The Bloom Effect with Cassie Kellner

Cassie Kellner
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

The Bloom Effect with Cassie Kellner is a podcast for teams who care about how they lead and how they grow along the way. Cassie sits down with guests to talk about the things that don’t always get said out loud: the messiness of leadership, building culture from the inside out, and learning to show up in a way that feels like you. These conversations are honest, unpolished, and rooted in real experience. If you're building something you believe in and want a space that feels steady, this is it. New episodes drop bi-weekly.

  1. 2d ago

    The Dusty Binder Is Dead (And So Is Your Google Drive) with Shantel Terry

    "Get this out of people's heads and somewhere. This also cannot live in a binder." Your best team member is also your biggest liability — because everything they know lives in their head, and the day they leave, it walks out the door with them. In this episode, Cassie pulls back the curtain on Everbloom and brings in Shantal Terry, Everbloom's Director of Operations and dental division coach, for a rare inside look at how the team actually builds practice playbooks. Shantal has spent 16 years in dentistry and sat in nearly every seat — chairside, front desk, management, multi-practice, regional, operations — and after going on-site at an orthodontic practice with Cassie, the two of them realized just how different the ortho and general dental worlds really are. But the heart of this one is the problem almost every practice is quietly living with: critical knowledge that isn't written down anywhere. Not in a binder (those are dead the moment they're printed), and not buried in a Google Drive full of outdated copies — because, as Cassie puts it, digital dust is just as real as the dusty binder. Turnover is high, training happens from scratch every single time, and the true cost of not documenting shows up in every rehire, every repeated question, every "wait, how do we do this again?" So Cassie and Shantal get practical about what a modern SOP actually looks like — and it's not what most people think. Bullets, not paragraphs. Videos under two minutes, not fifteen. Screenshots and visuals over walls of text, because the modern learner skims. They also make the case for bringing your team into the process (they know their own workflows better than you do) and give you the single easiest place to start this week. We talk about: → Why a general dental assistant walking into ortho is basically learning a new language — and why they still need full training → The true cost of letting critical knowledge live in one person's head, and what leaves with them when they resign → Why "digital dust" — outdated files buried in Google Drive — is just as dangerous as the binder on the shelf → What a modern SOP actually looks like: bullets over paragraphs, videos under two minutes, screenshots over text → How to bring your team into the build so your playbook reflects how the work really gets done → The simplest place to start: the top three questions people ask you over and over About Shantal Terry Shantal Terry is the Director of Operations at Everbloom and a dental division coach. With 16 years in dentistry, she's sat in nearly every seat in the office — chairside assisting, front desk, management, multi-practice and regional management, and operations — giving her a rare, ground-level view of what actually makes a practice run. A mother of two, she keeps Everbloom (and Cassie) grounded, organized, and moving.   Listen + Subscribe Tune in on Apple, Spotify, or Youtube. If this conversation resonates, share it with your team or a leader who's ready to finally get their systems out of their head and into one place. Ready to grow, lead, and bloom? Visit DiscoverEverbloom.com. Connect with Everbloom Visit Everbloom Follow on Instagram Subscribe to The Bloom Effect Episode Chapters 00:00 Welcome and a peek behind the Everbloom curtain 02:01 Meet Shantal Terry, Director of Operations 03:19 Who is Shantal? 16 years and every seat in the office 04:45 On-site at an ortho practice: why dental and ortho are night and day 06:38 The training gap nobody's giving assistants credit for 08:30 Today's topic: playbooks and SOPs 09:56 Startups and the "I don't have anything" problem 11:27 The true cost of knowledge that lives in one person's head 13:00 Why it can't live in a binder — and why digital dust is real 14:57 What an SOP actually is: bullets, not paragraphs 16:56 No 15-minute videos, no walls of text: building for the modern learner 19:27 Where to start and how to bring your team in 22:47 Connection points, pain points, and your top three 24:18 Keep it team first Topics we explore and discuss: dental practice SOPs, orthodontic practice management, standard operating procedures, practice playbooks, Trainual, team onboarding, staff turnover in dentistry, knowledge management, dental team training, the modern learner, practice systems, dental operations, Shantal Terry, Cassie Kellner, The Bloom Effect podcast, Everbloom

  2. Aug 10

    Trust, TikTok & Tough Conversations with Dr. Sable Staller

    “Before people come see me, if they find me online, they've already watched my videos… They already know about me.” In this energizing and honest conversation, host Cassie Kellner is joined by Dr. Sable Staller, orthodontist, content creator, and founder of The Staller Socials Academy, to talk about what it really takes to build trust before a patient ever walks through your door. Cassie and Dr. Staller unpack why social media doesn't require fancy equipment or a production team, how trust is now built on the screen long before the first appointment, and why younger patients skip your website entirely. They also shift into DISC—where Sable lands as a high "I," why being direct isn't rude, and how learning to have hard conversations quickly (instead of stewing) has made her a stronger leader. This episode is for the doctor who knows they need to show up online and is ready to build real trust before the first appointment. We talk about: → Why you don't need fancy equipment to show up online → How patients trust you before they ever walk in → The website vs. social media truth no one tells you → Why the algorithm isn't here to make you feel good → What DISC reveals about avoiding hard conversations → Why being direct is leadership, not rudeness   About Dr. Sable Staller Dr. Sable Staller is an orthodontist practicing on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and the content creator known as @bracesbysable across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. What began as braces content in residency has grown into an authentic, life-and-practice brand with a following of more than 25K—one that now drives a steady stream of new patients through social media alone. After years of learning what works (and what doesn't) on social, Sable founded The Staller Socials Academy, a six-week course launching in September for doctors, dentists, nurses, and anyone in healthcare who wants to show up online. Built around the reality of busy patient-care days, the course teaches how to create content in just 5–10 minutes a day—so practices can stop paying others to run their social media and start building trust and bringing in patients on their own.   Listen + Subscribe Tune in on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube. If this conversation resonates, share it with your team or a leader who is ready to show up more authentically. Ready to grow, lead, and bloom? Visit DiscoverEverbloom.com.   Episode Links & Resources Follow Dr. Sable Staller on Instagram Find her on TikTok and YouTube: @bracesbysable Join The Staller Socials Academy waitlist: [waitlist coming soon]   Connect with Everbloom Visit Everbloom Follow on Instagram Subscribe to The Bloom Effect   Episode Chapters 00:00 Asana Unlocked + welcome back from break 01:37 Introducing Dr. Sable Staller 02:20 The Soho mix-up and a very New York day 07:18 Live-streaming Taylor Swift's wedding to 25K followers 09:52 Why social media should be easy—just your phone and good lighting 13:34 Drawing the line as a doctor and an influencer 13:58 The Raising Cane's video that changed everything 16:09 The trust factor: patients who know you before they arrive 20:42 The algorithm, and why TikTok and Instagram aren't the same 23:35 Just start—your first videos will be cringey, post them anyway 25:34 Website vs. socials: where your patients actually are 27:46 DISC: the four styles and where Sable lands 33:50 Why being direct isn't rude 41:46 Motivators, stressors, and hiring objectively 45:19 Introducing The Staller Socials Academy Topics we explore in this episode include: social media for dental and orthodontic practices, building patient trust online, content creation for doctors, TikTok patient acquisition, authentic marketing, personal branding for orthodontists, website vs. social media strategy, DISC personality assessment, leadership communication, direct feedback, objective hiring, practice growth

  3. Jun 2

    It's Not a People Problem, It's a Systems Problem with Cassie Kellner

    "We've always done it this way." It sounds harmless. But in 2026, it might be the most expensive phrase in your practice. In this episode, Cassie gets honest about the quiet belief that is holding more practices back than any staffing issue, any technology gap, or any communication breakdown. The idea that the way you've always done something is still the right way to do it. And what it's actually costing you in rework, retention, and the slow erosion of a team that eventually stops telling you the truth. This one is not about a software overhaul or a six-month implementation plan. It's about getting clear on why paper slips, verbal handoffs, and knowledge that lives in one person's head are not systems. They are workarounds. And every workaround is a place where something can fall through. Cassie walks through how "we've always done it this way" shows up in three different forms in your practice one you can easily spot, one that happens in your own head, and one that quietly becomes your culture. And she gives you one concrete place to start this week. We talk about: → Why staying still in 2026 is not neutral — it's falling behind → The difference between accountability and surveillance, and why your team actually wants the former → The "knowledge in one person's head" problem and why it traps everyone, including her → What you're actually communicating to your team when new ideas get tabled or quietly disappear → How to document one process this week without turning it into a 40-page manual   About Cassie Kellner Cassie Kellner is the founder of Everbloom, a practice management consulting firm serving orthodontic and dental practices. With 22 years in the industry, she has worked with nearly 100 practices and built Everbloom around one core belief: strong practices start with strong teams. She hosts The Bloom Effect podcast and co-produces The Ortho Society with Lindsay Quinn of Heartwise Collective. Listen + SubscribeTune in on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube. If this conversation resonates, share it with your team or a leader who is ready to create more clarity in their practice. Ready to grow, lead, and bloom? Visit DiscoverEverbloom.com. If this conversation resonates, share it with your team or a leader who is ready to build something their practice can actually stand on. Ready to grow, lead, and bloom? Visit DiscoverEverbloom.com. Episode Chapters  Welcome and intro 01:15 The phrase that is costing your practice 03:00 The three ways it shows up 06:30 What it's actually costing you 11:00 The knowledge in one person's head problem 15:00 Accountability vs. surveillance 18:00 Where your systems have to live 22:00 What it does to your culture 26:00 One thing to do this week 29:30 Topics we explore and discuss:orthodontic practice management, dental team culture, working moms in dentistry, cross training dental team, practice staff retention, team mentorship, employee scheduling, orthodontic team development, practice operations, Cassie Kellner, The Bloom Effect podcast, Everbloom

    It's Not a People Problem, It's a Systems Problem with Cassie Kellner

  4. May 19

    Re-release: Grit, Growth, and Being the Ortho Queen with Dr. Farah Kar

    Have you ever looked at someone and thought, “They make it look easy?” This episode reminds us that what we see isn’t always the full story. I’m sitting down with Dr. Farah Kar, aka @the.ortho.queen, and we’re getting real about the grit it takes to keep going, the power of being fully yourself, and what it’s like to rebuild after loss. Farah shares everything from starting over in her career to growing a bold personal brand (and navigating motherhood and grief in the midst of it all) with humor, honesty, and a whole lot of heart. "One of the biggest misconceptions is that when people see or hear things that other people are doing that's hard, they just assume that they're doing it in the absence of fear." We talk about: – Why grit matters more than talent (and how to build it) – What authenticity really looks like in this industry – Navigating big transitions, self-doubt, and starting over – How grief and joy can live side by side This one’s raw, reflective, and so full of love. I can’t wait for you to hear it. Dr. Farah Kar is a proud Iranian, Canadian, American orthodontist. She attended the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry for her DDS and Master of Science degree and Certificate of Orthodontics. She is double-board certified and a Diplomat of the American Board of Orthodontics and Royal College of Dentists of Canada. Dr. Kar has been an Invisalign certified orthodontist since 2014 and an Invisalign Diamond Plus Provider who has treated over 2,000 cases. She enjoys merging her background in fine arts, architecture, and project management with practicing orthodontics efficiently and with flare! Check out Dr. Kar’s Instagram: @the.ortho.queen Episode Links & Resources Follow Dr. Farah Kar on Instagram Check out Dr. Farah Kar's Website Subscribe to the show and leave a review. Want to bring this kind of energy into your practice? Visit DiscoverEverbloom.com Disclaimer In this episode, Cassie Kellner sits down with Dr. Farah Kar and they discuss tender and deeply emotional topics, including war and the loss of a child. If you’re grieving, healing, or carrying something heavy right now, please take a moment to check in with yourself. It’s more than okay to pause, skip, or return to this conversation whenever the time feels right for you.   Episode Chapters 00:00 Welcome and introduction 01:06 How Cassie and Farah met at AAO 05:46 Mid-40s realness and personal growth 10:01 Challenging ortho stereotypes 16:36 Building an authentic online presence 20:34 Instagram growth and learning from mistakes 23:43 Starting over after loss 29:04 ADHD, hustle, and grit 36:11 Parenting with perspective 43:53 Gratitude and immigrant roots 48:08 Grieving Ella and honoring both joy and loss 54:15 Final reflections + closing Topics we explore in this episode include: orthodontic leadership, overcoming failure, personal growth in dentistry, building a brand as an orthodontist, authentic leadership, grit and resilience, navigating grief, orthodontic startup journey

    Re-release: Grit, Growth, and Being the Ortho Queen with Dr. Farah Kar

  5. May 5

    What Working Moms In Your Practice Actually Need

    "They become the single point of failure. And that is an enormous amount of invisible pressure to carry." May is wild. Recitals, field trips, sports, class performances, Teacher Appreciation Week. And the women on your team are showing up through all of it, managing your front desk, building patient relationships, holding your team culture together, all while carrying everything that comes with being a mom outside of work. Orthodontics and dentistry are female-dominated industries. A big portion of your team are moms. And most practices are not actually built with that reality in mind. This episode is about changing that, not in a guilt-trip way, but in a very practical, this is how you build a practice people want to stay in kind of way. Cassie walks through three things the best practices are doing right now to support the moms on their teams. None of it is revolutionary. All of it makes a real difference. We talk about:→ Why cross-training is a culture statement, not just a backup plan→ The invisible pressure that builds when one person is the only one who knows how to do something critical→ How a simple mentorship structure develops your new team members and keeps your experienced ones engaged→ Why advanced notice is one of the most underrated retention tools you have→ What it actually communicates when you plan your practice calendar with your team's real lives in mind About Cassie KellnerCassie Kellner is the founder of Everbloom, a practice management consulting firm serving orthodontic and dental practices. With 22 years in the industry, she has worked with nearly 100 practices and built Everbloom around one core belief: strong practices start with strong teams. She hosts The Bloom Effect podcast and co-produces The Ortho Society with Lindsay Quinn of Heartwise Collective. Listen + SubscribeTune in on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube. If this conversation resonates, share it with your team or a leader who is ready to create more clarity in their practice. Ready to grow, lead, and bloom? Visit DiscoverEverbloom.com. Connect with EverbloomVisit EverbloomFollow on InstagramSubscribe to The Bloom Effect Episode Chapters00:00 Welcome and intro01:30 Why this episode, why now02:43 Tip one: Cross-training as a culture statement07:16 Tip two: Mentorship inside your practice11:28 Tip three: Advanced notice and calendar planning15:30 Recap and where to start16:13 Happy Mother's Day, Bloomers Topics we explore and discuss:orthodontic practice management, dental team culture, working moms in dentistry, cross training dental team, practice staff retention, team mentorship, employee scheduling, orthodontic team development, practice operations, Cassie Kellner, The Bloom Effect podcast, Everbloom

  6. Apr 21

    From Small Town Roots to Scalable Systems with Dr. Jorden Mortensen

    “We built our systems around the things that have to get done every single day.”  In this grounded and energizing conversation, host Cassie Kellner is joined by Dr. Jorden Mortensen, dentist, entrepreneur, and founder of MintChecklist, to talk about what it really takes to build something that works inside a growing practice. Dr. Mortensen shares his journey from sleeping in his car and an empty operatory after dental school to owning and leading multiple practices across small-town Texas. What started as a drive to pay off student loans quickly turned into a deep commitment to building systems that support both teams and patients in a meaningful way. Cassie and Dr. Mortensen unpack what happens when practices rely on memory instead of systems, why operational drift is almost guaranteed without structure, and how something as simple as a checklist can change the entire rhythm of a team. They also explore the gap between tools that look good on paper and tools that actually work in real time. This episode is for the leader who feels the weight of keeping everything together and is ready to build something more sustainable. We talk about:→ Why growth exposes broken systems→ What operational drift actually looks like in a practice→ The hidden cost of paper checklists and scattered processes→ How simplicity drives real team consistency→ Building systems that scale without adding overwhelm→ Why patient care improves when systems are clear About Dr. Jorden MortensenDr. Jorden Mortensen, DMD, MBA, is a dentist, entrepreneur, and systems builder focused on elevating the standard of care in small-town dentistry. After earning his dental degree and MBA in 2019, he began acquiring and revitalizing legacy practices across rural Texas through Hometown Dental Partners. As his organization grew, he identified a consistent operational challenge—teams were relying on paper checklists, whiteboards, and scattered systems that created inconsistency and friction. He founded MintChecklist, a cloud-based platform designed specifically for dental teams to manage recurring tasks with clarity and accountability. What began as an internal solution has grown into a broader mission to help practices replace outdated workflows with systems that support both team performance and patient care. Listen + SubscribeTune in on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube. If this conversation resonates, share it with your team or a leader who is ready to create more clarity in their practice. Ready to grow, lead, and bloom? Visit DiscoverEverbloom.com. Episode Links & ResourcesExplore MintChecklistFollow MintChecklist on Instagram Connect with EverbloomVisit EverbloomFollow on InstagramSubscribe to The Bloom Effect Episode Chapters00:00 Welcome and Jorden’s story03:15 From small town to dentistry08:40 Buying a practice right out of school15:10 COVID and early challenges20:30 Discovering small-town dentistry27:45 When systems became necessary34:10 The problem with paper checklists40:20 Building MintChecklist47:00 Bringing simplicity back to teams Topics we explore in this episode include:dental practice systems, operational efficiency in dentistry, checklist systems for teams, scaling dental practices, small-town dentistry, leadership in dental practices, team accountability systems, practice operations, workflow consistency, reducing operational friction

  7. Apr 7

    Re-release: Escaping the Drama Triangle with Christine Brondyke

    If you’ve ever found yourself fixing things for everyone or feeling like the only one who cares, this episode explains why that dynamic shows up and how to change it. Cassie sits down with Certified Life and Relationship Coach Christine Brondyke to explore the Drama Triangle, a powerful lens for understanding conflict and communication breakdowns in orthodontic teams. You’ll learn how the Hero, Victim, and Villain roles keep teams stuck, and how shifting out of these patterns can spark true connection and collaboration. “If there's a glitch—work, home, friendship—this can help us understand the how of it. And once we can see it, we can see it everywhere.” What You’ll Learn How the Drama Triangle creates tension in practices Why “fixing,” “blaming,” or “rescuing” might feel familiar What it takes to shift into leadership rooted in clarity and connection Christine Brondyke is a Certified Life and Relationship Coach with more than two decades of experience guiding individuals, couples, and teams through the messiness of communication and into deeper alignment. Her insights will change the way you see your workplace and yourself. 📲 Follow Christine on Instagram Check out the Drama Triangle PDF Subscribe to the show and leave a review. Want to bring this kind of energy into your practice? Visit DiscoverEverbloom.com Episode Chapters 00:00 Welcome + Meet Christine01:42 Shoutout to Dr. Ryan McComb03:35 Cassie’s reaction to the Drama Triangle05:25 What is the Drama Triangle?10:32 Understanding the three roles27:08 How these dynamics show up in coaching39:50 Team conflict in orthodontic practices50:00 Creating connection through clarity Topics we explore in this episode include:drama triangle, orthodontic team dynamics, Christine Brondyke coach, workplace conflict resolution, emotional intelligence at work, hero victim villain roles, leadership coaching ortho, burnout in orthodontic teams, conflict resolution in dentistry, team coaching for orthodontists

  8. Mar 24

    The Real Reason Your Team Keeps Walking Out the Door

    "A bad system will break every great person in your practice. Every single time." In this solo episode, Cassie talks about one of the most frustrating patterns in orthodontic practices: losing great people and not understanding why. After 22 years in the industry, she shares what she sees over and over again. It’s not a people problem. It’s a systems problem. This episode walks through what’s really happening behind team turnover and how small shifts in hiring, onboarding, culture, and growth can change everything. “You cannot find the perfect candidate and drop them into chaos and expect them to thrive.” Cassie shares:– Why team turnover is often a systems issue, not a people issue– What’s missing in most hiring and onboarding processes– How unclear expectations quietly push good people out– Why growth conversations matter more than performance reviews– Simple ways to create clarity, structure, and trust inside your practice About Cassie KellnerCassie Kellner is the founder of Everbloom and host of The Bloom Effect. A former chairside assistant turned team coach, she works with orthodontic practices across the country to strengthen leadership, communication, and team culture through practical systems and honest conversations. Episode Links & Ways to ConnectFree leadership resources from EverbloomLearn more about working togetherFollow along on InstagramSubscribe to The Bloom Effect Listen on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube. If this episode resonates with you, share it with your team or another practice leader. Leaving a review helps more teams find these conversations. Episode Chapters00:00 Welcome + what we’re talking about02:10 Why great people keep leaving06:45 The story behind repeated turnover12:30 It’s not a people problem18:20 Hiring without a real process24:10 Onboarding that actually works31:15 Culture and retention shifts38:40 Growth conversations that matter45:10 Compensation and clarity52:00 Final thoughts + your challenge Topics we explore in this episode include:team turnover in orthodontics, practice systems, onboarding processes, hiring strategy, team retention, leadership communication, practice culture, growth frameworks

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5
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About

The Bloom Effect with Cassie Kellner is a podcast for teams who care about how they lead and how they grow along the way. Cassie sits down with guests to talk about the things that don’t always get said out loud: the messiness of leadership, building culture from the inside out, and learning to show up in a way that feels like you. These conversations are honest, unpolished, and rooted in real experience. If you're building something you believe in and want a space that feels steady, this is it. New episodes drop bi-weekly.

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