Meet Your Hosts
The Dental Associate Edge was built on a simple belief: that dental associates deserve better preparation for the business side of practice ownership than most dental schools ever provide.
Dr. Dave Striegel and Sandy Baird, MBA, bring complementary expertise — and a shared passion for closing that gap to reduce widespread frustration, stress, and professional burnout — to every episode of The Dental Associate Edge.
Sandy Baird, MBA
CO-HOST
Sandy Baird is a dental practice management consultant and speaker with over 40 years of hands-on dental management experience and an M.B.A. from Auburn University.
Founded in 2005, Baird Dental Business Concepts is a full-service consulting firm providing business, financial, and operational guidance to general dentists and their teams.
Sandy works with practices that want to operate more smoothly, efficiently, and intentionally. While she helps teams navigate challenges, her primary focus is guiding dentists and their teams to work smarter, not harder—creating streamlined systems, stronger communication, and a more productive, positive work environment.
Her work helps reduce stress, improve team engagement, and lower employee turnover, while building practical operating systems that support consistency, growth, and long-term success.
As a dental industry speaker, Sandy delivers engaging, real-world presentations focused on leadership, teamwork, financial performance, and effective operating systems. She also addresses the realities of managing people, including navigating difficult conversations and challenging team dynamics.
Her goal is simple: to provide clear strategies and actionable tools that help practices run better, feel better, and perform at a higher level.
Dave Striegel, PhD
Dr. Dave Striegel is a practice performance coach, consultant, and speaker with a Ph.D. in sport psychology and more than 30 years of experience helping people perform at their best under real pressure. He is especially known for his work with dental leaders, coaching practice owners and teams to improve communication, strengthen alignment, reduce stress, and drive sustainable results without losing the human side of leadership.
Dave has spent the past decade deeply immersed in the dental profession, helping highly driven doctors and teams navigate the challenges of leadership, growth, and team dynamics. His work translates performance psychology into practical, real-world strategies that practices can apply immediately.
Beyond dentistry, Dave has worked with a wide range of high performers—from Fortune 500 executives and business owners to elite athletes and federal law enforcement. His background includes athletes competing on the PGA, LPGA, ATP, and WTA Tours, as well as teams and individuals from MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, the U.S. Ski Team, and elite military units.
Known for his engaging, no-nonsense style, Dave helps people think more clearly, communicate more effectively, and focus on what actually moves the needle. Clients value his ability to simplify complex challenges and turn insight into action, both at work and at home.
CO-HOST