Dental Practice Heroes How to Work with your Spouse (Without Burning Out Your Marriage) with Dr. Trent and Hope Neisen
Feb 4, 2026
Hope Neisen, an operations and HR lead with a psychology background, and Trent Neisen, a dentist who shifted to fewer clinical days, talk leadership as a married team. They cover clear role splits, handling disagreements and HR decisions, preventing burnout through boundaries and added providers, routine check-ins, and leaning on outside support and rituals to protect their relationship.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Clear Lanes Prevent Role Confusion
- They maintain a clear clinical versus operations divide: Trent leads clinical care and team inspiration, Hope runs front office, HR, payroll, and finances.
- They emphasize a literal door and defined lanes so team members know who to approach for clinical versus administrative issues.
Burnout Triggered Their Boundary Strategy
- Trent described a burnout year as an associate doing five long clinical days where he began dreading Mondays and the stress leaked into the marriage.
- That low point motivated them to design a different practice model when they purchased Authentic Dental to protect their relationship and wellbeing.
Cut Days And Delegate To Add Joy
- Reduce clinical load and add providers: Trent shifted toward fewer clinical days and then decided to hire another provider to regain joy and balance.
- He followed peer advice: eliminate and delegate to elevate, adding an associate to protect quality of care and life.