I recently updated my résumé to reflect my most recent internship experience with Lisa Knowles, DDS at IntentionalDental Consulting. IntentionalDental is an awesome company that focuses on whole health dental care consulting as well as public speaking.

“Dr. Lisa Knowles created IntentionalDental Consulting to offer a safe haven for dental professionals–a place to slow down and think before simply reacting. She pulls professionals out of survival mode thinking (engrained in dental school) and guides them into lifelong thinking. She demonstrates how a clear purpose with intentional, strategic planning can create the satisfying life peace, and prosperity we deserve.

With her clinical savviness, business acuity, and communication background, she is the ultimate dental coach. An over-arching theme of awareness and self-reliance blends perfectly into each of her coaching sessions. She is the full package and wants you to love dentistry, live long, and do well for others.”

First, I found this internship opportunity one day while job searching on Craigslist (I know, funny, right?). I’d emailed the Craigslist-generated email address on June 2, 2013, to extend my information as an application for the advertised position of Marketing and Blogging Intern. Immediately after applying, I was eager for a response to see if this was a real opportunity or just a scam (because Craigslist has an uncounted amount of scams running at any moment by its various users). After I’d gotten a reply back about the position on June 11, 2013, I was very excited to see that it was a request to set up an interview for that following Friday morning.

I couldn’t help but question if this job was legitimate or not because even though I’d received a reply back to meet in person, it still could be fake. Until…I noticed the signature at the bottom of the email. After noticing the signature, I started to do a little research of my own. After I’d searched the Internet for an extended period of time, I came to the conclusion that it could possibly be legit.

Walking into the East Lansing, MI Espresso Royale Cafe early in June, I wasn’t sure what to expect. After Lisa arrived, I was at ease to see that she was the same person in the photos on the website that I’d found in the reply emails’ signature. We grabbed a bite to eat and proceeded to sit down and talk more about the position, her expectations, my qualifications, and other details. During our time together, we’d noticed how quickly we’d connected as far as my being able to help her meet her marketing and blogging goals.

Before the first day of my internship, I was informed that my duties would cover “a variety of areas.” I took that to mean my job would be to help Lisa within my capabilities to design, publish and have a working knowledge of her blog; optimize her blog and social media networks to increase audience quantity and engagement;  and even help her to organize her work area and set in motion a more functional, working, easy-to-follow method to manage her workflow as she does most of her work from home.

But wait…

Not only was Lisa and I interested in working with each other for the internship-related qualities, but we were very eager to learn things from each other that we hadn’t necessarily been able to learn before. Being that Lisa is an avid advocate for “whole health care,” a mother, and given her experience until now, I was stoked at just how much she could teach me as my mentor. Not only that, but having a communications background, Lisa was very interested in learning from me those “new media” practices that she hadn’t had much exposure to aid her in the advancement of her new business practices.

Three and a half months later, as I get ready to head back out into the world outside of IntentionalDental, I can carry all that I’ve experienced with me in my future endeavors and life in general, including:

• trying yoga for the first time (learning to take the time to ‘pause’ my usual hectic life/schedule and center myself so that I might humble my spirit and possibly have a better hold on the day)
• better dieting practices (eating better…incorporating more greens and raw foods into my diet instead of processed, unhealthy foods; starting to grow herbs, etc. – eating fresher foods; starting to make sure I eat in the mornings and trying to experiment with new foods/recipes occasionally)
• networking/connections and professionalism/image (knowing how to utilize my networking connections for my advancement effectively and learning to be an adaptable professional to easily fit-in in different professional settings)

Not only that, but I can leave on a good note, knowing that I’d done well in my duties. Today, Lisa is putting the finishing touches on the Blog Launch & Recognition Party that is set to take place on October 23, 2013. At this party, Lisa will officially launch her new blog, Betond32Teeth, and allow those in attendance to interact with her blog in real-time and recognize all of those who have had a front-row seat in helping Lisa accomplish her business endeavors.

I had the best time interning with Lisa, not only because she fed me and kept me in check, but because she gave me invaluable guidance in some challenging matters that have affected me personally for some time now. She was not only my boss; she was my mentor in every sense of the word. Admittedly, in a very short amount of time, we’d noticed the extra effort we had to put forth in order to accomplish all of our goals…we would frequently get lost in our conversations, but we managed to get everything accomplished. When things were rough, and I wasn’t doing well, she was always there with words of encouragement and a can-do enthusiasm, followed by a plan of action.

As I prepare to leave, I am excited to apply my new wisdom to everything I hope to accomplish. I am also a little disheartened that my time has come to an end, as I will truly miss having the chance to work with Lisa regularly, but we have decided to keep in touch. It was an incredible three months, made possible by good tasks and even better people (as I’d gotten the opportunity to meet her family and others she works with). Thank you to Lisa for being involved and for allowing me to experience an amazing summer internship.