{"podcast":{"title":"The Optometry Success Podcast","slug":"the-optometry-success-podcast-7697299","podcast_index_feed_id":7697299,"rss_url":"https://feeds.libsyn.com/604445/rss","website_url":"https://sites.libsyn.com/604445","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/c/6/4/1/c641fc6f86f21f91d959afa2a1bf1c87/optometry-20260211-867orl952n.jpg","author":"Adam Cmejla, CFP and Chad Fleming, OD, FAAO","episode_count":27,"summary":"The Optometry Success Podcast helps private-practice optometrists build profitable, sustainable businesses with clarity and confidence. Hosted by Adam Cmejla, CFP—a financial planner and CFO to ODs nationwide—and Chad Fleming, OD, FAAO—a multi-location practice owner with decades of hands-on experience—each 20-minute episode delivers practical strategies and actionable insights you can apply right away. From leadership and financials to team culture, operations, and growth, this is your weekly dose of real-world advice for real-world practice owners. New episodes every Wednesday.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:45.967404+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-optometry-success-podcast-7697299"},"episode":{"title":"You Suck at Running a Practice: Why You Need a Mentor","slug":"you-suck-at-running-a-practice-why-you-need-a-mentor","published_at":"2026-04-15T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-optometry-success-podcast-7697299/you-suck-at-running-a-practice-why-you-need-a-mentor","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-optometry-success-podcast-7697299","url":"https://b8846a06-cd6c-43f8-bcd6-1015f24b042a.libsyn.com/you-suck-at-running-a-practice-why-you-need-a-mentor","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/b8846a06-cd6c-43f8-bcd6-1015f24b042a/TOSP_Why_you_suck_and_need_a_mentor.mp3?dest-id=5262880","summary":"We unpack why so many optometry practice owners hit a \"ceiling\" and how the fastest way to raise it is by surrounding ourselves with people who are truly operating at the level we want to reach. We talk about the difference between real operators and social media noise, why we should look outside optometry for perspective when it helps (like lessons from other service based businesses), and how to \"trust but verify\" by asking better questions and understanding incentives before we follow anyone's advice. We also challenge the habit of pretending everything is fine, because growth accelerates when we get honest about what's actually broken, identify the real constraint in the practice, and lean into relationships where transparency and accountability go both ways. Have a question you'd like us to address in a future episode? Submit it here ! Resources Book a Triage call with Adam Download the Practice Owner's Financial Toolkit 20/20 Money Ultimate Financial Success Masterclass OD Mastermind Interest Form Check out Adam's new book: How to Buy an Optometry Practice Find out more about Partners In Profit Book: Paradox of Generosity Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://shorturl.at/Fq1Ro Subscribe on Spotify: https://shorturl.at/jCtsk","meta_description":"We unpack why so many optometry practice owners hit a \"ceiling\" and how the fastest way to raise it is by surrounding ourselves with people who are truly…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1411,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-optometry-success-podcast-7697299/episodes/you-suck-at-running-a-practice-why-you-need-a-mentor/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-optometry-success-podcast-7697299/you-suck-at-running-a-practice-why-you-need-a-mentor.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}