Dr. Chris Wolfe on Purpose, Failure, and Building a Sustainable Practice

Defocus Media Eyecare and Optometry Podcast Network

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3d ago 1:01:54

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In this powerful episode of Play Chess, Not Checkers, Dr. Adam Ramsey sits down with Dr. Chris Wolfe—clinician, educator, entrepreneur, and one of the most respected voices in modern optometry—for a conversation that goes far deeper than practice management. What unfolds is a masterclass in resilience, purpose, leadership, and the responsibility optometrists carry as both clinicians and business owners.

One of the most vulnerable moments comes as Dr. Ramsey shares how he failed Part I of boards years ago, during the abrupt CAMK exam transition. Schools had no resources, students were left panicking, and the shame was heavy. A free KMK study session in Omaha—where Dr. Wolfe was part of the instructional team—became the lifeline that shifted the trajectory of his career. Dr. Ramsey openly credits that experience as one that “saved” him at a critical moment.

Dr. Wolfe reflects on this era with humility, reinforcing that failure often becomes the foundation of better clinicians. What matters, he says, is the willingness to confront gaps honestly and choose the harder path of learning the material, not just the test.

The conversation then turns toward the profession itself—specifically how optometrists build, grow, and transition private practices. Dr. Wolfe shares the long, intentional process of buying into his family practice: a decade of gradual ownership, reinvesting distributions, learning business operations, and developing into the leader patients and staff recognized as the next generation. His parents modeled a transition strategy that prioritized sustainability over lump-sum payouts, something he believes more practices should consider.

Both doctors get honest about the current challenges facing independent practice: inflated valuations, the pressure of private equity, and the need for earlier, more open conversations with associates about ownership. As Dr. Ramsey emphasizes, “You only end up with one option when you wait too long to create more options.”

Dr. Wolfe also opens up about his entrepreneurial ventures, ICode Education and Peak Eyelid Hygieneand why he chooses transparency and authenticity over traditional KOL roles. His mission is clear: remove barriers that prevent optometrists from providing the care their patients deserve.

This episode is a reminder that the most successful clinicians are the ones willing to evolve personally, professionally, and as leaders.

18 episodes

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