Breaking Barriers: Kris Volcheck’s Mission to Provide Quality Dental Care

Kris Volcheck  00:00 

I want more money because I want to, I want to treat more people. We that’s the basic. That’s That’s how our system works. But there’s no exception with the nonprofit world. If I want to give a better return to my foundations and the community, I needed to do more people that are impoverished, and I need to up the quality of 

 

Shawn Zajas  00:18 

care. And that all takes money. The future of dentistry belongs to the innovators. Welcome to innovation in dentistry. I’m your host, Shawn Zajas. And I believe that the future of dentistry is going to be unbelievably great over the next decade in two decades. But the question isn’t that the question is, are you going to be part of what makes dentistry great? Okay, I could not be more excited today to be with the one and only Dr. Kris Volkcheck of brighter weight Institute formerly known as the Cass homeless clinic. Dr. Volcheck before I set you up, let me just say, thank you so much for letting me interview you today. 

 

Kris Volcheck  01:14 

Shawn, I always have a good time interacting with you. So whatever the venue is, I’m going to enjoy it. 

 

Shawn Zajas  01:23 

Well, okay, so can I have you want me to refer to you on this podcast? I’m gonna call you Kris or Chris. 

 

Kris Volcheck  01:27 

Kris. Dr. Volcheck takes too long. Yeah. 

 

Shawn Zajas  01:31 

Dr. Volcheck just has such a good sound to it. But okay, so Kris. Innovation can mean so many different things, right, especially in dentistry, like we could talk about clinical innovation. There’s business model and software innovation, like technological ones that really can make breakthroughs. But for this podcast, I’m fascinated by what gets somebody just to say, like, why not? Why not me, because behind every innovation is a person that says like, I can pioneer positive change. And I want to know about the positive change that you have pioneered. So tell me about your origin story in dentistry?  

 

Kris Volcheck  02:20 

Yes, I will Shawn. So as you know, I was a private practice dentist for nine years and Globe, Arizona. So small, private practice, but I did not know what to say I did not like it. I don’t know if I was any good at it. I don’t know what all the combinations been a long time. But I just I just know because you know, your memory makes a lot of things up. But I’m ADHD. I couldn’t stand to be in that those four walls all day long. I love my patients. I love my patients. That’s why I went into it to help people. And now the reason I chose dentistry because my dentist was cool. My position wasn’t as cool as I think I told you, my dentist, pretty old. So my dentist while he was injecting he would smoke a cigarette and your drink is bourbon. He is directly always set his bourbon there. So he’s drinking that? How could I not become a dentist? So he was the biggest influence. However, that is not the way one should pick a career just because your dentist is cool. So I did not at all. And I nine year mark, I said I had to do something out of the treatment room, Shawn. I went back and got my MBA because I always took I went back to my comfort zone of academia and jumped back into the MBA and I thought I might do something with that MBA and DDS. And fortunately, at my MBA graduation, I met a formidable woman. Her name’s Mary Horton. She is sort of the mother of homelessness for the City of Phoenix, she started the shelter, the cat shelter, end of the 1970s. And that is when, of course across the nation. Every city had a homeless issue because we let all of the mental health institutions out without any alternatives. So every one of those institutions opened up and all cities had a homeless problem. So we were no exception, and she started it but I met her at my graduation. And I was so blown away by her effort and her charisma. And she said, why don’t why don’t you come down and volunteer while you’re trying to figure out your MBA DDS stuff? And so I did. I had this was just something to do. My mother did a lot of stuff, social work. I always wanted to volunteer, but I was not. This meant nothing to me except going down and help the community a little bit. So I visited, I went down. I got there, there were 500 homeless, people milling around. I was scared as hell, I wouldn’t get out of that car. As you know, and I finally I, I even started crying a little bit, I think, because I was scared. I did. And then finally I got the guts to get out of that car, and go in there. And they took me in as a volunteer, and I started handing out clothing and food. And within a couple of months. Oh, why I like this place. I’m more than like this place I fit in here. So I had two years of volunteering while I was still practicing. And I decided, and I made rationalizations around this. Because like, I thought, I’m a dentist, I have an MBA, I’m going to work with the homeless, I didn’t do Peace Corps. I’m just going to do a couple years down here. So I left my practice and I started there Cash Shelter hired me as a case manager. So we had I was in a trailer, in the fields in the river beds and on the streets. And I stayed there. I didn’t do my Peace Corps two years. I loved it so much. And it was my home ground. I stayed on the streets for seven years. And those are most fulfilling entertaining as you can imagine, seven years you can’t do better than spend, spend your life on the street working with the homeless for seven years. It’s illuminating, it’s transformative. And again, as I said, it’s it’s quite entertaining. So I was captured there. Those are my people. My tents ADHD, all the chaos was music to me, I like these. This is it. This is this what excites me. But a couple things happened. I you can imagine what I saw on the street, you can imagine the tea that I saw on the street and they didn’t know I was a dentist. So but I was out there helping them but their teeth of course were everyone was bombed out and their pain and infection and bear I am. But so I got the opportunity. I found out about a two chair trailer from the Office of Oral Health. They allowed me to take it casts. My CEO there said give it a try. Kris, we need dental. So I pulled up a two chair trailer 40 years old, stuck it in the field where I was doing case management, and started out with 16 volunteers. And we started the state’s only homeless dental clinic that opened in 2001. So it’s been 22 years now. 

 

Shawn Zajas  08:39 

So we wait so the time from when you started at the clinic to when you started bringing dentistry how what gaps is that? 

 

Kris Volcheck  08:47 

So no I when I thought I was. So I started volunteering in 91 and I was still practicing. In 93. I left my practice and went on the gut to be a case manager. I worked as a case manager from 2003 to 2007. I mean to 90 Sorry, Jun 1993 to 2000. When I grabbed a hold of the trailer, it took me a year to get the whole program set up. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I never ran a nonprofit or a dental clinic in a field with the homeless. So it took me a year to prepare that. And then January one, we opened that to your clinic which you’ve been in or did you miss the trailer? 

 

Shawn Zajas  09:38 

I think I showed up what maybe five or six years ago so what when would  

 

Kris Volcheck  09:51 

 Oh When did the shit. Sorry, sorry. 

 

Shawn Zajas  09:52 

You can say that it’s okay. 

 

Kris Volcheck  09:57 

So, 

 

Shawn Zajas  09:59 

now that we’ve marked As an explicit episode, you’re free to say 

 

Kris Volcheck  10:05 

or is there? Are there markings for explicit, explicit ones? 

 

Shawn Zajas  10:10 

I don’t know, in the podcast. I don’t know if I need to mark my whole show explicit because I’ve had some guests that swear. So I don’t know. We’ll see. I wouldn’t worry about it. 

 

Kris Volcheck  10:19 

Okay. So 2001 is when I opened the trailer, and you I haven’t known you that long. That’s 22 years ago. 

 

Shawn Zajas  10:34 

So when I showed up, I think you are you are out of the trailer, you had our very established clinic already. Right? Okay. But when I showed up, and for people that don’t know, Kris, you were an early inspiration to me, in the sense that right then in there, I was considering pulling out of dentistry because I was I wasn’t really liking dentist. Um, I was trying to connect with them, right? I was trying to get something real. Like hey, like, you know, are there any struggles or like, how is life and everything was they were crushing it and it was just amazing. 

 

Kris Volcheck  11:12 

All American guys are crushing it. 

 

Shawn Zajas  11:16 

And I’m thinking well, I’m struggling in business trying to sell to y’all. And if you guys are just like, inhuman I don’t know if I if I can’t care about the people in dentistry, then I can’t care about dentistry. And thankfully, I just met Dr. House. So she gave me hope. And then I met you and I’m like, okay, my two favorite people in dentistry. Dr. House and Dr. Kris Volcheck, I think there’s a chance I can stay. So the only reason why I’m here. If 50% of it’s because of you, that’s a that’s a big deal. So you’re one of my heroes. 

 

Kris Volcheck  11:51 

I’m having Well, I’m having dinner with Dr. House tomorrow. So here, there was the two of us. So glad to hear Thank you, Shawn. 

 

Shawn Zajas  12:01 

Okay, so what I’m part of what I’m interested in too, is like, right, the dream for dentistry, is you, you get the education you. It’s not cheap. And then you live the dream life of making lots of money. And after nine years, you were fine to just be like this. This isn’t me. It doesn’t. Fulfilling, 

 

Kris Volcheck  12:27 

right. Because that’s, you know, I tell that story. It sounds simple. It was the least simple thing for me to do in my life. I, I was torn completely. I used a DDS and MBA, you shouldn’t the whole you shouldn’t be doing these big things over here and making a lot of money. But that doesn’t. That’s just what you were taught. But that doesn’t fit. What are you going to do? You’re going to be a loser. Are you a loser? If you work with the homeless? Are you a great guy in the capitalistic system while you’re, it’s both you can be loser and what what did you do and my family? What are you doing with that DDS and MBA? I’m in the field with the homeless. They’re freaking out. And so mine was like, I don’t know what to do. I found my place on earth. But I was like going to build a family meal alive. What am I what was I going to do? So that trailer came along and allowed me to put my DDS and my MBA into something that I could have passion for. I completely lucked out as a being to land on that plot of land that was meant for my personality. And I never take that for granted. Did I ever think that I would have any association with the homeless? No, I did not. I feel very fortunate. I whatever my genetic mix is in my environment from specially from the mom side of social work. I got there. And so I don’t take big credit in the sense of that. We’re all very fortunate. My MCs happened to work there. So I got to I got to feel all the societal pressure. Like, oh, you should be doing more than being a case manager, which I think teachers and case managers are the most important thing in the world. But that’s just not how it works. So I got that, but I also ended up having a huge career that has spanned it’s not teeth it’s not even weave They clinics and we do great work. But I get to be involved in social work still, I still go out on the street on Tuesdays because I can’t not go out there. And immigrant issues, domestic violence issues, these, these are what interests me, teeth. I’m glad. That’s an important component. And I’m glad that has been absolutely my savior. But it’s all the other components that have made my life so big. When I think of being in private practice a lot of people, that’s a worthy call as a private practice, you are helping people. I got that. But for me, with my own chaos needing chaos, I this was perfect. And I still got to be Oh, it’s Dr. Volcheck, you got some legitimacy, you’re doing something. So I got the best of both worlds. I didn’t have to be beaten up by my family and society and saying you’re not doing enough to this. So there you go. I don’t know how someone gets so lucky. 

 

Shawn Zajas  16:14 

So Kris, I’m curious because like, I love the honesty of I pulled up. And I was afraid. And I think so much of fear, in general has to do with the unknown. It just has to do with what if and this like? There’s, there’s this difference? And there’s this context of I’m not really sure. And knowing you now, I don’t know if I would have guessed that. So that’s so reassuring to me to know that you can relate to anyone that visits you. That might be like, Am I okay? Like Is everything fine? Am I safe? What happened in those first few months? Or was it like in the first day where all of a sudden you realized these are people and I don’t need to be afraid 

 

Kris Volcheck 17:09 

Um. 

That’s a long time ago. And I will say what I remember is that I very quickly felt at home very quickly. Probably because I felt like kindred chaotic spirits. I think a lot of that is I, I, I have my own chaos. I see the world as more frenetic. And so they’re, they were reality to me. They were they were they were life. So no, I was like, I pulled in and there was a bunch of my family there. I just had never met them. So no, my that piece came along pretty quickly. Did I took me a while to think oh, my gosh, this is my place, because I just couldn’t fathom that. But no, I became comfortable really quite quickly. 

 

Shawn Zajas  18:20
Yeah. So if there’s like a dentist listening right now. And maybe they can identify to like the first think about you said nine years like, was it early on in private practice that you were aware. This is the convention is I’m a dentist. So this is how I practice. But it just doesn’t fit. Like I’m the square peg trying to make it work in the round hole. And I’m trying to fake it. I’m going through the motions, some parts of it I like but, man, if I look in the mirror 30 years from now, and I keep doing the same thing. I don’t know if I can respect myself because I’ll know I didn’t stay true to who I am. What were some of that tells like, what what was what was there any of the writing on the wall that showed up early on that you were just like, you know, what, do whatever other dentists does put your head down, grind it out, like where there’s some signs that hey, this is problematic, even from the onset. 

 

Kris Volcheck  19:26 

It’s all of that life isn’t. I was confused. I thought oh, this this is gonna get you know, I’ve been through every pair of them, this will get better, this will get better. I know this because once you get to get know that you’ll get in the groove here. Now, maybe when you start doing more complicated things, you won’t be so boring. Then I go back and forth. I know how I can’t do this. And then I feel like a failure of thinking I’m going to quit, so I wouldn’t quit. So you go through all of that in nine years. Because again, I’m like everyone else i i was Given this path, were all brought up in a certain I was given sort of a path. And my I followed that. But, again, that I couldn’t know that that wasn’t going to be my sensibility. Instead, I, until I did it, there was no way for me to know the big bonus to that, Shawn that of those nine years, is it gave me credibility as a dentist. So had I just come out and not I would have no experience. But those nine years gave me credibility to do something and my knowledge was credible, and I could open something. So if I had left early, that would have been a disadvantage. So now I look at it, even though it’s painful for me, now I look at it as quite the big advantage. 

 

Shawn Zajas  20:55 

Oh, here you are. Those mistakes. So here you are as a caseworker. And then all of a sudden, this opportunity shows up for the mobile unit. It’s like, did you anticipate that intersection?  

 

Kris Volcheck  21:21 

Yeah, NO. and here’s here was the problem with that. Hell, I here I am. The dentist this mobile trailers available, and I sure as hell and not going back to dentistry, this isn’t going to work. This isn’t gonna work. What can I do? The damn it. I’m gonna do with St. Vincent DePaul is that they have a volunteer clinic. And I know that director there probably doesn’t do much dentistry. So I’ll sit I’m going to do a volunteer clinic. I’m going to help the homeless, I have the knowledge, I can run the business. But I don’t have to get in there into dentistry. So it I did in the beginning, of course, because I had so many, so few volunteers, I had to do things. But no, that is the thing that all of that work for me. Because it didn’t matter how much I loved the homeless, and it didn’t matter how ruined their teeth were, I could not go back to doing dentistry. That was not an that was not a possibility. I wouldn’t go back to the again, look how fortunate I am there with those circumstances and then ending up with a large volunteer clinic. 

 

Shawn Zajas  22:32 

So I was gonna say, over from that time, till now, how many number of volunteers do you have any idea have gone through the clinic? 

 

Kris Volcheck  22:41 

Well, I’ll just tell you that it’s changed drastically. But on our timeline. By year three, I have almost 300 dental professionals working out of that trailer. 

 

Shawn Zajas  22:55 

Oh my god.  

 

Kris Volcheck  23:02 

Oh, here. I can’t do this. I couldn’t I couldn’t sell a product. I can’t sell a product. There’s nothing I’m with my personality. You think I’m gonna be a great salesman, but I don’t believe in that widget. Hell no. But I can sell the heck out of the homeless, because I believe in them. And I am. If I get in front of you, I sincerely want you to join me whether you’re a volunteer or you are a foundation. So I would say that’s my biggest gift. Is that. So getting, because, you know, since we hang out, I was enjoying hanging out with you, I I’d love relationships, seeing what’s happening with people, sincerely, and I sincerely have a passion for the homeless. So it just, I’ll tell you this what I learned later on from a sentence or comment is people think they volunteer. If you ask them, their first answer is because I want to do good. I want to help people. But if you statistically analyze that it’s not true. socializing, socializing, and if you do not give a village of fun and warmth and camaraderie, you will not end up with a volunteer program. So it’s not so statistically you come as a human being because you have camaraderie out of that comes all this production for the homeless. I didn’t know that but that’s what happened. 

 

Shawn Zajas  24:43 

Well, that that kind of throws on me though, the interesting dilemma of like, Brighter Way after Kris Volcheck because you are the brand, you’re the heart. You’re the culture and I’m not saying you can’t create that culture but like Who? Who can fill your shoes?  

 

Kris Volcheck  25:08 

Well, we’re so here’s the thing. Um, but I am a typical founder in many ways. I’m, I have got all the chaotic, energetic frenetic drive your employees crazy founder, that’s, that’s gonna go across the board often that’s the founder. I got lucky there too, because I do have those founder pieces. And I do. I do have some great stuff, but I hinder things along the way, because of my chaos. It, there’s just nothing one can do about it. However, it was manageable enough. And I had my DDS, and MBA to know what to do with the business that I went from founder and I, you’ve heard of founders syndrome, because a lot of founders that are like me, again, I lucked out, that are chaotic, but innovative and push, aggressive and passionate, that they that that isn’t the model you use for once you have a certain size of organization, the chaos becomes a problem. So I had to hear a founder syndromes and I got lucky and got through that and get the right people in place. But I wasn’t a problem. I was a help. And I was a problem. But I’m fortunate to be here 22 years later and be the CEO because, again, you usually do yourself, in. 

 

Shawn Zajas  26:38 

Yeah, I guess I know what you mean, you’ve already created enough of a organization that it runs. And  

 

Kris Volcheck  26:47 

You pull me out now. That’s how the whole thing if you pull me out, I’ve been working on this as succession plan. I, it’s my obligation. Everything goes on. Everything goes on now. 

 

Shawn Zajas  27:00 

What about your story? Like, is that in the book yet? Is that on film? Is there a documentary because I feel like that needs to be told. Like it’s it’s you. It’s what? You know, if you believe it’s what you believe that needs to keep going. I think that needs to happen, because it hasn’t happened yet. And there’s no documentary on Dr. Kris Volcheck, yet? 

 

Kris Volcheck  27:22 

That has been brought up belongs on. That’s not a priority of mine. But But no, again, back to in many ways. I’m not a special founder. I’m a typical founder often, but 

 

Shawn Zajas  27:41 

so when when was it? If ever that you were like, oh shit, this is really happening. And I don’t know exactly what it’s going to look like. But it just kind of kept going or took on a life of its own. 

 

Kris Volcheck  28:04 

I remember I do remember this. I don’t have a great memory. But there’s some moments that will you will not forget. And fear is powerful as we spoke about fear is very powerful. They there was an odd situation. But I had one day to make up my mind if I were going to if I was going to keep that trailer I and stick it in the ground. And I remember going home, Shawn, and getting under the covers, literally. I was so scared of failure. Like it was the imeasurable the like performance failure that I might fail. And I don’t have many big aha moments along the way. A lot of good things that happened. But that was one of the few times that it hit me hard, it was visceral. If you do not take this, you will have missed the opportunity is clear to me and I don’t have any thoughts about that. But it was so clear to me that if you did not take this, you have missed something that you would never experience your life and it was so damn clear to me. And I don’t have those moments. No, I had that. And I got up the next day and went down and signed that and started but I was Yeah, I was scared. shitless Yep. 

 

Shawn Zajas  29:42 

That’s amazing. That the fear of potential regret was stronger than the present fear of failure. Like oh, I love that that’s that’s powerful because my whole reason Kris for starting podcast is that I believe there is amazing people in dentistry that are dentist or dental professionals. And, uh, maybe dentistry isn’t completely it for them in between the lines of what we’re saying, they have their own idea, their own dream that they might be running from because they’re, they’re scared of just like, is the timing now? Am I ready? What if what if I try and people see I try and fails? And what if I just look look foolish, right? Yeah, you know. And my whole thing is like, you’ll never know, if you don’t just spread out your wings and go for it. But you’ll definitely, definitely 20 years from now have the regret and be haunted by the what if you have gone for it. And the world has been so changed by your clinic. And it’s all because you decided to take that chance and just go for it.  

 

Kris Volcheck  31:02 

Again, it wasn’t wasn’t our confidence. That wasn’t another ego, it wasn’t not a mani in it. It was fear. 

Fear of failure, and fear of missing out on something that I felt was going to be so transformative for me. I mean, I was I knew the homeless worked. But when that hit me that you will miss out on something that very few people get to do. That was clear to me that there was 

 

Shawn Zajas  31:19 

so anyone that knows you that seen you at a fundraiser or event, you move the room. You You can like galvanize change and get people to follow you like you’re a true leader. Is that something that from a young age you knew within you? 

 

Kris Volcheck  32:25 

So, again, we don’t learn much. We do we don’t? That is absolutely my genetics. My father was a persuasive, gregarious leader that people followed. He did it for other reasons that I did, he had a completely different life. But those genetics have he he, whatever. He could, again, completely different life in his business. He walks into a restaurant, the chef comes out. He he had whatever he wanted. There was surrounding him women, the chefs, whomever were we when that happen, I didn’t earn that personality. And I didn’t I only got a piece. I’m glad I didn’t get all of it was too much. It was too much. And people think I’m too much. But he gave me a piece and when he came down to visit, because he’s all he is is about money and respect and women that that was it. And that were here’s three things. And when he came down to see the shelter, and then what I what we built in the clinics. He said, This is big. I’m glad you this is you did something big. But why the hell are you down here? You’re not making any money. This is ridiculous. But he’s just like that there was a big building there. And I said, I don’t care what you say. This all this was built because I got a piece of your charisma. I just use it to help the homeless. And then he was gonna he was okay with that. Oh, yeah, kind of, oh, I can’t help build this building. But no, I got that from him. So I just was placed in a place that I could be No, no, a super salesman for the homeless. To put it out there. And words I’m just passionate about them. And that personality allows me to bring in people to the circle to help the homeless to build a village. All I can tell you 

 

Shawn Zajas  34:44 

just that story, I’m thinking like in a moment, when it’s almost like he had I don’t know he’s like, kind of like dishonouring or giving you like a backhanded compliment you still lead with honor and He said, Well, hey, the gift I got from you, I’m using for this. I think that’s just like mind blowing, I can think of so many ways someone else would have responded, I would have responded. And yet, you still honored, it just says so much about the kind of person that you are Kris, what do people not understand about the homeless? You know, here we are, you know, in our modern day, when there’s a lot of issues, and I feel like they’ve only gotten exacerbated in certain cities where all of a sudden, there’s there’s the tents. And I don’t think a lot of us understand what’s going on. By and large, from your experience, like what what do people just not understand about the homeless? 

 

Kris Volcheck  35:45 

Yeah. And people don’t understand. It’s very normal. Because if you’re not exposed to a population, any population, it’s hard, but they’re much more difficult to understand. So it took me on the street, even though I was comfortable right away, it took me I would say, a year and a half or two years to know what I was doing with, with them to help them as a case manager, because I had no experience. But I’m going to give you so in our society, we have children’s clinics, as you know, people have an emotion for children, so they fund children’s clinics. But and people have an emotion for our veterans, they fund veterans. But people don’t particularly have a fearful and emotional feel for the homeless, because they don’t understand them. So there’s multiple issues there with funding and how they get served or don’t get served. 

 

Shawn Zajas  36:57 

Well, if I if I could just interject real quick. They also have a heart for animals, because right, there’s this sense of like, it’s not their fault, the kids, it’s not their fault. Maybe even like veterans, 

 

Kris Volcheck  37:11 

throwing animals, throwing animals research out of ya know, you get that good example. Yeah, throw in animals, people. I have to say, if I didn’t know, the homeless, and I was just not exposed, I’m probably going to give that buck to the dog before I gave it to the human I than a human. But what I’m perhaps what I was saying, Oh, they’re irresponsible. Why aren’t they working? All those things that the homeless get? That’s not who they are. But that is a legitimate perception, because people again, have not been exposed. And so they remember and I chatted to is veterans, people give money to veterans because they’ve served our country. That’s one element. Perfect. I want them to do I want to serve them who have served us. But the biggest thing is because people think they have something happened to them. And they have they say, Oh, I’m sure a lot of your veterans have PTSD. Of course, they’re homeless, who wouldn’t have PTSD if they were being fired out or they’ve been shot? So people think, Oh, something happened to that individual. out of the ordinary, I will give to them. But it’s the same as I do my presentations when people are out on the street were with me. I said, let me give you examples. It’s the same thing for the homeless, it’s, you should ask yourself, what happened to them? And you can say she was raped at 10. He has a traumatic traumatic brain injury. His parents were meth addicts. He never got beyond fourth because he was abandoned fourth grade and left in the foster children system. It it’s what’s happened to them. There’s not people out there with our abilities to manage things on the street. For instance, and that’s why I’m at a good bind are bond with me as I know the chaos I have the mental tribulations that I have that I keep under control. Everyone has them and anxiety, depression, but I have amounts that I can manage, and I can manage them well enough to make money to put a roof over my head. They have exactly the same problems I have There’s they’re so intense, they’re not manageable. And what do we judge them by, if if you have a roof over your head, because you’re responsible enough to make money and get the roof, that’s just not the case. But I understand well intentioned, good hearted people in the community wouldn’t necessarily give funds for them. Because they don’t understand that. It’s not that they’re not empathetic. It’s just they haven’t been exposed. And if you’ve won, like any population, any minority or anything, once you’re exposed, you kind of realize that it’s just us. It’s just everyone. They just can’t, the only defining pieces, they can’t manage their wealth to make enough money. We spoke about this before, too. But here’s what’s happening. Now, Shawn, and this is it opened some people’s eyes. I had a good friend on my board. And she said, I don’t understand homeless, I don’t think I’m going to I don’t think I’m going to be able to be empathetic about this. I, you’ve got to help me because I want to be. And we went out on the street together. And here’s what got her. She talked to a couple who were sleeping in their car. They’ve never been homeless before. Both have worked two full time jobs their whole life. But they can’t afford Phoenix any longer. They got booted out of there. They were in this rental for 15 years. But that got taken over and turned into higher end apartments like like what’s happening all over. So that’s also to she, she was able to relate to that she felt horrible out that, that these two hardworking Americans who again, let’s go back to she said, I have a stereotype about the homeless, but to have to hardworking Americans not be able to have a roof. She was that horrified her. So however you can get people to understand I tried to do but again, mostly it’s what happened to these people. There, they’re there for us. They’re simply me. And and when you don’t think someone’s you, you don’t have your same philosophy or your same morals or your responsibility. One doesn’t find them. We don’t help them. 

 

Shawn Zajas  42:42 

Yeah, I wonder how many of us if given the same story, if given the same circumstance, if experiencing the same neglect, and the same traumas, trials and tragedies wouldn’t end up in the same place, if not a place that’s worse? Like, like, we don’t know, you don’t know, what you’re capable of, or what lows you’re capable of, unless you go through that story. And everybody has a story, like what you’re saying, what you don’t know, the person that was raped, or raised by the drug addict parent that experienced neglect. And then like, like, layer on top of that, everything else. And now all of a sudden, it’s like they they can’t cope. And they’re basis of trying to cope is just completely different than, than you and me, you know, maybe we’re just higher functioning. And that that ability to understand and that ability to see people like you’re saying, as humans and as tied together at least by the larger human experience, it’s just unfortunate that my story wasn’t that horrific, you know, that I had parents that loved me and believed in me and gave me opportunity to shine instead of get obscured into some some hardship you know. I would love for you to share any stories or a story that brings anything home what I mean you can share the story that I like or any story you you want. Well you have seen a lot. 

 

Kris Volcheck  44:31 

Yeah, no, I have I will tell you it’s odd that I here’s one thing about as much as I guide contact, 

I haven’t been there isn’t much bad that has happened to be physically I’ve been hit so did another way had one woman that was in the chair. And of course a lot of them are on medication and I had a doc and working on her and I see him back up and he goes, whoa. And she comes to off in a frenzy and she grabs the little water pistols that we have, and she’s frightened to hear him. doesn’t know what to do. So I of course, had run over and I’ve tried to be as gentle just as enough to get her so I got around here and kind of hopped out side with her. Come on, you gotta go, you gotta go. And she didn’t get at me at first. And then I got her out the door and I turned around and she kicked me hard in the ass just right what this got me out or like a sucker punch. But I will tell you a story about B when I was a case manager. And when I got there, there were 500 men in a barracks sort of hallway. With no air conditioning, so you can imagine in Phoenix, and for no AC just swamped cooling in the middle of summer. 500 Stinky guys, it was bad. I did notice though. It was like after six months. I couldn’t smell it anymore. I was relieved. That went away. But we had I had a staff come over to me and said one of your clients we can’t have in the shelter anymore. Because he smells so badly. I thought you kidding me? They ever I would say I smell down here. Everyone smells? What do you mean that no, it’s a level that people are puking. You have to take him and clean him up. And we’ll let him back in. So we had a public shower toilet out in the field. So I took him out to the shower was a big open area. He wouldn’t speak. He couldn’t. I don’t know it was either he wouldn’t or couldn’t speak but he would do what I told him to do. So I brought the shampoo, brought the soap and gave him a little space a little privacy over there but I had to instruct him. Okay, now use the soap use it on your chest use it and then I had to instruct him everything that he did. And then I said okay, it’s shampoo time and went over I handed him the shampoo. And I said he had blonde hair and it was up in like one of those things will hold the hair up twisties or something. He had it up there. And I was standing back and I said okay, let that was the out. And then you got to shampoo your hair. And this is what it I was probably 30 feet so it wasn’t so close to him. But he let down his hair. And it came down I swear. It was like a damn L’Oreal commercial. It was shimmering blonde hair. I was so stunned that this guy had this gorgeous waving here like there was a model shoot and I got up there because he wasn’t cleaning it enough and I said get it closer you got to get it you know wash it. Yeah, he had blonde hair because those are all blonde shimmering maggots they were they were not that blonde L’Oreal shimmering was all blonde maggots in there. And that’s where the stench was that so I had never seen so I remember almost like a Disney film it was so beautiful  

 

Shawn Zajas  49:14 

You can write to L’Oreal and be like hey, there’s a better way to do your model shoots you know, if you want brilliant shimmery hair that’s alive. Try maggots. Oh, yeah, that’s one of those. That’s one of those moments you don’t forget.  

 

Kris Volcheck  49:36 

No. So back to how could I have had a better life? What made you How could possibly have possibly I could have 

 

Shawn Zajas  49:46 

said Kris, what does brighter way need like meaning if someone’s listening and they’re like, hey, I want to get involved, or I want to help out. Like, like, I’m guessing donations always help. I’m guessing people that volunteer always help I’m guessing aware. Bonus. I don’t know. I don’t know if you’ve ever done any sort of, I don’t say courses but like, sessions, because is this a model that that could be used in other in other cities? Like, I’m guessing people have asked you that, like, if I want to start something in my city, is there like a framework for this? 

 

 

 

Kris Volcheck  50:24 

The answer was given to me by a very smart woman about 13 years ago from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, because everyone was I had people from all over the nation coming to ask me to help them or me to leave Phoenix and come. She She was right, though, so I had to see what she helped me before I knew what I was doing to. She said, these things in nonprofits, Kris are not franchisable. And she had a very good, and of course they’re not and we went over everything. And so I’ll tell you, let’s look at Phoenix. So I helped San Antonio, they took part of this model, but San Antonio was one of the only cities that had the characteristics that we had here. Okay, so Phoenix, we have a 13 acre campus, I have now a 6000 square foot clinic. We got that land of 13 acres for $1. In and we’re right by the downtown and the Capitol, and that was in 2005. But still, can you what do you get for $1? I’m helping a buddy in San Francisco right now. No, no, no, that’s too expensive. The land? Yeah, no, no, no. Okay. You have to be able, you have to have a can’t get around it, you have to have a founder. And that founder better be charismatic and knowledgeable in the field. Okay, that eliminates a lot of people. You have to be sustainable for three years in some manner before, foundations will look at you. There’s so there were elements here. And then she went on that it aren’t okay. I was a member of this community with ties for many years, when people asked me to come up to Colorado. Sure. But this was work. It wasn’t good. It’s just nothing overnight. No, you’ve been building for decades in this community. Yeah. So I had to go, I can start meeting everyone. But here’s, but I, I’ve got my place. I want to help you. I’ll give you all the advice. But here’s what happened. I’ll tell you one instance. Well, my Berkeley friend that tried to open, he opened for a year, nonprofit, it’s closed. There was no sustainable, it was too expensive. And there wasn’t any sustainability to his model. He couldn’t get that up and running. As you know, we do implant programs to bring in revenue, we do trainings to bring in revenue, we do all on fours for the community to help subsidize the revenue. So all those things have to be put in place also. So no, no. And she was right. Because again, I’ve been to multiple places. One of the places this was it was a lovely place what they were doing. And but they wouldn’t. It was here, actually. And they brought me in to help. And I said, the truth airs, which I feel bad about telling you is you have the wrong person trying to lead them and they do it. But they thought me coming over and maybe helping and I just had to say, You know what the problem is, I’m sorry, I wish you weren’t the problem. And it went under. So yeah, no, it’s it’s not franchisable  

 

Shawn Zajas 54:42 

You have to get a lot of things right. That can be stacked against you. The odds are very low.  

 

 

Kris Volcheck 54:49 

I had no idea. Again, I hadn’t nonprofits. I think there are 40,000 in the state of Arizon, and there’s only a minut amount that are functioning. They’re technically nonprofit via so again, I got, I happen to get placed. I had supportive people, I had a supportive shelter. All the elements were there, I had a mothership to help me grow at first, instead of just being I couldn’t have done I didn’t know anything, grab a trailer. I didn’t I hadn’t been with the homeless, grab a trailer, sit it down there. All those factors and then having cast is my again, my supportive mothership to get me going. People come back to me and say, Well, what did you did? I didn’t do this. But I had this whole entity credible entity to start under? Yeah. 

 

Shawn Zajas  55:52 

Yeah, so all of businesses like brokering trust. And you have established and earned that trust with every single year that you’ve been at it even even when you were just added as a caseworker. You know, so it’s like, this story is so improbable. That’s what’s so crazy about it. And I think that’s what’s so beautiful about everyone that’s connected to it here. So if people do want to sew into it, and people want to donate, where can where can they go.  

 

Kris Volcheck  56:26 

So it’s simple just to go to BrighterWayDental.org just what it sounds brighter, way dental.org. And we’re no different than any other nonprofit. We’re always trying to expand to give more care, to you know, we do the homeless, we have domestic violence victims, with two pediatric clinics, all of those are for the underserved. And we need more I want more money, because I want to I want to treat more people we That’s basic. That’s That’s how our system works. But there’s no exception with the nonprofit world. If I want to give a better return to my foundations and the community. I needed to do more people that are impoverished, and I need to up the quality of care. And that all takes money.  

 

Shawn Zajas 57:18 

Okay, so here’s, here’s the final question. Okay, so you’re walking down the street, and often the distance so this is a hypothetical obviously, off in the distance you see 18 year old Kris Volcheck. And you only have one moment to communicate a sentiment to him. What do you share? 

 

Kris Volcheck  57:49 

most of what you were told is a fairy tale, that would be my starting sentence.  

 

Shawn Zajas 57:59 

buckle up it’s gonna be rough. 

 

Kris Volcheck 58:05 

That Disney snoring story we got here in America back then we’ll buckle up. 

 

Shawn Zajas  58:14 

Now, I, I love what you have done. I love what you’re doing. Personally, I’m so thankful for the way that you have inspired me and in the ways that you’ve believed just in what I’m doing. I really believe I’m still going at it. Because of the support of amazing dentists and friends. Like you know, it’s been easy to honor you as an innovator. When I look at someone that has the courage to show up as themselves and pioneer positive change I can’t not think of Dr. Kris Volcheck. So just for everything you’ve done. Thank you so much. Thank you for letting me interview you today.  

 

Kris Volcheck  59:08 

Oh, I appreciate that. Shawn. You know, I as I said I just anyway, I get to interact with you. I’m going to say yes. You I everything about you, your passion, your sincerity and that is a big belief in you. So it would it wouldn’t matter what you were doing. I get I get passionate with you because you you bring that out to so you have that quality so I get why I like you so much. So thank you for having me on here. 

 

Shawn Zajas  59:38 

It has been a pleasure. So again guys check it out. Dr. Kris Volcheck with brighter weight institute. Thanks for listening, and be sure to follow so you never miss an episode. To learn more about what’s going on in dentistry. Check out innovation in dentistry.com