Why This Dentist Took a Year Off and Never Went Back | Matt Allen

A dental sabbatical is what happens when a dentist steps fully away from clinical practice, not for a two week vacation, but for a real, intentional reset. If you've ever quietly wondered whether you could walk away from the chair for a year and come back different, this episode is proof it's possible. Dr. Matt Allen did exactly that, and it didn't just change his schedule, it changed the direction of his entire career. He talks with Brandi about the fear that keeps dentists white knuckling control, the moment he realized the four lane highway to success wasn't for him, and why slowing down turned out to be the fastest way forward. Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran, leadership coach, and host of The Real Talk of Dental, sits down with Dr. Matt Allen, DDS, Co-Founder and CEO of DifferentKind, to unpack what he learned in the year he stepped away from dentistry. You'll walk away with Matt's soft focus framework for creative rest, his ikigai based approach to figuring out your next move, and his reservoir mindset for giving without burning out. This is a real conversation about fear, patient experience, and what it actually looks like to build a career on your own terms. Hit play and give yourself permission to imagine a different path. You’ll learn: Why Dr. Matt Allen walked away from clinical dentistry for a full year, and what a real sabbatical actually requires before you take the leap. How Spain's World Cup winning soccer system explains why over controlling your dental team quietly stalls their growth and decision making. The difference between the fear that keeps you safe and the fear that's secretly running every decision in your dental practice. Why Matt reframes big career moves as experiments instead of demanding perfection, and how that shift changes what you're willing to try. What soft focus time taught Matt about slowing down, and how walking became the surprising unlock for his best business decisions. How Matt used the Japanese concept of ikigai to build A Different Kind, his patient experience company for dental organizations. Why AI can automate dental communication tasks but still can't replace the human trust building skills most dental teams were never taught. 🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions: https://www.therealtalkofdental.com 🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Women in Dental: https://leadhershipexperience.com/ 🔗 Boundary Boss GPT: https://leadhershipexperience.com/bou... We talk about: 00:00 Welcome to The Real Talk of Dental 01:00 Matt Allen left dentistry to build A Different Kind 05:00 How Spain's World Cup win applies to dental leadership 08:00 Why controlling every outcome breaks down under pressure 09:00 Why fear shows up around growth and hard decisions 10:00 How dental training shrinks your focus and your control 14:00 Reframing fear as experimenting instead of chasing perfection 19:00 What led Matt to take a full year off 22:00 Soft focus time and the early seeds of Different Kind 27:00 Finding ikigai and deciding what only you can do 32:00 Why people are losing trust in AI generated communication 35:00 Matt's reservoir mindset for staying full instead of empty Connect with Matt LinkedIn: LinkedIn: differentkind Website: https://www.differentkind.com/ Connect with me LinkedIn: LinkedIn: brandimarzolino Instagram: Instagram: brandi.marzolino https://courageandjoyatwork.com/ https://leadhershipexperience.com/ Phone: 616-682-6222 #sabbatical #patientexperience #dentalleadership