We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Christina Monford-McNish and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Christina, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
While risk taking can be very dangerous in some instances, I took a risk in leaving my first career as a high school teacher with Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Florida with a one year old and going back to school to take the required courses to apply to dental school. The coursework set out for me would have been best conquered going back to Tallahassee, Florida where I obtained my bachelor of science degree in Mathematical Sciences from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University(FAMU). During that two year period, I worked two jobs while also being a non traditional full time student; I worked as an Adjunct math professor at Tallahassee Community College and as a part time math tutor at FAMU. I prepared to take the Dental Admissions Test and applied to thirteen dental programs. I got accepted by my first choice, University of Florida College of Dentistry where I received my Doctorate of Dental Medicine. By that time I had completed a total of ten years of school, had acquired over $350,000 worth of student loan debt and my son was seven years old so I decided to go straight to work. I had interviewed with both private practices and with Dental Service Organizations (DSO); I decided to go with Heartland Dental a DSO. So taking the risk of leaving a career with benefits with an infant was definitely scary to say the least but it has been such a GREAT reward in my life and for my career.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am Dr. Christina Jade Monford-McNish is a cosmetic dentist in her native city, Jacksonville, Florida where I have been practicing for eleven years. My goal is to provide high quality and compassionate care for the broadest imaginable range of dental care while building meaningful relationships over the course of a lifetime. As a cosmetic dentist, what I enjoy most is being able to transform patient’s lives by giving them a new healthy smile, helping them regain confidence in themselves and providing a satisfying dental experience. I am a member of multiple dental organizations and a member of the Jacksonville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. I am very active in her local community from going to middle and high schools volunteering and speaking to hosting free dental days for those that are in need in the local community to providing $20,000 free smile makeovers.
Aside from my day to day drilling and filling, I love spending time with my family, engaging in impactful community initiatives and inspiring others to adopt resilience as a principle for massive and lasting success. As an inspirational speaker, resilience enthusiast and philanthropist, I work passionately to spread my message in hopes that it will inspire others to overcome opposition, leverage hardships as lessons to grow and make a positive impact in the world. Through my book, speaking engagements and work through my nonprofit organization, I hope to shift perspectives centered around adversity, compelling individuals to engage in purpose driven work while honoring the power of resilience and its ability to build tenacity, character and perseverance.

Looking back on my life, the three most important qualities that have contributed to my success today are resilience, optimism and focus. Through resilience I have been able to bounce back, recover and adjust to life changes, disruption, disappointment, setbacks and even childhood trauma. So many people get stuck in their pain rather than extracting the lesson that is often at the center of every hard thing that we encounter. In my life, the lessons have been learning to set boundaries, offer forgiveness, give grace, release the things that are beyond my control and to understand that the actions of others is a reflection of who they are and where they are in their lives, and not a measure a my worth or value.
Optimism has been a catalyst for growth in ly life as well. When things got hard I maintained the belief that no matter how difficult the issue at hand was, things could and would get better. Having this type of hope allowed me to work through every ounce of opposition with the perspective that there was an opportunity to learn, grow and be better as a result of the adversity.
Lastly, the foundation of my success outside of my faith has been my ability to remain laser focused on my goals.
There are so many things around us working to gain our attention and distract us from our greater goals. When things around me felt like they were falling apart, I remained focused on whatever it was that I was working to achieve, whether it was graduating from college, finishing dental school, growing my practice or even writing my book. I learned early on the power of eliminating distractions, making effective decisions and allowing decisions to drive me towards the life I was hoping for and working towards.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I absolutely love a good time. So I would first look up any events, concerts or comedy shows that may be taking place during that time book the ultimate/VIP experience. I would then make reservations to a few brunch and dinner spots especially if they have a DJ and or live band because I LOVE to dance. I would then book a nice spa reservation for us to relax and enjoy getting pampered. (I have to admit, I’m usually never the planner. I am a spontaneous person, very last minute and sometimes the last to know whats going on in the city) but my friends know this about me but they also know that if I’m available I will be there! 🙂

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have so many people that I could acknowledge for my success and where I am in life. From the MANY people that took me in when I was kid, to my teachers and professors that continued to push me, to my mentors along the way, to my close friends both old and new, to my sorority sisters that help polished me. But this shout out, I MUST give to my husband. We have weathered so many storms together over the past eighteen years. He is a supportive husband, loving father, compassionate son and genuine friend. He is my confidant, soulmate, business partner, accountability partner and my best friend. I have learned first-hand the power of partnerships and how compatibility, mutual support, unconditional love, intimacy and grace sustains connections. My husband has supported all of my dreams and aspirations and has been my greatest cheerleader. And I am so grateful

Website: www.rootedinresiliencebook.com

Instagram: SweetSmilesbyDrMM

Facebook: Dr.Christina Monford-McNish

Other: IG: RootedinResilience

Image Credits
Joyanne Panton Marcia Nurse Blue Franswa

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutMiami is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.