Behind a Smile with Dr. Shauntel Ambrose

Diversify your Portfolio with Dr Rohini Bisaal

• Shauntel Ambrose

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Imagine doing aesthetic and orthodontic dental care by day and seamlessly transforming into a glamorous brand ambassador and social media icon at night. This is the life of Dr. Rohini Bisaal. Although living her dream now, she speaks about being teased and bullied as a school-goer  and having had orthodontic treatment, she  was able to rebuild her self-esteem and confidence and establish herself in the modelling field. It was then that her passion for dentistry was born. She shares her journey of how she actively participates in self-motivation, yoga, positive thinking and surrounds herself with many mentors that grow every aspect of her life incrementally. Being at the top does require thick skin and she shares a level-headed perspective of how to not empower criticism borne out of envy, and projection. She demonstrates empathy for individuals that do not see their own beauty, and place in the world and encourages dentists through the young dentists association of South Africa to find their own talents and expand their horizons.
Join us as we talk to this inspiring powerhouse, Dr. Rohini Bisaal.

Speaker 1:

Hi, I'm Chantal Ambrose. I'm a dentist and I host a healthcare business podcast that shares tips straight from the industry leaders. So, whether you are a startup or needing a push in the right direction, a family business or just looking for some mentorship, join us. She's a dentist, she is a model and she is a social media. She calls herself a content creator. I call her an extraordinaire. She has done absolutely amazing things in dentistry and beyond, and if you think that you cannot have beauty and brains, well, I think that she proves you wrong. So she has qualified from the university, otherwise engaged, and she's won the Golden Key Award. She has done a number of courses digital smile design, she's done clear braces, she does Botox, she does fillers, she's done a lot of acidic dentistry and she is a member of the Young Dentist Council of South Africa. So welcome Ruhini.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much, Chantal. It's so great to be with you, and thank you so much for all the love and support and just your energy in general. Thank you Well.

Speaker 1:

I'm really excited. I can't even tell you, I think, that we've had a lot of amazing speakers on, and we've just spoken about dentists that are celebrity. Dentists see a lot of celebrities, but you are our first dentist who is a celebrity. What led you to dentistry?

Speaker 2:

So this is a very interesting question. I get asked almost all the time but it is quite a. It's an interesting journey for me. So back in school I had white skew teeth. I was bullied about it, they used to call me Bugs Bunny and I was very fortunate that my parents got braces for them.

Speaker 2:

For me, I'll say the orthodontist did, but they were obviously that link to it right and that completely changed my life. Seeing myself transform, it was literally no pain, no gain. So I was very, very much within that program. I think, just seeing how it transformed my smile, I was able to smile more and you know, when you smile more you release more endorphins, you become a happier person. So that confidence boost as well was just. It just skyrocketed and I saw myself so different and I thought maybe if that could do or transform my life in such a positive way, imagine doing that for other people.

Speaker 2:

I think that was the biggest driving force for me essentially, and from that I've developed and I've grown and I think I'm very grateful for the journey and I'm just really grateful for the profession as a whole, because I think it's such a beautiful profession and no people, when they come in there immediately are like why do you want to be a dancer? Just like looking people's mouths every day and they're like no, it's so much more than that. So I think it's the way you approach the profession and what you choose to focus on, and that is the biggest driving force for me.

Speaker 1:

Well, I recognize that you're actually quite a positive human being, and I think that when you thread your messages, they almost always have a sense of positivity about you, which I really admire. How are you being so beautiful and positive?

Speaker 2:

I also have a bad days. I always tell people what you see is literally a bit and piece of my life that I wish to share, and I think that's what I don't want people to get roped into. I'm not perfect in any way. I have my flaws. I have my bad days as well. They're days where patients come in late, and that's one of my biggest things.

Speaker 2:

If a patient comes in late and then your appointments just get back to them and back to them, I get anxiety from them, but I don't show that to the world, right, but I will still own that because it's me being human. But at the end of the day, I think it's also knowing that you're gonna have those bad days, you're going to have those challenges, but it's just temporary, it's going to pass, and the more you focus on that overcoming, I would say, the more positivity comes into your life, the more goodness is gonna come into your life, and I'm a big believer in the law of attraction and I think that's been one of the most transformative journeys for me, when I watched a certain documentary when I was very, very young. That was influenced on my dad and I'll always be grateful for him for that, and that's how everything begins in your mind. And if you own that power and you recognize that power within you, the rest is just going to exude so beautifully in the world for sure.

Speaker 1:

OK, so do you have any sort of best procedures that you just on a daily basis, no matter how busy you are? You look forward to doing them.

Speaker 2:

I love aesthetics in general, so I know I do a lot of my clear braces right now, which is something that's close to my heart, and then doing those aesthetic work afterwards your whitening, the veneers, your crowns if needed. I think that's what I'm really, really passionate about. So I think that's definitely my focus area and I love doing that.

Speaker 1:

I know that you're part of the mighty. I'd love to hear a little bit about it, because I'm very passionate about mentorship, and this podcast was born out of a really difficult time in Quasulina when, post COVID we've been talking about it on the show People have been needing mentorship more than anything. Some people have had to start all over again, some people had to do massive reinvestment, so it was just one thing after the other. So we had COVID, then we had blood, then we had riot, then it just was a bad economy and we just never got the break. So that was how we ended up having a little talk show that was going to assist Practices, to just get back up again and just take a little bit of breath and to have people that have been in the shoes to give a little bit of a bite. And so I want you to give us a little bit of an idea of the role of the YDC and how it really is playing its part in giving the people who are entering practices a little bit of mentorship.

Speaker 2:

So the Young Dentists Council of South Africa is basically the baby of SOTA and, with that being said, we host these events especially targeting for the young dentists. Now remember, when you're in concert, fair enough, you know, you get placed, you have a job, you have that financial security. But then when your post comes up, when you're ending your concert, you literally are then thinking am I going to get a job? What do I do after this? If I applied to be in government, am I going to get a post? Well, I remember when I was in university nobody really. You didn't study private practice, you didn't study what to do after concert, you just studied what you need to do as a dentist, right?

Speaker 2:

And I think that's where YDC comes in to guide, to help and to build a community, a safe community for young dentists to ask those questions, to find out more information as to where they need to go, what they need to do.

Speaker 2:

And I'm not saying it's just limited to just the fresh dentists straight out of universities. You know, I always believe there's no stupid question and sometimes we think that we may know a certain point and they're scared to ask these questions. And that's what YDC is here for, if we can be a community together and learn from each other and I mean, I learned from everyone as well and we develop and build ourselves up. I think that is one of the key ingredients for success and to survive in the industry, because it's not the easiest of industries to be in. There's a lot of stresses, not just work related, but also personal related. You know, when you go home and you think about certain cases and so on, and you need to process things, and I think building a community, discussing those cases with colleagues and providing that safe space is what we do.

Speaker 1:

We have a number of different people coming out of universities and they really don't know where they're going. There's that feeling of finishing comm service now, exactly like you say. And where do I fit in Now, as I've been talking to a lot of people. What happened is that it is more difficult to actually start a type reticent now than it has ever been because of the way the economy is. So it used to be a time where you could just get alone. The easiest thing that one could do as a medical professional was get alone, and it has become a great area right now. And so when I see a young dentist, what they say to me is I can't actually afford to open my own press. What sort of advice do you have for them? So what advice do you have for people that are feeling a little bit locked in?

Speaker 2:

So one of the biggest things is, yes, dentistry can be your profession, right, but what drives you as a person? What are your passions? Yes, dentistry can be your passion, but there's also people out there where they're a dentist because maybe the family, there's a family history of dentistry. So you don't really know why, the why there's nothing to lose at all. So, yes, you know, sometimes private practice is not for everyone, but there are definitely. I mean, the world is your oyster. There's so many things out there for you to discover and explore and so on. And even if you want to be in government I mean there's obviously the post that you apply for and so on, but it's not as easy as I would say it is.

Speaker 2:

I've just been at a point where I mean, I'm going into my sixth year next year and, with that being said, being within also a group of dentists and in a group practice, you learn so much from each other and you build such a healthy community. So you've got to find what works for you. That worked for me, it's working for me I'm not saying it's going to work for everyone else but I think the biggest thing is that you know the energy. Be very mindful of how you feel in situations and circumstances. And yeah, just find your. Why? Find what suits you and do what you feel is best for you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for that. I want to talk now about that. You are an influencer and I am just gonna ask you, to date, how many people follow you, just just in case I have people that are listening to. Who is that the person? I have never hung up, this lady. How many people follow you, ruhini?

Speaker 2:

So well. On Instagram it's 54,000 and on TikTok it's around 90,000.

Speaker 1:

So you are a social media influencer. I know that, you know that there's a lot of responsibility comes with that and I would just to share with us now what does that role mean? And you know, give us a little bit of a real-life estate because when we look at it, you know it looks glamorous, it looks as though you can seamlessly move from one place to the other 100% aspect of that life, of the life. So the responsibility that comes with that, Sure.

Speaker 2:

So look my journey with regards to social media. It literally just happened. It all started with me blogging in university, taking impressions with my, my colleagues and literally just serving it as like a daily, a day in a life of rope. Basically, what am I doing every day? You know that kind of thing and then it just exponentially grew.

Speaker 2:

I'll be very honest with you I don't ideally like seeing myself as an influencer, purely because of the backlash that is associated, and even with regards to the brands I associate myself with, this is a lot of brands that I turned down purely because it's not going to be me being authentic to my followers and for people that see me, and that's how I ideally operate in that realm, and one of the things I'm really passionate about is also just encouraging young females and young people in general, and I never want them to get that misconception that this is a glamorized world and so on. Yes, it's beautiful, it's rewarding, you can reach a lot of people, which is great, but how are you doing that? What content are you putting out as well? Are you making people feel good about themselves, or you're doing the latter, and that's what you always got to be mindful of, and, yes, the more you put yourself out there, the more you are putting yourself out there to be judged, to be people having opinions of you, and that also comes with its own how can I say you put it in that box right? But also it's how you handle it, and I think that's what it's taught me over time. I'm very grateful for how to handle adversities, how to handle negative comments, how to handle people that may not be a fan of yours, and that's really okay, and I think you grow as a person.

Speaker 2:

The realm is a wonderful realm and I think that's how the world is going with regards to marketing and so in a lot of businesses are steering in that direction, which is wonderful, but again, as you said, it comes with a lot of responsibilities. You've got to be mindful of what you're posting. You've got to be for me, at least you've got to be authentic, you've got to be real. You know, share what you want to share with the world, but also remember that there is a sacred part of you that you also keep to yourself, and that's one thing that I always urge people who want to go in the content creator or influencer realm don't lose yourself. Don't lose yourself in that there's only one. You don't try to be like another person. Don't even try to be like me, because I am also. I have my flaws, I have my bad days, as you say, and you got to just own your own self. I think when you do that, there's no room for you going wrong and you won't lose yourself. Process as well.

Speaker 1:

So I appreciate that. What do you do when it is something that's a bad day and you're just not coping well with the criticism or you're not coping well with you know haters, hate. How do you do this? How do you harm yourself? How do you get into space again and become authentic, just with you?

Speaker 2:

So one of my biggest things I've been doing this from the time I was in school gosh, yoga, meditation, listening to positive podcasts. I have a lot of mentors that I absolutely love. So, you see, you don't see that on social media. That is my me time, that is my self investment time and I always believe you've got to invest in yourself. Self development is so important. The Rahini that you're going to meet now and the Rahini you're going to meet next year, I know it'll be exponential. It'll be a exponential growth because you always got to find ways to grow yourself and get to yourself in whatever way it is. So, yes, grounding yourself.

Speaker 2:

Yoga for me has been so transformative, especially being a dentist and you have that headache, back pain, so that has been also from a physical perspective, of a mental perspective and a spiritual perspective. I'm deeply rooted in that and that definitely helps. But I also believe that there's there's a lot of healing that is needed in this world and I think knowing that and seeing that it also is kind of grounding, because people's opinions of you is not a reflection of you, it's a reflection of what they're going through internally. You know, sometimes I it saddens me because you pray for them and you hope that they overcome whatever they're going to, because we all come with our traumas, we all come with our struggles, but sometimes people don't know how to deal with that and they project and you just got to find a way not to take that first.

Speaker 1:

I think that you have a pageantry background and I imagine that you would have had some mentorship quite early on. So share with us who are your mentors. You do your yoga, you have your personal space, but then what the pain you go through.

Speaker 2:

So I have a very good handful of really, really close friends and you know I always say this my closest friends are not even on social media, funny enough, and I love that because it doesn't have to be all outfit right. So one of them is very spiritual grew of mine, obviously my mom and dad from a familial relationship, and I do have these mentors, I mean from a dental, dental perspective as well. I have like different categories. Lex has been a very positive and influential person in my life with regards to dentistry, always willing to help, always willing to be there whenever I need him from that perspective. But also, I think my big one, I'm going to say my biggest mentors, mentors that have transformed my life, will definitely have to be speakers.

Speaker 2:

All of those people that have these podcasts that are able to how can I say mentor from afar? Those are my go to people when I'm having a rough day, and so when I put on a podcast, I focus my energy on it, even while I'm doing something, and I hear them in the background. Is that energy and the frequency that gets you going, and so weird how it just elevates your mood. So, yeah, I think it depends on what niche you're looking at for mentorship and then you go and plug into that perspective.

Speaker 1:

I think that what you're saying is really fun. We find that a lot of people don't actually see mentorship until they really need it. Does your family have any background in the medical business? Were you, like all of us and apologies to everyone that is within the Indian category, where there are only a few couple odd careers we can have in life that our parents would really move us into, especially back in the dark ages there were already about five categories you could get into.

Speaker 2:

So, look, I have zero background of anyone in my family that's close family, not really extended that is a dentist. So I'm pretty much the first one that sprung up, which I think is interesting. My dad, he was in the career industry. He's retired now. My mom was in pageantry, she was in the beauty industry. She's a cosmetologist. So completely different career choice.

Speaker 2:

But, yes, my dad, as a typical Indian family would. He's always been like okay, no, you know, it'll be nice to have, like you know, a medical doctor in the family. So, yes, it was something that I would have considered. However, I always told myself I want that family life as well. I didn't really see myself going into post-calls and so on, but I felt in love with dentistry on my own, I mean going with, going for more orthodontics and so on, and I think there was a reason for that and that was that stepping stone to my, my dentistry journey.

Speaker 2:

So I was never really pushed, I would say even during my trick, my mom and dad literally left me to do what I needed to do. There was no pressure. So I'm very grateful from that perspective. They never pressurized me to choose a career that I was not comfortable. I'm comfortable with my, my elder sister as well. She's into finance and accounting. She made that decision on her own and I think it's so important to give your kids yes, guide them, but never try to force them into a decision, because they are going to be the ones that are going to be unhappy at the end of the day. So I think, from that perspective, very grateful, and that's an advice I've also given to parents and young kids as well.

Speaker 1:

Where? If you could practice anywhere in the world, where would you?

Speaker 2:

I've always had this dream. I know it sounds very far-fetched, but I'm going to share it with you. I wish I could travel. I wish I could be that traveling dentist, because I want to explore the world at the same time and also do what I love. Yeah, I think that's what I would love to do explore the world. I think I don't see myself settling in one place. I'd like to explore and see things. I mean yes, I mean you know, when you qualify, you see a certain perspective like we are like okay, fine, I want to go to this country, I want to go to that country. But I think after COVID, I lich my entire perspective and paradigm shift, where I was like we need to stop having these five-year plans, you need to stop having these three-year plans, you need to have stopped having this just love life, love life and do what you need to do, and everything will just fall into place naturally. So I think at this point I'm like I wish I was a traveling dentist. That would be really cool.

Speaker 1:

So tell us what is the main thing that you would like to be known for in terms of what would you sort of accomplishment would you like to be known for? How?

Speaker 2:

will make people feel. That's definite For me. It's not about the titles, it's not about all the superficial stuff. If I can have a conversation with you and you feel better after that conversation of one, and that it's as simple as that, it's how I make a person feel.

Speaker 1:

And what are you most proud of? I know that you probably have a lot to be proud of, so what are you most proud of?

Speaker 2:

I think this is a recent one, but my ability to overcome adversities in general, my ability to always see love in a situation and always have that energy to pray for another person, regardless of whatever they may have done or they do, and always have that hope for people in this world, hope for myself to overcome, to be better.

Speaker 2:

There's always room for improvement and I would never want to see myself being I'm at my best or I see that person at their best and at that peak. It's always encouraging yourself and people as well, to do better, to be better and hope for a better community as a whole. I think there's so much of adversity going on in this world right now and I'm sure you know what I mean with the world in general and things going on, and all we can do right now is keep a good, a level headed approach, a good heart, be kind and pray, simple, and I think you learn so much more from if it triggers you. How are you going to act from that trigger? How are you going to respond? Are you going to react? Are you going to respond? So I think it also teaches you, if anything, any bad experience in life.

Speaker 1:

It teaches you, how are you?

Speaker 2:

going to deal with it and yeah, I think that's pretty much it.

Speaker 1:

Listen, I want to thank you. I think that it's been absolutely wonderful just seeing it, to see a glimpse of you, to get to share a little bit of your personal life and listen, I really want to thank you for the time that you're doing. I really think that you're doing extraordinary things, and our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most brightens. We are our self and we ask ourselves who are we to be? Brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? And the question is actually, who are we not to be? So you are a child of God and your playing small does not serve the world. And, honestly, that was the only thing that came to mind when I thought about ending the show with you. So I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for just doing what you're doing and just keep on doing it. You're doing a great job. Just keep on doing it.

Speaker 1:

Shantel, that is so heartwarming and thank you so much for making the time, and I really appreciate your love, support, your kindness and your energy once again, I've covered starting up and how to turn your vision into a business, and in our future episodes we look at leadership, we look at multi-practice success and I'm grateful for you and I would love to hear your ideas. What questions do you need answered? Please drop me a mail at behindersmile2 at gmailcom. I look forward to hearing from you and remember you are heard, you are seen and on this platform, you are invited. Let's make it happen together.