<![CDATA[The Coaching Call: Foundational Leadership Principles & Practical Resources for Dentists & Leaders]]>You became a dentist. What nobody told you is that you also signed up to be the CEO, the culture keeper, the HR department, and the person who gets called when everything falls apart at 7am.

The Coaching Call is where we fix that.

Hosted by Dr. Summer Kassmel, founder of Ladder5 Mentorship & Resources and former owner of large multi-provider dental practices, this show delivers foundational leadership principles and practical resources for dental practice owners and the in-practice leaders who keep everything running.

Episodes drop twice a month, built to fit a commute or a lunch break. Every episode ends with one clear tool, framework, or piece of language you can take directly into your practice that week.

Because the goal is never just awareness. The goal is action. The goal is leadership that is clear, consistent, and grounded in the rooted version of your best self.

If you are a practice owner who is tired of being the bottleneck in your own business, this is for you. If you are an office manager or director of operations carrying more than your job description ever accounted for, this is for you.

]]>https://summerkassmel.com/Riverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Sat, 01 Aug 2026 04:22:59 GMTMon, 08 Jun 2026 21:20:42 GMT60Dr. Summer Kassmel<p>You became a dentist. What nobody told you is that you also signed up to be the CEO, the culture keeper, the HR department, and the person who gets called when everything falls apart at 7am.</p><p></p><p>The Coaching Call is where we fix that.</p><p></p><p>Hosted by Dr. Summer Kassmel, founder of <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://summerkassmel.com/" target="_blank">Ladder5 Mentorship &amp; Resources</a> and former owner of large multi-provider dental practices, this show delivers foundational leadership principles and practical resources for dental practice owners and the in-practice leaders who keep everything running.</p><p></p><p>Episodes drop twice a month, built to fit a commute or a lunch break. Every episode ends with one clear tool, framework, or piece of language you can take directly into your practice that week.</p><p></p><p>Because the goal is never just awareness. The goal is action. The goal is leadership that is clear, consistent, and grounded in the rooted version of your best self.</p><p></p><p>If you are a practice owner who is tired of being the bottleneck in your own business, this is for you. If you are an office manager or director of operations carrying more than your job description ever accounted for, this is for you.</p>episodicDr. Summer Kassmelinfo@summerkassmel.comno<![CDATA[Why Every System You've Bought Keeps Failing (And What Actually Comes First)]]>You've done everything right. Hired the consultants. Bought the systems that came pre-built in a binder. Sat through the CE, collected the leadership books, and still found yourself wondering if the problem was you.

In this episode, Dr. Kassmel picks up where Episode 1 left off on triggers and nervous system patterns, and connects it to a question a mentor once asked her that she couldn't answer for years: do you actually know if you're winning?

She unpacks why every tool, script, and system she ever purchased ultimately sat on top of an unregulated nervous system, and failed the moment things got triggered. Not because the tool was bad, but because no one ever asked who would be holding it. She walks through her own pattern of people pleasing in her own practices, what changed once she did the deeper work first, and why strategy only works when the leader underneath it has built a steady foundation to hold it.

This episode also includes a concrete action item: picking one moment this week where your pattern shows up, pausing, and asking yourself what you're actually trying to avoid feeling.

If you're ready to build that foundation instead of buying the next fix, join Foundations, my group collective coaching for doctors, starting August 14, 2026.

Head to summerkassmel.com/podcast-bonus for this episode's resources, including the action item worksheet and more on somatic practitioners.  

]]>ed465891-6201-48ce-8c14-e7da2175b626Thu, 30 Jul 2026 14:00:00 GMT<p>You've done everything right. Hired the consultants. Bought the systems that came pre-built in a binder. Sat through the CE, collected the leadership books, and still found yourself wondering if the problem was you.</p><p></p><p>In this episode, Dr. Kassmel picks up where Episode 1 left off on triggers and nervous system patterns, and connects it to a question a mentor once asked her that she couldn't answer for years: do you actually know if you're winning?</p><p></p><p>She unpacks why every tool, script, and system she ever purchased ultimately sat on top of an unregulated nervous system, and failed the moment things got triggered. Not because the tool was bad, but because no one ever asked who would be holding it. She walks through her own pattern of people pleasing in her own practices, what changed once she did the deeper work first, and why strategy only works when the leader underneath it has built a steady foundation to hold it.</p><p></p><p>This episode also includes a concrete action item: picking one moment this week where your pattern shows up, pausing, and asking yourself what you're actually trying to avoid feeling.</p><p></p><p>If you're ready to build that foundation instead of buying the next fix, join Foundations, my group collective coaching for doctors, starting August 14, 2026. </p><p></p><p><b>Head to </b><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://summerkassmel.com/podcast-bonus" target="_blank"><b>summerkassmel.com/podcast-bonus</b></a><b> for this episode's resources, including the action item worksheet and more on somatic practitioners.  </b></p>no00:18:063Why Every System You've Bought Keeps Failing (And What Actually Comes First)full<![CDATA[Why Your Dental Team Reacts to Your Energy, Not Your Words]]>You can have the best-documented standards in dentistry, but if the energy you walk in with doesn't match them, your team won't buy it. They're reading your nervous system before they're listening to your words.

In this episode, Dr. Summer Kassmel opens the mindset and nervous system work that sits underneath every system, hire, and strategy in a practice. She redefines success first: production and collections matter, but they don't mean much if you're not feeling joy or purpose while building them, or if your relationships and your body are paying the price.

From there, she breaks down triggers, like the look from a front office person in huddle, a patient complaint about a treatment plan, or an associate's tone, and explains why these reactions are almost never about the other person. She walks through her five-step practice for catching a trigger in real time: notice it, pause, discharge the energy, notice your return to baseline, and ask if it actually requires a response right now.

This week's action item: just notice where your triggers show up and what patterns you see. You don't have to fix anything yet.

Resources mentioned in this episode: https://summerkassmel.com/podcast-bonus/

Join my July 14, 2026 masterclass, The Invisible Layer of Leadership. 1 hour of CE and instant replay included if you can't attend live! https://products.summerkassmel.com/masterclassjune23

]]>7f1c0224-24a3-47bf-9fb2-dad434594620Fri, 10 Jul 2026 22:08:03 GMT<p>You can have the best-documented standards in dentistry, but if the energy you walk in with doesn't match them, your team won't buy it. They're reading your nervous system before they're listening to your words.</p><p></p><p>In this episode, Dr. Summer Kassmel opens the mindset and nervous system work that sits underneath every system, hire, and strategy in a practice. She redefines success first: production and collections matter, but they don't mean much if you're not feeling joy or purpose while building them, or if your relationships and your body are paying the price.</p><p></p><p>From there, she breaks down triggers, like the look from a front office person in huddle, a patient complaint about a treatment plan, or an associate's tone, and explains why these reactions are almost never about the other person. She walks through her five-step practice for catching a trigger in real time: notice it, pause, discharge the energy, notice your return to baseline, and ask if it actually requires a response right now.</p><p></p><p>This week's action item: just notice where your triggers show up and what patterns you see. You don't have to fix anything yet.</p><p></p><p>Resources mentioned in this episode: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://summerkassmel.com/podcast-bonus/" target="_blank">https://summerkassmel.com/podcast-bonus/</a><br /><br />Join my July 14, 2026 masterclass, The Invisible Layer of Leadership. 1 hour of CE and instant replay included if you can't attend live! <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://products.summerkassmel.com/masterclassjune23" target="_blank">https://products.summerkassmel.com/masterclassjune23</a></p>no00:30:011Why Your Dental Team Reacts to Your Energy, Not Your Wordsfull<![CDATA[Welcome to The Coaching Call: Leadership, Systems & Freedom for Dental Practice Owners]]>Dentistry never taught us to lead. In this launch episode, Dr. Summer Kassmel shares her own burnout story and how it led her to build the Ladder 5 Framework, the five pillars behind everything on this show:

  • Clarity: most practice chaos is a clarity problem, not a people problem
  • The Compound Effect: own your numbers before they own you
  • Leading With Impact: consistency and trust over being liked
  • Resilience: building roots that hold through hard seasons
  • Legacy in Motion: a practice, culture, and body of work built to last

This show is for practice owners and the in-practice leaders who run alongside them. New episodes drop twice a month, built for a commute, a lunch break, or a walk between patients.

Get the free resources mentioned in this episode: summerkassmel.com/podcast-bonus

Join our July 14, 2026 Masterclass with 1 hour of CE and instant replay available if you can't attend live: https://products.summerkassmel.com/masterclassjune23

]]>4d3bb029-9135-4d88-8fb2-ce462a63646dTue, 07 Jul 2026 23:43:52 GMT<p>Dentistry never taught us to lead. In this launch episode, Dr. Summer Kassmel shares her own burnout story and how it led her to build the Ladder 5 Framework, the five pillars behind everything on this show:</p><p></p><ul><li>Clarity: most practice chaos is a clarity problem, not a people problem</li><li>The Compound Effect: own your numbers before they own you</li><li>Leading With Impact: consistency and trust over being liked</li><li>Resilience: building roots that hold through hard seasons</li><li>Legacy in Motion: a practice, culture, and body of work built to last<br /></li></ul><p>This show is for practice owners and the in-practice leaders who run alongside them. New episodes drop twice a month, built for a commute, a lunch break, or a walk between patients.</p><p></p><p>Get the free resources mentioned in this episode: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://summerkassmel.com/podcast-bonus" target="_blank">summerkassmel.com/podcast-bonus</a></p><p></p><p>Join our July 14, 2026 Masterclass with 1 hour of CE and instant replay available if you can't attend live: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://products.summerkassmel.com/masterclassjune23" target="_blank">https://products.summerkassmel.com/masterclassjune23</a></p><p></p>no00:18:11Welcome to The Coaching Call: Leadership, Systems & Freedom for Dental Practice Ownersfull