Cassie Kellner [00:00:01]:
Welcome to the Bloom Effect. I'm your host, Cassie Kellner, former chairside assistant turned team coach and founder of Everbloom. This podcast is all about the real stuff. Honest combos, leadership lessons, and the heart behind thriving orthodontic teams. If you're ready to grow, lead and bloom, let's dive in. Welcome to the Bloom Effect. I am your host, Cassie Kellner, and I am thrilled to have Dixie Robinson as my guest today. Some of you may already know Dixie. Dixie and I have known each other. I feel like it's been almost 10 years. Dixie. Right?
Dixie Robinson [00:00:42]:
I probably. I don't know.
Cassie Kellner [00:00:43]:
I don't even know Dixie. I like you. Thank you so much for doing this. You know, I absolutely adore you. We nerd out on all the things, even outside of ortho, your love for camping. Like, we could. I mean, we could talk about, you know, all the things today, but, you know, I always start with asking my guests, who is Dixie Robinson?
Dixie Robinson [00:01:11]:
Well, Dixie Robinson is a huge fan of Cassie Kellner, I can tell you that much. No, I appreciate you having me on, because I do. I do also adore you. You've been such an inspiration to me, to the orthodontic community, and so I. I am a fan, first and foremost, of you. Thank you. But, yeah, I mean, I've been nerding out in orthodontics for a long time, 25 years, and I've loved it. I think we're so fortunate to be in such an incredible industry. We change lives, and to be a part of that every day is just phenomenal. And so I love that. Besides orthodontics you mentioned. Yes, I love camping. My husband will say we can't really call this camping, though, because we have a fifth wheel that has a bathroom. You're glamping, you're glamping. And a full kitchen. But I totally call it camping. And it counts because we're in the mountains where it's so beautiful, and I love that. But I also love photography. I love reading. I mostly love a good fiction book, but I also love to learn some things here and there. My husband's number one is nonfiction, so he finds good ones for me to help read. And. And then we actually use a lot of the books, too, for our team at Horsley Orthodontics. But that. That's where I've been for 25 years. Is it at Horsley Orthodontics? Before it was Horsley Orthodontics, I actually worked for. It was called Jensen Orthodontics Center. So Dr. Verl Jensen is who originally hired me 25 years ago and he was getting ready to retire shortly. And I knew, you know, that going into it, but he, four years after I'd been working with him, he was ready to retire and was looking to bring on someone new. And he, he was bringing in these different orthodontists that were from all around the country. And I got nervous because some of these guys that I would meet, I was like, oh, I don't know. So I was young at the time and just got the courage and talked to Dr. Jensen and said, I am not sure that I can stay with the practice. So I just want to be transparent with you because I'm not sure that some of these doctors bringing in would be someone that I could keep working with. And so he knew that going in and he said, well, my goodness, I get my money either way. And so it doesn't matter to me who I sell to. So he's like, thank you for saying that. Let's make sure that it's a good fit. And I, I hold Dr. Jensen in high regard. He's incredible. But the fact that he let our team, there were six of us at the time, including Dr. Jensen, and he was very careful about that. Well, Dr. Horsley walked in the practice one day. It was a day the practice was closed. I was in catching up on some things. Dr. Jensen called and said, hey, Brian, Horsley is coming and he wants to see the practice and can you show him around? And I was like, for sure, Like, I'm here. And so he walked in and we had about, I think about an hour maybe. I showed him around the practice and we talked and I was literally calling Dr. Jensen right after, like, this is who you should sell the practice to.
Cassie Kellner [00:04:28]:
Wait, Dixie, I did not know this story.
Dixie Robinson [00:04:31]:
Yeah, yeah. So it was, it was crazy. What was crazy too is that Dr. Horsley was going to buy another practice in Colorado and we're in Utah. And so he, he's originally from Idaho. And it was something that fell through last minute, his Colorado deal. And then last minute Dr. Jensen, you know, had put out another letter and Dr. Horsley had reached out. So it was crazy, but it was, it was fun. Dr. Horsley and I laugh about that a lot just thinking back, because the practice at that time, since then we have had either 10 complete new build outs or remodels since then. So that first place that we first met, we have changed a lot.
Cassie Kellner [00:05:18]:
Your models are even in that building.
Dixie Robinson [00:05:20]:
Y. Yeah. So. So we've had, you know, quite a history of change in things. And with Dr. Horsley, when he bought the practice, there were six of us, and now we have 58. We have four doctors, and then 54 team members. And so it's great. And so that's kind of been. In my journey of 25 years. I've done pretty much everything except clinical, which I know is your. Your complete background. It is not my forte. I understand it. I know it. I. And appreciate that piece, but I've not done that. And so anyway, but I've done. I actually started. I guess we'll just tell you a funny story with that, because starting out with Dr. Jensen again, he's older. He'd been practicing for years. So here I am. He. He brought me on to help schedule. And we had paper schedule. So and going into this. And this was in the year 2000. And I always joke with people because I'm like, we had computers in that time. It wasn't that long ago, but I walked into this practice and saw no computers. And it was this big schedule book that they had with pen and paper or pencil and paper. And I kind of actually got excited about that because I was like, oh, I can help these people.
Cassie Kellner [00:06:35]:
Sure.
Dixie Robinson [00:06:36]:
Because he probably doesn't know. Yes, there's computers here. Like, let's get this going. So I did start. I accepted the position, and we were paper scheduling. So what would happen? Dr. Jensen would see a patient, and he would walk out into from the clinic or from his office is where he would see a patient, and he would drop a chart onto my little paper schedule, and he'd say, okay, so they just need to get scheduled with for braces. And I'm like, awesome, let's do it. So then he'd walk away, head back to the clinic, and the mom's like, okay, braces. And I'm like, yeah, let's do it. Just tomorrow work for you. And we get her scheduled. And she said, okay. So, like, do I pay tomorrow? And I'm like, oh, yes. And she's like, okay, how much do I bring? And I'm frantically looking at the chart because I'm like, okay. Did he not talk to her about this? Like, what is this? You know? So he had jotted a note down. I'm like, okay, it looks like it's $4,300. Did you want to pay that in full? Like, I'm not sure even what's been happening in the back, you know? Anyway, so I kept Getting thrown into these situations, and I'm like, this is uncomfortable. So what I started to do is, from the minute he. I would see him walk in to go with a patient, and I'm like, oh, I got to get more information. So I would just skedaddle right on in with him and leave the front desk completely unattended. But I'm watching out the corner of my eye. But I was like, I gotta get some more information for these poor patients. And so I kind of morphed my way into a treatment coordinator role with that. And then we brought on someone else to help watch the front desk, because obviously, I couldn't be gone for that long. But we didn't have that many new patients going. And so when Dr. Horsley bought the practice. Practice, then I was primarily doing new patients and still helping schedule and financials and. And all of those things as a small practice. So, anyway, so I think back then, it wasn't as common to have treatment coordinators. Now I'm like, oh, dear. I would never consider. Yes. Not having one and not having a trained treatment coordinator.
Cassie Kellner [00:08:34]:
So, wait, I. Let's go back to this. Dixie, hold on. Cause, wait, I feel like this was the beginning of the evolution of Dixie Robinson in an orthodontic practice. Right. I mean, listen there. You know this. Even today, there are plenty of team members who would be like, I still don't have the information. I'm not right.
Dixie Robinson [00:08:58]:
That.
Cassie Kellner [00:08:58]:
That aren't. That don't have that in them to go, oh, no, I need to be in that room, because he's not giving me the information that I need, and I don't want to be put in this position again. And so essentially, at that point, 25 years ago, you started creating and implementing systems.
Dixie Robinson [00:09:18]:
Yeah. And the beauty of that, because that's just in my nature, and I know that doesn't work with all personalities. You know, maybe some doctors are like, no. Like, they want to come up with the things or whatever. But for me, I'm like, oh, I see things. Which. Because I reflect back a lot to be like, how did I even take that job? But I think it's because I could see the potential and jump in. And so the beauty of Dr. Horsley, when he bought the practice is that he also has vision and creativity and all of that, and he understands that and empowered me to be able to be like, okay. If I had an idea or a thought, then he's like, okay, great. And so he helped to kind of create what I've been able to do too. So it's been great. We're kind of two peas in a pod and sometimes we get in trouble with grand ideas and big things. Hence 10 rebuilt and remodels. And I'm like, what's on the horizon next? Because we don't have anything big.
Cassie Kellner [00:10:19]:
So. So. Okay, so let's dive into that because I think it's really important, you know that I adore you And I adore Dr. Horsley. Like in. At my core, we've had some really wonderful dinners where we look at each other and I'm like, we just get each other too, on just a totally different level. And I, I am so in awe and I think a lot of people are of your relationship and your friendship with Dr. Horsley and the trust factor that is there between office manager and orthodontist and how he's allowed you to handle and do the things that you need to do without micromanaging every step of the way. And that takes a lot from a business owner and that you have the utmost respect. Expect for him to be able to manage now almost 60 team members. Right. And, and, and level up right on top of that. And do what you guys are currently doing, which we will get to because I'm very excited to share what you're currently doing. But, you know, how did that happen? Was the trust overnight? You know, what did that evolve?
Dixie Robinson [00:11:39]:
Yeah, It's, I mean, 25 years worth of information. I'll try to compile in. I know when Dr. Horsley and I know a lot of other practices will find themselves in the same situation, whether it's someone bought in or it's a new startup. Doctors, you know, it's their hard earned money, budgets are tight, so they either really want to control and have their hands in all of the pots to understand. And I love that. As the journey of an orthodontist, Dr. Horsley was the same. Initially, he needed to understand the basics of the practice and a business. But I think the beauty and I truly think he's a unicorn. I know I say this all the time and I know I'm biased because I work with him, but I do it by choice. Right. I love Dr. Horsley. He's absolutely incredible at all things. But initially he wanted to understand those things, but then he could see in each of our team members the talents, abilities and skills and he was like, okay, I am really great at orthodontics and clinical things and I have really great ideas and you guys are really great at helping to Carry these things out. And so he was like, go do. And he was initially a part of more of the meetings and all of the things that way he was super hyper aware. I remember the first couple of weeks when he joined the practice, he'd walk up front with our paper schedule and he wanted to know, like, every day, how many new patients did we have schedule today? And he'd walk up several times in the day, any more new patients today? And I was like, well, for four years, Dr. Jensen had not done that. But I was like, okay, Dr. Horsley cares. And so I'm like, well, I care too. So, yeah, how many did we get and how many more can we get and how can we attract more and how can we get these people? So, so he kind of lights this fire with people and he has this ability to do that. You've seen that with him. And he does it with our team, with our patients. And so, so he's just, he's great to empower everyone else to do what they need to do too. So I feel fortunate because he, trust me, it didn't happen overnight. I wasn't the office manager when he joined the practice. We did have another office manager at the time. And so things have evolved into what it is now. I do manage the practice. We have two locations, as we said, almost 60 team members, several doctors, and I had all of that up. So we kind of say like, yeah, I'm the office manager, but it's director of operations, his right hand gal. Like, I mean, all, all the different things. I mean, his wife, because he was actually talking to her the other day. I'm really good friends with her too. I love her, but she's like, if something happened, where is this? He's like, you just call Dixie. You know, the personal things, all of that. If something were to happen, then I, you know, he trusts me with all of that, so I can help her through anything, but nothing's ever going to happen.
Cassie Kellner [00:14:35]:
That's right.
Dixie Robinson [00:14:35]:
That's right. So we're good? Yeah.
Cassie Kellner [00:14:37]:
Oh, gosh. You know, and you know this Dixie because, I mean, we could nerd out on so many things during this podcast, but there's so many orthodontists out there that haven't built that trust yet, or they really want to, but they're not ready to let go. What would you say to them?
Dixie Robinson [00:14:56]:
I know, I, I think I would say you have to try because how do you know? I know. It's, it's, it's easy to say, oh, trust your gut. And you're like, oh, my gut is saying, I'm scared to do this, but also may. Maybe there's a chance. Do. Do a check. Is your gut. Just because you. You struggle with most decisions or you struggle letting go or it's a control thing or whatever, you still having someone else help you in your practice doesn't mean you don't know what's going on or that you don't have control. And I think. I think that can be a scary part. You just have to have systems in place. What are your check ins? What are your checks and balances? Who's overseeing some of these things? If you're not the one looking at the. The financials, who are the two people who are. So that you have other people doing that. But I think you just. You just have to, you know, test the waters. Not with everything. Maybe start with one thing and. And then go from there. Because I, I get it. It's scary.
Cassie Kellner [00:15:56]:
Yeah. I think to piggyback to Dixie is like, for people out there who, who are really going through it and are ready, but they're nervous. I also think trusting your intuition, like, and, and knowing, like, yeah, I know this is a good fit. I'm. I'm kind of getting in my own way. Right. Because we're human. We do that. But also understanding that mistakes are going to be made.
Dixie Robinson [00:16:21]:
Yes.
Cassie Kellner [00:16:22]:
You know, we're human. And I think that's with anything in orthodontics, as, you know. Right. If you start a new process or you allow someone to take on this new role, and then, like, maybe they totally flop or. And. And they're just like, like, scrambling to. To try it again, and they want it so badly, mistakes are going to be made. And I, and I'm here to tell people, and they probably don't want to hear this, but it's okay. Yes, you're allowed to make some mistakes. You're allowed to fix it. Accountability is everything. Self reflection is. It's the only way that we can grow.
Dixie Robinson [00:17:03]:
So true. It's so true. And I think. So, like, clinically, I think a lot of orthodontists, as they're treating patients and they're trying to figure out what works, what doesn't work. There's new technology, there's new things. And I dare say most orthodontists aren't as scared to jump into that, to say, oh, I'm going to try this new bracket or this new thing. Dr. Horsley was the same. And I'll just use this as an example with tad. So temporary anchorage devices. He had maybe done one or two cases and was kind of like, okay, this is becoming a thing. This is years ago. And he was like, you know what? Let's just try it. Let's just see what happens. He actually did tads on me. I had a very, very gummy smile. That was something that was. I mean, it was something that bothered me my whole entire life. As a teenager, I had braces and got a smile. Teeth were straight. You know, that. That was great. But I had this gummy smile, and I always hated it and was told, there' nothing we can do about it. And now here along comes this technology, and I work for the best orthodontist in the literal universe. And he's like, hey, we a could do this with surgery. We could fix it. But you know what? Let's try this with tads. So he had to just trust his gut. I was a willing participant to be like, sure, let's do it. We did four tads on me. He intruded my upper. It literally changed my life. It gets me emotional thinking about it, because it did change my life. And he took that leap of faith on himself, too, to be like, you.
Cassie Kellner [00:18:32]:
Know what I mean?
Dixie Robinson [00:18:33]:
Can I try this thing? It used to be we did this with surgery, but let me try this. And now we do thousands of TADS cases. We change that many more people's lives. And it's something that, for me, I have a much more confidence. I always had straight teeth, and we say it's so much more than straight teeth, what it can do. And I think it's the same for your team if the doctors are like, oh, yeah, I dare do this thing on patients. Okay, what about your practice, though? Can you dare to do the same thing? Tads were scary. We've always done surgery in the past. Okay, well, that was the past. Now there's these new things. Maybe it's a new person, a new system, a new software that can help. I don't think you have to be as scared about some of that as it seems to be.
Cassie Kellner [00:19:15]:
Because you're also using paper in the past, right?
Dixie Robinson [00:19:20]:
Yes. And a mistake. I mean, it can be reversed and fixed and found and gives opportunity for growth and learning, and so don't be scared. Yeah, Yeah.
Cassie Kellner [00:19:31]:
I really love that. I mean, you say that, you know, Dr. Horsley is a unicorn. I love that you. You really say this, because I have witnessed the trust and the partnership that you guys have in practice, and I really, really. I think it's magic. I think it's a really beautiful thing that you're willing to trust one another to be able to build this practice to where it has gone from purchasing to 6, to know where you currently are.
Dixie Robinson [00:20:04]:
Yeah. And it's great. And I know for him, too. Cause I just feel so blessed. And we always say, okay, we'll retire together. Like, we'll go out at the same time. That's great. But he is so generous, kind. It's more than just. I'm just a business owner making money. That is not what it's about for him, and that's not what it's about for me. I also love to change people's lives. I don't have a direct correlation. My hands aren't in the mouth. I'm not coming up with the treatment plan, but I'm the other end, making sure all of those other things can happen from people. From a people. Yes. Yes. And Dr. Horsley is so good to recognize that. For me, personally, for the team, he's really good at talking. Oh, thank you so much for doing this thing, giving people words of affirmation. He's also really good at giving gifts, very generous with things. And so you hold him in this high regard if you have the opportunity to work with him, whether you're a patient, a team member, a colleague, another doctor that comes in and mentors at our practice. You don't want to let him down because he's just this great man and does such great work and cares so deeply about people and what he does. And so you just want to be a part of that. And so I feel fortunate that I am.
Cassie Kellner [00:21:26]:
Yeah. And honestly, Dixie, I mean, you've seen a lot of practices as well. But from what I've seen, as, you know, in consulting, that is a rarity sometimes. You know, I was just. I did a disc workshop for a team member recently and. Or for a team. And the. The safe space that this orthodontist allowed for people to really open up about who these people are at their core. And to. There was tears. There was genuine vulnerability there. It was. I cried. I cried. It wasn't even about me. It's not even my team. You know, just the. The openness. But then I've been to plenty of practices where it's silent. There's no. No one's willing to share, because there is not a safe space. And I talk about this often, probably too much, but it is so important in today's workplace to create safe spaces. Orthodontics is not just about moving teeth and you and Dr. Horsley have proved that. And look where you currently are. Because it is more than moving teeth.
Dixie Robinson [00:22:39]:
It is. Well. And I think it starts, you know, Dr. Horsley, he's really good. And so it trickles down to everyone else. He asks if we're jumping into a meeting. The first question he's going to ask if he's running the meeting isn't, what are these numbers?
Cassie Kellner [00:22:54]:
Yes.
Dixie Robinson [00:22:54]:
How is this thing 60 days? How is your weekend?
Cassie Kellner [00:22:58]:
Right.
Dixie Robinson [00:22:59]:
You know, and he's asked that the week before, so oftentimes he's not even actually asking a question. We start a meeting or something, and he says, how was the movie you went to see last week? And people are like, I didn't even remember I saw a movie, let alone you. Yes. Oh. But, yeah, it was really good because he listens, he asks the questions, and so the rest of us, we follow suit. So that's the culture that we've tried to really build at Horsley Orthodontics, following his lead, because he's just fantastic at that.
Cassie Kellner [00:23:30]:
Genuine connection.
Dixie Robinson [00:23:32]:
Genuine connection.
Cassie Kellner [00:23:33]:
Like, these are humans, right?
Dixie Robinson [00:23:35]:
Yes.
Cassie Kellner [00:23:35]:
And we genuinely have to connect with our teams. You guys have just done such a beautiful job at that, especially. What did you say? How many team members total right now?
Dixie Robinson [00:23:47]:
58.
Cassie Kellner [00:23:49]:
58 team members. To create genuine connection with multi. Location, multi doctor and 58 team members, Dixie, that is a very, very, very difficult thing to do. It's hard to do that with six team members. Right. Especially in a practice at 3 o' clock when the school bus shows up, like in the summers. You know, this is. It's a very robust operation. And to be able to create connection and have genuine thought, caring, you know, and. And it's the active listening part that people. Right. Like, he's actively listening. He's not just saying, how was your weekend? Because he feels like that's something that anybody should ask. He's, like, really paying attention. But so are you. You know, you're not giving yourself enough credit here. You, Dixie Robinson, are a unicorn. And I mean, the things that I have seen you do accomplish, I mean, to be on this journey with you, I could get emotional. I'm. I am in absolute awe of you. And I say this, I am a cheerleader. Let me tell you what you, Dr. Horsley, has given you the opportunity. He's opened the door and said, dixie, I trust you. Let's go. But you have created such a beautiful role and culture based on who you are at your core.
Dixie Robinson [00:25:22]:
Well, thank you.
Cassie Kellner [00:25:23]:
You're.
Dixie Robinson [00:25:23]:
You're super sweet. And I'm, I'm not perfect. I mean, our practice isn't perfect.
Cassie Kellner [00:25:28]:
None of us are. And that's what makes you beautiful, though, is that we can go. Yeah, I still am working on some things.
Dixie Robinson [00:25:34]:
We work on a lot. Which, which one thing that, that's worked really well for us. We. Every year we set a new theme for our practice. And because we, we want to have something that people can easily remember what it is that we're working on. So, for example, for this year, our theme is Level Up. So we tie all of our meetings into that, all of our, you know, initiatives. We set all of our goals around that. We have monthly goals. We talk about them in our morning huddle, how we're doing with things. Because what, what we really want to try to do for the team is build individuals, of course, in the practice. But personally, I mean, I'm in the people business. I'm not now in the tooth moving because I don't do that part. And I'm not even in a consult room anymore. But now I have the opportunity to help the individuals who help our patients. So I'm one step removed. But I hope that my one thing or that I can exponentially help make a difference with that many more people by helping our team. And so we love having themes. I mean, it makes it fun and easy for me when I'm like, okay, I have to come up with a meeting and what are going to do and how it's going to be fun. And I don't want people just to sit and get. I want it to be fun, engaging. So whatever our theme is, we have some fun around it. We play games. That builds our team. And yes, we're having fun. They're getting paid for it. We're not actually talking maybe about orthodontics, but we're doing something that can help them personally, which then crosses over, as I said, into what it is that they do. So we do different things. And it's been a lot of fun over the years and to do some fun theme things, but it's also been pretty helpful. Our team, when, you know, they don't often leave, but people leave the practice for whatever reason. And I'll always do an exit interview. And it's my favorite question, what has Horsley orthodontics done? Well, that we should keep doing? And I don't prep them with any of the questions. It's just on the fly, just like it would be their interview to come join the practice. And without fail, most Everyone will say, oh, our team trainings, those are my favorite days. And they can see the value. We appreciate that you guys invest into us, and those are great days. And we've built some great friendships that stemmed from the team training days. And it gives us rejuvenation to get back into the practice. And so I love hearing that and that it's consistent. So it makes the effort, the time, the money, all of that that we put into our team trainings worth it. And. And also it's fun. It's a different day of work.
Cassie Kellner [00:28:13]:
It's connection, it's collaboration, it's communication. What would you say? Because you know that this is real in this industry, we don't have time to schedule team meetings. What would you say to those teams?
Dixie Robinson [00:28:26]:
Been there, done that. We said the same thing. So, yes. So when I'm like, we don't have time. We can't do a staff meeting. We have all these patients to. We're booked out for three months. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. But then we had to take a step back to say, but we are not our best selves here, and we need to streamline some things and make some differences. So what we had to start doing is plan our calendar a year in advance or more, and we literally carve it out. Those are sacred days and times that we don't touch. Doctors work their schedule around it. The team knows it's mandatory days, so plan your vacations. On other days, we're like, take a patient day off. Don't take a team training day off. And it's become the culture that people love it. They look forward to that, too, that they're like, no way do I want to miss this. And so people on maternity, they come back for those meetings too, because they just don't want to miss it. You know, it's just a lot of fun with that, too. But we have to intentionally carve the time out and everything works around it. When we didn't carve out the time, we didn't take the time. We just were like, yeah, we can. But surprisingly, we're as busy as we've ever been, but we still can find the time. We just have to plan ahead for it.
Cassie Kellner [00:29:38]:
Yeah. And have you seen a monumental shift in connection with your team since really implementing these team meetings?
Dixie Robinson [00:29:48]:
Monumental. This last year, we had some things come up with some different things. So we had to cancel one of our team meetings. And we knew that in advance. We knew that we weren't going to have our meetings. So we went longer in between. And the team morale, you just could see it just start to. Just start to dip because our days are busy. Orthodontic practices, it is fast and furious. You're on stage all day, putting on a happy face, bouncing from chair to chair, answering a lot of phones, posting a lot of payments, all of that. It's the same in orthodontics. And day after day with that without any hoorah, or let's do this, or let's hone in on this skill and really focus on this, or let's say, thank you, you are appreciated, and here is the moment to do that. And also, let's laugh and have some fun. And so we noticed that. That we were like, ooh, even just bumping that an extra two months was not good for our team. So it makes a difference, a huge difference.
Cassie Kellner [00:30:47]:
So anybody listening? Do it, schedule it, fit it in. It's worth it. A lot of times, like, oh, well, it will affect production. Or we have. We can't, you know, see these patients on these, you know, and it's one day.
Dixie Robinson [00:31:04]:
And your. Your return on that investment is huge because your team is happy you're able to care for patients. You know, we in. In ours, we carve out an entire day. It's eight hours once a year. We do two days back to back. But our full eight hour day, we. We do some things that are orthodontic training, right. Practice. It's usually maybe four hours of that and it looks different every time, but then maybe it's up to four hours. That's just fun. Or team building. We leave the practice, we go do something completely different. We've done ropes courses, we've done tubing down a hill. Like, we've done just different things in conjunction. And sure, that cost us money, too, and time. And yes, we're not learning about orthodontics. We're learning about each other. So now when we are doing orthodontics, we know that this person knows this thing or has this thing or that we can help them through this challenge that they shared with us. So it's definitely worth the time and the investment.
Cassie Kellner [00:32:00]:
Absolutely. Oh, my gosh. I mean, humans, we need connection. It's so important, especially with a robust practice that you have. Okay, Dixie, can we please talk about your shoe? Your love for shoes, Please?
Dixie Robinson [00:32:18]:
It's a problem. I know if my husband was here too, he'd be like, shut the girl down. She doesn't need any more shoes. I'm A shoe girl. I've always been a shoe girl from a young age. The home that my husband and I live in now, when we were building it, we actually took out one of the bedrooms to make because the floor plan was such that in our master closet, we'd have a washer and dryer in there. And I was like, oh, no, no, we need a bigger closet. Washer and dryer can have its own room. We're going to do a laundry room. We'll take out a bedroom, make a laundry room. Because I need a shoe wall. My husband's like, whatever, okay. But, you know, he could see the mess of what my shoes were before. Yep, yep. So we had the contractor build a wall that has lots of shelves on it and all my shoes could go. There was the plan. Well, when we moved in, one of the first things, I did put my shoes on the shoe wall, get them all color organized. You can see all the shoes. And I filled the wall and he said, well, where are my shoes going to go? And I was like, oh, you didn't have them build a shoe wall for you? That was for me. So sorry to figure it out. Y. So he doesn't get to share the shoe. Well, but I do have a shoe wall. And it's. I do keep it. If I buy a new pair of shoes, I take one out because I just. Oh, you do.
Cassie Kellner [00:33:31]:
Good for you.
Dixie Robinson [00:33:32]:
Clean and tidy. So. But I have lots of different shoes. And I use this analogy a lot when I'm talking with people because I'm a shoe girl, and I just really can't help it. And I don't know if it stemmed from my cartoon watching days when I saw the Cinderella cartoon. And Cinderella has these. These cute, tiny little feet. I think I always say it's probably she had a size 6 foot. I have a size 9. So I'm the ugly step sister for Cinderella. I'm a size 10. Dixie 5.
Cassie Kellner [00:34:03]:
I can relate. Are you kidding?
Dixie Robinson [00:34:06]:
And they put on display in the, you know, shoe short, these size 6. Sometimes it's a 7, but it's usually these small shoes. And I'm like, they're so cute. Can you get these in a 9? And out they come. And I'm like, not so cute. These don't look the same, but I still would be like, oh, but maybe I can try, you know? So I'm kind of trying. I'm the ugly stepsister trying to shove my big foot in the size 6 glass slipper. You can picture this, right?
Cassie Kellner [00:34:31]:
Totally.
Dixie Robinson [00:34:32]:
The Princess Helpers.
Cassie Kellner [00:34:33]:
It Was my favorite movie when I was little.
Dixie Robinson [00:34:36]:
Mine too. So I don't know if that's where it started for me with my shoes. But I've always been, you know, a lover of shoes with that I have owned. Now that I'm like, okay, I have a size 9. It just is what it is. It's not going to be as six, but it's a nine. And so that's okay. But I've had to learn that through the years. And so through the years, because I think a lot about shoes. I think about that with the team. My husband, so he's a Doctor of Education. He's a superintendent for a school district here in Utah. So a completely different industry. And I'm always telling him, oh, too bad you are not in the best industry in the world. I mean, education's awesome, but like, orthodontics, you know, but there's some things that cross over. So his analogy, when he's like, oh, do I have the right people on the right seat of the bus? That works in education. Kids are being bused a lot. It works across the industry. We use that and we'll say, where's the right hat? I'm not a hat girl, nor am I a bus girl. I get car sick, but I'm a shoe girl. So I like the analogy of, are we wearing the right shoe, or am I trying to put my. My foot in the right size shoe? And if I think about things like, you know, if I'm gonna go hiking, I'm not gonna wear flip flops or my high heels, I just.
Cassie Kellner [00:35:52]:
I wouldn't even consider that.
Dixie Robinson [00:35:53]:
And I don't think most people would. And so it crosses over into orthodontics as well. Are the the right people wearing the right shoes? Are. Are the ugly stepsisters? Or maybe they're cute stepsisters. We shouldn't say ugly, but I think that's the word thing. So good.
Cassie Kellner [00:36:08]:
They do use that.
Dixie Robinson [00:36:09]:
Sisters. Are you kidding?
Cassie Kellner [00:36:11]:
They do. Yes. Yes.
Dixie Robinson [00:36:13]:
Are they trying to put their foot into a shoe that is not their own because they're beautiful in their own. When they were wearing their right shoe, it was like, yeah, that looks great on them. And it made them less ugly or whatever. So same with the practice. And I think about, like, we had years ago, when I'm kind of first trying to think like, okay, everyone cannot do every role. We had someone. I'll call her Sherry. So Sherry joined our practice, and before we ever bring someone on, we do a personality assessment. I know you do. Disc. There's Lots of different things out there. Something to kind of help you give a little bit of insight on someone. And so we've done this, so we know some things, and over the years, we've learned a lot. We use the color code, which is similar to disc, as you know, and it just helps to give us some insight. So for this individual, for sharing, she. She was great, super outgoing, really great with people, had really great skills that way, a go getter. So I was like, she's going to be great. We were hiring for a scheduling coordinator, so we hire her for the position. And as we're doing, you know, check ins, it kept getting more and more frustrating with this individual because she is so great with people, which is why we thought, oh, yeah, across the desk, helping people. But what happened with Sherry is she would go missing. She's supposed to be at her desk scheduling these people. And we're like, where is Sherry? And we're looking high and low. And sometimes we'd find her. Sometimes by the time we find her, she's made her way back, and she was great and she talked to people. Then we'd, okay, maybe we need to give her more assignments at her chair to keep her in her seat, because this is where we need her to go. And we talk to her. All right, Sheri, you're so great with people. Also, we need you to be where the people are, which is at your desk. And she's right here. But she'd go to get a snack, and then she'd get, like, sidetracked, you know, and then time would go, and so we give her these things to do, and she'd maybe get halfway through. And then I'm like, okay, do you have that report for me? Oh, yeah, here's half of it. And I'm like, okay, let's do the other half, you know? So then I got thinking, and it just kept getting frustrated. More and more team members are getting frustrated, and it's that same thing that I'm like, okay, is she wearing the right shoe? Is she in the right role in our practice? And so I was to the point that I was like, I think we're gonna have to let Sheri go. She's just not a good fit for what we need to happen here. But I didn't want to do that. I knew she had some great strengths, and so we actually talked to her, and I said, hey, would you. Would you be interested in doing records and sterilization?
Cassie Kellner [00:38:41]:
Oh, I don't know.
Dixie Robinson [00:38:42]:
Because, you know, I like. I like what I'm doing here, you know, da, da, da. And so as I kind of talk through with her, okay, let me tell you what I observed, seeing, you know, these challenges. And then also I see that you're so good with people and that when the people are there with you, that you're really good one on one. And then in between, you can do these things. And so our record sterilization role is one that you have people scheduled in the day, because in our practice, they have 30 minutes with the patient, 30 minutes without, 30 minutes with. And they're taking records. They're the first impression of a patient. And so I knew she'd be great at that. And then in between your sterilization, and you can still talk with people in there, and people come in to bring their instruments and you can say hi, but you're socializing and you're doing the thing and you're not sitting, you're moving. And I could see for her that she needed movement in her day. And so we did move her and she flourished. She was an absolute star. She was incredible in that role. And so I think about that a lot as we've done that through the years. That was our first one that we were like, okay, instead of just letting her go, let's get her in the right shoe.
Cassie Kellner [00:39:49]:
Yeah.
Dixie Robinson [00:39:49]:
And. And so she's, she's. She was fantastic in that role. They ended up moving, and so she's not with us anymore, which was sad, but she was amazing. And I think about that too. When I talk with practices who are either thinking about bringing on an office manager or maybe switching roles for an office manager, what I see happen. And the same thing happens to me. I'm just going to illustrate one other story because I'm a shoe girl and I can't help it. I have an obsession with shoes. I know lots of different shoes. I have always loved the red soled Christian Louboutin shoes. Right?
Cassie Kellner [00:40:24]:
Yes. Huh.
Dixie Robinson [00:40:26]:
So for years I'm like, oh. And I see them in movies and I see them on people on stage. And I'm like, those are the shoe. But I'm like, that's so ridiculous to spend, you know, that kind of money. And the shoe is so impractical because the coating on the shoe, you can't even wear them outside because it wears them off. And they're so. They're like these giant heels and these, you know, flamboyant things. But I just still was like, man, I love these. So I was like, you know what? I'm gonna save Every gift card, every extra $5, I am going to buy myself a pair of Christian Louboutin heels because I'm a shoe girl. How can I say I'm a shoe girl, that I love these shoes and I don't have? So I. For years, you know, every little $5, because, like, it can't come out of any other budget that my husband and I have. So I'm like, this has to be the thing. So I get enough money by myself. My shoes. And now I have the shoes, and I'm like, I can't wear these to work. What. What would someone who sees me in these shoes think? And, you know, then I'm teaching a workshop, and I'm thinking, okay, I'm going to use a shoe analogy. And I'm like, okay, I should wear my Louboutins, because I'm talking about shoes. And then I'm like, no, no, no, I can't. I can't wear. What are they going to think? I don't deserve to have these. These shoes. I'm not a. I'm not a movie star. I'm not a person on a stage. I'm not this thing. But. But I'm like, why. Why am I thinking that I deserve to have the shoes? I earned every penny of those shoes also. And so I had to. And I use this as an analogy at a workshop that I did recently that I had to say, you know what? Get over it. Own your role. Own that. You own these shoes and wear them. And also, who cares what someone else thinks, because I'm a shoe girl. I feel my best self when I am in a pair of high heels. Sure, I love to hike in a good pair of hiking shoes, and I love flip flops at the beach, but I still feel funny and frumpy unless I am in a pair of heels. I'm sitting at my desk right now wearing a pair of heels. I can't help myself.
Cassie Kellner [00:42:26]:
I am sitting at my desk, Dixie, and I'm barefoot.
Dixie Robinson [00:42:29]:
So, yes, you're your best self in that. I couldn't. I can't say to people, like, be your best. Own your role. Like, step into that. If I can't do that myself, if I. If I can't say, yes, I love Louboutins. I want to wear my red soled shoes, but I don't dare because I'm worried about someone else would think or I don't think I'm worthy of the role. If the doctor is like, oh, you were. You were great at scheduling. I think you'd be an amazing treatment coordinator. But you yourself, you're like, yeah, I probably could. But, like, what would everyone thinking, oh, I don't know how to do this, or, oh, I've been doing these things and. And maybe I could manage this. Maybe I could take on this role. Maybe I could help with the system. You just have to step into that. And sure, it might be uncomfortable. My Louboutins, I have a couple pairs now because I'm just obsessed. I still say they don't come out of any other budget except my little extras.
Cassie Kellner [00:43:16]:
I love it. I love this. It's like the Louboutin budget. It's like special to get there.
Dixie Robinson [00:43:22]:
I love it and makes it that much more special to me when I get them. But they're not comfortable when I first step into them. Them, sure, they're full leather, so you have to kind of mold to your feet. And they're a high heel. So, yes, they're going to take a little bit to get used to. And so all of those things, you just have to know it's uncomfortable at first, but don't be afraid to step into the shoes and do it. And if you want the thing, if you're like, yes, I want to take on the system in the practice, I want to manage, or as a doctor, yes, I want to hand this off. I can't treat patients, run a practice, this, have my family do all of these things. Like, I need someone else to do that. It's okay. It's going to be uncomfortable at first. It's worth the investment. You're $5 at a time that you're doing. And then step into it and let someone else own it. And if someone else makes a mistake, you might slip on your heel, you might get a blister, but you're eventually going to get a callus and it's going to be okay. And eventually those shoes are going to be really comfortable and you're going to feel your best self because you made those changes and those sacrifices. So, anyway, so my shoe analogy. There you go.
Cassie Kellner [00:44:31]:
I am. That was so powerful. I'm not kidding. And good for you for buying those. But I think, you know, as humans, myself, as example, like the imposter syndrome, the self doubt, like, we, of course, every single one of us feels that at some point, whether you're the orthodontist or any other role in the practice or in life right outside of this industry in general. Right. How we constantly are comparing ourselves to other people. And comparison. I've talked about this, in other episodes is awful. It. It doesn't feel good to you? It doesn't. And what we don't realize too, is we're the only ones who are really paying attention to ourselves in such great detail.
Dixie Robinson [00:45:19]:
Yes. Yes.
Cassie Kellner [00:45:21]:
Like no one else is paying attention to as much of what I am doing than me.
Dixie Robinson [00:45:27]:
It's so true. It is so true.
Cassie Kellner [00:45:31]:
I love this. It's so powerful and empowering for other individuals listening to hopefully understand that there is growth in this and there are going to be hiccups and there are going to be mistakes and. But to empower your team to be able to step into the role or give the role away is really, really important. Okay, Dixie, there's so many things I want to talk about, but kind of, as we kind of wrap up here, what is something that you've really, really that you want to share that you've learned along the way, whether it's in a experience or a surprise or something that you truly, really kind of over came?
Dixie Robinson [00:46:20]:
No, that's good. Probably one of the biggest surprises in my 25 years. We've had a lot, but we had, within a nine month time period, we had all four of our treatment coordinators leave the practice. And I was not prepared for that. I don't know if my, if it was my ego thinking, oh, these people will always be with us because we're amazing, or if I just was naive enough to think, oh, what's always, what's. What is will always be. And. And so it was such a great lesson for me. I love the individuals who left. They, they had different reasons that timing was, was part of that. But some of it too was we made a lot of changes in the practice.
Cassie Kellner [00:47:06]:
Yeah.
Dixie Robinson [00:47:06]:
And, and it was hard for them. And looking back, it's always easy to say, yes, it is real. And I, I'm like, oh, would I have done some things different? Totally. It's easy to look back and say that. So moving forward, I've been able to kind of, you know, self evaluate some of those changes for future things we've done. But losing all of those were so hard. And they're such great individuals and they're doing great things and I'm really happy for them. But for us, what that ended up is that we did not have treatment coordinators. I did not have a backup plan. So what happened is that I found myself back in my favorite role. So that was, you know, super fun because treatment coordinating is an absolute blast. But I was also trying to juggle everything else too. It was One of the hardest years of my whole entire life. And we got through it, and I learned a really hard lesson. And now what we do different is we have more cross training and more planning. And at first I was like, oh, we can't have this person learn this, because it takes them away from doing that, or, I need them just in this role or this person. It's hard to switch gears, but we find the right people. A lot of people like to switch gears, and they like to feel needed and to switch. And so we're trying to build what our team is looking like. So we have a lot more cross training in multiple roles besides treatment coordinating. But it was really hard. We got through it. The practice survived. We had to be creative with some things. The team stepped up as well, but it was a surprise to me. I. I never in a million years thought that we would lose all treatment coordinators at the same time.
Cassie Kellner [00:48:44]:
Yeah.
Dixie Robinson [00:48:45]:
And we did.
Cassie Kellner [00:48:46]:
When you. When you cross train like that, too, Dixie, there's such a level of appreciation for different roles.
Dixie Robinson [00:48:51]:
Yes. Yes.
Cassie Kellner [00:48:52]:
You know, where people are like, oh, I always thought, I'll use myself as an example. I was in the clinic for a gazillion years as. As we know, and. And going into a scheduling coordinating role.
Dixie Robinson [00:49:05]:
I'm like, they just get to, like.
Cassie Kellner [00:49:06]:
Sit there and answer the phone, and I'm over here, like, sweating in my scrubs and, you know, like, getting slapped in the face with plaque and, you know, like, doing all the things. And then going into that role, I'm like, oh, I just picked up a phone call from a very upset patient or parent, and now I'm having to, like, on the fly, put this fire out. And I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. This is a totally different. I'm like, oh, okay. The level of appreciation there for me in my early 20s was like, okay, I'm never going to think of this role in that way ever again. Or, like, the battle of the front and the back, you know, the. The battle of the TC versus the clinic and wanting the doctor where they need to be. But if your TC understands your clinic and your. Your clinic understands your tc, the level of appreciation and connection that you feel, it, it's a monumental pivot in practices when you genuinely start to cross train.
Dixie Robinson [00:50:10]:
Yes. Yes.
Cassie Kellner [00:50:11]:
It's huge.
Dixie Robinson [00:50:12]:
And I. I'm like, why didn't we do that sooner? But I needed that hard lesson, of course, to face. Yes. And so. Yeah, but you're absolutely right. It helps the practice monumentally.
Cassie Kellner [00:50:26]:
So, Dixie, before we go, you have not only do you run this practice and created such beautiful relationships and a wonderful model with an orthodontist and orthodontist that you work with and a massive team, you've also started something and I want people to know what you're doing and how they can find you and work with you.
Dixie Robinson [00:50:54]:
Okay. Yeah, I mean it's, it's kind of morphed into thanks for the opportunity for that. We, we have a lot of practices who like reach out to us who you know, want help from Dr. Horsley or myself with anything, practice management, wise, dream recording, whatever. And so, so I on the side, I still obviously help with Horsley Orthodontics, but I help a lot of other practices. So the business is called Elevated Orthodontic Solutions because we're elevating the things in orthodontics. And so you can find me online elevatedorthosolutions.com and a lot of things vary but two of the main things that we do is three. One would be we do some workshops. So people come in. We have a training facility here in Utah and, and we do specialized workshops where individuals come and we have open conversations, open learning, kind of study club moments as well where we learn from each other and share. So we have a lot of really fun with those workshops and also have in office opportunities. I feel like what I love workshops and I love conferences and I gain a lot from that. But when I visit another practice and I can get outside of my little box and see how it's working for someone else doesn't mean like when people come to horse orthodontics. I don't think we're doing it the way everyone should do it. We do what works for us. But I think the power of people coming to visit us is that they can see outside of themselves, oh, is this something that would work for me or oh, now I can see a different thought process through that. And so we obviously train how to do lots of different systems, processes that would be the same pretty much throughout orthodontics, but then help do that in a, in a one on one role where individuals come, do that and then help people just get other things optimized in their practice. Things like a smile assurance program or things like that that they don't have for long term retention. So a lot of different ways that we can help. It's a lot of fun. And I partnered that through POP if people know about that, it's Premier Orthodontic Practices, so it's privately owned orthodontic practices and so I also head up the practice management piece up of POP to help anyone who needs help with that. We help them get practice management things going and so I'm fortunate to be a part of that. Dr. Horsley is one of the founders with the POP office as well. And so we just get lots of crazy ideas going and lots of things, but love to help people. Like I said, I'm not maybe in the mouth doing that, but I love to help people elevate themselves, their practices, their roles. And so, so lots of different opportunities out there. So, so check out my website. You can do a free 30 minute discovery call where we can see what needs are, you know, needed for you, your practice, your individuals and can kind of tailor a solution for you that way.
Cassie Kellner [00:53:50]:
So we will link everything so that you guys can reach out to Dixie. I think she's an absolute brilliant human and I'm proud to call you my friend.
Dixie Robinson [00:53:58]:
Thank you, thank you.
Cassie Kellner [00:54:00]:
Thank you so much for joining me Dixie.
Dixie Robinson [00:54:03]:
Thanks for having me. It was an absolute delight. This is fantastic. Any Cassie time I can get is great time.
Cassie Kellner [00:54:10]:
Same, same. Thank you so much.
Dixie Robinson [00:54:13]:
Of course. Thank you.
Cassie Kellner [00:54:15]:
Thank you for joining me on The Bloom Effect, where we keep it real, keep it growing and always keep it team first. If today's episode sparked something for you, an idea, a shift, or just a reminder that you're not alone, take a second and share it with your team or a fellow ortho leader. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a convo. And if you're loving the show, leave a review. It helps more practices. Find us and join the movement. And if you're ready to bring this kind of energy into your practice, visit DiscovEverbloom.com to learn more about working together. Until next time, keep leading with heart, keep building with intention and keep blooming right where you're planted.
