Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sable Staller. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Sable thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the best boss, mentor, or leader you’ve ever worked with.

Having someone you can look up to and ask questions is essential to trying to find your way in life. I am lucky to have an amazing mentor who was previously my boss. Dr. Karen Cottingham was my first boss. She has her own private practice in Indianapolis, Indiana. She hired me while I had graduated residency and was working on moving to New York City. She taught me so many great life lessons. The main thing I learned from her, was to treat her staff and everyone at her office like family. She has had people working for her for 10+ years. She highlights their birthdays and anniversaries at the office, she takes her staff on vacation every year, and she makes sure they know that she views them more than just an employee but a valued person in her life. If you treat your staff well then your patients will be treated well and everyone will have a great experience. Making people feel valued at work also leads to less turnover and a more comfortable work environment for everyone.

Sable, 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 an Orthodontist in New York City and practice at East Side Orthodontics on 75th Street. To get to know me we need to go back to the beginning.. I great up in a small town of less than 2,000 people in Russiaville, Indiana. Growing up I always felt like I didn’t fully fit in and knew there was so much more life to experience outside of my small town. Flash forward to high school and I still hadn’t gotten my braces yet. All of my friends were going to this cool new orthodontist in town and I begged my mom and dad to take me to her even though she was more expensive. God bless my mom, she convinced my dad to take me and I’m so glad she did because this is how I ended up here! I walked into her office and she was a talk blonde, wearing high heels, and seemed so happy at work. I myself, am also a tall blonde and once I met her and talked to her, decided I was going to also be an orthodontist when I grew up. There wasn’t social media, besides facebook, growing up and it was hard to find examples of strong and independent women doing amazing things and this was my example!
Fast forward to college, I went to the University at Buffalo on a volleyball scholarship! I played D1 volleyball in college in possibly the coldest place in America. It was such an amazing experience and I majored in Biology so I could go to dental school to achieve my dream. I got into 7 dental schools but ultimately decided to head home to Indiana to complete my dental school and orthodontic residency in Indianapolis to be closer to friends and family.
After school, I moved to NYC to achieve my dreams of being an orthodontist and also live in the best city in the world! I provide orthodontic treatment to all ages! I treat kids as young as 6 to adults as young as 80. I treat with traditional metal braces, ceramic braces, and Invisalign clear aligners! I love changing and improving all of my patients smiles because it gives them confidence to achieve their dreams. As they say, everyone smiles in the same language. If you feel confident in your smile I truly believe anything is possible and it’s how we communicate with one another. I treat all of my patients like family and strive to give them the best care possible.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

It’s always important to strive to be the best. As an orthodontist, that is hardwired in our DNA. However, I think the key to succeeding in my field is reaching people on a personal level. Yes people want the best care and want to make sure they are getting the proper help, but people also want to feel like they are heard and you will do everything in your power to get them the result they want. Going that extra mile and being personable with a patient and truly caring about them as a person goes a long way. It’s what gets people to send their family members to you or their best friend. It’s what makes the job worth it in the end and gives life long relationships that you will carry with you.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Life is all about curveballs and learning how to get through hard times. When I was 22 and in dental school, my dad passed away from lung cancer. He was an amazing man and I think of him every day. He would be so proud of where I am today and whenever something gets hard, I think of him immediately and face it head on. He passed away during my first year of dental school. I was out of school for 2 weeks and I missed NINE exams. I considered taking the year off and repeating it, but I knew my dad would not want that. Also, I couldn’t possibly pay for another year of dental school!! $$ So after those 2 weeks, I went back to dental school and buried myself in books to catch up and take all of those exams on top of the new exams coming my way. I also was checking in on my mom and making sure she was doing okay. During this time, I had so many friends and family help me with school and life and just help me get through each day. I learned truly what it means to have a village and that those people will be there for you in times of need. Without all of the help I received, there is no way I would’ve dug myself out of that hole and gone on to finish the semester. It taught me I am so tough and can do anything and it also taught me to value my relationships and the people around me because they truly can change your life and you can change there’s!

Contact Info:

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