people's money.
Who's it's a fit.
If it's not affecting theirmoney, they don't care.
(17:52):
They get their money throughlicensure, getting a license,
and you apply for your boardsand that's how they get their
money and it's not affectingthem.
And those patients that go seethese people they're not paying
that.
So if it's not affecting theirdollar, then why would they care
?
It is America.
It is America and I'm not aboutto get political, but like we
(18:13):
be outraged about the craziestthings and I'm like huh, nobody
should be paying to go to school.
There was a doctor that wasarrested and went to prison for
falsely diagnosing patients withcancer.
He made millions and millionsof dollars of telling people
that didn't have cancer thatthey did.
(18:34):
He's like that was wrong and itwas unethical.
People died.
He told kids they had cancer,people that didn't have cancer.
They were going through chemo.
It was affecting their families.
It was all done for money.
What makes you get to that?
Speaker 2 (18:49):
That's crazy, where you actually play with people's
lives.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
He was getting paid.
Isn't that so sad, that's sad,that is very sad.
As a provider, that somebodywould get paid millions to
diagnose people with cancer thatdidn't have cancer.
And historically, we know aboutthe Tuskegee Airmen and we know
about how historically, blackpeople were used as like guinea
(19:16):
pigs and test dummies for a lotof medicine.
So when you hear like hey,there's not a lot of black
people that go to the dentist,like they don't go to the doctor
either, because it's likethere's there's something
generational telling them like Idon't want to be, you know,
falsely diagnosed, I don't wantto give, be given medicine.
So then they trust yeah, theytake alternative routes right,
(19:39):
unless it's somebody that lookslike me and you like, okay, I
trust this person because youknow they.
They look like me.
So it's a lot of deep-rootedstuff going on and that's why
these patients are.
These people are going to theircousin or their friends or the
near techs, and it's because thetrust isn't there, the
education isn't there, and weneed more people like us in the
(20:01):
field and outside of the field,you know, just representing to
say like hey, ask me a question,or you shouldn't do this or you
shouldn't do this.
And I think it's refreshing.
And we're not talking about thegeneration that is, we're
talking about the ones comingafter us.
So just getting getting to themearly, but you're so 10 months
in, you feel like it's beenlonger, but you're easily
(20:23):
reminded that it hasn't been.
How do you prevent burnout?
Speaker 2 (20:28):
so for me I have to switch it up.
I can't do hygiene every day.
I do hygiene three days out ofthe week Monday, wednesday and
Fridays On the days that I'm notthere, of course.
Two days and Thursdays I'm inschool.
So it kind of works out for me.
(20:48):
And I do some select Saturdays,depending on if I want to
practice an extra day.
But that's how I preventburnout.
And then another way is justbeing very vocal about my
schedule.
To be honest with you, I knowwhat I can do.
I know what I'm willing to do.
I know what I'm not willing todo.
And I stand on that and I don'tconform, and I don't accept less
(21:12):
at the end of the day.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
And it is what it is.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
You know what I mean.
You're going to find peoplethat's going to work with you.
You're going to find peoplethat don't want to work with you
.
It's just how it is.
You know what I mean.
No one party is better than theother.
It's just two different stylesof practicing.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Are you temping or are you working in private
practice?
Speaker 2 (21:35):
I am temping right now but I do have a primary
office who I give uh priorityover my booking because we have,
we develop a relationship likethat.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
but I'm still, I'm still attempting, okay, okay, so
you have a little bit offlexibility in your schedule yes
, yes, yes and prior to 2020,prior to covid 19, there were no
temping jobs out there.
Like you could not find a jobtemping and it's so crazy.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
I've heard that.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
You could not, I remember, because I was trying
not to, I ended up staying inthe office.
It was so toxic, it was just sobad.
I was there for seven years andI quit twice and went back and
I was only getting paid $28 anhour In 2020?
Wow.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
In 2020?
Wow, in 2020?
.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
That was just four years ago I was getting paid $28
an hour.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
You see how things change so quickly.
That's crazy.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Over the course of four years.
That was probably like aminimum.
Was that a minimum or was thatlike a?
Speaker 1 (22:27):
That was in North Carolina.
That was where everybody NorthCarolina.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Okay, okay.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Yeah, yeah, I don't know.
Okay, okay, yeah, yeah, I don'tknow, I think Georgia right now
, the rate where I the rate inColumbus, georgia, is $38.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Columbus.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Georgia.
Okay, I don't know, what is itin Atlanta?
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Right now like the minimum for temping.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
Yeah, for temping 57.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
57.
Yeah, and that's just how it is.
You things change.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
health become, you know, primary in america and all
of a sudden you know we're morevaluable so with every uh, with
every ying, there's gonna be ayang and I'm like I wouldn't
flips.
You know they're trying tointroduce dental, dental doing,
dental assistant doing thingsdoing that too.
(23:18):
They're pushing for it.
But the bottom line is,dentistry is a business and a
lot of things are businesses andif they're not being profitable
it just doesn't work.
And I'm afraid, and I'm scaredfor our profession because I'm
like, yes, they're paying 50 to60 to 70.
Somebody told me she wasgetting 70 dollars, 75 dollars
(23:39):
an hour and I was like, man,it's gonna come down, it's gonna
come down hard, it's gonna haveto.
That's just the way, the laws,what goes?
Speaker 2 (23:49):
that makes sense.
Yeah, yeah, one extreme to the.
Yeah, I just hope it's not thatdetrimental to where it's like,
wow, like, like.
What is a dentist now?
Speaker 1 (24:00):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
To that extent because, as you said, they're
trying to expand the functionsof assistance.
So who knows where that goes.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
Darren, you're not going to have anything to worry
about because you're going toschool to become a dentist,
because that's your plan.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
That's the blueprint I am going.
That's the plan.
If God directs me in adifferent direction, then so be
it.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
What do you see, your ?
What do you see?
Like you're a hygienist rightnow and you did it because you
you had the experience at yoursister's office.
But, um, a lot of males are notdental hygienists.
So do you feel like you want tobe a dentist because that's
what you see?
(24:48):
Or is that just you want to fixthings or what like?
What is your?
Speaker 2 (24:52):
what is the reason to become a dentist, the main
reason, your number one reason,like right so dentistry was um
the goal even before hygiene,and the main reason was because
of restorative dentistry.
You know, I wanted the autonomyum I'm a tourist, so I'm kind
(25:12):
of stubborn.
I don't have a problem withworking under somebody, but
there's a thin line between youknow respect and having respect
and being a people pleaser, anda lot of times people want you
to people please.
I'm not a people pleaser, so toeliminate that from even
happening.
(25:33):
I just say, ok, let's just go,let's just do dentistry.
You know what I mean To thatregard.
But implant dentistry andcosmetics was the goal from the
start.
Why did I choose hygiene first,only God knows, but it was a
blessing, to say the least.
And of course I wanted to gainfoundational knowledge, the
skills and, of course,connections to give me that edge
(25:56):
over other.
You know dental candidates,because you know it's
competitive.
It's competitive out there.
You know hygiene is supercompetitive, dentistry even more
competitive.
So that's what the goal was atthe end of the day, right right,
right.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
No, I can see that, and everybody I asked that
question to not even did anybodyask that question to.
That was my answer too.
I'm going to do what I want todo.
I don't want to answer to noone.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
It is what it is, you know.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
That was my answer and the funny story, the reason
why I started Brown Girl RDH wasbecause in high school I wanted
to be a dentist and then Iended up getting pregnant and I
was like, oh, I can't do it nowbecause I'm going to have this
baby, so I guess I'll dosomething else.
And then I called the dentalhygiene school and I'm like,
yeah, I'm about to have a baby.
And they're like you better dodental assisting because this
(26:40):
needs a program for you.
So I was like, all right,whatever I'll do dental.
It was all online.
They tried to deter you fromthe hygiene.
I didn't know, I was 19.
So I didn't know.
I really didn't know.
So I did dental assisting.
I didn't know really the bigdifference as far as income.
So back then I was making $7.25at Rainbow, like I was like
(27:03):
anything, like I was getting $10as an assistant.
I thought I made it right.
So I actually, you know, didthe dental assistant program,
was working in the office as adental assistant.
The dentist just treated me sobad.
He just treated me so bad and Isaw he didn't bother the
hygienist and I'm like, well,he's not bothering her.
(27:24):
So I went over there.
I was like, what do I have todo?
She was working on her ownpatients.
She was driving a Hummer.
I was like, oh, I want theHummer too.
Oh, I'm on the Hummer too.
Like I'm, I wanted her life.
And, um, I asked her what do Ihave to do?
She's like, oh, you gotta applyfor this program and this is
hard and the prereqs and blah,blah, blah.
And I'm looking at her like,huh, that's it.
So I applied and I actually gotin um, but when I got in it was
(27:47):
like, okay, you need all thismoney for this stuff.
And I was like I don't have themoney.
I got this.
I'm not going.
And then my friend was tellingme about student loans, so I
ended up taking out all thesestudent loans that I'm still not
paying for, by the way, and Igraduated in 2012.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Tell me about it.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
You said you're not paying for.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
No, I haven't paid yet.
I graduated in 2012.
I have not paid a dime.
I defer.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
Y'all.
I better call them people andtell them to defer.
You're going through a hardshipTalking about student loans.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
Where's the reparation, please?
Hello, reparation.
So, anyways, I kept saying like, okay, I'm going to go, I'm
going to go.
Every time I tried to take myprereqs or try to do something,
I had to help a family member.
Somebody moved in my house.
My mom has 10 kids.
At least every single one of mysiblings have lived with me and
(28:39):
I have taken care of them.
My brother and his girlfriendand his kids live with me.
So every single time, it wassomething where I had to take
care of somebody else and Istarted saying I'm a hygienist,
why am I?
Why am I going through this?
And I was like it gotta beother people like me, just that
can't, just can't get it becauseof their family or because of
their burdens or theirresponsibilities or even their
guilt, because I think a part ofme was like I'm successful, so
now it's my responsibility tohelp my family.
(29:00):
That's what I felt.
And um 2020, I was going toUniversity of Pembroke.
I was working at a practicethat where they were open at
night, so I would work from twoto ten, and then I would work on
Saturdays and Sundays, and thenI would go to school during the
week and I would take theclasses online for, um, um, my
biology degree so I can get intodental school.
(29:21):
And I even visited EastCarolina University like I was
all in their programs, all up inthe pictures and stuff, like
I'm gonna be a dentist.
And then COVID hit and then Ihad my kids that I had to
homeschool and I could not dothe homeschool and I could not
take care of my kids and and dowhat I had to do.
So I ended up dropping out and,um, I was just like, dang, I'm
(29:44):
gonna go back, I'm gonna go back.
And then the opportunity camefor me to manage a practice in
Georgia and I'm like, for sureI'll do it.
And I was like, maybe I'll domobile dentistry because I want
to be my own boss.
And two years later that was in2020, 2021.
So 2024, I opened my secondpractice in Georgia.
(30:09):
I don't have to do hygiene, Ican still run a business and I
can employ people and workalongside dentists and, you know
, be their partner and notnecessarily work for them.
So it ended up translating intothat.
But now I'm looking and I'm likeif I were to work for a dentist
, I would probably.
If I were to become a dentist,I would probably be making the
(30:30):
same amount of money that I maderight now.
So you mentioned that you, um,you're one of your kind of
mentors or someone you follow onsocial media is Dr Golden, and
I connected with Dr Golden um,my fellow Sagittarian and uh and
uh and, and he owns a practicein Florida and a lot of what I
(30:54):
know now.
He literally shared with me asa practice owner and like really
to mentor and help on thebusiness side of it.
So he got there and you knowhe's like you know, my friend,
you got a DSO now and he's likethat's what I'm talking about.
He's like I'm trying to getlike you and Dr Golding to go
against this.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
You know what I mean like that's what I'm talking
about.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
He's like I'm trying to get like you and Dr Goldberg,
you know what I mean.
So I look at things like I keepsaying like why didn't I become
a dentist?
Or what happened, like I don'tthink I was supposed to.
But hygiene is definitely astepping stone to get where I
wanted to be, because when, Ilook back at it, I'm like I
probably would have been workingfor somebody.
Oh, probably not.
No, knowing me, I would havefigured it out.
But, um, you would have had tostart somewhere.
(31:35):
You know what I mean.
You gotta grow your patientbase, you gotta build your skill
, um, and I was just like I.
I know each thing is a steppingstone for the next, and you
can't unlock that next chapterunless you go through it first.
So I had to go through all ofthat to get to get to my happy
place.
And now, you know, I haven'tworked in like two years.
(31:59):
I work from home, you know.
But I've been in the office fortwo years and me and my
boyfriend were like, we're aboutto buy a house in Africa and
we're going to work remotely andI'll take the kids over there.
And this time next year we willbe in Tanzania.
Actually, on May 1st what wastoday, today's like April 27th
(32:19):
From May 1st to the 15th, we'regoing to Africa, we are going to
go see our house that we'regoing to buy what part?
Speaker 2 (32:26):
What part of Africa?
Speaker 1 (32:27):
On to Tanzania.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Tanzania.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
You say yeah, they have a whole town there.
It's about population of eightmillion people and in zanzibar
um in tanzania is a littleisland, but we're going to see
the house that we're havingbuilt and in five years it'll be
paid for that is amazing andy'all just talk about goals
ain't, no, ain't, no credit overin zanzibar um there's no
(32:53):
interest.
So get your butt over there inzanzibar.
Get you a house interest.
So get your butt over there inZanzibar.
Get you a house and go back toAfrica.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
We going back.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
Yeah, Wow, Honestly, one don't quote me, Darren.
One dollar is $2,500.
So like $5,000, you'll be amillionaire over there.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
I've heard of something like that.
I've heard of that.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Say $5,000 a month, say you get $5,000 a month.
Let's put it like this peoplefrom other countries come here
open businesses and they livelike and then go back right yeah
, but we're the only people thatdon't want to go back that's a,
that's a bridge we gottareconstruct, to say the least.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Like I don't know.
Well, we know where thatseparation happened, but um,
yeah and you know what.
We're making progress.
It's a mental thing.
You know what I mean.
We're making progress.
There's a lot that's happeningin america now.
Um, that is, it benefits theblack community, and I mean
black Caribbean, I meanfoundational black Americans, I
(33:59):
mean Africans.
You know what?
Speaker 1 (34:00):
I mean.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
So we're getting better, generally speaking, with
that subject.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
We are.
We're waking up, so I guessthat's the year of the awakening
right.
That eclipse was a reset.
The solar eclipse, it was areset.
The solar eclipse, it was areset for us.
What are we really doing?
And let me tell you I ain'ttrying to put my business out
there, but I'm sitting herepaying 1200 for a car.
We're selling everything.
(34:25):
We don't need it, we don't needit, we don't need it.
The same amount of money youput for a car, you can just live
happily, comfortably.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
Yeah, in africa, right in africa there's a
different, it's a different caryou can just live happily,
comfortably, yeah, in Africaright In Africa.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
It's a different value system.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
It's a different value system, I think, this
American dream that we all adoptright, it separates us from the
true essence of what we need tounderstand about life and what
we need to embody in this liferight, it completely separates
us and it puts us in a positionwhere we just have to survive
(35:02):
and we'll do anything to survive, right, and then you get to
throw in the glitz and glamoursin there.
Not only do we want to survivenow, we want to thrive, right.
But with that being said, witheach step, in each form of
distractions, anotherdistraction we're separated from
.
You know the life that we'resupposed to be living, and it's
(35:22):
just something to think about.
You know something to take heedto and look at those, those
different countries in Africa,and see how they live.
You know, and see how, whatthey value and how they thrive.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
Yeah I, I, I'm 110% Like I don't need things at this
world, cause guess what?
Once you get the degree, youknow you get the Gucci bag or
you get the Mercedes or the BMW,then what?
It's nothing.
You still feel empty.
But you have to get up and youhave to bust your butt and work
and you know no, why does that?
(35:56):
Why not make life easy?
that's all you have to do is goto another country and and have
my online store and all I needto do is make 1200 a day.
Forget just you if you hadanother person.
Both of y'all had side hustleslike you could not worry about
anything and long, live longerand eat healthier.
Half this stuff we're eating isnot real food anyway that's
(36:17):
another rabbit hole.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
You go down right there.
So you talk about your gutbeing one of the uh, what you
say, your brain is one of yourbrains, right?
So you're feeding your brain,we're feeding our brain trash,
I'm gonna say we, because I eatsome of that stuff too.
Sometimes I'm not, I'm not, uh,you know, pardoned, but for the
most part I try to.
You know, I try to be consciousabout what I eat.
(36:39):
But to your point, that's one ofthe reasons why like if you
were to ask me the next fiveyears.
What would I be focused on?
I'm going to be focusing ondeveloping myself as a person,
right, and I don't want thatstatement to be taken lightly.
We need to highlight thatstatement because, as you, were
saying you could be a rocketscientist, for example.
Right, you have all theaccolades, you have all the
(37:01):
acknowledgement, but have missedthe essence of true
self-discovery and personaldevelopment.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
Right.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
That's most important .
I'm talking about takingadvantage of those innate,
god-given qualities, thosetalents that you've had from
birth, that you didn't have tolook outside of yourself to find
or seek, because once youdevelop those qualities, then
you have found your purpose inlife, regardless of what your
occupation is.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
That's your purpose yeah, and, and if everybody has
one, I think everybody has one.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
Everybody has one.
Speaker 1 (37:36):
It's just those distractions that distract you
from what, and they're there onpurpose.
Facebook is not free for noreason, trust me, it's there for
a reason, everything is therefor a reason, and I, really
recently Well, it's always beenin me, but I've always wondered
like, hmm, that's strange.
(37:57):
Y'all trying everything else,but this huge platform.
We're not making money.
And then they even went as faras trying to pay influencers, so
they want you to get on theredancing.
Speaker 2 (38:07):
You see that, and then the algorithm controls what
people are exposed to.
It goes back to that right.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Right, they want you to watch it.
Speaker 2 (38:14):
It's crazy.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
I said something about arthritis and my brother's
like where's the Tylenol?
Guess what was on my newsfeed,bayer Tylenol?
I said there's no way possible.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
Hey Siri.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Hey Siri, hey Alexa.
So I started saying how do youbecome a millionaire?
And I don't see nothing likethat on there.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
It's a big game, you know.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
You talk about going to Africa.
Guess what?
I don't see nothing popping onmy timeline.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
Right.
They don't want no BlackAmericans going to Africa.
No, don't do that.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
But I see all the foolishness in it and it's
really like we shouldn't even be.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
It's too much.
It's too much.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
It's a reason why certain people don't do certain
things.
People be like oh, jay-z don'thave.
I'm just saying Jay-Z.
No way, shape or form.
Am I a Jay-Z fan?
Jay-z don't have no Instagram.
He don't follow nobody onInstagram.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
I wonder why.
That's a good example, though.
I'm glad you mentioned him.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
If he's so high I don't want to say high.
Okay, you go in the bank, right, you go in the bank and you got
your bankers down here.
But have you ever looked up andseen?
There's other levels, thehigher you go in the bank, the
more money is up there.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Talk about private accounts and private services.
Speaker 1 (39:36):
I'm looking at what's up there.
Oh, that's just nothing, youdon't worry about that over
there Now.
I'm trying to figure out.
I'm not just innovating forwardLike what's up there, so that's
where Jay-Z is and he lookingdown like yo, y'all worried
about this, y'all worried aboutthe sexy reds.
Like no, no people, let's befocused.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
So what do you?
What do you say?
He said you want a gram holdingmoney up to your ear.
There's a disconnect.
We don't call that money overhere.
Come on, man, you gotta.
You gotta pick up the gems thatthey be dropping sometime you
know, this is like people butthen you got like you said you
got sexy red.
You can come on 50 times out ofthe day on the radio.
I don't even listen to theradio.
Speaker 1 (40:15):
I heard oh my gosh, I'm going to go on and on and on
and talk to you.
Somebody said, or I heard orsomething, that music, what
you're listening to, is it's aspell.
Oh yeah, talk to me.
Yeah, it's a spell.
Oh yeah, talk to me.
Yeah, it's a spell that yourepeat it.
You know the words by heart.
(40:36):
Do you know?
I cannot recite a song anymore,like I can't sing a full song.
That's because I'm disconnected.
But my kids, word for word, Iknow it.
I know the chords.
Kindergarteners, they know thechords.
It's a sound.
It's a spell what you're reading, what you're looking at, what
(40:58):
you are listening to.
Speaker 2 (40:59):
Turn it off.
Turn it off.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
That is very important right there, because
that subconscious that we weretalking about right.
It just captures, and captures,and captures, and it can't
differentiate between what'sgood and what's bad for you
captures and it can'tdifferentiate between what's
good and what's bad for you,right, right and things are, and
things are funny and cute andculture.
But the way things are shiftingand when you start paying
attention, you're like the mostnastiest disrespectful things
(41:23):
are the ones getting glorified.
You're like this is happeningnot by chance, this is perfect
and it's set makes you want tojust pick up and move to africa,
right that's what I'm justabout to say belize too.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
I've been looking to belize yeah, what do you do?
Speaker 1 (41:40):
you get up and you leave.
You get up and you leave andyou worked, or you work towards
it yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (41:48):
So that's that.
That's one of my goals, youknow.
And that's one of the reasonswhy I, kind of you know, stayed
to myself a little bit, whichcould be a good thing and a bad
thing, right you?
Speaker 1 (41:58):
study yourself.
It's never bad.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
Never a bad thing.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
Because guess what?
Speaker 2 (42:04):
I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (42:06):
You know I had to get to this point.
The horses in the races havethese blinders on and the only
thing that they can see is thisway right, what's in front of
them?
I forget what you call them.
They're blinders, but theycan't see the other people.
They can't see the horses, theycan't see the crown, but
they're just.
They put those blinders on themand all they can see is like
(42:31):
what?
Nothing wrong with it.
You'll just get to where you'regoing quicker.
That's how I look at it, whattime?
look at it interesting you needto be that horse.
Those are the winners, right?
Don't see nothing else buttheir one goal.
Speaker 2 (42:44):
Let's just focus yes, okay, very very, very
purposeful goal, though, right,it's not like um, egotistical at
all.
You know it reaches far beyondselfish intent.
But you reap all the benefitsand you reap all the the fruits
of what's to come, you know soyou don't really have to worry
about that.
Speaker 1 (43:04):
It just comes when you will come and we, we all
know what's for you is for you.
But you got to be selfish, yougot to have those blinders on
and you got to be a little bitcrazy.
Speaker 2 (43:15):
You got to be crazy.
You have to be borderlineinsane.
I'm glad you said I'm not bymyself.
Speaker 1 (43:22):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (43:24):
I'm glad you said that.
Because, some days.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
I'll be like bro.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
You told me about this plan you had four years ago
.
You still want to do this plan.
You got to be out your mindwhen you can just settle down,
do hygiene six days a week andcall it a life.
You know what I mean.
Like what do you want?
What are you striving for?
It's bigger than me.
This is for generationalinfluence.
Speaker 1 (43:46):
Yep, yep, yep.
And then we always say, likeyou got to help people, whether
through mentorship, giving them.
There's no such thing asgatekeepers.
I hate when people are like, oh, I had this idea, I'm going to
tell you, but I don't want totell you.
I got to say, oh my, what younot telling me?
For I promise you I can doanything.
I don't want to.
I'm it's that mindset like,okay, I don't want to share it
(44:07):
because it's my idea.
Well, guess what?
Somebody's gonna do it.
Nothing's recreated we're justhere and we don't have it and
it's nothing that we're creating.
So people that do that likethey're never gonna start,
because they're never gonnastart and then, go in their head
like, oh, I don't want to tellmy idea and you probably thought
it is like I'm the least personyou got to worry about, you
(44:31):
know.
But anyways, darren, this waslike a real deep podcast episode
, it went it went left, it wentfar left, but it's okay so we're
wrapping up here.
So we did say at dare to focus,but where can people find you?
Hit you up, follow.
(44:52):
But where can people find you?
Hit you up, follow you um.
Where can they find you at?
Speaker 2 (44:56):
so that's that's instagram.
That's my instagram account.
It is my personal account, sothere is no um dental content on
there.
It may be time for me to makeone, but yes, but for now, at
dare to focus, that's instagram.
At d-a-r-e, the number twof-o-c-u-s holla at your boy all
(45:16):
right y'all.
Speaker 1 (45:17):
Thank y'all.
This was a very, very deeppodcast.
I'm so happy to have darren onhere.
Um, I feel like I knew himforever and I still feel like I
don't know him at the time.
It's so weird.
That's called energy, people,energy, energy, capital e.
Um.
All right, darren, thank you, Ido appreciate it.
Bye, you guys I appreciate it.
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