“I think turning fear into growth and frustration into opportunity serve you well in entrepreneurship and in life,” says Shiv Gaglani, MD, the founding partner of Ganglia Ventures, who racked up major wins in both realms before he turned forty. Reframing his emotions is just one enlightened element in the formula that has led to Shiv’s remarkable record of accomplishment that includes earning undergraduate degrees in engineering and health policy, as well as an MBA, from Harvard; shepherding the popular and influential Osmosis medical education platform from a start-up to a successful exit; and earning a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. Throw in Forbes contributor, Tedx speaker, author, triathlete, and you are starting to get the picture. On this very special episode of Filling You In with A-Squared, hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group -- who happen to be Shiv’s sister and brother-in-law -- explore the insights he gained throughout his journey and learn about his approach to personal and professional fulfillment.

Highlights include:

• How Osmosis applied insights from social media and streaming platforms to improve medical education.
• The importance of having deep empathy with your customers.
• His current areas of investment interest, from K-12 education to proactive healthcare.

Don’t miss this wisdom-packed and lively conversation with three successful entrepreneurs reflecting on the key factors to individual and business growth, and the lifelong pursuit of learning.

Mentioned in this episode:

Ganglia Ventures

Areo Dental Group

“Conflict isn’t positive or negative, it’s neutral. It’s what you do with it that determines the outcome,” says Dina Lynch Eisenberg, founder of Talkola, a new AI-powered simulator designed to help leaders practice and improve their conflict resolution skills. In this lively Filling You In conversation with Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group, Eisenberg draws on her decades of experience as an ombuds, mediator, and organizational health expert for clients such as Twitter, Bank of America, and Coca-Cola, to reveal how the superpower of “conflict readiness” can be a competitive advantage for dental practices and other teams, especially when it comes to employee retention. She also illuminates the often overlooked factor of “shadow friction” that erodes trust and productivity over time. Tune in to find out how Talkola’s AI coaching environment helps leaders build confidence through realistic role-play, turning avoidance into empowerment and workplace friction into growth.

With a mantra of “less drama, more dentistry,” Dina also addresses:

• Tips for turning tension into teamwork.
• How developing conflict skills protects culture, profit, and peace of mind.
• Why conflict readiness is the next frontier of organizational resilience.

Mentioned in this episode:
Talkola

Areo Dental Group

Regular listeners to Filling You In with A-Squared have heard many of our guests discuss the increasing presence of artificial intelligence in dentistry, but the focus has mainly been on its use for improving patient flow and operational efficiency. Today, we want to look at AI’s role in patient care, including the development and approval of treatment plans. For that, we turn to Dr. Wardah Inam, the Co-Founder and CEO of Overjet, a leading provider of AI technology for the dental industry, which in just a few years has already had an impact on making dentistry more clinically precise and patient-focused. As Dr. Inam tells hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group, AI-enhanced images produced by Overjet can increase patient comprehension. “People don't understand how to read x-rays, so having a tool that can put colors and annotations and markups on it and bring that x-ray more to life can communicate the diagnosis more effectively with patients.”

This engaging conversation with Dr. Inam – who has been ranked among the 32 most influential people in dentistry and listed by Inc. Magazine as a Top 100 Female Founder – also covers:

• Overjet’s role in smoothing out interactions with insurance plans
• How dental schools are using Overjet’s technology
• Varying acceptance of AI technology among dentists

Mentioned in this episode:
Overjet AI

Areo Dental Group

On this episode of Filling You In with A-Squared, Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group welcome a pre-eminent force in healthcare media whose popular magazines, newsletters, podcasts and conferences have become an essential source of information and insights for decision makers in the industry. Scott Becker has built the extensive Becker’s Healthcare media platform while a practicing lawyer for over thirty years at McGuire Woods, repeatedly ranked as one of North America’s most innovative law firms. What began with small conferences and a newsletter has grown into a thriving conference business and a portfolio of influential publications. Becker is quick to share the credit for this successful track record with the people he’s worked with. “If you want to grow and do something significant, you've got to build teams and I’ve been able to find people who are givers and have a "thrive-thrive” mentality, not a zero-sum approach. I've also been fortunate to have fantastic partners,” he explains.

Don’t miss this insider look at media, law and entrepreneurship in the healthcare space that also covers:

Key lessons learned about business growth and investing;

• Why it’s so critical to address the shortage of doctors in the U.S.;
• The good, bad, and ugly of private equity’s role in healthcare

Mentioned in this episode:

Becker's Healthcare

Areo Dental Group

“Strategic Coach is a platform for entrepreneurs to perform from and multiply their vision for the future,” says Dan Sullivan, its co-founder and president and one of the world's foremost experts on entrepreneurship. More than 20,000 people have enrolled in Strategic Coach to further their personal and professional success, and millions more have benefitted from Dan’s dozens of books, including, Who Not How and 10x Is Easier Than 2x.

In a lively conversation packed with useful insights, Filling You In hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group delve into Dan’s fascinating back story to understand the basis of his talent for helping entrepreneurs reach their goals. One key, he shares, is figuring out what their unique abilities are and what they are seeking. “When entrepreneurs tell me their stories, what I'm looking for is the mindset, and if you expand your mindset, then your personal capabilities increase, but also your ability and your desire to really be a great team member.”

This super valuable episode also covers:

• Why a bad decision is better than no decision;
• The importance of multiplying what is already working;
• Why Dan prefers to work with entrepreneurs who have no final destination in mind.

Mentioned in this episode:
Strategic Coach
Areo Dental Group

As we’ve learned from our previous guests, the pace of change in the dental field seems to be accelerating all the time, with practices and DSOs striving to keep up. Much of this change comes with legal implications, and we’re going to devote this episode of Filling You In with A-Squared to understanding how to adjust legal strategy with regard to what’s new with partnerships, compliance, and the governance of artificial intelligence.

Our expert guide is Jena Taft, Senior Counsel in the Dental Service Organizations Industry Group at Dykema, a leading national law firm, who says the first step practices should take is to make sure their legal house is in order. “The most important thing you can do right now is look internally at what you've already got to make sure it is being done correctly and see how you can update it and fine tune it for current conditions.”

In terms of the use of AI in dentistry, Jena stresses the importance of making adjustments with patient privacy in mind. “Many practices have never thought about AI being used to monitor patient calls and what extra problems that might bring.”

Join hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj of Areo Dental Group for a conversation that offers a wealth of knowledge on those topics, plus:

• The importance of robust compliance plans,
• The evolving nature of partnerships.
• Risk management for operations and executive teams.

Mentioned in this episode:
Dykema Law Firm
Areo Dental Group

As we've heard from other guests on Filling You In with A-Squared, the slowdown in rapid acquisitions in dentistry due to high interest rates and other economic challenges has resulted in more focus on same store growth. For a closer look at this trend, Areo Dental Group Co-CEOs Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj turn to Santosh Patel, Chief Revenue Officer at Subscribili and co-founder and board member of Complete Specialty Solutions. In those roles, Santosh is leveraging over twenty years of large-scale operations experience in the medical and dental industries to help DSO, group and solo practices grow through technology-driven, operationally sound strategies. Some key advice includes centering your growth on quality, not quantity and focusing on the fundamentals. “Let's understand what's growing, what's working and if we know this works, let's rinse and repeat and not keep doing A, B, C, D tests,” he shares. A newer growth strategy relies on offering subscription plans that drive patient retention and revenue without reliance on insurance approvals. “You're not looking for authorizations, you're not getting denials, and it gives you more flexibility in meeting patient needs.”

This insightful conversation also covers:

• Why Santosh thinks a “concierge” model is coming to dentistry;
• How to reconstruct your staff learning system to make it more compelling;
• The role of AI in improving practice operations and patient relations.
  

Mentioned in this episode:
Subscribili

Areo Dental Group

Today on Filling You In with A-Squared, our hosts Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj introduce you to one of the fastest growing comprehensive dental groups in the country, which is also one of the most interesting because of its commitment to serving people at all income levels, as well as for its theatrical flair. Rodeo Dental and Orthodontics has nearly 50 locations across Texas, Arizona, and Colorado, providing pediatric and general dentistry, orthodontics, cosmetic care, and specialty treatments to hundreds of thousands of patients every year and garnering more than 60,000 five-star reviews on Google and Facebook. What patients highlight in those reviews is the caring, positive and convenient experience at the core of Rodeo Dental’s mission. “The number one thing that the patients responded to was the friendliness of the staff. It's not your lobby that's going to do it, it's you,” says Dr. Saam Zarrabi, Rodeo’s co-founder and CEO. Tune into this inspiring episode to learn how Dr. Zarrabi and his leadership team have created an organizational culture that produces that friendly attitude as well as efficient patient flow and high quality care.

You’ll also learn about:

• How Dr. Zarrabi’s childhood shaped his interest in serving lower income populations;
• His deep insights into maximizing patient flow to provide sufficient access to services;
• How Rodeo creates a fun and engaging environment for patients, especially children, through themed celebrations and creative opportunities.

Mentioned in this episode:
Rodeo Dental and Orthodontics

Areo Dental Group