By Steve Parker, Editor-in-Chief, The Profitable Dentist

Most dental practices believe risk announces itself loudly—through a lawsuit, an inspection, or a formal complaint. In reality, risk usually whispers first. It shows up as tension in the team, silence where there should be trust, policies no one follows, or leadership decisions made without clear guardrails.

By the time those whispers become noise, the damage is often already underway.

That is where Deborah McPhee has built her life’s work.

A long-time valued expert and contributor to The Profitable Dentist, Deb McPhee is not a traditional compliance trainer. She is a risk and safety strategist for dental practices—someone owners turn to when the stakes are high, the path forward is unclear, and calm leadership matters most.

Her authority does not come from theory alone. It is forged from lived experience.

Years ago, during a brief second marriage that became dangerous, Deb survived a violent kidnapping—an experience that permanently reshaped how she understands preparedness, leadership, and human behavior under pressure. She did not just survive the crisis; she studied it. That journey led her back to higher education, advanced credentials, peer-reviewed authorship, and decades of focused work at the intersection of dentistry, compliance, trauma, and leadership.

Today, Deb helps dental practices across the country prevent crises before they occur by building cultures of safety, accountability, and clarity. As founder of SALUS Training Systems, her work reframes compliance as a leadership responsibility rather than a regulatory burden—and positions prevention as the most powerful form of protection an owner can provide.

In the following interview, Steve Parker, Editor-in-Chief of The Profitable Dentist, speaks   with Deb about the moments that shaped her, the patterns she sees others miss, and why the    most successful practices are often the ones that never have to ask, “How did we end up here?”

Because in dentistry—as in leadership—the best crisis is the one that never happens.

Steve Parker:
Most dental practices don’t reach out for help until something has already gone wrong. A complaint, a leadership issue, a compliance situation that suddenly feels urgent. Why do you think that is?

Deb McPhee:
Because most practices don’t see risk forming—they only see it once it’s loud. By the time someone calls me, the question is rarely How do we prevent this? It’s How do we survive this without damaging the practice, the team, or ourselves as owners?

My work is about making sure they never reach that point.

Steve Parker:
That calm-under-pressure reputation follows you everywhere. Where did that come from?

Deb McPhee:
From lived experience. My life is divided into two chapters: before a violent incident, and after.

Violence entered my life during a short second marriage.  My then husband became very dangerous very quickly and ultimately, hired two men to kidnap and kill me, then dispose of my body.  While being driven by my captors, I realized as they were debating where to leave my body that I was not intended to survive the situation.  In that moment, I made a decision: I am not dying today.

Within hours, I outmaneuvered them, stole their car, and drove myself to the police station.

I wasn’t supposed to survive that day. Statistically, three women a day are killed by intimate partner violence. I did—and everything about how I see leadership, safety, and preparedness changed.

Steve Parker:
That’s an extraordinary experience. How did it shape the way you work with dental practices today?

Deb McPhee:
It taught me that panic solves nothing.

In a crisis, people either freeze—or someone leads.

That’s why I don’t react emotionally when a practice calls me in the middle of something difficult. I assess. I stabilize. I look for what failed before the moment everyone is focused on.

Preparedness always determines outcome.

Steve Parker:
You’ve shared a story before about a wildfire that illustrates that mindset.

Deb McPhee:
Yes. I was camping when a brush fire broke out nearby—dry conditions, a discarded cigarette, poor judgment. People were shouting and panicking.

I loaded coolers with ice water, drove directly to the fire, and put it out.

When the fire marshal arrived and demanded to know who handled it, I raised my hand and said, “I did.”

That instinct—to act decisively while others hesitate—isn’t bravery. It’s training and mindset. And that’s exactly what most practices are missing.

Steve Parker:
Before founding SALUS, you had a long career in dentistry and healthcare. How did that experience influence your approach?

Deb McPhee:
I spent over twenty years in dentistry—first in clinical practice, later as a manufacturer’s representative. After surviving the kidnapping, I returned to school and earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from DePaul University.

I became a peer-reviewed author and added credentials as a Domestic Violence Advocate, Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention Specialist, Certified Trauma Professional, and certified life and business coach.

Education is how I healed. Knowledge gave me control back—and it showed me how much harm in workplaces is preventable when systems exist.

Steve Parker:
You’ve also been very open about corporate experiences that shaped your philosophy around boundaries and systems.

Deb McPhee:
Absolutely. Earlier in my career, I was the Chicago representative for Sunstar / Butler Gum Toothbrushes. I was ranked number three in the country.

At the time, I was married to the brother of one of my clients. There were no policies addressing that overlap—no guidance, no framework.

When it surfaced, the company kept the client and terminated me.

There were no guardrails. No conversation. Just silence until the risk had to land somewhere.

Earlier still, I was terminated after reporting inappropriate workplace behavior—not because of performance, but because addressing that it was uncomfortable.

Those experiences were clarifying. When boundaries aren’t defined, liability almost always falls on the woman—not the system.

Steve Parker:
Is that what led to the creation of SALUS Training Systems?

Deb McPhee:
Yes. In 2020, when Illinois mandated Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, I saw dental practices scrambling—reactive, rushed, focused on checking boxes instead of building culture.

I started with one class—me—running around Chicago.

That grew into SALUS Training Systems.

Salus is Latin for safety—and also the Roman goddess responsible for the well-being of both individuals and the state. That dual responsibility matters.

Safety isn’t just personal. It’s organizational.

Steve Parker:
What does SALUS actually provide for practices today?

Deb McPhee:
We provide CE-eligible Sexual Harassment Prevention training, annual team training, OSHA and HIPAA education, policy manuals, onboarding systems, mock audits, leadership coaching, and private coaching for owners and managers.

But what truly sets SALUS apart isn’t the checklist.

It’s the lens.

Steve Parker:
Explain that.

Deb McPhee:
Most practices call after something explodes. I hear, “I could have prevented this—but now we’re backpedaling.”

When an owner tells me they’re not hitting their numbers, ninety-five percent of the time I can trace it back to a bully. Either there’s one in the office—or someone on the team is dealing with abuse at home.

Sexual harassment, domestic violence, toxic leadership—they all fall under the same umbrella.

Compliance without culture doesn’t protect anyone.

Steve Parker:
When should a practice reach out to you?

Deb McPhee:

• When CE-compliant training is required.
• When growth outpaces systems.
• When staff drama, silence, or turnover rises.
• When associate behavior raises concerns.
• When inspections create fear instead of confidence.
• When leadership feels exhausted or reactive.

In one case, I worked with a practice to correct inappropriate associate behavior before it escalated. That intervention prevented an EEOC report—which would have placed full liability on the owner.

Once you’re in the system, it’s the owner who takes the hit.

Steve Parker:
You’re very direct about the stakes.

Deb McPhee:
Because they’re real. Women need to know how to get out of unsafe situations. Owners need to understand what’s at risk when safety isn’t prioritized.

I don’t get overly spiritual about it—but I believe I was spared for a reason. This is my calling.

Steve Parker:
If you had to summarize your philosophy for dental leaders in one sentence, what would it be?

Deb McPhee:
The best crisis is the one that never happens.