👉 Free training for burnt‑out dentists who want to get in the best shape of their life and lead at home: https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs

Limited Spots - 6 per month

DM me RIP6 on IG - instagram.com/dr.richard.low/

OR

text (219) 245-7050 for availability

:: Resources mentioned ::

▶️ Alex Hormozi’s original mental toughness talk (highly recommended): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avp3xh3Y1Ic&t=168s

:: Continue the series ::

▶️ Part 1 – Hormozi’s Mental Toughness Framework Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avp3xh3Y1Ic&t=168s

In Part 2 of this series, we take Alex Hormozi’s mental toughness framework and turn it into a practical map for breaking bad habits: binge eating, late‑night cereal, doom‑scrolling, gaming, alcohol, porn, anger, and more.

I show you how to use the 4 parts of your stress response (tolerance, containment, recovery speed, adaptability) to stop the “I messed up, so I might as well start over Monday” spiral and actually build a different identity over time.

I’m Dr. Richard Low:

- Dentist & former CEO of 35 dental practices

- Founder of the #1 rated practice‑ownership podcast in dentistry

- Burned out, rebuilt my life around faith, family, and fitness

- Now coaching 50+ male practice‑owner dentists inside Next Level Fathers to lose weight, reconnect with God, and lead better at home

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. How to apply Hormozi’s mental toughness map to any bad habit

Using the same graph from Part 1, but now focused on binges, slips, and “old you” behavior.

2. The 4 levers of change (without perfectionism or shame)

- Tolerance: what it takes to break you

- Containment: how bad the binge gets

- Recovery speed: how fast you realign

- Adaptability: how to actually learn from each slip instead of quitting

3. Why all‑or‑nothing thinking destroys your progress

And how to reframe every “mess‑up” as a rep to practice containment and recovery.

4. Real examples from my own life and the dentists I coach

Honeycomb at 11pm, donuts on the counter, TikTok doom‑scrolling, and the simple environment changes that make willpower almost irrelevant.

If you’re a male practice‑owner dentist

🚀 Watch the full Next Level Fathers Framework:

https://youtu.be/cYhvSAeAbJs

Connect with me

📸 Instagram (daily content & behind the scenes): instagram.com/dr.richard.low/

👉 Free training for burnt‑out dentists who want to get in the best shape of their life and lead at home: How dentists have lost 450+ lbs playing th...

Limited Spots - text (219) 245-7050 for availability OR DM me on IG instagram.com/dr.richard.low/

:: Resources mentioned ::

▶️ Alex Hormozi’s original mental toughness talk (highly recommended): If You Have a Hard Life, Watch This

Most people think “mental toughness” is about trying harder.

Alex Hormozi gave us a better map: how you respond to stress, how fast you recover, and whether you come back weaker, the same, or stronger.

In this video, I break down Hormozi’s mental toughness framework and refine the language so you can actually use it for real behavior change in your life: food, alcohol, phone, porn, work, and how you show up for your family.

I also share my own story:

1. Dentist and former CEO of 35 dental practices
2. Built the #1 rated practice‑ownership podcast in dentistry
3. Burned out hard… and rebuilt my life around faith, family, and fitness
4. Now I coach male practice‑owner dentists to become Next Level Fathers: fitter, calmer, more present leaders at home and at work

In this episode, you’ll learn:

The 4 parts of your stress response

1. Tolerance: what it actually takes to break you
2. Containment: how bad things get when you do break
3. Recovery speed: how fast you get back to baseline
4. Adaptability: whether you come back weaker, the same, or stronger

How this explains burnout and trauma

Why repeated stress without adaptation makes you more fragile over time.

How to use the framework for personal change

So you can stop “starting over Monday” and actually build a different identity day by day.

Real examples from the dentists I coach:

Guys giving up alcohol, losing weight, fixing their marriages, and leading their families with more patience and presence.

If you’re a male practice‑owner dentist

🚀 Watch the full Next Level Fathers Framework:

How dentists have lost 450+ lbs playing th...

Connect with me:

📸 Instagram (daily content & behind the scenes): instagram.com/dr.richard.low/

Dental Egos Ruin Marriages (Here’s How It Happens)

Dentistry doesn’t ruin marriages, unchecked egos do.

When your entire office revolves around YOU, it’s easy to start expecting your marriage to work the same way, and it just doesn’t.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife to talk honestly about what we see over and over again in dentistry:

• Why dentists get validated at work and resentful at home

• How “being the provider” quietly turns into entitlement

• Why resentment is the real gateway drug to affairs

• How dead bedrooms usually start long before sex stops

• The warning signs you’re crossing boundaries you’ll later regret

• What actually helps prevent resentment, affairs, and emotional withdrawal

We also get into uncomfortable but necessary ideas like:

- why your spouse sees the real you (and why that’s so threatening)

- how avoidance and numbing destroy intimacy

- why marriage is supposed to confront you, not comfort you

- and how high-achieving men can grow up instead of blowing up their lives

This isn’t about blaming dentistry.

It’s about taking responsibility before your marriage becomes collateral damage.

If you’re a dentist who:

- feels disconnected at home

- brings your best self to work and your leftovers to your spouse

- or knows something needs to change but isn’t sure what

This conversation is for you.

Get the Success & Burnout Score GPT

https://nextlevelfathers.kit.com/d0909c28eb

Dentists are constantly moving the goalpost of success & happiness. If I can just push through this season, everything will be better.

Even worse is the assumption that more = better. More practices, more procedures, more collections.

Are you actually living the life you want to live? Or just playing the game of dentistry mindlessly because it's your default?

0:00 Introduction and Personal Story

00:16 The Hidden Struggles of Success

00:57 The Cost of More 01:59 Redefining Success

04:00 The Right Game and Leverage

05:50 Surrounding Yourself with the Right People

09:01 Taking an Honest Audit

10:10 Final Thoughts and Next Steps

Crisis resources (U.S.): Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. If in immediate danger, call 911. Outside the U.S., search your country’s suicide hotline.

Topic: Healing after suicide—grief that’s angry, guilty, complicated…and hopeful.

I bring back Steven Kalas to walk us through what survivors actually face. We talk about the implicit family pact—we don’t give up—and how suicide shatters that, why guilt can feel “safer” than helplessness, how to forgive the right person for the right thing, and how to turn a broken heart into service without sentimentalizing the truth.

You’ll learn:

Why suicide grief is uniquely complicated (anger + guilt, both valid)

How to separate real ownership from false guilt

What honest, non-sentimental compassion sounds like

Practical ways to forgive, remember, and move forward

How vulnerability and community interrupt isolation

Need help or want to talk?

• Steven Kalas: stevenkalas57@gmail.com | (702) 845-7993

• DM me on IG @DrRichardLow

• Join our FB community: Next Level Dentist: Rising Beyond Burnout (anonymous posting available)

We can’t change the past, but we can change how we live, how we show up for each other, and how we break isolation—today.

Trigger & Explicit-Language Warning:

This conversation contains strong language and detailed discussion of suicide, depression, faith, and trauma experienced by first responders. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 (U.S. & Canada) or visit 988lifeline.org for free, confidential support.

In this deeply raw episode, Dr. Richard Low sits down with his mentor and friend Kyle Carnahan—founder of Superhuman Fathers and a former firefighter who has witnessed hundreds of deaths—to talk about suicide, identity, faith, and redemption.

Kyle and Richard go all-in on what it really means to walk through darkness as a man, husband, and father. They discuss:

• What firefighters really see when suicide hits close to home

• Why so many high-performing men—especially dentists—feel trapped in success

• How Kyle helped Richard out of the darkest season of his life

• The link between authenticity, discipline, and spiritual transformation

• What to say (and not say) when someone you know is suicidal

• How Jesus and radical honesty can reframe even the darkest story

This is not a polished conversation. It’s real, unfiltered, and meant for men ready to stop hiding, start healing, and lead with courage.

00:00 Trigger Warning and Introduction

00:56 Meet Kyle Carnahan

01:38 Joining Superhuman Fathers

02:34 Personal Transformations and Struggles

06:13 The Dark Side of Dentistry

06:37 Kyle's Unfiltered Perspective

08:26 The Journey to Authenticity

13:18 Kyle's Personal Story

25:55 The Birth of Superhuman Fathers

34:46 Addressing Suicidal Thoughts with Tough Love

36:09 The Importance of Responsibility and Purpose

37:55 The Power of Christianity in Overcoming Darkness

38:31 Reframing Negative Stories Through Faith

40:56 The Unique Struggles of Dentists

44:28 The Role of Authenticity in Healing

46:17 The Concept of Unworthiness and Redemption

49:26 Personal Struggles and the Path to Transformation

51:35 The Power of Vulnerability and Support

55:13 Intervening in Suicidal Situations

01:02:11 Embracing Trials and Trusting in God

01:07:33 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

This episode is a practical, compassionate walkthrough of what to say and do when someone hints at suicide—especially in high-stress clinical settings. Counselor and spiritual leader Steven Kalas joins me to unpack clear steps you can use right away: how to make the covert overt, ask direct safety questions, assess plan → means → intent, remove access to means, and when/how to request a welfare check. This is education for prevention and immediate help—not sensational content.

You’ll learn

The exact phrasing to turn vague comments into a real conversation (“Are you going to kill yourself tonight?”)

How to quickly gauge plan, means, and intent—and what to do at each level

Scripts for setting loving boundaries (“I can’t carry this alone; your spouse has to know by Sunday”)

What not to do (no promises of secrecy, no graphic method talk)

How dentists can act as gatekeepers for colleagues and team members under pressure

If you’re in crisis or supporting someone who is:

U.S.: Call or text 988 (24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)

Canada: Call or text 988 (24/7)

UK & ROI: Samaritans 116 123 (24/7)

Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7)

If you’re elsewhere, search your country’s suicide/crisis hotline. If someone is in immediate danger, call local emergency services now.

Disclaimer: This content is for education and support. It’s not medical, psychological, or legal advice. Seek professional care when needed.

Guest: Steven Kalas — counselor, author, spiritual leader

Host: Richard Low, DDS — Next Level Dentist

Transforming Marriages and Tackling Dentist Suicide with Steven Kalas | Next Level Dentist Podcast

In this episode of the Next Level Dentist Podcast, host Richard welcomes Steven Kalas, a seasoned couples counselor who has profoundly impacted Richard's own marriage. Steven shares insights from his extensive work with couples and his experience as an ordained Episcopal priest. The conversation delves into critical and heavy topics, including tackling suicide within the field of dentistry. Steven discusses the overlap between spirituality and depth psychology and his personal background in suicidology, an area that has deeply affected his family. They also touch on prevention, intervention, and postvention strategies for dealing with suicidality. This episode seeks to shed light on the importance of addressing mental health in high-stress professions and fostering meaningful conversations around difficult issues.

Join our private community, "Next Level Dentist: Rising Beyond Burnout" on Facebook.

If you or someone you know is struggling or thinking about ending their life, please reach out for help. In the U.S., you can dial or text 988 to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. If you’re outside the U.S., please look up the local crisis hotline in your country. You don’t have to go through this alone.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:04 Steven's Background and Spiritual Framework

01:06 Exploring Suicide in Dentistry

02:03 Depth Psychology and Spirituality

03:54 Steven's Journey into Suicidology

05:02 Understanding Suicide Prevention and Postvention

06:55 Systems Theory and Suicide

11:14 The Pain of Ambiguity and Guilt

19:42 Personal Stories and Reflections

26:01 The Great Wallendas: A Family of Daredevils

27:17 The Thrill and Danger of High-Risk Entertainment

27:59 Subintentional Suicide: The Hidden Desire for Death

29:46 Victim Precipitated Homicide: Death by Cop

31:35 The High Suicide Rates Among Dentists

39:31 The Gender Differences in Suicide Methods

41:56 The Reality of Hardcore Suicide

48:34 The Importance of Suicide Prevention and Support

00:00 Ep2 - Suicide in Dentistry: Navigating Shadows Through Counseling w Steven Kalas - Pt 1