Meet: Holly, CEO
What’s your role here at CPW Dentistry and what does a typical day look like for you?
As CEO, I’m responsible for planning the future of CPW Dentistry, nurturing the culture, and coaching the current and up-and-coming leaders in the practice. A typical day involves meetings with vendors, advisers, or friends of the business, meeting with our Practice Directors to solve issues, reading up on trends in dentistry, training or creating trainings for our team, brainstorming ways to improve and grow, working on budgets, and making decisions around investments in technology and benefits.
Why do you love working at CPW Dentistry?
I love that I get to work with my best friends every day. I love that we get to innovate and that we have a fun, positive culture. I love that the team cares deeply, and works so hard to provide an extraordinary experience for our patients and our employees.
What are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about purpose! To inspire leaders with the courage to dream, and empower them with the tools to make those dreams a reality. To love myself as I was, as I am, and as I will be. To build a community of likeminded people who are kind, curious, relentless, and positive, and to greet each day with intention, gratitude, and a little bit of silliness.
Why did you decide to come work at CPW Dentistry and do the kind of work you’re doing?
I graduated from NYU with a degree in theatre and dreams of Broadway. Six months after graduation I was homeless, sleeping on a couch in Queens and my student loan bills came due. I needed a different dream. So I thought about going back to school to become a dentist, and a friend of mine suggested going to work in a dental office before applying to dental school. I called up CPW Dentistry and said to Dr. Lhota “I’ll work for you for free, you can train me to do whatever you want, and then start paying me.” I started as an unpaid intern working at the front desk. Two weeks later I was hired as the Marketing Director (with zero marketing knowledge). We doubled the practice in the first year. Since then, we’ve grown the practice from the ground up by relying on the best people delivering the best patient experience. In April of this year Dr. Lhota passed the torch of running the company to me and the practice directors, and I became the CEO of CPW. It has been an unlikely dream come true. Everything I love about my life has happened because of this job, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve in this role.
What makes you wildly happy and why?
Dancing, singing, sweating, laughing as much as possible, surrounded by a courageous community, telling our stories and finding new ways to help each other grow.
If you could speak to everyone in the world at the same time, what would you say?
Fall in love with yourself, fall in love with your life, fall in love with this moment, and the people around you. Let everything you do come from love and you will lack for nothing.
If you had to describe yourself in five words, what would they be?
The Tony Robbins of Teeth
What’s the best way to start the day?
Going for a run at 5:15am with my best friend, hygienist Svetlana.
Breakfast: Oatmeal, apple cider vinegar, coffee and vitamins while listening to an Audible book (current read: Outrageous Openness by Tosha Silver)
Foam roll, stretch, meditate, and shower.
Call my mom while walking to work.
What do you believe?
I believe when people feel safe and respected, they can accomplish anything.
