Manrina’s Mentorship Podcast | Ep 17 | The Gap Between Dental School and the Career You Actually Want

From Poland to King's — Dr Nikola Kulik on Self-Belief, Independence, and Finding Your Path in Dentistry In this episode, Dr Manrina Rhode sits down with Dr Nikola Kulik, one of her youngest mentees and a recently qualified dentist who has already packed more into her early career than most do in a decade. Nikola grew up in Poland, won a biology competition at 15 that set her on an extraordinary path, and moved out of home to attend one of the country's top high schools before relocating to London alone at 19 to study dentistry at King's College London — arriving in the middle of a global pandemic. Now eight months into her dental foundation training in a high-needs area of East London, Nikola is simultaneously completing a Level 7 diploma in facial aesthetics, training in cosmetic dentistry through the Designing Smiles course, and building her personal brand through Manrina's Mentorship Programme.

In this episode we discuss:

- Growing up in Poland and the biology competition win that changed everything Moving to London alone at 19 during Covid lockdown and navigating loneliness and imposter syndrome

- Why a volunteering trip to Sri Lanka at 18 led her to choose dentistry over medicine

- The reality of dental foundation training and why she now believes it is essential

- How the Designing Smiles course confirmed cosmetic dentistry is her path

- What she has learned about personal branding, patient communication, and building a career with direction

- Why she is pursuing a Level 7 diploma in facial aesthetics alongside her foundation year

- Her advice on training your mind to work in your favour and doing the hard things

"I'm just at the beginning of my journey, but I'm so grateful for the opportunity to learn from the best." — Dr Nikola Kulik

Want to learn from the best? Download Manrina's free eBook for dentists — practical insight on building a career in cosmetic dentistry: https://www.drmr.academy/free-ebook

Ready to take the next step? Explore Manrina's courses and mentorship programme: https://www.drmrlondon.co.uk/dental-courses-london/

Or get in touch directly: academy@drmr.co.uk