At NADG, our company stands united in celebration of our differences and respecting what makes each of us unique. We are proud of the women within our organization who are making a difference in dentistry, championing servant leadership and exemplifying best-in-class patient care.
WHO INSPIRES YOU?
Dr. Kristen Conner:
There are two people who have inspired me at different points in my life. My best friend from dental school is a single mom of three, full-time dentist, and owner of an all-natural nail salon. And now she is an author! Life has thrown her tremendous challenges yet, she never let it defeat or define her. She took pain and transformed it into words authoring her first novel which will be released this spring! She draws strength from her faith living every day with joy. I’m forever in “awe” of this incredible woman whom I call friend.
Dolly Parton – before she was trendy :). She has inspired me since I was a young girl. She is a true testament to beauty and brains. She never cared about what anyone thought of her physical appearance or her accent. She appeals to all walks of life because she truly has a genuine love for all people. Genuine is the key word here, in my opinion. Accomplishments in life are irrelevant if they aren’t coming from a genuine place of love and compassion. Behind her exterior is a smart, business savvy entrepreneur. She has it all. Of course, now she is trendy, once again because of her true selfless nature. There’s no true joy in success if you aren’t impacting others in a positive way.
Dr. Anna McGuire:
My mother has always been my hero. She immigrated to America for a better life for our family. Never once did she ever make me feel that I had to alter my dreams because I was a girl. She taught me with hard work I could achieve absolutely anything. She always expected me to do my best. She worked hard and raised me and my siblings, all while fighting cancer. Never did she complain, pity herself, or fear the future. I learned from her what it was like to be a strong human.
Dr. Anna Warnock:
I am inspired most by both of my parents. My mother, a stay at home mom and beacon in my development, and my father, a general surgeon who was a devoted and loving husband and father. We had an unbelievably loving, kind, respectful, and supportive relationship.
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN YOUR CAREER OR PERSONAL LIFE?
Dr. Conner:
Hands-down, being a mom! Never to downplay my career accomplishments but the reality is anything I’ve set a goal to do in my life I’ve persevered and managed to accomplish – no matter how long it took or how hard I had to work. They were each, for the most part, in my control. The one thing I was never worried about was having a family. I couldn’t wait. I had all the other parts of my life squared away. Then came a brief marriage that failed. Wait…what? I failed at something? That wasn’t in my plan. After a few years of hesitance, I gave it a try again. This time, success, but I was never prepared for the big, fat INFERTILITY word! It was totally out of my control. The fear, stress, hormone injections, and patience. The doctors couldn’t find any scientific reason for me not to have a baby. Stop getting stressed (they said), avoid toxic chemicals (they said), do yoga (they said). I did all the things – still NOTHING!!! I had to accept that I had no control over this situation. The one thing I never worried about in my entire life is something that I couldn’t fix. I had to let God control this one. Finally, a few years later, my prayers were answered. My biggest blessing came true and I was able to become the one thing that meant more to me than any degree, award, or my business. I finally became a mom and it forever changed my life.
Dr. McGuire:
My biggest personal accomplishment is being a role model for my three children. Showing them you can grow up and achieve your wildest dreams with patience, perseverance, and hard work – not cutting corners. Live a life of integrity. In my career I’m not quite there yet! The stars are the limit!
Dr. Warnock:
I like to think that I have yet to reach my biggest accomplishments personally or professionally. I will say that I know I am proud of my two children, my successful yet sometimes bumpy marriage, and my relationship with my family. I am also proud to have received my 200RYT (yoga teacher training) designation. The accomplishment has nothing to do with the certificate but more to do with the personal journey I went through to learn more about myself and my interactions with the world.
WHEN DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU WANTED TO PURSUE A CAREER IN DENTISTRY?
Dr. Conner:
I’ve never wanted to do anything else. I knew I wanted to be a dentist as far back as I can remember. Of course, my dream was to be a Rockette, but my lifelong goal was always to be a dentist.
Dr. McGuire:
There were two distinct moments. The first is when my brother was instructing me to brush my teeth better and promptly sat on my chest and extracted my first tooth because I was being a baby about my loose tooth. That was never happening again! The second was watching cancer destroy my mother’s beautiful smile. I knew that I didn’t want to see that happen to others. A smile is a source of pride. It’s as much a window to our souls, as our eyes!
Dr. Warnock:
I knew I wanted to pursue a career in dentistry after I had worked two weeks as a work study/dental assistant in the Ohio State University College of Dentistry, Endodontics department the summer before my freshman year in undergrad at OSU. After working there for six-weeks, I had mastered scheduling and enjoyed working with the patients and the residents. My parents were already experiencing the financial crunch and changes administratively in medicine and suggested that dentistry would be a much better, longer-term career move both personally and financially.
Amazing women with amazing stories!