Podcasts about intent

SUMMARY In this conversation, Matt Sheridan shares his journey through martial arts, starting from his childhood influences like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Shaolin monks, to his experiences in Taekwondo and Karate. He discusses the challenges he faced, including financial constraints and personal struggles, as well as his commitment to maintaining integrity and high standards in martial arts training. The conversation also touches on the importance of myth-busting within the martial arts community and the evolution of his training philosophy over the years.   He also shares his experiences and insights regarding the politics of martial arts ranks, the myths surrounding belt systems, and the cultural nuances of titles. He discusses the evolution of martial arts uniforms, the impact of cognitive dissonance within the community, and the importance of motivation in training. Matt emphasizes the need for integrity and personal connection in martial arts, while also advocating for a reimagined rank system that prioritizes personal growth over titles. Matt and Jeremy Lesniak also delve into the complexities of rank and titles in martial arts, discussing the impact of ego, the importance of accountability, and the need for continuous training and learning. They explore innovative approaches to martial arts belts and emphasize the significance of intent and humility in practices. The dialogue culminates in a call for high standards and good choices within the martial arts community, highlighting the balance between training and discussion.   TAKEAWAYS Matt's early influences in martial arts were shaped by pop culture. He emphasizes the importance of integrity in martial arts training. Matt believes in maintaining high standards for rank and training. He has a strong interest in the history and lineage of martial arts. He actively engages in myth-busting within the martial arts community. Matt's journey reflects a deep passion for martial arts and personal growth. The black belt was introduced before the white belt. Cognitive dissonance leads to backlash in the martial arts community. Titles and ranks can negatively impact identity and respect. Motivation should come from personal connection, not just belts. The original belt system was much simpler than today's. Cultural nuances in titles are often misunderstood in the West. The rank system in karate maxed out at fifth dan before 1945. Ego in martial arts can be mitigated by removing unnecessary ranks and titles. Training should be prioritized over rank and titles. Instructors must continue their own training to effectively teach students. Discussion outside the dojo is essential for cultural growth in martial arts. Intent behind actions in martial arts practices is vital for humility. The best martial artists are those who remain students at heart. High standards and good choices should guide the martial arts community.   This episode is sponsored by Kataaro. Please check out their site at Kataaro Custom Martial Arts Products for your holiday gift giving needs. Be sure to check out their Martial Arts Belt Pagoda Display! And use the code WK10 to save 10% off your first order. And be sure to ask them about a wholesale account for school owners!   Join our EXCLUSIVE newsletter to get notified of each episode as it comes out! Subscribe — whistlekick Martial Arts Radio

Recorded 2025-12-29 21:16:16

Recorded 2025-12-28 23:00:38

We're expanding out from an AI blog into the real world. Also had some issues with the audio this episode so I'm working from the backup copy (that was super loud for some reason). In Episode #507 of 'Meanderings', Juan & I discuss: the shift from attention to intention in the AI era, what truly agentic AI might look like versus glorified chatbots and automated workflows, where the tech is actually useful right now, whether the real breakthroughs will come from bolt-ons to existing platforms or from new rails built natively for agents, testing jailbreak games, microtransactions and betting on an AI Monopoly, job market dislocations, new forms of basic services and the rise of agent-first marketplaces.Huge thanks to Petar for the baller boost this week, the beanie is back!Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortalsTimeline:(00:00:00) Intro(00:01:20) Agentic AI: what it is and what it is not(00:06:08) Hands-on agents: calls, purchases and speed trade-offs(00:10:54) Agents vs automated workflows: real differences(00:15:06) Trust, bugs and the need for human verification(00:20:04) The Intent Economy article: key takeaways(00:27:59) Legacy rails vs new rails: why 2026 may surprise(00:31:05) Slow to sudden shifts: adopting AI-first systems(00:34:16) Content for AIs, not humans: a paradigm shift(00:39:11) Bootstragram Lounge(00:43:06) Daily use-cases: new profiles, payments and x402(00:49:20) Model guardrails vs open models: practical lessons(00:53:17) Spinning up a podcast agent: limitations revealed(00:57:47) Intent drift: when your goals change mid-stream(1:00:12) Human relationships, agents and future norms(01:06:36) Free money? x402 Monopoly and betting agents(01:12:32) When rules break: brittleness of current agents(01:15:00) Keeping up: daily AI briefs and real-world inertia(01:19:59) Wrap-up Connect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspodsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcastsValue 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

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Nicolas Genest, CEO and Founder of CodeBoxx, a technology company that trains people to build practical, human-centered AI and software solutions joins Enterprise Radio.… Read more The post The missing link in AI progress: Intent, not Innovation appeared first on Top Entrepreneurs Podcast | Enterprise Podcast Network.

Welcome back, to The Dark Paranormal.In our penultimate episode of Season 22 of The Dark Paranormal, a lifetime of unsettling experiences is revisited through the eyes of an adult who believed the darkness of childhood had finally been left behind. Their seemingly ordinary family home slowly reveals a pattern of disturbing encounters witnessed not just by one person, but across an entire household — shadows, presences, and moments that defy easy explanation. Years later, after marriage, education, and stability, that same sense of something watchful begins to resurface, raising an unsettling question: can certain experiences ever truly be escaped, or do they linger, waiting for the right moment to return? Stay safe,Kevin.We're giving a full weeks trial of our Patreon away! Just head over on the link below and away you go!www.patreon.com/thedarkparanormalIf it's not for you? Simply cancel before your trial expires, meanwhile enjoy FULL access to our highest tier, and thank you for being the best listeners by miles.By making the choice of joining our Patreon team now, not only gives you early Ad-Free access to all our episodes, including video releases of Dark Realms, it can also give you access to the Patreon only podcast, Dark Bites. Dark Bites releases each and every week, even on the down time between seasons. There are already well over 160+ hours of unheard true paranormal experiences for you to binge at your leisure. Simply head over to:www.patreon.com/thedarkparanormalTo send us YOUR experience, please either click on the below link:The Dark Paranormal - We Need Your True Ghost StoryOr head to our website: www.thedarkparanormal.comYou can also follow us on the below Social Media links:www.twitter.com/darkparanormalxwww.facebook.com/thedarkparanormalwww.youtube.com/thedarkparanormalwww.instagram.com/thedarkparanormalOur Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code DARKPARANORMAL for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com* Check out Mood and use my code DARKPARANORMAL for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

12-25-25 Christmas Service "Good Tidings of Great Joy"Scripture Reading : Luke 2:1-20Sermon Text: Luke 2:10-12I. The Content of the Good Tidings A. The Gift of a Savior B. The Identity of the SaviorII. The Extent of the Good Tidings A. The Declaration of the Extent B. The Demonstration of the ExtentIII. The Intent of the Good Tidings A. To Make Known the Provision of a Savior B. To Guide Men to Discovery of the SaviorRev. Greg Lubbers

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Minnesota's largest school district is staring down a walkout in the new year. The Anoka-Hennepin teacher union says it has filed an intent to strike. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Department of Education is asking Minnesotans for public feedback on its new K-12 health education standards — which go into effect in 2028. Advocates say the currently drafted standards introduce much-needed education on abuse prevention as a part of broader sex education curricula and they do a better job in helping students understand consent, puberty and pregnancy.A Hennepin County judge has sentenced a Minneapolis man to life in prison with no possibility of release for planning the murder of a real estate agent.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we discuss the top food safety stories of 2025 and their implications. We cover: The Trump Administration's impact on federal agencies overseeing food safety [7:52]: FDA, CDC Ordered to Temporarily Pause All External Communications, Obtain Trump Admin Approval RFK Jr. Confirmed as HHS Secretary; Widespread Firings Coming to FDA, CDC USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong Dismissed by Trump Administration Brooke Rollins Confirmed as Secretary of Agriculture, Cites 'Aggressive Plan' to Eliminate USDA Jobs FDA Leader Jim Jones Resigns After 89 'Indiscriminate' Firings in Human Foods Program Attorney Kyle Diamantas Expected to Replace Jim Jones as FDA Deputy Commissioner of Human Foods FDA Spending Freeze Leaves Staffers Feeling 'Dangerously Unprepared' for Next Foodborne Illness Outbreak Federal Workforce Data Reveal Impact of Trump Admin RIFs on USDA Food Safety Expertise More Than 15,000 USDA Employees Take Trump Administration's Resignation Offer  FDA Suspends Milk Quality Testing Amid Health and Human Services Cuts Entire Departments of CDC Outbreak Experts Fired, Rehired During Shutdown RIFs FDA Reportedly Reinstating Some Fired Food Safety Scientists, Inspection Support Staff Government Shutdown Affects Food Safety: HHS Furloughs Employees, FDA Pauses CORE Investigation Table Ep. 196. Dr. Lane Highbarger: How the FDA Workforce Cuts May Impact Food Safety Dozens of Prominent Food Safety Stakeholders Call for Reinstatement of NACMCF and NACMPI USDA Withdraws Proposed Regulatory Framework for Salmonella in Poultry After Years of Development USDA Indefinitely Delays Enforcement of Salmonella as Adulterant in Raw Breaded, Stuffed Chicken  CDC Slashes FoodNet Surveillance From Eight Foodborne Pathogens to Two Public Health Professionals, Groups Demand Resignation of HHS Secretary RFK Jr.  Trump-Appointed CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez Fired After Clashes With Secretary Kennedy RFK Jr.'s Second in Command Named CDC Acting Director Following Sudden Firing Federal Layoffs to Hit HHS Amid Government Shutdown, May Affect Food Safety Staffers FDA Delays FSMA 204 Traceability Rule Compliance Date by 30 Months States and the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement declare war on "toxic" food chemicals and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) [27:52]: FDA Announces Plan to Phase Out Synthetic, Petroleum-Based Food Dyes From U.S. Food Supply Bonus Episode: Diamantas and Choiniere: FDA Focuses on Produce Safety, MAHA, Culture, and More MAHA Report Sets Stage for Overhaul of Food Chemicals, Environmental Contaminants, and Childhood Nutrition What the Final MAHA Report Could Mean for Food Safety FDA Announces 'Proactive' Post-Market Chemical Review Program to Keep Food Supply Safe FDA Adds Six Artificial Food Dyes to List of Chemicals Under Post-Market Review FDA to Issue Proposed Rule Tightening GRAS Oversight FDA's Developing Rule to Tighten GRAS Oversight Moves to White House FDA, USDA Issue Joint RFI to Address the Risks of Ultra-Processed Foods  California Enacts Law Defining Ultra-Processed Foods, Will Ban UPFs in Schools  Food Industry Stakeholders Share Input on FDA, USDA's Intent to Define UPFs MAHA Pushback Kills 'Big Food'-Aligned Legislative Effort to Stop State Food Laws Industry Giants Support New Coalition Aimed at Stopping MAHA-Aligned State Food Additive Bans More Than 80 Groups Urge Congress Not to Block State Food Additives Bans Ep. 187. Rainer and Coneski: Evolving Legislation Around Food Packaging Chemicals and Additives—Implications for Industry Ep. 199. George Misko: The Future of Food Regulation Under MAHA Ep. 162. Brian Sylvester: How the California Food Safety Act is Shaping U.S. Food Additives Regulation Ep. 207. Brian Sylvester: Preparing for 'MAHA'-Driven Policy Changes on Food Dyes, UPFs, GRAS FDA's focus on infant formula safety and the infant botulism outbreak linked to ByHeart formula [57:44]: FDA Publishes Long-Term Strategy to Increase Resiliency of U.S. Infant Formula Market FDA Launches 'Operation Stork Speed' to Improve Infant Formula Safety, Including Contaminant Testing Infants Nationwide Hospitalized With Botulism After Consuming ByHeart Formula ByHeart Outbreak Grows: 31 Infants in 15 States Hospitalized for Botulism From Tainted Formula Infant Botulism Spike Exceeds 100 Cases, Extent of ByHeart's Involvement Unclear A History of Food Safety Failures at ByHeart, the Formula Company Behind Infant Botulism Outbreak  ByHeart Finds Widespread Contamination in Infant Formula as Botulism Outbreak Grows; FDA Publishes Inspection Reports Coalition Urges RFK Jr. to Fix Infant Formula Oversight Problems that Allowed Infant Botulism Outbreak FDA Urges Industry to Improve Recall Efficiency After Delay in Removing ByHeart Formula from Stores Emerging science on Listeria monocytogenes and biofilms [1:08:26]: Study Shows Water Hoses as Reservoirs for Biofilms in Food Processing Facilities Study Demonstrates Listeria's Ability to Colonize, Survive in Preexisting Multispecies Biofilms First-of-its-Kind Study Shows How Listeria Strains Evolve Into Strong Biofilm Formers Study Explores Sanitizer Limitations Against Listeria Biofilms in Leafy Greens Production Listeria From Multispecies Biofilms More Prone to Growth in RTE Foods, Study Shows Study Shows Combining Antimicrobial Blue Light and Chemical Sanitizers Can Enhance Listeria Inactivation FAO/WHO Developing Risk Assessment Models for Listeria in Four Food Commodity Groups The ongoing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 (HPAI H5N1) outbreak in U.S. dairy cattle and poultry flocks and continued monitoring to ensure food safety [1:14:09]: California Declares State of Emergency Over HPAI H5N1 Outbreak in Dairy Cows  USDA Begins Five-Part National Milk Testing Strategy for HPAI H5N1  USDA Extends H5N1 Testing in Dairy Cattle; EU Releases Guidance on Avian Flu Prevention CDC: Avoid Consuming Raw Milk, as Risk of Bird Flu Infection is Low but Possible FDA-Backed Study Shows Aging Raw Milk Cheese Does Not Inactivate Avian Flu, but Low pH Helps Study Shows Avian Flu Does Not Pose Food Safety Risk in Various Pasteurized Dairy Products  USDA to Invest in Farm Biosecurity, Chicken Vaccinations to Combat Avian Influenza Study Shows Acidification is Inexpensive, Easy Way to Inactivate Bird Flu in Raw Waste Milk FDA Now Requires Raw Pet Food Manufacturers to Consider HPAI in Food Safety Plans  House Cat Dies After Eating Raw Pet Food Contaminated With HPAI H5N1 FDA-Backed Study Shows Aging Raw Milk Cheese Does Not Inactivate Avian Flu, but Low pH Helps H5N1 and the Growing Risk to Food Safety—Why Raw Milk Requires Special Attention FDA Begins Testing Assignment for HPAI H5N1 in Aged Raw Cow Milk Cheese  FAO Encourages All Countries to Monitor for HPAI H5N1 Spread to Cattle  Dutch Field Studies Show Promise for Two Experimental Avian Flu H5N1 Vaccines  Federal Workforce Data Reveal Impact of Trump Admin RIFs on USDA Food Safety Expertise Growing artificial intelligence (AI) applications for food safety [1:17:57]: FAO Report Highlights Needs for Responsible AI Adoption in Food Safety Fields FDA Announces Completion of First AI-Assisted Scientific Review Pilot and Agency-Wide AI Rollout Timeline Using AI, Researchers Offer Promising Real-Time Mycotoxin Detection Method for Foods Big Data, AI, and the Coming Philosophical Challenges with Food Safety Welcome to the Machine: AI and Potential Implications for the Food Industry Ep. 193. Christian Ararat: A Global Perspective on Auditing, Certifications, AI, and Beyond  Ep. 205. Black and Gabor: Digital Transformation and Emerging International Standards for Food Safety We Want to Hear from You! Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com

The 'age of intent' is a phrase that's been around for a number of years. However, with the rise of AI agents in 2025 it has the potential to become a key trend for 2026. It describes a new way of thinking about digital interaction in which the gap between human intention and output are reduced even further through AI assistance. Thoughtworks' APAC CTO Sarah Taraporewalla has been exploring the age of intent in recent months; she's written a series of blog posts that tackle what this new phase of digital interaction means for businesses and how they can prepare themselves. On the latest episode of the Technology Podcast, Sarah joins host Lilly Ryan to discuss the concept the age of intent and its implications for the future of digital experiences.  Read Sara Taraporewalla's series on the age of intent: The interface is dead. Time for the age of intent: https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/blog/generative-ai/the-interface-is-dead-time-for-the-age-of-intent From prototype to transformation: https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/blog/generative-ai/the-age-of-intent-from-prototype-to-transformation What it takes to become an intent-ready organization: https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/blog/generative-ai/the-age-of-intent-from-prototype-to-transformation Rethinking value in the AI economy: https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/blog/generative-ai/the-age-of-intent-rethinking-value-in-AI-economy        

Recorded 2025-12-22 14:56:04

Recorded 2025-12-22 05:26:29

Send us a textIf love feels slippery or one-sided, this conversation brings it down to earth. We sit with Chris and Kathy Daly, they learned in their marriage to trade performance, guilt, and quiet resentment for something sturdier: a Christ-shaped love that chooses, forgives, and serves even when the feelings lag. Their story doesn't hide the hard parts—blended family tensions, baggage from previous marriages, and the temptation to keep a perfect mask—but it shows how faith and community can turn pain into purpose.We walk through the moment their guard dropped at church and what changed when they realized love isn't a mood but a decision. Kathy shares how freedom from shame unlocked the capacity to give and receive affection again. Chris frames marriage with the “triangle” model: as each spouse looks to Jesus, they naturally draw closer to each other. Together, they unpack the difference between selfish and selfless love, why pride blocks repair, and how practical encouragement fills your partner's “bucket” so there's actually something in reserve when conflict hits.Forgiveness is the hinge in their approach. You'll hear a simple but unforgettable exercise that makes bitterness feel as heavy as it is, and a freeing reminder to trust God's justice rather than play judge. We also get into communication that actually works—naming expectations, speaking love languages, and asking questions like “How do you know I love you?” These aren't big gestures; they're daily investments that keep you off the “crazy cycle” and build a resilient, affectionate bond.We also introduce Re:Engage, our 14-week marriage pathway at Lifehouse Church. Each spouse completes a weekly chapter on their own, then talks through it together before group, creating space for deep conversations that busy couples often skip. The result: shared vocabulary, honest testimony, and a safe community where isolation loses its grip. Whether you feel steady or stuck, there's room to grow—and real people ready to walk with you.If this resonated, subscribe, share it with a couple who needs hope, and leave a review so more listeners can find these conversations. Then tell us: what one loving action will you choose today?New episodes every Mondaywww.lifehousemot.cominfo@lifehousede.com Join us Sundays at 9 & 11 AM Intro music by Joey Blair

In this episode of the GrowDental podcast, Luke dives into the r/Dentistry subreddit to answer real questions from practice owners struggling with marketing and growth. What emerged from those conversations is a framework that challenges everything most dentists believe about their biggest constraint. Get your copy of the Practice Paradox and the Personality Assessment: https://ion.agency/practice-paradox-book A dentist buys a South Florida practice. Previous spend: $5,000 monthly on ads. New plan: hire a strategist, reorganize, cut costs. Result: phones go silent, patient flow crashes. The owner’s instinct? Panic. The real question: Was $5k the problem? Here’s what actually happened. Spend less, get less. That part is simple math. The complicated part lives downstream. What happens after someone calls or fills out a form? Because in most practices, the enemy isn’t your marketing budget. It’s operational leakage. Missed calls. Weak follow-up. Zero visibility into what your website produces. If that’s your reality, more ad spend won’t solve growth. It will scale your waste. This framework is for owners who want to grow the right way. Plug the leaks first. Scale what works second. The Trap — Treating Marketing Like the Problem When It’s Just the Amplifier Most budget arguments skip the only question that matters. Are you stewarding the opportunities you already pay for? Marketing is not magic. Marketing is volume. Turn it up and you get more attention, more inquiries, more exposure of whatever’s broken underneath. In the South Florida case, the most predictable outcome occurred. They cut spend and lead flow dropped. That doesn’t prove the original budget was right or efficient. It proves it was producing volume. But the real insight is this: ad spend is relative. Consider the context. Where exactly are you? Miami versus a suburban market are different games. How competitive is your local area? How big is the practice now, and how fast do you want to grow? A flat number like $5,000 monthly means nothing without those answers. In some markets it’s average. In others it’s conservative. In others it’s reckless. But even if your spend level fits your market, your biggest constraint may still be operational, not marketing. Free Growth Session The Silent ROI Killer — Missed Calls and Abandoned Calls Want one metric that exposes the truth fast? How many calls are you missing right now? Not what your team thinks. Not what feels right. The hard number. Here’s the reality most owners avoid. The average abandoned call rate sits between 20 percent and 40 percent of calls going unanswered. Pause on that. If you miss one out of four calls, you don’t have a lead generation problem. You have a conversion capture problem. And if a meaningful chunk of those missed calls are new patients, you’re bleeding revenue daily without knowing it. Why This Matters More Than Your Ad Budget The compounding effect looks like this. Your missed call rate is 25 percent today. You crank marketing spend up. You push your team beyond capacity and that missed call rate climbs to 40 percent or higher. So you spend more. You get more inquiries. You lose more opportunities because your systems can’t absorb the volume. This is how practices convince themselves marketing doesn’t work, when the truth is they never fixed the bucket. Where to Find the Truth (Not Opinions) Most practices already have the data. Owners just don’t look. You likely use a VoIP system. Those platforms show call stats, including abandoned call rate and missed calls. The next step isn’t just the percentage. It’s segmentation. What percentage of missed calls are new patient calls? That one metric tells you whether your next dollar goes to ads or operations. The Other Black Hole — “How Many New Patients Did Your Website Bring You?” One strategist asks a question almost nobody can answer. “In 2025, how many new patients did your website bring you?” Common response: silence. This isn’t a minor gap. It’s a fundamental business blind spot. If you can’t measure what the website produces, you can’t evaluate whether your site does its job, whether your online scheduling gets used, whether your forms get answered, or whether you’re losing patients quietly while telling yourself the website is decent. The Website Isn’t Just Branding Sure, a website informs people. But in the context of practice growth, it has a job. Turn interest into action. If you don’t know whether it’s doing that, you’re operating on vibes. The Practical Audit Most Practices Never Do If your lead flow feels low, take a hard look at where you’re bleeding. Start with two questions. What are the form submissions and appointment requests like? Where are those requests being routed, and who owns follow-up? Because “we don’t get website leads” is sometimes code for something else. Requests go into an inbox nobody monitors. Notifications go to the wrong person. Patients get a slow response and ghost. The follow-up experience feels cold and transactional. In other words, the website might be working. Your process might not. Free Growth Session Google vs. Meta Isn’t a Preference Debate. It’s an Intent and Workflow Debate. A lot of dentists talk about Google versus Facebook like it’s personal preference. It’s not. It’s about patient intent and what your practice can handle. Here’s the breakdown. Google is more bottom-of-funnel because you capture existing search intent. People actively looking. But it’s also more competitive, and demand is limited by how many people search in your area. Meta (Facebook and Instagram) is more top-of-funnel. You reach people who could become patients, but you often need workflows and automations to warm them up and convert them. Here’s the operational reality most practices miss. If your follow-up is weak, top-of-funnel leads die. If your phones aren’t answered consistently, bottom-of-funnel leads die too. The platform won’t save you from poor stewardship. This is why fixing leaks first is so powerful. It makes every channel work better. The “Plug the Leaks” Growth Framework — What to Fix Before You Spend More If your schedule isn’t where you want it, your instinct may be to throw money at marketing. Sometimes that’s right, but only after you validate the fundamentals. Here’s a practical sequence. Step One — Pull Your Phone Data Today Log into your VoIP system. Find your abandoned call rate and missed calls. Identify what percentage of missed calls are likely new patients. If you’re missing a big chunk of calls, that’s not a marketing problem. That’s an operations problem that marketing will only magnify. Step Two — Review the Follow-Up Experience (Not the Theory) A simple but revealing approach: listen to phone calls and evaluate customer service like a real consumer would. If you want to remove self-deception, do what one doctor did. Call your own practice pretending to be a patient to screen the phone experience. This isn’t about being sneaky. It’s about being honest. Owners often assume the experience is good because the team is nice. But nice doesn’t always mean confident, efficient, or conversion-minded. Step Three — Audit Your Website Conversion Path End-to-End Don’t argue about whether the site looks good. Ask how many appointment requests come in. Are submissions truly zero, or just disappearing? Who is responsible for responding, and how fast? If you discover leads are coming in but not getting handled well, the fix might be far cheaper than increasing ad spend. Step Four — Only After the Leaks Are Plugged, Decide Whether to Scale Spend At that point, scaling marketing becomes rational because you’re scaling a machine that can actually capture demand. A practical benchmark: marketing spend often falls around 5 percent to 12 percent of collections. Don’t treat that as a rule. Treat it as a reality check and tie your decision back to your market competitiveness, your growth goals, and your operational readiness to handle more volume. One more sharp point: if you truly want to grow aggressively, you may need to think in terms of the percentage of where you want to be, not just where you are. That can work, but only if you’ve already fixed the conversion bottlenecks. Free Growth Session When the Answer Really Is “Spend More” (And How to Do It Without Getting Burned) Sometimes, after you do the audits above, you’ll confirm something important. Call volume is genuinely low. Website requests are genuinely low. You’re not leaking opportunities. You simply don’t have enough opportunities. In that case, the advice is direct. You just need to spend more. But even then, don’t blindly hire anyone who sells ads. Use a vetting process that protects you from expensive mistakes. Find a reputable marketing company with case studies and testimonials from doctors you’d actually want to emulate. Ask to speak with three to five of those doctors. Do real research, then make an educated decision. That last part matters. Dentists often buy marketing like they buy equipment, based on features. But marketing is closer to hiring. You’re paying for execution quality, strategy alignment, and consistency. The Bottom Line — Marketing Isn’t Your Growth Strategy. Stewardship Is. If you remember one thing from this entire framework, make it this. Marketing doesn’t fix a leaky practice. Marketing exposes it. If your phones go unanswered, if your follow-up is inconsistent, if you don’t know what your website produces, then scaling marketing is like pouring water into a bucket with holes. You’ll feel busy, spend more, and still wonder why the finances don’t add up. But if you plug those holes, if you maximize stewardship, then marketing becomes what it’s supposed to be. A predictable lever you can pull to grow. The owner in the South Florida story didn’t discover that marketing is bad. They discovered something more useful: their spend was driving demand, and the moment they removed it, demand dropped. The correct response isn’t to argue about whether $5k is too much. The correct response is to build a system that can reliably convert whatever demand you create, then scale with confidence. Free Growth Session The post Your Dental Practice Is Bleeding Patients (And Marketing Isn’t the Problem) appeared first on HIP Creative.

t's that time of the year

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Welcome back to this holiday conversation with ‘Essentialism' author Greg McKeown (see his very impressive resume below). As you set your goals and intentions for 2026, Greg's insights will be a great way to think through WHAT REALLY MATTERS to you. To demonstrate how challenging this seemingly obvious exercise can be, I asked Greg how to help me focus my sincere but varied slate of professional ambitions. It gets a little uncomfortable, but that's the point! And if you get one thing out of this episode, I hope it's the 7 words Greg shares that will help you be a better spouse, parent, friend and co-worker. Thank you to my friend, the painter and 1985 high school soccer phenom, Brendan O'Connell for bringing Greg's work to my attention. Please rate and review ⁠Reasonably Happy⁠ (Seriously, DO IT!)  Subscribe to Paul's ⁠Substack newsletter⁠      Start your Essentialism journey ⁠here⁠    Okay, here's Greg's BIO: Greg McKeown has written two New York Times bestsellers: “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less,” which Goodreads users voted “The #1 Leadership and Success Book to Read in a Lifetime,” and “Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most.” Together, they have been published in 37 languages. Greg is a highly sought-after public speakers globally and has spoken to over 500 companies while traveling to more than 40 countries. His clients include Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Nike. (Perhaps you've heard of these companies. Hmm?)  Greg hosts the cleverly named "The Greg McKeown Podcast,” which is ranked in the Top 5 of all self-improvement podcasts, and has hosted luminaries like Arthur Brooks, Matthew McConaughey, and Maria Shriver. His work has been covered in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Time, Fast Company, and Harvard Business Review…among others.