Heidi Arndt — Fractional Executive & Advisor
Meet Heidi Arndt

Clinical roots.
Executive experience.
A belief in people.

I've worked chairside, built and sold a business, and led dental groups as a CEO and COO. Those experiences shape how I help leaders turn strategy into results.

The experience behind the work ↓
Heidi Arndt smiling while seated onstage during a conference conversation
Clinical understanding. Executive perspective. A commitment to people.
Why I do this work

The plan depends
on the people
delivering it.

Throughout my career, the work has involved understanding what is getting in the way of growth and helping people move it forward.

I've seen what happens when executive priorities don't translate into clear expectations at the practice level. Managers get pulled in different directions. Clinical and operational leaders work from different assumptions. People are held accountable for outcomes without the authority or support to deliver them.

I've also seen what becomes possible when those pieces come together: clear priorities, capable leaders, practical plans, and consistent follow-through.

That is the work I bring to clients today. I help dental groups understand where execution is breaking down, strengthen the leaders responsible for delivery, and establish the operating discipline that supports profitable growth.

Experience that informs my judgment

I've held the
responsibility, too.

My perspective comes from working across the clinical, entrepreneurial, and executive sides of dentistry.

  1. A foundation in clinical care

    I began as a dental hygienist, with experience at Mayo Clinic and American Dental Partners, where I later served as National Director of Dental Hygiene. That foundation keeps practice realities central to how I think about business performance.

  2. Building a business from the ground up

    I founded and grew Enhanced Hygiene and Enhanced Practice, helping dental organizations improve performance and develop their teams. I sold the business in 2019. I understand the responsibility of building a company, serving clients, and leading people through growth.

  3. Leading dental groups

    As CEO of Strive Dental Management and through subsequent COO and fractional leadership roles, I have led multisite operations, developed management teams, and worked through the realities of strategy execution and organizational change.

  4. Bringing that experience to your team

    Today, I offer fractional COO leadership, executive advisory, and leadership team development. The engagement depends on what your business needs: an operator to lead execution, an experienced sounding board, or support developing the team.

What you can expect

Direct conversations.
Practical work. Shared commitment.

Understand before acting

I listen to leaders and practice teams, review performance, and test assumptions before deciding what needs to change.

Develop people through the work

Decisions, delegation, difficult conversations, and performance reviews are opportunities to build stronger leaders while moving priorities forward.

Connect expectations to support

Accountability works when people know what they own, have the authority to act, and receive the resources and follow-through the work requires.

A personal foundation

Grounded in
the work.

I grew up in a Dutch farming family in Amsterdam, Montana, near the Bridger Mountains. Hard work, responsibility, and showing up for the people depending on you were part of daily life.

Today, Austin is home. Those early values still influence how I lead and how I work with clients: be clear, be dependable, and follow through.

Let's talk about your business

What needs to
move forward?

Tell me where your group is headed, what is getting in the way, and what kind of support would help.

heidi@heidiarndt.com ↗Connect on LinkedIn ↗