Are you truly a great leader? Or are you overestimating how good you are? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Michelle Wakeman, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to reframe what it means to be a leader, why it’s important, and to share some of the best leadership lessons from thriving practices. To learn how to lead with confidence to build a successful practice, listen to Episode 981 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Michelle:

• Send Michelle an email: michelle@actdental.com
• Follow Michelle on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
• Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
• Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 981: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
• Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/traction

Main Takeaways:

• Have a clear vision. Your vision is what provides direction for your team.
• Clearly define your clinical, financial, team culture, and life vision.
• Communicate your vision and core values to your team.
• Repeat your vision and core values for alignment.
• Walk the talk as the leader. Set the example.

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

0:58 ACT/Smile Source and BPA.

3:29 Why this is an important topic.

4:50 How does this show up in your practice?

10:22 Three key things that great leaders define.

14:02 Vision provides direction.

18:44 Four key areas of practice vision: Clinical vision.

22:51 Four key areas of practice vision: Financial vision.

26:13 Four key

Dentists aren't just clinicians — they're also leaders and entrepreneurs! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share how to balance these three circles so you can gain control of your practice and reclaim your life. To start enjoying life in 2026 and beyond, listen to Episode 980 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

• Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
• Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
• Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 980: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
• Register to ACT’s BPA for their Dental Practice Success Triad tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fdental-practice-success-triad#email
• Read The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber: https://www.michaelegerbercompanies.com/product/the-e-myth-revisited
• Learn more about The Sletten Group: https://theslettengroup.com

Main Takeaways:

• As a practice owner, you need to balance being a clinician, leader, and entrepreneur.
• Don't just “live in the chair”. If you neglect the other two circles, you can't thrive.
• Your practice will only grow to the level of your least developed circle.
• Anyone can improve their leadership and...

For the month of December, we look back at some favorite episodes of 2025. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down the one basic equation you need to know to produce more while working less. Stop spending 220 days at the office! To learn how to produce more the right way, listen to Episode 979 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Straub:

• Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
• Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
• Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
• Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 979: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos

Main Takeaways:

• There are two ways to produce more: work more days or produce more per day.
• Figure out your production per day and gross production target for the year.
• Set your goals and decisions based on data, not with your emotions.
• Just working more days is not the answer. You need a plan.

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

1:37 Why this is an important topic.

2:48 Why emotion comes into this equation.

3:49 The equation for gross production.

7:06 Two key numbers to pull.

12:35 Time is the new rich.

14:21 Final thoughts.

16:47 ACT’s BPA.

Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:

Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.

A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s...

Healthcare isn't broken — it’s rigged against wellness and patient care! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Bryan Laskin, author of Unfair Care, to share his “why” behind this book and his mission to empower patients to get the best care possible in dentistry and medicine. To learn how you and your patients can make healthcare work better for you, listen to Episode 978 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Laskin:

• Join Dr. Laskin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrBryanLaskin
• Follow Dr. Laskin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbryanlaskin
• Learn more on Dr. Laskin’s website: https://bryanlaskin.com
• Learn more about Toothapps and Cair: https://www.toothapps.com

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 978: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
• Read The Patient First Manifesto by Dr. Bryan Laskin: https://www.amazon.com/Patient-First-Manifesto-Practice-Dreams/dp/1736643711
• Read Dental Disorder by Dr. Bryan Laskin: https://www.amazon.com/Dental-Disorder-Bryan-Laskin/dp/1736643762
• Read Unfair Care by Dr. Bryan Laskin: https://www.amazon.com/Unfair-Care-Healthcare-Deserve-Designed/dp/1736643789
• Learn more about Smile Source Exchange: https://smilesource.com/exchange

Main...

You feel like your team just doesn't “get it”. But maybe it’s you, the leader, that isn't getting it! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to reveal the two skills you need to build an aligned and committed team. Saying something once isn't communication! To learn how to inspire your team just by being clear, listen to Episode 977 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Jenni:

• Send Jenni an email: jenni@actdental.com
• Follow Jenni on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
• Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com
• Send Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 977: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
• Register to ACT’s BPA for their Strategic Vision Creator tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fstrategic-vision-creator-tool#email
• Register to ACT’s BPA for their Chief Reminding Officer tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fcro-chief-reminding-officer#email

Main Takeaways:

• Alignment starts with the leader.
• Get aligned on what alignment really...

For the month of December, we look back at some favorite episodes of 2025. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down your production story and explain why you don't need as many patients as you think. Stop the churn-and-burn dentistry that's burning you out! To learn how to rewrite and improve your production story, listen to Episode 976 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Straub:

• Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com
• Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 976: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
• Register to ACT’s BPA for their Financial GAPs Calculator: https://www.actdental.com/bpa

Main Takeaways:

• There's more to the production story than just how much you produced.
• Analyze your annual patient value, active patient count, and gross production.
• Stop filling production gaps with more patients. Do more dentistry on less patients.
• Do you want to be a dentist that chases 4,000 patients or have fewer, right patients?
• Figure out your production story now so you can figure out how to write it going forward.

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

1:27 Why we need a production story.

2:34 Important KPIs you need to know.

6:49 Do more per active patient.

11:48 Countermeasures you can start today.

15:44 ACT’s BPA and TTT.

Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:

Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.

A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and...

Freedom is what drew you to dentistry. But somehow, you're stuck working harder, earning less, and with less control of your time and life. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share the key to impacting your freedom and profitability: understanding and mastering write-offs. To learn how to lower your write-offs so you can take back your time and money, listen to Episode 975 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

• Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com
• Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
• Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 975: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
• Learn more about Smile Source: https://smilesource.com
• Learn more about Clerri: https://clerri.com

Main Takeaways:

• Figure out your effort gap, collections gap, overhead gap, and your cash flow gap.
• Know how many days a month you work, and how many you're working for free.
• Always put in your full fee. You may have more elective write-offs than you think.
• Evaluate your membership plan. How much are you charging versus writing off?
• Determine how much you're writing off by being part of an insurance plan.
• Eliminate emotional discounting. Learn to charge what you're worth.
• Start celebrating net production rather than gross production.

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

0:57 Smile Source and ACT have merged!

3:23 Why understanding write-offs is important.

8:15 ACT’s core focus and core purpose.

9:34 ACT’s GAPs

You're working hard, and you're super busy. So, why is your bank account empty? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Christina Byrne, ACT’s director of operations, to help you understand the different financial gaps where your profit may be hiding. Don't let your hard-earned money slip through the cracks! To learn how to keep more of what you produce, listen to Episode 974 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Christina:

• Send Christina an email: christina@actdental.com
• Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 974: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
• Register to ACT’s BPA for their GAPs at a Glance tool: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Ffinancial-gaps-at-a-glance#email
• Register to ACT’s BPA for their PPO Freedom course: Sign in | Best Practices Association

Main Takeaways:

• You may be losing a significant amount of money from your different financial gaps.
• Working harder isn't the answer. Find where money is leaking from your practice.
• Know your effort gap. Being busy doesn't equal more profitability and success.
• Understand your collections gap. Collecting 96% isn't as good as it sounds.
• Be aware of your overhead gap. Be smart with spending and budgeting.
• Pay attention to your cash flow gap so you understand true profit.

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

1:42 Why this is an important topic.

2:52 The effort gap.

9:57 The...