Vision Boarding with Visionaries at THRIVELIVE

After a few full days of energy and ideas at ThriveLive, Henry Schein One’s Ali Hyatt, Chief Growth and Customer Officer, and Barbi Elmore, Senior Director, Product Management RCM, hosted Vision Boarding with Visionaries: Women in Dentistry Breakfast, providing a chance for attendees to slow down, reflect, and reconnect.

As part of this breakfast, Ali, Barbi, and Erin Haley-Hitz, President, American Dental Hygienists’ Association, explored career pivots, personal growth, and leading with intention. Following that, attendees worked together in small groups to create vision boards that blended personal wellness with professional ambition. Below, we’re sharing highlights of Ali, Barbi, and Erin’s discussion.

Barbi Elmore:
What advice do you have for women in dentistry seeking that balance? And maybe the better question is, is there a balance?

Erin Haley-Hitz:
There is a balance, but you have the power to create it. And for me, that's very strange. I compartmentalize my life. It sounds like I live by a calendar, but I do. Understanding where you can compartmentalize your life can be helpful... My secret is to stay firm. This is my time, and I'm shutting the rest of the world out. 

Barbi Elmore:
I love that. That's great advice. I don't know what it is about us as women, where we just do not put ourselves first. It's like everything else, everybody else comes first, and then we get to the things that we need to do, but it's okay. You have permission to put yourself first and take care of yourself. Ali?

Ali Hyatt:
Yeah, I would say I'm probably not the best at this, and actually I really liked your advice, Erin, in thinking about it, but there's no secrets in my sense. I don't think there's any such thing as balance. I see it as a spectrum. There are times in your life, in certain days and weeks, that you're going to just ladder up on certain things.

I think there are just seasons and times where you have to focus more on certain things versus others. Having a seven and 10-year-old, where there's tons and tons of activities and stuff, I try to be really good... and build in time for myself.

I also just try not to be too hard on myself, knowing that there are times where it's like, "Hey, I've been traveling so much that I don't really know what day it is." I think just giving yourself that grace is important, but no one's perfect at it.