dental-ish by browngirlrdh

You vs. You: The Mindset for Success

Season 4 Episode 5

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In this episode of our podcast, I had the immense pleasure of speaking with a remarkable guest who is not only a dental hygienist but also a passionate advocate for increasing diversity within the dental hygiene profession. Our conversation began with my guest sharing their unique journey into dental hygiene, which was anything but traditional. Graduating at the age of 41 after 23 years of pursuing a four-year degree, they recounted a pivotal moment during a routine dental cleaning that sparked their interest in the field. Inspired by a hygienist's stories of travel and fulfillment, they decided to pursue a career in dental hygiene, leading to a transformative path.

As we delved deeper into their experiences, my guest highlighted the lack of representation of African-American men in the dental hygiene field. After graduating, they connected with Sean, the first African-American male graduate from their program, and together they formed a supportive network of African-American hygienists in Arkansas. Their mission is clear: to advocate for more minorities entering dental hygiene programs and to educate underserved communities about the importance of oral health.

We discussed the establishment of a nonprofit organization aimed at changing perceptions of oral health in these communities. My guest emphasized the need for education, particularly in areas where misconceptions about dental care prevail. They shared their efforts to engage with schools, teaching students about oral health and the broader implications of poor dental hygiene, including its links to systemic health issues.

Additionally, we explored the launch of "MyWy University," a program designed to inspire and educate young students interested in dental hygiene. This initiative includes hands-on workshops that provide insights into the daily lives of dental professionals, further encouraging the next generation to consider careers in this field.

Throughout our conversation, my guest's dedication to their work was evident. They shared their rigorous routine, balancing a demanding work schedule with family time and nonprofit commitments. Their belief in the power of routine and personal growth resonated deeply, as they emphasized the importance of self-improvement and perseverance.

We also touched on the challenges of fundraising for initiatives like the Richard Robinson Dowman Scholarship, aimed at supporting minority students entering dental hygiene programs. My guest expressed their frustration with the disparity in funding for minority-focused initiatives compared to larger donations made to more prominent causes.

As we wrapped up the episode, my guest left us with a powerful message: the journey to success is a personal one, and the focus should always be on self-improvement rather than comparison to others. Their story is a testament to resilience, community, and the importance of representation in all fields.

Listeners can connect with my guest and their initiatives through their website and social media platforms, where they continue to advocate for change and inspire future dental professionals. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of healthcare, education, and community advocacy.

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Welcome & Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_01

All right, you guys, welcome back to season four, episode five of Demilish Podcast. I am here today with a very special guest, Richard Robinson. He is the founder of My Why organization. I have been seeing him on social media left and right. I know he's from Arkansas. I know he's with a couple of other brown guy RDHs that are um in Arkansas too that I love dearly. So um I really wanted to get him on the podcast because his why kind of reflects what my why was. So that I feel like there is some definitely some synergy there, but we definitely want to welcome him on the show. And Richard, I'll let you take the floor and tell people about you because you don't have the traditional route for dental hygiene.

SPEAKER_02

Oh hey, first of all, I'd like to thank you for having me on. It's such a pleasure to be on um your podcast

Richard’s Nontraditional Path

SPEAKER_02

and you know represent brown girl RDH or Brown Guy RDH, if we can put it that way. Um, yeah, so my route into dental hygiene is non-traditional. Um, I graduated in 22, but at the age of 41. So it took me 23 years to get a four-year degree, which is unheard of. So during that time, you know, I've had other jobs and things like that, and just found my way into dental hygiene. It was it was a weird story. Like, I um was getting my teeth clean one day, and the hygienist just laid me back, and you know, she was just talking about the career and like her traveling and all that. And when she sat me up, I was like, Oh, I can do that. I I can do what she just did, you know. And so I went to the car and told called my wife, I was like, babe, I want to clean teeth. And she said, You want to be a hygienist? I said, Well, if that's what it's called, that's what I want to do because this lady's getting the bag and she's traveling, and I need that in my life, right?

SPEAKER_01

Right, right. That part.

SPEAKER_02

So um, we found a program and um I had a few more prereqs to do, did my prereqs and got accepted, and the rest is history.

SPEAKER_01

Wow. So when did you meet the other brain guys? Sean and Travis and Yes.

SPEAKER_02

So when I was in the program, you know, it I was one of one, of course. And um, after I graduated, you know, um,

Building a Brotherhood in Arkansas

SPEAKER_02

I got with one of the administrators, and I was like, man, you know, there's there's nobody else who looks like me, you know, African-American male who does this. And she was like, Yeah, you gotta reach out to Sean. And I'm like, Sean, she's like, Yeah, he graduated so-and-so, so-and-so. So I looked him on up and everything, and um, I reached out to him. Come to figure out Sean was the first African-American man to graduate from our program in Arkansas at UIMS. So immediately he and I linked up. Then, since I was the second, you know, and then Tavares came along and he was my little.

SPEAKER_00

Oh.

SPEAKER_02

Tavaris graduated, and then a Javius came in, and then he became Tavares's little. So we all have like our little clique in Arkansas of African-American men who are hygienists. Yeah. So our our whole mission and my mission and theirs as well is to advocate for more minorities getting into the dental hygiene program. And through my while, we go into schools and we educate them on the importance

Advocacy: Representation and Access

SPEAKER_02

of oral health, but not only that, advocate for them to say, hey, you look just like me, because we're going into underserved areas. These kids have locks just like me, they have brown skin just like me. And they were like, Man, if he can do it, I can do it. You know, to be one, you gotta see one. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, I agree. Oh my goodness. So um, people don't know this story, and I'm gonna share it with you, and it's off top subject. And we only got 30 minutes on here, so I'm trying to kind of make it just quick rather. But when I when I started Brown Run 2018, I was like, oh my gosh, this is for uh minorities in dental hygiene. Then I'm like, okay, they already have African-American dental hygienist associations. I'm like, I don't want to step on anybody's toes because I respect what people do. So I was like, well, let me create something that um can still be for minorities, but all minorities. So then I included the men, I included all men, I included um Hispanics, Asian American, like I could include all the minorities in the profession, and that's the foundation that Brown Girl had. So people would say, Well, why is it called Brown RDH, but there's like white men in here? Or why is it called Brown Guard DH and there's Latinas in here? It's like whoever supports the organization. Brown GardyH is me, but we're for everyone. So that's how guys come to the conference and everything. I always realized, like, I'm not a male, I don't know how to navigate through the male. How do I become this and what does it look like? So we had men that were joining the organization to support, like Sean, who are like, yeah, I I see where they're going, and we invited them, but I've never had that male to say, like, I need you to mentor these other kids because it's let's face it, uh a young male is not going to follow a brown girl page with a bunch of girls on it. So we try to incorporate as many men as possible. But um my idea the first year of brown girl RDH was to have a male component. Well, the thing about males is they're not really socials. Yes, yes, so the community wasn't there, so it wasn't taken off like brown girl RDH was taken off because we're like, hey girl,

Broadening “Brown RDH” and Inclusion

SPEAKER_01

hey, hot thoughts, you know. Like, so it happened in the way you know we wanted it for the male, then it kind of like trickled off, and then everybody just kind of stayed with brown girl RDH, like we could go over here because the brown girls are popping, even though we're males, like we still want to be a part of it. So it was a funny story. We gotta have a male, but we don't want to call a brown guy, brown brown boy. I'm not gonna call him a boy, but right, right. We're not gonna take it there, but I actually like love, love, love when I saw what you were doing. I was like, oh my gosh, yes, like he's on it, he's he's definitely on it. But can you tell me when you started it or what you wish to come about of the organization, you know, in your journey?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. So um, you know, while I was in the program, I already had a mindset once I got out. I'm gonna start this nonprofit because in the program, you know, I saw a lot of our people come in, you know, when you're in school, you're cleaning their teeth. But education was the biggest thing. We all we all know education is elevation in oral health as well. So they didn't have that education coming from those underserved areas. So after graduating, I'm like, hey, I can make a difference by starting this nonprofit and changing the whole trajectory of how our people look at oral health. Because let's be honest, you know, the trend was I'm getting veneers, you know, or I'm getting implants, or I'm doing this, you know, when you have gum disease, it doesn't make sense. So breaking it down um simplistically and educating them on the why behind everything and the steps to get to a better oral health, you know, and talking to them about the risk factors of smoking, um, having poor oral health can cause and even in men, erectile dysfunction, you know. So those things that we know as hygienists, we need to um talk to our community about. And so that's what I do, you know, and educating them and even the you know, kids coming up, the elementary school students and high school students. And I want to chime in on one other thing also. Um I I started something else with Ma Wai. We have Ma Wai University starting in the fall. So um I did like a little pilot release with that in

Launching My Why & Education First

SPEAKER_02

Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where we had 20 students, um, another black dentist, Dr. Graham, and I went in there and did the day in the life of a dentist and the day in the life of a hygienist. We went over instrumentation, tooth morphology, um, reading um x-rays, things like that. So, right now with my wai university, I'm gonna take it to the next level and do two uh sessions a semester and work with 10 kids who are interested in getting into dental hygiene and have a three-hour workshop with them. So that's the newest thing we're working on with my why.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, that's amazing. That is amazing. Where do you find time to do it? Are you do are you working part-time? Are you tempted? Like, how do you now it's what you're doing? Because it takes a lot of time when the passion's behind it, you don't realize it. I trust me, when your heart's in it, you just do it. It's not a question. So get that part. But where do you find time? Being a father, being a husband, being a hygienist, and then all of this, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So time is extremely limited. So I only work three days a week. I work Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I do 10-hour shifts. And I pick up if I want to pick up here and there. But um, yeah, just three days a week. Um, I see my wife on the weekends mainly, my wife and daughter, because you know, I'm up to 11, 12 o'clock at night and I get back, get back up at five. So that's like my norm, you know, like no alarm clock needed. I'm up, I'm ready to roll. Um, I get to work about 45 minutes to an hour early. You know, I like things a certain way. So I set up my whole day in the morning. I'm probably the first one there, last one to leave every day. So um, and then I have my fitness time after work, and then I go home and

My Why University: Pipeline in Action

SPEAKER_02

we on the nonprofit stuff. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, okay. So were you military by chance?

SPEAKER_02

Well, uh, my mother was in the military, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Okay. I kind of heard like when you're talking about, you know, first one there, last to leave, you have a schedule, you have to have a routine. Like that's usually somebody who is in the military that has a little bit of discipline and a little bit of sense. So those are all great qualities. Real recognized, real. No, let me tell you.

SPEAKER_02

Hey, hey, I'm a firm believer, you know, your strength is in your routine. You have a solid routine and you just do it over and over and over again. You can master it and you will be you will be a better person. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I agree. I agree. I seen some of your mentors are like Eric Thomas and Bill Romans. Like those are people that I follow, those are successful people, and I really feel like you got to get up and you got to do it. You got to get up and you gotta, and tomorrow's not promising. Tomorrow is just an excuse to delay your success for today. Like, I'm like on it.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, let's go. Let's go.

SPEAKER_01

People are professing it, it kills me. We're doing season four of the podcast, and I get all these inboxes. Oh my god, I always wanted to do it. Blah blah blah. I'm like, okay, do you want to be a do you want to be uh a guest? Then it's time to schedule it. Oh, I forgot. Uh I had this come up. Oh, I had that come up, I had that come up. Excuses. Oh, can we get on another call? I'll leave you on red. Like, yes, I respond to you because you wasted my time, and that's so disrespectful to me. Like, I was going to give you an opportunity to be on a platform and you told me you were gonna be available this time. If you tell me something, stand on that. Like, stand on business no more. They don't keep their word, right? They don't keep their word, and that's a problem to me. And then that shows the level of how successful they're gonna be. And if someone can't do something for themselves, how how can you help me? You can't.

SPEAKER_02

The thing is, they don't value it, first of all. They don't value it, they just want to talk, and talk is cheap. Yes, and I'm gonna give you one chance, I'm gonna give you that one chance, but then,

Time, Discipline, and Routine

SPEAKER_02

like you said, after that, no, because you wasted my time, and that's one thing I can't get back. I can't go on Amazon and buy that three hours back. I can't, right? So you wasted that of my time. So I'm gonna cut you off.

SPEAKER_01

It's very rare. People like you who see something, they want to make a difference, and they work towards doing it and they start something. It's not like you just complain about it and you're like, oh, well, why is this, this, this? Well, well, I want to be the token. It's like, no, I'm gonna make a change, and you believe in your heart that you're gonna make a change, and because you believe it, you're going to do it. Trust me.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes, we're making it happen.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, it's happening, it's happening regardless in the way we navigate it. So I've seen stuff for a while, but I was like, I need to get him to where he can share what he's doing because what we're doing is similar, and you don't have to recreate the wheel. I'm telling you, you have a resource with Brown Girl IDH where there's a void for the males, and you have my wine, you still have your company for the males, and you can kind of uh collaborate. Do you see what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01

Same mission, but more impactful, and you don't have to do all the. I remember when I first started Brown Girl, I was going to dental offices, giving donation letters, bringing croissants, bringing croissants. I was trying to get donations, nobody donated. I would email Kogan, I would email Crest, I would even like they would send return to sender. Like they were messing with me. I'm trying to tell you, they were like, Brown girl, what you trying to do? And um, I was just, I just kept going. I was like, you know what? I'm just gonna take money out of my pocket and start my own scholarship fund. So I did that, and then I started offering scholarship. People don't know the story, but I went to the local community college and they said you can start a scholarship fund with a thousand dollars. So I attempted, I brought the money there and I put it into the foundation um locally, North Carolina. Well, I told them,

Accountability Over Excuses

SPEAKER_01

okay, I want my scholarship to go to minorities because you know I needed the scholarships, and it actually went to two non-minorities. So when that happened, I was like, that wasn't what I saved my thousand dollars for. So then they're like, well, we can't discriminate, so we can't just give it to one race. It has to be like Pell eligible. But the problem is there were no minorities in the program. So I started the scholarship fund in the actual organization. So that's why it changed because I was like, well, we just go to the schools and offer scholarships and you know, just put my name on it. I mean, I didn't get the key to the city or nothing like that.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_01

But it was big for what I was doing.

SPEAKER_02

No, I'm in the same boat with you right now. So um, I don't know if you saw my um GoFundMe and everything for the Richard Robinson Endowment Scholarship for minority students entering a dental hygiene program. So I have that going through the university. And with ours is we have to raise $25,000. So I'll put up around $2,000 already of my own funds. And I think we need like maybe $11,000 more. So I'm raising funds for that right there. But after that, but but they they told me once I started it, you know, and initiated everything that I can gear it towards minority students in the dental hygiene program. So I don't know if that's the same thing that they told you, and then it went, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

That's strange. Um with the univers, is it private college?

SPEAKER_02

No, it's it's um state.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, yeah, I would check into that because one, um, the law changed, so they ended all race-based scholarships.

SPEAKER_02

Because I I started in 22. Yeah, I started in 22.

SPEAKER_01

So they probably said, well, since this was already established, then this is what's gonna be. But what's gonna happen is um, and I'm just speaking from knowledge, what's gonna happen is this scholarship funding, they're gonna say, well, donors can donate to it because it's it's on the school. But then you'll have some donors to be like, well, I'm not gonna donate to that because it's just race-based. You know what I mean? So um I don't think you have to put the $25,000. It's $25,000, $2,500. You said $25,000.

SPEAKER_02

No, $25,000 to get it endowed at um UAMS.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you're better off taking that $2,000, creating a website, and having students supposed that it's already already going.

SPEAKER_02

Like I'm telling already donated to it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, okay, okay. You just have to raise the funds for that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, so we all we need now is $11,000 to get it endowed out of that $25. We raised quite a bit of money. Um, and I I I keep in contact with my contact there at UAMS, and they said, hey, we're almost there. This is that this is how it's gonna be once it gets laid out. Um I started, you know, um, after I graduate, I put up the initial funds to get it started. Yeah. I don't know how that looks now. We we all know what kind of we all know what the world looks like now.

SPEAKER_01

So yeah, yes, you gotta just figure out how to navigate around it, but um I I'm very hands-on. So for me, like I'm gonna see the scholarship applicants come in and we give 26 scholarships per year. Give and they range from uniforms to tuition to hand pieces. The problem is um we used to give scholarships just for like loops. Well, now that's the schools

Funding Reality: Scholarships and Donors

SPEAKER_01

are bundling those into tuition. So more students are saying, My loops are paid for, I signed an installment contract for my loops. So I need money. So, you know, money is hard to come by, but somebody will donate a pair of loops, somebody will donate uniforms or instruments, but that cash is like when you start asking for funds, like they just can't give funds to a nonprofit, like where are your, you know, where are your tax records, you know, right? Who's raising it? Did you file correctly through the state? It's just certain things, especially if they're a public foundation versus a private or federal. We we deal with things of that nature. You're definitely on the right track. I would share any resources that I have for you as far as getting that that fund up to date, but yours is gonna be the community, the community. And there are donors all around. You just got to get in those rooms, join the chamber if you haven't.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. So so that's the thing. Like you just you not only had getting in the room with the right people, you know. Like you were saying, you were sending out letters and stuff and emails, and they were getting sent when we're first doing the same thing, and I'm like, Yeah, I don't want to give to this, but then I look on TV, so-and-so has gave 2.5 million. I just need 25,000. I don't need 2.5 million.

SPEAKER_01

Is a lot of communities and a lot of um donors, not talking about sponsors. The sponsor will be like, hey, I'll give you $2,000 if you stick my logo on your shirt.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

Or we're talking about actual donors. They have to believe in your mission, they have to believe in what you're doing, and honestly, you're just gonna have to do it. Keep doing what you're doing, keep showing up, keep going to the schools, keep doing the university. You just gotta keep doing it. And then somebody's gonna turn around and say, you know what? Oh, I want to support that, but you just have to do the work because it's so many people that, especially after Black Lives Matter, it's so many people that came and was like, I'm a diversity guru, but it's like they didn't care, they were just on the train because D E I, D E I, D E I. And it was just like it was so disgusting to me. And when you actually live it and you believe it, you can understand that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it was a trend for a lot of people, and it was cute to do that and to say those things, but you really were not about that life, you know. So you post everything on social media, look what I'm doing in the black community. No, that's not you. You weren't doing that three months ago.

SPEAKER_01

No, you know, so they're not doing it now. I've seen um, you know, the laws have changed, so I've seen it to where people change their entire diversity name to their whole organization. I'm like, I ain't changing that not that we can see all day long.

SPEAKER_02

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01

It's just one of those things, it's unfortunate, but what you're doing is great, it's needed. I want to support, I want to collaborate, not support, I want to collaborate. I don't want you to have to redo the work, right? Especially when you have the people, you have five guys there. You guys can really make a difference. Um, and it seems like it's about the people, it's about the community, it's not about self.

Endowments, Policy Shifts, and Strategy

SPEAKER_01

So take yourself out of it. You you know, you're 41, so you're you don't need all the accolades, you don't need that at this point. So once you take yourself out of it, you can really make a change.

SPEAKER_02

What are one of the most valuable lessons that you've learned in life that you older I've gotten, you know, and just hearing like and you spoke on it, you know, the way people view you and things like that is it's my big life lesson is you versus you. Every day I wake up, I want to be 1% better. You know, I don't want to slack, you know. Um, if there's a test that needs to get done, I'm I'm gonna do it. If I say I'm gonna come through at this time and on this date, I'm gonna see it through. You know, if I say I'm gonna show up at your school at said time and do this for the kids, I'm gonna do it. I don't care if my team falls off and something happens, you know, life life be life for some people. I'm still gonna be there. But I'm not gonna worry about how people view me. I'm not gonna worry about what people say. I'm not going to try to um, I guess, um better like words, um I'm I'm lost for words here. Let me see. Um, like try to try to navigate how they feel about me. You know, I mean, if they see me some type of way, that's totally fine because I have a mission and I'm going to achieve that mission. I'm I'm I'm going to see it through. So biggest life lesson all in a nutshell is you versus you. Just get up and go get it every day. No slack. Give it 120.

SPEAKER_01

Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep. I learned that um a long time ago. There was an image of a horse, you know, the rate, the the racing horses in serotonin. Um I don't know if you call them racing horses, whatever. They have blinders on.

SPEAKER_02

Blinders on, yep.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So that all they can see is what's in front of them. And I look at that with just the generation in general. It has nothing to do with um anything other than like we're in a digital social media. Look at me, look at me, pick me, pick me, a world. And you know, I'm on vacation, I'm on this, I'm on that. You get distracted. It's like comparison is a thief of joy, and people are get depressed because they're like, I'm not there. Worry about yourself.

SPEAKER_02

You're gonna get there, you're gonna get there. Yes, you're gonna get there.

SPEAKER_01

When you're the version of that person, that's when you walk through the door. You're gonna that door not gonna open if you're not ready. You're gonna ring if you're not ready, if you didn't put it out there.

SPEAKER_02

It it took me 45 years to become 45. It didn't take me three years to become 45, it took 45 years. So you you gotta go through it. You gotta go through it in social media. It's just everybody's highlights. You're watching everybody's highlights and you're comparing your life to their highlights, right? But you're not seeing what they're going through. You didn't see no one saw what you went through in 2018 when you started Brown Girl RDH, they just hop on there now, like, oh, she's doing it big, she got this going on.

SPEAKER_01

I swear I said I want to get on live and just chew my toenails off and spit them at the camera sometimes.

SPEAKER_00

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01

But yeah, people see what they see, but again, nobody's posting their failures. And if you know the story, you could appreciate

Doing the Work Beyond Trends

SPEAKER_01

like there are some diehard people that are like, oh yeah, I saw the people in the comments saying, like, why do we have brown girl RDH and this is racist and all of that stuff? Like, people saw that people saw me seven years. I'm trying to still be doing the same thing in the industry, right? Just pay attention, just pay attention. Um anyway, um I done forgot this was the podcast. Where can people find you find you and get more information and donate?

SPEAKER_02

Oh, yeah, absolutely. So you can reach me um at our website at that's mywy.org. That's t-h-t-sm-y w-h y dot org, or you can find us on um Facebook at um all cats, my y well, my why with the space. So it's m y space w h y. Or you can find us on IG at my why first. That's the number one s t um on Instagram.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, all right. Well, Mr. Robinson, it was very, very nice meeting you. Thank you so much for taking the time, and I will be in touch. Um, I'm gonna be sharing some resources with you soon. And then thank you for being on episode. What is this? Episode five, see episode five.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, we were talking about this. It was gonna be four or five. We didn't know.

SPEAKER_01

I'm gonna get my life together.

SPEAKER_02

Say four four and a possible. We playing spades now, four and a possible.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, take my black heart. I don't know how to play spades. Oh, oh no, it's it's a ramp.

SPEAKER_02

It's a ramp.

SPEAKER_01

None of that.

SPEAKER_02

Coming to the barbecue. No, no, hey, oh, real quick, I'm in Madison, uh, Mississippi right now. About to meet up with the brown girls here, so it's a roundup. I drove from Little Rock to Madison, so yeah, I'm outside this weekend in Madison, uh, Mississippi. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Oh my god. Okay, okay, okay, okay. That worked out. Oh my gosh. Well, y'all have fun, but thank you so much for joining us.

SPEAKER_02

Hey, thank you for your time. We're gonna collab, we're gonna support each other, and we're gonna make it happen, all right?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02

All right, enjoy the rest of your day.

SPEAKER_01

You too.

SPEAKER_02

All right, bye.