Less Insurance Dependence Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Building a Practice and Team That Set You Free with Jack Von Bulow Oct 29, 2026

Show notes

What happens when a practice looks successful on paper but the joy is gone?

In this episode of the Less Insurance Dependence Podcast, host Angie talks with Dr. Jack Von Bulow, founder of Temple City Dental Care and co-founder of the Impact Dental Assisting Academy, about how he found the joy in dentistry 20 years into a 46-year career. Jack shares how purpose, core values, systems, and a deep investment in his team changed everything, why focusing on people instead of numbers made the numbers take care of themselves, and how a joyful team becomes a practice's best marketing. He also explains why hands-on training matters for the next generation of dental assistants and offers one simple step every dentist can take this week: give trust in order to gain trust. Learn more about Dr. Von Bulow's work in training the next generation of dental assistants through the Impact Dental Assisting Academy.

Take Your Power Back: Winning Fee Negotiations with Tessina Bullock Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the Less Insurance Dependence Podcast, host Lester De Alwis welcomes Tessina Bullock, President of Veritas Dental and Co-Founder of Veritas Dental Resources, to explain why so many dental practices accept PPO fees they should never have agreed to. Tessina shares how practices can start negotiating for what their work is worth, why low reimbursement rates hurt staffing, clinical quality, and marketing, the most common mistakes practices make when negotiating on their own, and how the IPA model can give independent practices more leverage.

Complimentary Marketing Strategy Meeting: Most practices are losing patients online without knowing it. Book a free audit to see where your online visibility stands - https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/msm/
Complimentary Practice Growth Session with Gary Takacs: Want your team to present treatment and communicate the value of your dentistry with confidence? Book a free one-on-one session and walk away with a personalized action plan - https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/csm/

Leadership That Sticks: Building Change That Lasts with Liz Lord Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

Liz Lord, founder of the Professional Transformation Institute, joins Lester De Alwis to explain why so much change in a dental practice fades and what it takes to make it permanent. Drawing on more than three decades in dentistry and over 20 years of coaching, Liz shares why lasting change starts with the owner's own thinking, why leadership is a team effort that can be learned, and how a practice can tell when change has truly stuck. Learn the one habit any dentist can start this week: get curious before you react. Find Liz at professionaltransformationinstitute.com.

Book a complimentary Practice Growth Audit with Ekwa. Most dental practices are losing patients online without knowing it. You walk away with a comprehensive online analysis report tailored to your practice, market, and competition. Claim Your Complimentary Practice Growth Audit If you want to improve how your team presents treatment and communicates value to patients, book a complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session with Gary Takacs, one conversation and a personalized action plan. One conversation with Gary has helped practices recover thousands in unscheduled treatment. Book Your Complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session

Systems Over Survival: Building a Practice That Doesn't Need Insurance with Sandy Baird Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Sandy Baird, founder of Baird Concepts, returns to the Less Insurance Dependence podcast to make the case that the path away from insurance dependence runs through systems, not willpower. From the mental barriers that keep dentists stuck, to the real dollar cost of untracked PPO write-offs, to how trained teams multiply marketing ROI and drive case acceptance, Sandy lays out a gradual, data-driven path any practice can start this week. Reach Sandy at sbaird@bairdconcepts.com or bairdconcepts.com.

Book a complimentary Practice Growth Audit with Ekwa. Most dental practices are losing patients online without knowing it. You walk away with a comprehensive online analysis report tailored to your practice, market, and competition. Claim Your Complimentary Practice Growth Audit If you want to improve how your team presents treatment and communicates value to patients, book a complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session with Gary Takacs, one conversation, and a personalized action plan. One conversation with Gary has helped practices recover thousands in unscheduled treatment. Book Your Complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session

Why Dental Ads Get Attention but Still Fail to Produce Booked Appointments Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

Naren Arulrajah, CEO of Ekwa Marketing, joins host Don Adeesha to explain why dental ads so often generate attention without generating booked appointments. From the trust gap that cuts ad-driven conversion rates in half, to the real cost comparison between paid ads and organic SEO, this episode breaks down exactly what a practice needs before spending another dollar on ads: a welcoming landing page video, full-face before-and-after photography, and a steady stream of five-star paragraph reviews. Get a free six-hour marketing audit at lessinsurancedependence.com/msm.

Book a complimentary Practice Growth Audit with Ekwa. Most dental practices are losing patients online without knowing it. You walk away with a comprehensive online analysis report tailored to your practice, market, and competition. Claim Your Complimentary Practice Growth Audit If you want to improve how your team presents treatment and communicates value to patients, book a complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session with Gary Takacs, one conversation, and a personalized action plan. One conversation with Gary has helped practices recover thousands in unscheduled treatment. Book Your Complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session

Built to Sell: How Less Insurance Means a Bigger Exit with Timothy James McNeely Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Timothy James McNeely, founder and CEO of the Lifestone Companies and author of High Value Exit, joins Lester De Alwis to reveal why 100% of dentists will exit their practice, and why the value of that exit is set years before any buyer arrives. Learn the five hidden gaps costing dentists 15 to 25% of their exit value, why insurance dependence hits a practice's worth twice, once on earnings and once on the sale multiple, and the 15-minute report every dentist can pull this week to start seeing their practice the way a buyer will. Download the free High-Value Exit book and speaker packet linked in the show notes, or reach Timothy directly at 818-534-4949.

Book a complimentary Practice Growth Audit with Ekwa. Most dental practices are losing patients online without knowing it. You walk away with a comprehensive online analysis report tailored to your practice, market, and competition. Claim Your Complimentary Practice Growth Audit If you want to improve how your team presents treatment and communicates value to patients, book a complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session with Gary Takacs, one conversation, and a personalized action plan. One conversation with Gary has helped practices recover thousands in unscheduled treatment. Book Your Complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session

Talk to Your Charts: How Voice AI Frees Dentists from Insurance Paperwork with Rushi Ganmukhi Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Rushi Ganmukhi, founder and CEO of Bola AI, joins Lester De Alwis to make the case that documentation is not just a time problem for dental practices; it is a revenue problem. Drawing on a case study with one of the largest DSOs, Rushi explains how voice AI freed up hygienists to do more thorough perio charting, catch more disease, and drive higher case acceptance, all without adding a single minute to the appointment. Get a free demo at bola.ai/demo, or download the free SOAP checklist and ebook linked in the show notes.

Book a complimentary Practice Growth Audit with Ekwa. Most dental practices are losing patients online without knowing it. You walk away with a comprehensive online analysis report tailored to your practice, market, and competition. Claim Your Complimentary Practice Growth Audit If you want to improve how your team presents treatment and communicates value to patients, book a complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session with Gary Takacs, one conversation, and a personalized action plan. One conversation with Gary has helped practices recover thousands in unscheduled treatment. Book Your Complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session

The Real Problem: Why Fixing Symptoms Won't Free Your Practice with Dr. David Moffet Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

Dr. David Moffet, a dental practice coach and founder of the Ultimate Patient Experience, joins Lester De Alwis to make the case that most practices are fixing symptoms rather than the underlying problem. From reactivation lists that will never respond, to specific scripting for cancellation calls, to why team culture has to come before patient experience training, Dr. Moffet shares two decades of hands-on coaching experience built on growing his own practice into a $3.4 million business. Reach Dr. Moffet at David@theupe.com.

Book a complimentary Practice Growth Audit with Ekwa. Most dental practices are losing patients online without knowing it. You walk away with a comprehensive online analysis report tailored to your practice, market, and competition. Claim Your Complimentary Practice Growth Audit If you want to improve how your team presents treatment and communicates value to patients, book a complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session with Gary Takacs, one conversation, and a personalized action plan. One conversation with Gary has helped practices recover thousands in unscheduled treatment. Book Your Complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session

Know Your Number: The Insider's Guide to Practice Transitions with Scott Plantenberg Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Scott Plantenberg of Professional Transition Strategies joins host Angie to reveal where dentists most commonly lose value in a practice transition, and why nearly every mistake traces back to one thing: not knowing your true number. From EBITDA calculation tricks that can swing a valuation by hundreds of thousands of dollars, to a real case study where competitive bidding raised an offer by 1.5x EBITDA, this episode makes the case for getting an independent, unbiased practice valuation years before any offer arrives. Contact Scott at scott@theptsgroup.com

Book a complimentary Practice Growth Audit with Ekwa. Most dental practices are losing patients online without knowing it. You walk away with a comprehensive online analysis report tailored to your practice, market, and competition. Claim Your Complimentary Practice Growth Audit If you want to improve how your team presents treatment and communicates value to patients, book a complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session with Gary Takacs, one conversation, and a personalized action plan. One conversation with Gary has helped practices recover thousands in unscheduled treatment. Book Your Complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session

One Practice, Two Patient Mindsets: Marketing to PPO and Fee-for-Service Patients Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

Naren Arulrajah, CEO of Ekwa Marketing and co-host of Less Insurance Dependence, joins host Angie to explain why marketing to PPO and fee-for-service patients as one audience quietly undercuts both. From the real cost of a stagnant PPO reimbursement to a client's journey from $700,000 working four days a week to $1.3 million working three days a week, this episode breaks down how mindset, not insurance status, shapes patient trust, phone conversion, and long-term practice growth.

If you want to improve how your team presents treatment and communicates value to patients, book a complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session with Gary Takacs, one conversation, and a personalized action plan. One conversation with Gary has helped practices recover thousands of dollars in unscheduled treatment costs. Book Your Complimentary Practice Breakthrough Session

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