Women in DSO® Archives - The Lead Magazine

Looking Ahead to 2025

The momentum continues with new initiatives coming in 2025. Building on the success of last year, Women In DSO® plans to expand with the following initiatives:

The 2nd Annual Wellness Summit in Washington, D.C., on October 22, 2025.

Programs like Wellness Accountability Partnerships, Try-it Sessions, a Book Club and Wellness Playlists.

The launch of the Wellness Plan, offering members childcare, elder care, financial guidance, and mental health resources.

Women In DSO® is equipping women with tools to lead authentically and prioritize holistic well-being. Get involved today.

Professional networking is essential for navigating career twists and turns while also advancing within one’s team, organization, or industry. It’s not only integral to career satisfaction, but it also contributes significantly to overall wellness.

By fostering connections with colleagues, mentors, and industry peers, individuals can build a supportive network that offers emotional support and professional guidance. These relationships reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness. They also reduce stress commonly experienced in the workplace instead of promoting mental and emotional well-being.

Moreover, networking provides opportunities for personal growth, learning, and skill development, contributing to a sense of personal fulfillment and satisfaction in one’s professional life. Ultimately, by nurturing professional connections and investing in networking activities, individuals are bettering their overall wellness, leading to greater resilience and success in their careers.

Women in DSO® takes pride in providing numerous opportunities for individuals to harness the power of networking. Its mentorship program, webinars, online community, and annual summit cater to a diverse range of interests and needs. These initiatives are meticulously designed to guide members along their career paths, fostering success and supporting overall health and wellness.

Networking is a gateway to diverse perspectives and insights, a key to navigating challenges and seizing new opportunities. By connecting with professionals from various backgrounds, industries, and experiences, individuals gain access to a broader and more diverse range of perspectives. These perspectives can illuminate new paths, unlock creativity, innovation, and out-of-the-box thinking, and open doors to unlimited potential for new opportunities. Whether it’s job possibilities, collaborations, or community, networking is the vehicle for personal growth and evolution.

“At Women in DSO®, we prioritize networking because we understand the importance of cultivating supportive relationships that empower women to thrive professionally and personally,” shares Dr. Aman Kaur, founder and president of the organization.

“Networking is not just about making connections. It’s about building relationships that support overall wellbeing.”

Leesa Olson

Assistant Vice President Launch Loyalty Powered by Careington

“Being a part of Women in DSO® has been transformative for my career, providing invaluable networking opportunities that have fostered both personal and professional growth. When women come together in this supportive environment, it creates a space where we can speak freely, share openly, and form genuine friendships with our peers. Every woman I’ve met through Women in DSO® has been incredibly friendly and willing to help—it’s amazing how simply asking can unlock so many doors. This community has truly shown me the power of collaboration and mutual support.”

Dawn O’Connell

Chief of Practice Compliance Freedom Dental Management

“Women in DSO® has helped my career growth by increasing my confidence as a professional woman in an executive leadership role. The collaborative networking environment enhances decision-making efforts by offering access to members who have either navigated similar experiences, history with or employed by a vendor of interest, or are ready to offer supportive guidance and encouragement with a listening ear.”

Empowering Female Entrepreneurs and Investors

Today, women dominate clinical and business roles across the dental industry — they know and understand the dental industry’s needs, challenges, and opportunities better than anyone else. So why are they often left in the shadows when accessing venture capital?

Women-founded/led companies receive less than 2.5% of venture capital funding. This statistic is even more staggering in the dental industry. Despite being the backbone of clinical care, women are often sidelined when securing the capital necessary to bring their innovative ideas to life. Recognizing this disparity, Women in DSO® has partnered with Dental Innovation Alliance (DIA), to launch the Entrepreneurship Corner, a new initiative designed to empower women and men equally as both entrepreneurs and investors. DIA is a venture capital firm that funds, advises, and propels the success of early-stage companies building the future of dentistry and health through technology. We hope that this partnership reshapes the landscape of dental innovation by engaging more women.

The Entrepreneurship Corner is not just a response to this imbalance. It is a bold step toward redefining who gets to lead in dental innovation. It is built on the premise that empowering women to become successful entrepreneurs and savvy investors is not just beneficial for women but essential for the future of the dental industry. The topics discussed are also relevant for women who are supporting technology companies at various levels of their careers.

A Two-Fold Approach

The Entrepreneurship Corner offers two distinct curriculums: one focused on entrepreneurship and the other on investing. Both are designed to be practical, accessible, and deeply impactful.

The entrepreneurship curriculum will:

Help women cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, a critical step in identifying opportunities and driving innovation
Share how to develop robust business plans, conduct thorough market research, and navigate the financial and legal nuances of starting and scaling a business
Equip women with the skills necessary to lead successful ventures and prepare them for potential exit strategies

The investor curriculum is equally comprehensive and will:

- Guide participants through the complexities of early-stage and late-stage investment
- Cover the basics of different types of investors, from angel investors to venture capitalists to corporate backers
- Offer insights into evaluating startups and understanding the risks and rewards associated with various investment stages

Entrepreneurship Corner

As Dr. Aman Kaur, the founder and president of Women in DSO®, aptly shares, “We know a lot about the salary gap, but another important issue is the wealth gap. Women leaders in dentistry have just as much to offer and need to be equipped with the right tools and opportunities, so they can make money with their money, bounce back from failures if they happen and become confident investors.”

Learning by Doing
What sets the Entrepreneurship Corner apart is its emphasis on actionable learning. Each module includes a 15-20 minute video followed by an “assignment” designed to help participants apply what they’ve learned in real-world scenarios to prepare themselves for entrepreneurship as well as investing. The curriculum features insights and expertise from leaders across the dental and investment industries, bringing real-world expertise directly to participants. Learnings are built from their experience and strategies that go beyond textbook knowledge. Participants will gain practical advice and actionable tips that they can immediately put into action and see results.

Building a Community of Leaders
As this group of investors and entrepreneurs work together, these relationships will develop into a community that can continuously help others with their expertise and lessons. It will provide these innovative leaders the opportunity to discuss their successes and setbacks, exchange ideas, and provide each other with the encouragement and advice needed to navigate the often challenging paths of entrepreneurship and investing. It will create space for participants to connect, share their experiences, and learn from one another.

A Vision for the Future
Women across the dental industry already possess expertise and ideas; they just need the tools and support to bring them to fruition. Confidence is often a product from knowledge; by combining education with practical application, the Entrepreneurship Corner aims to dismantle the barriers that have historically kept women from accessing the capital and investment opportunities they deserve.

This initiative is about creating a new vision for the dental industry — where women are not just participants, but also are leaders in innovation and investment. Through the partnership of Women in DSO® and DIA, the Entrepreneurship Corner is an invitation to all progressive leaders in the dental field to come, be empowered, and change the future of dentistry together.

Announcing the Leadership Alumni Club.

Since 2022, Women in DSO® has recognized excellence in clinical and administrative DSO leadership through annual Leadership Awards presented in partnership with Overjet. Over 30 women have received these awards, highlighting their outstanding contributions to the industry and creating new pathways for others to follow.

The recipients of these awards embody leadership qualities such as vision, resilience, and mentorship. By recognizing their achievements, the Leadership Award aims to amplify the voices of women leaders and encourage aspiring professionals to pursue their goals fearlessly and with determination and support.

Women in DSO® proudly announces the launch of the Leadership Alumni Club. This initiative is designed to further amplify the impact of these exceptional leaders by providing a platform for ongoing networking, professional development, and mentorship. The Leadership Alumni Club will help ensure that the mission of Women in DSO® continues to thrive, empowering women to excel and lead for years to come.