The Noobie Dentist Podcast – Dr. Bruce Freeman (Part 1)
Episode Run Time: 01:12:28
Intro
Today, I chat with Dr. Bruce Freeman. Dr. Bruce Freeman is the Director of Patient Experience for dentalcorp, helping dentists across Canada achieve clinical success that results in the best experience for their patients.
Bruce is an international lecturer on clinical orthodontics, facial pain, patient experience, and virtual surgical planning. He is the co-director of the Facial Pain Unit at Mount Sinai Hospital. He further directs the Wellness Program for dental residents at Mount Sinai Hospital, emphasizing how self-care leads to the best patient care.
Bruce is an honors graduate of the University of Toronto. He completed the Advanced Education in General Dentistry program at the Eastman Dental Center in Rochester and returned to the University of Toronto to complete his diploma in orthodontics and his Master of Science degree in temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain. He is also a certified yoga instructor with additional training in breathing techniques, meditation, and trauma informed movement. He can be reached at bruce@drbvf.com.
In the first part of this two-part series, we talk about crushing your side hustle — why it is important to keep your fingers in more than one pie, to allow pivots and to keep options open. We also discuss why it is important to take chances in life, to get your foot in the door, and to not be afraid to fail. We finish up by talking about impostor syndrome and the Dunning-Kruger effect, and how these can affect clinicians in all stages of their career.
Guest Details
Website:
Social Media:
Time Stamps
[00:04:26] What drives Bruce to pursue his side hustles
[00:08:37] How to develop and get better at a skill
[00:11:23] Bruce’s strategies for pursuing a wide variety of activities whilst still delivering high quality work
[00:13:38] The importance of attempting tasks with the appropriate level of difficulty to keep yourself engaged and motivated. How to achieve Flow
[00:15:40] How the Dunning-Kruger effect and cognitive dissonance can prevent you from seeing your own weaknesses.
[00:17:03] How using the “pomodoro” technique can help you to achieve concentration and productivity
[00:19:09] How to overcome a fear of failure
[00:21:17] How comparing yourself to others can be crippling
[00:24:46] How to deal with impostor syndrome
[00:26:09] How to decide when to quit and pivot
[00:28:04] The importance of learning to accept rejection or failure without giving up
[00:33:00] Boosting your self-confidence and celebrating small wins
[00:35:56] Strategies for accepting and regulating your emotions
[00:42:59] Why it is important to sometimes go against the grain and to do your own thing, instead of conforming
[00:46:15] The importance of having internal accountability, instead of depending on others
[00:54:28] Savoring your activities, and not worrying too much about occasional failure
[00:56:08] How to approach goal-setting
[1:01:08] The Wish-Outcome-Obstacle-Plan (WOOP) approach
[1:08:01] The importance of listening to your gut feelings
Podcast Details
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Website: http://www.noobiedentist.com
Instagram: @noobiedentist
Sponsor Details
Ivoclar Vivadent is one of the world's leading and most innovative dental companies, offering a comprehensive range of products and systems that provide you with new opportunities in dentistry – for even more aesthetic and efficient results and better dental care for patients. 'Making People Smile' – It's what they do!
To find out more, visit www.ivoclarvivadent.com.au
Headline Quote
[59:31 - 1:00:02] You know, when you talk about goal-setting, you have got to take a feet[step] back and say, “My goal is to be satisfied with the work I do. My goal is to know my patients are really happy. My goal is to know that even if I only have five hundred listeners, every week I get a hundred emails saying, ‘Wow you spoke to me today!’” What good is it if you have fifty thousand listeners and nobody ever writes you? And says “Your podcast does nothing for me. It is like I put it on the background while I am vacuuming.”
Conclusion
Were you inspired by Dr. Bruce Freeman’s story? Do you make the time to pursue side hustles, and to keep bettering yourself? Do you sometimes struggle to deal with your emotions and feelings of failure? We would love to hear your thoughts!
In addition, here are some helpful resources that were mentioned in the podcast:
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