Straight Up With Steph

Could the solution to the hygiene shortage actually create new legal problems for dental practices?

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I'm joined by Dr. Derik Sven for one of the most thought-provoking conversations we've had on the podcast. 

We dive into the legal, ethical, and regulatory issues surrounding Oral Preventive Assistants (OPAs), but the conversation quickly expands into something much bigger—the futu...

Assisted hygiene - could it actually be one of the best solutions to today's hygiene shortage?

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I sit down with hygienist and practice consultant Courtney Wager, RDH, to break down one of dentistry's most controversial topics.

After practicing assisted hygiene for over 20 years, Courtney shares why she believes the model has been misunderstood—and how, when done correctly, it can impro...

Your stool might be costing you more than you realize.

Most dental professionals spend more than 1,500 hours per year sitting, yet very few of us think about whether our stool is helping or hurting us.

In this solo episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I share my personal journey with chronic low back pain, the ergonomic mistakes I made early in my career, and the one equipment change that completely transformed the way I pract...

Dentistry is changing—and whether you love it or hate it, the conversation needs to happen.

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I welcome back former ADA President Dr. Brett Kessler for an honest discussion about the future of dental hygiene, practice ownership, and the profession as a whole.

From the hygiene shortage and assisted hygiene to insurance reform, burnout, leadership, and medical-dental integration, we tackl...

Hair thinning, collagen loss, and aging skin can feel like they happen overnight in midlife—but there’s actually a lot happening behind the scenes.

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, dermatologist and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner Dr. Corinne Erickson returns for part two of our conversation to answer listener questions about hair loss, collagen decline, red light therapy, skin treatments, and the lif...

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I’m joined by certified nurse midwife and menopause specialist Sarah Shealy, CNM, MSCP, for a deep dive into one of the most talked-about—and misunderstood—topics in women’s health: hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

If you've ever wondered whether your anxiety, poor sleep, body aches, brain fog, gut issues, or lack of confidence could be related to perimenopause, t...

Leaking when you sneeze? Constantly running to the bathroom? Feeling pressure, heaviness, or disconnected from your core? These symptoms may have more to do with your pelvic floor than you realize.

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I sit down with pelvic floor specialist Emma Bromley to discuss one of the most overlooked aspects of women's health: pelvic floor dysfunction.

Like many women, I never gave much thought to my pe...

Is the hygiene department really a loss leader… or have we just been looking at it all wrong?

In this episode, I sit down with Shannon Richkowski, RDH, founder of Hygiene Mastery and managing partner of Fortune Management. Shannon is a nationally recognized speaker, consultant, and leader in dental practice growth, known for helping practices transform their hygiene departments into powerful drivers of both patient health and...

If you’ve ever thought, “Why am I still reacting like this even though I know better?” — this episode is going to hit.

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I sit down with EMDR therapist Dana Carretta-Stein to break down what trauma actually is, how it shows up in your daily life, and why healing isn’t just about awareness — it’s about rewiring your nervous system.

We go way beyond sur...

If you’ve ever felt like your body is changing and no one really explained why… this episode is for you.

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I sit down with Dr. Jen Fraboni to break down what’s actually happening in women’s bodies through different life stages—and how to support yourself through it.

We talk about everything from menstrual cycles and workouts, to pregnancy myths, postpartum recov...

Ever feel like you’re speaking a completely different language than your patients, coworkers, or even your own team?

I had that exact moment with a patient when I realized… I might not be as “cool” or relatable as I thought 😅 And it made me start questioning—are generational differences actually that big of a deal?

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I sit down with generational futurist, entre...

What if your brain isn’t declining… it’s just undertrained? What if simple brain games can improve it?

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I sit down with Jules from BrainBodyByJules to break down what’s really happening with your focus, memory, and mental clarity—and why so many of us feel like we’re operating on autopilot.

We talk about how your brain is actually trainable (just like you...

Wrinkles, hormonal acne, melasma, and dry skin can suddenly appear in your 40s — and hormones may be the reason.

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I’m joined by board-certified dermatologist and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner Dr. Corinne Erickson to talk about the connection between skin health, hormones, and aging.

If you’ve noticed changes like adult acne, pigmentation, dryness, or sagging skin...

Constipation, bloating, gas, and poop—these are topics people rarely talk about, but they can reveal a lot about what’s happening inside your gut.

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I continue my conversation with gastroenterologist and bestselling author Will Bulsiewicz.

If you listened to Part 1, we talked about the gut microbiome, inflammation, and why fiber is so important for gut health.

In this second half o...

Your gut microbiome affects far more than digestion.

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, I’m joined by gastroenterologist and bestselling author Will Bulsiewicz to talk about the science behind the gut microbiome and why fiber may be one of the most important nutrients most people are missing.

Dr. B has spent years researching the gut microbiome and helping people understand how the trillions of microbes living inside o...

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph®, we’re talking about something I get asked about all the time—career options in dentistry outside of clinical practice.

After more than 17 years as a dental hygienist and building my company Polished Posture, I’ve learned there are far more opportunities available to dental professionals than many of us realize.

If you’ve ever thought:

• “I’m just a hygie...

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph, I sit down with dental hygienist, educator, and entrepreneur Dana Paladino, RDH, to talk about a topic that impacts millions of women yet is still widely misunderstood—endometriosis. Dana shares her personal 20-year journey to diagnosis, the medical gaslighting she experienced, and how chronic pain shaped her mental health, career path, and ultimately her decision to have a hysterect...

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph, I sit down with Maggie Topham, integrative health coach and passionate advocate for helping women thrive in midlife. Maggie shares her powerful personal journey—from feeling lost, exhausted, and “fluffy” in her 40s to rebuilding her health through blood sugar awareness, strength training, and a muscle-centric approach to living.

We talk about why what worked in our 20s sto...

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph, I’m joined by Dr. Meredith Broderick, a neurologist and board-certified sleep and behavioral sleep medicine specialist, to break down what actually matters when it comes to sleep.

We talk about why waking up at 2–3 a.m. is so common, how sleep architecture really works, and why chasing “perfect” sleep scores can backfire. Dr. Broderick also explains sleep apnea beyon...