Displaying 7 items of Voices from The Bench with the tag "career growth".
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444: Mike Archibald: Finding Your Place at the Bench and Table
September 28th, 2026 | 1 hr 11 mins
Communication, Family, Fatherhood, Life Lessons, accountability, addiction recovery, aesthetic dentistry, archibald family, authenticity, barb and elvis, becoming a dental technician, becoming your best self, behind the scenes dentistry, being coachable, being present, cad cam dentistry, career development, career growth, career journey, ce, ceramic crowns, ceramic technician, coaching, community, confidence, continuing education, cosmetic dentistry, craftsmanship, crown waxing, dental aesthetics, dental anatomy, dental art, dental artistry, dental business, dental business leadership, dental cad cam, dental career, dental careers, dental ce, dental ceramicist, dental ceramics, dental coaching, dental community, dental conferences, dental craftsmanship, dental crowns, dental education, dental education community, dental education podcast, dental educator, dental industry, dental industry career, dental industry conversations, dental industry education, dental industry podcast, dental lab, dental lab community, dental lab conversations, dental lab education, dental lab education community, dental lab experience, dental lab family, dental lab leadership, dental lab owner, dental lab podcast, dental lab training, dental laboratory, dental laboratory education, dental laboratory family, dental laboratory history, dental laboratory owner, dental laboratory podcast, dental laboratory technician, dental laboratory technician education, dental laboratory technician training, dental leadership, dental lectures, dental lecturing, dental materials, dental materials education, dental mentoring, dental mentorship, dental milling, dental morphology, dental occlusion, dental patients, dental podcast, dental presentations, dental products, dental professional development, dental professionals, dental speaker, dental stories, dental technician, dental technician community, dental technician education, dental technician imposter syndrome, dental technician life, dental technician podcast, dental technician stories, dental technician training, dental techniques, dental techniques training, dental technology, dental technology podcast, dental technology training, dental training, dental waxing, dentistry, dentistry and life, dentistry podcast, difficult conversations, digital dental laboratory, digital dental technology, digital dentistry, digital design, digital detox, digital workflow, disconnecting, education, esthetic dentistry, experienced dental technician, family business, family expectations, family legacy, family time, family values, father and son, finding balance, finding purpose, finding your path, finding yourself, following your own path, function, functional aesthetics, functional dentistry, functional design, gc initial, getting outside, giving back, gold crowns, gordon christensen, gordon christensen dentistry, growth mindset, hands on training, harvest dental, healthy habits, healthy lifestyle, helping others, helping people, honesty, imposter syndrome, insecurity, jed archibald, john archibald, kelly and associates, lab management, laboratory dentistry, laboratory leadership, las vegas institute, learning dental technology, learning dentistry, legacy, life beyond dentistry, lifelong learning, living up to expectations, lvi, master technician, meaningful life, meaningful work, mental health, mentorship community, mike archibald, mindset, mindset coaching, natural dentistry, natural looking restorations, nature, occlusion, open bench, open conversations, outdoor life, overcoming addiction, overcoming adversity, overcoming challenges, overcoming imposter syndrome, overcoming struggles, parenting, patient care, patient centered dentistry, personal accountability, personal coaching, personal development, personal growth, personal journey, personal priorities, personal transformation, personal wellness, positive mindset, professional coaching, professional growth, professional imposter syndrome, public speaking, purpose, ray foster, real conversations, real talk dentistry, rebuilding your life, recovery, recovery journey, redefining success, relationships, resilience, restorative aesthetics, restorative dentistry, restorative dentistry lab, second chances, self confidence, self doubt, self improvement, self worth, slowing down, sobriety, speaking in dentistry, starting in a dental lab, staying coachable, stories from the lab, success, success in dentistry, success in life, supporting technicians, table 52, table 52 community, taking a break, taking responsibility, teaching dental technology, teaching technicians, technician community, technician conversations, technician development, technician journey, technician mentorship, technique education, third generation dental technician, transformation, treating every patient equally, unplugging, vftb, voices from the bench, voices from the bench podcast, vulnerability, waxing, work life balance
This week we sit down with Mike Archibald, the “black sheep” of the Archibald family, to talk about his journey through dentistry, family expectations, imposter syndrome, recovery, and personal growth. Mike opens up about the lessons he learned from his dad, his path into ceramics and education, and his vision for Table 52—a place for honest conversations about the struggles that happen behind the scenes. It’s a real and personal conversation about dentistry, life, and finding a healthier way forward.
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442: Michael Wandling: The Long Road to CDT of the Year
September 14th, 2026 | 1 hr 12 mins
2025 cdt of the year, Barb, Leadership, aidite, bruxzir, cad cam, career growth, cdt, cdt certification, cdt exam, cdt exam preparation, cdt practical exam, cdt written exam, ceramics, certified dental technician, complete dentures, continuing education, crown and bridge, crown and bridge technician, dental cad cam, dental ceramics, dental certification, dental certification exam, dental education, dental implant certification, dental implants, dental industry, dental industry podcast, dental lab, dental lab community, dental lab culture, dental lab leadership, dental lab management, dental lab mentoring, dental lab owner, dental lab podcast, dental lab success, dental lab training, dental lab workflow, dental laboratory, dental laboratory careers, dental laboratory education, dental laboratory industry, dental laboratory leadership, dental laboratory podcast, dental laboratory standards, dental materials, dental milling, dental podcast, dental tech podcast, dental technician, dental technician career, dental technician education, dental technician success, dental technology, dental technology career, dental technology education, dental technology industry, dental training, dental zirconia, digital dental laboratory, digital dentistry, digital workflow, elvis dahl, fixed dentistry, giving back to the industry, horizon digital, implant cdt, implant dentistry, keller dental laboratory, key opinion leader, kol, lab owner, laboratory innovation, laboratory management, lifelong learning, master cdt, mentorship, mike wandling, national board for certification, nbc, nbc exams, production management, professional development, prozir ultra, quality assurance, quality control, removable dentistry, study clubs, summit horizon dental laboratory, technician development, technician training, vftb, voices from the bench, zirconia
This week on Voices From the Bench, we finally sit down with the 2025 CDT of the Year, Mike Wandling! Mike shares his journey from starting as a dental technician in 2001 to becoming an educator, Master CDT, examiner, NBC Board member, lab owner, and now Operations Manager at Summit Horizon Dental Laboratory. We talk certification, education, the future of the CDT program, his “A-Team” partnership with Barb, and what it means to give back to the dental laboratory industry.
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Episode 433: From FDLA 2026: Morris Fucarino, Enja Dorjchuluun, Joseph Núñez Reyes
July 13th, 2026 | 1 hr 20 mins
3D printing, Barb, CAD/CAM, Instagram, Leadership, Orlando, Social Media, analog dentistry, analog techniques, articulators, belt-driven handpieces, biomedical engineering, board service, boutique laboratory, cam, carbon printers, career development, career growth, casting, cdt, ceramics, certification, certified dental technician, collaboration, community, continuing education, continuing growth, craftsmanship, cross-training, customer service, dedication, dental community, dental content creator, dental craftsmanship, dental industry, dental innovation, dental lab, dental laboratory, dental manufacturing, dental materials, dental podcast, dental technician, dental technology, dentistry, dentures, digital content, digital dentistry, digital transformation, digital workflow, e.max, education, efficiency, elvis, enja dorjchuluun, excellence, expansion, experience, fdla, fdla board, fdla symposium, florida, florida dental laboratory association, focus magazine, full gold crowns, future of dentistry, future technicians, general manager, gold restorations, gps digital dental lab, gps digital rpd, handpieces, hands-on education, heygears, high noble alloy, hiring, icpr junior college, implant restorations, implants, impressions, industry veterans, innovation, inspiration, ivoclar pm7, joseph núñez reyes, knowledge, lab day, labfest, laboratory careers, laboratory culture, laboratory growth, laboratory leadership, laboratory life, laboratory management, laboratory operations, legacy, lifelong learning, lithium disilicate, mentorship, milling, milling center, model work, morris fucarino, national board for certification, nbc, nesting, networking, next generation, night guards, one-man lab, operations, organized dentistry, passion, passion for dentistry, patients, perseverance, pfm, pmma, porcelain fused to metal, post-processing, problem solving, professional development, puerto rico, qc, quality, quality control, relationships, roland, roland mills, sakr dental arts, scanning, smiles, soft tissue models, state association, stone models, success., supervisors, team building, teamwork, technician, technician education, technician pride, technician recognition, technician spotlight, technician stories, technician training, technicians, technology, turnaround time, voices from the bench, volunteering, waxing, webinars, workflow, workflow optimization, zirconia, zirconia milling
From the FDLA Symposium, Elvis and Barb sit down with three passionate technicians who represent the past, present, and future of the profession. Morris Fucarino reflects on an incredible 50 years as a CDT and the value of lifelong learning, Enja Dorjchuluun shares how she's helping shape the future of Florida's dental laboratory community through Sakr Dental Arts and the FDLA Board, and Joseph Núñez Reyes discusses his journey from Puerto Rico to GPS Digital Dental Lab and his dream of inspiring the next generation of technicians.
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429: exocad Insights 2026 Part 3: Andreea Bordea, Denisse Ramos, & Daniela Torres
June 15th, 2026 | 1 hr 9 mins
3D printing, CAD/CAM, Creativity, Instagram, Leadership, Social Media, acrylic, additive manufacturing, advanced materials, aesthetic dentistry, all-on-x, analog dentistry, analog skills, andreea bordea, artistic dentistry, bridges, cad designer, career growth, ceramco, ceramics, ceramics technician, ceramist, chairside, chile, clinical workflow, clinician communication, collaboration, composite, continuing education, cosmetic dentistry, crowns, customer service, danny designer, denisse ramos, dental artistry, dental business, dental community, dental culture, dental education, dental entrepreneur, dental events, dental influencer, dental innovation, dental lab, dental laboratory, dental lectures, dental materials, dental podcast, dental scanner, dental tech community, dental technician, dental technology, denture teeth, dentures, design services, design technician, digital dentistry, digital design, digital future, digital lab, digital smile design, digital transformation, digital workflow, e.max, education, education journey, entrepreneurship, esthetics, exocad, exocad hero, exocad hub, exocad insights, exocad training, female technicians, full arch, furnaces, future of dentistry, global dentistry, implants, influencer, innovation, inspiration, international dentistry, ivoclar, kol, lab communication, lab day, lab efficiency, lab life, lab owner, ladies of the mill, layering, mallorca, mallorca 2026, manufacturing, maryland bridge, mentorship, milling, milling center, milling workflows, mod institute, modern dentistry, nadl, networking, new stetic usa, outsourcing, passion, patient care, porcelain, prosthetics, remote design, removables, restorative dentistry, romania, sales, scanning, shade matching, smile design, spain, staining, startup lab, subtractive manufacturing, teamwork, technician life, technology, translucency, treatment planning, veneers, voices from the bench, waxing, women in dentistry, workflow, workflow integration, workflow optimization, workflow solutions, youtube learning, zirconia, zirconia shading
At exocad Insights, Elvis and Barb sit down with Andreea Bordea, Denisse Ramos, and Daniela Torres to talk about digital dentistry, social media, exocad, zirconia, 3D printing, and building careers around the world. From Spain to Florida to Chile, each conversation shows how passion and technology are transforming the dental lab industry.
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423: Kent Kohli is Always in Pursuit of a More Excellent Way
May 4th, 2026 | 1 hr 9 mins
100-hour weeks, CAD/CAM, Communication, Productivity, Social Media, aacd, accreditation, accuracy, all-ceramics, analog to digital, anatomy, anterior aesthetics, artistry, boutique lab, bunsen burner, burnout, career growth, case planning, casting, ceramics, chairside experience, clinical education, coaching, continuing education, contour, craftsmanship, creation porcelain, crown and bridge, crown council, dedication, dental ceramics, dental community, dental conventions, dental lab, dental school, dental technician, dental technology, dentist-technician relationship, digital dentistry, e.max, efficiency, efficiency vs artistry, electric waxer, empress 2, entrepreneurship, european technique, excellence, feldspathic veneers, finishing, full contour, giving back, global dentistry, hands-on training, high-end dentistry, hornbrook group, impressions, in-house lab, incisal edge, indirect bonding, industry giants, industry leaders, innovation, inspiration, ips empress, ivoclar, jensen, key opinion leader, kol, lab business, lab culture, lab day chicago, lab education, lab evolution, lab ownership, lab workflow, lab-to-clinic collaboration, layering, lifelong learning, liquid ceramics, materials science, mentorship, mentorship impact, metal frameworks, micro-layering, microscopes, microstar, milling, models, morphology, networking, next generation, noritake, occlusion, ortho lab, orthodontics, partnerships, passion, perseverance, pfms, plaster, platinum foil, polishing, posterior restorations, precision, pricing strategy, pursuit of excellence, quality over quantity, race to the bottom, refractory technique, servant leadership, shade matching, smile design, startup lab, surface texture, symposiums, teaching, time management, trade school, vita, waxing, work ethic, workflow optimization, youtube learning, zubler
Kent Kohli shares how an unexpected path—from pre-dental student to passionate lab technician—led him to fall in love with ceramics and the artistry of dental technology. Guided by mentors and fueled by relentless self-education, he chose quality and growth over high-volume burnout, shaping a long, rewarding career. Now with Ivoclar, Kent is focused on giving back by helping bring hands-on education and foundational techniques to the next generation of technicians.
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422: Renata Budny, Roberto Rossi, & Eugene Vega: The Never Ending Education in a Dental Lab
April 27th, 2026 | 1 hr 3 mins
3D printing, CAD/CAM, Communication, Leadership, Productivity, aesthetics, analog dentistry, anatomy, artistry, asiga, bench work, boutique lab, career development, career growth, career pathways, case acceptance, case planning, ceramics, city tech, collaboration, continuing education, cosmetic dentistry, craftsmanship, crown and bridge, custom shade, dental, dental education, dental industry, dental lab life, dental materials, dental milling, dental printers, dental school, dental students, dental technician, dental technology, dentist relationships, dentures, diagnostic wax-up, digital dentistry, digital impressions, digital transition, digital workflow, efficiency, emax, employee culture, entrepreneurship, exocad, experience vs education, finishing, fixed prosthetics, full arch, future of dentistry, graduation, hands-on training, high-end lab, hiring, implant restorations, implants, impressions, industry challenges, innovation, lab efficiency, lab environment, lab growth, lab management, lab owner, lab perks, lab startup, lab to doctor, lab workflow, laboratory, layering, mentorship, mentorship in dentistry, milling, model work, morphology, motivation, new york city college of technology, occlusion, patient experience, polishing, porcelain, problem solving, production lab, prosthodontics, qc, quality control, removable, scaling a lab, scanning, shade matching, small business, smile design, synergy, team culture, teamwork, technician, technician retention, technician shortage, technology adoption, time management, training, troubleshooting, voices from the bench, wax-up, work ethic, work-life balance, workflow management, zirconia
Elvis reunites with Renata Bundy alongside lab owner Roberto Rossi and technician Eugene Vega for a conversation that connects education to real-world lab life. They share how technicians often start with little experience, face early challenges, and need the right mentorship and environment to grow. Roberto highlights building a quality-driven lab while navigating digital workflows, and Renata reflects on preparing students for those realities.
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421: Katherine Steinbock-Dyke: From Girl Scout Cookies to CEO of Whip Mix
April 20th, 2026 | 1 hr 3 mins
3D printing, Europe, Leadership, Podcasts, Storytelling, analog dentistry, analog vs digital, articulators, asiga, australia, bench culture, bench work, business evolution, cad cam, career growth, ceo, collaboration, continuous improvement, corporate culture, customer relationships, dealer network, dental, dental community, dental education, dental equipment, dental industry, dental lab, dental labs, dental manufacturing, dental materials, dental resins, dental schools, dental technician, dental technicians, dental technology, digital dentistry, employee benefits, entrepreneurship, family business, furnaces, future of dentistry, global markets, gypsum, heritage, hr, human resources, hybrid workflow, ids, industry insights, industry trends, innovation, innovation strategy, international business, katherine steinbock-dyke, lab day, lab life, lab owners, lab workflow, laboratory, large labs, latin america, legacy, management, materials science, mentorship, mixers, model trimmers, networking, next generation, operations, partnerships, polymers, product development, production, relevance, small business, succession planning, team building, technician, technicians life, trade shows, voices from the bench, whip mix, win program, workflow efficiency
This week we chat with Katherine Steinbock-Dyke of Whip Mix about growing up in a family-run dental company and unexpectedly working her way to CEO. She shares her path from HR and corporate roles into operations, product development, and ultimately leadership—highlighting the balance between tradition and innovation in today’s evolving lab landscape. The episode mixes stories of continuous improvement, digital transitions, and industry travel, all wrapped in the perspective of someone focused on keeping a legacy company relevant for the future.