# The Horton Hangout — Laura Horton & Leanna Best

An episode of [Dental Leaders Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1482901418), 21 Jan 2026, 1 h 31 min.

Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/f47b45cc/podcast/play/114329292/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-0-21%2Fb17abaeb-035a-1d52-0079-1ff9f42fe0a6.mp3

The tables turn this week as Payman hangs out with Laura and Leanna on The Horton Hangout. What starts as a chat about the challenges of being interviewed rather than interviewing quickly evolves into something deeper—an honest exploration of ambition, sacrifice, and what it means to build something meaningful whilst trying to hold onto the people you love. From managing business partnerships and navigating the tension between legacy and presence, to the surprisingly simple power of just showing up, this conversation touches on the parts of success no one really talks about until they're living through it. In This Episode 00:01:25 - Hosting versus guesting 00:02:55 - How Laura and Leanna met 00:06:40 - Having it all as ambitious women 00:10:50 - Balancing work travel with family life 00:14:30 - Partnership dynamics and business relationships 00:19:45 - The Enlighten story and business evolution 00:28:15 - Marketing philosophy and brand building 00:35:20 - Working with your best mate 00:41:10 - The reality of business partnerships 00:47:25 - Managing conflict and difficult conversations 00:52:40 - Learning to say no and setting boundaries 00:58:15 - Legacy versus being present 01:03:30 - Parenting and guilt 01:09:45 - The immigrant work ethic 01:16:20 - Competition in dentistry 01:21:35 - Advice for younger dentists 01:25:00 - Meeting strangers from the internet 01:28:20 - Remote teams and South African operations About Laura Horton & Leanna Best Laura Horton is a dental hygienist, educator, and founder of multiple dental businesses including Brush, whilst Leanna Best is a treatment coordinator and educator who worked alongside Neil and Fiona Gerrard before launching her own training ventures. Together they co-host The Horton Hangout—a podcast that strips away the polish and gets into the real conversations about life, work, and everything in between within the dental world.

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