The Lifestyle Practice Podcast was created to help dentists obtain their desired life by creating uncommonly successful dental practices. Ready to work with us? Visit thelifestylepractice.com for more information
Dr. Derek Williams paid off $300,000 in dental school student loans within twelve months of graduating — then got accused of faking it. In this episode, he addresses every criticism head-on and walks through exactly how it happened. Fresh out of dental school in 2016, Derek bought a practice doing $570K at 50% overhead after evaluating close to 100 practices. In his first year of ownership, he…
In this episode, Dr. Raheel Haider breaks down the exact red flags that turned an $800K practice into a bankruptcy — sky-high rent eating into profit margins, $10,000/month in marketing that wasn't converting, a saturated market with brutal competition, and a seller he didn't trust. This is a real case study in dental practice acquisition, practice due diligence, and the numbers every dentist…
Five and a half years ago, Dr. Eric Palmer bought a three-operatory dental practice about 20 minutes outside one of the most competitive dental markets in the United States. The practice had no insurance verification process, no real treatment plan presentation, and a hard credit check on every new patient. Today, that same practice has doubled its production and collections on the same three…
2026 is officially halfway over — and if you're a dentist or dental practice owner, that means it's time for an honest mid-year check-in. In this episode of The Lifestyle Practice Podcast, Matt Vogt breaks down the real difference between dentists who are winning in 2026 and dentists who are losing, based on patterns he sees across practice ownership, dental practice management, and everyday life.…
Every dental practice owner is facing the same three problems in 2026: insurance reimbursements that haven't kept up with inflation, a staffing and retention crisis, and overhead that keeps climbing no matter what you cut. In this episode of The Lifestyle Practice Podcast, Dr. Derek Williams breaks down why these dental practice management challenges have gotten worse — and more importantly, what…
Dr. Matt Vogt is back for another episode of The Lifestyle Practice — and this one gets personal. After a chance dinner conversation with a pre-dental student staring down a $650K tuition bill, Matt found himself revisiting his own $450,000 student loan journey and asking a simple question: if he had to pay it all off again, what would he do differently? In this episode, he breaks it down into…
82% of dentists report major stress. 60% have considered changing careers or retiring early. If you've felt that way, you're not alone — but selling the practice isn't the only exit. In this episode, Dr. Steve Van De Graaff breaks down a practical framework for beating dental burnout and rediscovering satisfaction in your work, without blowing up everything you've built: Get specific — Burnout…
We're thrilled to welcome our newest partner to The Lifestyle Practice — Dr. Raheel Haider! In this episode, Derek Williams, Matt Vogt, and Steve Van De Graaff sit down with Raheel to talk dental practice ownership, financial freedom for dentists, and the mindset shifts that took him from a burned-out associate with imposter syndrome to a confident practice owner growing his dental practice 50% in…
In just over three months of practice ownership, Dr. Tim Balzen has already produced double the income he made last year as an associate — and he's closing on a second building in a few weeks to keep up with demand. In this episode, Dr. Tim sits down with Steve to walk through the five-year, multi-state journey that led him from a saturated Boise market to a three-op practice in a small Missouri…
In this episode of The Lifestyle Practice Podcast, Dr. Matt Vogt and Dr. Derek Williams dive deep into what it really takes to succeed as a dental practice owner—whether you're starting from scratch or acquiring an established practice. Are you thinking about starting a dental practice but unsure if it's the right move? In this dental practice startup guide, Matt shares his honest coaching…
In this episode of The Lifestyle Practice, we break down 7 powerful money lessons every dentist and parent should know—covering financial freedom, smart investing, compound interest, and how to teach kids about money the right way. Most people don't learn through advice—they learn through experience and ownership. That single shift changes everything about how you build wealth, raise financially…