Next Level Dentist

Dr. Richard Low
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Entrepreneurship

“What now? If you’re a dentist who’s "Made It"—more money, patients, and success than you ever dreamed—and you still feel empty… or if you’ve hit the wall with stress and burnout… this podcast is for you. Real stories. Raw conversations. No fluff. This is the Next Level Dentist podcast. Stories from dentists who’ve faced the crash, chased success, and asked what’s next—and found answers in their health, marriage, practice, and purpose. I’m Dr. Richard Low—founder of Shared Practices, the #1 rated dental podcast with over 3 million downloads, and ex-CEO of a 35-office group. I’ve lived both the success and the breakdown. This podcast is about the next level beyond both.

  1. 6d ago

    Running a Dental Practice is Hard Until You Focus on These 5 Tasks

    👉 Free training for dentists who want a "true sub-12% body fat abs", despite the stress and lack of time: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Limited Spots - 6 per month DM me RIP6 on IG - instagram.com/dr.richard.low/ After serving as CEO and partner across nearly 60 dental offices, I’ve learned that the lessons that sound obvious at first become much more valuable after you’ve paid for the mistakes. I’m Dr. Richard Low: - Dentist & former CEO of 35 dental practices - Founder of the #1 rated practice‑ownership podcast in dentistry - Burned out, rebuilt my life around faith, family, and fitness - Now coaching 50+ male practice‑owner dentists inside Next Level Fathers to lose weight, reconnect with God, and lead better at home In this video, I share five business lessons I wish I understood 10 years ago: 1. Profit matters more than revenue. Growth without cash flow creates stress, not freedom. 2. Growth exposes your problems. When the business gets bigger, weak systems and unclear roles become impossible to ignore. 3. You can say no. The wrong patients, team members, and relationships can destroy your culture and profitability. 4. Speed beats perfection. Get version one working, collect data, and improve instead of waiting for the perfect system. 5. Checklists create leverage. Clear systems help your team perform consistently and buy back your time. The goal is simple: build one piece of leverage every week. A system, checklist, automation, hire, or process that keeps paying you back long after you create it. Standardized checklists can create enterprise value by making execution repeatable. 0:00 Intro 0:44 1. Profit Is More Important Than Revenue 1:42 2. Growth Shows You Your Problems 2:48 3. Learn to Say No 3:38 4. Speed Beats Perfection 4:57 5. Checklists & Systems 6:11 Build Leverage If you’re a successful, stressed or burned-out dentist, 🚀 Watch the full Next Level Fathers Framework: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Connect with me 📸 Instagram (daily content & behind the scenes): instagram.com/dr.richard.low/

  2. Sep 24

    Losing Weight (& Adding Muscle) is Easier Than You Think

    👉 Free training for dentists who want a "true sub-12% body fat abs", despite the stress and lack of time: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Limited Spots - 6 per month DM me RIP6 on IG - instagram.com/dr.richard.low/ At 40, I thought I had missed my chance to get lean, build muscle, and feel confident without my shirt on. I had tried running, keto, paleo, carnivore, and years of inconsistent training. A DEXA scan showed I was around 33% body fat and still “skinny fat.” Now I’ve helped more than 100 busy men, mostly dentists, lose over 2,000 pounds of fat collectively while building muscle and improving their health, marriage, energy, and confidence. I’m Dr. Richard Low: - Dentist & former CEO of 35 dental practices - Founder of the #1 rated practice‑ownership podcast in dentistry - Burned out, rebuilt my life around faith, family, and fitness - Now coaching 50+ male practice‑owner dentists inside Next Level Fathers to lose weight, reconnect with God, and lead better at home In this video, I explain the practical system behind body recomposition: - A sustainable calorie deficit - Resistance training - Enough protein - Daily movement - Accountability - A minimum “floor” you can maintain when life gets chaotic - A higher “ceiling” for your best days - How to recover quickly instead of restarting every Monday - Why behavior change matters more than finding the perfect diet You do not need perfect sleep, perfect hormones, or a stress-free life. You need a system you can repeat long enough to work. 0:00 How to Recomp as a 40-Year-Old (Intro) 1:47 The German Urinal Story: Behavioral Change 3:29 What This Is NOT (No GLP-1, No Steroids) 4:43 The Recomp Formula: Caloric Deficit & Measuring Lean Mass 6:10 The 500-Calorie Deficit Math 8:06 Cardio vs. Muscle Building + Protein Targets 9:15 Behavioral Change: Small vs. Big Changes 10:21 Accountability & Raising the Stakes 12:42 Mindset Shift: Floor and Ceiling 14:35 Day One Behavior & Small Wins 16:42 Combining It All (Outro) If you’re a successful, stressed or burned-out dentist, 🚀 Watch the full Next Level Fathers Framework: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Connect with me 📸 Instagram (daily content & behind the scenes): instagram.com/dr.richard.low/

  3. Sep 16

    How to Stop Relying on Willpower: Become Your Own Personal Assistant

    👉 Free training for dentists who want a "true sub-12% body fat abs", despite the stress and lack of time: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Limited Spots - 6 per month DM me RIP6 on IG - instagram.com/dr.richard.low/ Most dentists don’t need more motivation. They need fewer decisions. I’m Dr. Richard Low: - Dentist & former CEO of 35 dental practices - Founder of the #1 rated practice‑ownership podcast in dentistry - Burned out, rebuilt my life around faith, family, and fitness - Now coaching 50+ male practice‑owner dentists inside Next Level Fathers to lose weight, reconnect with God, and lead better at home In this episode, I explain how to set up your life as if you were your own personal assistant, so you stop relying on willpower every morning, every meal, and every stressful day. I cover: Why decision fatigue makes healthy behavior harder How meal prep removes food decisions before they become problems Building a repeatable morning and nighttime routine Using your calendar to force important work to happen Creating a shutdown routine so work stress doesn’t follow you home How to use ChatGPT or Claude to organize tomorrow’s tasks Why routines, uniforms, recurring meetings, and pre-decided choices help you “run the play” instead of constantly negotiating with yourself I also share my current experiment: meal-prepping nearly everything so I can save mental bandwidth for my family, Next Level Fathers, and a potential practice acquisition. The goal is simple: Decide once. Prepare in advance. Follow the system. If you’re a dentist, entrepreneur, or parent whose brain is already carrying too much, this is how you buy back attention without needing to become a more disciplined person overnight. 0:00 Intro: Be Your Own Personal Assistant 0:42 Taking Away Decisions from Yourself 0:50 Decision Fatigue & Hiring Help 2:02 The Meal Prep Analogy 2:57 Morning Routine Setup 3:52 Calendar Your Office Finances 4:27 My Meal Prep Experiment 5:22 Drive Home Meditation & AI Brain Dump 6:14 Bundle Decisions Like Scrubs 6:39 Conclusion & Challenge If you’re a successful, stressed or burned-out dentist, 🚀 Watch the full Next Level Fathers Framework: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Connect with me 📸 Instagram (daily content & behind the scenes): instagram.com/dr.richard.low/

  4. Sep 9

    The 3 Layers of Agency: How to Regain Control When Anxiety Hits

    👉 Free training for dentists who want a "true sub-12% body fat abs", despite the stress and lack of time: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Limited Spots - 6 per month DM me RIP6 on IG - instagram.com/dr.richard.low/ As dentists, we’re expected to regulate our emotions, lead our teams, serve patients, and show up for our families, even when we feel anxious, overwhelmed, or burned out. I’m Dr. Richard Low: - Dentist & former CEO of 35 dental practices - Founder of the #1 rated practice‑ownership podcast in dentistry - Burned out, rebuilt my life around faith, family, and fitness - Now coaching 50+ male practice‑owner dentists inside Next Level Fathers to lose weight, reconnect with God, and lead better at home In this episode of Next Level Dentist, I explain the three layers of agency: - Attention: What am I focusing on right now? - Thoughts: What story am I telling myself? - Actions: What am I choosing to say and do? Most people try to control their behavior without addressing the thoughts and attention underneath it. I explain how meditation, journaling, therapy, and simple 20-second sensory resets can help you create space between what you feel and how you respond. The practical tool is simple: return to your breath, notice one physical sensation, and reclaim the present moment before choosing your next action. Mindfulness practices commonly emphasize attention regulation, awareness of thoughts and emotions, and acceptance rather than automatic reaction. If you’re experiencing severe or persistent anxiety, depression, or panic symptoms, use this video as education, not a replacement for qualified medical or mental-health care. 0:00 Intro: Stress, Anxiety & Self-Regulation 1:44 The Three Layers of Agency 2:36 Layer 1: Actions & Speech 4:23 Layer 2: Thoughts & The Negativity Bias 6:50 You Are Not Your Thoughts 8:34 Working with Thoughts: Therapy & Journaling 10:40 Layer 3: Attention (The Foundation) 12:48 Why Attention Is Harder Than Ever 13:32 The Breath & Sensory Anchors 16:28 The Nervous System Reset Framework 17:49 Mini Resets: A Practical Shortcut 18:46 Putting It All Together 19:38 Claiming the Present Moment 20:52 What's Coming Next If you’re a successful, stressed or burned-out dentist, 🚀 Watch the full Next Level Fathers Framework: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Connect with me 📸 Instagram (daily content & behind the scenes): instagram.com/dr.richard.low/

  5. Sep 2

    When Dental Practice Ownership Is NOT Worth It

    👉 Free training for dentists who want a "true sub-12% body fat abs", despite the stress and lack of time: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Limited Spots - 6 per month DM me RIP6 on IG - instagram.com/dr.richard.low/ I’m rebooting the old Shared Practices season format on YouTube as Next Level Dentist. Ten years ago we walked through ownership step by step: “Should I own?”, acquisitions, startups, then marketing, leadership, systems, hiring, culture, scaling. Now we’re doing it again, updated for 2026, and starting with the question every ambitious associate has: Purely financially, is owning a dental practice actually worth it vs being an associate? I’m Dr. Richard Low: - Dentist & former CEO of 35 dental practices - Founder of the #1 rated practice‑ownership podcast in dentistry - Burned out, rebuilt my life around faith, family, and fitness - Now coaching 50+ male practice‑owner dentists inside Next Level Fathers to lose weight, reconnect with God, and lead better at home In this video, I: - Use a simple $1M collections practice example to compare associate vs owner income - Show how practice profit and equity can realistically add $1M+ to your net worth in just a few years - Explain why your disposable income (what you can actually live on and save) can more than double as an owner - Talk through a real‑world story of an associate leaving a great $300K job for a rough startup - And preview the risks and why ownership is not morally “better” or automatically right for everyone If you’re trying to decide whether to stay an associate, buy a practice, or attempt a startup, this is your starting point. 0:00 Welcome & Podcast Reboot 0:36 The New Season-Based Format 1:44 Is Practice Ownership Worth It? 2:31 The Associate Income Breakdown 3:25 Percentage of Collections: Does It Matter? 5:12 After Taxes & Student Loans 7:33 The Owner's Income Breakdown 9:36 Building Equity & Net Worth 11:49 Control & Lifestyle Benefits of Ownership 13:08 Risks of Ownership & What's Next If you’re a successful, stressed or burned-out dentist, 🚀 Watch the full Next Level Fathers Framework: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Connect with me 📸 Instagram (daily content & behind the scenes): instagram.com/dr.richard.low/

  6. Aug 26

    Is Practice Ownership Right for Me?

    👉 Free training for dentists who want a "true sub-12% body fat abs", despite the stress and lack of time: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Limited Spots - 6 per month DM me RIP6 on IG - instagram.com/dr.richard.low/ I’m rebooting the old Shared Practices season format on YouTube as Next Level Dentist. Ten years ago we walked through ownership step by step: “Should I own?”, acquisitions, startups, then marketing, leadership, systems, hiring, culture, scaling. Now we’re doing it again, updated for 2026, and starting with the question every ambitious associate has: Purely financially, is owning a dental practice actually worth it vs being an associate? I’m Dr. Richard Low: - Dentist & former CEO of 35 dental practices - Founder of the #1 rated practice‑ownership podcast in dentistry - Burned out, rebuilt my life around faith, family, and fitness - Now coaching 50+ male practice‑owner dentists inside Next Level Fathers to lose weight, reconnect with God, and lead better at home In this video, I: - Use a simple $1M collections practice example to compare associate vs owner income - Show how practice profit and equity can realistically add $1M+ to your net worth in just a few years - Explain why your disposable income (what you can actually live on and save) can more than double as an owner - Talk through a real‑world story of an associate leaving a great $300K job for a rough startup - And preview the risks and why ownership is not morally “better” or automatically right for everyone If you’re trying to decide whether to stay an associate, buy a practice, or attempt a startup, this is your starting point. 0:00 Welcome & Podcast Reboot 0:36 The New Season-Based Format 1:44 Is Practice Ownership Worth It? 2:31 The Associate Income Breakdown 3:25 Percentage of Collections: Does It Matter? 5:12 After Taxes & Student Loans 7:33 The Owner's Income Breakdown 9:36 Building Equity & Net Worth 11:49 Control & Lifestyle Benefits of Ownership 13:08 Risks of Ownership & What's Next If you’re a successful, stressed or burned-out dentist, 🚀 Watch the full Next Level Fathers Framework: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Connect with me 📸 Instagram (daily content & behind the scenes): instagram.com/dr.richard.low/

  7. Aug 11

    ADHD Dentist: How I Get Myself To Do Stuff I Hate (Without Relying On Motivation)

    👉 Free training for dentists who want a "true sub-12% body fat abs", despite the stress and lack of time: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Limited Spots - 6 per month DM me RIP6 on IG - instagram.com/dr.richard.low/ What’s the secret to getting yourself to do the stuff you really don’t want to do? I’m an ADHD dentist / entrepreneur who has: Started and grown the #1 rated dental podcast in the industry (Shared Practices) Helped build a denture & implant group that scaled to dozens of locations Now runs Next Level Fathers, helping 100+ dentists lose nearly 2,000 pounds and radically change their behavior …and I still have to fight procrastination every single day. This video is me unpacking the real reason we procrastinate and the specific skills I’m working on right now to build what I call frustration tolerance. I’m Dr. Richard Low: - Dentist & former CEO of 35 dental practices - Founder of the #1 rated practice‑ownership podcast in dentistry - Burned out, rebuilt my life around faith, family, and fitness - Now coaching 50+ male practice‑owner dentists inside Next Level Fathers to lose weight, reconnect with God, and lead better at home In this video, you’ll learn: 1. Why procrastination is a skill problem, not a character flaw I frame procrastination as: “My current inability to tolerate frustration, boredom, anxiety, or tasks being forced on me.” It usually shows up when: - The task is unpleasant (anxiety, fear, conflict) - The task is boring (not enough stimulation for an ADHD brain) - The task is imposed (you didn’t choose it, but still “have to” do it) - Seeing it as a skill gap gives you hope, because skills can be trained. 2. Frustration tolerance: “F your mood, run the play” Borrowing Hormozi’s line: “F your mood. Run the play.” Meaning: Your emotional state in the moment does not get to decide your behavior. I talk about how this shows up for: - Recording video and reels (still causes me anxiety) - Writing dental notes and doing admin - Giving hard feedback to team members - Building systems we’re not naturally good at The question becomes: “How do I raise my tolerance for doing things that feel bad / boring / forced and do them anyway?” 3. The first skill: noticing the pull You can’t change what you don’t notice. - Where are you feeling resistance? - Where are you suddenly pulled to: Doom scroll Dive into AI “projects” that don’t matter Watch TV, play games, snack, or chase dopamine? Often the pull gets stronger because something hard and unpleasant is waiting for you. Step one: catch the pattern. I even track it with a little “+” every time I notice myself reaching for distraction. 4. Creating space: mindfulness and “do nothing or do the thing” Two practical tools I use: - Micro‑mindfulness / grounding 30–60 seconds: Feel your feet on the floor Notice pressure points (butt, back, arms) Watch your breath in and out Brings you back into your body instead of living in your phone or head. - Do nothing or do the thing Put yourself in a room with no distractions: No phone No TV No “productive procrastination” Give yourself two options: Do the unpleasant task Or literally do nothing After 5 minutes of real “nothing,” your brain will often choose: “Fine. I’ll just do the thing.” This leverages the fact that boredom lowers your dopamine floor and makes hard tasks relatively attractive. 5. Ed Mylett’s “one more” and how I use it From The Power of One More: - When you want to quit: Do one more rep Make one more call Put one more thing away Work one more minute I use this everywhere: Cleaning the house when I’m dead tired after clinic Wrapping up work when my brain is screaming for escape Starting scary tasks by breaking them into one tiny action and then “one more” The big, heroic 40‑minute clean or 4‑hour deep work sprint freaks your brain out. But “one more” is small enough to sneak past the resistance. 6. Why this is my current personal bottleneck I’m turning 40 soon. I’ve fought these patterns my whole life. And still: I’m learning I’m journaling I’m experimenting with myself And I’m sharing what actually works Because if I’m struggling with this at my level of experience, you might be too. The goal isn’t to never feel resistance or frustration. It’s to build the skill of acting in spite of it. If you’re a successful, stressed or burned-out dentist, 🚀 Watch the full Next Level Fathers Framework: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Connect with me 📸 Instagram (daily content & behind the scenes): instagram.com/dr.richard.low/

  8. Aug 5

    My Next Dental Practice, Fried MacBook & 500 Subs

    👉 Free training for dentists who want a "true sub-12% body fat abs", despite the stress and lack of time: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Limited Spots - 6 per month DM me RIP6 on IG - instagram.com/dr.richard.low/ OR text (219) 245-7050 for availability We just hit 500 subscribers on this channel. That took: - Less than a year - A lot more work than launching a podcast - And one very expensive mistake involving a $2,500 MacBook Pro and a full Tumblr of liquid In this episode, I celebrate the 500‑sub milestone, answer YouTube comments, and give you a real behind‑the‑scenes update on: - The dental hive mind I’m building with AI - How I fried my laptop and lost a massive amount of work - What’s happening with Next Level Fathers - My Instagram + webinar focus - And the LOI I just submitted on a new dental practice If you’ve been following along or you’re new and want to see what I’m actually building, this is for you. I’m Dr. Richard Low: - Dentist & former CEO of 35 dental practices - Founder of the #1 rated practice‑ownership podcast in dentistry - Burned out, rebuilt my life around faith, family, and fitness - Now coaching 50+ male practice‑owner dentists inside Next Level Fathers to lose weight, reconnect with God, and lead better at home In this video, I cover: 1. 500 subs & why YouTube is way harder than podcasting - Shared Practices hit 500 average downloads in 2–3 months a decade ago. - YouTube: ~500 subs in just under a year, with: More scripting More production More editing More emotional swings I talk about what I’ve learned and why I’m committed to playing the long game here. 2. The dental hive mind project (and how I killed my Mac) - Plan: Download thousands of episodes from ~9 dental podcasts I respect most Transcribe them locally on my Mac (DEXA‑level data for the dental brain) Summarize each episode Build a knowledge wiki on top using AI - Reality: Spent hundreds of dollars in AI credits and months of on‑and‑off processing Ran Claude / ChatGPT at night, burnt through weekly tokens Then… dumped a full Tumblr on my $2,500 M‑series MacBook Pro Data recovery quote: ~$2,500 (on top of ~$1,700 to fix the machine) Nothing was properly synced to GitHub; that folder wasn’t backed up So I lost a huge amount of work. But I’m starting over smarter: More cost‑efficient Better structure Asking permission from the podcasters (e.g. Bulletproof guys) and planning to give them their wikis back as a resource. 3. Thoughts on AI in dentistry (and why it’s not going away) - Reacting to comments like: “Dentists don’t work hard enough to need AI.” “AI is the last thing insurance companies need.” - My take: AI will be weaponized by insurance to deny claims more efficiently. But being AI‑fluent will become as normal as using: Computers The internet Smartphones I also share some of the wild frontier‑model stories (Claude Mythos, OpenAI sandbox exploits, China’s Kimi, etc.) and why the people building this stuff are both excited and scared. 4. Next Level Fathers, retreats, and Instagram - Next Level Fathers: ~60 male dentists in the group right now Daily non‑negotiables: fitness, nutrition, spiritual work, journaling, service Planning: September men’s retreat November couples retreat (a few open spots) Next year: 4 men’s retreats (one per quarter) Instagram: Around 27K+ followers Had major traction, hit a rut recently Plan: reboot consistency with 2+ reels/day, trial content, and deeper coaching hooks Webinars: Building a new webinar around this core idea: You can be a completely different person in 3 months. Spent 4 hours with a (non‑dental) coach to workshop the whole thing. 5. The LOI on my next dental practice Just submitted an LOI on a larger practice with an impressive young seller. Good bones: Strong team Solid patient base Real growth potential Even after multiple ownership rounds, it’s still: Nerve‑wracking A lot of debt And exciting I can’t share details yet (NDAs, everyone listens to everything), but once it’s closed, I’ll walk through the numbers, structure, and lessons. Thank you for 500 If you’ve: - Subscribed - Dropped a comment - DM’d me on Instagram - Or just quietly watched in the background, thank you. This is the early, messy, fun part of the journey. If you’re a successful, stressed or burned-out dentist, 🚀 Watch the full Next Level Fathers Framework: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs Connect with me 📸 Instagram (daily content & behind the scenes): instagram.com/dr.richard.low/

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About

“What now? If you’re a dentist who’s "Made It"—more money, patients, and success than you ever dreamed—and you still feel empty… or if you’ve hit the wall with stress and burnout… this podcast is for you. Real stories. Raw conversations. No fluff. This is the Next Level Dentist podcast. Stories from dentists who’ve faced the crash, chased success, and asked what’s next—and found answers in their health, marriage, practice, and purpose. I’m Dr. Richard Low—founder of Shared Practices, the #1 rated dental podcast with over 3 million downloads, and ex-CEO of a 35-office group. I’ve lived both the success and the breakdown. This podcast is about the next level beyond both.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Richard Low
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Dr. Richard Low
  • Show Website
    Next Level Dentist