Episode 139: Leadership, Growth, and the Responsibility of Experience with Deb Carrier

In this episode of Beyond the Prophy®, Jasmin sits down with Deb Carrier for a thoughtful conversation about leadership, longevity in the profession, and the responsibility that comes with experience.

With decades of insight into dentistry and professional development, Deb shares her perspective on what it truly means to grow within a profession, not just clinically, but as a leader, mentor, and advocate for the next generation.

This conversation explores the evolution that happens over time in a dental career. 

Deb also reflects on the lessons that come from time, the clarity that only experience can provide, and the importance of staying curious even after years in practice.

This episode serves as a reminder that dentistry is not just a job or a license.

It is a profession built on stewardship.

Each generation has the opportunity, and the responsibility, to leave the profession stronger than they found it.

Connect with Deb:

LinkedIn

Twice As Nice Uniforms

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey, hey, hey, welcome to the Beyond the Prophy podcast. I'm your host, Jasmine Haley, and today's guest is Deborah Carrier, a longtime friend. She started her dental career as a dental hygienist specializing in the care of adults with developmental disabilities. As co-founder of CPR Sisters, she and her team have crafted an innovative approach to CPR recertification. As CEO of Twice as Nice Uniforms, she's revolutionized dental attire by developing temper temperature-regulating uniforms, designing them for safety and professionalism. She speaks on professional image and presents fashion shows nationwide. She is a KOL and speaker for CRES RLB, serves as a board president of Dental Entrepreneur Women, and a board member of the Dental Standards Institute. Deborah Carrier's journey is a testament to innovation, dedication, and a passion for making a difference in the dental field and beyond. I am ecstatic that she is here on the show today. Welcome.

SPEAKER_02 1:01

And thank you. I am so excited to see you. I mean, I've known you since day one, I feel like. So we've been proud of it.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

Oh my gosh. I just remembered the career fusion. Yes. We were on the same team. Yes. Yeah. This metal age perimenopause life. The way I be forgetting stuff, okay. But we were on, we were on that a crew together. You were were you just starting? I was, yeah. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 1:33

Yeah, yeah. It was, I I had no idea what I was doing there. Me either. No, that's what I mean. We have watched each other grow and helped each other grow. And yeah, it's it's really fun to be be where we are now. It's exciting.

SPEAKER_00 1:49

Yes, yes. What a wonderful, fond memory. Um, it was right before my very first Beyond the Prophy event. And I wind up having that opportunity. It was gifted to me, which I'm so very thankful for those that did gift it. And it was incredible to meet with people. And I'm just so grateful to have had this connection over the years. Um, I would love for you to just I want to share just for a moment, because I know we've talked sometime. Like, where were you in that space to have the courage to start what you started? Because I think we've never discussed that. Like, what made you finally press the button to go?

SPEAKER_02 2:33

Well, from the day I got the idea in my head that I could solve the thermostat wars in the dental office, I couldn't let go of it. And so I started down a road where I didn't know anything. I mean, I'd been a hygienist and I had this little CPR business that was kind of not really a business, it was kind of more like a hobby. And um, so I didn't really even know how to form a business, but I just started asking everybody I ran into, and mainly they were patients because I was working full-time as a hygienist at that point, and they were so helpful. And one thing connected to the next, and one got me a mentor, and one got me somebody to sew up some samples for me. I mean, it was just like, well, it got to the point where my sisters would call me and say, So, what's the miracle that happened today? It was like from the minute I had the idea, like everything was just falling out of the sky, and then I knew I was put here to do that. So, you know, I I just had to figure out how to do it, and I literally just jumped in the deep end of the pool and then figured out how to swim because I was totally clueless.

SPEAKER_00 3:48

But you have done, like I want you to share with the listeners because as you're sharing that, I'm thinking, what? Because you have done some really innovative, you've taken innovative approaches to fashion, right? So to speak, like dental scrubs, and I can name and list board reviews, like I mean, like the fashion shows. You were a fashion, you did a couple of fashion shows for me for my events. You've been on um what is that medicine show? Oh my gosh, the doctors.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

I've been on Good Morning America, I've been on uh Dr. Phil, uh yeah, a lot of those. So well, you know what the secret is, Jasmine. The secret is just saying yes to everything and then figuring it out. And you know, was I terrified the first time I did a television appearance? So yes, definitely. But you know, I knew I could do it. I mean, we're all capable of doing whatever we set our mind to. So I just I just kept saying yes and kept saying yes, and that was the beauty of why I've been able to do so many things and so fortunate to be in so many rooms with incredible people and opportunities that if I would have doubted myself or kept quiet, that would have never happened.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

We were meant to have this conversation today. I'll tell you more in our sister conversation after this. Okay. This is this is for our ears, but we were meant to have this conversation today because I think that you are speaking to so many people, including myself, and just that important reminder for us. So, what has like the evolution, what has that evolution looked like? It's been years. We're talking like it over a decade, right?

SPEAKER_02 5:39

Okay, yes, twice as many uniforms is uh 15 years old February. Yes, so yes, and CPR sisters is almost 30 years old. So yeah, it to, I mean, I was doing um an Instagram live this morning for dental entrepreneur women, and um Ann was talking about leadership qualities, and I've just always had that, that's part of my DNA that I I like to be a leader, and it was also the way I was raised. My parents raised us with by to lead by example, and and so it just kind of comes naturally to me, but you still have to have the competence and the the guts, you know, to do a lot of that stuff. So um once I got it, well, while I was in hygiene school, um, I was the president, or not the president, I was the treasurer of my class. And again, they asked me to do it, and I had no idea. I was the youngest one in my class. It was like, you shouldn't ask me. But I said yes. And then they said, well, part of your job is to do a fundraiser for the class. And you know, like people sold candy bars and stuff like that. And I'm like, oh no, we're going big. So I went to the local mall and said, I want to do a fashion show. And so I got all of my peers modeling a fashion show, and we got like casual corner, and I don't remember all these. I love it. Big deal back then. And we did a fashion show, and during that fashion show, there was a scout in the audience, and then that's when my modeling career started. So I was doing hygiene and modeling at the same time. So then I, you know, fast forward, I get out of hygiene school, and I'm just thinking about hygiene and loving it and working more than full-time because I'm I'm a workaholic. I had two full-time jobs basically. Um, and I did that forever, and everything was great. And then I guess I was about 15 years into hygiene. And the thing that happens to a lot of us is I was starting to get the aches and the pains, and I, you know, I don't know if I can do this full-time anymore. And I had a family and you know, all that good stuff. So I started looking at other things to do, and I always loved when the person came in to do our CPR recertification. Like that was like one of my favorite things. And I, you know, had to get a hundred on the test and you know, the whole shebang. So I looked into that and found out that I could go to the American Heart Association and take the class to become an instructor. And my sister wanted to do it too. So I said, well, you know, come on, let's go do it. So that's what we did. And we did that thinking that we were gonna go into dental offices and do their recertifications. But while we were taking the class, we met two mothers who had lost their children to sudden cardiac arrest. And for the next five years, we went down a totally different road of working with those mothers to get awareness out there of this does happen to children a lot more than you think it does, and working to get defibrillators in all the schools and where children play. So it was, I don't know, five, 10 years before we ever went to a dental office to do our original business plan because we ended up, we got a grant from the American Heart Association, and we were just out there certifying anybody and everybody in our community and helping getting defibrillators in the schools in Georgia where we live and all that good stuff. So we were doing that, and then this uniform thing just literally, I was driving home from work one day thinking about how much time I spent battling the thermostat with the dental assistant that day. And I thought this is crazy. Like, why do we do this? And it's in every dental office in 100%, a hundred percent. They put lock boxes on them and people over it, and the front desk people have fleece jackets on, which does not look professional, and they got space heaters going. And the further back in the office you get, everybody starts taking stuff off, you know, and then they're not wearing their PPE or they're running fans, which is against infection control. And so, you know, it was like, well, I can solve this. Um, so that's what I did, and then I just I just started talking to everybody and and going to um universities and learning about textiles and fabric and all that good stuff. And with my limited amount of knowledge with fashion, um, you know, with my modeling, I took that. And the other thing that I looked back on is that dressing professionally was always important to me. Um, my very first job I had right out of hygiene school, I was the youngest hygienist. It was a big group practice. I was the youngest hygienist. The other hygienists were amazing hygienists. And our doctors gave us what he called top banana awards every every month. And it was like, you know, most efficient, you know, most time on time or whatever. And every month I would get best dressed. And after being there for six months, a lot of the patients were asking to be put on my schedule and not the other hygienists. And I was like, Well, I'm not, I'm not as good a hygienist as they are. I'm just like a newbie. I don't even know what I'm doing. But it was perception because they were how I was dressed, and I learned that in every job I had after that, that how important dressing professionally and how it speaks volumes to your patient and how it makes you carry yourself differently and think differently about yourself. So, though, all that put together just kind of was a culmination of you know, everything, and that just rolled into my fashion shows. And and I as I got into the whole uniform thing, I realized there wasn't a uniform company who thought about our needs in dentistry. They thought about medicine because bigger and rightly so, but medicine looks at their scrubs way different than we have to, like they don't have to throw away for us because we don't have that many bodily fluids that get on us, and we have different infection control regulations. So that those are the kind of things that I did as I, you know, made things that made sense for us.

SPEAKER_00 12:14

I love that. And you've done it and you've stayed true to it, and you've kept expanding and expanding more and trying different different products, you know, things of that nature to address all of your needs. I'm grateful for you really shaking it up, you know, and and making people pay attention to that. Because I've even seen not just for our scrubs, but just my for me professionally, for myself, how people treat you differently based on what you are wearing. So, like right now, I'm a program director and I have to like I can tell the difference. Oh, yeah, not just the title, but just how I'm presenting that day, how people whether they hold the door for me. Sometimes they don't even hold the door.

SPEAKER_02 12:57

So I'm like, and whether it's wrong, but right, right, it is what it is, 100%. So you just have to if if if you want to be respected and be the professional that you are, you know, because everybody in dentistry is highly educated and wonderful people, and you know, walk the walk.

SPEAKER_00 13:18

100%. So you're in the season of life. I love that you're like still evolving because you are now the president of do. So if anyone has been listening, they've heard me mention it, you know, over the years. It is dental entrepreneur woman. And I want to know what this looks like. Like, Deb, tell me the things. Like, this is exciting! Like, this is so very exciting. And I know that it will be served well with you at the helm, you know, you would stay aligned to to the origin of why do exist. If anyone knows who Ann Duffy is, hurry up, run, see who this amazing person is. Um, but you will stay true to that. So tell me what the season looks like and why this was a good time for you to start this.

SPEAKER_02 14:06

So when Anne asked me about being the president, I I was honored and thrilled and immediately said yes, like I do to everything else. And then I thought, what have I done? Do I have time for this? But um, I've been with dental entrepreneur woman from the get-go. And if you don't know Anne Duffy, Google her, look her up. She's an incredible woman, she's a dental hygienist as well, and she had this vision of really supporting women in dentistry in all different aspects. It doesn't matter what your role is or what you do, um, just to be there for each other because we didn't really have anywhere we could go where you could feel safe. And dental entrepreneur women is a it's a magazine, it's a podcast, it's a retreat. I mean, it has it's all different kinds of things. But at the end of the day, what it is, is it's a safe place where you can go to get business advice or just get a hug. You know, it it encompasses all of that. So when Ann asked me, I mean, I know I do have really good leadership skills, and so it's like, okay, I need to do this. This is another reason I'm here. Um, and I can do this. And so I just want to help her to grow it even bigger and better than it is now. Um, there's a lot of really cool things that are um on the agenda for this year, and um more than anything, when I run into a new do, we call them doobies. The one of the first things they say is, oh my gosh, where has dude been? I mean, this is exactly what I needed. I feel like I'm in the right place. Um, so that's just I want to help her spread the word.

SPEAKER_00 15:53

Yeah, and we do need it. Like I had taken a break from dentistry, and my very first event that I came back to once I returned was do. And I'm gonna tell you, I needed that. I needed the hugs, I needed to see people who love me, who really genuinely want the best for me. And it's hard when you so I left the industry, no one knew me. It was hard building in it. I'm glad I did leave because those are things that I'm actually using towards a new project, those skills that I've obtained. It will be used, y'all. I don't leave nothing on the table. I'm gonna use it. Those skills were necessary for me for this next leg of my my journey. But I will tell you the way that I felt so loved, I needed that warm kind of hug. And I was like, you know, sometimes we are working so hard, regardless of what role you have, you forget that the social aspect, that community aspect needs to be filled as well. You can't be by yourself all the time.

SPEAKER_02 16:59

Oh no, you can't, you know. It's just for so many different reasons. I mean, it just for you yourself and just for friendship and for business. I mean, because of my do sisters, I mean, I've gotten a lot of business opportunities that I wouldn't have had without them.

SPEAKER_00 17:17

So absolutely, absolutely. There are there ever any feelings? Well, you're probably gonna say no to this, but let's just see. Um are there ever any feelings like you're not doing enough? Do you ever deal with that at all? Or you're not making enough impact? Like, have you ever dealt with because I feel like there's times where people are struggling with that? I've seen that from some of our listeners, and I want to know like, does that show up for you? And how do you combat that?

SPEAKER_02 17:47

So that's another reason we were supposed to do this today, because I got a call last night from a dental hygiene student, and she had seen my fashion show last year at some student event, and she was reaching out because she's having financial difficulties, but she's lost a lot of weight and she needed some new scrubs, and she wanted to talk to me about my because she's I love your uniforms, and she wanted to talk to me about, you know, if I did student discounts. Well, then we just started chit-chatting, and I find out that this poor girl is praying for a lot of snow this weekend so she can shovel snow so she can afford to take her boards. And I couldn't sleep last night thinking about that. You know, she needs to get her white coat for a white coat ceremony. I'm like, don't worry about it, you're getting it. I'm I'll take care of it. And I I kept thinking about that, and that was one of the things I'm like, I don't do enough, you know. I I donate my old scrubs and returns and all that kind of stuff to dental mission trips and I do a lot of that kind of stuff. But when this individual showed me that, you know, here she is, you know, we all know how hard dental hygiene school is, and oh yeah, she's almost done. And they told her, well, if you can't pay for it now, you can take it again next year. And I'm like, no, no, you can take it next year. So that opened up a door for me this morning, and I started making calls, and I'm like, all right, I'm gonna help you. There's scholarships out there, we're gonna find that. And so it's just I added something else to my list.

SPEAKER_00 19:23

I love that, I love that, and there is it's actually one of the due principles basically. You don't you don't leave people behind. No, you grab them up and you pull them on up with you, and I love that. I love that using a resource.

SPEAKER_02 19:40

For me, when I was first starting out, so and so now that I'm in a position where I can do that, then we have to.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

Yeah. What do you think about the state of how people feel about their professional career? Like for those who are just like in that, oh, you know, because for me, when I look at dentistry, I the possibilities are endless in that, but I do know that there was one of the motivating factors of me leaving, I needed I needed to leave at that point. Um, there are some things that we're still working on, but I'm still very hopeful as a community for dentistry. What would you say to someone that's struggling with the craziness that we kind of see right now happening in dentistry with our ability, what we're able to do for hygienists and all of the things?

SPEAKER_02 20:31

There is a lot of crazy going on right now, but I truly believe from the bottom of my heart that we're gonna get through this and we're gonna come out better and stronger on the other end. I think with this shortage of hygienists, I think we can use that to our advantage and make things better than they were, and things might need to change a little bit. Um, but I I definitely think that if we all band together and really work to make this all work, instead of fighting each other or disagreeing with each other, that we can make this happen. And I also think that when I graduated from dental hygiene school a thousand years ago, that's we used to wore caps when I graduated, so that's how it works. Um but I'm still working clinically, I still do that because I still love being a hygienist. But when I graduated, there were like three things that you could do. You could be a full-time hygienist, you could teach, or you could go into sales. Period. End of story. Now there are so many different avenues that you can go down. So if you're feeling burnt out or you're feeling bored, there are so many different opportunities out there to, I mean, just looking at my friends of hygienists that are, you know, oral cancer specialists now or myofunctional therapists or nutrition. I mean, there are so many different ways we can go with our education because we had. An an amazing education. So you just have to be strong enough and believe in yourself enough to go look at those other things and don't sit at home and have a pity party because you're sore when you got home from work today.

SPEAKER_00 22:13

Yeah, yeah. You're allowed one pity party, okay? Just one. You're allowed one time and then that's it. I don't want to hear nothing else, okay? I love that. I love that. So let the listeners know, like, where can they find more information about the work that you do? And then I would love to have just one final word of advice you would give. Like, what's that one thing that you feel like is on your heart to let the listeners know for themselves so they can prove themselves either personally or professionally?

SPEAKER_02 22:48

Okay. Um, all right. Well, my my company, CPR Sisters, you can find us at CPR Sisters Training.com. We didn't go into any of that today, but we have this new method of teaching CPR, which is pretty awesome. So check that out on our website. Um, we also will be doing some of the hygiene meetings this year, so you'll see us out and about. Twiceasniceuniforms.com. That's my uniform company. We have added a whole bunch of new stuff. We now have pajamas and jewelry and socks, and you know, not just uniforms, but a lot of other fun things that have a lot of dental themes to them. So you can find those there. And what do I want to leave everybody with? Um, I another thing that I do a lot is I mentor a lot of dental people. Um, everybody cross-board. I was gonna say hygienist, but it's not, it's really a lot of different people. And um I have learned that everyone thinks that it's either it's not the right time, I don't have the money, I'll have to wait. And what I learned with what I've done is there's never a good time. Ever, ever, ever, ever. So if you have an idea or something that you want to try, you just have to go for it. And if it's meant to be, it's gonna work out. And if you need help with anything, reach out to me. That's what I'm here for. I've helped so many um dental professionals that have had an idea, and I was able to help them show them, you know, what my journey is. But you're all so gifted and smart and wonderful, and believe in yourself, just believe in yourself and do it and go out there and do great things.

SPEAKER_00 24:36

Thank you. That's so good. Do you have you said you had mentioned there was something new with CPR assistant? Do you want to share that?

SPEAKER_02 24:42

Well, no, it's actually not with CPR systems. Well, I have new things going with both. So, with that said, we have a new way of teaching virtually, and people are actually learning better this way. We ship the equipment to your house and it's really fun and efficient. And but at the end of the day, because people are retaining it better because they get to spend more time practicing, um, we're more lives. So that's awesome, awesome, awesome. Yes, and then with twice as nice uniforms, nobody knows this till right now. Um, but I have been working with a handful of dental professionals that wanted to start their own uniform line or their own jewelry line, or they have a brand new product they went and want to introduce. And I've worked with the same factory in New Jersey from the get-go, 15 years. And um, I'm so interested now in the whole research and development of everything that I am partnering with them. And that will um, yeah. So now I'm adding something else to do. Um they they called me today and they were like, where do you want your desk? And I was like, Okay. Oh so yeah, so I'm so excited about that because I'm gonna be able to help, like I'm helping somebody else start a uniform company, you know?

SPEAKER_00 26:02

That is amazing.

SPEAKER_02 26:04

That's okay to do. People are like, Why would you do that? And I'm like, because there's room for everybody. Um, so that's um that's the big new exciting news that that we have.

SPEAKER_00 26:14

So I love that. Thank you for the honor of letting us be the first to hear it.

unknown 26:22

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 26:22

It's such an honor. Say it. So I yeah, but what amazing, like legacy, you know, you're still building right now, it's not over. So I just I want to just thank you so much for the time that you have given me over the years, the time you've given me today, and sharing your incredible journey. You have such a beautiful heart, Deb, and I am grateful to know you. And I and I hope that everyone could feel the warmth from Def Deb's, you know, voice tonight and really understanding that there are so many good people here in dentistry. There is no reason for us to feel alone, there's no reason for us to feel unfulfilled in our profession. Like there are ways that we can work around that, whether we decide to stay in dentistry or not. So I hope that they received that message today.

SPEAKER_02 27:12

Well, thank you. It's always wonderful to see you, Jasmine. Always thank you. Thank you, Dan.

SPEAKER_00 27:18

Thank you.