Born Deaf, She Became a Dentist — Dr. Jessica Nieva’s Story

Born Deaf, She Became a Dentist — Dr. Jessica Nieva’s Story

From The Zach and Pat Show by Zach Fagas, Patrick Doyle

July 14, 2026 · 1h 0m · Episode 266

About this episode

Dr. Jessica Nieva shares her inspiring journey from being born deaf to becoming a successful dentist while navigating family and personal challenges.

Dr. Jessica Nieva was born profoundly deaf and grew up isolated — raised to read lips, not sign, in a Filipino family that pushed medicine. She didn’t hear clearly until a cochlear implant at 30, an experience she calls life-changing. In this episode she and the guys talk about the first sounds she ever heard, running 60+ miles a week to cope with loneliness, building Benton Family Dentistry while raising four daughters in five years, dropping insurance to trade burnout for quality, and why she now takes health and happiness over income. What you’ll take away • How adversity built the toughness behind her success — and why she has empathy to match. • The business case for going out-of-network: fewer patients, higher quality, more happiness. • Why "saying no" and setting boundaries is a superpower for any owner. • Choosing health, family, and presence over maximizing income.

People in this episode

Hosts: Zach Fagas, Patrick Doyle

Guest: Dr. Jessica Nieva

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Benton Family Dentistry

Places: Filipino

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