The Women in Dentistry Podcast and Collaborative was founded by Dr. MaryJane Hanlon in March of 2020 as a way to inspire and reassure the young women in dentistry – no matter what their contribution to the field is:  office support, assistant, hygienist, dentist, lab tech, or sales – that their story matters.  Initially, Dr. Hanlon looked for a podcast to help her dental students develop confidence by seeing women who had a similar lack in confidence eventually become successful in their career.  Finding none, The Women in Dentistry was formed. 

The idea for the podcast was the result of an innocent conversation occurring between two first year female students that Dr. Hanlon became a part of.  Both students were commenting that they would “never be able to have their own practice” and “never be able to pay off their student loans”.  Concerned, Dr. Hanlon inquired further by asking them “why” they felt that way. She further explained that they would never had been accepted unless they had amazing grades and that our admissions team saw the potential in them to become dentists.  All that was left for them to do was to develop the skills that can only be done by practice and daily focus.   “All it takes ladies, is the day by day steps of practicing your skills, focusing on improving those skills each day, and never giving up”.  Reluctantly, they agreed and promised they would put their blinders on and just take one day at a time. 

Over the past seven months, over 62 episodes ranging from 40 minutes to over an hour have been recorded exploring a multitude of subjects including building confidence, overcoming obstacles, mottos to live by, and sage advice for the next generation. 

 Listen wherever you enjoy your Podcast experience.

Young women are entering the field of dentistry faster than ever before!

In 2020, the entering classes of most dental schools in the country will be close to 60%.

Inspiring women, who have shaped the industry before them

and are paving the way for the next generation,

are joining Dr. MJ to share their leadership style, guidance and inspiration,

so the next generation can take the industry to the next level!

“it is so empowering to hear the stories of so many women leaders.”

I just wanted to reach out and thank you for your podcast "The Women in Dentistry". It is so empowering to hear the stories of so many women leaders. Their stories are relatable to so many women navigating their path in the profession. I particularly loved and related to Dr. Pastan's conversation on stopping to breathe, Dr. Moriarty and your tips on networking. Dr. Kathy O'loughlin and you shared your thoughts on self confidence. So many women have been told (by others or ourselves) that we are under or over confident. Everything about Dr. Maragliano-Muniz! Your podcast is a reminder that what matters most is our relationship with ourself. I'm so grateful for my time at TUSDM surrounded by fabulous women like yourself, Dr. Ganda, Dr. Dragan and so many others to look up to. Dr. Hanlon, you are such an inspiration because you ALWAYS share your story, uplift others and give unconditionally. I know you wear so many hats and I'm thankful that you carved out time to give through this podcast.

- Gayathri S

“Listening to your words is empowering.”

“Yesterday, the most random (and great) thing happened. I was scrolling down my Instagram feed and one of the runners I have been following closely for a while posted about a podcast called The Women in Dentistry she was part of recently and had the link in her bio to follow. Curious and fast, I clicked without paying much attention, to discover that it was your podcast. I listened to your interviews with Nicole, Dr. Pastran and now finishing Katrina’s. I also found an interview you gave on someone else’s podcast (get off the Treadmill with Chuck Blakeman). It was fascinating to hear your story and inspired with your journey, your connections with patients, communities and how to be driven by your passion. I wanted to share with you 3 main reflections after listening. First, thank you: for all you do for our school, our community, our profession and our gender. Second, thank you for sharing your passion and to be a role model for so many women, including myself. Third, please keep sharing. I feel so connected with you, your spiritual view and your approach to life and success. Listening to your words is empowering. I like to be active in social media and community like environments within and outside dentistry. Also, my passion is to connect with women in dentistry, especially around the Latina community. I have attended a few events in which I had the opportunity to connect and create a small community with some wonderful women who have leadership roles in different Dental Schools in Latin-America.”

- GABY L.

women-in-dentistry-podcast-mj-hanlon.jpg

Your host, Dr. MJ Hanlon, is an educator, speaker, and mentor. 

She is a thought leader in the field of Dentistry. In addition to The Women in Dentistry Podcast, she has founded the New Dentist Symposium - a collection of educational modules created exclusively for students and young dentists. 

Working with men and women at every stage of their career, she shows them through her coaching programs how they can set up their future to maximize their dreams and goals.