This is a must-listen episode for anyone involved in taking over a business and trying to move it to profitability as quickly as possible. “In our experience, speed doesn't come from doing everything at once. It comes from understanding what actually matters first, what can wait, and what will quietly break the business if you ignore it,” says Dr. Anushka Gaglani, Co-CEO at Areo Dental Group.

And, as she and her business and life partner Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj share on this on this episode of Filling You In, keeping the long game in mind is also critically important. “We're not just thinking about getting back to profitability. We're thinking about building something that can stay really healthy after that initial push is over,” he says.

Drawing on their experience successfully turning around multiple practices in the Chicago area, Anushka and Abhishek offer tested approaches to handling the many moving parts in these projects, including:

• The three core benchmarking layers;
• Distinguishing symptoms from root causes;
• Change management and team buy-in.

You’ll leave this conversation with a roadmap of practical steps and leadership moves that can shape your own business journey, plus the kind of candid advice that’s hard to come-by as we continue this super informative five-part series.

Mentioned in this episode: Areo Dental Group

“Over time, and honestly through a lot of pressure, we learned that culture isn't something that’s just nice to talk about, it's a system underneath every decision, every handoff, every patient interaction, and every leadership moment.” That’s just one example of the hard-earned, candid wisdom you’ll be hearing from spouses Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj on this episode of Filling You In as we continue their super informative five-part series sharing the inside story of how they’ve built their thriving business, Areo Dental Group.

As you’ll discover in these dynamic conversations, they do not hold back on revealing lessons learned -- sometimes the hard way -- on what it really takes to grow, lead, and sustain a high-performing, patient-centered organization.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• Moving from culture by example to culture by design;
• Why psychological safety is essential for surfacing problems early;
• How every hire and promotion reshapes culture;
• Guarding against cultural drift.

Don’t miss this special conversation packed with practical insights that can shape your own business and leadership journey.

Mentioned in this episode: Areo Dental Group

Wisdom Drop Warning! This episode of Filling You In: A Dental Podcast with A-squared kicks off a unique and super informative five-part series in which dentist entrepreneurs Dr. Anushka Gaglani and Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj share the inside story of how they have built Areo Dental Group, a thriving business in the Chicago area, over the last decade. As you’ll discover in these dynamic conversations, they do not hold back on revealing the lessons they’ve learned -- sometimes the hard way -- on what it really takes to grow, lead, and sustain a high-performing, patient-centered organization.

From turning around underperforming practices to managing conflict to building culture to working together as spouses, these episodes are packed with practical, honest insights that can shape your own business journey. Whether you’re a practice owner, emerging leader, or entrepreneur, this series offers a valuable, unfiltered look at what it takes to help employees reach their potential, and build an organization of lasting value.

In this episode on their leadership and management philosophy, you’ll learn about:

• Leadership by design (systems over personality)
• Transparent performance management
• The “leaf-branch-trunk-root” distributed decision making model
• How to manage conflict

Mentioned in this episode: Areo Dental Group

“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