It is time to stop
NAIL-IT IN DENTISTRY
Monthly Newsletter | May 2026
Dr Rana Al-Falaki
A Message From Dr Rana
May is one of my favourite months. The days are longer, there is energy in the air, and people are beginning to feel it - that sense that something is shifting. After the intensity of April, I find myself pausing to let it land.
April was Stress Awareness Month, and the irony is that it was one of the busiest months I have had in a long time - in the best possible way. I was on Talk TV Europe talking about stress in dentistry. I spoke at the British Society of Prosthetic Dentistry conference on leadership and wellbeing strategies in today's changing world. I was published in Entrepreneur UK on toxic productivity. I told my story on the Your Story Podcast. And I had the privilege of watching a room full of dental professionals smash through wooden boards and, more importantly, through the limiting beliefs that had been holding them back.
I do not share this to impress you. I share it because every one of those conversations - on radio, on stage, in print - was about the same thing: that stress, burnout and underperformance in dentistry are not inevitable. They are solvable. And the tools to solve them exist. Many of them are in the NAIL-IT system. Many of them are in the book. All of them begin with a decision to invest in yourself.
That is what this community is about. And that is why I am so proud of the four new members who joined the NAIL-IT Academy this month - a practice manager, a principal, and two associates - each of them making that decision. Welcome. You are in the right place.
Let's make May count.
April in Review
Breaking Boards and Breaking Barriers - The London NAIL-IT Experience
The feedback from the London NAIL-IT Experience said everything.
"The best course I have ever been on."
"Eye-opening and transformative."
This was not a lecture. It was not a day of sitting and taking notes. It was a full-day immersion in personal development - grounded in the NAIL-IT system, designed for professionals, and built to create real change in the room. Delegates explored how to minimise stress, maximise their potential, and align their performance with their goals, their values and their vision - whatever those look like.
The highlight? Watching professionals physically smash through wooden boards at the moment they committed to smashing through their own limiting beliefs. When you make a commitment with your body, not just your mind, something shifts. We saw it happen, again and again, throughout the day.
The event was featured in the BDJ, Springer Nature and The Dentist as a must-attend experience. Our sincere thanks to our sponsors, Megagen and Lumoral, whose support made the day possible.
Birmingham is next - Saturday 9th May. A few places are still available. If you have been thinking about it, now is the moment. Details and booking below.
Stress in Dentistry - On Talk TV Europe
During Stress Awareness Month, Dr Rana joined Talk TV Europe to talk about one of the most pressing issues in the profession: why dental professionals are burning out, and what can actually be done about it. The conversation centred on how the NAIL-IT book provides a practical, easy-to-follow guide to shifting mindset, reducing stress and building sustainable performance - without sacrificing clinical excellence or personal fulfilment.
The Power of Rewriting Your Story - Your Story Podcast
Dr Rana joined the Your Story Podcast to share her own journey - and to explore a concept at the heart of the NAIL-IT system: that whilst telling your story can be healing, to truly progress, you need to rewrite it.
This concept sits within the Attitude pillar of NAIL-IT, under the Strength key. Our stories shape our identity. Our identity shapes our behaviour. Our behaviour shapes our outcomes. If the story you are telling yourself is one of limitation, of not-enoughness, of past wounds that define your future - then that story needs editing. Not erasing. Editing. With intention, with compassion, and with a clear vision of who you are becoming.
Published in Entrepreneur UK - Toxic Productivity and the ROI of Busyness
Dr Rana's latest article in Entrepreneur UK tackles a pattern that is endemic in dentistry: the belief that busyness equals productivity. It does not. Busyness can be one of the most effective ways to avoid the deep work that actually moves you forward - and it comes at a significant cost to your health, your relationships, and your results.
The article draws on the NAIL-IT system to reframe what real productivity looks like, and how professionals can reclaim their time, energy and focus without doing more - but by doing what matters, better. You can read the article here
On Stage at the British Society of Prosthetic Dentistry Conference
Dr Rana delivered a keynote at the BSPD conference on NAILing-IT: leadership and wellbeing strategies in today's changing world - exploring how the pressures facing dental professionals today demand a new kind of leadership: one that is self-aware, resilient, values-driven, and grounded in both science and humanity.
NAIL-IT Podcast - April Guests
Mehy Lo Presti joined us to explore how to make learning stick -and why doing things differently is often the key to genuine transformation, not just knowledge accumulation.
Shandy Vijayan shared her insights on building community and the profound truth that you do not need to do this alone - in dentistry or in life.
Listen and subscribe: nailitindentistry.com/nail-it-podcast
Top Santé Magazine - Congratulations to Our Winners
A signed copy of both NAIL-IT Leadership: Your Blueprint to Optimal Performance and my first book, Women Who Want More is on its way to our Top Santé Magazine competition winners. Enjoy every page.
What's Coming in May
🎯 The NAIL-IT Experience - Birmingham, Saturday 9th May
Places are still available for the Birmingham event - and last-minute bookings are absolutely welcome. If the London event taught us anything, it is that the people in that room leave different from the people who walked in.
This is a full CPD day for dentists, practice managers and dental professionals who are ready to lead better, perform at their peak, and build the kind of resilience that lasts beyond a single motivation spike. It is practical, energising, evidence-based, and genuinely unlike anything else in dentistry. In addition, the bonus course on performance psychology - 5 hours of CPD trainning you on ethical selling, money mindset, optimising energy, and elevating perforamcne to be able to implemnt change and habits.
Reserve your place: nailitindentistry.com/nail-it-experience
Next event: London/Essex - Saturday 10th October. Book now - it iwll the last chance this year.
☕ Wellbeing Brunch - The Dentistry Show, Saturday 16th May
Dr Rana will be hosting a Wellbeing Brunch at The Dentistry Show in collaboration with the Dental Mums Network and Bupa. If you are attending the show, this is a moment to pause, connect and recharge - with great people, great conversation, and the kind of honest dialogue that dental professionals rarely get the chance to have.
More details to follow - watch this space and our social channels.
Top Tip of the Month - From Dr Rana
Stop measuring your day by how busy you were. Start measuring it by how intentional you were. The dental professional who protects three hours of deep, focused work will consistently outperform the one who reacts to fifteen hours of noise.
Quote from Dr Rana
"Your story is not your sentence. It is your starting point. The moment you decide to rewrite it - with honesty, courage and intention - is the moment your future stops being determined by your past."
~ Dr Rana Al-Falaki, NAIL-IT Leadership: Your Blueprint to Optimal Performance
💭 Question to Reflect On This Month
What story have you been telling yourself about what is possible for you - and is it time to edit it?
Join the NAIL-IT Academy
This month, a practice manager, a principal and two associates took the step of investing in themselves and their futures through NAIL-IT membership. 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 talk about 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
🎁 Free Silver Membership - For You and Your Whole Team
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.
Sign up for free Silver membership here
With warmth and belief in you,
Dr Rana Al-Falaki | NAIL-IT in Dentistry
nailitindentistry.com | breathedentalwellness.org | drranaalfalaki.com
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