When the Person Everyone Calls Needs Someone to Call
In memory of Dr. David Yang, a generous mentor to so many in our profession, including Dr. Allison House. This conversation is about the people who carry everyone else, and who they can turn to.
In Episode 116 of The Authentic Dentist, Shawn Zajas and Dr. Allison House set aside their usual topics to talk about something heavy on their hearts. Dr. House remembers a colleague who was always the one who answered, and asks the question this loss left behind: when you are the one everyone leans on, who do you lean on?
EPISODE OVERVIEW
They talk about why so many dentists, especially the strong and successful ones, find it hard to let anyone in on a struggle. Dr. House shares how her father, the man everyone went to, had no one to turn to himself, why her generation was taught to power through, and why men need to see other men ask for help. She talks openly about the support she has built over the years, and offers a way to hold on in the hardest seasons: there is always a dark chapter in everyone's life, and you don't know what chapter you're on. They close with a practical step every practice owner can take: a disability group of fellow dentists who commit to cover each other's practices.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Why the people everyone relies on often have no one to call themselves
- Holding on through a dark season: you don't know what chapter you're on
- Building a support system before you need it
- Why men need to see other men ask for help
- How a disability group protects your practice, your family and your patients
IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING
You are not alone. In the US, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24 hours a day. Outside the US, contact your local emergency number or crisis line.
ABOUT THE HOSTS
Dr. Allison House leads House Dental in Phoenix, Arizona, where she practices comprehensive, diagnostic-first dentistry for complex cases. Shawn Zajas helps people find what is truest in them and then build it; he hosts Wholehearted with Shawn Zajas and helps founders turn their podcast into a marketing engine. Learn more at shawnzajas.com.