Whitney DiFoggio

Whitney Rose DiFoggio is a Registered Dental Hygienist and Founder of YouTube Channel, Teeth Talk Girl and TeethTalkGirl.com. Over the past five years, Whitney has leveraged the web to share information surrounding the importance of oral health worldwide through her social media accounts and website.

Whitney’s love for dental hygiene inspired her to create her YouTube channel, “Teeth Talk Girl,” to educate the general public on how to keep up their oral health. The goal of Teeth Talk Girl is to share dental health in a fun, entertaining way. Many viewers have resonated with Whitney’s lighthearted videos and her channel has grown exponentially in result. TeethTalkGirl now has over 289K subscribers and over 57 million views. In addition to her YouTube Channel, Whitney recently co-founded a company called Happy Teeth, where for every item purchased, an oral health kit is donated to someone in need.

Whitney graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. After, she attended Prairie State College for Dental Hygiene. Currently, Whitney is currently working in two private practices and creates weekly videos for her YouTube Channel.

Where did the idea for TeethTalkGirl.com come from?

The idea for teethtalkgirl.com came about because of the comment requests on my YouTube videos. I started to notice the influx of people asking me to make more YouTube videos about specific dental topics. But, there’s so many dental topics! So many that it will take me decades (currently posting 2 videos/week) to cover all of the topics. So, I created a website to answer all of these questions and cover a large amount of dental topics daily.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My day always starts with yoga. I know it sounds super cliche for an entrepreneur to practice yoga, but it really works for me. I love getting my mind in the right place before I start working. After I eat breakfast, I will then login to my email and depending on the day, I will either start writing or editing. Throughout the week, I’ll have content meetings with the content team (of which I’m very involved on the creation aspect) and business meetings with the development team (where I am, by choice, less involved, but still prefer to stay in the loop).

Some days are full writing days (where I’ll focus on writing scripts and articles), other days are editing days (where I get all of the video footage and photos and supplemental material into the editing system), and/or other days are filming days (where I’ll focus on the lights, camera, and action). On top of all of that, I continue staying up-to-date with my social media posts, engagement, etc. Also, depending on my schedule, I’m often preparing for interviews, speeches, in-person presentations, and virtual events.

At the end of the day, I tend to go for a walk to clear my mind again. It took me years to get into the routine of morning yoga and evening walks, but I do believe this routine is what helps keep me productive throughout the entire day.

How do you bring ideas to life?

My favorite way to bring ideas to life is through video-form. Whenever I have a dental health topic that is extra important to me, I prioritize getting it onto YouTube. After the video is filmed and edited, then I start working on the article-form portion of the idea. Personally, for me, it’s easier to write a video script and then turn it into an article afterwards. Bringing my ideas to life comes from an incredibly personal space, and sharing these ideas with my team always helps bring them to life.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Interestingly enough, it’s actually more exciting for me to “debunk” social media trends. There are so many unhealthy “dental trends” circulating the internet, and I feel that it’s my duty to provide accurate, reliable, and safe information to combat the chance of people hurting their own teeth. For example, recently there was a trend where users on TikTok were filing their own teeth down with nail files which is super bad for countless reasons! So, in response to detrimental trends like this, I always have the urge to post my take on the safety of the trends and how they can permanently damage your dental health.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Truly, the self-care time that I force myself to take is what keeps me going! When I first started, I would work and work and work until I was completely exhausted and burnt out. Now, I act preventatively, by constantly scheduling self-care time into my daily routine.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would say to keep being yourself. I was 100% authentically myself for most of my life, but there were definitely a few years where I tried to “fit in” with my peers. I’ve since come back to being my authentic self again — but I still sometimes have the sense of holding back (most likely from those few years of trying to fit in). Long story short, never waste a day not being yourself!

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Most people say, “Never work with family or friends.” Although I do believe that statement can be true in some situations, it doesn’t apply to every situation. In my case, I started my business with my husband and brother-in-law. We all have the same work expectations and hard working diligence, so it works out great for us!

However, if you aren’t on the same level of self-discipline as your family members, then I would advise against working together. But, again, every situation is different, and if you are all on the same level, it can be an amazing journey!

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I remind myself how proud I am of building this business. It’s easy to get set in your daily habit, just mindlessly doing the daily tasks. But, if you focus on gratitude and reminding yourself how awesome it is to have your own company that you built from the ground up — it can really boost your overall quality of life.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Passion! Truly caring about what I put into the world, and always focusing on why I started in the first place is what inspires me to continue pursuing my work every day. If you’re just in it to “make money” then it’s never going to satisfy you. But, if you wholeheartedly enjoy what you’re doing, then it will allow you to grow in a way which feels less of a chore, and more of a dream!

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

My biggest failure was signing a dental influencer contract without an attorney. I’ve learned that there are some companies out there that say they want to partner with you, but then you find out that they only want to take advantage of your small business. Unfortunately, I went through this the hard way. However, I now know to never sign any contracts without a legal team on my side. Having a lawyer re-read your contracts will ensure that there isn’t any misleading, hidden language within the paperwork.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Two years ago I would have said a tooth-shaped-purse is a great business idea, but we finally ended up doing that! On another note, after working in the dental field for almost nine years now – I’ve learned that there are SO MANY people who do not like mint flavored toothpaste. I think another great idea would be to sell various flavors of toothpaste. There are a select few on the market right now, but there really aren’t many options.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

Recently, I spent around $100 on a business outfit for my first in-person speaking gig since the pandemic. I was hesitant to buy a new outfit (when I have so many in my closet), but this new outfit gave me the confidence that I needed to successfully present in front of a crowd. I completely believe that when you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you are confident!

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

“Notion” is extremely helpful for my daily productivity. It allows me to communicate with my team members, as well as share calendars of upcoming videos, articles, etc. This service keeps us all on the same page and I can’t imagine going back to sending hundreds of daily emails internally. Luckily, now we can view the “Notion” schedule at our own convenience and everyone can have their own organized routine.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“Believe It: How To Go From Underestimated To Unstoppable” by Jamie Kern Lima. This book expanded my interest in business. I’m always interested in learning more about social media, entertainment, and communication — but things like finance, marketing, and strategizing… not so much. However, somehow Jamie Kern Lima fully engaged me by sharing her fascinating business story. She really opened my mind to things I would have never thought I’d ever be interested in. Talking about it right now makes me want to go read it again!

What is your favorite quote?

“Even the greatest were beginners. Don’t be afraid to take that first step.” – Muhammad Ali.

Key Learnings:

• If you enjoy what you’re doing, then work feels like less of a chore, and more of a dream!
• If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you’ll have confidence!
• You’ll never be satisfied if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing.