Featuring Dr. Anushka Brogan, Founder & CEO of Damira Dental Studios

The Executive Edge with Dr. Aman Kaur

What does it take to build a successful business, lose what you've worked for, and find the courage to begin again?

For Dr. Anushka Brogan, Founder and CEO of Damira Dental Studios, resilience is more than a leadership quality. It's a defining part of her entrepreneurial journey.

From purchasing her first dental practice at just 26 to building one of the UK's growing dental groups, with 53 practices at the time of recording, Brogan's path to executive leadership has been anything but conventional.

In this compelling episode of The Executive Edge, host Dr. Aman Kaur sits down with Brogan for a candid conversation about entrepreneurship, scaling dental organizations, and the evolution of leadership.

Brogan shares how she rebuilt her career following a difficult personal and professional chapter, why empowering employees begins with trust, and what leaders must be willing to change about themselves before asking others to do the same.

Together, they explore the realities of leading a growing dental service organization (DSO), the importance of financial literacy and operational discipline, and why the most effective CEOs understand when to step aside and let their teams lead.

In this episode, discover:

• How Dr. Brogan rebuilt her business and expanded Damira Dental Studios to 53 practices
• Why trust, autonomy, and open communication are essential to scaling a dental organization
• How eliminating a culture of blame creates greater accountability
• The role of operational excellence, financial literacy, and strategic decision-making in DSO growth
• Why self-awareness and the willingness to evolve distinguish effective leaders
• The challenges and opportunities facing women entrepreneurs and CEOs in dentistry

“If you want people to change, you have to be able to change yourself.” — Dr. Anushka Brogan

An insightful conversation about the courage to build, the discipline to scale, and the wisdom to recognize that leadership must evolve alongside the organizations we create.

Listen to The Executive Edge with Dr. Aman Kaur for candid conversations with the executives, founders, and industry leaders shaping the future of dentistry and dental leadership.

Featuring Larry Benz, CEO of Dental Care Alliance

What if the strongest driver of growth in dentistry is not more technology, more locations, or even more efficiency, but better human connection?

In this episode of The Executive Edge with Dr. Aman Kaur, Dr. Kaur sits down with Larry Benz, CEO of Dental Care Alliance, for a candid conversation on culture, clinical excellence, artificial intelligence, talent development, and what it takes to build healthcare organizations that deliver both strong results and meaningful human impact.

A physical therapist by training, Larry has spent nearly four decades building and leading multi-site healthcare organizations. His path into dentistry gave him a unique outsider’s perspective on an industry filled with exceptional clinicians, but also an opportunity to rethink the relationship between provider and patient.

His belief is clear: dentistry must move from transactional to relational.

Together, Dr. Kaur and Larry explore why clinical expertise alone is not enough, how empathy and communication can be developed as professional skills, and why the so-called soft skills may now be some of the most valuable capabilities a clinician can possess.

Larry also challenges the idea that leaders must choose between culture and financial performance. He calls it a false trade-off. Strong culture can improve retention, patient relationships, referrals, treatment acceptance, and ultimately business performance.

At Dental Care Alliance, that philosophy has shaped investments in mentorship, clinical development, customer service, care and compassion training, and pathways to partnership.

The conversation also turns to artificial intelligence and Larry’s distinctly human approach to innovation. Rather than asking only what AI can automate, he asks whether technology can help clinicians spend more meaningful time with patients.

Whether you are leading a DSO, managing a healthcare organization, or building a clinical career, this conversation offers a compelling argument for why sustainable growth still begins with people.

In this Executive Feature, you’ll discover:

• Why dentistry must evolve from transactional care to relational care
• How Larry’s clinical background shaped his leadership philosophy
• Why clinical excellence must be paired with service, empathy, and compassion
• Why Larry believes soft skills are becoming the new hard skills
• How stronger relationships influence retention, referrals, and treatment acceptance
• Why culture and financial performance are not competing priorities
• How Dental Care Alliance reduced dentist turnover from 70% to 20%
• Why investing in dental professionals can create greater value than simply adding locations or equipment
• How mentorship, education, and pathways to partnership strengthen retention
• Why EBITDA should be the byproduct of building a company well
• How Dental Care Alliance approaches AI through the lens of human connection
• Why AI insights matter only when they lead to action
• Why “high tech” must still be accompanied by “high touch”
• What Called to Care taught Larry about burnout and humanizing healthcare
• Why curiosity, learning, and relationships remain central to his leadership

About Larry Benz
Larry Benz is the CEO of Dental Care Alliance and a clinician, healthcare entrepreneur, executive, author, and investor whose career spans nearly four decades.

A physical therapist by background, Larry pursued advanced education including an MBA, doctorate, and master’s degree in applied positive psychology. He went on to build and lead multi-site healthcare organizations, including Confluent Health, while serving in roles ranging from founder and CEO to executive chairman, board member, and investor.

He later joined Dental Care Alliance, first as a board member and executive chair and ultimately as CEO.

Today, his leadership centers on culture, clinical excellence, professional development, human connection, and sustainable operating performance.
Larry is also the author of Called to Care. His forthcoming dental edition, Called to Care: The Dental Professional’s Guide to Humanizing the Patient Experience, brings that philosophy directly into the dental setting.

At the center of his work is a simple idea: develop people, build meaningful relationships, and better results follow.

Leading Beyond the Org Chart

Featuring Marie-Laure Pochon, President and CEO of 3DISC

How do you lead a global organization when technology is moving faster than certainty?

It is a challenge every executive navigating innovation must eventually confront.

In this episode of The Executive Edge with Dr. Aman Kaur, Dr. Kaur sits down with Marie-Laure Pochon, CEO of 3DISC, for a candid conversation on global leadership, calculated risk, artificial intelligence, and building the future of dentistry.

Together, Dr. Aman Kaur and Marie-Laure explore what it takes to make consequential decisions before the outcome is clear, bring diverse teams around a shared vision, and transform emerging technology into meaningful clinical value.

Marie-Laure shares how her background in engineering and more than 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry shaped the way she approaches leadership today. From her executive roles at Merck, Pfizer, and Lundbeck to leading 3DISC through a highly competitive period of dental innovation, her career reflects a willingness to think globally, move decisively, and remain focused on impact.

She also speaks openly about ambition, family, sacrifice, and the personal realities of building an extraordinary career. Her perspective is a powerful reminder that leadership requires more than vision. It requires the courage to act before certainty arrives.

Whether you are leading a growing company, developing new technology, or considering a bold transition in your own career, this conversation offers valuable insight into what it means to dare, decide, and build what comes next.

In this Executive Feature, you’ll discover:

• How Marie-Laure’s engineering background influences the way she evaluates technology and opportunity
• Why she left the pharmaceutical industry to pursue more immediate and visible impact
• How a clearly communicated vision helps teams navigate pressure and demanding timelines
• Why global perspectives strengthen decision-making and product development
• How 3DISC brings engineers, dentists, and international clinical advisors together to accelerate innovation
• Why artificial intelligence can strengthen trust between dentists and patients
• How visual technology can help patients better understand treatment needs
• What leaders must consider when making decisions that may take years to validate
• Why moving beyond familiar markets became a defining moment in Marie-Laure’s career
• The personal sacrifices that often accompany ambition and global leadership
• Why women may have more freedom and fewer limitations than they have been taught to believe
• The one word Marie-Laure would offer her younger self: dare

About Marie-Laure Pochon

Marie-Laure Pochon is the CEO of 3DISC, a global dental technology company advancing digital dentistry through intraoral scanning, artificial intelligence, and patient-centered clinical solutions.

An engineer by education and a fourth-generation entrepreneur, Marie-Laure spent more than 30 years in the global pharmaceutical industry, holding leadership positions with companies including Merck, Pfizer, and Lundbeck. She later transitioned into dentistry with the goal of creating more immediate impact and helping move the industry from curative care toward more preventive and predictive solutions.

Today, she leads a highly international team at 3DISC, bringing together technology, clinical expertise, and global perspectives to develop tools that improve communication between dental professionals and their patients.