Transforming Dentistry: An Inspirational Journey with Elaine Rodriguez

Shawn Zajas 0:00

The future of dentistry belongs to the innovators. Welcome to Innovation in Dentistry. I’m your host, Shawn Zajas. And I believe that the future of dentistry is going to be unbelievably great over the next decade and two decades. But the question isn’t that. The question is, are you going to be part of what makes dentistry great?

Shawn Zajas 0:27

So I am here with the Elaine Rodriguez. And I would like to say you’re a big deal in dentistry. I know you’ve been an inspiration to me because I like dental professionals, but I’m really, I have admiration for dental professionals that go beyond the op. And there’s nothing wrong with staying in the op. It’s just that someone that has just that, that lens of, I’m a pioneer. I’m an innovator. I almost get restless just staying put. And I feel like that’s exactly how you have been in dentistry. But for people that don’t know, what has this journey looked like for you?

Elaine Rodriguez 1:13

Well, I initially actually started dentistry as a dental assistant. And I was a dental assistant right out of high school at 18 years old. And I was just an assistant to a prosthodontist. So there I am, 18 years old, very young, naive, didn’t have a lot of scientific and clinical background, just very technical training. So I’m in there doing all on X, chair side assisting, seeing young people lose their teeth at 25, 30, 35 years old. And I’m thinking, that’s not that old. Like, why are these people losing teeth? So the light bulb was about six months in when I started learning more about periodontal disease and the degradation of health. And I also would see people lose teeth. And then the terrible journey that they were faced with having to come back in and get adjustments and dentures are a long, hard road.

Elaine Rodriguez 2:12

And back in those days, implants were really only more for the affluent and people who could afford it. So they would have these floppy dentures. They would lose, you know, self-esteem, vitality, energy, color in their face. And on the flip side of that, I would see them get the mirror and really look at that new denture and that new smile and see how normal it looked, how close it looked to their natural teeth. So that was like the positive side of it. But nevertheless, that really is where I started. And so I went with that and I got this idea of I’m saving lives. You know, I’m what is this? 2007, 2008. Oh, you’re going to date me. Um, this had to be 2002. Yeah. Okay. But, but how do you end up as a dental assistant? Like, is this something that you had a family member and they’re like, Elaine, you are dental assistant material. This is like, like, why, how? No, no. I mean, so I went to school in a very small town.

Elaine Rodriguez 3:20

So they have these recruiters coming and they offer, you know, a lot of the boys go into the military and, you know, there’s dental assisting, there’s other different traits, but that one, for whatever reason, is the one that caught my eye. So obviously I was from a small town and my goal was get out, get into the workforce, you know, start working, start, you know, living life as an adult, you know, grown adults. And, um, yeah, dental assisting was it. And I got very fortunate because it became a career, a lifelong career. And working with that specialist and really seeing people transform, I got bit by that bug. You know, I know we’re changing lives in dentistry. And I think that’s what really sparked, you know, sparked that light within me.

Shawn Zajas 4:08

Which I think is actually crazy because we know like suicide rates have been abnormally high in dentistry just because looking in people’s mouths. And I mean, I guess I don’t know why. I’m not a dentist. But I can imagine there’s some aspect of it that can just be really probably mundane and monotonous.

Elaine Rodriguez 4:26

It’s that, Shawn. And I also think, and again, I haven’t thought too much about it because I mean, I don’t like to think of like the ugly negative side of it. But I think one, there’s a high level of burnout. You know, I initially did want to pursue a career and like social services and like helping like at need families, you know. But essentially, I still feel like I’m in social service in, you know, in dentistry because there’s a lot of philanthropy and humanitarian, humanity behind it. But I think the stress really comes from, you know, disconnecting from who we are, what we’re capable of, what we like to do. And there’s so many different styles and facets of dentistry. I think a lot of us come out of school, which, I mean, shapes us, refines us, puts a lot of pressure on us. We come out of dentistry in survival mode. You know, we have to pay the bills. We have to pay off our loans. We have to, you know, support a family. Some of us come out of school with families. And we don’t really learn how to balance all of those, you know, buckets that we have, all of those responsibilities. Add to that, you know, when you’re not on the right page with your team, when you’re not cohesive, when you don’t have the same philosophies as your other, your fellow teammates, your colleagues, that’s a big time drag too. So I think, you know, of the people who really, you know, tend to lean toward the dark side, they really lose touch with themselves and that balance and, and the reasonable goals because it’s a perfectionist, it’s a perfectionist type A profession. It really is.

Shawn Zajas 6:06

Well, and just to give proper context to our listeners, like you’re not a dental assistant currently.

Elaine Rodriguez 6:12

No.

Shawn Zajas 6:13

You move beyond that to then become a registered dental hygienist.

Elaine Rodriguez 6:18

Dental hygienist preventative specialist.

Shawn Zajas 6:20

And right now you own a business, laser.

Elaine Rodriguez 6:25

Integrations, yes.

Shawn Zajas 6:27

Why do I always want to, I think I just think it like, it’s going to be like laser boss. Like you’re the laser boss BIT. Okay.

Elaine Rodriguez 6:36

Yeah.

Shawn Zajas 6:36

Maybe that would be a edgier.

Elaine Rodriguez 6:39

Yeah. And I’m actually like working with a, a branding specialist and she’s like, you should co-brand it, um, killer hygiene. And I’m like, I like the idea of killer, but it’s kind of violent. So I don’t know if it’s the best way to go.

Shawn Zajas 6:54

Um, but that’s why you’re here though on Innovation in Dentistry is because not, not that there’s anything wrong with those that like, Hey, I’m in the op and I’m comfortable in the op and that’s just kind of where I’m staying. That somehow you didn’t stay there. You didn’t, you didn’t settle and you didn’t feel fulfilled simply being an assistant, simply being a hygienist. Yeah.

Shawn Zajas 7:16

And even now, like you still have these crazy ambitions and the way that you’re making an impact in dentistry is huge. So, so that’s why I’m saying like, I want to interview you because I, I want to know your story and I want our listeners to understand, like, I don’t know, they’re, they’re, it’s so ripe for inspiration of man, Elaine did that. Wow. Like she just saw an opportunity. She just saw a need and she went after it.

Elaine Rodriguez 7:39

That’s exactly what it was. I saw a need. Um, and even just looking at where I am. So I’m, um, okay, here I go. I’ll tell my, you need to flex.

Elaine Rodriguez 7:49

Uh, so I’m an international speaker and I could, I say that title now because the first couple of invites, it was people who I knew. I mean, these were very good friends for many years that gave me a referral. And so now they’re referring me to these people having, you know, um, courses and events in those areas. But, um, it wasn’t until last year that one of the local dental societies reached out to me to come out and speak. And that’s when I felt legit, a legitimate international speaker.

Elaine Rodriguez 8:20

And the, the, uh, event, um, the event, uh, logo or theme was, uh, modern dentistry for your super dentist and it was, you know, Jamaica, you know, so looking at how dentistry is and how they train, you know, their oral physicians there, it’s very emergency based. So they learn a lot of, you know, extractions and, um, palliative type of care because of, you know, the economy. I mean, there’s several different factors that go into the style of dentistry that gives access to those areas.

Elaine Rodriguez 8:56

So they learn a lot of like pulling teeth while lasers are highly on the preventative side, highly on the therapeutic side. So it feeds the, the wheel of a more long-term and retentive care plan. So, and it’s technology and it’s amazing and it is in the upper echelons of treatment, um, when you really understand what it’s doing. So, um, I felt very honored.

Elaine Rodriguez 9:21

So going back to what you said, I, every, at every moment in my career from dental assistant to going into hygiene, I was always looking to fulfill a need. I saw that people could not, did not have to lose their teeth at 25, 30, 35. And it was something called dental hygiene, you know, to go in and, you know, clean the teeth and get on the other side of it and remind you, I was working for a prostho. They don’t usually have a dental hygienist in, in their office.

Elaine Rodriguez 9:51

So I didn’t really know what it all did or what it all meant, but I knew I can get on the preventative side of things. So, um, that’s what led me to lasers, you know, beyond the traditional. And I’ve always, I guess, been drawn to like, what’s new in the technology sector. Like I never wanted to do just the basic standard style of care.

Shawn Zajas 10:11

Um, so that was just your, your wiring, your perspective. If you’re almost like hunger was like, what is cusp, like on the cusp technology that’s going to make the biggest impact. And I want to make sure I’m part of that.

Elaine Rodriguez 10:23

True. Yeah. And so, I mean, all of us entrepreneurs, we have a little competitive edge in us. And I mean, I aim to inspire and I love, you know, who I am and where I come from and what I do, because I want you to know you could do it too.

Shawn Zajas 10:38

So were you always an entrepreneur?

Elaine Rodriguez 10:39

Yes.

Shawn Zajas 10:40

See, I don’t think I was like, okay. I don’t feel like I own that identity until maybe, maybe like just five or six years ago. And okay.

Elaine Rodriguez 10:51

So let’s first divine what is entrepreneur?

Shawn Zajas 10:55

Well, so, I mean, there’s different, I guess, um, examples like, like Gary V is like the typical, like he is like a hustler. He, uh, has this drive where he works 14 to 16 hours and gets completely invigorated. He’s always wanting to, uh, create value. For me, it’s, it’s, it’s on the value creation. It’s on the, um, the playing the game as far as like strategy, problem solving and innovation. And that’s the entrepreneurial side of me, not to mention the creativity.

Shawn Zajas 11:27

I’m not as much the hustler. I’m not as much the, um, the sales guy. I’m much more on the, let’s come up with a really creative solution for something that doesn’t exist right now and make it beautiful and inspiring and have a fun time. You know, and so I guess I would define entrepreneurship as, you know, yes, that idea, that creator, that innovator who has a way or an idea of how to do something better. And then they, they build, you know, they build the, the structure behind the vision.

Shawn Zajas 12:02

And so there is a sales component. There is a, you know, loud, you know, marketing and, you know, speaking about a component, so many things. And then you have like your internal operators of that business. So entrepreneur, I guess it means you have your own job and you pay your own bills through your own endeavors. Like that’s truly what entrepreneurship means to me right now.

Shawn Zajas 12:24

But, but some small business owners aren’t entrepreneurs.

Elaine Rodriguez 12:28

No, they’re still pay themselves.

Elaine Rodriguez 12:30

Yeah. And I feel like oftentimes their vision is a small business paradigm. And my vision has never been that. It’s always been a, um, unlimited impact, unlimited scale, um, have fun, play the game, but know that it can be as, as big as possible because we’re not playing small ball, you know? Yeah. It can be as big or small as you want.

Elaine Rodriguez 12:53

So again, entrepreneurship is all about executing on your idea to make something better, um, and then build really a team around that. Um, so I, I started dabbling with this concept of solopreneur, you know, and we, you can learn about it, but it’s really just your solo entrepreneur going out and like doing all the things. And I see a lot of dentists, you know, working that way. And that also leads to a lot of that stress, right?

Elaine Rodriguez 13:22

Um, but these dentists, they’re working like solopreneurs. They’re, they’re doing it all on their own and, you know, they’re doing their own payroll. They’re, um, having their manager on board and hire for them. Um, they go out to some class and they decide they want to, you know, invest in a technology, whatever that may be. Um, I’ll use lasers as the example. And then they come back and they themselves get trained, but then it’s like, what about the team? Like help them help you, you know?

Elaine Rodriguez 13:53

And so when we look at, when we look at what I do and how I feel like I’m an innovator and can really have a seat on this panel or this podcast is I, I bring that team element and I help them to see, um, you don’t want to do it on your own. You don’t want to be a solopreneur. You want to think, you know, dig into that visionary behind you because we all have it within us.

Elaine Rodriguez 14:20

Everybody who I work with, they’re mostly the solopreneur model. Maybe they’re a one solo practice, but mostly they have three to five locations. They have one or two doctors in that one location. And then maybe one other doctor who also, um, wants to work more in a private practice type of feel. Um, and you know, learning to work with that team and so on. And so, um, it’s even more important to become cohesive and, and really in touch with why you set out to, to get that piece of technology in the first place.

Shawn Zajas 14:56

So if I’m a hygienist right now, I’m like, okay, Elaine Rodriguez, um, you’re known nationally. You are also known in different parts of the world, like you said, internationally. Um, but like starting off, you have a desire. I would love to be able to teach CE. I’d love to be able to go to courses, you know, um, you know, host my own seminars. Um, just have reached where you’re at and you’re, you’re still going, but I’m just saying like, just because someone has a desire, just because someone has that ambition or that vision does not mean they’re going to get where you’ve gotten.

Elaine Rodriguez 15:30

True.

Shawn Zajas 15:31

Like, like tell me, um, tell me about a setback that you had early on and I’d love to know just kind of what, what went on? Because I know in business, I’ve had so many setbacks, uh, so many walls that I’ve hit. And at times I’ve wanted to give up cause I’m like, man, I just, I don’t think I have what it takes. Um, I’m not, I’m not enough. Um, have you ever run into that sense of you’re not enough?

Elaine Rodriguez 15:56

Oh, absolutely. And I even heard another, I heard another podcast saying like, if you don’t have that sense of inadequacy, then you really aren’t like, uh, yeah, you’re not going as hard as you need to. Like if you’re not uncomfortable, if you’re not, you know, questioning, you know, your worth or your value or your validity every single day, like, or maybe not every day, but I think it’s a healthy question that we need to ask ourselves. Like it’s a form of self-awareness and like how we can continue to improve. And I think that’s the goal. So I’ll talk about me becoming a speaker and then I’ll talk about people just attending courses in general. So I never saw myself as a public speaker and that’s what held me back a lot. Um, and I could be infinitely bigger than what I am now had I said yes to more public speaking gigs, more, you know, conventions that would ask me to come and speak. Um, I used to get, you know, invites to podcasts like this quite a bit and I was like, Oh my God, no. What am I going to say? Like, I, so did you not feel ready? Did you not feel qualified, competent? Like what was the, what was that, that voice saying that made you feel like, Oh no, not yet. Yeah. Like what, how am I going to format my message so that it doesn’t sound like all jumbled crap, you know? So even the ability to speak a thought to through, so the way somebody can understand the point I’m trying to make, I don’t know if you’ve ever spoken to somebody where they’re like, and they’re just going after it. And it’s like, and your point was again, like you’re getting lost in their conversation. Um, so learning how to public speak, learning how to form even a course, um, where there’s maybe four topics that you can hit on that leaves people with a tangible and tactical result. And so I had to really learn how to hone in my message, um, in order for, you know, the delivery to be, to be well received.

Shawn Zajas 18:01

So how did you do that?

Elaine Rodriguez 18:02

I mean, I went to, well, first of all, I just went out. Okay. First of all, I just went out and did it. And I just remember, um, I was in, I won’t even say what city I was in, but I wasn’t in Arizona. Someone’s going to like Google it. Elaine, this year, this town. This was like seven years ago. Okay.

Elaine Rodriguez 18:19

It was one of like the first years that I was teaching, um, laser certification and it was already like the afternoon and we probably should have already started the hands on already, but I’m still up there talking. I’m still up there going and like, I could, you have to learn how to read the room and there’s only so much information people can get. And this is why, again, side note, I love that the course is half lecture, half hands on because it feeds both of those multiple learning centers of the brain. So we were beyond the point and my jokes were not funny after 1 PM, 1 30 even. Right. And I can just sense.

Elaine Rodriguez 18:58

And even at one point I heard one gal, um, kind of make a sigh and a joke like to her neighbor, like, Oh, when are we going to start the hands on? And I was like, Oh my God. And you heard it. I heard it and I felt it in my core. So, um, part, and we’re talking public speaking skills.

Elaine Rodriguez 19:17

And so fast forward years, um, yesterday or not, excuse me, yesterday, earlier in this week, this is Monday, last Thursday I was in Indiana and I had a private training with doctors, hygienists, dental assistants, and admin managers. And I have to learn now to deliver a message that’s tactical, actionable, and that’s going to hit all the centers that, you know, one needs to learn to be able to move forward with, you know, launching lasers in their practice, the integration.

Elaine Rodriguez 19:51

And everybody takes something away because I’ve learned to refine myself, refine the message, hit on the high points that need to be done, ask questions, get feedback. Like that’s a whole skill. And the doctor, um, one of the main doctors, the owners at the end of it, she did talking with me, very sweet lady. Uh, she was like, I’m getting ready to retire soon. And I would love to, you know, public speak. And then I see how you’re such an amazing speaker and you haven’t had any training. And I’m like, um, I can’t even tell you how many thousands of dollars that I’ve spent hours and thousands refining how to public speak. And even then I still, I’m like, you know, maybe you guys hear my voice cracking a bit, you know, cause it’s still,

Shawn Zajas 20:32

we’re our own worst critic. Gosh, especially when you shoot for excellence. Like I know you have a commitment to excellence. I do. And you have that sense of what is excellence. So when all of a sudden, you know, man, like you aren’t reaching your potential. It’s easy sometimes to be critical about the things that still need to get upgraded, you know, that still need to be elevated. Right.

Shawn Zajas 20:52

But it’s breaking through that fear, that worry, that, you know, imposter syndrome, as they’ll say, and just keep on going because you can learn all the theory in school. You can learn, you know, read all the books, but you’re only going to learn through doing. And, um, I didn’t create lasers. I

Elaine Rodriguez 21:08

didn’t, um, I don’t make the laser. I’m not the manufacturer of the laser, but I’m an implementer. I’m a doer. I’m an operator. And so when we have this idea of you have, um, and you’re an educator, I’m an educator. Yes. And I, and I feel good to call myself that I am an educator. I know people, believe, feeling touched, moved, and inspired to make change. Yep. And, um, it’s, it’s things that

Elaine Rodriguez 21:34

I pull out of them, you know, and I think the biggest thing I take away is seeing people leave capable of doing more, like, and they know they’re capable of doing more. And that’s what does it for me. You literally just said something that’s like core to what I believe everyone needs to have when it comes to like the innovative mindset. Um, I actually don’t remember what it was.

Shawn Zajas 21:56

Okay. It’ll come back. You know, it was just, um, cause it’s like, it’s you, it’s the way you view failure. It’s the way you view, um, even like continued learning. Like you just keep going. But also what you said was so poignant was I could have been so much further had I not been afraid of failing. And that, that’s what, what I try to encourage people with is like the fear of regret, like is much worse than the fear of failure. Like you need to actually just come face to face of like, if I don’t do this, I’m going to have this massive

Shawn Zajas 22:32

regret when I’m 50, when I’m 60 being like, I could have gone brighter. I could have been bolder. I could like, yeah, you’re going to have more regret. Sorry. Over what you didn’t do that. Sorry. That’s, that’s the connection. You have more regret over what you didn’t do than the stuff you did that you might’ve gotten humiliated or you failed. And truth is no one cares. That’s true. Like you learned because someone made that comment. Okay. Next time I’m leading the room, I need to be quicker at this or I need like, and you learn and every single time you learn, Oh no, it’s what you just said. You truly, you don’t learn in the

Shawn Zajas 23:04

boardroom. That was the thing. Right. The idea that we learn, um, like I always want to distinguish between like theory and a marketplace reality. Yes. Uh, in this studio, Elaine, you know, there’s books all around us, probably like 200 books. I love reading, but I now understand that what I’m reading still is theory until I actually apply, apply it somewhere. So, so if I’m learning something about networking, if I’m learning something about outreach until I go on LinkedIn or Facebook or to events and start applying it, I didn’t learn. Yeah. I just have, um, potential knowledge, but it doesn’t actually convert to real knowledge and real understanding until you apply it, you know, until

Shawn Zajas 23:46

it’s applied. And that is such a nugget for our listeners because for years I actually spent time preparing. Yeah. Also known as procrastinating. Yeah. All under the guise of preparation. I’m learning. I’m reading these books. I’m getting ready. But since I wasn’t applying any of it, I

Elaine Rodriguez 24:05

literally didn’t learn anything. A lot of people do that. And this is, um, you know, to the second half of what I was going to say. And thank you for bringing it back. Um, so there’s going out and doing and delivering the message. And, but on the other side, there are dentists, hygienists, uh, assistants, admins, every dental professional, um, who’s counseling their day. They’re missing a day of, you know, production and they’re coming out to learn. And so, and it’s a full day course, you

Elaine Rodriguez 24:33

know, what’s your course called? Uh, laser certification and team training. So where would someone find it? Uh, I have classes all over the States, major cities, um, East coast to West coast. Um, and then we will put the link in the descriptions cause I want to make sure people can find it.

Elaine Rodriguez 24:49

Thank you. I appreciate that. Um, but where, where I was going with that is you take time investment and energy and you put money behind attending that course. What are you going to do with it? And so I see, um, what I’ve come to say is skill versus will. I recognize that there’s a lot of dental preneurs, right? Dentist owners, dentists, associates, doesn’t matter where you are in ownership or associateship. Um, sometimes people just love to come and learn and that’s great. Just like you love reading books. I love reading. I love learning. I love listening to things. Um, we love to learn and that’s generally a trait of, you know, any professional, but then at some point

Elaine Rodriguez 25:34

we got to get an action, you know, we got to go out and we have to start doing. So I, I see people, you know, in this profession, it’s a journey. You know, we just love to learn and get the next thing. But if you take my course and there’s so many things that you can do with it and the ROI and not just financial, but relational to your patient, if that has not been exceeded and those goals haven’t been met, then what do you, why are you moving on to the next thing and the next thing and the next thing. And so going back to me and this idea of like, I’ve come so far and what held

Elaine Rodriguez 26:08

me back and what failures. Um, one, it was not believing in myself that I could be a world class speaker, you know, and I say this, but, uh, we should all strive to be, you know, if we want to be, cause anybody could be, it’s just learning how to, uh, package a message true to your, your authentic self, I guess, you know, true to your word and really sticking to what

Elaine Rodriguez 26:32

you know. And that kind of bothered me early on, you know, going to see ease even, you know, 20 years ago. And I’m like, this is not, I don’t understand this one. It’s overwhelming to three. You see this person speaking on this topic and then they come back in the afternoon, they’re talking on a whole another topic. And it’s like, they’re the, you know, jack of all trades. And I’m like, no, I want to be really all in on laser technology. Specialized. Yeah. And so I think part of why I didn’t want to go out was one, I wasn’t confident on the delivery skills to, you know, as a woman, I was just so

Elaine Rodriguez 27:12

critical of like, just being out there in the public face. It’s kind of scary. I had stage fright. So getting over that and I can say it’s so weird. Like, why can’t I go out and speak at a big dental convention, but I’m in front of people every single weekend. I, maybe it was smaller groups, but I honestly say the, the will to teach and then knowing that people need to hear this, people need this information, uh, was greater than, you know, who cares, Elaine? Like who cares what they think of you or who cares if you sound ridiculous or, or ignorant? Um, so that fear was there, but going

Elaine Rodriguez 27:50

out into like a bigger crowd, bigger mixture of people who are they wanting to learn laser? Like, do they care about technology? Like, is this relevant to them? Cause not everybody wants the technology and that’s fine. So I will say the second thing is not knowing who my people are, you know, going out and finding the right audience that’s really going to want that message. And that was, you know, the second failure really was not knowing how to, you know, connect the right people. I mean,

Elaine Rodriguez 28:23

you’re going to meet so many different people along the way, but not everybody has the proper intentions. Not everybody has the right mindset or alignment to your, your mission. So I guess, you know, finding your right people was probably the second biggest issue. I can’t believe you

Shawn Zajas 28:40

actually circled back. Cause I forgot you laid that out in the very beginning, two things. And the fact that you remember that. It’s because I’m a public speaker and an educator. Yeah. A world-class

Shawn Zajas 28:51

public speaker. See, even that you listen to achievers, you listen to people that are making the biggest difference. And it’s simply because part of their identity, they’ve taken off the limits. You didn’t say, yeah, I’m an okay speaker. Now, now again, that could have been fine if you were trying to play the humble card, which I think is also, I don’t think humility is having to understate who you are. You know, I think to be completely humble, you can just own who you are, but just

Shawn Zajas 29:18

don’t pretend to be something that you’re not, you know, because I, like dentistry needs you to own your strength 100% because it makes dentistry better. That’s the truth. We don’t need Elaine being like, oh, well, you know, I’m just gonna play it small because I’m just insignificant. What can I really do? Okay. The people that believe they can change the world are the only ones that can. And I think that’s like, that is a quote, I believe the what the people, those that are

Shawn Zajas 29:45

crazy enough to believe they can. It’s on Casper’s. Um, so Kareem. Yes. Dr. Osman. Dr. Osman in his basement where of the dentist or the dental office that he works at his own practice, man, I’m bombing this, uh, the Casper headquarters. It’s painted on the wall there and it’s, um, it’s Steve Jobs saying that. So it’s like, I love that you’re willing that you dare to believe.

Elaine Rodriguez 30:12

Yeah. And you know, that’s within all of us. Desire is there, you know, we all want to be the best at what we do to our own capacity. Um, but I think all of us have experiences that tell us that we’re, we’re not going to, like, we’re not going to be able to like, tell me you didn’t have any experiences in life that said, Oh, you, you, you can’t succeed. You’re

Elaine Rodriguez 30:32

not good enough. Um, I remember, um, I had already taken one or two courses at the World Clinical Laser Institute. I was studying heavily, you know, in laser, um, the same way I learned, you know, had to go out and learn that secondary skill of public speaking. I first had to get really good with lasers and the science and all the tactical stuff in that. So I did a lot of, you know, investment in training and attending multiple courses. And I remember, um, I was out on a date with my at the time boyfriend and we were out to sushi. And like that week

Elaine Rodriguez 31:07

I was going to head out to another World Clinical Laser course. And I mean, these courses take me away. Like I’m gone for like, you know, five days at a time. And my girlfriend, she came and she kind of, you know, joined the date, which was fine. Like no big third wheel, third willing it. Yeah, for sure. And as I’ve been many times, but she came with such a negative energy. And I think it’s because, you know, she was coming from an event that didn’t really pan out the way she would like. So she came with a lot of negative energy. And so she kind

Elaine Rodriguez 31:39

of had an attitude and she was like, Elaine, you’re going to another laser course. Like, what are you going to do? Like, why are you going? What are you going to do? Like, you’re going to learn to, you know, turn the laser on a little higher. Like, what more can you do? And in my mind, I’m thinking like, okay, first of all, she’s upset. She’s having a bad night. Second of all, I know what I’m wanting to do. And at the time I was wanting to bring more quality education to Arizona because, you know, just fulfilling a need. There wasn’t

Elaine Rodriguez 32:09

a course that met the different sectors and facets of what and how I wanted to teach it. So that’s what I was going for. I was going to network and, and make those connections so that I can bring training back. And I wasn’t about to sit there and go all in with her. Right. But, you know, just the negativity and just seeing like my own calling. She was also a dental hygienist and also who I considered a friend and still do. But I was like, you know what? I’m going to have to drown out some noise. And I think not enough of us on the way up are

Elaine Rodriguez 32:42

willing to make those sacrifices. I hear a lot of that too from people. Wow. You know, you’re here and there. You’re all over the place. How do you do it? How do you do it? And the truth is like, how do we wake up and show up at our best selves? Because everybody’s definition of that is different. So going back to like everything you’re saying right now, Shawn, is

Elaine Rodriguez 33:01

like identity. You know, we have to really be true to what we do, how we do it, how we want to deliver. And even just me knowing like I have to do what it takes to show up my best because people need me. And it’s really the same way I approach motherhood. Like there’s no way that I cannot show up my, my best self to lead my daughter, you know, to greatness.

Shawn Zajas 33:24

Yeah. Well, and I feel like that’s what I just want to keep telling dentistry is like, um, innovation and what I’m wanting to keep sharing. It’s not just the mindset. It’s also the heart set, which is like what you’re saying, the beliefs, the identity, because you can be kind of thinking the right things, but believing the wrong stuff about you. And that’s going to be the cap. That’s going to be the wall that you keep hitting. Like you need to really like, it’s hard sometimes

Shawn Zajas 33:53

to be a self encourager, to be a self starter and to not look at the seven reasons why you could fail. And the seven reasons why someone else is more fitted for this or more suited, or isn’t the world going to realize and see my inadequacies. You know what? All those things could be true, but there’s also these reasons why, because of what you believe, because of the way that you’re wired, because of the passion that’s in your heart, because of the change you want to be part of, it can work. And if you don’t double down on that, like you don’t

Shawn Zajas 34:25

need the world to tell you that you can step up. Like I love just telling my listeners, I give you permission to go after the dreams in your heart. And I used to be a dreamer. I’m not a dreamer anymore. Dreamers don’t take massive action. Visionary entrepreneurs do. It’s the same. If you listen to a dreamer and an entrepreneur, they sound pretty much the same because they have these really big dreams. The difference is what you don’t see. It’s the waking up early. It’s the sacrifices. It’s the massive consistent action. And for the longest time I was just a dreamer

Shawn Zajas 34:57

because I had something that I was excited about doing, but I was still, I didn’t have, I was scared. Like I kept losing heart every time I take a step because I didn’t look good enough. I didn’t deliver it well enough. What if I look like a fool? I was so afraid of failing that I would, I just got in my way. And that’s why what I tell my kids is like, you need to fail forward and fail fast because that’s actually where you’re learning. And yeah, I have the strongest regret I have is over the things

Shawn Zajas 35:32

I never did and not doing it sooner and caring too much about what the world might think about me trying. They don’t care. They’re, they’re, they’re involved in what they’re involved in. The world isn’t looking to see when Elaine Rodriguez is going to take the wrong step and make a mistake. The world sees that you are trying and you are living in such a way that’s intentional to make a bigger difference

Elaine Rodriguez 35:54

and you have. Yes. Yes. And I’m very grateful. I am so grateful. Um, I remember in hygiene school now, so mind you, I go from dental assisting making at the time I was like making maybe $9 an hour to begin with. And then, um, I got a raise. That’s the dream. After her. So, I mean, going back and forth from multiple offices, we opened up a second location at, you know, the cross office. And now I’m stepping up to be manager. He’s having me go set up the office, set up the software, set up the ops. Um, and he, after we were ready to open, he was like, Elaine, you’re doing such a good job. I’m going to give you a raise $13 an hour, $2 raise. And I was like, wow, I’m really moving up. You know, I’m meant to do

Elaine Rodriguez 36:42

this, you know? And so, um, yeah, so there was that jump and that change and, you know, that stretch in me. But then going into hygiene school, I knew I was going to make more money. And so I think again, as entrepreneurs or even just any business, a lot of time people think it’s an exchange of money. Like they just think money and riches or whatever they think. But really, if you just hone back in on what the value is, what is the value? And I see this with doctors too. They buy the technology and they use it minimally. Okay. Minimally. And they don’t really stretch themselves to learn how to use it, but for the patient’s benefit. And then the money follows. So there, there’s a sales aspect to it that they

Elaine Rodriguez 37:31

struggle with the same way we struggle with imposter syndrome and the same, like these are all similar issues, but going into hygiene school, I remember my instructor, she was like, if you’re here for the money, I feel very sorry for you. Um, because it’s going to be a very long day. And that’s the truth. That is the truth. Dental hygiene is no joke. It’s very tedious work. It’s very mentally straining. It’s physically straining. If you let it, you don’t see lots of older hygienists that are still able to, to do that because of, you know, like I’ve made some of

Elaine Rodriguez 38:06

the, I do. I see, I meet a ton of hygienists who have been doing it 30, 40 years, but they’re yeah, they have to know how to take care of themselves or else they get the carpal tunnel. They get the aches. Yes, yes, yes. There has to be a wellness aspect to it. And we have something called ergonomics that we’re supposed to learn. Um, but I think people don’t take advantage of it enough. And I love where dentistry is today because you see a lot more people educating in that space of wellness and, and mental wellness and all of that, but tying

Elaine Rodriguez 38:36

it back into, you know, the struggle or, you know, overcoming and, you know, pushing through that innovation. It’s, I, I got very lucky in dentistry because yes, I started as a baby, but I was able to make a career because I stayed purpose driven. I wasn’t in it for the money or I wasn’t becoming a public speaker to get the attention, which you see a lot of people do. It was the mission. It was the difference. It was the bringing the value. Yeah. People need to hear this message. People need to learn this, you know, so I got

Shawn Zajas 39:07

lucky. Um, just to really, really quickly touch, like, so you encounter some discouragement, there’s something going on, you have a tough week, maybe something doesn’t pan out as well as you wanted it to. I don’t know when this might be just in your journey, but like, how, how did you get back up and why did you not quit? Cause you’re here today because you didn’t

Shawn Zajas 39:27

quit. Yeah. It’s not like it was this perfect spiral of just like feel goods and encouragement and motivation and success. And it was just like glory to glory. I’m sure there was times when there were some setbacks. There were some challenges. There was times where you had tons of self doubt you had to overcome.

Elaine Rodriguez 39:42

Well, being so purpose driven, right? That kind of sets aside that. So the why you connecting to that meaning really that purpose and that intent and the why behind it. Yeah. Um, but I would say, um, overcoming really probably is, and jumping over those setbacks, breaking through all that. It’s probably massive accountability. Like everything that happens is my fault. Like how can I better prepare next time? Or how can I take the top five complaints or the feedback?

Elaine Rodriguez 40:20

You know, I was really big on reading the feedback in the beginning and even my colleagues and I started onboarding other trainers and other speakers to work for my organization. They were all like focused on, Ooh, we did a good job. And unfortunately I was like, well, you kind of did this, this, this. So I was, I had to be very careful not to impart my criticalness or whatever onto them and really praise them for the job they did. Cause they would do amazing. And if you even look on my, my website and on our Google review page, you see them getting more

Elaine Rodriguez 40:53

Google reviews than I do. And I’m proud of that. I am damn proud of that. And it doesn’t like take away from, Oh my gosh, are they better than me? I want them to be better than me. So I think it all really stems from massive accountability. Like what did I do wrong? What did I do good? Like I, you know, I had to break away from like the critical eye. What have I been doing good? Let me do more of that, but also let me clean up like, and, you know, tidy up and polish up what, you know, I could do better.

Elaine Rodriguez 41:23

And I think that’s it because I’m going to fail. I’m going to say it’s something ridiculous, like, you know, and it’s going to happen. And now I just once in a while when I say this or that, or, you know, crack a joke, it’s really more of who I really am. And that’s what people need to see too. And not this like robotic, you know, public speaker who is professional, like it’s learning how to incorporate that too and being okay with it. So I think it’s just accountability. I wish I can

Shawn Zajas 41:52

like say more to it. No, I, I, I, I read someone. Okay. I’ll just say who it was. So Dan Kennedy, I don’t love everything he says about marketing, but one of the things he was saying just when it comes to like high performance is that, um, responsibility, um, is like equal to personal power. So every ounce of responsibility you take is power that you have. Every ounce of responsibility is power you lose. So if you’re one of those people that’s like, nothing’s ever my fault. I don’t take any accountability or responsibility for my life or where it is. Well, then you have

Shawn Zajas 42:25

no power to change it because you’re just a victim and it’s the world that’s bad. It’s, it’s the world that makes it so I can’t succeed. Or when all of a sudden you’re like, no, I can learn more. I could do this better. I can wake up earlier. I have the ability to change, to improve. The locus of control is on me. I’m accountable to be able to continue to, I’m agile. I love agility. It’s like, no, I can just pivot here. Oh, this didn’t work. Okay. Let me change it. Okay. And let’s just keep going. Let’s keep reiterating until you dial in that, that formula. But it’s because you have that lens of

Shawn Zajas 43:00

personal belief that I’m accountable and I can grow instead of, uh, I’m just waiting for the world to see that I’m great. And I don’t know why they haven’t seen it yet, but there’s gotta be all these reasons. And I’m just going to blame the weather and COVID and you know, that one person that beat me to it. And then all of a sudden you’re just blaming and you’re a victim and you’re powerless.

Shawn Zajas 43:21

You have no power to change, you know? Um, okay. So in closing, let’s go back to 2005 to Elaine. If you could have written something down on a piece of paper today to given Elaine in 2005, what would you have written on that piece of paper?

Elaine Rodriguez 43:42

Um, I think it’s always stay strong, believe in yourself and keep going. And even today I posted on my Instagram stories, like, um, a mantra that I posted four years ago, you know, you always get these little, um, reminders or remember when’s on, on Facebook or whatever. Um, but it, it was that be strong, believe in yourself and that’s it. I, I don’t even want to say, know your why I want to, even say, go back to believing like belief before vision. Like you have to believe that you can take

Elaine Rodriguez 44:20

on, you know, the world. And I’m so proud that, you know, my, when I first wrote out my goals for my company, I wanted to be a global trainer because I knew, I’m, I mean, I’m, I know the market. I know there’s different countries that don’t have dental hygiene, that don’t have, um, preventative care models. Um, and I knew what lasers were and if lasers are seen as like this high level, high, you know, realm of treatment, it’s not accessible to people. So the goal was always, how can I make this accessible? And if I were to stay in that, you know, lowly, oh, I’m just a this, or I’m just a that, um, I would never get there. So, so yeah, believe in yourself, belief before vision. That’s

Shawn Zajas 45:03

what I would say. What do you want people, um, to know about when it comes to what’s coming around the corner for either your calendar or, or services that you offer? So if, if they’re looking for,

Elaine Rodriguez 45:13

I don’t know, just more help or what you do, where do you want to lead them to? Uh, they can come to my website, dentallaserintegrations.com. I’d love them to come to, um, my Instagram or any one of my social media accounts. Cause we post pretty often on that. Um, but also I want people to really think about when they go to CEs and when they reach out to even make a purchase, why do you even want it? And what makes, what do you think you’re going to do with it? You know? So I, I encourage people to

Elaine Rodriguez 45:48

really just start doing more research. And when I talk, even to, when I talk to my daughter, she’s like, you’re teaching me how to think, aren’t you mom? And I’m like, yes, I’m teaching you how to think and like break down a problem and chop it up so you can start to pick away at it, you know, area by area. So that’s exactly what I do. So before you even reach out, you know, I’d love to be friends, but think about why you want to integrate technology before you even come to class, commit to it. Yeah. So I’m not even trying to sell a course on this, on this podcast. Believe me.

Shawn Zajas 46:23

So Elaine, thank you so much. Like a, your story is so inspiring. Thank you. Um, you’ve personally inspired me like right off the bat when I was getting in and starting Zana, I was like, I want to know who it is that’s already making a difference. Who is leading? That’s a hygienist. That’s a dentist. And everyone just kept dropping your name. You have to meet Elaine. You have to meet Elaine. And it’s like, I am so thankful that you overcame. I’m so thankful you didn’t give up. I’m so thankful

Shawn Zajas 46:51

you continue to make those sacrifices to level up your thinking, to level up your belief centers, everything you’ve had to do to get to the place where you could be making the impact that you’re making today. Because there are countless, not just hygienists, but dental professionals that get inspired by what you’ve done and what you’re doing. And it’s like, none of that impact would have happened if you just would have been like, you know what? I just need to stay in my lane. I just need to

Shawn Zajas 47:15

play small. I just need to, uh, yeah, if you just would have given up at any time. So thank you for not giving up. Dentistry is better because of you. And I’m super excited to see even what this next

Elaine Rodriguez 47:26

decade lies in store for you. Thank you. I appreciate that. Thanks for listening and be sure to follow so

Shawn Zajas 47:33

you never miss an episode. To learn more about what’s going on in dentistry, check out innovationindentistry.com.