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741: D.E.W. Dental Entrepreneur Woman & The Story Behind the Movement – Anne Duffy

Dentistry has come a long way when it comes to including women. But there is still a long way to go! In the meantime, one woman created a platform to inspire, empower, and connect women in this field. To highlight her success, Kirk Behrendt brings in Anne Duffy, founder of Dental Entrepreneur Woman, to share her journey, insights, and the value of having a community for women. To learn more about DeW, why you should join, and how to support the women in your lives, listen to Episode 741 of The Best Practices Show!

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Episode Resources:

Main Takeaways:

  • Dentistry still has a long way to go with inclusivity.
  • Advocate for yourself and be an advocate for all women.
  • Find your community, and great things will happen in your life.
  • You don't need to be an entrepreneur to be part of the DeW community.
  • DeW is not about bashing men. It is about supporting women in dentistry.
  • Support and uplift women, and the world will become a much better place.

Quotes:

“I knew a lot of different women in different career paths, and I heard a lot. I heard they weren't getting the gigs. They weren't getting the speaking gigs. They weren't making as much money. They weren't in the C-suite. They were missing out on promotions. We knew that dentistry was starting to shift from graduating dentists being, now, almost 60% female. And one afternoon, I called a girlfriend, a dear friend of mine in marketing. She was the one that always put my magazines under her booth at the shows, and kept my second pair of shoes, and always called me back and always emailed me back. I loved her. She was crying hysterically. I'm like, ‘Oh my God. What is wrong with you?’ Her boss at the company that she worked for, which was a major company, had written in her 360 review that her smile was insincere, and it looked like she was plotting something against the company. I'm like, ‘What? First of all, you're the most sincere person I know. That is absolutely insane. Damn it, I am starting something to highlight the amazing women in dentistry.’ They're beautiful, they love beauty, they're caring, they're smart — all of the things that are amazing about women — and I really wanted to highlight them.” (8:11—9:30)

“Initially, [the intent of DeW] was highlight. Really quickly, I realized, no — this is to inspire, empower, and most importantly, connect all women in dentistry. I don't care what you do in the different career paths. We’re women first. We just happen to be in dentistry. And I realized the power of that.” (10:43—11:06)

“[DeW is] not anything like man-bashing. I love men. People say dentistry was run by old, white guys — and I love old, white guys. [I've been] married to one for 49 years. I've got two great sons. I love men. But I felt that there's something special about having women in a room that are safe, can be authentic, that have no scarcity mentality, that are there to help and support each other. That's how the movement started, and that's how the movement is going to continue.” (11:25—11:59)

“A lot of women feel like they're not an entrepreneur, so they can't be part of our organization. All women are entrepreneurial. All women spin ten plates.” (13:19—13:26)

“As a young hygienist, I had no idea that all these career paths were available to dental hygiene. I was pretty much stuck in dental hygiene until I got my first side gig. “Stuck” is not a really great word because I loved clinical. But there are so many opportunities that I would never have known about. And then, the leadership skills that you gain when you do those side gigs, when you jump into that and you say yes — your speaking skills, your communication, writing, building, selling, marketing — all of those grow when you're in a community of women that have ideas that they're going to share.” (14:16—14:49)

“Talk about community. If I hadn't gone to that little meet-up and been supported by those amazing women in that meet-up, who knows where I'd be right now . . . So, that's one little message of the power of what a community of women that are lifting you up can bring to you. And they're younger than me. In other words, they're lifting me up, and then once I get there, I am grabbing their arms and I'm pulling them up. So, if you've got that ladder, it keeps moving and it doesn't matter who's on the top. It's just a matter of us not only mentoring each other but advocating for each other. I think that's a big key with our group, is we advocate for each other for the wins, and we're there for the losses.” (15:45—16:44)

“There is absolutely nothing [like] rubbing elbows, being in the same room with the energy, the ideas, the brainstorming — there's nothing like being together. I love both. I love Zoom. I feel like I can get to know people through Zoom. I mean, look at you and me. We've seen each other once, maybe, but I feel like I know you through our Zoom conversations. So, that's cool. But there's nothing like seeing you in person, giving you a hug, jumping up and down, and saying, ‘Hey, let's have a few minutes to discuss something.’ So, I think there's a real power opening up the world with one-on-one, person-to-person, belly-to-belly. But again, I love all the modalities. I think Zoom is fantastic. I don't particularly care for social media, but it has helped me get to know people and to reach out to people that I would not have the opportunity to know if it weren't for LinkedIn or Instagram or Facebook and those kinds of things.” (17:32—18:39)

“Men are so important. They are sitting already in the C-suite, and we need them to help us and mentor us. I could never do what I'm doing if it wasn't for a great husband supporting me. And I also believe all of you guys out there are supporting us.” (19:20—19:35)

“It's going to be better for the whole world if dentistry is a better, inclusive community because we do well together and not separately.” (20:49—21:01)

“I thought we were further along. When I started this, I was kind of naive. I hear stories every day as I'm on Zoom with all sorts of women that I haven't met that were referred or found us on LinkedIn or social media. We have a long way to go. We really do. The doors are opening, and part of what I want to do too is to want women to be empowered. [I] want them to know that you can get in the C-suite, you can do things like this, and you can still find balance. I think that the world has opened up.” (21:23—22:00)

“I see a shift in leadership and the CEOs. It used to be you had to be the strategic guy, the analytical, that really strong, gruff personality. Now, the soft skills are really coming around, and that's how you build a beautiful team.” (22:09—22:25)

“It used to be that there was only one seat at the table for a woman. She really had to hold on to that seat. Now, you realize — no, you don't have to hold on because there's more room. There are more seats there. So, be generous. Bring your fellow females that you see have the leadership skills. Bring them in. Help them get where they need to go. Help them get where they want to go. I think the world would be a better place.” (22:56—23:24)

“When you think of 1972, women couldn't even get a credit card in their own name. This is stuff that just blows your mind. In fact, Victoria Peterson did the timeline of what women could do when they could vote — the things that have happened. So, again, this is our time. This is our time. If you want it, go for it. Find your community, and wonderful things can happen for your life and your career.” (24:05—24:33)

“Connection breeds mentorship. So, we don't have a formal mentorship like I'm mentoring a couple of people, and everybody's got this formal thing. We pretty much all mentor each other. So, like on the coffees, somebody will bring, ‘Hey, what's top of mind today?’ Then, you've got 30 women weighing in on that, understanding where you're coming from. All of us have been there, because everybody has a story of not feeling worthy, not being enough, not getting chosen, being broke. There are so many. I mean, just go down the line. So, I think that is the key, is the community brings on mentorship that you might not be able to label as mentorship — but I do know, and I say this often, if you have a problem or you have a win, call a DeW.” (27:16—28:10)

“Women think they have to be an entrepreneur [to be part of DeW]. No. You just have to be a woman. Come join us. Honestly, our content in the magazine, if you go on the site, all the past magazines are basically about being a woman. We have success, and leadership, and all that. Nothing is clinical in there. It's about things that we have to deal with, and how we overcame them. I think that gives everybody hope that, ‘Wow. That's me. That was me. I really resonated with that.’” (30:09—30:43)

“You get us all together, and something magical happens. You walk away with ideas, with just the idea that it's going to be good, it's going to be great, and nothing is going to keep us down. You might have a bad day today. But wake up tomorrow and it's going to be great because we know more people, we have more access to information, to help, to inspiration, and friendship.” (31:14—31:44)

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

2:10 Anne’s background.

3:44 How DeW began.

10:30 The evolution of the movement.

12:00 DeW’s amazing community.

17:12 The importance of connection.

18:41 Be a DeWd.

21:03 We still have a long way to go.

23:52 Watch Women Shaping Dentistry Tomorrow.

25:05 Building a legacy.

26:48 What mentorship looks like for DeW.

29:50 Misconceptions about DeW.

31:53 Final thoughts. 

Anne Duffy Bio:

Anne Duffy is a passionate, dedicated member of the dental community. She works diligently to empower others to strengthen themselves and their dental careers. She graduated from Ohio State University in 1974 and has been practicing ever since. With six state boards under her belt, she has worked in practices around the country, forming relationships with professionals throughout the various facets of the industry. In 1995, she joined a direct sales company selling toothpaste and alcohol-free mouth rinse and worked to build the largest group of female leaders in the company. In 1998, Anne assisted with the launch of Dental Entrepreneur: Business Beyond the Classroom as the only sales associate. In 2002, she purchased the publication. In 2016, she conceived Dental Entrepreneur Woman magazine and is committed to inspiring, highlighting, empowering, and connecting all women in dentistry. She is building up the DeW community as a movement to continue to advance women in dentistry and the causes they advocate.

ACT Dental Team

ACT Dental Team

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