What Happens When You Explore Before You Dream: A Conversation with Dr. Hanh Phi

Episode 72 of Fanatical DreamHer

I walked away from my conversation with Dr. Hanh Phi feeling like I had just been handed something really valuable. Not just inspiration, but a reframe. Because Dr. Phi is not someone who had it all figured out from the start. She did not grow up knowing she wanted to be a dentist. And somehow, that made her story even more worth telling.

Dr. Hanh Phi is a dentist and founder of Nouvelle Dentistry in Greenwood Village, Colorado. She has built a reputation as one of the most patient-focused, compassionate practitioners in the Denver area, and her practice has become a place where even the most anxious patients feel safe. She is celebrated in her community, recognized for her excellence, and she is doing the work every single day. But the road to get there? It was not a straight line, and she will be the first to tell you so.

She Did Not Have a Dream. She Had Curiosity.

One of the things I loved most about this conversation was how Dr. Phi opened up about not having a clear dream as a young person. She told me she was curious about everything. Psychology, engineering, architecture, journalism. She had passion in a lot of directions, and identifying one thing felt almost impossible.

What she did have was a knack for math and science, and a willingness to keep showing up and trying things. In college, she worked at an engineering firm, in emergency healthcare settings, and in several dental practices. She kept going back to the dental office. That was the thread she kept picking up, even before she fully understood why.

I think that is such an important thing for our Fanatical DreamHer community to hear. You do not have to have the dream before you start moving. Sometimes the dream finds you through action, not certainty.

The Mentors Who Changed Everything

Dr. Phi credits two early mentors with shaping the direction of her life. The first was her immunology professor, whose passion for healthcare and science was so contagious that she ended up adding a second major just to keep learning from him. The second came from an unexpected place: her mom's dentist, who got her a job in his practice.

Working alongside two phenomenal dentists, she got to see something she did not expect. She saw how patients adored them. She saw how much they cared not just in the room with the patient, but behind the scenes with their team. It changed the way she thought about dentistry entirely. She went from a profession that scared most people to a profession she genuinely wanted to be part of.

That is the power of mentorship. Not just the advice, but the example. When you see someone doing it with heart, it opens up a door in your mind that you did not even know was closed.

Leadership Is Something You Grow Into

Dr. Phi grew up in a refugee family. Her parents were first-generation immigrants who came to America with nothing and built a life through hard work, obedience, and discipline. Those values served her well, but she was also honest with me about something: she did not consider herself a leader. She was a rule-follower. Quiet. A perfectionist who did what she was told.

College changed that. America, she said, gave her permission to dream bigger. And once she had that little seed of belief, she started developing a voice. Over time, opening and running a practice pushed her further. You cannot lead a team without becoming a leader, even if that version of yourself does not feel natural at first.

She told me that as she has gotten older, she has become a better leader. I think that is one of the most encouraging things any accomplished woman can say, because it means leadership is not something you either have or you do not. It is something you build.

This is exactly why we talk so much on this show about starting young. If you are a teenager or a young woman listening to this, you do not have to wait until you are running a business to start practicing leadership. Start now. In small ways. In every space where you have any kind of influence.

Walking Into a Room That Was Not Built for You

Dr. Phi started her practice fourteen years ago as a young Asian female dentist in the Denver Tech Center, one of the most professional and affluent communities in Colorado. She looked around at who was already in that space and felt the weight of walking in as someone who did not quite look like what people expected.

She told me she is a pessimist by nature. That her head was telling her maybe she should not do this. But another part of her said: you like challenges. And so she went for it.

Within years, the community showed up for her. Patients responded. Women of color were choosing her practice and thriving. She said something I want to put on a wall somewhere: women are starting to take over, and women of color are right there with them. And yes, she gave credit to smaller hands and a gentler touch. I loved that.

What she built was not just a dental practice. She built proof.

The Patients Who Remind Her Why She Does This

Dr. Phi told me that her practice has become a place where anxious and scared patients find their way to her. People who have not been to the dentist in years because of fear. People who walk in and cry in the waiting room. And she meets them there, with full presence and full empathy.

She said that when a patient who once dreaded the dentist starts to feel comfortable and safe in her care, it feeds her drive to keep going. Even on the hard days, and she was clear that there are hard days, those moments remind her that what she is doing matters.

Technical excellence is not enough. Knowledge is not enough. The humanity that you bring into the room with you is just as important as the skill in your hands.

What She Wants You to Know

At the end of our conversation, I asked Dr. Phi what she would say to a young person who is still figuring it out. Her answer was simple and direct: explore. Try things. Do not wait until you have the dream perfectly mapped out, because that is not how most dreams work. She told me there is no limit to what we can be, and she said it without any pretense.

She also told me that her mom is her hero. A woman her childhood friends called the Dragon Lady because she was that strong. A woman who came to America as a refugee, raised a family, learned a new language, and earned a college degree. Dr. Phi said she is very lucky to have a role model like her, and I believe her.

The women who shaped us matter. The mentors who believed in us matter. And the work we do every day to show up in our own version of that legacy matters too.

If you are in Colorado and looking for a dentist who actually puts your comfort and education first, please go see Dr. Hanh Phi at Nouvelle Dentistry in Greenwood Village. And if you are a young person dreaming about a career in healthcare or dentistry, she welcomes your questions. You can reach her at hanh.phi@nouvelledentistry.com.

This conversation reminded me why I do this show. Because there are women out there living proof that the dream is worth chasing, even when you are not sure exactly what the dream is yet.

Keep dreaming. And never forget: the world always makes way for the dreamer.

Listen to Episode 72 of Fanatical DreamHer wherever you get your podcasts.