Embracing Your Winning Streak

Sarah Beth Herman
4 days ago
7 min read

By Sarah Beth Herman, CEO of Dentistry Support®

In the new year, we often reflect on our goals and achievements. We look at metrics, milestones, revenue, growth, and the goals we didn’t quite reach. Reflection is powerful—but too often it quietly morphs into self-criticism. Instead of asking, What did I build? What did I overcome? What did I learn? we ask, What’s wrong with me? Why am I not further? Why can’t I get it together?

That subtle shift in questioning shapes everything.

The quality of our lives—and our leadership—is determined less by circumstances and more by the narratives we replay in our minds each day. The story you tell yourself becomes the lens through which you interpret everything: a missed goal, a team conflict, a delayed opportunity, or even a major win.

What if, instead of rehearsing lack, you rehearsed momentum?

What if you truly believed you were on a winning streak?

Recognizing Damaging Inner Dialogue

Just recently, I found myself juggling multiple responsibilities across my businesses and personal life. Deadlines were stacking up. My calendar felt relentless. My inbox seemed to multiply by the hour. Outwardly, everything was functioning. Inwardly, I felt stretched thin.

It would have been easy to blame my schedule. Or my workload. Or the season of life.

But as I sat in my husband’s car one afternoon, something clicked. The exhaustion wasn’t coming from my responsibilities—it was coming from my self-talk.

My internal narrative sounded like this:

“You’re behind.”
“You’re not doing enough.”
“You should be further by now.”
“You’re dropping balls.”

That voice was harsh, relentless, and unrelenting. And I realized something profound: my inner dialogue—not my calendar—was draining my energy.

So I interrupted it. Out loud, I said, “I’m on a winning streak.”

It felt almost rebellious. The evidence around me hadn’t dramatically changed in that moment. But something inside me did. My shoulders relaxed. My breathing slowed. My posture shifted. My mind began scanning for proof—not of failure—but of progress.

And there was plenty.

Projects completed.

Clients served.

Team members developed.

Hard conversations handled with integrity.

Consistency maintained in difficult seasons.

The narrative I chose reshaped my energy—and my leadership.

The Power of Narrative Identity

Psychologists often refer to “narrative identity”—the internalized story we create about who we are and where our lives are headed. That story influences our resilience, decision-making, and performance.

If your story is “I’m always behind,” you will interpret neutral events as confirmation.

If your story is “I struggle under pressure,” stress becomes proof. But if your story becomes “I am growing,” “I am capable,” or “I am on a winning streak,” your brain begins searching for evidence of expansion.

This is not denial. It’s direction.

The question is not whether you have a narrative—you do. The question is whether it is empowering you or limiting you.

Understanding Neuroplasticity

Neuroscience confirms what many leaders intuitively know: the brain changes based on repeated thought patterns. Harvard Medical School describes neuroplasticity as the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.

Every repeated thought strengthens a neural pathway.

When you rehearse:

“I’m overwhelmed.”
“I can’t handle this.”
“I’m not cut out for leadership.”

…you are literally strengthening those circuits.

Conversely, when you repeat:

“I am learning.”
“I handle challenges well.”
“I am on a winning streak.”

…you build new patterns.

Neuroplasticity doesn’t mean ignoring reality. It means choosing which aspects of reality to emphasize and reinforce. Your brain becomes efficient at whatever you practice most.

Practice criticism, and you become fluent in fault-finding.

Practice empowerment, and you become fluent in possibility.

Leadership Begins Internally

Leadership is not just strategy, delegation, or financial oversight. It is first a state of mind. Research from Stanford University has explored how mindset influences decision-making under pressure. Leaders who regulate their internal dialogue maintain greater clarity, composure, and long-term thinking when faced with stress.

When your self-talk is chaotic, your leadership becomes reactive.

When your self-talk is grounded, your leadership becomes stable.

Consider this question: If your team could hear your internal dialogue on your hardest day, would they feel safe?

Would they feel inspired?

Would they feel steady? Or would they hear anxiety, fear, and self-doubt?

Your inner tone eventually becomes your outer tone. And your outer tone shapes culture.

A leader who internally says, “We are growing through this,” communicates resilience.

A leader who internally says, “This is a disaster,” communicates panic—even if unintentionally.

Leadership is contagious. So is calm.

The Hidden Cost of Negative Self-Talk

Negative inner dialogue doesn’t just affect mood. It impacts:

Decision speed
Risk tolerance
Innovation
Team morale
Physical health

Chronic stress narratives increase cortisol levels. Over time, this leads to burnout, emotional fatigue, and diminished creativity. Many high-achieving professionals unknowingly normalize harsh internal criticism. They believe it fuels excellence. But in reality, chronic self-criticism narrows thinking. It reduces cognitive flexibility. It decreases emotional resilience. Excellence thrives in clarity—not condemnation.

High standards are powerful. Self-punishment is not.

Redefining Winning

We often associate “winning” with visibility:

Awards
Revenue milestones
Magazine features
Public recognition

And yes, those moments matter. As I prepare for upcoming magazine features and public acknowledgments, I feel grateful. But I also recognize something deeper: The real win happened long before the spotlight.

Winning looked like:

Showing up on days I felt tired.
Having difficult conversations with integrity.
Investing in team development.
Staying consistent when results were quiet.
Choosing discipline over drama.

Winning is internal alignment, winning is peace in the process.,winning is integrity when no one is watching. External recognition is simply the echo of internal consistency.

When you redefine winning this way, you stop waiting for applause to validate your progress.

The Compound Effect of Consistency

Success rarely explodes. It compounds. Small, repeated actions—executed consistently—create extraordinary outcomes over time.

Consider how this applies to leadership:

A daily five-minute check-in with your team builds trust.
A consistent gratitude practice shifts perspective.
Regular self-reflection prevents emotional buildup.
Weekly planning reduces reactive chaos.

Momentum is rarely dramatic. It is disciplined. And discipline becomes easier when your narrative supports you.

“I am on a winning streak” does not mean everything is perfect. It means you recognize momentum in motion.

Practical Steps for Transformation

If you are ready to shift your internal narrative and strengthen your leadership from the inside out, begin here:

1. Choose a Believable Mantra

Your mantra must feel grounded—not exaggerated.

“I’m the best in the world” may feel disconnected.

“I am learning to lead with clarity” feels attainable.

“I’m on a winning streak” works because it emphasizes momentum, not perfection.

Repeat it daily. Especially when resistance appears.

2. Pause the Negative Loop

Awareness precedes change.

When you notice tension rising in your thoughts:

Pause.
Breathe.
Name the thought.
Replace it intentionally.

Instead of: “This always goes wrong. ”Try: “This is challenging, and I’m capable of handling it.”

The pause disrupts automatic patterns.

3. Lead Yourself with Empathy

You extend grace to your team. Extend it to yourself.

Ask:

Would I speak to my colleague this way?
Would I coach someone else using this tone?

Self-leadership sets the standard for external leadership.

4. Celebrate Steady Progress

Intensity burns out.

Consistency builds empires.

Document your progress weekly. Write down:

One challenge navigated well.
One leadership decision handled with maturity.
One improvement made.

Evidence builds belief.

5. Audit Your Environment

Your internal narrative is influenced by:

Conversations you entertain.
Media you consume.
Peer groups you engage.
Mentors you follow.

Surround yourself with voices that emphasize growth, ownership, and accountability—not blame and fear.

Emotional Regulation: The Leadership Multiplier

High-performing leaders regulate emotion before they regulate others. This does not mean suppressing feelings. It means acknowledging them without allowing them to dictate behavior.

Tools that strengthen regulation:

Structured breathing exercises.
Journaling before critical meetings.
Walking before responding to conflict.
Delaying reactive emails.

Clarity grows in calm And calm begins internally.

Creating Psychological Safety Through Self-Talk

Psychological safety—the belief that one can speak up without punishment—begins with the leader.

If you are internally critical and punitive toward yourself, you are more likely to project that tone outward.

When your self-dialogue says:

“We’re learning.”

“You can improve without shame.”

“Mistakes are feedback.”

…your team feels permission to grow.

Organizations thrive when leaders model growth instead of perfectionism.

Winning in Dental Leadership

For dental practices and healthcare environments, leadership clarity is especially critical. Teams operate under time pressure, patient expectations, and regulatory standards. When a practice leader’s internal narrative is frantic, the entire office feels it. But when the leader operates from grounded confidence, systems stabilize.

Through our complimentary training at sarahbethherman.com and dentistrysupport.com/freetraining, we focus on:

Operational clarity
Team communication
Emotional intelligence
Financial awareness
Culture development

Strong businesses are built by strong internal leadership.

Sharing Knowledge Without Scarcity

One of the most powerful shifts in my career was releasing scarcity.

There is enough opportunity.

Enough growth.

Enough success.

When leaders hoard knowledge, they operate from fear.

When leaders share knowledge, they operate from abundance.

The strongest cultures are built on shared insight. We believe in equipping, empowering, and elevating others because growth multiplies when shared.

Identity-Based Leadership

Lasting change is identity-based. If you try to “do better” without believing you are better, your progress will feel fragile.

But when you say: “I am a resilient leader.” “I am a steady presence.” “I am on a winning streak.”

…you anchor action to identity.

Behavior flows from belief.

Identity fuels endurance.

The Courage to Choose Again

There will be days when the old narrative resurfaces. You will feel behind, you will feel stretched, you will question your impact. On those days, remember: you are allowed to choose again.

Choose your narrative.

Choose your posture.

Choose your tone.

Winning is not the absence of challenge—it is the presence of resilience.

Join the Conversation

The journey to exceptional leadership begins within, listen carefully to your internal dialogue, choose empowering narratives, interrupt destructive patterns, lead yourself first. Then lead others with clarity and calm.

For more insights, listen to the latest episode of No Silver Spoons and visit dentistrysupport.com for continued resources and leadership development tools. You are not behind, you are building, you are growing, you are on a winning streak.

References

Harvard Medical School. (n.d.). Neuroplasticity: How the brain changes with experience.

Stanford University. (n.d.). Research on mindset, stress, and decision-making under pressure.
Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.
Baumeister, R. F., & Tierney, J. (2011). Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. Penguin Press.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. Free Press.

Disclaimer:

To learn more about Sarah Beth Herman, the author of all free training content you can read her bio here. These materials are intended to provide helpful information to dentists and dental team members. They are in no way a substitute for actual professional advice based on your unique facts and circumstances. This content is not intended or offered, nor should it be taken, as legal or other professional advice. You should always consult with your own professional advisors (e.g. attorney, accountant, or insurance carrier). To the extent, Dentistry Support ®has included links to any third-party website (s), Dentistry Support ® intends no endorsement of their content and implies no affiliation with the organizations that provide their content. Further, Dentistry Support ® makes no representations or warranties about the information provided on those sites. You can view our privacy policy and terms and conditions by clicking those pages in the footer of our website