69 ::: Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future: Carrie Weber’s Story of Growth and Resilience

Shawn Zajas (: 00:01

Okay. So today I could not be more excited to be with my new friend, Carrie Weber of the Jameson group and full disclosure, we just met a week or two ago. just your, your energy, your vibrancy, what you're doing to impact dentistry. I'm like super attracted to it. I'm already a big fan and I'm really excited for this interview. So before I set you up, I just want to say Carrie, thank you for letting me interview you today.

Carrie Webber (: 00:27

thank you, Sean. It's a real pleasure. Yeah. Just accidental meeting of each other, I think. And just I think there was absolutely fast connection. So I'm really looking forward to the conversation and hopefully don't take us too sideways.

Shawn Zajas (: 00:44

What's funny you said accidental meeting. Cause I remember you're like, I remember being like, I don't really know why I'm on the zoom call with you. Someone on my team scheduled it. I didn't do my due diligence. And I'm just like, I'm guessing you're someone important and you are, and I love what you're doing.

Carrie Webber (: 01:05

I'm not that important. So I'm just really glad that we accidentally had that meeting. It was perfect. It was as if all walls were immediately busted through and we just completely had an amazing authentic and fun conversation. Wouldn't you agree?

Shawn Zajas (: 01:24

Yeah, I think 15 minutes turned into an hour.

Carrie Webber (: 01:26

It did.

Shawn Zajas (: 01:29

So, Carrie, I'm always fascinated because from what I understand, you're not clinical.

Carrie Webber (: 01:29

It did.

Carrie Webber (: 01:36

Mm -mm. No.

Shawn Zajas (: 01:38

And much like myself, I'm not a dentist. And there's a few things I'm always interested in how people end up in dentistry. But along anyone's professional career, what fascinates me is how people end up aligning themselves more and more with what they feel makes them come alive. You call it their unique ability or like their superpower. Something that they feel like, hey, this is who I am. These are my gifts. These are my abilities.

Carrie Webber (: 01:47

Carrie Webber (: 01:59

Hmm.

Shawn Zajas (: 02:08

And when you start doing something vocationally, you typically don't have everything aligned. You just do it because there's an opportunity or you model off of someone else. But then at some point along the way, you're like, no to that, yes to this. No to that, yes to this, because you're looking for greater fulfillment and greater, maybe purpose in what you're doing. I'm curious about your journey into dentistry and then along the way, kind of discovering that brilliance of your own and

aligning yourself with that.

Carrie Webber (: 02:39

wow, you know, this conversation, this interview makes me a little nervous. I typically don't like to talk about myself. I don't usually, I mean, I will tell stories and things when I lecture and so on, but it's typically outside of my comfort zone to talk a lot about myself. So.

Shawn Zajas (: 03:01

So you know I've been accused of flattery. Did I give the disclaimer on that? That I've been accused of flattery.

Carrie Webber (: 03:06

I have been what? you've been accused of flattery? Well, that's okay.

Shawn Zajas (: 03:12

So the disclaimer is my brother and sister were 13 months older and they were amazing at everything. And my parents still loved me in a way that made me feel special. So I like love their gifts and I celebrated them. So I never felt threatened by it. So like genuinely, I love what makes someone happy. Really?

Carrie Webber (: 03:24

Yes!

Carrie Webber (: 03:28

That's me too! Shawn? Stop. Yes. The younger children, right? I'm the youngest. I only have an older brother. But yeah, same. He's a superstar and always... It has been a superstar in every single way. Like one of those human beings is you're like, I mean, can you just have one thing that you can't do? That'd be great.

And my parents are extraordinary people and absolutely extraordinary. The things that they have done in their careers and in their personal lives. And so, yeah, there's something about being the youngest child in a high performing family. For you, like you hire it. You want to you want to stretch for that. You want to find your place in the realm that you.

Shawn Zajas (: 04:13

What's the... Yeah.

Carrie Webber (: 04:23

I think we are, when you're the youngest child in a high performing family, you are very desperate for purpose. You know? But I never thought I'd be in dentistry. no, no. My father's a dentist. He's been retired for quite some time now. And he practiced in a small town. I'm from Oklahoma. So I grew up in a small town.

s, the late: 1980

Shawn Zajas (: 05:09

just a long time ago.

This is so...

Carrie Webber (: 05:21

Then started helping my dad in the dental practice because he was really struggling in the 80s. And, you know, after about a decade of practicing, he was really struggling. And they got real clear on their vision after that and decided they wanted to really turn the ship. And so she came in to the practice to try and figure out the business of dentistry with him and helped him turn his practice around into what he wanted it to be.

at the same time was getting connected with companies that were really trailblazing in computerization of practices and patient financing things that didn't exist until that moment in time. And so she was going into practices helping them incorporate patient financing and things like that ages ago.

Shawn Zajas (: 06:12

it's so possible. How much of this is visible to you? So at this point in time, like, are you in high school?

Carrie Webber (: 06:16

Very. I was, gosh, single digits in age. And, you know, I didn't know a lot of what was going on in terms of the stress and strain of the practice. My parents were actually pretty good about not, you know, not bringing that stress home. But then she started going there and I spent a lot of time in my dad's practice, lots and lots of time, lots of summers, walking to the convenience store, getting junk food.

coming back, hanging out in their break room, helping turn rooms around with the hygienists and putting patient charts back on the shelf, filing the charts and doing whatever, helping them with their newsletter, whatever I was doing all through my childhood. Anyway, my dad became this very prominent trailblazer. He fell in love with technology and practiced.

And then, you know, when mom started the Jameson group, what was happening were people were starting to ask my dad, you know, how are you doing this kind of dentistry? How are you getting, doing this kind of lab work? Nobody else is getting this kind of business right now because everything was terrible in Oklahoma at the time. Economically, there was a big oil bust and so on. So people were strapped for cash and in a panic. Like we have happened every several years when another recession hits, you know, so.

His friends, his peers were like, what are you doing? And he's like, talk to Cathy. And they would say, can you come in Cathy and help us figure this out or can you help us do this? And she would go, sure. So she would come in and help them. And it wasn't until a while later, she was at a conference with my dad and met a woman, her name is Karen Mowod and she...

has a company called Hummingbird Consulting, which is in in orthodontics on the West Coast. And she told my mom sat with her at a table and she was like, honey, do you know that that's actually a career? Like that's a business people get paid for. And so that's how Jamison started was her just helping people out. And then, you know, one thing led to another and she started being asked to speak.

Carrie Webber (: 08:36

incorporated as a company in: 1990

from me at lectures that I sat in and took notes on when I was about 11 years old. I show them in some of my lectures. So yeah, I was inundated with it. But we had so much dentistry in our family that it's all we talked about at the dinner tables, all we talked about in the car. So the running joke was always that I would say, can we please talk about something other than dentistry in the car today, or whatever it was.

But what I found myself doing was I'd always want to go to the consults. I'd always want to go with my mom to the practices. I'd always want to go to the lectures. When she started building a team and they would have training sessions, I'd always want to be a part of the training sessions. I always just kind of found myself drawn to the culture, the experience, the presentations, the learning.

So I don't think I ever fully was away from it, although I've had different elements of my life, you know, music. I actually, after I graduated college, I moved to New York and I worked in corporate relations for a nonprofit. And, but I always found myself coming back to the company. And my husband has his master's in health administration and was doing some work, you know, one of his several dot jobs when he was getting his master's when we first got married was helping with statistics for our clients.

at Jamison. And of course my parents offered him a job when he graduated, but he had his mindset on hospital administration until he started having interviews with the hospitals and realized the difference between what we were doing in dentistry and what they were doing in hospital administration at the time when it comes to leadership and truly leading teams to

Carrie Webber (: 11:04

excellence and to a vision and helping them realize that vision. That just wasn't, he wasn't finding that in, you know, he asked a, he asked a, an administrative leader in one of the hospitals during one of his interviews once, what's the leadership training that you have for your administration in place here? And he was like, what do you mean? And he said, well, what do you do to

to help build their leadership skills. And he's like, leadership, management, it's all the same thing. And Jess got up and said, thank you so much for your time. And he was like, what do you mean? We're not done. He's like, yeah, we are. I walked out and took my parents' job offer. And the rest is history, really. That was 24 years ago this summer. And we've worked in the company that long. And then the time came where my parents were ready to start considering a transition.

you know, gave us the first offer. We worked with a gentleman that kind of helped us see a plan in terms of a five -year plan of taking it from my parents being the figureheads to my husband and I being the leaders. And it was hard. It was real hard. And but we made it. And and yeah, so I don't know. It's interesting, Sean, when we think about purpose, even though I never had

dentistry on my bingo card. Jess, that's my husband, Jess always says when we work with doctors, we do a lot of vision planning, strategic planning with doctors. He always asks them, you know, trying to hone in on what their true driven purpose is. And the question he always asks is, well, if you weren't a dentist, what would you be? And, you know, they typically always have a quick answer. And

He says, well, the interesting thing is, is whether you were that or this, it's all because you're drawn to these for the same purpose, the DNA that's in you of what you feel like you're meant to do that brings you joy and fulfillment. And so I realized, even though I had a lot of imposter syndrome and a lot of head trash, that whatever my gifts were in the nonprofit space, in music,

Carrie Webber (: 13:30

or in dentistry, it's all rooted in the same core purpose and values, no matter what I do. And so I just poured into dentistry what I would pour into anything else. And here I am.

Shawn Zajas (: 13:44

So Carrie, I'm listening and there's just so much I'm curious about from you calling your family a high performing family. And it's just one thing that's very clear about you when we were even talking is that there was so much honor coming from you when we talked first on our Zoom. Honor for your mom and dad, honor for so many of the strong women in the profession that have gone before that you've wanted to tell their stories.

Carrie Webber (: 14:09

Yeah.

Shawn Zajas (: 14:14

First off, I just want to acknowledge that because I don't feel like that's a, I don't know, cultural more that's like encouraged. Like, yeah, honor previous generations. It's more about like your best life and you and the present. And it's not thinking about legacy, whether that's for your kids or looking back and honoring the legacy that your parents gave. And here, I find it so rare that you have parents that are able to work together

Carrie Webber (: 14:22

Hmm.

Shawn Zajas (: 14:43

to create something that they can then pass down and then now you and your husband are working together. It's like these two spouses together, multi -generational, like this inheritance that you guys are stewarding and building. And yet it's probably easy to kind of be like, well, that's what my mom and dad do. You know, what's my thing? Because it is probably intimidating when your mom and dad have had success and they have a name and they're known.

Carrie Webber (: 14:49

Yeah.

Carrie Webber (: 15:05

Mm -hmm.

Shawn Zajas (: 15:11

and all of a sudden feeling like, am I just doing their thing? But I feel like that's probably where the challenge is. Can I walk through this open door and receive this inheritance, but do it the way that I would do it from my perspective with my unique personality, my unique flair, my unique touch? So it's also 100 % carry, not me doing what they necessarily expect me to do.

Carrie Webber (: 15:15

Mm -hmm.

Carrie Webber (: 15:26

Mm.

Carrie Webber (: 15:38

Right.

Shawn Zajas (: 15:40

I would love for you also to dive into what you were just mentioning about the head trash.

Carrie Webber (: 15:44

Well, to talk about the honoring, I think that was...

planted in me in the extraordinary people that surrounded me in my childhood. I feel very lucky. I feel very fortunate. My parents were, are, my parents are extraordinary parents. But I also had, you know, an incredible grandmother that lived just right next door that helped take care of me. I mean, she was like a third parent. And,

when my parents were really starting to hit the road lecturing is that they were traveling more and more as I was a teenager through my teenage years. And so my grandmother really was, you know, she at the time, you know, there was no Uber, but she was basically my Uber and was taking me out to all my activities and was, you know, I would stay with her. She would take care of me and all the things. And so I felt like I had a third parent. She was very, very rooted in service and community.

And that was her love language was community, was doing whatever, serving people. And my parents were very community oriented and my dad started a lot of foundations and did a lot of things. And I just feel like people like that that leave the world better than they found it deserve that honor. We all just kind of hope we do something that leaves a ripple, right?

also living through all that they did to make it and be successful. And I want that to be remembered for as long as possible. But you're right that I cannot be them, I can only be me. And that was a big struggle because it was like, they're extraordinary.

Carrie Webber (: 17:44

I mean, when you meet them, Sean, you'll be like, my God, I love these people. They'll invite you to their house. They will tell you that they love you. They will, you know, they would do anything for you. They're very, you know, servant leaders and very dynamic and smart. And I mean, not that I'm dumb, but.

But I am me and I cannot be them and somewhere along the line I had that aha moment like I can't be them So what am I gonna do with this thing now? We said yes to taking it on we said yes to make to buying it and making that investment and carrying it forward because of the culture they created in the company that was so Special the the the team that were so invested in in you know

our clients and in each other and to the point that they were protective of it. And there was just so much heart and soul and blood, sweat and tears poured into it that, you know, when Jess and I were trying to make the decision, do we do this? Even though neither one of us thought that was the direction we were taking in our careers. We're like, well, if we don't take it on, what happens to it when my parents really do decide to hang up their hats? And we just couldn't.

imagine it not existing. So we're like, okay, here we go. But in that transition time, we did a lot of work. We worked with coaches, we did a lot of our own work on for 10 years, we worked in the company honoring and representing and trying to achieve my parents vision. What the company looked like, how it ran, what we did, what right looked like.

and what they were willing to do for it. And we had a lot of conversations and clarification on what do we want to do with it? What are we willing to do for a company? What are we not willing to do? What will we sacrifice? What will we not? Drawing some lines in the sand, so to speak, for our own health and wellbeing and happiness.

Carrie Webber (: 20:02

where did we want to take it? What do we no longer want to do anymore with it? And what did we want to do with it? And I think we wouldn't be here today if we didn't do that work because, and I think I see this a lot in doctors that we work with that have purchased a practice that is existing and has its own history and its own established culture, good, bad, indifferent, whatever.

and struggling because they feel a lot of, I had a leadership coach tell me once, you know, we should all over ourselves. We should all over ourselves. Gail Canter said that to me. And because this is how it has been, so I should do it that way too. This is how, you know, this is how it's always been here. So I should try and uphold that even though that makes me unhappy. And so doing that work.

at the start really set the tone for us and how we made decisions and how we chose to lead the company moving forward. So, you know, I do want to honor those that came before because I know how hard it is. And when you are successful and you make such a powerful impact on so many people over your career, like, you know, just my parents, but all of those that were at the pinnacle

in the 90s. They deserve their flowers. They really do. And you know what what happens generation to generation is people jump in and they don't know like they don't know who their whose content they're even teaching. And you know, they don't even know that that's been talked about and taught for 30 years.

You know, and so it's like just honor the people that gave so much of their time to this profession for no other reason than that they loved it. So I don't know why I feel so fiercely about that, but I think it's because I just saw how hard my mom, how hard she's worked and how much she's loved it. Loved this industry. And so.

Carrie Webber (: 22:24

And I know a lot of the men and women that were right there with her in their heyday. Yeah, she's still doing it.

you know, in our 70s and still doing it. So that, just talking about the honoring of those that came before doesn't mean that we can't take it and run with it and go with it and pave our own paths, but you know, we're all standing on other people at this point in all professions. You know, everybody's standing on the shoulders of the people that got us to that point. And so I just feel like it's important to honor that.

Shawn Zajas (: 22:59

And yet I feel like it's rare that it's like in the family line though. It's more the story of someone going off and seeing someone they want to be like because maybe they didn't get that growing up. And it's like, I had the opportunity to see my dad and see him pioneer and start his own business and do crazy things. I remember Saturday morning I was playing a video game and all of a sudden he looks at the screen and he's like, is that a real car? And I'm like,

Carrie Webber (: 23:05

Carrie Webber (: 23:12

Shawn Zajas (: 23:28

What do you mean by that? I'm playing a video game. He's like a real car. Like, is it, you know, the symbol of a car that actually exists? I'm like, yeah, it's the Opel Speedster. You know, it's, it's Opel that's in Germany right now. And from him seeing this car and asking me if it was a good car, he literally wrote to Opel and asked if he could get distributorship rights for Scottsdale. And the punchline is it didn't work, but it doesn't matter as a kid for me to realize that my dad could watch me playing a video game and all of a sudden execute on

Carrie Webber (: 23:52

Yeah.

Shawn Zajas (: 23:57

on an idea that he had and swing for it and see if it works. It has given me permission to follow dreams that are in my heart. And in my mom, I saw her support my dad. I didn't necessarily see her get to express as much as maybe an entrepreneurial spirit that your mom had. Like it almost seems like your mom, like your dad might've been really amazing clinically and again, open to new technologies, but it seems like your mom was actually.

Carrie Webber (: 23:58

Yeah.

Carrie Webber (: 24:06

Yes.

Carrie Webber (: 24:16

Hmm.

Shawn Zajas (: 24:25

fearless as a trailblazer to actually set up the business of things and just kind of go for it. So you're, what a dynamic duo. And yet, yet you know, the dream of every parent to be successful is that they want to be able to provide their kids the opportunity to be able to go further than them. It's like, success is when I know my kids can see God clearer, receive love in a deeper way, love their spouse and have kids, all in a, be better humans than I am.

Carrie Webber (: 24:33

Yeah.

Carrie Webber (: 24:47

you

Shawn Zajas (: 24:54

because I poured into them. So it's like, I imagine your parents are nurturing you, they're pouring into you, and at the same time, they probably were gonna support you in whatever you wanted to do.

Carrie Webber (: 24:56

Yes.

Carrie Webber (: 25:05

yeah, you know, when I was doing a lot of live music, they would try to be at every gig they could possibly be at and thought I was gonna be the next Whitney Houston. I mean, they just like, you know how parents are, like when you're in that, when you have that kind of healthy relationship with your parents, and I'm aware that I'm very fortunate for that. But I do also think, you know, if...

if the Jamison group went down in a blaze of glory, my parents would still be so proud of me for however long I was able to keep it afloat. And they're just proud. And that, you know, that gives me I'm so grateful for that. And that feels very that I'm I'm so glad and relieved. But it also gives a little bit more of a

pressure is not the right word, but you do have this sense of, you know, you don't want to let them down. You don't want to let them down. And you don't want to let the people down that are in our stead. That's another thing that I feel a lot is we have a team, you know, Jamison has a team of people that work in it.

And I recognize there's a responsibility that we have not just for ourselves, you know, Jess and I, not just for our careers, but to keep something moving that can support all of these people. And I think dentists obviously feel this strong sense of responsibility for their employees as well. And I'm grateful for...

the pieces of the culture that were started long ago when the company started and that we were able to honor and uphold a lot of that legacy of the culture and then evolve it to be even more representative of what we wanted. I always say that we are, we're twofold. We are stewards of the legacy and then we are map makers and explorers for the future. And we try to honor the legacy of the history that is Jamison.

Shawn Zajas (: 27:09

Mm.

Carrie Webber (: 27:15

And, but we try not to let those become sacred cows that prevent us from evolving to what we need to be to continue to thrive, to continue to serve. And so that's why having that purpose and values and the vision in any business are so important because you have to remind yourself it's not the what and how we do something that is the most sacred piece. It's the why. And

I just continue to be overly optimistic that people, when you get that out there and you live that and you represent that and you speak that, the people that are wanting that kind of support or that, or wanna being a part of that, they will find you. And the most fulfilling work we do with clients are when we are fully aligned with those clients in our values. And we...

can have very vulnerable, like we're having Sean, very vulnerable and authentic conversations with these doctors, with these team members, with these leaders, with these practice owners, where they feel like they're in a safe space to talk through their head trash and get that out of the way so that they can confidently and clearly make the statement of what it is they truly want and what right looks like for them. It doesn't matter what the other person's doing.

For us, it doesn't matter what the other consulting firms are doing. It's important that we figure out what's most important to us and how we serve people and honor that always. And it doesn't matter what the other dental practices are doing. I don't care what they're doing. What do you want? And can we please stay on track with what you want? Put the blinders on like the racehorse, find your end goal and go for it. And success for people.

means a lot of different things. And the thing that really keeps me going and lit up about it is when a practice owner or a business owner has a realization that they aren't honoring what it is that right looks like for them and they get clear on what they do want and they go for it. And they realize I can unapologetically create my version of success.

Carrie Webber (: 29:41

and be happy in this and then be happy for that other person and that other business and that other practice for whatever they're doing. But that doesn't affect me because I'm really clear on what I want. And that's the really cool thing about what we do because we work with so many different types of practices and dental businesses. So there's so many different ways that this industry can be successful. And so I love, love, love helping people find their way.

Cause I've done that. I've lived it. You know, we've gone through the struggle. We've lived through the struggle. We've gone through transition. We've gone through trying to establish ourselves as leaders. We've gone through trying to, you know, to keep the ship going. We've gone through change. We've all gone through the pandemic and you know, all the things and you know, something about business ownership that I've learned is

Shawn Zajas (: 30:11

Yeah, right, right, like.

Carrie Webber (: 30:38

You never get to be on cruise control.

You gotta find the thing you love in it and love it enough to keep pushing the needle forward. My mom always says there's no such thing as status quo. You're either going up or you're going down. So you wanna be on the path of continuous improvement. And so you need to tap into your purpose in it all to get you up every Monday morning.

Shawn Zajas (: 31:10

Carrie, you speak with such conviction. And the way you talk about the Jameson Group, it's as if it is your baby. And that's where the fulfillment and the culmination and everything kind of coalesces is like, you honored your parents, you received this inheritance, but then you made it yours. And I think the difference between like, again, it's like as we grow up, we really do, we look toward the people that we admire.

Carrie Webber (: 31:29

Hmm.

Shawn Zajas (: 31:37

that are heroes and we start modeling behavior of like, this is what a successful speaker sounds like. And this is what a successful consultant sounds like. And this is the way a business person is. And then at some point it's like, but with my voice, my essence, my background, my passion, what do I sound like? What makes me come alive? And you had that journey and I can tell you've gone on it because Jameson Group, it's yours. Like this is your baby.

Carrie Webber (: 31:53

Yes.

Carrie Webber (: 32:05

Hmm.

Shawn Zajas (: 32:07

You talk about it, it's one and the same, and yet you have the ability to look back and still honor and thank your parents. But here you are, here you and your husband are, and you guys are doing amazing things. And even just that dichotomy and that paradox of the traditions and the honoring, but not getting stuck and not stagnating, like you said, with the sacred cows. And how do you figure out how to continue to pioneer and innovate and stay flexible and agile? And it's like handling that.

Carrie Webber (: 32:27

Hmm.

Shawn Zajas (: 32:38

When in that process, because I'm guessing that's kind of where the head trash came in, is the whole like, yeah, but you're never going to be as dynamic as your mom. Meaning this is reality. You said a high performing family. When you have a mom and a dad and a brother and I don't know, there's just like success begets success, but at the same exact time, it can be overshadowing. And it's like, well, who's Carrie?

Carrie Webber (: 32:48

Yeah.

Carrie Webber (: 33:01

Mm -hmm.

Carrie Webber (: 33:06

Hmm.

Shawn Zajas (: 33:06

And at some point you found your voice. What was that like?

Carrie Webber (: 33:13

Man, Sean, you're good. So modeling others behavior, I think is a tremendous form of flattery, but you and I both know that's not gonna get you to where you wanna go. Eventually people see through that that's not authentic. And so the struggle I had was,

You're right, I'm not a dentist. And here I am speaking at dental conferences to dental teams and to doctors. Who am I? You know, that's a head trash. Who are you to do this? What do you know about anything? You know, all the things, you know, you can think about that, you know, that's the imposter syndrome. People call a lot of things lizard brain.

the resistance, all the different authors talk about it. And Steven Pressfield, yes! Steven Pressfield, Simon Sinek, all of those great, great people that talk about, Seth Godin calls it the lizard brain. But I have started to learn having that, you know, if you can push through that,

Shawn Zajas (: 34:07

Steven Pressfield.

Carrie Webber (: 34:32

that's where the fulfillment comes, right? Because I have learned in my experiences that that discomfort and that arguing in the brain, it has never gone away for me. But what I find is it gets real loud when I'm stretching to something more, something good on the other side. And so

I often, when I start to hear it, now I perk up and I'm like, okay, what is it that I'm feeling so insecure about and how am I gonna overcome this? Because I don't run and hide when I hear it. Maybe I used to try to be, I'm not a speaker, I'm not this, I'm not that. I used to say it all the time, but I'm not the speaker, but I'm not this person, but I'm not. And the beautiful thing is, is I have people in my life that believe in me when I don't believe in me.

And that's really what got me over the hump. My parents, some of my team, Drew, Amy, Jess, they would throw me out on a podium against my will. They'd be like, you can do this, Carrie. And I was like, no, I don't, I can't. And they're like, yes, you can go, bye. And so, you know, there's people that the sparks that push you to reach for your potential.

and do the things before you even believe in yourself. So I needed that early on in the ownership of the company. I needed support. There's a movie in the 80s called Mr. Mom, and there's a child in it that has a security blanket, and the kid calls it his whoopie. And I always said some of my team are my whoopies. They would be my security blanket while I was trying to get my confidence.

And so I've just instead of letting that head trash that negative self -talk prevent me from growing and developing and thriving and living and just pushed through it, challenged it. And I had you have to tap into a little bit of awareness of is this a voice that's trying to protect me or is this the head trash talking?

Carrie Webber (: 37:01

And so I have to work through that a lot, but I also have an incredible circle of people that I trust dearly that I can talk through things and say, do you think this is a good thing? Do you think this is a bad thing? Should I do this? And so it keeps me centered and it keeps me pushing. And I have yet to regret jumping off those cliffs because they've taken me to new places and

And in the stretching, I have met new people and created even more extraordinary relationships and had more extraordinary experiences because I didn't let discomfort or fear of what if keep me from pursuing something. That obviously ended up being a great, great thing. So I think everybody has their version of head trash.

And especially for business owners, practice leaders, we can go through so much of a roller coaster in our businesses that the stress and the pressure can also start to feel like head trash and we either hide or we fight. And, you know, I think that grit piece is something that is, you know, not talked about enough. You got to have a little grit. You got to have a little fight in you.

when it's a bad month, doctors, and you know it's turning out bad and the struggle is real, what are you gonna do? Are you gonna hide and just hope that something changes or are you gonna step to the forefront and roll up your sleeves and pick up the phone, call patients, do whatever you need to do to turn the month around? That's grit. So, overcoming.

Shawn Zajas (: 38:53

Okay, so everything you're saying keeps taking me back to the same kind of, it's almost like it's what I'm seeing. So you're talking and I'm like, all the little micro points on resilience, on like dancing in the tension, like amazing. I can tell you're someone that self educates, you're hungry to learn. That's why even I think some of the educational pieces when you were younger, that's what you were drawn toward, the training, the equipping. And yet,

Carrie Webber (: 39:06

Hmm.

Shawn Zajas (: 39:23

I see that you have this unique perspective and experience about how to steward multigenerational giftings wealth because the first generation typically, and this will tie in, I think Sean, make it work. So my dad, my dad used to have to take himself to practice because he was like the fourth child or fifth child of like seven.

So if he wanted to do a sport, he'd have to learn about the sport. He'd have to sign up for it. He'd have to pay for it. And he'd have to go and support himself completely. So he didn't have a home that supported believing in himself. He had to learn how to believe in himself. And he's this entrepreneur who does all these things. Well, then what does he do for us, his kids? He supports this environment where he's like, man, if only someone believed me. So he believes in us. He supports us. You know, was that every single game made it really easy for us?

Carrie Webber (: 40:06

Mm.

Shawn Zajas (: 40:21

And then at certain times I'm looking back and I'm like, well, I don't always believe in me because I didn't necessarily have to because I had other people believing in me, my mom and my dad, my friends, my siblings. But my dad didn't have that issue because he was first generation having to pioneer. So there's something crazy about the reason why it typically doesn't keep going. It's because it's really difficult to set the same constraints that originally allowed someone to break through or pioneer into something.

Carrie Webber (: 40:30

Yes.

Carrie Webber (: 40:48

Yes.

Shawn Zajas (: 40:51

then all of a sudden that generation gives their next generation everything and almost like they become soft. So it's like you and I have a very different situation where it's like, at some point I have to look in the mirror and I have to be like, Sean, everyone believes in you, but you need to believe in you. Like I need to believe in myself because it's almost like I didn't have to because I was so lifted by the optimism, the encouragement, just the atmosphere of my home was charged with belief.

Carrie Webber (: 41:04

Yeah.

Carrie Webber (: 41:08

Yeah.

Yes.

Shawn Zajas (: 41:19

We believed in the impossible. There was love. I knew I belonged. And then all of a sudden I get to a place in business or wherever where I feel on my own. And now it's like the rubber hits the road and I have to now almost like appropriate all that and almost like put down those stakes of my own. Yeah, but now I believe now I'm having my own victories and I don't like it's so easy to see why generational wealth goes off the rails.

Carrie Webber (: 41:37

Mm -hmm.

Shawn Zajas (: 41:47

because all the different private victories you've had, you've had to have, you've had to develop. It's different than, because the context of how you did it was very different than the way that your mom and your dad started pioneering. Now, again, I don't know if theirs was multi -generational. I'm guessing they were the ones that started it, right?

Carrie Webber (: 41:47

Mm -hmm.

Hmmmm

Carrie Webber (: 41:58

Yes.

Carrie Webber (: 42:03

Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm. Yes.

Shawn Zajas (: 42:07

So just to honor, that's really difficult, Kerry.

Carrie Webber (: 42:12

Well, you know, it's exactly like you just said. I mean, when it gets hard, what are you gonna do? You look in the mirror and you go, well, that's not how we thought this is, this isn't how we thought this was gonna turn out. So what are we gonna do now? Are we gonna hide and stick our head in the sand and be sad? Cause it's hard. Or are we gonna just do something? I remember in the pandemic, you know, when we all were like, what the heck are we supposed to do? And I remember just waking up in the mornings and go, okay, what's one thing?

What is something that I can do to try and keep the wheels on the bus, right? And progress is progress. I've always believed that. And I also realized, if you can do the work and do some self study, to your point, Shawn, I do, I read it and I study a lot because I do feel like there are, for those that know my parents, have seen Jameson over the years,

If they step into a room to see me speak, I know I'm already in a side -by -side comparison. Which is fine, I get it, as it should be. But I know, I was like, I've gotta earn my stripes. I've gotta earn their respect, and I've gotta earn it for myself, because I want it. I want their respect. I don't want respect given to me because of who I...

Shawn Zajas (: 43:16

Hmm.

Carrie Webber (: 43:36

You know, I don't want them to ever think that about me. It's just something about me. And so, you know, you do the work and then having some aha moments and awareness for my own self of why am I doing this? What do I have to lose? What do I have to gain? And who, who am I trying to serve? Like, who am I trying to help? And so I really centered on servant leadership.

And every time I go into a practice or every time I go to a lecture, every time I do a webinar, I do it from the lens of what can I give to these people so that whether they think it's a waste of time or not, I can in my heart of hearts know I gave everything that I can to them with the intention to help them. And I pray for that and I...

prepare in that way and everything is motivated by what's gonna be in it for them and how can I help them and help one person. And I learned that from my mom. When she'd prepare for consults or lectures, she always would say a prayer. I'd be like, if there's one person in the room that I can help, let me have the message that they are looking for. And so there's a great podcast, Sean.

called the Craig Rochelle Leadership Podcast. Do you know it?

Shawn Zajas (: 45:07

No.

Carrie Webber (: 45:09

Well, you should. And so... I did! I just should've!

Shawn Zajas (: 45:12

You just got on me?

Hahaha

That was a good spread. I think it was an appropriate one.

Carrie Webber (: 45:19

I would encourage you to go find and try this podcast. There's one that he talks about the generations in a business. And he talks about first generation business owner, like business team, like teams in a business, first generation, when you're in it from the beginning in a company and what you experience in the actual creation.

Shawn Zajas (: 45:33

Mm.

Carrie Webber (: 45:47

and struggle to build that business. And then there's the second generation that has their foot a little bit in the mindset of the first generation, but then are carrying it forward a little bit in their own way. And then you get into the third and however long a company lasts, third, fourth, fifth generations that have no direct experience of what it took to get the company started. And it's...

Shawn Zajas (: 46:09

So he didn't offer the book, The Fourth Turning, did he? So have you heard of that book? Okay, so you and I, we're gonna buy the book and then we'll do a little workshop on it because we both have actual experience in this. So The Fourth Turning is the idea that there are these four generations that end up keep almost like cycling and repeating itself. And people keep telling me about the book. So I'm really fascinated. I wanna read it because I'm curious if I'm in the second or third generation.

Carrie Webber (: 46:13

No. No?

Carrie Webber (: 46:29

my God.

Shawn Zajas (: 46:38

But you have kids, I have kids. I'm super curious about your legacy piece. Do you think that is with your speaking? Do you feel like there's maybe a book in you? Is it the outlet writing? Or do you think it could even be, I know retreats are on the rise. Do you feel like you could, maybe in a non -dental space with a retreat, just kind of.

Carrie Webber (: 46:58

Yeah.

Shawn Zajas (: 47:06

release that transformation that you carry. by the way, before, sorry. The one trait that I see in all the overachievers and like the highest performers that I talk to is what is in you and in your family. It is that uncommon generosity of spirit. It's people that are willing to simply pour out with such generosity, like who they are. They just give of themselves so freely. And that is just so evident in you. Sorry, I had to say that before.

Carrie Webber (: 47:33

e lecture I gave at Henman in: 2024

Can you be that for somebody and build somebody else up the way somebody did that for you? So thank you for seeing that. And I've never thought about a workshop on that, but that sounds very fascinating.

Shawn Zajas (: 48:13

Well, so the idea of, sorry, not the workshop. So for the retreat though, the idea of you being able to broker transformation in 10, 15 people that are like the ideal, that would just soak up what you've learned. Like all those victories, the experience, just the essence. Like you're so beautifully authentic in who you are and there's such power in that, that I know.

Carrie Webber (: 48:17

The retreat retreat thing.

Shawn Zajas (: 48:42

my gosh, like people need to receive what you have. And I'm so thankful for all those private victories that you've overcome in to be able to be where you're at, because you didn't have to say yes when it was difficult. You didn't have to take the torch and continue to run with it with all that you are and with passion and fighting to stay aligned.

You could have just resigned and just given up or even just gotten to the place where you just perform and you just, you know, feel that pressure to, this is what I have to be and I'm just going to do it even though you lose your heart. And you, you didn't, you haven't done that, Carrie. You've stayed alive. You've been, you know, vivacious about it. And it's just, yeah, it's a beautiful thing to behold.

Carrie Webber (: 49:18

Mm.

Carrie Webber (: 49:27

Thank you. That means a lot to me, thank you. And the hope is that everybody knows that there's an opportunity for everybody to tap into that core part of who you are and just give from it. My grandmother was a teacher and was an elder in her church.

She barely saw outside of the borders of Oklahoma, very rarely. But she was rooted in purpose that people still remember to this day because she served from the heart and even if it was just making bread for people. So there's no service too small and no act of generosity too little that can't.

be the thing that somebody needs today and that you could make an impact for them for the rest of their lives and what they choose to do for somebody else. So let's live in that and see what we can build in our businesses and in our careers and in our lives from that little kernel of truth.

Shawn Zajas (: 50:41

Okay, so Carrie, someone's listening and they're like, okay, I need to reach out. I want to connect with her. Where do you want them to go?

Carrie Webber (: 50:47

Well, there's a couple of places. The Jameson group has a website that you can go to learn more about what we do in dentistry and with dental practices across the country. It's jmsn .com, Jameson without the vowels. And then I do have a speaker page called caryspeaks .com. And you can find me on Instagram doing all kinds of nonsense on cariweberspeaks is my handle on Instagram. So come find me.

Let's be friends! Yes! gosh.

Shawn Zajas (: 51:18

I'm over, but I still have to ask my final question. Can I do that?

So here you are today and you're walking down the street and off in the distance you see 18 year old Carrie and you know you only have a brief sentiment to communicate one thing to her. What do you share?

Carrie Webber (: 51:40

Wow. I would say everything's gonna be all right. Just say yes.

Say yes to everything that you possibly can. Life's too short. It goes so fast. Just say yes. Don't be afraid to say yes.

Shawn Zajas (: 52:08

As I've been observing kind of you in this interview, I realized that from your parents, you probably developed very specialized knowledge of how to help practices on the marketing side, the management side. So the specialized IQ side of what you know how to do is incredibly important. And yet, because of the relational giftings, you have very high EQ. And yet, I still feel like your superpower is probably more your

your heart intelligence. It's your ability to be able to know how to access your heart, speak from that place where you really, it's just powerful. And I feel like most of the world isn't comfortable connecting with their hearts and leading and having the conviction to actually even authentically show that. So I just wanna say thank you for showing up that way. Thank you for.

Just being such a light, Carrie, it's been just an honor to get to even to spend this time with you. I am a massive fan. I'm 100 % in your corner if you need anything. I just wanna say like, thank you so much for letting me interview you today.

Carrie Webber (: 53:20

Thank you, Sean. This will probably go down in the books as one of my favorite, most favorite podcast experiences. My podcast now is gonna be like, well, I'm the worst podcast host ever, because this was just really, really special and thank you for filling my cup. This was just really special. So thank you very much for the invitation.