Cassie Kellner [00:00:00]:
Hey Bloomers, it's Cassie here.
Cassie Kellner [00:00:01]:
I'm thrilled to announce I'm co-hosting an in-person on-site meeting you won't want to miss. The Ortho Society in San Diego, California on May 15th and 16th. I will be collaborating with my co-host Lindsay Quinn, founder of Heartwise Collective, a friend, colleague and powerhouse in practice management. Day one, you learn from us where we build out Asana workflows, AI systems, CEO dashboards, team growth pathways and more. Day two, collaborate with peers, problem solving, solve and implement systems in real time. This is a hands-on, results-driven and exclusive experience spots are extremely limited. You can go to the link below or you can head to DiscoverEverbloom.com.
Cassie Kellner [00:00:47]:
Events to apply 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 on honest convos, leadership lessons and the heart behind thriving orthodontic teams. If you're ready to grow, lead and bloom, let's dive in.
Cassie Kellner [00:01:11]:
Welcome back to The Bloom Effect. I'm your host Cassie Kellner and today is my final solo episode of 2025. Now, this year has been an incredible, wild, transformative, exhausting, clarifying, stretching, oh my gosh, incredibly rewarding year for me. And this month actually has been really wild for me personally. For those of you watching, you can tell this is not my background. For those of you who listen, this, this month has been really wild and I feel like I've been really tested personally. I'm coming to you today from my dining room, not my office. And the reason is, is because it's difficult for me to get around because about three weeks ago I broke my, my right foot, my fifth metatarsal, exact. I was walking into my mudroom and I missed the step. It has a little turn and I missed it entirely and I fell and broke it. I knew it was broken the minute I fell. And so as a female who does all the things for the holidays by choice and I make it incredibly magical for my children, along with my husband, of course, I have had to rely heavily on others and I think as an incredibly independent woman, that's been really, really difficult for me. But there's a reason why this has happened and it's just been a really interesting time. On top of that, I was incredibly sick. I had some crazy cold flu cough bug. So if you still hear in my voice during this pod, I'm sorry. My family has gone through it. As you all know, that when you have children, you work in a practice like it spreads like wildfire. And I just thought I needed to update you guys also. And I had to move things around with clients and engagements that speaking engagements that I had. And everyone was so incredibly wonderful and lovely. And it was just really heartwarming and made me really realize over and over again how much I love the people I get to coach, work with people in this industry. So this podcast, I thought was kind of really fitting. It was already a theme that I really wanted to discuss with everyone. But it was interesting that all of this has happened to me. And this was the theme that I had originally really wanted to talk about to close out the year on the bloom effect. And the theme is, you guys ready? Stop building a business that you resent. Now, this episode might really challenge you. And honestly, it should. I promise it will also free you. Right? So let's get into it. I just want to start with some truth bombs, which you guys know. I love a good truth bomb. But I really want you to take this in. A lot of practice owners think that they're leading, but they're really just running the practice like an extra full time employee. And I really want you to take that in, right? So here are signs that you're in the weeds instead of just like in your lane as a leader, as an orthodontist, number one, you're the first person that everyone comes to to fix the problem. To every issue that you have. You are involved in tasks that you hired people to do. You're constantly, constantly putting out fires. You're never just leading forward. You are just putting out fires day to day. This is a really, really, really, really big one, especially for orthodontists and clinical teams. Your team is waiting for you to make decisions that should just be automatic. You're exhausted even on days that you don't see patients. You can't take vacation without anxiety. You feel guilty when you're doing the right thing for your practice. Oh, my gosh, that's a huge one, you guys. And honestly, if any of these are hitting really close to home, I just want you to know you're not alone. You are not alone. And by the way, I speak a lot to dental and orthodontic owners, teams, leaders, but this goes out to anyone, right? I'm a business owner and I feel these things sometimes. But I think what's happening in a lot of teams that I see, and, you know, for a lot of us, is that we're living in reactive leadership. And I'm here to tell you that reactive leadership always, 100% of the time, leads to resentment.
Cassie Kellner [00:07:29]:
So.
Cassie Kellner [00:07:32]:
Let's talk about. This is where people don't realize it's actually happening, right? Resentment shows up as anger. First you're angry, you're mad. You're asking yourself, why do I have to do everything? Why can't my team just figure this out? I don't even know where my time goes. At the end of the day, I've accomplished absolutely nothing. You're. You're thinking it shouldn't be this hard. And the reality is, is that it shouldn't. However, you are not necessarily resenting your team, even though that's what it feels like. You're actually resenting the structure or lack of it, right? Because you don't have systems. So when you go back and ask yourself all of these questions, right, you're exhausted. Your team is waiting for you to make decisions all the time. You're the one that has to put out all the fires. Your team's depending on you for every single answer. You don't have systems in place. So I encourage you to take a step back and look at all of these things that I've just talked about, right? You are. If you don't have systems, then your team's depending on you for answers. You're the bottleneck. You lose trust in your people, you lose confidence in their ability. They lose confidence in themselves. And everything, everything in your practice doesn't matter what position anybody is in, everything feels so much heavier than it should. So eventually, you start to resent your team, and then you start to resent the very business that you have built. Take it in. You not only resent your team, you resent that you don't have systems. You resent that maybe you've created systems, but you haven't come back to them in a million years. And you start to then resent the very business that you built. And not because you don't love it, because it's running you instead of you running it. And instead of supporting you, it is running you and it is running you to the ground. So you've heard me say this a thousand times, and I'm going to say it again, because the truth is, most leaders really try to avoid burnout, right? They try. They try very, very, very hard. And I'm here to tell you that, you know, we're like, burnout is too much work. No, no, no, no. My friends, there's so asks what burnout really is. And I'm here to tell you, it's not necessarily too much work. It's actually too little clarity on what you have going on in your business. Right? So here's the thing. I have a few really fast clarity resets that you can implement today. Right? I'm going to get brutally clear on what you need to do, and I want you to start with this. I do this in all of my trainings. I do this when we teach Asana. When we build out Asana for teams. I want you, I don't care if you use Asana or not. I want you to write down every single role that you have in your practice. Every single one. Write it down, preferably digital, but if you are a pen and paper person, go for it. Give each role, each role clear and simple responsibilities. Now, I know everyone loves to plug this stuff into AI. However, if you don't know how to use AI properly, you are going to get some crazy jargon that it's pulling from all over the web and what other people are doing. And then you're like, oh, this sounds great, but is it true to your practice? I want you to fill out simple responsibilities and I want you to know that if someone owns this, if someone owns this responsibility and this role, then they own it, it is theirs. Take it in. They own it, it is theirs. Okay, tip number two, stop being everyone's task manager.
Cassie Kellner [00:12:31]:
Stop.
Cassie Kellner [00:12:31]:
If you're holding your team's to-do list in your head, you're already burnt out. And this isn't just for managers. This is for teams as a whole. Right? Move everything into a task management system. This is why I build Asana out for teams. This is why I have Asana for orthodontics. We need to get all of this out of people's heads and place it somewhere so that we know what people are doing, when they're doing it, and how they should be doing it. Number three, use an expectation test. If your team is missing something, repeatedly ask yourself, did I communicate the expectation clearly and consistently? Did I actually communicate the expectation clearly and consistently? Consistently and honestly. Most of the time the answer is no, by the way. You're not alone in that. But people are getting so frustrated and so burnt out and so resentful. However, are we giving clear expectations? Are we being consistent with our teams? And most of the time, the answer is no. And I have some good news for you. The. The really good news here is that it's fixable. It's fixable. So tip number four, remove your name from tasks you should not touch. I love when I speak with orthodontists or managers who go, yeah, I'm not really sure how to do that. That's okay. There are things that you're hiring team members to do. Take it off of your to do list, delegate it, systematize it, or get rid of it, delete it. Sometimes we, we use antiquated systems that really we shouldn't be using anymore that really don't make any sense for our practices. All right, tip number five, pick one system to tighten up each week. Could be each month in 2026. So I, I let's say you decide to do something weekly. Then you have a weekly focus. If you are focusing on something weekly that you want to change, that is a massive change. In 2026. If you are really, really focusing on what you want to change in your practice, here's get ready. Here's another truth bomb. You are not allowed to complain. If you are not willing to fix everything. Everything is fixable. You don't need a full overhaul. You just need consistency. So if you're out here having this really great meeting and goal sessions and a 12 month roadmap for your practice and you've done all of really great end of year things and then you never come back to the drawing board or the next time you have this all team meeting is in August of 2026, I'm here to tell you, unfortunately, you are not being consistent. So this is the part that we don't talk about enough. Resentment can fade. Clarity can return. Pride comes back when systems get cleaner. And let me tell you something, if you feel like you're really missing joy in your practice right now, I promise you it will come back and it shows up. When you and your team feel supported by your own structure, take it in. So here is how we rebuild your practice into something that you actually love, that you loved in the very beginning because it was new and exciting and you were putting everything you possibly could into it. Here we go. You ready? Redefine what you will and will not tolerate. It is okay to set boundaries in your practice. That doesn't mean that you don't show up with compassion. That doesn't mean that we don't love our teams. But you really have to define what you will and will not tolerate in your business. Chaos cannot live as a permanent personality trait of your business. It's a choice. And guess what? You get to choose differently. You also should be leading from a vision and not urgency. Right? So I know we create these visions and we have mission and culture and values and everyone's been Talking about this so much in the last five years, right? But your team should not only know your goals, they should also know why. Why do these goals matter? Build your systems to protect your energy, right? Whether that's your morning huddle, whether that's Asana task flows, digital workflow, clarity, roles and responsibilities, very clear roles. Simple SOPs. I talk about SOPs so much. And by the way, for those of you who still don't know what an SOP is, zero judgment here. It is a standard operating procedure for your practice. Simple, simple, my friends. Create a simple SOP. If someone keeps asking you why we do what we do and you're getting the same questions over and over again and you're frustrated, One, if you created the SOP, then we need to redirect and redefine where that person needs to find the answer instead of continuously answering these questions, right? Because these aren't just operations that I'm talking about. These aren't just systems that I'm talking about. These are your actual boundaries. Another thing that I really want you to focus on and think through for 2026 is hiring for strength. And not just for a placeholder. Filling a seat even though we are in panic mode sometimes is not leadership. You are looking to hire someone who elevates your practice. Now, if you are hiring someone who elevates your practice and you're so excited for this, you have to remember what is the culture, the system, the boundary, the business that they're walking into. Remove yourself from the center of everything. You are the leader, but you are not the system. You are not the safety net and you are not the fixer. The more you release, the more you can lead your team. Your practice doesn't need an overhaul or a brand new vision. It needs you to stop tolerating chaos. You are tolerating chaos and it's the cost of growth. It's. Chaos is not a sign of a busy practice. It's a sign that you're operating in absolute survival mode. Survival mode will always take this in. Survival mode will always turn your passion into resentment. As we close out this year, I just really want you to remember this. You are not trapped in the business that you have built. You are not stuck in the systems that you have created and the systems that are not working for you right now. And you are not obligated to stay overwhelmed. You can rebuild, you can simplify, you can reset, and you can choose clarity over chaos. You can recreate and redefine a business that you love to lead again. So I encourage you to take these two weeks to rest and go quiet. Believe me, over the past couple of weeks, I know you can hear it in my voice. I have taken time to go quiet. This break on my foot has been a break in my life for me and my family, my husband and my children and my business. And when you go quiet, magic happens. You guys come back ready to redesign, to design the practice that you love. To not tolerate the chaos, to not just survive in 2026. You have the power to make the choice. And don't forget, I'm here for you. Even if it's just someone to lean on, someone to gain wisdom from, someone to build out those Asana projects or your practice playbooks or give you absolute clarity in what you're doing. I really, really, really from the bottom of my heart, I'm starting to lose my voice at the end of this pod. I want to thank you for being a part of this year with me and with The Bloom Effect and with Everbloom. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for learning with me. Thank you for letting me speak into your leadership. I will also be taking a two-week break and reset and come back with sharp, clear and aligned systems for my business. So I really hope that you do the same. Sending you so much love in this holiday season. I will see you in 2026. Enjoy your holidays everyone.
Cassie Kellner [00:23:29]:
Thank you for joining me on The Bloom Effect where we keep it real.
Cassie Kellner [00:23:32]:
Keep it growing, and always keep it team first.
Cassie Kellner [00:23:35]:
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 DiscoverEverbloom.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.
