What does it take to build meaningful influence, lead high-performing teams, and create a career that does not come at the expense of fulfillment?
In this episode of The Dental Economist Show, host Mike Huffaker speaks with Julieanne O’Connor and Michael Keeter, co-founders of Influential Dental and the team behind Influence Elevée magazine, about mindset, leadership, culture, and the human side of success in dentistry.
Julieanne and Michael share the origin story behind their partnership and the mission that guides their work: elevating the people who elevate others. They discuss the common traits they see in high-achieving dental leaders, including authenticity, strong systems, curiosity, and a willingness to embrace change rather than fear it.
The conversation explores how leaders can sustain high performance without burning out, why achievement alone rarely creates lasting fulfillment, and the importance of focusing on the present instead of constantly chasing the next milestone. Julieanne also shares her approach to public speaking, while Michael explains why culture must be defined, lived, and connected to a purpose larger than numbers.
They also discuss the launch of Influence Elevée magazine, their commitment to spotlighting the people behind dentistry, and their new initiative, Influence for Kids, which supports foster youth through awareness, experiences, and opportunity.
Episode chapters
00:00 Introducing Influential Dental and Influence Elevée
04:54 The origin story behind Julieanne and Michael’s partnership
07:15 Elevating others and uncaging potential
08:16 The common traits of high-achieving dental leaders
14:22 Embracing change, AI, and sustainable high performance
21:01 Why the present moment matters more than the next achievement
27:44 Public speaking without the pressure to perform
31:43 Building a culture that people want to be part of
43:19 Why they launched a lifestyle and mindset magazine for dentistry
54:19 Influence for Kids and creating opportunity for foster youth
Connect with the team:
👉Michael Keeter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkeeter66/
You can also listen to our podcast here:
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