Dental Leaders Podcast

In this lively and layered episode of Mind Movers, Vanita Rattan joins Rhona and Payman to talk about medicine, entrepreneurship, motherhood and the sheer force of personality it takes to build something different. She traces her path from UCL medical school to formulating skincare for skin of colour, then opening clinics around the world before Covid forced a brutal pivot into social media and direct-to-consumer growth. What follows is not just a business story. It is a conversation about dyslexia, immigrant pressure, obsession, sacrifice, miscarriage, ambition and the cost of always operating in warrior mode. Honest, sharp and occasionally uncomfortable, this one goes well beyond skincare. In This Episode 00:01:15 - Medicine to formulation 00:02:05 - Building global clinics 00:05:05 - Covid and the pivot 00:06:20 - Community over following 00:10:25 - Crisis mode and grit 00:15:00 - Opportunity cost thinking 00:20:15 - Dyslexia and determination 00:27:25 - Business, children and sacrifice 00:31:00 - Money, ambition and power 00:56:25 - Miscarriage and autopilot About Vanita Rattan Vanita Rattan is a medical doctor, cosmetic formulator and entrepreneur focused on skincare for skin of colour. After qualifying in medicine at UCL, she trained in formulation, built the Hyperpigmentation Clinic into an international business, and later grew a highly engaged skincare brand through education-led content and direct community input. She is known for combining science, straight talking and a clear mission to serve women who have long been overlooked by mainstream beauty.

At just 27, Ali Hashemizadeh is doing things most dentists twice his age haven't managed — two private associate roles, a growing reputation as an endodontist, and the kind of self-awareness that usually takes a decade to develop. In this episode, Payman sits down with the Newcastle-based, Aberdeen-raised, Scottish-Iranian dentist to trace the path from a rocky first year on the NHS to finding his feet in private practice. Ali talks candidly about the complaint that rocked him early in his career, the perspective shift it forced, and why he's genuinely glad it happened. It's a conversation about curiosity, resilience, and the quiet power of just cracking on. In This Episode 00:00:50 – Introduction: Ali Hashemizadeh 00:03:45 – Lifelong learning 00:07:25 – The future of dental events 00:14:30 – Optimism as a work philosophy 00:15:35 – NHS complaint, first job 00:19:40 – Resilience and perspective 00:21:10 – Going private early 00:22:25 – Becoming the endo guy 00:25:55 – Generalist or specialist? 00:26:50 – The disease of the twenties 00:28:30 – Scottish-Iranian roots in Aberdeen 00:38:15 – Foundation year in London 00:40:55 – Outdoor pursuits and Ironman training 00:46:10 – CBCT and safe-ended files 00:50:05 – Endo, implants and aesthetics under one roof 00:52:00 – Treatment coordinators and ethical selling 00:57:15 – The value of mentorship 00:59:00 – Networking and landing the jobs 01:02:55 – The two practices compared 01:07:35 – Lucas Lassman and the most inspiring lecture 01:10:40 – Dental resources: YouTube and Instagram 01:15:10 – Being Mortal and Man's Search for Meaning 01:16:30 – Modern Wisdom and guilty pleasures 01:22:35 – Ten-year plan 01:27:40 – Fantasy dinner party About Ali Hashemizadeh Ali Hashemizadeh is a 27-year-old private associate dentist working across two practices in the northeast of England — Middleton Saint George Dental in Darlington and Ken Harris's clinic in Sunderland — where he has developed a particular focus on endodontics. Born and raised in Aberdeen to a Scottish mother and an Iranian father in the oil industry, he qualified from Newcastle University and completed his foundation year in London before heading back north.

Grant Goodstein isn't a dentist — and that might be exactly why this episode is so refreshing. An American tech exec turned practice owner, Grant moved to London for love (a Hannah Montana-inspired trip to LA, a dating app, and a last-minute Vegas concert, if you can believe it) and ended up buying a mixed NHS practice in Fulham with his wife, Leah. What follows is a masterclass in what happens when someone with zero clinical background but serious business chops walks into a neighbourhood dental practice and starts asking, "What do patients actually want?" From GBT machines and AI phone systems to living wage accreditation and obsessing over Wi-Fi signal strength in the toilet, Grant's approach is equal parts Silicon Valley hustle and genuine community spirit. In This Episode 00:01:00 – Meeting Leah: dating apps, Hannah Montana and a spontaneous trip to Vegas 00:06:15 – London vs Los Angeles 00:08:25 – Growing up sports-obsessed and working for Michigan basketball 00:13:10 – Coaching rituals and building team enthusiasm 00:15:25 – Buying the practice: staff turnover, evolution vs revolution 00:19:35 – Practice valuations then and now 00:22:05 – Listening to patients and expanding hygiene 00:26:10 – Running a mixed practice: the case for keeping NHS 00:32:20 – Growing Invisalign from 20 to 100 cases a year 00:34:10 – Genuine interest, patient conversations and the "daughter test" 00:36:10 – The search for the right practice 00:41:20 – Nervous patients and the patient experience 00:43:35 – Investing in GBT and premium hygiene 00:49:40 – Learning when and how to say no 00:55:25 – Tech stack: CareStack, VoIP, AI transcription and remote hiring 01:02:45 – Reception as a revenue driver 01:06:25 – Training, role plays and AI for SOPs 01:09:20 – High-performing teams: sports analogies in practice 01:11:30 – Blackbox thinking 01:15:20 – Refurb lessons and driving urgency 01:18:50 – Finding purpose after tech burnout 01:21:15 – Favourite business books 01:24:50 – Fantasy dinner party 01:31:15 – Leah's fearless flyer course and treating nervous patients About Grant Goodstein Grant Goodstein is the managing director of Pearly Whites dental practice in Fulham, London, which he co-owns with his wife, dentist Leah Goodstein. A University of Michigan economics graduate, Grant previously worked in tech — including a stint at Twitter — before moving to the UK and channelling his business background into practice ownership.

Mehy Lo Presti joins Payman on the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation that's equal parts origin story and quiet manifesto. Raised in the heartland of La Mancha by a Palestinian father and Italian mother, Mehy arrived in London in 2015 with barely any English, no NHS number, and — as it turns out — very little interest in following the conventional path. He's since built a reputation not just as a restorative associate but as one of dentistry's most creative event and experience designers, currently channelling that energy into Dent Town, a major immersive dental conference launching this September. The conversation ranges freely across the fear culture surrounding the GDC, the science of patient experience design, and the painful economics of putting on events that are actually good — before landing somewhere unexpectedly personal, as Mehy opens up about the impact of October 7th on his family and his mental health in the weeks surrounding his daughter's birth. In This Episode 00:00:55 - Introductions 00:01:50 - The outsider mentality 00:03:05 - Palestinian-Italian roots and growing up in La Mancha 00:07:15 - On parenting and giving children freedom 00:10:30 - Problems with conventional education 00:30:55 - GDC fear culture vs Spain 00:37:10 - Moving to London from scratch 00:40:20 - First steps in private practice 00:41:25 - Master's in aesthetic restorative dentistry at King's 00:43:20 - College of Extraordinary Experiences 00:48:00 - Patient Experience Design 00:49:30 - Designing the ideal squat 00:52:55 - Reception as the heart of the practice 01:02:10 - Google reviews and the "feel" factor 01:04:05 - Associate vs clinic owner 01:09:15 - The economics of running events 01:17:15 - Events mistakes 01:20:50 - Blackbox thinking 01:25:00 - Setting patient expectations 01:29:20 - Favourite resources 01:32:05 - Fantasy dinner party 01:36:25 - October 7th, Gaza, and personal impact 01:43:00 - Faith, karma, and identity About Mehy Lo Presti Mehy Lo Presti is a London-based associate dentist with a master's degree in aesthetic and restorative dentistry from King's College London, currently practising at The Kensington Dentist. A son of Palestinian and Italian parents who met in Egypt and settled in Spain, he grew up in La Mancha before relocating to London in 2015. He is probably best known as the creative force behind Global Dental Collective and the Dental Rama brand, and is now co-founder of Denttown — an immersive two-day dental conference launching in September 2026.

Prav is back in the host's chair for a conversation that's quite literally close to home — Andy Sloan is his boss. Andy is the MD of Agilio, the dental software and compliance platform, and a man who has overseen well over a hundred practice acquisitions throughout his career. But before any of that, he was a council house kid from the Wirral, running paper rounds at 14, pulling pints at 18, and somehow landing — by his own admission — in dentistry entirely by accident. This episode traces that unlikely path through hospitality, banking, accountancy and private equity, unpicking the one constant that runs through all of it: relationships. Andy opens up about the dark periods too — fertility struggles, the pressure of simultaneous transactions, and the moments where burnout lurked closer than he'd care to admit. Honest, warm and genuinely self-aware, it's a cracking listen—or catch the video on whichever platform you usually get your weekly Dental Leaders dose. In This Episode 00:00:20 - Introducing Andy Sloan — Prav's boss 00:02:15 - Early life 00:12:10 - Hospitality years 00:26:40 - Meeting Lynette; buying the pub 00:27:00 - Banking and sales 00:38:15 - Into dentistry — DBG 00:43:50 - Henry Schein Business Solutions and Europe 00:46:45 - Portman Dental 00:59:05 - Joining Julio; building the tribe 01:04:00 - Julio's growth — 17 acquisitions in under five years 01:07:35 - Relationships as the common thread 01:13:20 - Blackbox thinking 01:15:45 - Practice valuations — the levers that matter 01:27:25 - Dark moments 01:34:55 - Julio's future and the Dental OS vision 01:37:10 - Dentistry Reimagined 01:41:25 - Last days and legacy About Andy Sloan Andy Sloan is the Managing Director of Agilio, the dental software and compliance group that has completed 17 acquisitions in under five years. His career spans hospitality, banking, private equity and dental M&A — including a spell as Business Development Director at Portman Dental Care, where he oversaw the acquisition of more than 120 practices. He is also the founder of Dentistry Reimagined, an independent industry event focused on the conversations dentistry has been too cautious to have.

This week, Payman sits down with Zain Remi, a Newcastle-based practice owner whose path to dentistry was anything but straightforward. After missing out on dental school the first time round, Zain took the pharmacology route, grafted his way through eight years of study, and eventually qualified from King's College London in 2016. What followed was a decade of pivotal decisions — a golden handshake from a corporate, a restorative diploma that nearly cost him his job, and a mental health crisis serious enough to land him in hospital for two months. Rather than shy away from any of it, Zain unpacks each chapter with an honesty that's genuinely refreshing. By October 2023, he'd bought his own private practice in Newcastle — and the lessons he's drawn from every stumble along the way are, frankly, worth the listen alone. In This Episode 00:00:50 - Introduction 00:01:35 - Growing up in London 00:02:00 - Dad the dental technician 00:04:40 - Dental school reflections 00:14:45 - The pharmacology detour 00:20:30 - Heading northeast 00:22:40 - Foundation year 00:24:20 - The corporate golden handshake 00:30:05 - Restorative diploma and CPD 00:40:05 - Burnout 00:43:05 - Mental health crisis 00:50:35 - Recovery and talking therapy 00:57:25 - Buying the practice 01:00:30 - Practice ownership: the hard reality 01:05:10 - The associate–principal relationship 01:10:25 - Social media as a clinical tool 01:16:05 - Diary of Dental Practice Owners 01:20:15 - The awards debate 01:29:35 - Hiring and firing 01:33:05 - Blackbox thinking 01:40:05 - Fantasy dinner party 01:44:30 - Favourite and least favourite treatments 01:46:10 - Future vision About Zain Remi Zain Remi is a dental practice owner based in Newcastle, who qualified from King's College London in 2016 after first completing a pharmacology degree. Having worked across NHS and mixed practices in the northeast, he acquired his own fully private practice in October 2023. He holds a postgraduate diploma in restorative dentistry and runs the Diary of Dental Practice Owners community on Facebook, offering an unfiltered look at life as an independent practice principal.

This week, Payman chats with JW Oliver — serial entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, and the man behind Support DDS, the largest dental insourcing company in the US. JW's story begins well below the poverty line in Texas and winds through dental equipment, bankruptcy, and a fateful meeting at a Christian marriage conference that led him to Zimbabwe — and ultimately to building a 1,700-strong operation across Africa and Costa Rica. It's a conversation about purpose, resilience, and why answering the phone might be the most underrated skill in dentistry. Along the way, JW opens up about faith, failure, fatherhood, and why giving away 51% of your profits doesn't feel nearly as crazy once the cheques start to mean something. In This Episode 00:00:40 - Welcome and introductions 00:02:00 - Growing up poor; early entrepreneurial instinct 00:04:50 - From dental equipment to Zimbabwe; the chance meeting that started Zim Works 00:09:00 - Purpose over profit; donating 51% and building a philanthropy operation 00:12:20 - Insourcing vs outsourcing; what Support DDS actually does 00:19:30 - A typical UK dental practice use case; why unanswered calls kill marketing spend 00:25:00 - The real challenge; onboarding, training timelines, and setting expectations 00:28:10 - Faith; how it evolved, when it was tested, and the summer of 1994 00:40:25 - Blackbox thinking; not reacting fast enough to a changing market 00:43:20 - Resilience as both superpower and blind spot; when to hold, when to fold 00:51:15 - Writing books; creative process, ghostwriting, and books as authority tools 01:00:10 - Immigration, assimilation, and understanding the other side 01:08:50 - Fantasy dinner party 01:11:00 - Darkest day; bankruptcy, Disney, and a wife who said "I trust you" 01:13:55 - Treating everyone the same; from the excellence team to the C-suite About JW Oliver JW Oliver is a serial entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist based between Texas and Zimbabwe. He is the founder of Zim Works and Support DDS — the largest dental insourcing company in the United States — which employs over 1,700 people across Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Costa Rica, and donates 51% of its profits to charitable causes. A former dental equipment entrepreneur turned global business builder, JW is driven as much by faith and purpose as by commercial ambition.

What happens when a Royal Marine Commando dentist who spent six months being ambushed on every patrol in Helmand Province turns his hand to building dental businesses? You get Mike Hesketh: serial practice owner, consultant, and one of the more quietly formidable figures in UK dentistry. In this episode, Payman sits down with Mike to trace a story that runs from a North Wales council estate and the loss of his father at eight years old, through the front lines of Afghanistan, to a 10x practice exit and the creation of Dartmoor Dental — a 200-year-old manor house turned thriving, NHS-inclusive, ten-surgery practice. Mike talks with real candour about the four pillars he uses to build and consult on dental businesses, why he treats his NHS contract as a social obligation rather than a commercial one, and how the Royal Marines' mantra ‘cheerfulness in the face of adversity’ translates surprisingly well to practice ownership. In This Episode 00:02:00 — Growing up in North Wales; losing his father at eight 00:07:40 — Deploying to Helmand Province with 40 Commando Royal Marines 00:12:05 — Leaving the military; getting ripped off on day one as a civilian dentist 00:13:05 — Buying his first practice with £20,000 and a devil-may-care attitude 00:51:35 — Selling Exeter and the year-long family world trip 00:54:25 — Laura and the brand; how Dartmoor grew from £700K to £2.5M 00:56:00 — The NHS contract as a social obligation 01:07:40 — Barriers to entry, squat risks, and buying underperforming practices 01:19:00 — Appointing the youngest clinician as clinical lead 01:27:00 — Military-derived leadership principles; letting the ship sail without you 01:33:15 — Fee guides as windows to the soul 01:39:55 — The four pillars: leadership, infrastructure, branding, financial command and control 01:53:35 — Darkest days in business 01:57:30 — KPIs: one metric, embed the culture, then move on 02:11:55 — Fantasy dinner party About Mike Hesketh Mike Hesketh is a practice owner, dental business consultant, and founder of Hesketh Healthcare Accounting. He qualified as a dentist whilst serving as an officer with 40 Commando Royal Marines, completing the commando course and deploying to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. After leaving the military, he built and sold Exeter Dental Centre before buying and transforming Dartmoor Dental — a ten-surgery practice in Tavistock — from a £700K turnover to £2.5M in three years. Mike holds an MBA and a coaching qualification from Henley Business School, and works with a small number of practices on a bespoke, year-long consultancy basis.

Mind Movers is back — and what a return. Rhona is fresh from maternity leave (and a rather eventful ICU stay) and she's brought a guest who needs little introduction: cosmetic dentist Neelima Patel, known to fans of Married at First Sight UK as the woman who handled an absolute car crash of a match with extraordinary grace. This episode covers a lot of ground. From Neelima's route into dentistry and Kailash Solanki's famous mentorship programme at Kiss Dental, to the full, unfiltered story of her time on MAFS — the honeymoon that promised everything, the energy shift that followed, the Hinge bombshell, and the trolling she endured throughout. But this isn't just a reality TV debrief. It's a genuinely honest conversation about self-worth, the bruising reality of modern dating, what it means to be a high-achieving woman looking for a partner who matches your pace — and how to come out the other side stronger. In This Episode 00:00:25 – Rhona's return & introducing Neelima 00:02:05 – Choosing dentistry over medicine 00:03:25 – Finding Kiss Dental & Kailash's mentorship programme 00:05:10 – What makes Kiss Dental unique 00:06:10 – Cosmetic dentistry aesthetics: Manchester vs London 00:10:25 – How Neelima ended up on MAFS 00:11:40 – Going against everyone's advice 00:13:50 – Why she wanted to find love on TV 00:16:30 – The wedding day: what you do (and don't) get to choose 00:20:05 – First impressions of Stephen 00:21:35 – The honeymoon — and the moment things shifted 00:25:35 – Internalising doubt: gaslighting in real time 00:27:05 – The trolling, and trusting her own intuition 00:31:25 – The earnings conversation that changed everything 00:38:25 – His true colours: recognising the venom 00:44:30 – The Hinge incident 00:50:20 – Traumatic, enlightening — or both? 00:53:05 – The modern dating landscape & the male loneliness debate 00:58:10 – Balancing dentistry with a media career 01:01:00 – Mental health pressures in the profession 01:04:10 – What she'd do differently About Neelima Patel Neelima Patel is a cosmetic dentist at Kiss Dental in Manchester, working alongside Kailash Solanki after completing his two-year mentorship programme in 2020. She qualified from the University of Sheffield in 2017 and has since built a reputation for high-end cosmetic work in one of the north's most sought-after practices. In 2024, she appeared on Channel 4's Married at First Sight UK.

Most dentists are brilliant clinicians and hopeless with numbers — and Bilal Ahmed has built a career filling exactly that gap. A chartered accountant and tax adviser who stumbled into the dental world through his wife's professional circle, Bilal brings a corporate finance sharpness to a profession that's long been underserved by the accounting industry. In this episode, Payman and Bilal cover the full financial landscape for dentists: from the quirks of associate contracts and HMRC tax investigations to the thorny arithmetic of Invisalign, the hidden traps in popular tax schemes, and the long game of inheritance tax planning. Honest, direct, and refreshingly unafraid to say when something just doesn't work — this one's a must-listen for any dentist who's ever wondered if they're paying more tax than they should. In This Episode 00:00:50 - Introduction 00:01:05 - Finding dentistry 00:03:05 - Nuances of dental accounting 00:08:35 - Tax investigations 00:19:25 - Good accountant vs great accountant 00:21:05 - Practice valuations and the post-Covid hangover 00:59:00 - Pricing strategy 01:07:05 - Making Tax Digital 01:09:30 - Expensing and entertainment 01:23:00 - Tax avoidance schemes 01:28:25 - Inheritance tax planning 01:34:05 - Last days and legacy 01:36:05 - Being an outlier About Bilal Ahmed Bilal Ahmed is a chartered accountant, tax adviser, and business consultant working exclusively with dental professionals. He came to dentistry by accident — through his wife's network — and recognised quickly that dentists were operating in a financial vacuum, using accounts only at tax time rather than as a tool for planning and growth. Drawing on a background in corporate finance, Bilal now helps dentists make sense of their numbers, structure their businesses correctly, and plan for long-term wealth — all while keeping things firmly on the right side of the line.

Nasser Syed is a man who doesn't really do stillness. With a background in oral surgery and conscious sedation, he's pivoted from five clinical days a week to running a growing group of practices, training dentists, and launching a brand new facility hire venture aimed at super associates who'd rather focus on their dentistry than deal with the headaches of practice ownership. Joining him is Chez Bright, his PA and right-hand collaborator, who offers a candid view of what it's actually like to work alongside someone whose brain, in her words, is "a minefield." Payman talks with them both about building teams, backing yourself, and knowing when to say no — plus the early clinical mistake that still sits with Nasser decades later and the personal losses that have shaped his faith and his drive. In This Episode 00:01:00 — Practice ownership 00:05:20 — Developing associates 00:09:00 — Picking a lane 00:16:00 — Meeting Chez Bright 00:17:45 — Running projects 00:24:30 — AI and the future of dentistry 00:31:10 — Manchester Sedation Course 00:37:45 — HireADentalSurgery.com 00:52:20 — Branding and virality 00:57:15 — Blackbox thinking 01:04:15 — Clinical communication 01:13:00 — Lowest point 01:15:20 — Faith and loss 01:22:25 — Memorable lecture 01:25:00 — Fantasy dinner party About Nasser Syed Nasser Syed is a Liverpool-born dentist with a background in oral surgery and conscious IV sedation, currently working across a growing group of practices in the North West. He founded the Manchester Sedation Course in 2015 — SDC-accredited and open to both beginners and more experienced clinicians — and now runs it alongside his clinical and business commitments. His latest project is HireADentalSurgery.com, a dedicated facility hire model in Hale, Cheshire, offering super associates the equipment and flexibility to treat their own patients without the overheads of practice ownership.

What happens when you turn the microphone on the man who's spent years behind it? In this episode of the NAIL-IT podcast, Rana and Bav get Payman Langroudi — host of Dental Leaders and Clinical Director at Enlighten — firmly in the hot seat. It's a wide-ranging, refreshingly candid conversation that moves from the origins of Enlighten and the relentless pursuit of world-class quality to the very real mental health pressures that underpin life in dentistry. Payman reflects on leaning into his strengths, trusting his instincts, and why, after 320 episodes, the Dental Leaders podcast has become the thing he's most proud of. Find Rana on Instagram at @drranaalfalaki, and on Facebook and LinkedIn as Dr Rana Al-Falaki. Follow Bav on Instagram at @drbav83. You can also follow the NAIL-IT podcast at @nailit_podcast. In This Episode 00:01:05 — Introductions and the Dental Leaders origin story 00:02:10 — Why Payman started a podcast — and what it's become 00:05:20 — Leaning into strengths, owning your quirks 00:07:00 — Starting Enlighten at 28 and the philosophy of doing one thing brilliantly 00:10:25 — The sacrifices behind world-class quality 00:14:10 — Being number two — and the decision to become the best 00:16:15 — Favourite quote: Oscar Wilde and the art of being yourself 00:20:25 — Identity, self-awareness and shedding the layers 00:21:50 — Dentistry as a kingdom — and why practices are anything but the same 00:23:10 — Mental health in dentistry: burnout, suicide and the stress bucket 00:27:40 — The emotional drain of being "on show" all day 00:30:20 — Kids, careers and the realities of dentistry as a profession 00:35:40 — Knowing yourself before you can lead others 00:36:10 — Intuition as a leadership skill — and how to train it About Dr Rana Al-Falaki and Dr Bhavin Patel Dr Rana Al-Falaki is a periodontist and internationally recognised pioneer in the use of lasers in periodontal treatment, having presented her research to audiences from the British Society of Periodontology to the American Academy and European Federation. After pushing herself to the point of chronic illness in pursuit of excellence, she channelled that experience into developing the NAIL-IT programme — a performance and leadership system built around optimising energy and helping dental professionals truly thrive. Dr Bhavin Patel is a dentist and educator who ran a practice on Wimpole Street for nearly eight years before stepping back to prioritise family life. Together, they host the NAIL-IT podcast — a show dedicated to helping dental professionals live fully, lead better, and laugh more.

Payman chats with Daniel Jones, the Cambridge-educated entrepreneur who's bringing analytical rigour to dental practice management. Daniel shares the dramatic health journey that redirected his path from investment banking into healthcare innovation, revealing how a near-miss diagnosis of a life-threatening heart condition shaped his mission. The conversation explores the technical challenges of building software that actually talks to the chaotic ecosystem of dental systems, from practice management platforms to lab invoices trapped in PDFs. You'll hear about the realities of fundraising, the loneliness of startup life, and why Daniel thinks the best entrepreneurs operate with surprisingly simple rules—even when solving complex problems.` In This Episode 00:01:05 - What Medfin does 00:03:05 - Associate performance metrics 00:04:00 - Connecting disparate systems 00:04:50 - Single practice viability 00:05:40 - Why dentistry? 00:06:10 - The blood pressure discovery 00:08:20 - Coarctation diagnosis 00:09:05 - Healthcare system chaos 00:10:40 - Economics at Cambridge 00:12:25 - Investment banking to startups 00:15:50 - First startup lessons 00:18:55 - Finding the dental opportunity 00:22:40 - Building the founding team 00:25:15 - Technical architecture challenges 00:29:30 - Onboarding process evolution 00:33:10 - Product development philosophy 00:36:45 - Pricing strategy and models 00:40:20 - Fundraising journey 00:44:35 - Investor relationships 00:48:50 - Multi-practice versus single site 00:52:15 - NHS versus private analytics 00:56:30 - Clinical efficiency debates 01:00:45 - Competition and market positioning 01:04:20 - AI integration plans 01:08:35 - Team building challenges 01:12:50 - Work-life balance realities 01:16:15 - Fantasy dinner party 01:18:40 - Last days and legacy About Daniel Jones Daniel Jones is the founder and CEO of Medfin, an analytics platform that helps dental practices and groups optimise their operational and financial performance. A Cambridge economics graduate who moved from investment banking into the startup world, Daniel has built software that connects the fragmented ecosystem of dental practice systems—from practice management platforms to accounting software—giving practice owners the insights they need to improve profitability.

Payman chats with Amber Aplin, who's carved out something genuinely different in the Scottish Borders. From military dentist to biomimetic practice owner, Amber's journey takes in Germany, Iraq, private equity, and ultimately building a practice that puts prevention and patient education at its core. She talks candidly about the realities of military life, the loneliness of early practice ownership, and why she now trains therapists and other dentists in minimally invasive techniques. There's also a refreshing honesty about perfectionism, work-life balance, and what happens when you stop chasing the next big thing and start appreciating what's already there. In This Episode 00:00:40 - Military beginnings 00:02:05 - Sandhurst training 00:03:55 - Germany posting 00:06:50 - Iraq deployment 00:09:25 - Leaving the forces 00:10:45 - Moving to Scotland 00:12:30 - Early practice ownership struggles 00:15:20 - Private equity involvement 00:19:10 - Buying the practice back 00:22:15 - Building a biomimetic practice 00:26:40 - Therapist-led model 00:31:20 - Teaching and courses 00:36:45 - Microscope dentistry 00:42:10 - Direct bonding techniques 00:48:25 - Patient communication 00:53:30 - Practice culture 00:58:15 - Work-life balance challenges 01:04:20 - Pascal Magne influence 01:09:40 - Preventive dentistry philosophy 01:15:50 - Social media approach 01:21:35 - Business versus clinical focus 01:26:45 - Blackbox thinking 01:28:50 - Fantasy dinner party 01:30:15 - Last days and legacy About Amber Aplin Amber Aplin is a biomimetic dentist and practice owner in the Scottish Borders who served six years as a military dentist, including deployments to Germany and Iraq. She now runs a prevention-focused practice where therapists deliver the majority of patient care, and teaches minimally invasive dentistry techniques to other practitioners.

This week Payman chats with Payvand Menhadji, a newly qualified specialist periodontist who's navigating the delicate balance between clinical excellence and impending motherhood. At 30 weeks pregnant, Payvand reflects on her journey from general dentist to specialist—driven by a competitive streak and a love for surgical challenge that emerged during her VT year. The conversation weaves through everything from the realities of private practice economics to why she'd rather perfect her surgical skills than chase Instagram fame, touching on mentorship, imposter syndrome, and the art of staying humble when success comes knocking. In This Episode 00:01:00 - Finishing specialist training whilst pregnant 00:04:20 - Why four days feels necessary 00:05:10 - The moment surgery clicked 00:07:10 - Competitive from birth 00:08:20 - Hospital jobs and surgical confidence 00:11:45 - Decision to specialise 00:14:50 - Choosing between ortho and perio 00:18:30 - Training structure and challenges 00:22:15 - Learning from the best 00:26:40 - Private practice reality 00:30:20 - What patients actually pay 00:34:45 - Imposter syndrome 00:38:20 - Building a reputation 00:42:15 - Surgical complications 00:46:30 - Blackbox thinking 00:51:45 - Treatment planning philosophy 00:56:20 - Working with implantologists 01:00:15 - Referral relationships 01:04:30 - Social media approach 01:08:45 - Learning from Instagram 01:13:35 - Fantasy dinner party 01:15:20 - Last days and legacy About Payvand Menhadji Payvand Menhadji is a specialist periodontist who completed her training in September 2024. She works across multiple specialist practices focusing on periodontal surgery and implantology, having developed her surgical interest during VT under the mentorship of implantologist Victor Keyhani.

In this solo episode, Prav Solanki shares a no-nonsense reflection on business, health, family and personal discipline as he looks ahead to 2026. After a turbulent end to the year involving a family health scare, he talks through the non-negotiables shaping his daily life, from strength and cardio to carving out space for strategy. But the real centrepiece is business — specifically his Start, Scale, Exit model, which underpins everything he’s building this year. Whether you’re a founder in the trenches or a parent trying to balance your time, there’s something here that hits home. In This Episode 00:01:00 – Health before everything 00:10:45 – Family illness and perspective 00:20:30 – Training with discipline 00:30:50 – Vegetarianism and protein 00:41:10 – Bloodwork and optimisation 00:51:40 – Start, Scale, Exit explained 01:01:30 – Scaling with team structure 01:12:00 – Coaching, clarity and freedom 01:22:15 – Tactical planning for 2026 01:32:00 – Work-life integration mindset About Prav Solanki Prav Solanki is a health-obsessed entrepreneur, performance coach and co-host of Dental Leaders. With multiple successful businesses under his belt, he’s now focused on helping others implement his Start, Scale, Exit model — a framework built on clarity, simplicity, and ruthless prioritisation.

The tables turn this week as Payman hangs out with Laura and Leanna on The Horton Hangout. What starts as a chat about the challenges of being interviewed rather than interviewing quickly evolves into something deeper—an honest exploration of ambition, sacrifice, and what it means to build something meaningful whilst trying to hold onto the people you love. From managing business partnerships and navigating the tension between legacy and presence, to the surprisingly simple power of just showing up, this conversation touches on the parts of success no one really talks about until they're living through it. In This Episode 00:01:25 - Hosting versus guesting 00:02:55 - How Laura and Leanna met 00:06:40 - Having it all as ambitious women 00:10:50 - Balancing work travel with family life 00:14:30 - Partnership dynamics and business relationships 00:19:45 - The Enlighten story and business evolution 00:28:15 - Marketing philosophy and brand building 00:35:20 - Working with your best mate 00:41:10 - The reality of business partnerships 00:47:25 - Managing conflict and difficult conversations 00:52:40 - Learning to say no and setting boundaries 00:58:15 - Legacy versus being present 01:03:30 - Parenting and guilt 01:09:45 - The immigrant work ethic 01:16:20 - Competition in dentistry 01:21:35 - Advice for younger dentists 01:25:00 - Meeting strangers from the internet 01:28:20 - Remote teams and South African operations About Laura Horton & Leanna Best Laura Horton is a dental hygienist, educator, and founder of multiple dental businesses including Brush, whilst Leanna Best is a treatment coordinator and educator who worked alongside Neil and Fiona Gerrard before launching her own training ventures. Together they co-host The Horton Hangout—a podcast that strips away the polish and gets into the real conversations about life, work, and everything in between within the dental world.

This week, Payman chats with Niki Keyhani, a newly qualified specialist prosthodontist who's already built something remarkable. Seven years out from qualification, she's opened a squat practice, completed her specialist training at King's, and somehow managed to do both simultaneously during a pandemic. What really stands out isn't just the clinical achievement—it's the way she talks about passion versus ambition, about choosing to do everything at once rather than waiting for the "right time." There's a refreshing honesty here about being underestimated as a young woman in dentistry, about that first complaint that knocked her sideways, and about why true kindness matters more than just going through the motions. Whether she's discussing optimal achievement over high achievement or explaining why she'd rather wait for the right person than rush into marriage, Niki brings a perspective that feels both grounded and aspirational. In This Episode 00:01:15 - Introduction and background 00:01:55 - Passionate versus ambitious 00:03:00 - Sibling dynamics and guidance 00:04:40 - The "wanting it all" approach 00:05:50 - Sacrifice and balance in career building 00:10:00 - Growing up as a dentist's daughter 00:15:00 - Starting a squat practice during COVID 00:21:15 - Opening during the pandemic 00:22:20 - Decision to pursue specialist training 00:24:00 - Neil Nathwani's encouragement to specialise 00:25:30 - Getting into specialist training first try 00:27:45 - Clinical capabilities and full mouth rehabs 00:36:00 - Patient selection red flags 00:37:40 - Blackbox thinking 00:56:15 - Challenges as a woman in dentistry 01:06:15 - Business development mindset 01:07:10 - High achievers versus optimal achievers 01:09:15 - Child of a dentist privilege 01:10:10 - Building the perfect patient journey 01:13:50 - Spanish lessons and tennis 01:15:30 - Best lectures and courses 01:16:50 - Creating a thousand-page prosthodontic textbook 01:21:25 - Fantasy dinner party 01:24:00 - Last days and legacy About Niki Keyhani Niki Keyhani is a newly qualified specialist prosthodontist who graduated from King's College London in 2017. She completed her postgraduate diploma at the Eastman and her specialist training at King's whilst simultaneously opening and running her own squat practice from 2020. The daughter of a dentist, she's passionate about prosthodontics, teaching, and breaking down perceptions of what young women in dentistry can achieve.

Richard Porter joins Payman to explore the meeting point of clinical dentistry and psychology. From his early struggles adapting to London dental school after growing up in rural Kent, to his current work exploring personality psychology and emotional intelligence in practice, Richard challenges conventional thinking about what makes a truly skilled dentist. He argues that feelings are the currency of human existence—and understanding them is as critical as clinical competence. The discussion moves through burnout, the dark triad of difficult patient personalities, and the tension between contentment and progress, before landing on Richard's passion for helping dentists understand their own minds. It's a conversation that questions everything from dental education to the nature of expertise itself. In This Episode 00:01:20 - Backstory 00:06:05 - Six pillars of good dentistry 00:08:20 - Emotional intelligence and motivation 00:13:35 - Psychology journey 00:38:25 - Restorative dentistry career 00:39:05 - Why implants matter 00:41:25 - Hallmarks of expertise 00:44:45 - Contentment vs progress 01:17:20 - Blackbox thinking 01:23:50 - Minimal vs proper tooth preparation 01:29:35 - Dentistry's systemic health impact 01:34:05 - Green button philosophy 01:42:35 - Dentist suicide and burnout 01:45:35 - Neuroticism and the N-score 01:52:00 - Best lectures, books and courses 02:02:30 - Fantasy dinner party 02:03:40 - Last days and legacy About Richard Porter Richard Porter is a restorative dentist with specialist registrations in prosthodontics, endodontics, restorative dentistry, and special care dentistry. Having trained at Guy's Hospital and worked in maxillofacial surgery, Richard now combines clinical teaching with his deep fascination for personality psychology, focusing on how emotional intelligence shapes patient outcomes and professional wellbeing.

In this episode, orthodontist Zaid Esmail opens up about what really matters in patient care—and it's not just straight teeth. From calling every patient the week after fitting braces to navigating the tension between NHS pragmatism and private practice perfectionism, Zaid reveals why communication trumps technique every time. He shares the terrifying moment a patient swallowed a spring mid-treatment, the legal nightmare of inventing an orthodontic device, and why he built an online academy to teach GDPs the skills they're inevitably going to use anyway. Plus, there's an honest take on conference culture, overtreatment trends, and why he refuses to become the kind of orthodontist who needs cases to pay bills. Want 10% off Zaid's Online Orthodontic Academy course and mentorship? Use code DLPOD10 at https://onlineorthodonticacademy.co.uk/ In This Episode 00:01:20 - What makes a great orthodontist 00:06:25 - Why he'll never own a fully private practice 00:14:40 - From Iraq to Wales via dental school 00:28:00 - Teaching philosophy and the dangers of weekend courses 00:37:50 - Where GDPs go wrong with orthodontics 00:41:45 - Building the Online Orthodontic Academy 00:52:50 - Blackbox thinking 00:58:05 - Inventing the Eruptor device 01:16:45 - Conference culture and the problem with celebrity orthodontists 01:24:10 - Fantasy dinner party 01:27:10 - Last days and legacy About Zaid Esmail Zaid Esmail is an orthodontist working at Grosvenor House Orthodontic Practice in Tunbridge Wells, part of the Bupa Dental Care group. He runs the Online Orthodontic Academy, providing diploma-level training and case mentorship for dentists looking to incorporate orthodontics into their practice. Zaid also invented the Eruptor, a device for managing partially erupted teeth. Follow him on Instagram at @onlineorthoacademy and @zaid_mails.