Life in the Making — An Update from Dr. Ashley Joves

After a brief hiatus, Dr. Ashley Joves is back in the booth with Collin Al-Samarrie. While The Making Of usually focuses on the grit of dental startups, this episode takes a deeply personal turn as Ashley shares the "life" part of the journey—specifically, the challenging season her family has walked through since December.

In this transparent and heart-wrenching episode, Ashley opens up about her husband Brian’s battle with oral cancer recurrence, the reality of navigating a Stage 3 diagnosis, and the critical clinical lessons every healthcare provider needs to hear.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• The Return to the Mic: Ashley and Collin share a "This or That" icebreaker to settle back into their rhythm before diving into the "meat and potatoes" of life lately.
• The "Action Potential" Mindset: Why Brian’s "all or nothing" approach to health and life has been both a blessing and a challenge during treatment.
• The Healthy Patient Paradox: Brian is the "poster child" for health—a non-smoker, fitness enthusiast, and physician who never gets sick. Ashley discusses the shock of finding oral cancer in the one place she never expected: her own home.
• A Shift in Staging: How a Stage 1 diagnosis in July rapidly evolved into an aggressive Stage 3 recurrence by December, and the emotional toll of receiving that news just days before Christmas.
• The Power of Clinical Advocacy: Ashley shares a vital lesson on trusting your gut. After an initial biopsy came back negative, her intuition led to a second biopsy that eventually confirmed the cancer.
• The Treatment Path: A deep dive into the "Kitchen Sink" approach—choosing a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy (Pembrolizumab) to fight the tumor’s progression before opting for invasive surgery.
• The Reality of the "Messy Middle": From the physical toll of chemo rashes and weight loss to the emotional weight of telling their children, Ashley and Collin discuss the raw reality of being a "soldier" through trauma.

A Note of Gratitude: Ashley and the entire team want to thank this community for the overwhelming outpouring of prayers, messages, and support. This community truly is our extended family.

This episode is made possible by: 

Studio 8E8 — Dentistry’s story-driven growth agency for startups. Learn more at https://s8e8.com/vsl 

Net 32 — The online marketplace to compare brands and prices so you never overpay. Check them out at net32.com/themakingof

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