 Hey, I'm Rusty Komori and this is Beyond the Lines. We are live on Mondays from the beautiful Think Tech Hawaii TV studio in the Pioneer Plaza in downtown Honolulu. This show is based on my book also titled Beyond the Lines, which is about creating a superior culture of excellence, achieving greater success, and sustaining that greater success, leadership, and finding greatness. My special guest today is the Wizard of Dentistry, Dr. Win Okuda. He is recognized as one of the top dentists in the world, and this year he will be celebrating his 30-year anniversary of his extremely successful dental business. Today, we are going beyond dentistry. Dr. Win, thank you for joining me on set today. Thank you so much for having me on this show. You are awesome. Well, you know, I've known you and your family for many, many years now, and I know that you went to McKinley High School. But I don't know about the beginning of Win Okuda. Can you share with me the beginnings? The beginning. Let's wind the clock back. OK. The thing is that, well, you know, I grew up as a child to immigrant parents from Japan, and you know, so they came here, and you know, we were poor growing up, and you know, one of the things about it is, you know, just loving, you know, being in a family that's loving, I think it's really important, you know, having to be, have a mother that is really who has developed just greatness within her. I was able to really learn from her a lot, and so she's kind of my hero. Great. And so, you know, going through, I'm a product of public school. I went one year to St. Patrick's, but then after that, I went to Kahumata Elementary. And then to Washington Intermediate School, now Washington Middle School, then finally to McKinley. So I'm a product of public school. A lot of people think that I'm from private school, or the mainland, but I'm not. OK. But the thing is that I'm very proud to be a graduate of McKinley High School. And then from there, you know, being able to then go into University of Hawaii, I went three years there, and then early admissions to Oregon Health Sciences, dental school. Great. Now, why did you get interested in dentistry? Well, that's a story that goes all the way back to my childhood. The thing is that I became a dentist because I hated dentistry growing up. I would never, they would never get me numb, drill on my teeth, slow drill. A lot of people will be able to empathize with what I just said. And then, but because of that, there came a time when I said to myself, there's got to be a better way of treating people, not teeth, a better way of treating people. And so that is where it all started. And the thing is that I kind of was tunnel vision into dentistry from there. And that's why I went into, I started volunteering at the St. Francis Dental Center. And for about seven years, I was volunteering there just to see what dentistry is all about. Is this the profession for me? Loved what I was seeing. But more importantly, I thought I could do and help people so much, you know, especially, you know, if I became a dentist. Great, great story. Now, you are the dentist to the stars, Kanye West, Samuel Jackson, Bruce Willis. How and when did you start your dental spa business in Hawaii? Well, the dental spa business started in 2001. I graduated 30 years ago in 1988, but I started the dental day spa in 2001, mainly because by that time, I was able to finally make up enough money to be able to open a second practice, another practice. And then this is going to be then the concept practice that helps me be able to heal people. You know, and so the idea was really, it's, you know, why dental day sponds? Because I felt that what is the best way of being able to help people who fear dentistry? People my age and older will be able to understand that. That by being able to then counter it with something that feels good like massage therapy, I was able to then create a much better experience for people. And so that's why then opening this facility so that it doesn't smell like dentistry, it doesn't look like dentistry, doesn't sound like dentistry, it really helped people with dental fears. And so that's kind of why I opened that and it really worked. A lot of dentists thought I was crazy. But the thing is that to me, it was really, you know, being true to my mission when I was a child of being able to help people. Great, well, I look forward to my cleanings with you and your spa business there is amazing. And it's such a great idea that you started that. Now, you're going to be celebrating your 30 year anniversary this year. How does that make you feel? Wow, it's 30 years. It's amazing, you know, time has gone by. But I think one of the great things about being an experienced dentist now, it really, I feel like I'm able to then take knowledge and be able to then ascend to different levels to modernize techniques. And that's what I've been doing. I've been doing a lot of innovation of techniques, being able to then help my patients through what I call my accelerated treatment program. A lot of people are busy, rusty. And they don't have time for the dentist. And so, you know, so a lot of business people, they don't have, they, that's why they avoid the dentist because they know it's going to take so many appointments and they don't have that kind of time. So I innovated what's called an accelerated treatment program, which allows a lot of complex dental procedures to be done in two visits, as little as two visits. And so that has become real popular, especially people flying in. 40% of my patients are flying in now because of that. So, but that to me has really been so important in the evolution of me, you know. And I hope to then take that and keep on building upon that in this next, I don't know, 30 years. At least further on into the future. Well, those 40% of clients that fly into, I mean, they come and see you because you're world famous, you're world famous, and that's great. And I know you've gotten so many different honors. And one of the most special honors you received was last year being inducted into the Hall of Honor at McKinley High School. How does that make you feel? Well, you know, I mean, the thing is this, for me, it's always about the roots. You know, you become who you become, but you're only as tall and you can only grow so high if you have strong roots. And for me, McKinley High School is my foundation, my rock, my roots. And so that's why being inducted into the Hall of Honor was just awe-inspiring to be there on the walls of where former Governor Ariosius and Daniel Inouye. I mean, it's just amazing. And all these Olympic people who are in the Olympics, it's just amazing. Well, you are the wizard of dentistry for sure. And you've traveled the world giving lectures and presentations. What kind of lectures and presentations do you do when you do this traveling? I love to showcase a lot of the innovative things that I've kind of created through the years. I think that being able to, in evolving my profession, it's important to share that with, especially, the younger generation of dentists. And I think that's important to be able to have growth so that they can help their patients. So that's why, to me, it's part of my core value. It's important to, it's not just about practicing dentistry, but it's about also evolving, innovating things, and then sharing that knowledge. So that's why I do what I do. And I think I've been doing this for 22 years now, going around the world, and trying to balance that with family life and business by practice. Well, you're definitely on the cutting edge of everything that's happening worldwide with dentistry. And it's just fascinating to me how you help so many people. And in the last couple of months, you were featured on the cover of the National Magazine Dentistry today. I want to ask you, Nguyen, what is the biggest challenge you see with dentists after graduating dental school? Yeah, you know, it's really now dentistry is kind of going through a really big change because a lot of graduates are coming out with very heavy debt. We're talking $400,000, $500,000 of debt. And so in comparison to when I was coming out of school, banks would loan you money. And they would say that, hey, yeah, you're a good risk. Now they're not a good risk. And so that's why a lot of the corporate type of conglomerates have opened up these chains of clinics. And then they utilize these dental graduates who need to have a home to practice and make money. But then it's heading into me, not in a good direction. So that's why even more so, I think it's important in this 30th year that I reinvent myself towards being able to help the younger generation to be able to learn about things that I've learned and to be able to help them build business skills, build practice management development skills, and also the innovative clinical, but then have it all under one guy so that we're able to then help them become better. What, out of all those things that you mentioned, what's the most important thing out of all of those things would you say in terms of leading a business? Oh, by far it's understanding and working with people. It's how you lead the people that you employ, your team, because you're only as good as your team. And so in the dental business, it's about chaos and managing chaos because it's health care. And so that's why you either have chaos or you have controlled chaos. It's one of the two. And so we try to control it. So I'm a very hands-on leader and hands-on owner. And so I work with my practice manager. We work with our team so that I'm able to elevate them, the people, my team. Because I really feel that when you have your team elevated and help them become better, just like what your book talks about, about trying to share the greatness, have people find their greatness. That's what you talk about, find your greatness. Once you help them, then I always feel the cream rises to the top. Then you will become successful by virtue of that. And when I'm in your dental office, it's so obvious that you love your staff and your staff loves you. Why is it that you have such a special bond with your team members? I really feel that it's because I have personal interest in them and their growth. I always say this to my staff is, I want you to grow in this practice. When they first come and work for me or work with me, I always, that's to me very important to me to see them grow. Because when people grow, then they will be able to contribute to the business. And in contributing to that, then there's only one way it will go, it's up. I totally agree with you. And you've done so many things to really help people. But this past year, I saw somewhere that you offered a complete, complimentary, dental smile makeover for some lucky person. Can you tell me more about that? It's in celebration of my 30th practice anniversary. I wanted to do something special. And for me, I love what I do. Rusty, you know that. I love what I do. And that's why when I tell, if you love what you do, you're going to be successful at it. If you can do it for free, I tell people this, do something that you would do for free. And then become great at it. Become the best at it, and you will be successful. I do that every day with my patients. So I wanted to share my milestone with someone in the community who has contributed to our community. And so we had a contest for that. And to be able to find that special person who's really contributed to the community, but couldn't afford to fix the problems they had in their mouth. Because dentistry can be expensive. And so that's why I opened up this contest and be able to then help this one person. And we're in the midst of helping this person right now. She's in what I call my aesthetic temperament. And she's looking fantastic already. And you can see her self-esteem growing and self-confidence growing because of it. That's such a great thing that you did right there. I know that you were, you're trying to help a lot of people that had experienced domestic violence. Can you tell me about some of those situations? Thank you for bringing it up. Because to me, that is part of the things that I'd done nearly 20 years ago. It's with my former practice manager, Julie Bouffier. We came up, just over a conversation at lunch, we thought, what can we do to help the community? And so we created Get Back a Smile, which is to help survivors of domestic violence who've had sustained dental injury to be able to take away the scars of domestic violence by restoring their smiles. And then I thought, hey, wouldn't it be a great idea if we made this a national type of charitable foundation? So I did that. So I took that and made it national. And next year, we're celebrating 20 years of Get Back a Smile nationwide. And from what I hear through the foundation, it's over $15 million of free cosmetic dentistry that has been done nationwide. Wow, that's majorly impactful. I mean, you're changing lives. I mean, you're improving so many people's lives. That's to me, again, in our pouching of leadership, to then do things that, empowering others to do that, to go and take your idea and take that to the next level so that now you're reaching more people rather than just doing that out of your own two hands. Yeah, no, that's great. Dr. Nguyen, we're gonna take a quick break. And when we come back, I wanna talk to you about leadership and success. Okay, thank you. You are watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii with my special guest, Dr. Nguyen Okuda. We will be back in one minute. Aloha, my name is Mark Shklav. I am the host of Think Tech Hawaii's Law Across the Sea. Law Across the Sea is on Think Tech Hawaii. Every other Monday at 11 a.m., please join me where my guests talk about law topics and ideas and music and Hawaii Anna all across the sea from Hawaii and back again. Aloha. Welcome back to Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. My special guest today is the Wizard of Dentistry, Dr. Nguyen Okuda. I am the host of Think Tech Hawaii's Law Across the Sea with my special guest, Dr. Nguyen Okuda. Welcome back to Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. My special guest today is the Wizard of Dentistry, Dr. Nguyen Okuda. And today we are going beyond dentistry. Dr. Nguyen, I know you because I've taught tennis to your son, Logan, since he was really young. You have mentored him. Mentored, and I'm still doing it. Yes. And I'm very proud of Logan. He last year at Eolani School as an eighth grader. Right. He was number one on the Eolani Boys Intermediate Tennis team. Thanks to you, Coach Rustin. But I'm extremely proud of his character. I know you are too. Yes. And it's, you know, and becoming good in tennis is a byproduct of going beyond the lines. Yes. And recently I just started tennis with your young daughter, Maddie, who I love. Thank you. And I know that you, your wife, Karen, and Logan, have read my book. Yes. Can you tell me what you like about it? Can you tell me what you like about the book? Well, you know, I love the stories and how you are able to then help to these young men, these young boys, these young men, through the years, be able to reach their greatness. And I think it's startling for you to be able to achieve the 22, 24 plus years of consecutive state championships in a sport. That's unheard of and will probably never be ever attained ever. But in order to do that, you've worked with so many different people, not just the same people. But in working with different people, you had to help them ascend to their greatness, find their greatness. And you did that. And so I think that those are real stories that when a person reads that, they feel empowered that if they can do it, I can do it too. Because they're all different people. And so I think it's just the foundation of how they've reached that level of state championships. It's amazing to me. Yeah, leadership, I mean, a parent is a leader. You have business leadership, sports leaders. I mean, if you deal with people, you can benefit from this book big time. Absolutely. Or say parents wanting their children to be better at sports work, there's a lot of them. Have them read the book. It's an easy read. It doesn't even take a day or two to just finish reading it, because it's very riveting the stories. And I think it's very empowering for a teenager wanting to ascend to their sport. But like you said, leadership in business, it's immense what it does. Yeah. And so I wanted to make an immediate impact in the community. And I came up with the idea to find people who want to purchase books and then donate it to students at a school of their choice. You're one of my biggest supporters, promoters. You did a big book donation to the entire senior class of McKinley High School this past year, 350 books. What compelled you to do that? It's easy. It was easy because you wrote a fantastic book that's the best way of them being able to segue out of school, or at least high school, and then, and starting their lives. To me, if they were to read that, that would help them into a better path into their life to know that, okay, I need to look at this more. And so that's why I felt that I wanted to do something for McKinley. It's not just because celebrating 30 years or whatnot, but just because your book was so compelling to me that I thought this was so easy to give that to them, start their life in the best way possible. Well, thank you so much. And it was great to be there at McKinley, handing each book to the seniors, and then for you to speak in front of the entire senior class. And then for me to speak, I mean, very impactful. Yeah, I just hope that one day, because this book that you have people to say, hey, I was able to then reach this pinnacle of my life, and it all started with this book, Beyond the Lines. That's great. That's really why I left Punahou School, was to try to do something bigger and greater to help everyone potentially in the world. Now let's talk about success. Obviously, you're extremely successful, but how do you define success? It's really simple, Rusty. I don't look at myself as just, it's hard for me to see that the word success in me. I just do what I do. And I think one of the, to define that, it's really doing what I love to do, like I mentioned earlier. And if anyone were to do what you love to do and dedicate yourself, because I think I dedicated myself, I'm passionate, I was very relentless in pursuing how to be the best at what I do. I don't think I'm the best, I just try to be the best at what I do. And then to try to do it every day better than the previous day. And I tell that to my team, be better today than you were yesterday. And I think those are things that help us to be able to elevate to the level of success. No, you're right, because the best head coaches in sports or the best CEOs in business, they're always looking for ways to try to be even greater. And that's amazing. Now, I wanna know why are you successful? I think it's because I really, I really take on challenges that are presented in front of me. I don't believe in the word, when people say, oh, you had some good luck. I don't really believe in the word luck. I really believe that luck to me is defined as when opportunity meets preparation. So I'm always preparing for the next challenge. And so one of the things is that the American Dental Association asked me several years ago to do live dentistry in front of their audience. And that's pretty daunting because to do live dentistry in front of your peers, you know, cosmetic dentistry, they asked me to do the cosmetic dentistry part of it in front of your peers. And then to have to answer questions and then to be able to have internet questions and talking and doing, it's tough. But then I took on that challenge and it's taking on challenges like that and being successful at it that kind of led me to being put up at a next level, the next rung, so to say, in my profession. And since then I've done it more than several times. And I think those are things that are important for a person to really not shy away from the next challenge. But becoming good at what you do so you're prepared for that challenge. Yeah, you're totally right because the greatest leaders, it's a mindset. They look forward to challenges. They look forward to adversity. And that's what makes them even greater. And so it's a mindset. I wanna ask you when, you know, what's been your greatest obstacle in achieving your success and how did you overcome that obstacle? You know, the thing about cosmetic dentistry back in the 90s is especially being in Hawaii, we're not in New York or in Los Angeles where the word cosmetic is very appropriate, right? Being in Hawaii, people thought that, oh, cosmetic dentistry, that's not for me. But I had to really help evolve that through the course of time. And that took me about five years until it started to have acceptance because I helped to define it. Really, it's not about beauty. It's really a misnomer, the word cosmetic. It's really about how I define it as where health and function is a foundation and then we build aesthetics or beauty on it. And that's how we build long-term success with dentistry. But in helping people understand those things, it helps them to be able to then help me to be able to overcome that obstacle when it comes to my practice. No, and that's so amazing because, I mean, that's helping so many people, again, worldwide. And it's great that you overcame that and now it's kind of the norm, so to speak. It is. It's more about rejuvenating your teeth because humans are living longer. And for us to be able to think that our teeth are gonna last us that long, it's impossible. After 30 years, I've come to realize that. That's why it needs, teeth needs help. And so that's why having to then help it along and to be able to, so we can keep our teeth through our whole lifetime. Well, you know, you've achieved so many things in these years, I mean, in these decades. But I wanna ask you, Wynn, what do you hope to aspire to achieve in your future still? The reinvention of Wynn Okuda, right? Oh, yeah, yeah. You know, every once in a while, a good reinvention is necessary. And one of the things that I feel that is important now is to be able to take the knowledge that I've learned and really, it's helping the next generation of Dennis. And so I've created something called the Pan-Pacific Dental Institute. It's opening this year. Next month's the first inaugural meeting. Many of them are coming from Japan and from international waters. I haven't even opened it up to America yet. But I wanna help teach the next generation of Dennis how to be successful, not just clinically, but how to develop their practice management skills, business skills, because they don't learn that in dental school. And so all of a sudden, you graduate from dental school and you're anointed into the business world. That's really tough. And so that's why I feel that's kind of the important thing of what I do now from this point. Are you gonna talk to them about leadership? Absolutely, that's the foundation. Leadership and success and how do you attain those things are gonna become really the foundation core of it all. People wanna be successful. They just don't know how to be successful. But to teach them then, it's okay to be instituting these things into your dental business. I think it's really important for them to understand. Yeah, there's so many facets to being successful in business. So that's great that you're gonna be doing that. I wanna ask you, Dr. Nguyen, who has been your biggest inspiration in your life? That's easy, my mother. She came to America, she had no knowledge of English. She, and then she, amazing, that she became a manager of 13 jewelry shops in Waikiki. Her name is Jane Okuda, many people know her. And then she became a very successful realtor. And so that to me, I learned a lot from her through just listening through her conversations with my father about how to work with people. What specific things did you learn? About how she had so much trouble trying to inspire, trying to get people to do things that she wanted them to do. And she finally figured out how to do it. And so leadership to me, it's not about how you're gonna adapt to me. It's how I adapt to you. To then figure out your personality and behavioral, and then to be able to inspire each individual, so leading everyone a little differently because then it makes it more comfortable for that individual. And then from there, I feel that their greatness will ascend easier. And that's what I think my mother did. To become successful, that's why to me, that's how I do that. I learned from her, business acumen from my mom. It's amazing. I love that. Now, Dr. Nguyen, before we close, I wanna ask you what one piece of advice would you give to people in business that you feel is probably the most important advice that you've learned? I think investing in your team, investing in people, your people, and be able to help them to achieve their goals. When they are able to achieve their goals, then they're gonna wanna respond by helping you to achieve your goals. And going back to the phrase cream rises to the top, that when you help them, that you're the cream, everything's gonna rise to the top. So you have to be able to get over that obstacle of helping your team to be successful. Great. Well, I really appreciate you being on the show today, Dr. Nguyen. It's been an immense pleasure and honor to be here. I loved your insights and really going in depth beyond dentistry. So I appreciate you very much, and you're my dentist. Thank you so much. Thank you, Dr. Nguyen. Thanks. Thank you so much for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. Please check out my website, RustyKamori.com and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. I also wanna encourage you to constantly strive for a superior culture of excellence every day and to find your greatness and help others find theirs. Aloha.