Finding the Right Fit: How Personal Branding Transforms Healthcare Relationships
The origin story of my shoe brand in dentistry.
Learning Excellence from the Ground Up
One of my earliest memories of aesthetics and attention to detail was of my dad polishing his shoes.
He had a collection of beautiful leather boots, calf height with stacked black heels. Classic with a hint of his personal style.
To keep them spiffy, he had a kit filled with little glass jars of shoe polish in every color, tins of black paste for the heels, his special rags for applying the polish, and soft brushes for buffing and shining.
Every few months, he would spread a newspaper on the floor and set up his collection of shoes to polish. I liked to sit with him and watch him meticulously apply the pastes, so his shoes looked like new. Sometimes he would even let me use the soft hand brushes in various sizes and shapes to shine his boots to a high gloss.
Like his shoes, he liked his cars detailed and shined to perfection, especially his 1939 Chevy hot rod. For 50 years, he always arrived at the clinic with a clean car and shiny shoes. As a youngster, I thought this was THE professional standard and didn’t realize just how exceptional it was.
I was well into my professional path before I understood that shined shoes and cars were my dad’s brand. It was a commitment to the way he showed up in the world—his form of communicating to his patients that this was the level of attentive care he was giving to their teeth.
Developing My Own Professional Style and Philosophy
When I joined my dad and his team wearing a white jacket, I grew my collection of shoes and, without realizing it at first, developed my own brand around my shoes—the difference being my shoes were typically stilettos in bright colors and patterns.
My style was unexpected, bold enough to make a person wonder what made me different, yet still reflecting the commitment to attentive care. The first thing many patients would do was to peer over the large dental chair and ask what shoes I was wearing today.
It took a while to grow into the shoes, that is my individual philosophy as a professional, which involves learning from masters such as my father and developing the skills that work in my hands for my patients.
It's important to remember that healthcare is not one size fits all. This applies to both doctors and patients.
Just like the relationship between your shoes and your body is important, so is the relationship between doctors and patients. That’s where branding plays a role. It gives you an insight into the care style of a doctor and an initial indication of whether this patient-doctor partnership will be a good fit for you.
From Stilettos to Sneakers: The Evolution of Care
As I move solidly into midlife, my style of shoes is changing, as is how I show up for my patients. I’m wearing fewer stilettos and doing fewer fillings. Instead, I am thoughtfully searching out stunning bright colored sneakers, and I’m supporting my patients to discover their unique risk factors and to get the health support they need.
This shift is in part because my health demanded a change of shoes and perspective. As I slowly recovered from Valley Fever and learned to live with an autoimmune condition, I became acutely aware that to bring my best care to my patients required a new level of caring for myself.
Finding Your Perfect Healthcare Fit
Through this journey, I developed greater respect for the input and values my patients bring to our partnership. My shoes convey the message that I am not a one-size-fits-all, protocol-driven practitioner. Together, we listen, share, strategize, strengthen, and repair. And if we are not a good fit, there will be support in finding a better fit.
You might love the timeless doctor in polished leather boots with a reassuring attention to detail. Or you may prefer the younger, energetic doctor in the stilettos, brimming with new ideas. Or you might want a practical sneaker-clad doctor who takes a bit of extra time to learn who you are.
As individuals, we get to choose our brand of shoes and doctors.
Here is your permission to pick the shoes that fit your feet and style, the brand that’s attentive to your values, and the doctor who partners with you in your health journey.
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