148 - Empowering your Career Journey: From Hygienist, to Mom, to Founder: Part 1 with Melissa Turner | Tooth Or Dare Podcast with Toothlife.Irene Tooth or Dare Podcast

Welcome to the 148th episode of the Tooth or Dare Podcast with Irene Iancu (@toothlife.irene) and this week's guest Melissa Turner (@thetoothgirl).
In Part 1 of this interview, we learn about Melissa’s upbringing in rural Pennsylvania and how she started her career as a dental assistant. At her mentor’s suggestion, she decided to become a dental hygienist, which led her down the path to where she is today. Along the way, Melissa got married, moved around frequently, and started a family, but felt she was losing control of her life. Tune in to hear about how she dug herself out - using her experience as a hygienist and passion for the future of dentistry - to retake control of her career. Plus, Melissa reveals a secret that not many people know about!
Melissa Turner:
A 20-year veteran dental hygienist and founder, Melissa K. Turner is a sought-after executive, consultant, dynamic speaker and top millennial content creator. Behind some of the most innovative brands in the industry, she partners with companies of all sizes – from pre-seed startups to billion-dollar international brands – on brand strategy and product growth. Turner’s combined experience behind the scenes in the boardroom, on the frontlines as clinician, and as a public-facing influencer allows her unique insight into future industry trends. She is the founder and founding board member of multiple companies and is referred to as a “fresh force of change”– representing a new generation in dentistry with a focus on transforming the future through innovative technology, inclusion and practitioner wellbeing.
Senior Executive Consultant and Chief Hygiene Officer at Cellerant Consulting Group, Turner leads the Cellerant Best of Class Hygiene Awards. She is a founding board member for the American Mobile & Teledentistry Alliance and cofounder of The Denobi Awards and the National Mobile & Teledentistry Conference. Affectionately known by her influencer handle @thetoothgirl, she is creator of the I Heart Dentistry Network.
Turner’s newest launches include Smile Proud, an advocacy organization built to support current and future LGBTQIA+ dental professionals, as well as I,Woman, a podcast for women founders, executives and entrepreneurs focusing on what it takes to unleash their inner roar in the boardroom, the bedroom and beyond.
For more information and to connect with Melissa, check out her social media profiles:
Instagram: @thetoothgirl
Melissa’s Website: www.MelissaKTurner.com 
If you made it all the way down here, hit a like and share a comment. Until next time, Peace out peeps! ✌️
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