January 2021: A note from Hope Katz Gibbs, publisher, Inkandescent Women magazine — As this issue of the magazine focuses on What’s Next in the Pandemic, it’s a pleasure to introduce our readers to the insights of Dr. Evelyn Teague Samuel, founder of Park Place Dentistry, in Birmingham, AL.

“It was my lifetime goal of becoming a dentist,” says the graduate with honors of the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology in 1995. She received her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Alabama School of Dentistry in 1999. This was followed by a post-doctoral residency in Advanced Education in General Dentistry at Howard University College of Dentistry.

In 2013, she had an epiphany: “What happens when the dream finally comes true? After years of careful planning and hard work to become a dentist and small business owner, you finish school, pass the boards, and feel ready to conquer the world. Eager to provide quality care and help patients, you create your dream practice. You build it so the patients will come. Right? Finding yourself in the school of hard knocks and learning by trial and error, you quickly realize that you do not have a clue about running a business! No one warned you it would be like this!”

That’s when she penned 100 Things I HATE/Love About Dentistry: A professional’s guide to efficiency, profitability, and sanity. Based on her culmination of years in private practice, Dr. Evelyn utilizes real-life situations to provide the answers to questions you never knew to ask.

“I use sarcasm and humor to deliver pearls of wisdom that benefit any small business owner,” says the acclaimed business leader who didn’t stop with book to reach and equip youth, business professionals, and other medical practitioners with the necessary life skills, knowledge, and proven systems to succeed in any venture or calling.

She also is the founder of The Efficiency Institute, which includes a coaching program that offers high impact, high performance, and results-oriented counsel.

“There are so many aspects and facets to my knowledge and experience as a dentist and small business owner that I prefer to offer all of this knowledge, skill, and ability to my clients,” she explains.

“I don’t limit this offering because I want to be open-minded in how I approach each client and the issues they may face, fully recognizing that every person is different, every problem is unique, and each solution must be appropriately tailored.”

Click here to learn more about Evelyn’s work.

Scroll down to learn What’s Next for this Truly Amazing Woman!

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What’s Next for Dr. Evelyn Samuel? A Q&A with Hope Katz Gibbs and Cynthia de Lorenzi, authors, Your 2021 What’s Next Journal

Hope & Cynthia: Tell us about your business/industry and its before the pandemic hit in March 2020. 

Evelyn: I am a Cosmetic Dentist by profession, and I am passionate about creating beautiful smiles with precision and extreme detail.  There is nothing like enhancing a person’s smile, which in turn may change their life, present career opportunities for them, and in many cases, increase their confidence.  I also have a Dental Practice Management Coaching Company. I help dentists and practice owners implement systems and have a loyal high-performing team so that they can better serve their patients and make more in less time.

Hope & Cynthia: Where were you personally in your life when COVID-19 arrived in the US? What were your short and long-term goals at that time? 

Evelyn: Personally, I was implementing a pivot.  After 20 years of practice ownership and practicing dentistry, I was coming out of clinical dentistry to focus more on my coaching business, allowing me more time for my small children. I was also structuring my coaching business to be virtual.

I had recently started a podcast, released an online course on how to start a dental practice from scratch,  set up workshops where I could train doctors and their team on various practice management topics from the comforts of their own offices, and hired and completed training with top business coaches in the online arena which aided me in structuring my 8-week boot camp for practices and small businesses wishing to improve their efficiency and effectiveness.

Starting a dental practice from scratch and running it effectively was rewarding but could be all-consuming.  Before having kids, the time commitment to achieving and excelling was manageable. However, I was determined to strategically set up my coaching business around the flexibility and lifestyle I wanted for my family and me. Principles that I stress and teach to coaching clients. But then, COVID-19 was here, and I had small kids that were now at home.  Like many others, all of a sudden, I am mom and teacher…allowing less time to train offices to conduct workshops or take coaching calls.

And, I made yet another pivot…somewhat slowing the coaching and putting it on the back burner and really investing the time, pouring into the kids and teaching alongside their schoolteachers.  Short term, I was putting all the pieces of my coaching program(s) together. Long-term, I was setting it/them up to support family and lifestyle first and foremost.

The knowledge and preparation don’t just go away, and as we move toward normalcy again, the time I need to dedicate to coaching will emerge once again.

Hope & Cynthia: What are your thoughts now about your industry, your business, your personal life, your heart? 

Evelyn: I am extremely grateful for my life.  I have a profession that I love that helps patients, and I am passionate about the systems that I intuitively put together to help dentists and small business owners.  But, most of all, I am most thankful for my family, my amazingly brilliant sons, and my magnificent husband…My heartbeats.

Hope & Cynthia: Now the big question — What do you see coming next? 

Evelyn: Opportunity for the masses. While this has been an unprecedented season and tumultuous time for many across the country and worldwide, adversity always brings opportunity.  In times of crisis, people become resourceful, businesses are born, creativity reigns true, and we often come back stronger and better than before.

• For your industry: For dentistry, I see a strong rebound.  There is a saying that “Trouble don’t last always.” Storms don’t last forever.  There is a storm and then a rainbow. Dentistry is a great profession that allows us to help people in many ways: helping patients to achieve optimal oral health is paramount to their general systemic health; helping patients who may have pain and changing lives of those who gain self-confidence by enhancing and giving them a beautiful smile that they can be proud of.  As long as there are people, there is a need for Dentists.  Many offices have done well during COVID, just as they’ve done well through other times of crisis.  Dental offices and other businesses that take this opportunity to continue to work on their business, seek proper training for their team members, and focus on the patient (customer) experience will flourish.
• For your company: I see massive growth for my Coaching business. I visualize it exactly as I would like it to be with the hours I’d like to work, with great clients that I see excelling in their practices and personal lives.    Dentists and Medical professionals are generally very skilled as clinicians but often lack strong business skills.  Developing these strong skills is paramount for running their practices more efficiently, providing the best care for their patients, and enjoying a better work-life balance. I see my company continuing to reach those who desire a change but aren’t quite sure how to get there (and equipping them with proficiencies that will help reduce stress and facilitate practice growth).
• For yourself: I love to learn and research. I see myself continuing to be curious about various topics and developing systems to help health care professionals achieve satisfaction and love for their chosen profession. I employ the thought process of instead of asking why is this happening to me- to ask why is this happening for me. When COVID reared its ugly head, I was systematically building my next empire, and then my efforts were slowed just like they were for countless others.  But I’ve really been focusing on the good that came out of it for me/my family.  What other opportunities would I get to spend so much quality time with two of the most important people to me in the world (my beautiful sons)? Like many others working to build a business, we often lose precious moments with those we love the most.  This time is priceless, as they are only small for so long.
• For the country: Healing…but, there has to be a mindset shift… 2020 has been a year for the records. People have experienced tremendous loss between loved ones and employment.  And, it’s broadcast 24 hours, seven days a week.  The media brings such sensationalism. It can be enough to make one lose hope.  One technique I developed and implemented for my first office during the housing crisis was “The Bubble.”  While this technique is not good for knowing current affairs, it worked wonders for the business.  We stopped watching the news and strove hard to maintain our sense of positivism.  We protected ourselves from negativity by entering The Bubble.  When other businesses began declining, my business began flourishing. I do not mean to minimize all that has and is happening, but we can shift our focus to gratitude, finding the good in situations and humanity, and yes, healing.
• For the world: History shows us many calamities, and this (pandemic), too, shall pass.  We can mend our relationships with the world stage…After years of treating patients and calming the most apprehensive, I’ve found that people really want to be heard.  The same could be said from a global perspective.  We should all “seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
• For women: I see women continuing to lead and excel in many fields, whether education, technology, running corporations, owning businesses, or leading in the highest elected offices in the land!  As women, we wear many hats and balance many responsibilities, often with never-ending to-do lists. We are masters at multitasking, to our benefit (…or detriment). One thing this once-in-100-years pandemic has proved is that it is ok to slow down and permit ourselves to exhale … and then keep on excelling.

Hope & Cynthia: One more question — now tell us the one question we didn’t ask you — and give us your response.

Evelyn:  What is your greatest strength? And how do we move forward? 

Tenacity. Efficiency. Vision.   I discovered that I had the ability to manifest at an early age. We all have the ability to create and write our own story.  If you don’t write your own, your story will be written by someone else.