Are You Coping - or Actually Thriving?
A Message From Dr Rana
June is the month I tend to pause and ask a question I think every dental professional deserves to ask themselves: not “how am I doing?” but “how am I actually doing?”
There is a version of fine that is not fine. There is a version of coping that looks, from the outside, exactly like thriving. The same clinical standards. The same professionalism. The same steady presence in the surgery. But internally, something is running on reserve. Something is paying the price.
This month, my interview was published in BDJ In Practice - and the central theme was this: that sustained high performance is achievable, but only when we move from a model of coping to one of optimisation. That shift is not philosophical. It is practical. It is learnable. And it is what most dental professionals have never been formally taught.
May was full in the most rewarding way. The Birmingham NAIL-IT Experience was extraordinary - I watched a room full of dental professionals move from stuck to clear in the course of a single day. The Dental Showcase was a privilege - hosting the Dental Mums wellbeing brunch with Bupa, introducing attendees to a way of measuring internal stress that most of them had never encountered before. Two powerful conversations were published on the podcast. My latest book was featured in Top Santé Magazine. I spoke to Manrina Rhode’s mentoring group about performance and energy management. And behind the scenes, the team alignment work I have been doing with practices is producing results that genuinely move me.
I share all of this not to fill a page, but because every one of these moments reflects the same mission: that dental professionals deserve more than survival strategies. They deserve a system. They deserve to feel well and perform brilliantly - at the same time.
That is what NAIL-IT is built for. And this community is the proof that it works.
Let’s make June count.
With warmth and belief in you,
Dr Rana Al-Falaki
Founder, NAIL-IT Leadership , NAIL-IT in Dentistry | Author, NAIL-IT Leadership & Women Who Want More
May in Review
Published in BDJ In Practice - Sustained High Performance is Achievable
The interview is out and it lands on a topic that sits at the very heart of why NAIL-IT exists.
BDJ In Practice asked me what optimal performance looks like for oral health practitioners in 2026. My answer: it is not about doing more or pushing harder. That mindset is precisely what has driven so many practitioners to exhaustion and out of the profession entirely. Optimal performance means sustaining clinical excellence, clear decision-making and genuine patient presence - without carrying the cost of it home.
We also explored why the language of resilience is quietly keeping people stuck. Telling someone to be more resilient sends a hidden message: your environment is difficult, so you need to get better at enduring it. That is not a strategy. It is a holding pattern. The conversation in dentistry must shift from survival to performance - from “how do I get through the day?” to “how do I lead in a way that makes this sustainable?”
I am proud of this feature. It represents the kind of conversation dentistry needs to be having at a professional level. You can read it here
Top Santé Magazine - Congratulations to Our Winners
Ten readers received a signed copy of both my books - Women Who Want More: How To Create a Balanced & Fulfilled Life and NAIL-IT Leadership: Your Blueprint to Optimal Performance. It is always meaningful to see these books reaching people beyond dentistry, a reminder that the principles of optimal performance are not profession-specific. They are human.
The Leeway Podcast - Stop Doing Everything: How Top Leaders NAIL-IT
I joined Eugene Lee for a wide-ranging conversation on identity, choice and personal growth. We explored what it means to understand your true self beyond the labels that society, your career and your circumstances assign to you. We went deep into the IMERSE framework for energy management, and into the relationship between self-honesty and optimal performance.
If you have ever felt as though life is happening to you rather than being shaped by you, this conversation is worth your time. You can listen to it here
Speaking to Manrina Rhode’s Mentoring Group
It was a privilege to speak to this group of ambitious dental professionals about performance, alignment and energy management. The questions were sharp, the honesty in the room was palpable, and the appetite for a better way was clear. Exactly the kind of conversation I love being part of.
Dental Showcase, Birmingham - Wellbeing Brunch with Dental Mums Network & Bupa
This was one of the most memorable mornings of the year so far. I hosted the wellbeing brunch for the Dental Mums Network in collaboration with Bupa - and we went somewhere unexpected.
I introduced the table to oxidative stress: the internal cellular damage driven by chronic stress, poor nutrition, hormonal changes, and lifestyle factors. It is responsible for accelerated ageing, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and cognitive decline - and most people have no idea their levels are elevated. We measured everyone at the table. We talked about what drives those numbers up and what brings them down - nutrition, supplementation, sleep, movement, mindset.
The tomatoes were eaten. The menu choices shifted. The conversations that followed were the kind that genuinely change how people see their own health.
I also had the privilege of meeting colleagues and building new connections that I look forward to announcing in due course. Networking is not simply a professional activity - it is one of the most powerful accelerants of growth. Every person at that table had something to teach, and that quality of exchange is irreplaceable.
Breaking Through in Birmingham - The NAIL-IT Roadshow, Event Two
Birmingham was everything London promised and more.
A room full of dental professionals who arrived as stuck starters and restless dreamers left with personalised plans, shifted perspectives, and - in several cases - a smashed wooden board where their limiting beliefs used to be. The emotional regulation section was particularly well received. The personal performance profiling created immediate, practical clarity. The energy in the room was extraordinary.
One delegate described it this way:
“The course was outstanding - packed with incredible and valuable information, all condensed into just one day. It has genuinely shifted my perspective on how I think about work, stress, and the challenges I have been facing. In just one day, you managed to present ideas and insights that took me years to discover on my own.”
Our next NAIL-IT Experience is on 10th October. Spaces are filling quickly.
→ Reserve Your Place — NAIL-IT Experience, 10th October
NAIL-IT Titanium - Growth That Is Hard to Ignore
Our Titanium members have been doing the deep work in thier perforamcneand leadership training and mentoring - and the results are clear. Our most recent session focused on conflict resolution, emotional regulation, and emotional intelligence in leadership. I have watched members who previously brought the weight of difficult conversations home with them begin to resolve challenges with composure and clarity. Less stress carried home. More confident leadership in the practice. Stronger relationships with their teams.
This is what happens when you invest in the skills that clinical training never provided.
Team Alignment - Wellbeing Meets Performance
This month I have been working directly with practice teams on something I find genuinely exciting: combining wellbeing with performance to help practices stand out through authentic identity, stronger team cohesion, and messaging that actually reflects who they are.
The outcome is not simply a happier team. It is a more commercially distinctive practice. Wellbeing and performance are not competing priorities - when you align them, everything lifts.
NAIL-IT Podcast - May Episodes
Len D’Cruz : How to Succeed with Integrity
One of dentistry’s most respected portfolio leaders joins Dr Rana and Dr Bhavin Patel for an honest conversation about longevity, calm confidence and sustainable success. Len speaks candidly about the difference between responding and reacting under pressure, building a career by leaning into opportunity without waiting for perfection, and how always-on digital culture is quietly eroding communication and resilience. If you are navigating leadership responsibility, self-doubt, or the pressure of a high-stakes career, this episode will give you genuine perspective.
Anna Roberts : How to Stop Blending In
Anna Roberts, Director of My Smile Media, makes a compelling case for why generic messaging is quietly killing practices and brands. We go far beyond marketing tactics - into identity, purpose, storytelling, and the courage it takes to stand out in a crowded market. If you have ever felt invisible or struggled to communicate your value, this is essential listening.
▶️ Listen and Subscribe - NAIL-IT Podcast
What’s Coming
🎯 The NAIL-IT Experience — 10th October 2026
Following two sold-out and transformational events in London and Birmingham, the NAIL-IT Experience returns in October. This is a full CPD day for dentists, practice managers and dental professionals who are ready to lead better, build genuine resilience, and perform at a level that feels sustainable rather than exhausting.
Spaces are filling quickly. If you attended Birmingham or London and want to bring a colleague, now is the time.
Top Tip of the Month - From Dr Rana
The next time you feel overwhelmed, resist the urge to push through. Instead, pause for sixty seconds and ask: what state do I need to be in to perform well right now - and is this it? Regulation precedes performance. You will make better decisions, communicate more clearly and lead more effectively from a calm, regulated state than from a reactive one. That sixty seconds is not a luxury. It is a leadership skill.
Quote from Dr Rana
“Sustained high performance is achievable - but only when we move from a model of coping to one of optimisation. Not slowing down, but finding a different route to success, without the collateral damage.”
~ Dr Rana Al-Falaki, BDJ In Practice, 2026
💭 Question to Reflect On This Month
Are you operating from a full battery or from reserve? And if it is reserve, what one thing could you change this month that would begin to restore it?
Join the NAIL-IT Academy
The Academy is a rolling programme - you can join at any time. Membership includes mentoring and coaching, personality assessments, group coaching sessions and access to the full NAIL-IT system, designed for dental professionals who are serious about performing at their best.
Find out more: nailitindentistry.com/services
📚 NAIL-IT Leadership: Your Blueprint to Optimal Performance
If you have not yet got your copy - this is the practical guide to everything we explore in these newsletters, on the podcast and on stage. Written for professionals in high-pressure environments, it gives you a clear, evidence-based system to reduce stress, build resilience and achieve the kind of performance that feels sustainable rather than exhausting.
Order your copy: drranaalfalaki.com/nail-it-leadership
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Silver membership of NAIL-IT is free - and gives you and every member of your team instant access to videos, downloads, wellbeing resources, and first access to events and courses at members’ rates.
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With warmth and belief in you,
Dr Rana Al-Falaki | NAIL-IT in Dentistry
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