What if growth isn't the goal?

The Secret Thoughts of CEO's Podcast

Secret Thoughts of CEOS Ep. 136

What if growth isn't the goal? with Perrin DesPortes

In this deeply reflective and energizing episode, Chris Yonker and Perrin DesPortes engage in a rare bidirectional dialogue, unpacking the hidden costs of ambition, the personal reckoning that comes with burnout, and the awakening that’s possible when business success is aligned with inner fulfillment. Perrin, founder of The Next Level Executive, shares his evolution from a high-powered career in dental distribution and M&A to building a purpose-driven coaching practice for healthcare entrepreneurs. Together, they explore the illusions of success, the cultural shifts shaping dentistry and family business today, and how to create a life, and business, you actually want to live in.

This is a conversation about course correction, conscious entrepreneurship, and building legacy from the inside out.

Timestamps

• 02:00 - Meet Perrin DesPortes and his journey from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship
• 08:45 - Chris shares his path out of 3M and into legacy-centered coaching
• 16:15 - Why many entrepreneurs wake up inside a life they don’t want
• 22:50 - Burnout, overwork, and boredom: what triggers the desire for change
• 29:40 - Dentistry’s consolidation, private equity, and chasing someone else’s dream
• 38:10 - The power of clarity: asking “What do I really want?”
• 44:55 - Family business succession, ego, identity, and the real work of letting go
• 52:35 - The sacred role of the advisor: holding discomfort and navigating emotional fire
• 58:00 - Partnerships, misalignment, and the silent cost of avoidance
• 1:04:20 - Entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be lonely: the value of coaching and counsel
• 1:09:00 - Resources, next steps, and how to work with Perrin or Chris

Quotes

· "Bored people make bad business decisions because they start chasing a dream that’s not even their own."[22:50]

· "Wherever you go, you take yourself with you."[41:35]

· "Entrepreneurship can be a very lonely road - but it doesn’t have to be."[1:04:20]

Websites:

fambizforum.com.

www.chrisyonker.com

The Next Level Executive

https://www.facebook.com/PerrinDesPortesNLE

https://www.youtube.com/@PerrinDesPortes

https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetperrin/

Perrin DesPortes is the Founder of The Next Level Executive. He is a Washington & Lee University graduate and earned his MBA from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. Perrin has over 25 years of experience in the business side of dentistry, having run three different business units for Patterson Dental Supply over a 15-year career. For the last decade, he has built and exited two very successful start-ups in TUSK Partners and Polaris Healthcare Partners, both of which focus in the Group Practice Consulting and Transactional space. Perrin is happily married with an 11 year-old daughter at home. In his spare time, he is an avid cyclist; enjoys cooking and reading; and loves good red wine and strong coffee.

The Next Level Executive combines Perrin’s decades of experience working in Corporate America and consulting directly with healthcare entrepreneurs on their growth journey all distilled into actionable content and practical wisdom.

Next Level Executives have:

· clarity in understanding how their business truly fits together

· confidence in their ability to lead from a position of strength

· an edge to make the right decisions at the right time

If you’ve mastered practice ownership and are wanting to evolve from “a Clinician who owns a Practice to an Entrepreneur who leads a Business,” then you need to focus on your own professional development to become a more effective executive – and becoming a more effective executive is what The Next Level Executive is all about…