Is 2025 the year you finally buy a dental practice? If you’re a recent dental school graduate, GPR resident, or an associate who’s been waiting for the right moment — this episode of The Lifestyle Practice Podcast is the wake-up call you need.

Dr. Steve Van De Graaff makes a powerful case for dental practice ownership and challenges you to stop waiting and take action. Through real-world financial comparisons and personal coaching insights, Steve breaks down the income potential of being an owner vs. an associate, and why the best time to buy is now — not “someday.”

Whether you're weighing the decision between starting a dental practice from scratch or acquiring an existing office, this episode walks you through the numbers, mindset, and practical advantages of ownership — including higher profitability, more flexible scheduling, and long-term equity. Plus, you'll hear how dentists who take early action set themselves up for career success, financial freedom, and more control over their work-life balance.

If you want to escape the associate hamster wheel and finally become the CEO of your own dental business, don’t miss this one. We cover everything from dentist tax strategy, practice cash flow, and lifestyle design, to how TLP coaching can help you find, evaluate, and purchase your first practice confidently.

Connect with us: • Learn more about 1 on 1 coaching • Get access to TLP Academy • Subscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast • Email Derek at derek@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Matt at matt@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Steve at steve@thelifestylepractice.com

Thinking about buying a second dental practice? You’re not alone. In this episode of The Lifestyle Practice Podcast, Dr. Steve Van De Graaff unpacks one of the biggest decisions every growth-focused dentist must face: “Should I expand to multiple dental practices or go all in on one highly productive office?”

If you're a dentist looking to increase production, reduce stress, and build long-term financial freedom, this episode offers critical insights into what actually drives dental practice growth.

This episode also dives into the real numbers behind practice profitability, the challenges of associate dentist retention, and what separates the 10% of dentists who scale successfully from the 90% who actually earn less after expansion. Whether you're considering private equity, transitioning into a dental CEO role, or just want to improve profitability in your current dental office, you'll get actionable advice to help you grow smarter—not just bigger.

Connect with us: • Learn more about 1 on 1 coaching • Get access to TLP Academy • Subscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast • Email Derek at derek@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Matt at matt@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Steve at steve@thelifestylepractice.com

Is it smarter to buy a dental practice or build one from the ground up.

In this episode of The Lifestyle Practice Podcast, Dr Matt Vogt sits down with TLP coaching client and startup owner Dr Dawson, who shares his powerful journey of launching and growing his practice from zero.

If you are a dentist debating startup versus acquisition, this conversation gives you a clear look at what real life looks like when you open a practice from scratch. Dawson walks through how he handled uncertainty, made decisions on the fly, and grew a thriving office in a small town while serving a wide variety of patients and keeping most procedures in house.

You will also hear the leadership lessons that shaped him along the way. From building a strong team to handling staff dynamics to finding his true leadership voice, Dawson opens up about what it really takes to create a stable and successful practice. This episode is filled with practical guidance for anyone who wants to grow their dental office, improve their leadership, expand clinical skills, or gain momentum in their career. Dawson’s story proves that you can build a practice your way and build it profitably.

Connect with us: • Learn more about 1 on 1 coaching • Get access to TLP Academy • Subscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast • Email Derek at derek@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Matt at matt@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Steve at steve@thelifestylepractice.com

If you’re a dentist looking to increase production, improve daily efficiency, and grow your dental practice in 2025, this episode of The Lifestyle Practice Podcast is for you.

Dr. Steve shares one of the most overlooked productivity tips for dentists: arriving just 15 minutes earlier each day.

This simple shift can lead to more efficient dental scheduling, a stronger dental office team culture, and even add $100,000 in annual production, without working longer hours.

In this episode, you'll learn how to identify gaps in your daily schedule, convert same day treatment opportunities, and lead your team with intention. These aren't abstract concepts or generic dental consultant advice these are real practice management strategies that Steve and the team use in their own offices every day.

Connect with us: • Learn more about 1 on 1 coaching • Get access to TLP Academy • Subscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast • Email Derek at derek@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Matt at matt@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Steve at steve@thelifestylepractice.com

How to Increase Profit, Lower Costs, and Build a Simpler, Richer Lifestyle Practice.

Connect with us: • Learn more about 1-on-1 coaching • Get access to TLP Academy • Suscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast • Email Derek at derek@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Matt at matt@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Steve at steve@thelifestylepractice.com

In part two, Derek and Dr. Dale Hoffel unpack the whirlwind from deal collapse to dream fit—how walking away from a tight, risky acquisition led to a Laguna Beach practice that aligned with her life vision. Dale shares the inside story: a last-minute listing, a 48-hour offer, and launching into ownership with three ops (quickly four), paper-to-digital conversion, and a summer of broken equipment, staff gaps, and nonstop “first impressions.”

What follows is Dale’s leadership playbook in real time—setting clear patient standards (yes to X-rays, no to “pedicure cleanings”), running on-time through better hygiene workflows, blocking admin and team-meeting time, and distinguishing why she’s a dentist (care and comfort) from why she’s an owner (freedom to be present with her family). She talks hiring for attitude, creating redundancy, inviting staff goals into the practice plan, and finding the line between pushing and listening.

You’ll hear:

How trusting her gut (and the numbers) turned a hard “no” into the right “yes”

Converting chaos into systems: 4th op buildout, digital X-rays, and on-time hygiene

Patient standards without apology—and with kindness

The “why dentist” vs. “why owner” talk that aligned her team

Practical tactics for retention: flexible schedules, goal-setting, and cross-training

A candid, tactical look at early ownership—and how to build a practice that serves the life you actually want.

Reach out to Dale at drdaledentistry@gmail.com

Connect with us: • Learn more about 1-on-1 coaching • Get access to TLP Academy • Suscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast • Email Derek at derek@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Matt at matt@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Steve at steve@thelifestylepractice.com

In this episode, Derek sits down with Dr. Dale Hoffel of Laguna Beach, California, to unpack her remarkable and vulnerable path to ownership.

From battling severe depression and personal trauma to rediscovering purpose and chasing a long-lost dream, Dale’s story is one of courage, self-awareness, and transformation. She opens up about the years she thought dentistry was behind her, how therapy and honest self-reflection changed everything, and what ultimately reignited her drive to lead and create the life she wanted.

This conversation is an honest look at what it takes to rebuild — mentally, emotionally, and professionally — and why being authentic can be the greatest advantage in life and leadership.

Highlights include:

Facing and overcoming mental health struggles in college

The turning point that led her back to dental school

Learning to stop hiding and start sharing her story

Building confidence through vulnerability

Reconnecting with her “why” and choosing ownership with purpose.

Reach out to Dale at drdaledentistry@gmail.com

Connect with us: • Learn more about 1-on-1 coaching • Get access to TLP Academy • Suscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast • Email Derek at derek@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Matt at matt@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Steve at steve@thelifestylepractice.com

In this episode, Matt continues his conversation with attorney Vince Nardone on the legal mistakes dentists make around practice acquisitions.

Building on Part 1, they expand the discussion and continue breaking down areas where dentists get themselves into trouble, often without realizing it until much later. Vince shares additional examples and insight that apply whether you're preparing to buy a practice or already own one and want to avoid costly legal surprises.

Connect with us: • Learn more about 1-on-1 coaching • Get access to TLP Academy • Suscribe to The Lifestyle Practice Podcast • Email Derek at derek@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Matt at matt@thelifestylepractice.com • Email Steve at steve@thelifestylepractice.com