#154 Leslie Espinola: From Forensic Science to Dental Executive Coach

Leslie Espinola has spent more than 35 years in the dental industry, but that was never the plan. She studied forensic science and wanted to join the FBI, then took a job in her father's dental practice while she figured out her life, and never left. Today she is a Dental Executive Coach, Fractional COO, and founder of High Peak Dental Advisors, helping practices grow through better leadership, healthier culture, and smarter operations.In this episode, Leslie explains what a Fractional COO actually does, why she travels to client offices three and a half weeks a month, and the leap of faith she took last year to start her own company after a career inside large organizations. She is candid about the difference between a manager and a leader, and the trap office managers fall into when they get promoted but stay stuck in the day to day.Leslie shares the operational truths most practice owners miss: why good leadership is always about people, how culture prevents turnover, why so many owners stay disconnected from their numbers, and the sobering reality that a large share of dental offices are stolen from by a team member. She also makes a clear-eyed case for AI in dentistry, where it removes unproductive work so teams can stay patient facing, and why she has not seen it take a single job in the industry.The conversation closes on the win she is most proud of: an office manager who was weeks from being let go and, after one hard conversation and six months of mentoring, became one of the best leaders Leslie has ever worked with. If you lead a team or run a practice, this one is full of practical, people first wisdom.About Leslie Espinola 🦷🏔️🦷 Dental Executive Coach | 🧭 Fractional COO | 🏔️ Founder of High Peak Dental Advisors | 🤝 Coach at the Dentist Entrepreneur Organization- 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslieespinola/- 🌐 https://deodentalgroup.comAbout Federico Ramallo ✨👨‍💻🌎🚀 Software Engineering Manager | 🛠 Founder of DensityLabs.io & PreVetted.ai | 🤝 Connecting 🇺🇸 U.S. teams with top nearshore 🌎 LATAM engineers- 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/framallo/- 🌐 https://densitylabs.io- ✅ https://prevetted.ai🎙 PreVetted Podcast 🎧📡- 🎯 https://prevetted.ai/podcast- 🐦 https://x.com/PrevettedPod- 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/prevetted-podcast00:00 Introduction to Leslie Espinola02:47 Journey from Dental Assistant to Executive Coach05:52 Understanding the Role of a Fractional COO08:57 The Importance of Leadership in Dental Practices11:58 Embracing Imperfection and Continuous Learning14:59 The Role of Coaching and Collaboration17:55 Starting High Peak Dental Advisors20:53 The Dentist Entrepreneur Organization (DEO) Explained24:02 Shifting from Chairside to Executive Leadership25:42 The Essence of Leadership in Dental Practices29:05 Navigating Change: Embracing AI in Dentistry35:52 Understanding Numbers: The Key to Practice Success45:29 Transformative Leadership: A Personal Success Story