We were lucky to catch up with Katrina Sanders recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Katrina, thanks for joining us today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

STRENGTH

Nearly every childhood photo of me depicts a display of a combination of mosquito bites and scabs; a product of being an adventure-seeking child of the Midwest. As an accident-prone child, I would oftentimes fall, bleeding from a gravel-indented lesion and get little sympathy from my mother. While my friends could count on empathetic mothers to provide a “kiss for the boo-boo” and a fresh Band-Aid, my mom would shout “tell the ground you are sorry!”, force me to get up, brush it off and move on.

Growing up in a home that enforced strength over self-pity, Mom taught that it’s not about the fall but rather about your resiliency in getting back up. As such, this accident-prone curly haired little girl soon matured into an equally mistake-prone adult with a few higher learning degrees and a busy LLC to manage. I had used my inner-strength and Mom’s old adage “tell the ground you are sorry” countless times to creatively encourage my business to emerge, rise and grow despite the early mistakes I made (and those I continue to make) in my business.

However, never in my life had I needed that lesson like I did the day I received a call from Dad telling me that Mom had suddenly collapsed in the kitchen, was rushed to a hospital and was placed on life support.

She was slipping away.

I begged and pleaded with the universe to bring her back to me so she could, just once more, encourage me to tell the ground I was sorry; to give me the strength to pick myself up, brush it off and attempt to move on.

But she couldn’t: she was gone.

From the ground, covered in gravel and bleeding from my heart, I was in pain, lost, scared and alone.

Then, as if sent by a guardian angel, a circle of women picked me up. Kind women who, by all standards, are considered “competition” for my business; women who could easily take a situation like this and use it to elevate their own business while mine crumbles. Yet there they were: coming together, lifting me up, embracing, holding me tight and providing endless support.

The strength, coursing through their veins, enveloped me, emulsified my soul, revitalized my heart and, ultimately, reminded me of HER. The presence of female strength; the dichotomy of delicate beauty and immense power came flourishing into my world and carried me from a profound sadness to a grounded sense of peace.

You see, they reminded me that strength not only comes from within but also all around. Their strength healed me, their love brought my wounds to scabs and their unwavering love reminds me that these scars are just moments when I had to tell the ground I was sorry; they are the moments when I brushed myself off; and they are reminders of the times when I kept going.

This segment is dedicated to the loving memory of Linda M Sanders, the first woman, but certainly not the last, to teach me inner strength.

Katrina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

​I am a clinical dental hygienist, author, educator, international speaker, consultant, philanthropist, and podcast host. I am published with Dentaltown and Today’s RDH, a columnist and advisory board member for Modern Hygienist, and am a brand ambassador for Dimensions of Dental Hygiene. I co-host the Tooth or Dare Podcast and the Floss & Flip Flops Podcast.

I work as the Hygiene excellence, Innovation, and Clinical Liaison for AZPerio, the country’s largest periodontal practice. I also work alongside Diplomates to the American Board of Periodontology to instruct on collaborative professionalism and standard of care protocols while delivering education through hygiene boot camps and study clubs.

I am the co-founder of The Core Group, LLC, a boutique-style consulting firm where we focus on high-level standards, excellence, and production. And lastly, I am an award-winning educator with a unique approach to delivering continuing dental education. I am the founder, CEO, and keynote speaker for Sanders Board Preparatory.

My philanthropic efforts include dental humanitarian work in developing countries, supporting abused and homeless animals and spreading awareness about the benefits of organ and tissue donation.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Growing up in a middle-class home with a father who believed in following the corporate ladder to success, I graduated and entered the workforce with a belief that my professional successes were solely based on the linear nature of merits and wage increases. I scurried to pay down school debt, working additional hours as I understood that more hours worked meant a higher wage. My mother, however, was a dreamer. Within me was a sparkle of knowing that there is something deeper within me which would permit unending success and deep impact.

Mom taught me that creativity, resiliency and being unique simply means that not a single soul on this planet can or will approach their professional work the way I do, and to honor this is to hold the key to unending and robust means of success.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

It was March of 2020. My business had finally boomed.

I had back-to-back travel scheduled, my face was on every speaker lineup in the country, and I was prepared to step onto some incredibly powerful stages.

And then the world fell apart, and with it, every contract I had previously secured.

Many of my colleagues either buried their heads in the sand or found that this global health crisis was an ideal time to throw in the proverbial towel, so to speak, on their careers. But Mom didn’t raise a quitter – she raised a do-er.

So I poured a glass of wine and got to work. I dove into the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention website and built complimentary online programs for anyone who would listen to me. I shared the newest data however I could find it so as to lift dentistry up by the boot straps and remind my esteemed colleagues that we are fighters, and we are here to serve the community.

It was not easy; I, too, was not cashing in paychecks just like my colleagues. Sitting on the couch all day and pouring a glass of wine at noon certainly sounded like a terrific idea most days, but my deep sense of responsibility to purpose and excellence encouraged growth, development and resilience to the deepest degree. Mine was a handful of voices working tirelessly to serve during one of the darkest times to be a professional speaker and this resiliency was the rocket fuel that propelled me to reach the stars.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katrinasanders.com
• Instagram: @thedentalwinegenist
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/thedentalwinegenist
• Linkedin: Katrina M Sanders RDH, BSDH, M.Ed, RF

Image Credits
Photo Credit: FemForce Photography