The Case for Doing Less Better

0:00All the money in the world. No debt. Do whatever you want. Pretty, having beautiful physique, but I am depressed, and I don't wanna leave anymore. This was my life. Wow. And, yeah, and if you look at it, other people will look at me and say, she has everything. Why she is not happy? You're listening to the Foundation Dental podcast, strategic conversations for dentists and leaders building long term value in dentistry. I'm doctor Jim Arnold. Let's get into today's conversation. One of the things I enjoy most about hosting this podcast is introducing you to people who are changing dentistry, not just through what they do clinically, but through what how they think, how they lead, and how they challenge the rest of us to think differently.

0:43Today's guest has a remarkable story. She came to The United States from Russia at 19 years old with about $500, worked her way through school waiting tables, graduated the top of a dental school class, became an endodontist, and then built an incredibly successful career.

0:59But as interesting as all that is, that's not what fascinated me the most. As I spent time researching Yulia over the past several weeks, I realized this isn't really a story about endodontics. It's a story about success, burnout, freedom, and what happens when you realize you've built a great practice, but not necessarily the life you wanted around it. I think that's a conversation that every dentist needs to hear. Yulia, welcome to the Foundation Dental podcast. Thank you so much, Jim. It's an honor to be here for sure. Well, it's an honor to have you. You know, I I shared with you before we started that I've really enjoyed following you on social media because, you know, your story is really inspiring.

1:38The business that you built is phenomenal and the realization that it wasn't exactly what you wanted out of your life. You know, it's one of those things that most people aren't, like, willing to share, you know, to be that vulnerable and authentic. And so you you've been inspiring me for for a while now. And so to to get to see you and meet you for the first time is a is a privilege. So happy to have you here today. Thank you so much. Absolutely. But, you know, I wanna go right back to the beginning. You know? Not not the real beginning, but the beginning of your journey, you know, here in The US and everything that you've done since then because it's it's pretty amazing. So as I said in the intro, you left Russia with $500 in your pocket.

2:21What were you feeling? Like, when you got on that bus? And and what made you get on it anyway despite, you know, whatever fears you had to have? Oof. You know what? I had nothing to lose. That's what propelled me to go forward, and my family was very poor, very standard. Very small percentage of Russians were were living well back then. We didn't have much. My mom was a teacher, sometimes four, five months on strike, not getting paid. And where are you gonna get the money? My dad was engineer mechanic, worked in mechanical shop fixing cars, and we had very little. So if not my grandma, my grandma was accounted back then, and she made pretty good money. If not my grandma, we would be not eating at all. We would be very malnourished.

3:12I grew up you know, when I was five years old, it's very bizarre and weird. When I look back at my story trying to connect all the dots, I always grew up with that feeling that I didn't belong. And back then, about traveling forget about America. America was, another different world for us. Just in the movies, something unreachable. We didn't even travel across the city to another state or another city. We didn't have money for that. And I was five, six years old. I studied English and started in daycare in kindergarten. And I sit in there one day and tell my mom when I was six years old, I'm gonna live in America one day. I don't like it here. I don't wanna be here. And all the Disney characters, everything just captivated me.

3:56And my mom and my dad laughed at me. They looked at me, you know, just little real child dreaming, but it's not possible. For them, it was something out of the ordinary, not possible at all. But I grew up with this sense my entire childhood that I'm don't belong here. I'm not gonna live here in these conditions, And I carried that throughout all these years. It's amazing. So when I was a teenager, I started to understand that kind of I need to help my family. Somebody gotta do that, and I don't want to have a life like that. I didn't deserve that. When American movies came on the TV, when in 1991, 1992, when Soviet era started to all fall apart, we started to watch movies. And I'm like, god. They women drive cars?

4:43Like, this was all unreal to me. Mhmm. Food in the refrigerators packed with, like, Cheerios. What is even that? Like, I've never seen this before. And we have this boring food. I grew up in potatoes and cabbage. We didn't even eat meat. And I started to really kind of dream about it. It was I envisioned myself. It was talking about manifestation, I didn't even read books back then. This is the real manifestation. When you start envisioning yourself being somebody else, when you're a a baby, a child. And the opportunity came on that I found out if you're if you're a student in the university, you can actually get travel visa to United States. So that just lit me up. I'm like, wow. This is my chance. There is no other chances to go.

5:31But the stumbling block was the money. We had no money, and we gotta pay money. Visa was about $800 with the ticket, to buy yourself a ticket. My mom made maybe $30 a month, if that, so it wasn't practical for me to even, ask for my parents for help. And I kept this to myself. My parents didn't know. I decided to earn money and save without them knowing. This was my secret. And I started at, I think, age 15, 16, started to tutor and earn through tutoring children, and I collected every single penny. This is how I was saving for that day. Wow. Yes. That's incredible. Like, I I didn't, I didn't learn all that in my research about you. But my god. I mean, what an what an amazing thing to have had that that dream, you know, since you were six, as soon as you became aware of that.

6:25And to have it, like, get even more and more intense and more real and more urgent as you just started watching movies and things like that. Oh, brilliant. And and to be that committed at such a young age, I think, is really extraordinary. Thank you. Yeah. I was I I honestly believe that we're born in certain situations. And if we use it in the right way, our life can be extraordinary. Something that we can't even think of. God gives everybody exact same opportunity. It's just what you do with that. Yeah. I was not the most intelligent kid in class. I just an average child is not like I was some genius or some sort, but I was a a kid with dreams and visions. And this is what separated me from, my friends and my peers in my class.

7:10Even I didn't have anything, I had this vision and dream that I can be more and I don't know what that is, but I know I'm meant for something else and be somewhere else. This was very strange. So even with all of that even with all of that, like, having thought about that as a child and as a teenager and everything else, I mean, you were coming to The US with you didn't know anybody. There was nobody waiting for you here. I excited as you were, you had to be unbelievably nervous about that, I I would think. And, I mean, like, what was your plan when you got on that bus? Like, what how did you think things were going to go when you arrived? So when I finally got the visits and, again, it's there's another story of how I got it.

7:52It's purely crazy. My father didn't know. My mom was divorced from my dad back then. My dad was an alcoholic entire life since I was born. Still an alcoholic now. I have good relation with my father now that I repaired. I love him, but, unfortunately, this is what his situation is. Mhmm. So imagine growing up and all that, not just being poor, but also have a father whom you're ashamed of and who didn't provide you any love or anything like that. So I was pretty much like a man in our house back in Russia. My mom depended on me. She would ask me for money lots of times when I was a student because she knew I had money. I was tutoring, and I I would consistently provide. So but that's that's kind of how I grew up.

8:36And when I was leaving the country, my father didn't know. My grandma didn't know. I was so afraid they would stop me. Yeah. Oh, absolutely. That I only told my mom and my brother. And when they stood on that bus stop putting me on the bus to Moscow when I was leaving, I looked at my mom and I'm like, I'm not coming back, just so you know. But you will never borrow food again ever. And you will have money every single month. I promise you that. You may not see me again because I'm not coming back. Wow. That was it. That was it. My mom couldn't stop me. She knew I had to go because that was it. There's nothing for me to lose, nothing to come back to. And I hadn't I don't remember what I felt back then, but I had no fears.

9:19I had such a strong excitement. I'm leaving the country. There was no even ground for fear to exist. Amazing. You know, that to, like, take such a big leap into the unknown and leave everything you knew behind you. I mean, think a lot of it speaks to, you know, not only your determination as a young woman, but just kind of the conditions that you were in and how you probably felt like, you know, okay. I might not be here, you know, whatever the movies say and all that stuff. But whatever it is, it's going to be better than what I'm experiencing now. And it's compelling enough for me to leave leave my family behind. Right. Yeah. Wow. Well, you know, jumping in a little bit to your kind of dental story and how that all came about, I know that when you were a a child, you had a really bad dental experience.

10:06I think you had a root canal maybe without anesthesia, and you had a, like, huge fear of the dentist as a result of all of that. And then you built a career around, like, helping other people overcome that that fear. Like, how the heck did that happen? Like, walk me down that road a little bit. I still ask that question. I'm like, dentistry dentists in general were evil in my entire life, my entire childhood. I hated them to death, and I wanted nothing to do with them. Wow. And they hurt me. I didn't take care of my teeth when I was a little girl. I pretty much slept with a candy in my mouth. And all my primary teeth got rotten. My mom didn't know back then any better how to help me. Can you hear those little dinging things?

10:55I can't. Sorry. No. No. That's okay. No. I'm just trying to understand because I put do not disturb, and it still does it. The good news is I can't hear it, so you're good. Okay. So she took me, so I when I had the toothache or a cavity in my tooth, I think it was the years old when I my permanent teeth were starting hurting me, I would not tell my mom.

11:18I would sleep in pain and hide it because I was afraid to go to dental office to fix it. And I got to the point that I got cellulitis in my face. Oh, no. Woke up with cellulitis at 10 years old, and my mom said, look. This is you can die. We gotta go. So she dragged me to the dental office. They had to pull my permanent molar. The guy was huge. He had to step on the chair to take the tooth out. I mean, talking about fears for a child, this enormous Russian man walks in, oral surgeon with hands that big and, you know, takes the tooth out on you. It was a nightmare. And then I had another root canal done. And anesthetics back then, you had to pay for anesthetic. So a lot of people yeah. I mean, gotta go to a little tiny window and they say, well, you want one Calpula two or no anesthetic?

12:10Wow. We don't have money. So my mom was like, well, just one. You know, she will get one, and they will numb me however they can numb me. But when there's an infection in the tooth, you know how it gets numb. You may not numb the person very well. And I would feel everything. I mean, the nervous woman, she's like, just wait a little bit more. She puts those needles in, and I will know exactly what she's doing. It was horrible. So I got to the point so afraid of them that at one dental appointment, I got cramps in my intestines so bad that they tied into a knot, and they had to take me to an emergency room.

12:46Oh my god, Julia. What a nightmare. I can't even imagine at 10 years old to to have experienced all of this and at the same time, you know, have this burning desire to get to The United States and then to land in not just dentistry, but endo, you know, where where you're doing those things.

13:05I mean, it was there was there a part of you that just said, hey. You know what? It doesn't have to be that terrible. There there are ways to make it tolerable and make people feel more more comfortable, make it easier. Was that part of the the thought process or rationale? So how it all came out, I went to fix my teeth. I was still waitressing tables, not not even thinking about going dental school. I was just every time I smiled, I will cover my mouth. My teeth were all just with old feelings. And my husband my first husband back then, he said, well, let's go fix your teeth because you you need to smile. You're a very pretty girl, but your teeth are they need to look better. Mhmm. And we went to fix it, and it was so pleasant.

13:45And I enjoyed it so much. I felt nothing. And I smiled for the first time when she fixed my front teeth. And I was like, wow. This is so different. So different. And something started to click in me internally, and I was like, god. You know? Is this really could be my path? This was this was really weird. It came in twenty four hours. It was so fast. I didn't know whom I wanted to be. I liked medicine my entire life. I wanted to do something with medicine. Doctor for me sounded something out of the ordinary and then something I couldn't even become. I just wanted to be, something to do with dental. This kind of came out like a light out of nowhere, and it was very warm. And I had no other options. And I kind of felt this is my path.

14:31And then I realized, look. Wait a minute. This is my path. Mhmm. I went through all of this pain just to know what it feels like so I can help other people never feel it ever again. Wow. That's And that's how it all born it was born. It's so powerful. I mean, what a what a great origin story, you know, from your childhood to coming here just with the faith that it's all gonna work out, and then to find your professional path based upon a great experience that you had here that was certainly life changing.

15:06It's pretty cool. You know, one of the most interesting things that I found in my research was just I mean, I had this this visual in my head. You know? Here you are, a young woman, you know, waiting tables, learning English, trying to survive, and somehow you still graduate at the top of your dental school class. And, you know, it made me think about, like, that whole process and, like, what you learned about kind of, you know, I guess, getting through hard times, getting through struggles. But then, like, what what did it teach about yourself? What did it teach you about, like, kind of others who didn't have to struggle the way that you did? Oof. Well, this was hard because it separated me from those kids.

15:44Mhmm. Yeah. I I grew up with not a lot of friends because I couldn't be on the same wave as they are. Like, a lot of kids in dental school, I went to private school, were very privileged. Their parents are dentists. Their grandparents are dentists. Yeah. And that's why I become a dentist. So I was always felt like outcast. Like, they are dentists because their family are dentists, and I am because I actually experienced horrific times with dentistry. So I wanted to be one who provides good for people. Yeah. So that outcast me in that sense, and it was difficult because I did not grow up with privileges like that, and I had to earn everything. And this was the hard one. Yeah. Yeah. That was the hard one. That that separated me, and I couldn't do anything about it.

16:33This is just how my life is. I would not change it for anything. Yeah. I I learned a lot about myself years later. But, yeah, that's how it kind of came up. That's pretty cool. You know, I mean, not many people can relate to that. You know, we all have our own challenges and struggles. You know, we're all humans and nobody has, like, the perfect life or the perfect experience. And our experiences are our experiences. But every one of those experiences helps mold us into the person that we are today. And so it's it's really, I think, interesting for myself and anybody else who didn't have that kind of background to to look at that. And I think that it's very inspiring to others because if you could overcome all of those things, you know, to get to to where where you built this amazing practice and where you are today, I mean, if it may it should make people feel like anything's possible.

17:23Right? Yes. Yes. I didn't even ask for it. I'm always I I pray a lot, and I talk to God sometimes. I'm like, look. I didn't even imagine myself in this place right now. I didn't even ask for it. All I asked, I wanna have a a better stable job, an American dream house, a car, food on the table, money to travel. Never asked for practice and being a millionaire or anything like that. Not even crossed my mind. Yeah. So it bore it blows my mind where you can come from and where you can achieve just by simply believing and not being your own naysayer. Mhmm. And yeah. That's that's awesome. You know, when I look at what you built, you know, this incredible endodontic practice and, you know, how success you've been, It's cool.

18:06But what really struck me in my research was, like, reading like, what your patients say about you and, you know, like, how you turned this terrifying experience into a calming one and everything. You know, when when you were designing your practice, I mean, what what kind of experience you were trying to create that just you felt like didn't exist anywhere else? So my first associate was in a large group practice, endodontic practice. And it was just a high turnover, lots of patients. Yeah. And they had multiple locations. So it's very little quality type, small feel in each practice, and I felt, like, unheard. Yeah. And I realized when I got my first associate position that I'm the worst employee because don't tell me what to do.

18:51I had I was very opinionated. So I'm like, I'm gonna get fired from here about a year from now. So I use this as a platform platform Mhmm. To just learn the ropes of the business. Yeah. And kind of crossed my mind that I want to be my own owner because it's hard for me to take orders from other people when especially when I don't agree on systems. Oh, I can relate. And I feel the same way. Yeah. So I'm and I decided to take a leap and open my practice. The opportunity came to move to Austin, and, this was dream come true. And I wanted to create a practice that is very boutique, nothing to do with volume even though I treat a lot of patients. But, it's boutique spa like environment. Patients don't smell anything dental.

19:40They come in. They're like, is this a dental office? This is what literally patients say when they come in. Amazing. Yeah. Because root canals are scary. And what what patients, I think, they drawn to me, it's a word-of-mouth for sure. Mhmm. I know what they're going through. This is the difference. A lot of endodontists and dentists, some of them don't even have cavities, and they doctors. They practice. I never even had a root canal done in my life. Yeah. They just don't. I'm I'm one of those people. I I And that's a blessing. Small buccal pit composite on number 31 that was done in dental school, but it never had a bad experience growing up. Yeah. And and that's a blessing. I mean, I wish it it was my situation.

20:21Mhmm. But and you have to use your situation to, you know, create a purpose out of it. So Absolutely. With my patients, I tell them, I know exactly what you feel. I know how this pain feels because I I had it. And they feel connected to me. It's different. Yeah. I have so many patients who have fearful PTSD, all kinds of things. When I walk in the room Mhmm. I own that space. Yeah. And they feel it. They feel the confidence. They feel that I will take care of them and protect them. Mhmm. And that's how the practice was born. So Dang. That it's so that's so interesting. And, you know, you hit the nail on the head. Like, people who haven't had those experiences don't necessarily understand or they can't empathize the way that you can because of all the things that that you went through as a child, teenager, and probably even in your early twenties, you know, just having had that history of of dental pain and and issues and all that sort of thing.

21:17But, you know, I I guess what always strikes me, just thinking about endodontists in general, you're seeing people usually for the first time, and they're having, like, one of the worst days of their year, if not their entire life because that pain is so just mind numbing.

21:32You know, how does that that the reality of that situation, your experience, like, impact how, like, you lead your team and how you guys care for people? That took a while to establish. So I used to do everything in my practice. I was, like, clawed in into every single system and control. I built it. It's my baby. Yeah. Right. Right. Talk talking about the person who never had anything and suddenly has this now, so this was my everything. And I trained all my staff, and we finally have this the team right now that's just so well together like an old machine. But it took a long time to get them on board. Yeah. And a lot of systems, a lot of, repetitions, consistency. Mhmm. But they all patients walk out. They're like, wow.

22:22I've never seen this before. Read my reviews. I mean, this is that's what patients is those are true organic reviews. Yeah. Never seen a team like that before. Yeah. But it came at the cost. And I kind of never downgraded myself. I I wanted to achieve that level. I'm like, we're number one in the dentist in Austin, not because I have high ego or anything like that, but because I want people to get treatment here because I know they're gonna be well taken care of. So that's kind of the practice was born. And, yeah, train the entire team to be on board. Well, you know, what you described in terms of sort of the the general vibe of the practice, you walk in and everything. I mean, we've both seen a lot of cosmetic practices that are kind of like that.

23:04You know, the sort of boutiques thingy walk in and it doesn't seem like a dental practice and everybody's happy and all that sort of thing. Yeah. But I have to admit, this is the first time I've ever heard of that in an endodontic practice. I think that's amazing. Everybody should be doing this. Right? Yes. I mean, it's and, you know, endodontics is mostly when people promote endodontics. Endodontics is such a specialty. Boring. Right? It's a boring specialty. Kind of. And I didn't want it to be like that. I wanted to make it special. We're gonna be different from everybody else. Yeah. And in in terms of we're not just high-tech office. This anybody can have a high-tech equipment. Yeah. We are people that treat other people at elite level.

23:45And I travel a lot in the last few years, and I like luxury. Yeah. And what I do You and me both. I can relate. Every time I go to luxury hotels, I bring so many tips for my practice. I'm like, look, guys. We're doing this now because they're doing it. Yes. Yes. That's brilliant. We we constantly on the go. They're like, okay. Here she goes again. She's bringing something new. We're always revolving. I want this for my patients. I want them to be treated differently. Implement this now. So we're always at the lead level. Yeah. Well, that's really cool. And and, you know, you you struck on something just a minute ago that that really resonated with me because I know when I was a a young dentist, new practice owner, I micromanaged everything because I was like, man, this is my vision.

24:30Nobody else understands it. I'm the only one who can make it happen and all that sort of thing. But my life changed significantly once I was able to start delegating a little bit. Now you've created a business where, you know, on three days a week and especially practice, you can earn a really good living, provide great care, provide a great workspace for your for your team. But, like, what had to change for you to actually pull all of that off? You know? I mean, what did you have to stop doing? What did you have to start delegating? And and did you have beliefs that had to change as well? Everything. Exactly what you just said. My entire identity had to be shifted into a new version of Yulia. Yeah. So what happened with me after three years of running a practice, three or four years, I started to lose sense of who who I am.

25:15Mhmm. My life was all about earning income and money because I grew up poor. Guess guess why? So money was and financial security was the most important in my life because I thought if I earn a lot of money, I will be happy. Yeah. And I used to even I would had I would had nyanis for my children since they were born. I would be at work eight to six. My nyanis will take my kids to practices or school events. Mommy will not be there. Yeah. So when my kids were gosh. My thing is a six and three years old. I was also in a relationship long term relationship with the the person we were engaged. This was very difficult relationship, very toxic one. So while I was in my practice, running my practice and, thankfully, I had to walk away and break the engagement and really realize that not only I was toxic in my practice by only focusing on practice itself, like, as the main goal in life, it was also toxic relationship that poisoned me internally.

26:22Mhmm. So I was broken on all levels and not just staying busy. Mhmm. And here was I, single mom with two kids, practice, burnt out personally and professionally, and not knowing who I am. And I had all the money in the world, no debt, do whatever you want, pretty, having beautiful physique, but I am depressed, and I don't wanna leave anymore. This was my life. Wow. And yeah. And if you look at it, other people will look at me and say, she has everything. Why she is not happy? Yeah. Well, I had to hire a coach to help me to dig why I am feeling this way. I have to pay money for that. This is sounds crazy, but I needed that help from the side. Oh, it's not crazy. I mean, I think that so many dentists come go through similar for different reasons, but similar For different reasons.

27:15Feelings and transitions and and challenges that I think are really endemic in our in our industry, unfortunately. Right. And so what happened is with with the coach, we had to dig the old patterns, why I felt this way Mhmm. Why I was such a no workaholic, and shift a lots of take off this old skins from me that I acquired over my entire life, you know, and then uncover this Yulia who is this true person inside and what's her purpose is.

27:46So I got better. I got repaired my relationship with my father, which helped a lot. Good. I call my father weekly now, and I'm going to see him soon. Oh, boy. For the first time in twenty years. Oh my gosh. That's a big deal. Yes. And I repaired my relationship with my mom because I think it's it's truly important when you're well with your parents and with my children. I I I fired all the niannis. I said, you know what? We're gonna do it differently this time because time is your worst enemy. Mhmm. And for a woman, this is very different. We build differently than men. Of course. A man is go getter, achiever, producer, and you thrive in this environment. This is you. But for a woman, a balance, that's how she stays healthy.

28:33Mhmm. A balance. She is different. And I was operating like a man this entire time. And that's what burned me out. I wanted that girl back. Yeah. You know, it it's interesting, Julia, because, I mean, I think, obviously, men and women, we're different. We have different paths. We have different mindsets. You know? Traditionally, this this is this role. This is that role. But so many people, like, break that mold. You know? And then and you did. You took on that sort of driver mentality and achievement and all the the things that that you see as more, like, male character character traits, especially because of the way that you grew up in the society that you are part of. But I I think that that those things are true of a lot of men too, you know, in dentistry.

29:15And and I do think that we tend to, you know, try to be that provider and do all those things. But but I would argue that we need that life balance in the same way. And I've been guilty of that too. My career, I've been so focused at different times where I didn't have time for anything else. You know? When I get home after a long day and I've had 30 or 40 conversations and I just don't wanna have another one. You know? And I look back and I think about all those moments that I missed, you know, all the little things. You know? I was always there for the big things, but sometimes it's the little things that impact your kids the most. You know? Whether it's, you know, delegating some things to a nanny or whatever or I'm not driving them to different events.

29:55But but did you feel that way a little bit too? Was there a realization at some point that, wow. I missed out on a lot of stuff, and I wanna change that. Yeah. Yeah. I was I was living with all this mom's guilt this entire time until I when I realized that I lost all these years with my babies. Mhmm. And that nannies raised them, and some nannies were bad. They were not good. And my baby soaked up on all of that. It will affect them later in life. I know that. And that guilt was killing me inside. Mhmm. I felt like, man, I have maybe three three or four more years when they become teenagers. I'm gonna lose them. Yeah. Because that connection when you have in the first six, seven years of their life, if you lose this connection, it's very hard to get it back.

30:40Yeah. And I don't wanna I don't wanna have all this money. I don't really give a damn about this practice when my kids don't come home and they don't love me. Yeah. You know? Yeah. So that's what started to matter to me. I changed the way I speak to them. I started to go to all their events in school. Before I would say, nobody, I have a root canal. I know you guys have a career day, but I have a root canal on my schedule. And this is more important than your career day. Mhmm. And my kids, they even though they're little, they soak up on that. And then they say, well, I'm not important to my mom. Her root canal is more important. Yeah. And that's what took me a long time to really change this workaholic UE identity operating at the poverty mindset versus the abundance mindset.

31:29Amazing. You know, when you look at that, like, you achieved everything, you know, that you thought you wanted. I mean, from awards, recognition, financial success, but but you still weren't happy. And I do think that a lot of dentists kinda fall into similar categories as high achievers. But, like, I mean, you've already said, like, you weren't burned out necessarily because of the work. You were burned out because you feel like you, like, built the wrong life. I mean, what was the moment? What was that moment that sort of changed everything if you could remember back to that that that day or that week or that month? Well, I like what you just said. I was not burned out from dentistry because a lot of people think they burned out from dentistry.

32:08Yeah. They do. I love dentistry. Mhmm. I can do it in my sleep. I can do it, like, for free if I could. Yeah. That's a true passion. Hey. For some people, it may be not because they may wait for wrong reasons to become a dentist. So they can be burned out like that. Sure. And that's different. But for me, I love it, and I'm super grateful. But I think what started to change for me is I got practice consultant to help me because I was like, look. I'm so unhappy. I'm controlling every single thing in my practice. I'm exhausted. I want a little time off my shoulders. Mhmm. So after watching them for one year, I finally decided to sign a contract with them. And they came in and started to dig in my schedule, how I work.

32:51And they helped me to kind of change my mindset in terms of, look. You gotta stop working five days a week. This is the first rule. This is the first rule. We need to give you more time to take care of yourself and your children. And I was arguing with them for probably six months. Oh my gosh. That's wild. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you were open. You were open. But then when they told you things you didn't wanna hear that you didn't agree with, you're like, wait a minute. Why am I spending this money on you guys? You're this isn't right. Right. And, it was So funny. I I was, and they're like, just try. Just take one day off your schedule. Let's just try. Let's instead of five days, cut it to four. I'm like, but I'm gonna lose all this money not working this day a year.

33:35They said, that's okay, but it's mandatory. They they told me I have a mandatory assignment to take four vacations a year. Good for you. Good for I couldn't even take one. I was so guilty. And I'm like, four. Four weeks out. I'm like, no. And, you know, they made me do that. My first vacation, went on my fourth birthday. We went to Bahamas. I was crying every day. I was calling my practice manager every day. Yeah. And I was like, I cannot believe I'm here and not working. I could not rest my mind. That was my first time off. Mhmm. Then I realized something's definitely wrong with me because other people are enjoying it, taking time off and travel, and I can't do that. So Yeah. Those shifts started to happen very, very slowly.

34:25I hired an associates to replace me, and to kind of help me with the practice so I can cut that day off. Yeah. And then I really started to see shifts happening Cool. When I had that help. So then I cut to three days, and I'm happy working three days. I could work four. It's very easy to go back to old identity if I let her in. But it's I I gotta say, I think a lot of dentists go through that as well, you know, like, wanting to be successful. And then they're making good living, and it's like, oh my god. If I, like, cut back at all, like, I'm gonna lose all these things and blah blah blah blah blah. And I think a lot feel like they can't take the time away because it's gonna cost them that much more. I I can say from my experience, when I made that decision early in my career, it it changed a lot of things.

35:12One of the things that changed though was I came into the office, like, feeling more energized. Like, if I had a three day weekend, I came in on Monday morning, like, ready. I was ready to be there. I was excited to be there more than I was when I was working five days a week. And I can say this. Every time I cut back a half a day or a day, my production actually went up because I worked more efficiently. The team worked more efficiently, and we took advantage of, like, all of the time. We weren't wasting time. It was amazing. I thought it was like magic. And then, you know, the notion that, like, you can't take time off, well, that's the same thing. It's like when you take a week to go and recharge and just, like, come back refreshed and renewed and energized, it it makes all the difference, doesn't it?

35:54It does. Well, my team, you know, they're happy to see me there three days. Then I'll tell you they don't wanna see me five days a week. Yeah. They like my associate doctor more than me, which is great. I'm happy about that. But I'll I'll tell you this, though. What I realized after doing all of this slowly over the period of the last three years, May taking more time off and, started to travel for the first time. I never traveled anywhere, up until that moment. I realized, gosh. This is life. We building a business to support the life that we actually want. Yes. Because I became a prisoner in my practice. It became my cage and escape from the life that I never even kind of had. Do do you see what I mean? I do.

36:39Like, I was hiding in there. Yeah. Would I would come to my practice, and I will say, I feel so at peace here. Kids are not here. Nobody's here. I really love being here. It's so peaceful. But then I go home, and I I'm angry at my children. Mhmm. They irritate me because I'm I I don't exist in my own home. I don't have this this other identity, the one you're supposed to have. I am only doctor Yulia. Yeah. And I'm like, what happen if I lose that? Yeah. If you take my practice away from me, if you take my title, who am I? Yeah. That's so important. That's so important. I think that when your identity is too dependent upon one thing, if that's taken away from us, like, what what's left? Right. It's a really big deal.

37:27So I I want you to describe two women for me. I want you to describe that woman who is building this business and the woman who's sitting here today. Like, how are they different? I mean, how do they start their mornings to find success and, and how do they spend their time? So the woman who's building the business. So the the old Yulia who got me to this point, I love her so much. She was amazing. She's a hard worker. You know? Got through all this forty years and, built all of that. But at that point, for some reason, forty was the cutoff, line. It was very interesting. She had to go. And I because what got me to that point with this person, I would not be able to go further, if that makes any sense. It does make sense.

38:14Yes. I had to shift. I have to I have to drop old identities and shift my mind to bigger things. Mhmm. So when I I cut my days off work and started to work less, I had room to think about other things. What else I can do? What I really truly enjoy? And started to really enjoy fitness. I believe that I'm always been fit and taking care of myself, but not to the extremes of what I do now. Because I realized, hey. You know, we can have 20 problems in life every day. Mhmm. But when your health is down, you have no problems but one problem. Yeah. And you gotta take care of yourself. And I'm really big on this right now, trying to prolong the longevity, reverse the clock as much as I can, and give my knowledge to other women because I see what's happening.

39:09I see the women, how they're struggling, how they're aging. Yeah. People look at me you know, I changed my hair. I don't know if you knew me as a blonde, but you probably see it on pictures. Mhmm. I changed my hair because it was, that shift that happened with identities. It was very funny. I tell this to people they don't understand. But when you lose the old yourself, even my hair had to go. I I was so crazy. I was like, I gotta go back to brown because that's how I was born. So I probably strayed away from your question. No. No. No. I I love it. I mean, I think that that gives that puts a lot of, I think, emotion and color into the conversation, and and it is. I mean, you left you left the old Iliad behind and became this new version of yourself with all of the strengths that you had for those first forty years, but with a new perspective that, you know, gives you a better life today, a lot of hope for the future, and the ability and opportunity to help other female dentists accomplish these same types of things.

40:17And I think that that's a I guess a story that everybody should know. And one of the things that that we suffer from, I think, Yulia, is feeling like we're alone on an island. I'm the only one who's feeling this way. I'm the only one who's going through these things. I'm the only one who, like, got all of the success, and now I'm feeling like, was it really worth it? And so for you to share your story and then it'd be help helping other dentists get through these same challenges, I mean, it's a gift it's a gift for you to be able to do that, but it's a gift to the dentists you serve to receive from you.

40:50Yes. Thank you. Yes. When I when I talk to women, like, either on Clarity Calls or whatever, even in just conversations, every single woman suffers from some kind of trap in the career.

41:04And it's sad because it is fixable, but it's an it's a difficult road. It's not that easy. I think this is the hardest part to really let go of being constantly on the go and a mom and always controlling everything Yeah. And creating this balance. It was very hard for me, but it's it opened up lots of doors, and I never even knew I would be in this position right now. I mean, Jim, think about it. In the last two years, I traveled to 12 countries with my children. Yeah. Never traveled anywhere. Oh my gosh. They're so fortunate. Yeah. Yes. They are fortunate. I tell them you guys are still, like, in 12 countries and almost 19 cities. I mean so and I I never thought I would be able to do that, and it opened up the whole world to me.

41:49I'm like Mhmm. Wow. This is what we're supposed to do. You you design a life how you want, what you want, envision it, and then let your business support it. Yeah. Because time is your worst enemy. I mean, you don't know if you're gonna be here tomorrow. Yeah. Yeah. You don't know. You know, it it's so interesting. I think that so many of us dentists have it backwards. Backwards. And And I I had I was the same way for a long time in my career. It's like you take, like, one more production goal or, you know, another associate or another location. All these, like, business goals are gonna get you to where you wanna go. And I think that, unfortunately, a lot of us got that backwards. You know? And in your case, you realized it at the right moment, you know, with, you know, half a life ahead of you still.

42:34And and like you said, you know, you gotta you gotta organize your professional life to set your you up for the personal life that you wanna live. Right. And I was one of those people who wanted multiple locations. Yeah. Hey. I don't know what's the future holds. Yeah. Who knows? But when I have right now the practice, the model, and set up that I'm happy with. My practice is still growing, and it still can, support, more people than there is right now. So it's just stop. What what what I learned about myself is I was trying to copy blueprints of other people. Yeah. And, hey, if if guy down the street has three locations, I need to open two more. Yeah. Right? This was me. I was a I was a go getter. I'm like, I I was a gold digger.

43:16Like, he he's done this. I wanna do the same. Mhmm. And I stopped all of that because that's so toxic. You're never gonna be able to catch up with anybody. Yeah. You just have to be the best version of yourself. And, you know, again, whether it's one practice or a 100 practices, it's just gotta, like like, fuel your sense that you're creating value for other people and that you have the the freedom in your personal life to, you know, live it the way that you want to.

43:42And, you know, people in dentistry, they don't talk enough about the kind of the the cost of success sometimes. Yeah. And we'll we'll go back to this example. Like, at professional meetings, I sit a lot of in in some private groups. Mhmm. It worked. Let's just bring it up, some endodontists. Mhmm. And it blows my mind, and it makes me very sad. And that's kind of why I started with this fitness thing Mhmm. Not just for women, but men as well Mhmm. That people focus on production numbers and how many root canals I can complete today and things like that. Yeah. Whatever. All that is important. We know that. But then I look at the person. I'm like, the guy hasn't been in the gym in a year. Mhmm. And I'm like, look.

44:21You know, forget about all of that. None of that matters. Let's start taking care of you. So that's kind of how I started with all of this in or, with fitness and health and nutrition because it makes people retire early. They have bad backs, bad necks. Yeah. They sell their practices because they can't operate. You say that, I think about my neck and my shoulders and my everything that's, like, sore right now. I know. Reminded me. Hey. You know? And and that's important. Nothing else matters. No money in the world if you if your health struggles. Yeah. That's else matters. Yeah. So, you know, it's it's interesting. As I was preparing for this, there there was something I kept thinking about. You know, like, we all spend certain parts of our lives pretending not to know something about ourselves until, like, life forces us to actually face it.

45:14So if you were to, like, look back at that 19 year old who left Russia, you know, what were you pretending not to know about yourself at 19? Oh, that's a good question. No. No. I mean, that girl had a lot of grit. Mhmm. But I never knew she would be capable of what she is right now. Mhmm. I never even envisioned it. It it's a gift, and I'm very grateful for that where I am right now. But never planned on it. Yeah. I just wanted a better life and support my mom and my family and live well. I love it. I love it. And and, you know, again, going back to that leap of faith with without really knowing anything or what you're going to be doing or who you were going to meet and all those things. Like, you took that leap of faith.

46:00And, you know, I really I respect that. Yeah. God arranged a lot of good people on my path. That's all I can say. I was helped a lot. I don't consider myself self made because so many people helped me on the way. Out of nowhere, like, literally, out of nowhere, people will pop up and help me. Yeah. And that's that's amazing. And I'm I'm grateful for that. Those are like the angels, the angel moments, the angels in your life who just appear right when you need them most. And if you if you listen to them and if you, you know, take advice from people who have either been where you are and got to where you wanna go or, you know, just I like to surround myself with people I consider smarter than me.

46:42I like to be in in groups or in rooms where I know the people I'm spending my time with are going to help me learn and grow and be a better version of myself. Right. And not just smarter, inspiring people with good stories. Yeah. Exactly. So going back to, like, your lowest point, you know, like, when you came to this realization about burnout, like, what did it actually look like for you? I mean, were you sleeping well? Were you exercising? Do you feel like when you were with your boys, like, were present? I mean, what was really happening at that point in your life? The burnout, it was complete absence when I was with my children. I would think about business the entire time even when I put them to bed.

47:22Mhmm. I would read with them a book, but I will think about my practice schedule tomorrow. That was that was it. And I was already single mom back then and well, I was a single mom. But the the personal relationship that I went through with a narcissistic, fiance, this was completely ruined me internally too that I had to heal from. Mhmm. But I would say at least, you know, 70% of the nights I cried in, in my closet with closed door because I didn't wanna do anything. I'm like, I hate this. It's hard. Nobody's helping me. I'm alone. So that was the burnout. This this this was it. I I lost myself until I started to read and understand that you have to become aware of who you are. I started to meditate and help me to find that little inner myself Mhmm.

48:14That's like, wow. That's different. And disconnect myself from business when I'm with my children. Mhmm. When I go on vacation, I block my phone so nobody calls me. And those things kind of the boundaries that I started to create that really helped me. Wow. That's that's remarkable. And I mean, I can relate to all of that, you know, from when I was a young dentist. And and even it's kinda creeping into my life right now, you know, with everything that I'm doing and building. And it's a a really good reminder that that you can't lose yourself in the process of building something, and you can't lose the relationship with the people that are most important in your life. Because so often, we use that as a justification.

48:51It's like, I'm doing all this for my family. I want them to have the best of everything, the best life and everything. But at the end of the day, you know, I I I don't remember who said it, and it's probably been said by a lot of people. But, you know, kids spell love, t I m e. You know? And beyond just the time, it's it's that focus and not, like, being somewhere else in in your mind Mhmm. While you are with them. Yeah. Exactly. And you know what hit me? I know it's kinda funny to even mention it. This was just a just a few months ago because I constantly wake have this wake up calls of what really matters in life. My 12 year old, I was always but he he just had braces off braces removed. Yeah. But when he had braces, I was always brushing his teeth every evening because I care so much.

49:36I don't want him to ever have cavities. Right. And when I was brushing his teeth, I saw mustard. He's 12 for the first time started to emerge. And I'm brushing his teeth, and I started to cry. I'm like, that's my little boy. And now he has mustard. Oh my god. Where did he go? Yeah. And, you know, I I'm still sometimes to feel this cycles of guilt coming on Mhmm. Because I lost all those little moments when he was little. Yeah. And those are little wake up calls. This is what matters. Yeah. That's right. And and, you know, I I think as parents, we all worry about those things. We all look back on things that we maybe could have done better, whatever. And here here's what I've learned and and what I think my kids have occasionally reinforced.

50:21Is, like, you do the best that you can with with what you have at different stages of life. And, you know, none of us have, like, a manual for how to be the best parent we can be and all that sort of thing. And we just we do the best that we can. And but it's always interesting as we learn and grow and mature, our perspective changes. It's like, oh, man. You know, if I could go back twenty years, I would have done things like this or whatever. Mhmm. But but, you know, having those kinds of realizations, I think, is really important to, you know, service in the present and in the future. Right? Mhmm. Yes. Presence for sure. And, you know, designing a practice, if I if I would do it again, I would have a different mindset.

51:03Mhmm. We in the dentistry, we have beautiful career aside from medicine and physicians because it's a very different different ballgame. Mhmm. What we have, we have freedom to design however we want that practice to be to support the life that we want. Yeah. And we lost it. A lot of a lot of us lose it. When we open practices, we lose it. We just focus on the business and copying what other people doing down the road so we catch up with them. Mhmm. Well, not realizing that they may be struggling and not happy also. Yeah. So I think it's very important for everyone when they build the practice or to create it for the life that they want for themselves and not to look at others. Yeah. That's kind of how I how I started.

51:51Yeah. You know, for for Dennis watching this right now, like, it you know, a lot of them very successful, respected, but just, like, exhausted every single day. Like, what are the first warning signs that they're, you know, just not on the right path? Well, may not somebody not gonna like that or agree with that. Always look at their physique first. This is how I look at my at my clients too. Mhmm. I'm like, let's say where you stand. You know, I I always start with the body. Like it or not, this is me. And that's why people choose me because at the end of the day, if your foundation is broken and weak and soft, I'm sorry. I cannot help your practice. I just can't. Wow. Interesting. So you go right to the core of it.

52:40And so, like core of it. Your your identity and how you see yourself and how you respect yourself are things that are necessities when it comes to, you know, moving forward professionally. Correct. I had an endodontist came to me and said, fix my practice. I need to see more patients. I'm struggling. I don't have enough referrals. And I looked at her, you know, hadn't worked out in an entire life probably and bad diet and bad habits. I'm like, look. I'm gonna start with your body if you want and and if that's what you wanna do, and she's she she left me. She that's not what she wanted to do. But I'm like, I can't help you practice to grow if you put yourself last. And that's where we started. That's because that's how I live my life.

53:24Yeah. So how I live my life, this is what I teach and preach every day. That's really powerful. I love that. And I I agree with it wholeheartedly. You know? It my mastermind is is really predicated on that. It's like identity, mindset, leadership. Those are kind of the foundations for everything else that we wanna build with our with our businesses or our lives. And if you're completely out of balance, if you've lost your health, if you've lost that sense that I have to come first, you know Right. Then everything else is really gonna suffer as a result. Right. Yeah. It's just like the same thing when, you know, when you're choosing a doctor. When you go to a doctor Mhmm. And you have a problem, you like, you look at your doctor.

54:05Right? How the doctor looks. Maybe I do. I do. Maybe I am superficial, but I do because it shows me his habits that he his habits daily. It shows me how he lives his life. How can he make a medical advice to me to stay healthy when he himself, you know, out of shape? It's just it it's backwards. It it is. You know, I have a perfect example of that. When I when I was going through a really hard time six, seven or five or six years ago, I remember I went to a new doctor, and he I remember, like, my numbers weren't good. But this is how he framed it. He was very overweight. And I think I was drinking too much, just a lot of things. I wasn't doing well. And no you know what he said? He said, well, my numbers are worse than that.

54:49Just I don't worry about it. You're fine. Like, stuff like that. Or, oh, well, you know, I probably drink more than that, so I I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm thinking to myself, what the hell? Wait. Is this my path? Like, you want me to look like you? You want me to be, like, at your level of health? And that's when I knew I need to go somewhere else. Yeah. Yeah. And that's and that's everywhere. That's everywhere. It is. But, and the same thing comes to dentistry with your patients. When my patients come Yeah. And I wear a low low low cut scrub with showing my biceps, they look at me. They are they trust me differently. Yes. This girl is disciplined, look good, healthy. I want her to treat me. They I mean, trust me and believe me.

55:31Patients see all of that. They're very visual. Yeah. And they pay attention to those things and how the doctor looks, how she presents herself. And I I think that's what also helped me to build practice. My patients, they they like to be near my in my in my space. Mhmm. Well, yeah. Absolutely. I mean, how you present yourself, people people have a, like, a snap decision about, like, how you then treat your life, your practice, and your patients. If your attention to detail is is that, like, on point with regard to your own personal health and appearance, well, by god, it it it whether they think about it or not, it it it becomes obvious to them that I think they're in the right place.

56:18Right. So, you know, everybody wants freedom, but, like, I think people have a hard time, like, actually defining, like, what freedom is. But for you, you know, at this stage of your life, what does freedom really look like? Freedom I would say being debt free, for sure. Financial freedom. Mhmm. Very important. I would start there as a number one pillar for me. Mhmm. And also freedom to live the life I want without circumstances dictating Mhmm. How I want to live it. Be able to make decisions and not that's that are not affected by financial core, if that makes any sense. It does make sense. Yeah. Kind of, I would you have to get to that point to achieve this, though. Mhmm. I would say becoming a millionaire, becoming financially free Mhmm.

57:08And be able to support yourself and your children as a woman is critical. So and because then you can make choices for your life that are not affected by other people's visions and decisions. Wow. That's that's really I like that a lot. I like that a lot. And, you know, for me, it almost morphs into, like, being able to do what you want, when you want, and with whom you want. And and is that part of your experience? Yeah. Perfectly said. Oh, that's cool. And, yeah, I mean, so much of that is about the financial freedom and, you know, having a business that where you don't have to be there all the time. You have other people to whom you've delegated who have a sense of ownership and leadership in in the in how it runs.

57:50Right? Yes. That's that's really important for a business owner. I never thought I would be able to achieve that point until I actually got to that point. Mhmm. But be able to leave the country for a couple of weeks Mhmm. And know that your practice is well taken care of, that's true freedom for a business owner. Yeah. No. Absolutely. I mean, I I always say that if you have to be there every day to run the practice practice and do all the things, like, you have a you have, like, a a job. You don't have a business. You know? A business is something that should, to some degree, run on its own with you as the leader, but you don't have to be the engineer every single day. And you don't have to manage everybody every single day for sure.

58:34So It's it's an it's an art for sure. One thing I've learned, you know, just watching on social media over the past couple of years is, I mean, you you've truly and and maybe it wasn't your intention initially, but but you've become a real voice for female dentists. You know what I mean? Like, why? Like, what did you see in the profession, the industry that you felt needed to be discussed or that that wasn't being discussed? How did that conversation start? It it started when because I I had to help myself first. It started with my personal coaching journey. Mhmm. I had two coaches with whom I worked. And at some point, I start to realize that, hey. My my story is could be my path. I had to go through all of that, to burn out, to get through all the struggles in order to help other women who are in this situation right now.

59:24Mhmm. I don't need to do this. I'm well well now. It it's not like I I need extra income or anything like that. I that's not what I do this for. Yeah. What I do this for is that my one of my coaches told me, she said, you have to speak because it is a a crime if you don't tell your story. You have to talk. And when she heard my story, what I went through, she made me kind of do that. She said, you have to talk. And I'm like, I don't know. My story is not that special. And she really pushed me pushed me toward that, and it's kinda how it was born. Yeah. And once I started talking and speaking, people start drawing to me. Look. Look. This is what I feel too. Mhmm. I feel exactly the same. It's like you're speaking to me.

1:00:08Yeah. And I realized there's so many of them, and they need help. And they need this camaraderie. Dentistry is a very lonely profession. And when you are a business owner, it's even lonelier. Mhmm. And, you know, we need this kind of teams and master groups to support each other. Mhmm. And that's how it was born. And, I love doing it because I have text messages daily on my Instagram. Oh my god. This is me. Like, things like that. Thank you for inspiring me. Yes. That's really great. You know, when you can share your own personal journey, I mean, it makes you very relatable, and it gives people hope. It's like, wow. She did this. Well, I can do this. Well, maybe I should talk to her because she can, you know, hold my hand as I go through this process.

1:00:54Jim, when I have girls, women, business owners on calls, they cry the entire hour. Yeah. That tells you how much trauma is there. Yeah. I mean, bowling on the screen. Yeah. Have everything. Practice kids, husband, homes. Completely unhappy. Cried the entire hour. I mean, That's that's remarkable. And, you know, like, if that woman is watching, like, right now, you know, she's successful. Everybody's like, oh, you're doing great. But, like, inside, she's just miserable, and nobody even knows. Like, what's the first conversation she needs to have with herself? What does she really want? What's the the baby girl of her? What does she really want? Yeah. Before she became this practice owner Mhmm. Before she got into dental school, what did she really want?

1:01:41Because a lot of them are disconnected, completely disconnected. She needs to go back to that little girl and uncover all those all those dreams and visions. Gosh. I I love that. I mean, that that's such a perspective shift that some of us have a hard time with because we're so buried in what we're doing today that it's hard to look back and imagine that that little girl or that little boy, isn't it?

1:02:05Yes. Yeah. It is. It is. That's the hardest part. Yeah. Absolutely. Well, you have a perspective that's super valuable, and I think you having had having gone through that experience. I I think it may it's it's going to make a lot more dentists feel comfortable, you know, and be able to share with you their story because you've been so transparent and authentic about your own story. Yes. Yeah. So you have to do it. Yeah. Got it. Yeah. You have to God God gave me this journey, and he wants me to speak up. And that's the voice that I'm carrying. Maybe he's speaking through me to other women. Maybe one message that I will post today will affect that woman's entire life. I'm good with that. That's that's the purpose of it.

1:02:48Oh, I love that. So, like, let look at dental school and all the things that we don't learn. You know? Right. If you had one year with every graduating dentist in America, like, what would you teach them that they didn't learn in dental school? Oh, that's a good question. You know, dental school is a is an interesting place. This is a safe place once they get out. Yeah. It's a real life. But I would tell to graduating students this, not to be afraid and being intimidated by amount of debt they all carry because most of them do, that get yourself in the right environment. Don't listen to naysayers. Set high goals of what you want in life and, travel as much as possible. Don't delay. Life they may not be here in five years.

1:03:33They don't know. Take care of their bodies. Travel. Love your family. Start families. Don't delay things. Don't just think about the career. Career itself will fold into their life beautifully, and they will be a lot more happier and avoid the burnout. That's such good advice. I I wish I wish she had been around when I graduated to give me that advice. You know, I think that the great thing about mentorship coaching, being in a mastermind, being in a community of like minded people going through a lot of the same challenges you are is that you can, like, compress time. You know, not only learn from the successes and the the great decisions we all made, but also learn from some of the mistakes we made, some of the things that we didn't see in the moment that now we see so clearly.

1:04:17Because if people can learn from our challenges or how we overcame them, like, they're going to get to a better place much more quickly than having to muddle through all of those things on their own.

1:04:30Right. Especially now, they're so lucky. We we hadn't had books back then the the way we have them now. Yeah. We didn't have this podcast to listen and all this sea of information. Mhmm. But, you know, don't just sit and listen to all of that. You everybody already has all this knowledge. Apply that in your life. Mhmm. And, you know, simplify things too. Mhmm. But agree on getting in the right room. That is 100% true. Yeah. Like, I changed so changed once I got people training me and coaching me. Mhmm. I never would be sitting here right now if not for those people. Yes. It costs money. Yes. It is expensive. But this is an investment. Stop investing into, you know, CE course on composites. Invest in yourself Yeah. As a leader, and that's when you really grow.

1:05:24Absolutely. You know, there's so much information out there right now. I mean, we're just flooded in information. With AI, it's even more prevalent. We have more information at our fingertips than any of us could possibly absorb. So, like, I talk a lot about how implementation is where the rubber meets the road. And implementation, a lot of times, is really hard on your own without that community or without that coach or without that mentor kind of showing you the path Right. So that you're not zigzagging quite as much as as most of us do. For sure. And coaches are there also to, you know, sometimes kick you in the rear. So my coach, I set some goals. I will just share my my little personal story. And she looked at my goals, and she said, why they're so small?

1:06:05I'm like yeah. And she's like, you're absolutely capable of hitting higher targets than that even though you think they are unrealistic right now. So she would push me to the upper limits, and it's that's what I loved about it. I really realized that she would find my blind spots and, really nudge me to go higher and, move, in a stronger way. So it's important to have those people around you. Yeah. For sure. For sure. Now, like, you're going through this process now, you know, as a coach and a mentor and all that good stuff. When you get, like, to the end of this chapter of your career, like, what do you hope people say about how Yulia, like, changed the industry? What kind of impact do you hope that you have?

1:06:50I want women to look good, number one. Alright. Because those girls we girls deserve it to look good. I want women to less to age less Mhmm. And without helps of Botox and fillers, and that's all possible. Mhmm. This is me, and I'm I'm not lying to you. I'm a pure example of that who takes care of herself. I want the clocks to turn backwards for women. Women thrive and become more happier when they are in their feminine energy, when they feel good about themselves. Mhmm. The it is what it is. And I want them to be connected to their children. I want them to love their husbands, to be connected to their husbands, to minimize the rate of divorces that happen for female dentists because they disconnected. Yeah.

1:07:36If I could achieve that even for small amount of them, I know I'm useful in life, and I know I fulfill my purpose. And that makes me very, very happy. Oh, that's that's wonderful. What a great what a great response. I I love that. And I think I think it's really admirable. And I think that again, I think it's an inspiration to others who, you know, are trying to find their way. You know? And and, yeah, I mean, gosh, when I was in dental school, they said dentistry had the highest substance abuse, divorce, and suicide rate of any profession. And I didn't believe it. Like, how is that even possible? Man, my dentist has this amazing life. Like, how could that even be? And and, you know, it's hard to really imagine that until you're out there and you're facing all the challenges and all of the, I guess, all of the things that nobody can understand without actually going through it.

1:08:23Yeah. Well, I think, Jim, one of the most re like, high one of the most important reasons for that is financial struggles. Dentists, when they start making a lot of money, they start buying things Yeah. Like crazy. And their family and, you know, boats and houses and things, they get into debt really fairly quickly. There's a there was one in the dentist, I would not mention his name, committed suicide from so much debt. And he was mega rich, but so much debt at the same time that killed him. And that's sad to see. And I was still in the residency program when I heard that story, and I I couldn't believe it. My it was like so I set myself a goal to become financially free, not because to be a millionaire Mhmm.

1:09:07But become financially free when I don't have to pay to banks Mhmm. And have, loans. So I think this is number one for dentists and why they a lot of a lot of times why they fall into this trap, financial struggles even though they make a lot of money. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. When you think about your boys, you know, means at some point, they're gonna watch this interview. And so when people describe you as successful, like, what do you hope they understand about, like, what success actually meant to you? Success means to me coming home when my children want me home. Mhmm. And when they call me every day when they're in college Mhmm. That's success to me. That's all. That is all it is. It's my children. It's the people who you love.

1:09:50That's what really matters. Mhmm. It's your inner circle, your mom. When you can call your mom and she does not irritate you. Your relationship with your parents. Your relationship with your parents when everybody's around you and love you, that's that's success. Not the money part. Money part is easy. Anybody can achieve that, but the relationships, the people that you love. Yeah. Good. That that's really good. I mean, I think making that your priority. If that's your guiding light, then you're never gonna go wrong. It is. There's a, one Russian actor, he said and I'm I'm trying to repeat this quote very, closely to what he said. He said, true happiness is when you get up in the morning and excited to go to work.

1:10:36And when your work is done, you're excited to go home. That's true happiness. That's so good. That's so good. Gosh. And I think some dentists are exactly the opposite. All weekend, they dread going back to the office. And it's a really sad thing because dentistry is such a wonderful profession where we can have such a huge impact and create the lives that we want. We just have to be really intentional about how we do that, I think. For sure. Yeah. We're very lucky to be in this profession. Arnold Schwarzenegger said that about 70 to 80% of Americans Yeah. Hate their jobs. That's staggering. It is. Maybe even higher than that. So we're really lucky to be in this if you truly pick this as your purpose and love for for dentistry.

1:11:21Mhmm. And just use it to create the life that you want. Mhmm. Yeah. You know, I read I read somewhere in my research of you, and hopefully this is accurate. But I I think you've said the scary place is where the miracle is waiting. And if you really said that or if you feel that way, like, looking back, like, how much of your journey that you've been on has been strategy, and how much of it has been faith? Yeah. For sure, gotta have a strategy and a plan. Can't just sit and dream about things, and, I'm not sitting and manifesting them by visualizing them all day. Yeah. I work. I Mhmm. Set the goals, and I set them high, and I move myself toward them. Gotta got gotta go and god will meet you in the middle.

1:12:00He will Mhmm. Put the people in front of you, but you gotta show the hard work. And without faith, goodness, I would not even be here. I mean, picture that little girl who sat on that bus with, you know, just one duffel bag and a little bit of money in her pocket. I was going to nowhere into the land of knowing no one and speaking no English. Mhmm. And I that didn't stop me. If that can stop me, I know nothing else can stop me. Amen. It was. It was really all about faith, and and you made it happen. So, you know, when you were leaving, I know you made a promise to your mom, you know, when you were leaving Russia that she would never have to worry about food or money again. Mhmm. Is that is that a promise that you've been able to keep for her?

1:12:42Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Amazing. Yeah. I I brought my mom few years ago, and she's a citizen of United States now. And Really? Oh, I didn't know that. That's amazing. Yes. So she's, several years now in America, and she's an amazing person. She's works with me in my practice, which is a miracle and a gift that I can have my mom right next to me. And, now she wants to become a dental assistant. I mean, who the thought? Oh my gosh. It's crazy. Amazing. I love that. Wow. So, you know, let's let's end where we began. You know, that nineteen year old girl standing in the bus station could see your life today. You know, your practice, your boys, everything that you've built and everything that you're giving to other dentists now.

1:13:32Like, what would she say to you? She would think it's unreal. It's unrealistic. She would not believe that. I'm it it's just the story. It's it's unrealistic. She she would not believe it. Yeah. All that girl wanted is a refrigerator full full of food and drive a car in a small little house in The United States somewhere. That's all she wanted. She just wants stability, but she was gifted so much more beyond beyond her dreams. Wow. Yeah. I'm tell this should be a movie. It it should really be a movie. I I I love it. The story is so is so good. And, you know, it's it's funny just having read the story and now talking to you and having it, like, really come to life. It's it's it's really meaningful. And I I want I want everybody to hear it, and I want everybody to be impacted by it.

1:14:24I wanted to give everybody hope. You know? Because with with a little faith and a great work ethic and prioritizing your life the way that it should be, possible. Anything's possible. For sure. You gotta have faith. That's all it is. So who's Yuya? After all the titles disappear, who are you? Yuya. She's just she's a strong girl. She's a Russian born, and and she's she's here to help other women to find their boys and help them out. You know? That's that's just that's the girl. And she's true to herself. She's I love her. She's awesome. I'm very proud of her. As as well you should be. So I think this I think this conversation is gonna resonate with a lot of people. I really do. And so I appreciate you giving me so much of your time today, your honesty, your vulnerability, and and everything that you shared with us, especially your story.

1:15:21Thank you. That was this was very, special for me, especially at this stage. And, I appreciate all you do, and then you give me opportunity to speak up. Oh, well, the the pleasure has been all of mine, and I I look forward to a long and wonderful friendship with you, really. Thank you so much. No. Absolutely. So to everybody watching and listening today, if this conversation encouraged you, challenged you, or made you think differently in some way, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. So we'll see you again next time for the Foundation Dental podcast. Thank you. This has been the Foundation Dental If this conversation was valuable, share it with a colleague who's building something meaningful.

1:16:03For more leadership resources, visit foundationdentalalliance.com.