The Chief Psycho Podcast

The Cost of Misalignment | S5 E10

Pain has been normalized in dentistry for so long that many clinicians assume it’s simply part of the job. Burnout gets labeled as workload. Fatigue gets labeled as weakness. And misalignment becomes culture.

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, I sit down with Caitlin Parsons, RDH, C-IAYT, CEAS, nationally recognized ergonomics consultant and founder of The Aligned Hygienist, to examine what...

What happens when you refuse to let your career stay in one lane?

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, I sit down with Michelle Strange, MSDH, RDH, a clinician, educator, entrepreneur, and practice owner whose 25-year career spans assisting, hygiene, graduate education, infection prevention, mobile care, teledentistry, public health advocacy, speaking, and ownership.

Michelle shares how she built a career rooted in curiosity,...

Hacking Biomechanics | S5 E8

Pain has become so normalized in clinical work that many professionals assume it’s just part of the job. It isn’t.

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, I sit down with Katrina Klein, RDH, a clinician and biomechanics educator who has spent over 15 years helping dental professionals protect their bodies and extend the longevity of their careers.

Katrina breaks down how biomechanics and ergonomics ac...

Why does innovation struggle to take hold in dentistry—even when the technology is sound and the science is solid?

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, I sit down with Jessica L. Woods, MPH, RDH, FADHA, Founder of Executive RDH, to examine the persistent gap between innovation and adoption in oral healthcare.

Drawing from more than 20 years across clinical practice, public health, nonprofit leadership, and corporate innovatio...

What happens when we stop treating hygiene like a production role and start treating it like a human-centered profession?

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, I sit down with Bethany Montoya, MBA, RDH—a practicing dental hygienist, educator, industry key opinion leader, and Editorial Director of DentistryIQ’s Clinical Insights—to talk about the realities of practicing across different systems and what it means to bring human...

What does it really take to stop asking for permission and start building a career on your own terms?

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, I sit down with Sade Morel, RDHAP, a dental hygienist in alternative practice, entrepreneur, and trailblazer redefining what autonomy in hygiene can look like.

Sade shares her journey from clinical practice to building an RDHAP model rooted in access, ownership, and dental–medical integrat...

Some leaders earn their titles. Others redefine them.

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, Erin Haley-Hitz steps into the spotlight to dismantle every outdated expectation of what leadership in dentistry should look like.

A former ADHA President, seasoned clinician, educator, consultant, and nationally recognized voice in dental hygiene, Erin brings three decades of experience to a conversation rooted in honesty, co...

Florie Mancilla, RDH, is not your standard-issue hygienist. She’s a 24-year force who’s tested the full bandwidth of this profession: clinical care, teledentistry before it was cool, running mobile units, teaching the next generation, shaping corporate training ecosystems, and now redefining whole-health impact as an Oral Wellness Consultant.

In this episode, we get into the actual lived reality of being a clinician in a system that...

It’s Halloween week — and this conversation takes the mask off what “sustainability” in healthcare really means.

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, I sit down with Brittany Cox, MA, RDH — a sustainable systems strategist and emerging policy architect leading healthcare into a planet-first future. With a Master’s in Oral Health Promotion and advanced training in leadership and coaching, Brittany bridges clinical insight wit...

The conversation that started in Hygiene Unchained isn’t finished — it’s evolved.

In the Season 5 premiere of The Chief Psycho Podcast, Derik J. Sven returns to take the gloves off again. A 20-year veteran clinician, author, and reformer, Derik brings clarity, courage, and conviction to the fight for hygiene autonomy and public-health reform.

This time, we go deeper into:

• The real-world impact of restrictive supervision laws
• Why au...

We’ve been told that “work-life balance” is the key to happiness. But what if that’s a myth?

To close out Season 4 of The Chief Psycho Podcast and I/O Psychology Awareness Month, I sat down with Dr. Kelly Reburn — an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, leadership coach, and CEO of The IO Psych Group (@theiopsych). With over a decade of experience driving culture and leadership initiatives, Kelly helps organizations and leaders c...

Dentistry doesn’t like talking about its own cracks — but this conversation forces them into the light.

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, I sit down with Derik J Sven — a 20-year dental veteran, clinician, author, and speaker known for challenging entrenched norms in the profession. Unlike many voices in the field, Derik’s work is free from sponsor influence and rooted in evidence, integrity, and a relentless push for pat...

What happens when leadership gets real? When culture is under fire, the stakes are high, and failure isn’t an option?

In this episode of The Chief Psycho Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Dave Striegel — a sport psychologist and performance coach with over 25 years of experience working across the most pressure-filled environments imaginable. His clients include professional athletes (PGA, LPGA, NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, and U.S. Ski Team), Fo...

What does leadership look like after burnout, recovery, and soul-work?

In this week’s episode of the Chief Psycho Podcast, I sit down with Brandi Marzolino—leadership strategist, coach, and founder of Courage & Joy at Work and The Empowered LeadHERship Experience for Women in Dental.

With over 20 years of experience spanning dentistry, holistic health, and leadership strategy, Brandi opens up about her journey into recovery and w...

What if the secret to great leadership wasn’t found in a playbook—but in your emotional landscape?

This week, we sit down with Taylor Holsinger, ZIA’s Director of Development, leadership expert, and I/O psychology doctoral candidate, for a raw and real conversation about what it means to lead from within.

From raising kids to raising teams, Taylor opens up about the personal and professional identity shifts that shaped her approach t...

What if the thing holding you back isn’t your strategy—it’s your signal?

In this episode of the Chief Psycho Podcast, Jonathan Bonanno sits down with Joe Garner, transformation guide and host of Changing The Channel, to unpack the neuroscience of burnout and the mindset shift most leaders never make.

Together, they go deep into:

• Why burnout is an alarm—not a weakness
• How mindfulness isn’t about Zen—it’s about decision-making
• The 4 p...

In this explosive July 4th episode, we’re lighting up more than the sky—we’re firing off a conversation that’ll change the way you work forever.

Meet Marcus Tipton: founder, disruptor, and visionary CEO of KaiMesh—a platform built from pure frustration with the clunky, disconnected chaos of modern workplace tech. We dive deep into what it really takes to build a product that actually serves people, not just processes. From tab fatig...

In this episode of the Chief Psycho Podcast, we sit down with the unstoppable Sonya Dunbar, better known as The Geriatric Toothfairy. With over 30 years of experience in dentistry, Sonya’s career spans clinical work, entrepreneurship, public speaking, and advocacy—particularly for elder oral health and access to care.

Sonya opens up about her journey from Navy Veteran to nationally recognized thought leader, sharing how she built Mo...

In this episode of the Chief Psycho Podcast, we welcome Kristin Evans, BS, RDH—national speaker, educator, and advocate known in the industry as “The pH RDH.”

With over 30 years in dentistry, Kristin brings a powerful voice to the conversation around women's health, functional wellness, and the oral-systemic connection. We dive deep into the physiological and emotional impacts of hormone shifts, the overlooked links between pH ...