In this episode I’m joined by Paige Abbs, Practice Manager at Woodborough House Dental Practice in Pangbourne, Berkshire. Paige arrived three years ago from a corporate operations background and has since made a marked impact on a large, multi-disciplinary private practice. We talk career pivots, culture, systems and why the right kind of structure liberates people to do their best work. Paige describes being recruited through networking rather than advertising — a reminder that, in 202...

In this insightful and candid episode of Conversations with Chris, Chris Barrow speaks with Fiona Teasdale, Practice Manager at Myton Park Dental Centre. Fiona shares her inspiring career journey—from her early days helping in her family's hotel business in Scarborough to leading a successful dental practice in the North East. Fiona discusses the transition from NHS to plan-based dentistry, the transformation she led upon joining Myton Park in 2023, and the challenges and rewards of implement...

In this latest episode, Chris Barrow welcomes Dr Alec Granville, co-owner of a thriving Dublin-based dental practice, for an inspiring and candid conversation. Alec, joined in life and business by his wife Hannah, shares the fascinating journey from financial mathematics in New York and oil trading in London, to co-founding a successful private dental practice in Ireland. Alec recounts the bold leap into dentistry at the age of 30, driven by a desire for autonomy and hands-on work. Together w...

In this inspiring episode of Conversations with Chris, dental entrepreneur and leader Dr. Andrea Ubhi joins Chris Barrow to share the story of her remarkable journey—from building a successful multi-surgery practice to surviving cancer during a global pandemic, and now leading a purpose-driven life rooted in joy, service, and resilience. Key Takeaways: Business Brilliance: Andrea shares how she founded and grew Clock House Dental in York from scratch into a thriving 10-surgery practice before...

In this episode of Conversations with Chris, we welcome Alex Blake, the non-dentist co-owner and managing director of Blake Dental, a thriving independent private practice in Witham, Essex. Alex shares his fascinating journey from teaching mathematics to leading a dental business, bringing fresh perspectives on financial management, leadership, and sustainable practice growth. Key Topics: From mathematics to management – How Alex transitioned from a decade-long teaching career into dental pra...

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Dr. Abeer Al-Adhami, the founder of Abi Dental in Sutton, Surrey. From surviving personal hardship to building a thriving boutique dental practice, Abi’s story is a testament to resilience, passion, and perseverance. She shares how her mother’s imprisonment in Iraq shaped her determination, her journey from Baghdad to the UK, and the challenges she overcame to establish her own dental practice from scratch. Abi also opens up about balancing mo...

In this episode of Conversations with Chris, we sit down with the inspiring Carol Somerville Roberts, the visionary founder of Evolve Dentistry in Portishead. Over the course of our conversation, we explore Carol’s journey from her childhood in Dublin to becoming a leading figure in private dentistry. Her story is one of resilience, innovation, and unwavering dedication to building her ideal practice. Carol shares how her path to success wasn’t always smooth. Born as the youngest of five chil...

In this episode of Conversations with Chris, we sit down with Rachel Addison, the principal and owner of Cotteswold Dental Care in Gloucestershire. Rachel shares her incredible journey, from an unplanned start in dentistry to running a thriving 7-chair private dental practice. She opens up about the challenges of practice ownership, the impact of COVID-19, and how resilience and patient-focused care have driven her success. Key Takeaways: Rachel's journey began with a dream of becoming a vet,...

Get ready to be inspired! In this episode of “Conversations with Chris", I sit down with Bob To, a remarkable dental practice owner whose life journey is a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of hard work. Born in Hanoi, Vietnam in 1975, Bob's childhood was marked by conflict and hardship. His family, of Chinese-Vietnamese heritage, faced immense challenges during the China-Vietnam war, eventually leading them to seek a new life in the UK when Bob was just 12 years old. From...

Join me for a very informal chat with Joel, who has been advising clients on purchases and sales since 2018 in Scotland and has been recently promoted head up the whole UK operation for Christie & Co Dental. We discuss: The impending threat of a Labour Budget;How the activity in the market is shifting from corporates to smaller dental groups and independents - some remarkable statistics;Top tips for first-time buyers;Top tips for first-time sellers;A look at the orthodontic landscape;Mult...

A great chat with a best friend that follows his career since selling his dental practice to Oasis, encompassing: The pleasures and pitfalls of a dental corporate earn-out;Building a handpiece repair business into a major dental supply company;How a chance trip to America turned into an innovation in the field of guided implant dentistry;Why guided dentistry is changing the face of dentistry;More pleasure and pitfalls - this time in connection with managing fast—growing businesses.Chris and J...

Many of you both followed and supported my recent “Everest Cycling Challenge”, supporting Asto Clinics, who provide treatment for those debilitated by OCD. As Steve Turnock and I climbed 29,030 feet over 6 days around the Préalpes d'Azur Regional Nature Park, we shared our adventure with you each day via my blog - and also added a patient testimonial to each blog post. Thank you to all those who helped us to raise funding for 5 patients. In this conversation, recorded around Steve’s home on o...

Only dental cave-dwellers over the last three years would have missed Marcos’s “Digital Growth Program" and his pioneering work on the successful integration of: The Dental Therapist;The Digital TCO;The Intra-Oral Scanner;The onsite digital lab.Now, we explore the next evolution in his thinking - The High Performance Dentist. In this conversation we explore how Marcos will: become Better, not Bigger;achieve Mastery not Growth.He is now deep in thought and analysis of how The Courtyard will de...

I make no apology for saying that, if you don’t listen to this podcast in the next 12 weeks, then don’t bother at all. That’s because I wanted to talk to one of my best mates (and an expert on leadership) about how to deal with the situation we find ourselves in TODAY. In December, there was a short-lived sense of hope generated by the delivery of the first vaccines and the anticipation of some Christmas cheer. Soon enough we were slapped down by restrictions on our holiday activities and the...

I simply cannot believe that the last “Conversations with Chris” podcast was broadcast in February 2020 - but then again, we have all been a bit distracted and busy haven’t we? It would also be fair to say that the podcasting world has grown exponentially during 2020 and became a much favoured way of communicating in the year of Covid-19. However, my ever-watchful support team (a.k.a. Phillippa and Rachel) decided it was about time I got back in gear with this and so booked an interview time ...

It’s an absolute pleasure to engage in conversation with a best friend about his life. Most people in the profession would recognise Tim as the owner of Elmsleigh House Dental Clinic (EHDC) - a specialist referral practice in Farnham, Surrey - one of a decreasing number that are still owner-managed and not gobbled up by a dental corporate. Tim has built from next to nothing one of the best in it’s breed - but there is more to him than that. I haven’t met many people who I could confidently de...

This month’s fascinating conversation began at a 2019 dental trade show, when I made the time to sit down with Shaz and find out more about his company. I quickly discovered that Shaz isn’t a showman or a salesman, in fact 7/8ths of the person I met spends most of the time below the surface. The more I listened to Shaz’s story, the more I liked him. Here we join him on his journey from 17-year old graphic designer in the bedroom of his parent’s home to an “office” in the garage where he spent...

Chris Burton is, by his own admission, a good dentist but reluctant businessman. We travel with Chris from school in Bolton to university in Newcastle (an experience he did not enjoy) and on to the practice he owns now as a newly qualified Vocational Trainee. The journey from VT to associate to owner should have been an upward climb but events conspired to reverse the direction. Yet at age 37 he is the owner of a beautiful private practice in rural North East England, with an enviable post-gr...

There are some people in the dental landscape who really need no introduction. Even more reason, in my opinion, to get behind the scenes with Ash and find out where he comes from and how his extraordinary career developed as THE go to guy for communication skills training in dentistry. I’m going to let you into a secret - back in the summer, Ash cycled the 26 miles each way from his house to mine, so that we could record the first version of this interview. Can you imagine my horror whe...

Louise Spry is one half of the man and wife team who opened a private squat in Maidstone back in 2008 (exactly one month after the global banking collapse). Louise as Practice Manager and Marcus as Principal Dentist have built Fresh Implant + Dental Care to over £1m per annum of sales in a beautifully branded and presented location that occupies a secluded (but very pretty) office complex on the outskirts of the town. There is little or no drive by or walk by - only neighbouring small b...