Podcasts about senior corps

Tim Martinez, Value Creation, Strategic, and Exit & Succession Planning Advisor—also known as “The Inside Man”—is on a mission to empower entrepreneurs and make the world a better place with his philosophy of “No entrepreneur left behind.”  In this episode, Tim shares how he evolved from starting small businesses as a teenager to advising founders on high-stakes growth and exit decisions. We explore Tim's 3 Exits Framework, which breaks exit planning into three critical phases: Mental Exit (separating identity from the business), Role Exit (building leadership and succession so the business can run without the owner), and Technical Exit (valuation, deal structure, and the formal sale process). Tim also explains why AI is accelerating business disruption, why minimalism is a competitive advantage, and what keeps so many businesses stuck at the $3M revenue ceiling. — 3 Ways to Exit Your Business with Tim Martinez Good day, dear listeners. Steve Preda here, the Founder of the Summit OS Group. And I have as my guest today Tim Martinez, who is a Value Creation, Strategic, and Exit & Succession Planning Advisor, also known as “The Inside Man.” Tim also has a successful Substack with lots of followers, which has a similar title, Inside Man. He's also built his own ChatGPT API, so he's running with the times. Tim, welcome to the show.  Thanks, Steve. Great to be here.  Finally, we have someone who is ahead of the curve on AI and the technological evolution that's part of this new industry revolution. So let’s start with my favorite question. What is your personal ‘Why’ and how are you manifesting it in your practice and in your business?  Yeah. My personal ‘Why’ is to make the world a better place and to empower entrepreneurs. “No entrepreneur left behind” has kind of been my motto. Since I was a kid—I started businesses very young, like 15 or 16—people would ask me, “How are you doing this?” And I would help however I could. And it was just always felt really good to help my fellow entrepreneurs, whether I was helping them in a small way or a big way. And there's nothing better than seeing some of the advice you're able to give someone actually get implemented.Share on X Then you see them go, “Wow, oh my gosh, this is great.” And again, sometimes it’s small, sometimes it’s big. But I believe entrepreneurs rule the world, and I do my part every day—whether it's writing my Substack, jumping on podcasts, or writing books. I'm always here just to share what I've learned, because I think that’s what makes the world go round.  Well, you have a boundless energy, because you are writing books, you are writing your blog, you are doing these podcasts. Then you also have to gather the information, right? You have to work with clients—otherwise there's no raw material. That is very impressive. So what took you to this point? How did you evolve? I mean, you started at 15, but surely you were not coaching or consulting people at 15.  Yeah, so I probably spent about 10 years just starting small businesses. I had the lemonade stand, then a coffee business and a silk-screen business. I had a DJ business, a retail store, a marketing and advertising agency, a small one, but I was able to sell it. And I got lucky and sold a couple of these small businesses. I built websites, built apps—I mean, anything you can do to make a buck. I was just kind of hustling and figuring it out on my own. And at a certain point in time, maybe like 10 years later, someone asked me to help them write their business plan. It was the first time I thought, “Huh, someone wants to pay me to help them write a business plan. That sounds interesting.” Okay. And I had written all of my own business plans for 10 years. I used to go to SCORE—the Senior Corps of Retired Executives, a division of the SBA—and they would consult for free. They still do, by the way. And I always said my long-term goal was to be an old advisor at SCORE, because they helped me so much when I was a kid.Share on X So I charged money for my first business plan. That person was able to raise money from their uncle. Then they said, “Well, hey, we got this money. What do we do now?” So I said, “Well, I think I can charge you. I think this is called consulting. Maybe I'll just charge you to help execute your business plan.” It was a small business, and I went to Barnes & Noble and bought a book that was like this big—How to Start a Consulting Business. I just sat there and highlighted the whole thing. It had CD-ROM forms in the back. I knew nothing about consulting. And probably for the next handful of years, I just focused on writing business plans and helping people. That's kind of what got me into consulting and working with bigger businesses. It really started with business plans and small businesses.Share on X  Yeah. I mean, business plans are great because you are envisioning the future of the business, crunching the numbers—what's going to happen with your top line, bottom line, costs, overhead, margins—and essentially it helps you visualize the skeleton of the business. Then you can put the meat on the bone, kind of thing.  Yeah. And I had worked on hundreds of business plans, and  pitch decks, financial models, and market research. That documentation aspect of a business, I had spent a good, let's say, 10 years working very heavily with clients as an analyst in consulting firms. And that’s really what got me into the game and got me into bigger and bigger businesses, because I got very good at doing that with no formal training—and we didn't really have what the internet is today. I remember going to the downtown library in Los Angeles, finding articles, and taking scanned copies of them. That’s how we did our market research. And business plans used to be like a dictionary. The SBA would require business plans to meet all these requirements, so we ended up with huge business plans. Now people want a one-pager, maybe a 10-slide deck, and call it a day. Where I got my chops was from understanding every imaginable nuance of every business in all verticals. I worked around the world with businesses, and I guess I was in the right place at the right time for it.Share on X  Yeah, that’s very humble. So one of the things that you do is you help people prepare for exit, and you came up with this framework called The 3 Exits Framework. I thought it was fascinating to think about exits from different perspectives and to have different mental models for them. How did you come up with this, and can you explain to the audience what it looks like, how it works, and how it helps entrepreneurs? Yeah. And it’s important to note that I started my career starting businesses, helping people get the start. And as I got older, the businesses I worked with were also getting older. And as I got a little more gray hair and a few more wrinkles, people would take me more seriously at the later stages of the business, when they maybe wouldn’t take me so seriously when I was in my early twenties. So my business had evolved from starting to growing and then eventually to exiting, and that’s where most of my clients are now. What I’ve discovered is most people enter the exit planning conversation at the very end, asking, “What is my business worth? Who wants to buy it?” Needing a business valuation is the most common first question: “Whoa, what's it worth?” But after working with a handful of companies through this whole exit process, you start to realize that there’s far more than just the numbers. The 3 Exits Framework says there are three exits that need to occur before you're out and on your yacht, sailing into the sunset.Share on X The first exit is the mental exit, which we can talk about at length. It's your role—your identity in the business. Who am I if I'm not the CEO? What am I going to do with my time if I'm not running this business? Who am I if people can't come to me with their every burning question? It’s this piece, it’s so important. And a lot of people don’t want to give up control. They don’t even know they’re control freaks, which I'll call them for lack of a better term. But they don’t even know that they are that. You have to help them through that.  The second exit is really your role exit, because eventually someone needs to run this business in your absence. The whole tenant of selling a business is that you're not going to be in it. You might have earnouts or some transitional involvement, but eventually, you will not run this business. So you have to replicate yourself. Most people say, “I've tried, but it hasn't worked.” Well, you know what? Now’s the time for this to work. It's time to build SOPs, standards of excellence, and get someone who could be better than you ever were in that seat. So that role exit is a big part, and that would be true succession. The other part of that is it’s not just the CEO or the owner. A lot of times it’s them and they’re number one, or they’re number two, or number three, because in many cases those people also have equity and ownership in the companies in some cases. So we need to get succession in line for multiple roles.  And then the third exit is your technical exit. It’s the one piece everyone feels like they start with that is your valuation, getting your documentation together, running a formal auction process, making sure that you’re looking at multiple buyers, whether strategic or financial. And just running a very thorough, formal process that’s going to get you the highest valuation possible. And structuring a deal that there’s going to be a little bit of give and take. Most deals die because of misaligned expectations. And they’re usually misaligned expectations on that final exit. So when you put those three things together and someone says, I want to sell my business, or we're thinking about exiting in the next couple years, I just start first with the identity part.Share on X Yeah. And people underestimate the significance of that. It can sound touchy-feely and like an afterthought in most cases. And people think that just by earning a sack of money, their life will be solved and all problems will disappear. But actually, problems exist at all levels. Elon Musk probably has more problems than most listeners here.  Sure.  So, it's not going to solve your problems, and identity is huge. I talk to people—I was also an M&A advisor for over 10 years, sold many businesses, visited former clients, and went out on their boats on the lake. Often, that was the one time they actually used the boat, because they didn't really need it. They thought they did, but they didn't. Next time, the engine wouldn't start, or the boat was full of water. Or they'd go out on the golf course, meet new people, and ask, “Who are they?” It turned out they were just retired rich people—not interesting entrepreneurs or CEO. That's a huge change. And with the Great Wealth Transfer and the aging Baby Boomer population, there's a statistic that says 50% of business owners are forced into an exit—meaning there’s some life event that occurs that says you now need to sell your business and get out. And you and I both know that if you’re forced to an exit, you’re going to be taking a major discount. But those forces can happen when you have a heart attack, or someone in your family has a health issue, or your grandkids and everybody moves multiple states and you want to go with them. All these things happen. So our recommendation is just start having the conversation now.  Yeah. And so I think it's a little bit like saving for retirement. A lot of people keep putting it off, and eventually there's no time left to do it, and then they’re in trouble. So how do you even raise awareness with people about this? How do you work with them to prepare this? Can you actually raise awareness and make them feel this is a real issue? How do you raise awareness?  Well, I have my blog, and that’s probably where I do most of my conversations. I wrote about the 3 Exits Framework. Any chance I get to speak, I always use it to raise awareness around the subject. In my consulting practice, I work with a handful of consulting firms and investment banks. Anytime I get pulled into a conversation about exit planning, I usually just pause for a second and just talk about their life goals.Share on X Like, what do you really want this exit to do for you? Because there are so many things you can do and a million ways to do it. So, what do you really want this exit to mean for you? Also, remember, Uncle Sam is going to take his cut—so not everyone gets the biggest check possible. Usually, what we hear is people say, “I'm just so exhausted. I don't have anything left in me for this thing, and anything I can get for it, I'd be happy to take, as long as it means I don't have to put out every single fire.” And this usually happens because they didn't build good systems to remove themselves from the business.  Otherwise, they would've been the chairman, and just meeting with their CEO, who's running the business. That’s usually not the case with these owner-operator businesses. And that doesn't mean they're small, by the way. I mean, they could be running a $50 million business and still the choke point where everything has to run through them and they’re just exhausted and burnt out.  Do you think that this AI revolution is going to change things? Is it going to make more people exit-ready because it's easier to create systems?  Perhaps. Yeah, I think it's helping the service provider world be more efficient. In my world as a management consultant, I'm 10 times more efficient. I’m sure you’re 10 times more efficient with tools like the one we’re using here, and it just helps us speed things up. I've noticed people use it as a thought partner, as a psychiatrist, even as a best friend. I've seen people go into deep dialogue like, “Should I sell my business? Give me five factors.” The ones who are aware of this are using it fully. The people who aren't are a little behind the times. And then from an operational standpoint, yeah, I mean with the bots and all the many things you could put in your business to make you more efficient, but that doesn’t apply to everybody. I would say there’s going to be a 10 to 20% group of people that are already on it, making it work for them, and then there are the laggards who will probably never touch it.  Or is it that—okay, maybe we can be more efficient with AI, but we'll have the appetite to do more, and there will be more complexity? Some things we'll simplify, but we'll create other complexities that replace the previous ones. What do you think about it?  Yes. So businesses typically have cycles. There's usually a five- to seven-year cycle where a business hits its peak, and then it starts to trend down. And they usually have some level of innovation that has to reoccur for it to hit another up cycle, and then there will be a down cycle and so on and so forth. So it's always like an up slope after an up slope. When you've been in business for 30 or 40 years, you've gone through multiple rounds of these cycles—three or four rounds of those cycles. What I’m hearing right now is business owners that are, let’s say, at retirement age, they’re saying, “I don't know if I have what it takes to go through this AI cycle. Maybe I had what it took to make it through the eighties, nineties, and two thousands, but now we're in 2026. I’m not sure I’m equipped, or my team who’s also very senior, they don’t feel like they have what it takes to get through that next cycle without hiring young talent. But even then, they don’t really understand what they’re talking about. So there’s this gap. And again, I’m hearing it more and more of people saying, I think now’s the time to get out and let some other company that has gas in the tank, vision, and capacity to come in and do that thing.  Yeah, that's interesting. Do you think a multiple-AI–enabled company versus a post-AI company is going to be markedly different?  Maybe. Because it all comes down to revenue—it comes down to the revenue story. I'll give you a perfect example. You have a very profitable company, but they're using an old CRM. A new company comes in and says, “Hey, you're already profitable. If we buy you and put in a new CRM, maybe we could be even more profitable.” That’s cool. So we don’t really need you to put in all the tech. We’ll come in and do all that, and then we’ll get the upside on that. Just as long as you’re profitable, as long as you’re profitable, yet you don’t have major client concentration, your business has all the components. A new company with new vision could come in. That would largely be a strategic buyer. The PE buyer, the financial buyer, most likely is going to want to inject capital into your business so you can go and reinvest, and build new tech, or become a platform, whatever you’re going to be. But that would be a different arrangement. So it's basically a numbers issue. It doesn't matter your technological evolution. And maybe it’s even worse if you've already implemented AI and that only allows you to make five million dollars—there's less upside for the buyer.  Yeah. The bigger concern is: Is your industry at risk because of AI? Is your particular business at risk? And that's why I think people need to adopt it—so they can say, “No, we're not at risk. We've adopted it, we're applying it in whatever fashion we're doing it, and we're going to see the results.” We've already seen a major downswing in a handful of industries because of AI. I mean, advertising agencies are getting hit really hard. People used to be able to charge for writing press releases, to write blogs, to write social, to do video editing on social media. A lot of that's gone, so the bottom tier of those agencies is just gone—there's no need for them anymore.  Do you see people proactively working on making themselves AI-resilient? Everyone knows that they need to do it. Nobody is unaware that today, it’s like websites. There was a time when everyone knew they needed a website. They just didn’t really know how they were going to build it or who was going to build it. They knew it was going to be expensive. It’s kind of where we’re at right now. Everybody knows they need AI. They’re just not exactly sure how they need AI, what it can actually, literally do for them.I think for some people, that big dream that it was going to do everything quickly got taken off the tableShare on X and they say, okay, we could do this much, but even this much is make me very effective.  But it’s just not going to do everything. Like, I still need an accountant. I still need an account manager. I still need someone to do these things, but maybe I don’t need as many people as I once did. So we’re seeing kind of some leveling off there. But I would say largely most people don’t know what AI can do for them, and they’re not really prepared to make those investments. We have a client right now that just made a half million dollar investment into an RFP tool that’s going to help them move faster than their competitors, submit more on RFPs, build everything out in a very complicated way, but they’re making a half million dollar investment. How many companies out there are saying, let’s go, give me the invoice. I’m ready to roll. There’s still a lot of pause there.  What you're describing feels more like a defensive play—okay, we know AI is coming, so we have to implement some AI tools. But I’m thinking more about the big picture. Is my industry going to be disrupted by AI? And how do I pivot my business before I lose momentum, so I become like Netflix—going from a video rental company to a streaming company? Yep.  Do you see companies rethinking their business model?  I think from what I’ve seen, people are rethinking everything—top to bottom. Because you have to start with labor. That’s usually where people start. “AI can do all these things—do I need less talent on the deck?” And if I do, then what can AI do so I don’t have such heavy overhead? Because overhead is also liability, and it has this employment risk behind it. So if you can go from a thousand staff to 800 or 750, great, let’s do it—why wouldn't you do it? Most people are saying, “Let's figure that part out first.” The next thing is the industry disruption, which is what’s our competitors doing to service clients better, manufacture faster, or do things cheaper, so then we’re not left in the dust. So from a production standpoint, we need to figure this out quickly. What I'd say—what I do—is, as an analyst, as a consultant and advisor coming in, that's why I built my AI. I built my AI to fire myself. I basically said, “What I used to do as a management consultant is now irrelevant, because AI is better than me.” So let me just build the digital me and not worry about that side of my business anymore. So I just don’t worry about that anymore. I don’t even really take on assignments that I used to, because AI can do it better and faster. Now, if you want to hire me and allow me to use my AI tool to handle the technical work, I'm more than happy to do that. But I'll tell you firsthand—save your money.  So you're giving it away, or are you selling it?  Yeah, it's free. It's free. It's on ChatGPT. What people can’t do is sit down and have an honest, sincere conversation and ask them the hard questions and challenge them. That's where AI still lacks the human component. I can take a client and say, “Hey, let's hang out. Let's get lunch. Let's go play golf. Let's bring in your kids. Let's talk to your kids. Let's talk about the family dynamic.” Let’s just have a sincere conversation. Let me hold space and create a forum where I can hear people. And that human component is the only thing that I’m worried, like I’m working on now. I'm out of the technical side, because that part of my job is gone.  So fascinating. So does it mean you have to be more of a social animal?  I think so. If you're not going to be a social animal and you're just going to sit at your desk, you should probably be building software using tools like Replit, n8n, or any of these different software tools and just go all in.Share on X But the way we used to do it—you probably see this on LinkedIn, with all the bots on LinkedIn, it’s not what it used to be. It used to be a place where you had a handful of connections and actually met people. Now it’s just so overrun with the bots. It’s like I don’t even want to accept connections anymore. I'd much rather have a conversation like this. To me, this is the future.  Yeah. But maybe we connected originally through LinkedIn. I don’t know where, how we connected, but we may have have connected through a bot—actually.  It’s possible.  Yeah.  It’s possible. But I'll tell you, I connect with maybe one or two percent of people now. Previously, because I didn't get so many inbound inquiries, I would connect with more, because I felt like there was a sincere person on the other end. Now, I really don't know. I've become very skeptical.  Yeah, I'm with you. Let's switch gears, because our time is running out. And there are a couple of things that in our pre-interview you talked about, and one was minimalism. Yeah.  What is minimalism? How do you do it? And what’s a low-hanging way to start to become a minimalist?  It's kind of like that first-principles idea of what really matters. It’s essentialism. It’s kind of getting down to the one thing, that was my recent blog, if there was only one thing you could do this year, but it would make all the difference, what would it be? And anything that gets in the way of that one thing is just noise. For me, minimalism is really about reduction, and kind of getting rid, and being aware and cognizant of things that really shouldn't be on your desk, on your to-do list.Share on X And using AI tools and assistance to get rid of everything that’s low-level activity. If you think of a pyramid, at the very top is where the most value that you can add would be. But yet we spend all of our time, if this is a time pyramid, most of our time is spent at the bottom, the wide part that pretty much anyone can do. So we kind of got to invert the pyramid. To get there, you have to reduce and extract. To protect your time, you have to treat it as very precious and focus only on the most important thing at all times. It is a very hard thing for all professionals to do, and it’s always been a hard thing, but I just take it upon myself and say, okay, well, as a minimalist, I mean, if you were to come to my house and see how sparse my furniture is on purpose. How sparse my closet is on purpose. I’m trying to get rid of options. It's like Steve Jobs and the black turtleneck—if I have one less thing, because I can only make so many choices and decisions in a given day, let me spend my time on the things that are the most important and most impactful.Share on X And that’s not always, because it’s going to put millions of dollars in my bank account. Sometimes it’s just helps me sleep better at night. So I don’t need 50 clients. If I’m going to have 50 headaches. What if I just have five clients? And every one of those was one that I felt very good about, and that would allowed me to charge more. It allowed me to go deeper with them. It's that concept—then you're free to see where your scalable opportunities are. It's the story I told you about a monk who was carving away at this beautiful elephant. Someone walks up and asks, “How did you learn to do this, carving away this elephant in the stone? And he says, Oh, I just chip away everything that's not the elephant. So for me, I have to have a very clear picture of what the elephant is. I have to see the picture in my brain first—like what my life is, what I’m trying to build, how good of a dad I’m trying to be, how good of a husband I’m trying to be, how good of a business partner or a service provider, an advisor. This is my life’s work as a masterpiece, so let me just get rid of anything that doesn’t belong as part of that picture. So that, to me, is kind of how I would explain it. And my approach toward it is I just get rid of everything. It’s not about accumulation. I don't really need more information, because AI already has all the information. Anything I'm going to absorb, I have to be very intentional about—why am I reading it? I see all the books on your shelf. I could show you my bookshelf—tons of books, right? I feel like I've read them all. Am I going to learn anything new? I could also just go back to the books I've already read. I try to highlight them and stuff, but it's like, what more do I need at this point?  Yeah. So I’m wondering about this idea of a lifestyle business versus a growth business. Because what I see is that people who are building a lifestyle business, it’s easier for them to be a minimalist. Because you just do this most valuable thing. You don’t have to build the business. You don’t have to worry about necessarily all the other people, systems, and processes, or making sure of quality control. You just do your high-value work, and at the end of the day, you can put things down and relax. Whereas a growth business, it's different.  I would say with the clients that I have—some have thousands of employees, some have hundreds—I still encourage them to reduce and subtract. Even though they're in high-growth, highly scalable businesses, sometimes the conversation is: How many direct reports do you have, and why do you have that many direct reports? How are you delegating? How are you giving authority? How are you limiting all the inputs? Because a lot of it is noise in your given day. So how do I make your day a little more silent so you can have a little more peace to make better decisions while you run this highly scalable business? Just because you're scaling doesn't mean it needs to be pure chaos. That's what people think—they think, “Oh, if I scale, that means chaos.” I'm anti-chaos.  Okay. But let me ask you this: Two of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time are Elon Musk and Jensen Huang. Elon Musk runs six companies, so he's got a lot of direct reports and goes deep in each of them. And then Jensen Huang has, I don't know, 20, 30, or 40 direct reports—he basically has a million direct reports as well. And that actually allows them to be closer to decisions and make sure things don't go off the rails and their vision gets manifested. So that's what I'm kind of wondering—whether minimalism means you're going to, maybe the flip side is you have to accept less growth, or maybe not.  So I’ve met with a lot of entrepreneurs in my life. Not one of them has been Elon Musk. So I would say we’re looking at the median of entrepreneurs, the average entrepreneur. Those are the people I deal with. I’m not dealing with Elon Musk. I would love to, but I don’t have those types. I have the family-owned business who took it over from their dad and they’ve been running it for 50 years, and he has 250 employees, and he’s got pure chaos, and I’m getting the call to go in and try to sort him out. These are not always the highly sophisticated Steve Jobs types of the world. If you really take a look under the hood with Elon—I read his book and listened to the audiobook with my kids, so I'm very familiar with his story, because I've heard it twice now—what they don't really mention is all the heroes underneath Elon. He wouldn't be who he is without all the many heroes, all the systems, and the Six Sigma and other processes and procedures. That's not to say he doesn't take a deep analytical look at everything, but who are those heroes and what are the processes? I'm far more interested in hearing about his VP of Operations than about Elon. Because what has his VP of Operations worked out? What systems have they implemented that allow him to scale and build a Tesla? Or his COO, like, what do they have going on? Elon's a face. Elon's a madman. He creates all this momentum and chaos, and then he has teams of people behind him who make sense and order out of that chaos. That's why you have what you have with Tesla. If he were just Elon Chaos, without that, I don't believe he would be where he is. But he had people that wanted to get in line. He had a lot of people that wanted to get in line. They believed in his vision. He had huge visions, and it's very inspiring to get behind those visions. Then they say, “Okay, give me the ball. We'll create the infrastructure that allows this thing to take off.” So I'm far more interested in the infrastructure that allows for that scale.  I agree. I'm just thinking whether there is this kind of dichotomy. Because I see that many entrepreneurs—when I was an investment banker—until they sold their business, they were not able to have that simple lifestyle they perhaps desired, because they were building, they were reinvesting. And it wasn't just reinvesting their cash—they were reinvesting their time. So every time they simplified, that was the opportunity cost of not using that time to improve their business. So they plowed it back in, plowed it back in.  Well, it's kind of like the E-Myth is a bit skewed. It's almost like the E-Myth is a myth. E-Myth is a dream—a dream that you can work on your business, step out completely, and everything about it runs itself. It doesn't really work that way. If you're going to be a successful entrepreneur, you're going to have late nights, long weekends, and you're going to feel like every major problem is your own because you're taking all the legal risks. I'm not telling people not to scale. I'm not telling them not to have chaos. What I'm trying to help them do is get clear on what they consider to be important.  And not get killed in the process, and not get divorced.  Statistically, that can happen—the more successful someone gets.  Yeah, it does. Because our time becomes much more valuable, and at some point, it's really hard to say no to the million-dollar hour—to spend that hour watching Netflix with your spouse, right? Exactly. Just feels harder to do.  Exactly.  Yeah.  That was good.  Alright, well, I enjoyed this tremendously. So one more question, one more question that I have to ask you. You talk about this $3 million rule—what do you mean by that? That’s a really interesting concept.  Yeah. So most small businesses get stuck around $3 million, statistically. The question is, why? Why do they get stuck there? A large majority gets stuck and it’s because they create a lifestyle for themself around $3 million. They’re taking enough off the table that they would never be able to find a job that would be able to replace that type of income. So they've made their small business their sole business, their job, and they say, “This is good enough for me,” because let's say half a million dollars, more or less, is going into their bank. They're filling up their 401(k), sending their kids to private school, giving themselves big bonuses. If they're profitable, they don't really see the need to take more risks or double down to go past that wall. I've seen many businesses kind of stay there. They’ll go fluctuate up and down through the years, but more or less they’ll hit that wall. They could stay there for 20 years and never make any progress. It’s not until they put on new thinking and say, we’re going to grow through acquisitions, we’re going to target a different market, new products, we’re going to innovate in some way. But that takes extra gas in the tank. Sometimes, a lot of entrepreneurs, once they hit that first level of success, say, “This is good enough for me,” because it usually takes them about five to seven years to get to that first major breathing point.  They're not hungry enough anymore.  Exactly.  Does someone has to be a little crazy to still want to eat more, even though they're already full?  Yeah. Some people are just wired that way. Some people just more and more, and that's no slight against them. They're never satisfied. They always want more—another dollar, another nickel. If they saw a nickel on the floor, they would stop and pick it up. They want every piece of everything. And those people usually are the ones that go and go and go and go. They’re usually the ones that just keep going because it’s an insatiable appetite. I'm not talking about people who get—well, I don't want to call it lucky—but sometimes things do fall out of the sky. Sometimes a big client falls out of the sky, or an opportunity opens up, and people are smart enough to buy their competitor when the competitor approaches them. Or sometimes they make these little moves, and that gives them a leap. I’m not talking about those people. Those are outliers to me. I’m talking about your average entrepreneur that built a $3 million business on his own with no major clients falling, just hard work, blood, sweat in tears. The average Joe typically gets stuck around that $3 million.  Yeah, that’s interesting. Fascinating. Alright, well, if you don't want to be stuck around $3 million, or if you want to get to the next level, then reach out to Tim and check out what he’s doing. So where can our listeners find you? Where can our listeners find you if they want to learn with you, learn about you, read your Substack, read your books? Where should they go?  Just go to Google or AI and type in Tim “The Inside Man” Martinez. The Inside Man is an acronym for Tim. You'll find my LinkedIn—happy to connect with you, just tell me you heard me on Steve's podcast. You can also check out my blog: it's Tim “The Inside Man” on Substack, or go to www.theinsideman.biz, my website. I'd love to connect with anyone. Well, do check out Tim's Substack—it's awesome. You're going to get more of what you heard on this podcast. And if you enjoy listening, make sure you follow us. Subscribe on YouTube, LinkedIn, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you get your podcasts, because every week I'm inviting—and luckily more and more people want to come on the show—to have a conversation. So thank you, Tim, for coming, and thank you for listening. Important Links: Tim's LinkedIn Tim's website

Dr. Janet Patterson: Welcome to this Aphasia Access Aphasia Conversations Podcast, a series of conversations about aphasia, the LPAA model, and aphasia programs that follow this model. My name is Janet Patterson. I am a Research Speech-Language Pathologist at the VA Northern California Healthcare System in Martinez, California, and a member of the Aphasia Access Conversations Podcast Working Group. Aphasia Access strives to provide members with information, inspiration, and ideas that support their efforts in engaging with persons with aphasia and their families through a variety of educational materials and resources. I am the host for our episode that will feature Robin Pollens, in which you will hear about the transformative power of mentoring. These Show Notes accompany the conversation with Robin but are not a verbatim transcript.   In this episode you will hear about: 1. the presentation of the Aphasia Access, Sandra O. Glista Excellence in Mentoring award to Robin Pollens, 2. stories about mentoring from Robin's career as a speech-language pathologist, and 3. the power of a mentoring relationship to affect the relationship with people whom you mentor, from whom you receive mentoring, and with whom you share mentoring opportunities.   I am delighted to be speaking with my dear friend and longtime LPAA colleague, Robin Pollens. Robin is an ASHA certified speech language pathologist and held the positions of adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at Western Michigan University, and clinical supervisor and coordinator in the Aphasia Communication Enhancement program. She also provided clinical speech-language pathology services through home health, and skilled nursing outpatient clinics.   In addition to her focus on LPAA, Robin is passionate about graduate education in speech-language pathology, palliative care, interprofessional collaboration and ethics, and has written and lectured nationally and internationally on these topics.  In 2023 Robin was awarded the Sandra O. Glista Excellence in Mentoring award from Aphasia Access. 2023 marks the inaugural award given to both Robin and Leora Cherney from the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago. The “Sandy” is awarded by Aphasia Access and recognizes an exceptional mentor who has demonstrated unwavering commitment, unparalleled guidance, and profound impact on the professional and personal development of others working in the aphasia community. The award is named in honor of Sandy Glista, one of the founders of Aphasia Access, and is a testament to her enduring legacy, and a reminder of the transformative power of mentorship.   Welcome Robin, to this edition of Aphasia Access conversations. Ms. Robin Pollens: Janet, thank you. Thank you so much for all that intro, and it's nice to be here to talk with you today. I want to also right now, thank Aphasia Access for this honor. It was especially meaningful, towards the end of my career, to receive a mentorship award and to hope there's something that I did, or I said, or I wrote over the years that was meaningful to somebody else. I also appreciate that I'm sharing this inaugural award with a wonderful friend, Leora Cherney, and that this award is named for my close friend and collaborative partner, Sandra Glista. It's a real honor to have received it and an honor to talk with you today, Janet. Janet: The feeling is mutual about talking with you, Robin, and the honor is certainly well deserved. Robin, as I mentioned earlier, you were honored with the Sandra O. Glista Excellence in Mentoring award. This award recognizes your commitment to mentoring individuals who are part of the aphasia community, including clinicians, researchers, persons with aphasia, and their care partners, students and others. Through Sandy Glista and this award, we are reminded of the transformative power of mentoring. Robin, how do you envision the value of mentoring to individuals and to the Aphasia community?  Robin: When I received this award, it set me on the road to reminiscence. I remember being in, I think, undergrad, studying Speech and Hearing Sciences and I had not yet done any clinical work. I had the opportunity to sit and observe a grad student doing an aphasia assessment with a patient. I was sitting behind this two-way mirror and I'm watching, and my mind is going, “okay, she holds up this card; and then she writes something down; and then she has someone point.” That's what my mind was doing. Sitting behind the two-way mirror with me happened to be a visiting professor from Australia named Anne. She turned to me and said, “Look at all of that empathy”. And I went, in my mind, “Empathy, what does that have to do with it?” Then I looked through the mirror, and I saw that this grad student was talking softly and looking kindly in her eyes, and kind of patting the client when she got frustrated. I thought, “Oh, I guess that's part of this.” So I'm thankful for her (Anne) and I feel like she was my first mentor. She only said one sentence to me, but it set me on a path for what it means to be an SLP. I know that recently, like in the last five years, there's been more discussion in our field about the importance of counseling, and mental health and people with aphasia. When I would be watching a grad student doing therapy, and I'm supervising, sometimes I would see them having what I would call a counseling moment. I would make sure to let them know later, saying perhaps, “I saw when the patient was frustrated, you stopped the task and you talked with them kindly. They told you about some things that were happening, and you gave an empathic comment.” This is the way that I think about mentoring, that it's a pathway to learning or growth that comes out of your own experience, and then it goes on to others and recreates. I can go on and on with stories.         Janet: Please do tell stories, Robin, because I'm fascinated by stories. I have another question though, Robin, as you continue to tell me your stories, you've led right into the question that's on my mind. People may think of mentoring as one way, such as the experience that you had sitting behind the mirror and watching the graduate student. I see mentoring as an interactive relationship that goes multiple ways. I would love to hear more of your stories and learn about your thoughts about interactive mentorship. Does that make sense to you?  Robin: Yes, I do like that framework that you just said, Janet. And when I knew I was going to be doing this discussion with you today, of course, I went online, and I looked up mentoring to see what kind of definitions I might find. I actually found a website that I liked; it was Art of Mentoring. The definition for mentor they used was a coach, a connector, or even a challenger to help their mentees reach their full potential. The mentee will lead the relationship, inviting the mentor into their own inner dialogue to assist in working through, and I really liked that. I think that's ideally how the relationship can work. So, for example, when I was supervising the students in the ACE program, when it got to be in the middle of the semester, we would have a midterm conference and I would always say, “Tell me about your goals for yourself for the rest of this semester, how would you like me to help you?” The answers were so varied, there were some people that were very focused on the clinical learning tasks, they might say something like, I'm having trouble being in the conversation and keeping track of data, or this patient's talking so much, I don't know how to navigate the session to get everyone involved. So, there were clinical skills. Whereas there were other people that would say something like, I get so anxious before the session, I'm so nervous, it takes me a while after I met it to really be able to focus on what's happening. Those are two very different kinds of goals, and I wouldn't have known as their supervisor and mentor for that situation if I hadn't asked, and if they hadn't, let me know. So, I do think that that's important. I also think sometimes we have to seek out our own mentors; that's part of the relationship. In the beginning of my career when I was in my clinical fellowship year, I didn't have one of these strong clinical fellowship, amazing experiences that some people did, I was in a public school, and I had someone who was my supervisor. During that time, I was able to get a position in a different city, working in the hospitals, and another supervisor agreed to keep following me as the supervisor. In the hospital, I had some new patients that had had injuries, and I wasn't sure what to do. My supervisor didn't know anything about that, and I ended up going to a conference in Braintree, Massachusetts, and they were talking about this new thing called Rancho Los Amigos Scale, and I learned about it and brought it back. Sometimes throughout our careers, I think you need to actively seek out a mentor. I think I remember that Aphasia Access started a program where if you wanted to be a mentor, or you have a mentor, you can let them know; I think that's great, because there's always things that go on as your career continues that you may want to get some guidance for. Janet: What I'm hearing you say, Robin, if I can paraphrase your words, is as an individual, a good thing is for one to be open to mentoring opportunities, whether you provide them or acknowledge them, when you see a student or a colleague performing in an empathetic manner, or for your own self seeking out someone to give you assistance. The mentoring could be a large role, such as in a CFY, or a lengthy one such as a  two- or three-year relationship, or it could be a very short-term kind of mentorship. This seems to me to be what you're saying, make yourself open to learning and interacting with all sorts of people, because they can have an influence on your life, and presumably, you on theirs as well.  Robin: You summarized that great Janet. Yes, and I know that when I was working in home care quite a long time ago, I remember feeling in awe of the family members, the amount of care and the total concern, and they modified their life to care for their loved one. All of a sudden, I remember that feeling, and then fast forward two decades later, when some of my family members had illness, and I was in that role. I was drawing upon what I learned from them, which in turn, I share with our families of the people with aphasia when they're having medical situations. So hopefully, we're just all doing this for each other, throughout our lives.   Janet: What's the phrase “together, we're more powerful”, that's not it exactly, but our thinking together and the little pieces of information about mentorship or actions about mentorship, that you can recall from 15 or 20 years ago, that can help you today, are just as important as the word someone says to you this afternoon, about how you can be a better clinician, or you can give guidance to someone who is seeking it from you. Exactly. Robin, in your position at Western Michigan University, I know you have mentored numerous students, and we could probably talk for months or years about wonderful stories. Some of them, most of them, I'm sure are successful, but there probably were a few that were less successful mentorship relationships. I know that you've mentored students, what I'm interested in learning from you is have you also mentored persons with aphasia or their care partners?   Robin: Yes, and I think there are different ways to mentor somebody with aphasia. I think the piece of it I'm going to pick up on has to do with helping them express their identity, helping them to reach their level. And again, I think for me, the roots of it came actually long before I knew about Life Participation Approach to Aphasia, it wasn't really articulated yet. I remember working in home care with a woman in her 40s. She had her stroke, and she had severe aphasia. But also, all of a sudden, she could no longer work as a crossing guard. That was her work, as a crossing guard for the elementary school. She also was no longer part of her caring circle at church, she was the one that greeted people, and sent get-well cards. I think that one really struck me because I was also on the caring circle at my temple. So, we ended up in therapy focusing on reading and writing, but in the context of being able to write sympathy or get-well cards. She made a dictionary of phrases you could write and things like that. So, fast forward to being in the ACE program, which was created by myself and Sandra Glista, to be a place where goals were addressed, not only the impairment level, but also the participation level, and there's certainly countless examples there I can think of, even from way back in the beginning, because it's in the article that we wrote. There was an organization in our city called Senior Corps, and it's actually in many states still. We trained some of the volunteers to communicate with people with aphasia, and then matched them with some of our people with something they wanted to do. So, one of the people ended up being, with his conversation partner, part of a bowling league, an accessible bowling league. He was young, he'd always been in sports, and he was just sitting home so that was his identity. Another person was matched with a woman who ended up going into a first-grade art class in elementary school once a week and helping out in that art program with her conversation partner. So, these were things that we started saying, we're working on communication, but we're also in some way guiding them towards a meaningful and participatory life. So that's one way, I hope that I've been a mentor for some people with aphasia. Janet: I bet you have been a mentor for a lot of people with aphasia, because I can just visualize you thinking, and tapping into all the information from your former mentors, as you try to find ways to help an individual with aphasia, and his or her care partner or friend, take that step to being able to do whatever it is that they'd like to do, as well as they can possibly do it. I'm glad that you've had all these mentoring opportunities, and I think you're a leader in this field.   Robin: Thank you, Janet. I'd also say I think a way to be a mentor with someone with aphasia is also just having an authentic relationship with them, when their communication changes so much and people don't know how to communicate with them, and they don't know how to communicate with others. Being someone that they know they can talk with, they can relate with and laugh with, I think that in and of itself is a valuable way for interacting with somebody who has a sudden change in their communication.   Janet: You're talking about accepting someone for who they are, meeting them where they are, and together, you have a relationship that is built on trust, so that that individual would be more willing to accept from you, ideas that you suggest. They may be wacky ideas at the moment, but they certainly work in the long run. That relationship helps you both accept information from each other. I'm really curious, you've told us several stories about mentoring, and we'd love to hear many, many more. Can you think of a favorite mentoring experience you've had in some part of your career? Tell us one about one of those.   Robin: Sure, I'll name the one that I just got to go through. That was mentoring the next coordinator of the Aphasia communication Enhancement Program, which is Alison Mezcal. I had the great pleasure to stay for a semester while she was there, and we were able to do all of the coordinating. I already knew that she was a great clinician, she already knew the ACE program, she had been our student 10 years before. But the coordination piece, which is scheduling, and contacting people and planning, and all that would be new. So, we got to do it together over the semester and that was so satisfying to be able to do that. I also literally cleaned out the office and all the files and all the things so that it was ready for the next person. I know many people don't get to leave their position with the opportunity to do that, to directly mentor the next person, and it was a great pleasure. Janet, on the mentoring website, they talked about their logo, and it was two geese flying in, here's what they said, “The geese at the front of the flock improve the aerodynamics to make it easier for the followers to fly; the geese at the back honk to encourage the front geese to keep pushing forward.” And they are constantly shifting position, meaning the mentor could be leading from behind or in front, and sometimes just flying alongside. And that's what I had the opportunity to do with Allison. So that was a great pleasure.   Janet: That was a great story, Robin. I just imagine the warmth it brought to your heart as you watch this living thing that you and Sandy created many years ago, move on to the next generation. But you know, I thought about something else, too, that this is part of, I think, what might be thoughts that a mentor has to consider. So, you've invested a lot in your ACE program, quite a bit over the years, and your heart and soul are in that, and you have mentored the next generation beautifully. But now you have to step aside. The next generation may have different ideas or may take it in a slightly different way, or may do things that you never even thought about. So, part of what a mentor has to do I would imagine, is also take a deep breath and know that you've done the best job you can. But then step aside and maybe your job now is to be at the back of that flock of geese and keep honking as the program moves forward under a new leader and a new director.   Robin: Excellent. Yes, and that's very fun. I have great confidence and hope, and in a couple of weeks Alison and I are meeting for coffee, and I want to sit back and just hear all about the things that she's creating.   Janet: That's wonderful. You are indeed a wonderful mentor, Robin, you've been a great mentor to me over the years, sometimes you knew it, sometimes you didn't, as a result of the conversations we've had, and through the different projects that we've done over the years. Let me turn to a slightly different topic now. We've mentioned this a couple of times already, that for many years you worked with Sandy Glista, who is a dear friend to both of us. I believe that being honored through this award, receiving the “Sandy”, it must bring warm thoughts of your days working together. Please tell our listeners about how Sandy's friendship and collegiality have influenced you during your career.   Robin: I would say in the beginning, which would be the late 1990s, I'd say Sandy initially was a mentor, the kind of mentor that many people spoke about. In this regard, she was a connector, she connected people together. Well, she connected me to you, Janet, when you and myself and Ellen and Glenn did a project years ago on Cybersafety for people with aphasia. I was doing homecare and Sandy was working on a project with keeping elders communicating. She invited me to be involved in this project and start having some Western students intern with me. Then she invited me to do a presentation on a topic she was starting out investigating, interprofessional education, which was a new thing. We were in a college, and we had OT and social work and all the different disciplines together. They did a presentation, I brought in my team, my home care, OT PT, social work team, and we proudly presented a case. It was after that, that she was going to be going on sabbatical and she asked me if I would take her place in working with people with aphasia at Western, and that's when I began actually working at Western, in 2002. Once she came back, we started talking, and creating and planning this new version of an aphasia program and for a couple of decades, we were collaborative partners. We would add to each other, fit to each other, enjoy being together, and have a wonderful creative experience, creating these ideas that we had and seeing them happen. If we did anything such as write something or present something, it was always Sandy Glista and Robin Pollens, or Robin Pollens and Sandy Glista, whether they were even present or not, because the ideas germinated from both of us. So, if you ever have the opportunity to have a work relationship like that, it's a real gift.   Janet: Our listeners can hear, I hope, the joy in your voice, as you're talking about that relationship you had with Sandy. I know that was a very special relationship for the two of you. I can see because I'm looking at your face right now, I can see the joy in your face. Recalling the close times and close work that you and Sandy had together, I'm sure that there were some disagreements or seeing things from different perspectives, but your last statement saying that it was a wonderful working relationship and you you'd like to see everyone have that kind of close, creative relationship, is admirable. So, thank you for that insight. Robin. I'm also wondering who were some of the mentors that you and Sandy drew upon? Robin: When Sandy went on sabbatical, she visited national and international aphasia centers, and she brought back the inspiration and the sense of community that she experienced there. I was reading the World Health Organization ICF with its impairment, activity, and participation parameters, and I could envision how we could use this concept to create goals for clients, and to create participation groups where clients could work on their impairment-based goals in the context of an activity of choice. Sandy and I studied relationship centered care, which came out of the Fetzer Institute here in Kalamazoo, and we envisioned a program where family members or care partners were part of the mission of a program. Finally, in our collaboration, we created a sequential way to educate the students through the semester to be able to provide this type of SLP treatment. On the first page of the article we published in 2007, you'll see a long list of people who inspired us. Those were ACE program mentors and as ACE continued, Elizabeth Nadler, Marie Koss-Ryan and Suma Devanga added their creativity supervisors. And I would add that once Aphasia Access was formed, there were many people in Aphasia Access, who became our collaborative mentors. So, thank you to everyone.   Janet: Robin, you said something about interprofessional education and interprofessional practice, and it kind of got lost in a sentence, and I'd like to circle back to that and acknowledge that you and Sandy were visionaries in this area. Nobody else was talking about interprofessional practice, or publishing about it, or making it happen. You and Sandy were at the forefront of that.  I remember those papers that you wrote, talking about the value that each one of the rehab professionals could bring to the treatment of the patient and how they we can all reinforce the goals for the patient, the various goals. So, we all owe you a debt of thanks for that, as well.   Robin: I didn't realize that was that different. I just realized that we had the opportunity since we were at Western and there were the other professionals there, that each semester, we ended up creatively finding ways to coordinate with OT, or bring in a social worker or whatever it was. I have enjoyed watching the growth of this area of interprofessional over the last years and seeing how it's appreciated.   Janet: I think it's very important. A previous Aphasia Access Podcast, #84, was with Mary Purdy, who talked about interprofessional collaboration and related a specific story where she and a physical therapist work together to achieve the particular goal of one of their clients. Another podcast, #78, with Michelle Gravier, Albert Mendoza, and Jennifer Sherwood described an interprofessional exercise program. I'm so glad that there is a greater appreciation for interprofessional education and interprofessional practice these days. So, Robin, as we bring this conversation to a close with thoughts, or as I like to call them Monday Morning Practices, do you have ideas that you could share with our listeners, things that they might either think about in the long term, or that they might do on Monday morning when they see their clients?   Robin: Well, I almost feel teary as I'm answering this, but I'm going to work through this teariness. I'm thinking about beginnings. And I'm thinking about endings. And so, I'm thinking about making sure that in the beginning, if someone's in the hospital and has new stroke or new aphasia, whatever it is, that you are giving them hope, as described as important in the article way back by Avent, Glista and others, and I can't talk without giving a story, Janet. I'm remembering in homecare, seeing a new patient with severe aphasia, not much talking. The wife left the room while I was in the session, and I noticed a deer's head on the wall. So, I took out a piece of paper and I wrote down some written word choices, you know, baking, gardening, hunting, whatever. I said, “Tell me, I want to learn about you.” And he pointed to hunting, so we ended up having the whole conversation using supportive communication strategies and written words. At the end of the almost hour, his wife came in the room, and I said to her, “Oh, I just was hearing about the time that he and his brothers went up hunting up by Lake Michigan, and they had that rainstorm, and then the roof was leaking.” She looked at me and said, “How did he tell you that?” So, I took out the piece of paper, and I showed her our conversation, basically, with words and drawings. He had already gone through acute care, and inpatient rehab so I said to her, “Didn't anybody show you this along the way?” And she said, “No.” So that's one of the messages that I often like to express - the importance in the beginning of giving the family a method to be able to communicate because that's a way of giving hope. I can also quote another colleague of mine, Marie Koss-Ryan, who did some acute care pretty recently: same thing - she went in the room, new stroke, new severe aphasia. He was trying to read his menu to order breakfast and couldn't do it. So, she took out her iPad, pulled up a page of juices, and said,” What kind of juice do you like?” and he pointed to tomato juice. A little while later the tray came and then his wife came for the day visit and she saw the tomato juice, and she burst into tears? Marie asked what was wrong, and she said, “How did somebody know he drinks tomato juice every morning for breakfast.” She took out her iPad and showed her how you can pull up pictures. To me that's giving hope through a way to communicate. So that's the piece from the beginning. And I can't help but mention just briefly, to also remember if you are working in palliative care and end of life care, to also show up as a speech-language pathologist that can help people to be able to communicate as best as they can, even if it is at the end of their life.   Janet: Those are, are very important points, I think, to start us off to remember the power of communication. And then also to know that there are lots of messages people wish to convey towards the end of their lives. How can we help them convey those messages? Robin, this has been an amazing conversation. And I know that you and I will have many more opportunities to talk to each other. I just wish we had many more days right now to listen to the stories and share the thinking and the insights and the bits of mentorship we have received from each other and from people in our clinical worlds. So, thank you so much for speaking with me today. I am proud to call you my friend and my colleague, and again, congratulations on receiving the Sandra O. Glista Excellence in Mentoring award. I know Robin, that when I asked you to be interviewed for this podcast, you were initially reluctant, as is your style. I'm so glad that you finally agreed because the messages that I'm hearing in our chat today, they're far beyond you and me. They're about the power, the transformative power, of mentoring, no matter who you are, or who you mentor. So, I thank you, and on behalf of Aphasia Access, I want you to know how humbled I am by your long-standing commitment to mentoring. I believe that even though you are retired from Western Michigan University, you have many future mentees that will also be humbled by your long-standing commitment to aphasia, to people with aphasia, to their care partners, and to mentoring.   Robin: Thank you, Janet. Thank you very much. And I guess I will say this ended up being a gift that you gave me to be able to do this. I mean, we should all do it for each other to give them a chance to reminisce and tell their story and get perspective and life. So, thank you.   Janet: You are more than welcome, Robin. I would also like to thank our listeners for supporting Aphasia Access Conversations by listening to our podcasts. For references and resources mentioned in today's show please see our Show Notes. They are available on our website, www.aphasiaaccess.org. There, you can also become a member of our organization, browse our growing library of materials and find out about the Aphasia Access Academy. If you have an idea for a future podcast episode, please email us at info@aphasiaaccess.org. For Aphasia Access Conversations, and again thanking you Robin Pollens, I am Janet Patterson and I thank you all for your ongoing support of Aphasia Access.                           To engage in further conversation about mentoring, Robin can be reached at robinpollensslp@gmail.com     Reference List APPENDIX B: Rancho Los Amigos Scale-Revised. (2011). Continuum (Minneapolis, Minn.), 17(3 Neurorehabilitation), 646–648. https://doi.org/10.1212/01.CON.0000399079.30556.03   Avent, J., Glista, S., Wallace, S., Jackson, J., Nishioka, J., & Yip, W. (2005). Family information needs about aphasia. Aphasiology, 19(3–5), 365–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687030444000813   Glista, S.O. & Pollens, R.D. (2007).  Educating clinicians for meaningful, relevant, and purposeful aphasia group therapy. Topics in Language Disorders 27(4), 351-371. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.TLD.0000299889.62358.6f   Pollens R. (2003). Home care. Hom Healthcare Nurse, 21(5), 348. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004045-200305000-00015   Pollens, R.D. (2020). Facilitating client ability to communicate in palliative end-of-life care: Impact of speech–language pathologists. Topics in Language Disorders 40(3), 264-277. https://doi.org/10.1097/TLD.0000000000000220     URL The Art of Mentoring    https://artofmentoring.net/what-is-mentoring/   Aphasia Communication Enhancement Program, Western Michigan University https://wmich.edu/unifiedclinics/vanriper/aphasia   Fetzer Institute       https://fetzer.org/   Aphasia Access Podcast Conversation #84 Interprofessional Practice and Interprofessional Education: In Conversation with Mary Purdy https://aphasiaaccess.libsyn.com/interprofessional-practice-and-interprofessional-education-in-conversation-with-mary-purdy   Aphasia Access Podcast Conversation #78 A Llama, a Resistance Band, and Neil Diamond Walk Into a Bar - An Interprofessional Exercise Program for Individuals with Aphasia: A Conversation with Michelle Gravier, Albert Mendoza, and Jennifer Sherwood       https://aphasiaaccess.libsyn.com/a-llama-a-resistance-band-and-neil-diamond-walk-into-a-bar-an-interprofessional-exercise-program-for-individuals-with-aphasia-a-conversation-with-michelle-gravier-albert-mendoza-and-jennifer-sherwood

This episode is speaking directly to Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) but let's be clear, Gen X (born 1965-1980), you're right behind them and can learn a great deal about repositioning, reimagining, and rewiring before, during, and after retirement. So you need to listen too!Today's episode shares the numbers, statistics, and insights from industry professionals and agencies. Did you know that the Baby Boomer generation accounts for an estimated 2.3 million small businesses in the United States, which cumulatively employ over 25 million people? We're sharing the reasons why Boomers are starting or considering (to start) a business, the challenges they face, and the opportunities that they can embrace. We're even going to share how Boomers can cater to other Boomers and the Silent Generation (born 1925-1945). We'll review the states with the most noticeable boom of Boomer startups, contemplate the impact of the pandemic on the rise of Boomer startups, share some tips and questions to consider, and even list some possible startup ideas that you might want to pursue.Some of the resources mentioned include:- Senior Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)- The U.S. Small Business Administration: includes links to SBA
District offices, SCORE chapters and other resources. https://www.sba.gov/tools/local-assistance/districtoffices- SBA resources for people over 50: https://www.sba.gov/content/50-entrepreneurs- SBA Learning Center: Encore Entrepreneurs: An Introduction
to Starting Your Own Business https://www.sba.gov/tools/sba-learning-center/training/encore-entrepreneurs-introduction-starting-your-own-business- AARP tips on starting a new business: www.aarp.org/startabusiness- Kaufman Foundation FastTrack for 50 plus: http://fasttrac.org/entrepreneurs/fasttrac-courses-for-boomers.aspx- Aging 2.0: organization that promotes innovation to improve the lives of seniors. http://www.aging2.com/about/- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's Center on Aging and Work at Boston College: research and information about multi-generational workforce. http://www.bc.edu/research/agingandwork/- SeniorEntrepreneurshipWorks: Entrepreneurship and aging education and training information. http://seniorentrepreneurshipworks.org/about.php Before we wrap up we have to shout out some amazing businesses and the professionals that drive them. Today we're shouting out two Boomer start-ups:BUSINESS #1 BoodleBodyOwner: Moira GehringCBD-infused skincare line in Santa Fe, New Mexico.https://www.instagram.com/boodlebody/https://www.facebook.com/boodlebody/ http://www.boodlebody.com/(505) 467-8647BUSINESS #2Castillito del CaribeA micro-hotel on Isla Mujeres, MexicoOwners: Dawn Fleming & her husbandThis property is a 4BR/4BA Villa with 6 rental options depending on availability.https://www.castillitocaribe.com After being asked repeatedly for tips on how to retire overseas, Dawn launched a podcast called Overseas Life Redesign [https://olr.buzzsprout.com], and a coaching company of the same name, as well as wrote the book Claim Your Dream Life about retiring abroad.SHOW INFORMATION:Company: Foreman & Associates, LLCWebsite: https://ForemanLLC.comIG: https://instagram.com/ForemanLLCPodcast IG: https://instagram.com/DontCallitSmallFB: https://facebook.com/ForemanAndAssociatesTwitter: https://twitter.com/ForemanLLCPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/ItAintSmallYouTube: https://youtube.com/user/ForemanAssociatesHOST: Natasha L. Foreman, Lead Management Consultant Foreman & Associates, LLCWebsite: https://NatashaForeman.comIG: https://instagram.com/NatashaLForemanFB: https://facebook.com/NatashaLForemanTwitter: https://twitter.com/NatashaLForemanLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/NatashaLForemanTheme Song: “Higher Up” by Shane IversCopyright 2022. Foreman & Associates, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

The Honorable Alison T. Young is a dynamic executive with over 20 years of government and private sector leadership experience on the world's largest stages. Ms. Young's unique combination of public and private sector roles, along with her significant financial and budgetary experience and national network of collaborators; make her a highly sought-after advisor, speaker, and partner.A nationally recognized expert on civic engagement and leadership, Ms. Young is Managing Partner of Red, White and Blue Strategies (RWB), founding RWB's strategic consulting and leadership training practice group; and serving on the firm's executive team. Ms. Young is a former senior White House official, having served as Special Assistant to the President George W. Bush and Acting Director of the White House Office of USA Freedom Corps (USAFC). She also served as the White House Liaison and Director of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives for the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency overseeing AmeriCorps, VISTA and Senior Corps. In 2010, she was recruited to Philadelphia to become the Vice President of External Affairs for the National Constitution Center and then served for five years as Managing Director of Leadership & Civic Engagement at Drexel University's LeBow College of Business. In January 2020, Ms. Young was named a National Review Institute Regional Fellow, focusing on preserving and buttressing the foundations of our free society and conserving our inheritance from America's Founders. She is on the faculty of The Campaign School at Yale University, currently appearing on television as an expert analyst and strategist on ABC, FOX, and BBC; and is a frequent speaker at corporate retreats and international conferences focused on civic engagement, women, and leadership. Check out a detailed version of Ms. Young's extensive resume at chanelandmuckboots.com!Websites: https://www.rwbstrategies.com/, https://www.america250pa.org/about-usLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atyoung131/ 

Episode 51 - Choosing the best senior living option for your mom or dad can feel overwhelming. Many of us expect the answer will be obvious – if our Mother is suffering from Dementia, for instance, the time will come when she needs to engage in Memory Care. Or, if our Dad has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, we know he might need assisted living or maybe he prefers home care instead? The truth is, though, that the right choice isn’t usually in front of our eyes. More often than not, it’s the little things – like that time Dad complained about the single stair in his shower, or the time Mom forgot to feed the dog – that indicate it’s time to look into care options. In those less obvious cases, choosing between so many different types of care might feel daunting. What’s the difference between assisted living and a nursing home? Are there ways my parent can continue to live independently? Do I have to hire a full-time caregiver? Does my mom really need that extra help? In today’s episode, we’ll break down the options for you – so that this new and treacherous landscape can transform into something simple and comprehensible. When you understand your options, you can make a much more informed decision – without worrying that you might be missing something. We’ll discuss assisted living, nursing homes, memory care, home care, and even whether moving Mom or Dad in with you is an ideal option. We’ll also talk about independent living – and ways to stretch that period out for your parents, while still giving them the help they need. Before we get into all that, though, let’s get into the signs that it might be time for more help in the first place. You can begin by analyzing your parents’ overall physical health. If your parent is in great physical shape, then their options might be a lot more open. If you notice changes or problems in their health, though, you don’t want to wait to consult a doctor and start planning your next steps. Physical health is nothing to mess around with and must be a priority. If you can visit with your parent, take the time on your next trip to absorb their behavior and look for any signs of health changes. Observe details like weight, sleep patterns, and possible injuries. Has your mom lost a surprising amount of weight lately? If she looks thinner than usual, this could indicate that she’s been forgetting to eat. It could also be a sign of something more serious – like cancer, dementia, or depression. If you notice dramatic weight changes, you shouldn’t wait to get your parent to a doctor. When the reason for the weight loss is determined, not only can your mother begin treatment – but together, you can decide the best care option. If this is an early sign of dementia, for instance, you can think about Memory Care. If it’s a medical condition like cancer, your doctor will help you find the most suitable care. If your parent’s weight is about the same – that’s a great sign. It’s possible that your mother can continue to live independently. Still, there are other – equally important - factors to consider. Once you’ve analyzed your parents’ weight, find out how they’ve been sleeping. Have you noticed that your dad has been falling asleep at the couch more often, or taking a long time to get out of bed morning? In a non-confrontational, conversational manner, ask him if he’s had any trouble sleeping lately. Has he missed early morning appointments or been consistently late due to sleeping in? This could be a sign that he’s struggling to fall asleep at night. Has he been taking “naps” during the day that tend to last for hours? Does he seem lethargic or is he alert? Changes in sleep patterns are a sign that physical health might be declining. Dad could be losing sleep because of new aches or pains in his body, or because he is just generally slowing down. If you notice that your mom or dad’s sleep is being affected, be sure to take them to the doctor. Once you understand why this is happening, and treatment begins, you can start looking into the best options for care. Finally, try to notice if there are any signs of injury on your parent’s body. Your parent might not always tell you when he’s suffered a fall – so you’ll need to look out for these signs yourself. If you notice new bruises, possible limping, or broken skin – this is a sign that your parent has been facing mobility struggles. Now, depending on the severity of these struggles, you might not need to jump to assisted living or a nursing home. Depending on your finances, there are plenty of options to making the home a safer place for your loved one. However, if the falls are a sign of something bigger – like Parkinson’s disease – you will have to look into more serious care. Of course, not everyone can observe their parents’ physical health. Maybe you live out of town or you aren’t able to see your loved one in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If this is the case, ask yourself if there is anyone who is able to stop by Mom’s house for you and report back. Do you have a sibling in town or a family friend? Try to find a neutral party who will report their findings in an honest way. If your sibling is adamantly against long-term care, for example, he might not be the best person to ask – because he’ll go out of his way to only look for signs that help his cause. You can also ask your parent about their health on the phone. Just keep in mind that they might not be entirely honest with you – or they might not even know the answers. If your dad has suffered weight loss, for example, he probably hasn’t noticed. Still, it’s worth speaking directly to your parents so that they have a chance to voice their own concerns about their health. Once you’ve analyzed your parents’ physical health, it’s time to address their mental health. Mental health is equally important to consider when it comes to knowing if it’s time for extra help. If your parent is suffering from memory loss, depression, anxiety, or anything else concerning – you’ll want to get them help right away. Signs of faltering mental health might not be as obvious, but there are certain signs you can look for. Have you noticed if your parents’ house is being neglected, for example? If your mother or father is no longer caring for their home – this could indicate that they are no longer managing their lives well. Look for dirty dishes, messy floors, cluttered corners – anything that indicates that domestic needs are being forgotten. If your parent is not able to keep up with housework, it’s safe to assume he’s struggling to keep up with his own care. Not to mention, no one wants their parent to be living in filth. It might be time to enlist extra help around the house. Does your parent seem confused? Has mom been leaving the oven on or has dad forgotten to put groceries away? Did you find the TV remote in a kitchen cabinet? Is your mom calling her cat by the wrong name? Sure a simple mistake might happen from time to time and not be cause for alarm, but if you’re noticing frequent signs of confusion, it’s a sign that something more serious might be happening. If this is the case, it’s time to take your parent to a doctor and discuss care options. Finally, take note of your parents’ physical appearance. If it looks like they are failing to shower, brush their teeth, or keep up with basic grooming, this might mean they are suffering from depression or that a change in their health has impacted their ability to care for themselves. When your parent is unable to care for themselves, it’s time to enlist extra help. Bring your parent to the doctor for further assessment. Once you have assessed the situation and determined that your mom or dad does need help, it’s time to decide the best type of care for them. Remember to include your parent in this conversation – after all, this is their life, and they should have a say in any major changes they are facing whenever possible. To learn more about how to begin this conversation with your mom or dad, check out our episode “When is it Time to Move?” If you know that your parent needs some extra help, but believe she still has a great bill of health overall, you might want to make some simple adjustments to her independent living style. This can be the best option for many families – especially when the parent is hesitant to make a more drastic move. Independent living adjustments can also act as a transitionary period to get your parent used to accepting more help. There are many instances in which independent living is still the best option. If your mom is physically and mentally healthy, for example, but she is struggling to move around the house, consider hiring an occupational therapist or speak with her doctor to see if she qualifies for home health care – that would provide an occupational therapist through her Medicare. Occupational therapists will evaluate the home and recommend safety changes – like installing grab bars or chairlifts for the stairs. They will also help your parent to improve their physical strength and balance, by teaching them new exercises and techniques. According to AARP, “studies show that visits from an OT help older people stay in their homes longer.” If your relatively healthy parent is adamantly against moving into a facility, an OT just might be the perfect answer for both of you. In addition to installing grab bars and other safety measures, you can also look into purchasing assistive technology. There are a number of products available meant to help with your parent’s at-home safety. AARP reports that, “SimplyHome offers monitoring equipment such as motion sensors and GPS watches, and QuietCare has a motion-sensor system that can learn a person’s daily patterns and send alerts when there is a significant change.” If your parent is resisting help, but you can’t be around to track their health and keep up with their living situation, assistive technology might provide just the help you need – temporarily, at least. You can also enroll in your mom or dad into an Adult Day Care program. If you don’t want your parent to be alone or unsupervised throughout the day, this could be a good solution. Adult Day Care programs provide meals, activities, and companionship – so if your mom is forgetting to eat or your dad is staring at the TV all day, this could be extremely helpful. It can also provide your parents with a new community of friends who can relate to them – which is especially important if they are living alone and don’t spend much time socializing. The most popular of these services is the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly or, PACE. If your loved one qualifies for Medicaid, this service is completely free. Otherwise, it’s about $3,000 a month. If your mom or dad seems perfectly healthy, but they are suffering from loneliness, service programs like Senior Corps could be a great help. Senior Corps sends volunteers to visit with the elderly right in their own home – and the volunteers are 55 and up, to ensure that your mom or dad will feel comfortable. There are also support networks known as “Villages” available in certain areas around the country. These are nonprofit networks that are intended to help seniors stay at home and get the care they need. Villages volunteers will help your parent with everyday tasks. Your parent will also qualify for discounted services – including everything from household maintenance to at-home nursing care. Villages cost around $300 to $500 a month. Finally, if your parent wants to stay home but has major health problems that require constant medical care, you can look into hiring a registered nurse. Whether you need a registered nurse for 24-hour healthcare, or only in certain durations, this is something to consider if your parent’s health is failing, but they are adamantly against leaving their home.  While independent living is a wonderful option for many seniors, it is not always possible. If your parent has been diagnosed with a chronic illness, is feeling depressed, has severe mobility struggles, or is simply not in a place to care for their home at all anymore – it might be time to consider other options. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean your parent needs to leave their beloved home. In fact, the most common type of care option is Home Care. It’s the largest and fastest growing sector of long term care out there – and it’s easy to understand why. With home care, your Mom or Dad doesn’t need to make the move to assisted living or a nursing home – which means that in addition to saving on the stress and transitionary position that moving comes with, you’ll also be saving quite a bit financially. Chances are, your loved one isn’t ready to leave their home – and might not ever be. Home care allows them to stay where they are most comfortable, without making many adjustments. They’ll be able to eat what they love, engage in household activities that they are familiar with, and feel safe in their own familiar surroundings. If your parent is suffering from dementia, home care is often the best option. It’s highly recommended that a person with dementia remains within familiar surroundings – in order to reduce stress and strengthen memory. Depending on the degree of the disease, you might need to consider memory care – but often, dementia patients are able to stay at home for the remainder of their lives. Home care also allows you to be in control of when your parent receives help. If your mother needs help maintaining her home or cooking her meals, for example, you can schedule assistance for just a few hours each day. This is a great alternative to paying for a full-time lease with assisted living, especially when your mom or dad may require more hands-on care and assistance. Finally, home care is customized to your loved one. That makes it pretty indispensable. Your loved one will be the number one priority to his caregivers and his care will be fully customized to fit his individual needs. Unfortunately, that’s not as possible at move-in facilities, just because the staff has so many residents to keep track of. With all the focus on your Mom or Dad, you’ll never have to worry that their individual needs are not being met to their liking. Home care can provide your loved one with everything they need, up to needing a licensed registered nurse (if you are looking for 24-hour nurse care, we’ll dig into that later on). Of course, if you and your loved one decide that leaving the home is the right option for them, there are plenty of live-in facilities to consider. Assisted living is a fantastic option for any person who needs extra help, but is still able to function on their own to a significant degree. The reason a person might choose assisted living over home care is if they are interested in residing in a community of other seniors – where they can build friendships and connections. Assisted living also provides a safe place to live with regular visits from nurses, as well as a nice community and daily activities.  Assisted living doesn’t strip your parent of her independence – it just provides a space in which daily living is easier. Not to mention, the community of other seniors establishes a foundation for friendships and companionship that simply would not be available to your mom or dad at home. Many seniors report that assisted living communities feel like college again – because they are surrounded by new friends and have so much to do. From community theatre to art classes to book clubs, the activities really are endless. Plus, if you are not able to be with your parent most of the time, you can rest assured that your parent is being well taken care of in an assisted living community. Depending on the facility and the state – as well as the insurance, assisted living costs can vary greatly. On average, though, the cost can range fairly significantly from $2000 to $4000 up to $8000 to $10,000 a month depending on the facility and the amenities that are offered. If you believe that this is the best option for your parent, look into long-term care insurance or the living benefits of your parents’ life insurance. Now, if your parent is unable to live independently at all, a skilled nursing facility might be the best option. At a skilled nursing facility, your parent will receive round-the-clock care for everything from their illness to their daily needs. Much of their care will be monitored by doctors and they will receive physical, speech, and occupational therapy to help strengthen their minds and bodies. If your parent is unable to feed, bathe, dress, or move on her own – this is likely the best option. These facilities don’t have to be permanent residences, though. If your parent has suffered a bad fall or is recovering from surgery, they may need to stay here temporarily while they recover. Much like assisted living facilities, the cost of skilled nursing facilities depends on the state and the location itself. A private room in a nursing home can be quite costly – averaging about $7000 a month. If your parent is a veteran, though, they might qualify for discounted care. Otherwise, again, look into insurance options – either from Medicare, long-term care insurance, or life insurance and Medicaid. If your parent is suffering from Alzheimer’s or Dementia, Memory Care living might be their only option. Memory Care provides specialized care for patients suffering memory problems. Specific routines are structured to decrease stress, and staff is trained to deal with the unique difficulties that coincide with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. There are more frequent check-ins than at Assisted Living Facilities and everything from meal to basic care is highly organized, so there are never any breaks from routine or surprises. Daily activities are meant to improve cognitive function – so that residents are mentally engaged and strengthening their memory. There are different activities offered depending on the stage of your parents’ disease. According to registered nurse and memory care consultant Megan Carnarius, “in regular assisted living, residents are expected to manage their own time; menus and mealtimes are posted, but staff is not checking in on them. In memory care, the staff ensures residents are getting to meals, coming to activities, and moving onto the next thing.” At the same time, these facilities also offer heightened security – so that patients with a tendency to wander cannot leave the premises or risk getting lost. Elevators need codes, doors are alarmed, and in some instances, patients wear tracking bracelets. If your parent has recently suffered a stroke and is suffering from temporary cognitive and memory problems as a result, Memory Care is probably not the best option. This type of care is intended to be permanent or long-term, not temporary. Instead, you might consider at-home care specialists that are memory specialists or a temporary stay in a skilled nursing facility while your parent recovers. Memory care costs around $5000 a month on average – but, again, this pricing varies depending on the state and the level of care. Unfortunately, insurance does not always cover the cost of this type of intensive care. According to elder law attorney Richard Newman, “most families that utilize memory care have to pay out of their own pockets.” Long-term care insurance is an exception, though – so, if it’s not too late, be sure to look into purchasing a plan if you haven’t already. After assessing the different options for long-term care, you might have decided that you want your parent to move in with you. If this is something you are considering, it’s essential that you analyze the situation closely and ask yourself some serious questions before you take that leap. Having a parent move in might not be as cost-efficient as you are hoping or might entail a great deal more work than you’re anticipating. You also need to make sure this is in the best interest of your parent. Have your parent analyze the situation just as much as you do, because oftentimes, she may simply not want to move in with her adult child. This could make her feel a loss of dignity or she may simply want her space. Before you move your parent home with you, ask yourself these questions: Will I need to quit work to care for my loved one? Can I afford to implement the proper safety measures – like grab rails – into my home? Can I afford the extra expense of another household member? Do I have a good relationship with my parent – or do we fight a lot? Is there any unresolved issues between us? How will this move affect the rest of my family members? How will I establish boundaries? Do I have the resources to provide my loved one with the care they need? Do I want to take on this responsibility? At the same time, have your parent answer these questions for themselves: Do I feel comfortable living in my child’s space and respecting their household rules? Do I feel comfortable confronting my child if they are doing something I do not like? Do I have unresolved issues with my child? Will I still be able to participate in activities I love? Do I need to help pay for my care in their house? Will this move make me feel less independent? After both parties have answered these questions, if you determine that moving in together is still the best fit, make sure to implement the necessary safety measures and set up local community resources to help your parent feel at home in the community. These might include church memberships, classes, and counseling services. Then, make sure you speak with your parent openly and honestly about how they can continue to feel independent when living with you. Finding the best care solution for your parent is never easy. There are so many factors to consider – from your parents’ abilities and desires, to cost of care. Once you have carefully assessed all of your options, however, you should be in a better place to make the best decision for you and your parent. Just be sure to include them in the conversation, too, since this decision will be impacting the rest of their lives. With the right care, you and your parent can set your worries aside and focus on what’s most important: spending time together and reclaiming happiness. We want to thank you for joining us here at All Home Care Matters, All Home Care Matters is here for you and to help families as they navigate long-term care issues. Please visit us at allhomecarematters.com there is a private secure fillable form there where you can give us feedback, show ideas, or if you have questions. Every form is read and responded to. If you know someone is who could benefit from this episode, please share it with them. Remember, you can listen to the show on any of your favorite podcast streaming platforms and watch the show on our YouTube channel and make sure to hit that subscribe button, so you'll never miss an episode. Please join us next time as we discuss an important issue that all families need to hear and that’s medication and prescription safety. Sources: https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/basics/info-2017/your-loved-ones-next-move.html   https://www.caring.com/caregivers/elder-care-options-for-senior-living-arrangements/   https://caringadvisor.com/level-of-senior-care/   https://www.senioradvisor.com/blog/2018/12/types-of-senior-care/   https://www.payingforseniorcare.com/types   https://www.kiplinger.com/article/retirement/t066-c000-s001-how-to-choose-a-long-term-care-facility-for-a-love.html   https://www.elderly-homecare.com/types-of-senior-care-how-to-choose-the-best-elder-care-option/   https://www.familyassets.com/senior-care-options   https://www.visitingangels.com/knowledge-center/care-options/understanding-the-different-kinds-of-senior-care-available/282   https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/basics/info-2019/memory-care-alzheimers-dementia.html   https://www.aplaceformom.com/caregiver-resources/articles/moving-parents-into-your-home   https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/home-care/info-2018/living-with-aging-parents.html   https://www.care.com/c/stories/5412/9-signs-your-parent-needs-help/   https://www.caregiver.org/selected-long-term-care-statistics   https://www.whereyoulivematters.org/how-much-does-assisted-living-cost/   https://www.seniorliving.org/nursing-homes/costs/                   

Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz delve into the Company’s dancer ranks in this episode of The Rosin Box. They get the full scoop on a dancer’s life at each level with Apprentices Cainan Weber and Savannah Durham, Senior Corps de Ballet Member Gretchen Smith, and Principal Dancer Russell Janzen. Plus, Claire and Aarón introduce a new segment where they answer questions submitted by listeners via Instagram Stories. (37:06) Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini. Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records.

096 Jennifer AbernathyTennessee Respite Coalition A Win-Win-Win OpportunityTennessee Respite Coalition If you've ever flown, you've likely heard the airlines instruction that, in the case of an emergency and the oxygen mask drops, you are to put yours on before assisting someone else. For people whose natural inclination is to help others, the directive seems harsh, but its a lifesaver because unless you take care of yourself, you will soon run out of oxygen, which is crucial for you to function. Without it, you will not be able to help someone else in need. That truth motivated the formation of the Tennessee Respite Coalition in the 1990s. The organization gives the gift of time for caregivers to take care of themselves, providing a bit of relief from the extraordinary and intensive demands of providing ongoing care. The services are for caregivers of patients anywhere on the whole life span and include a statewide helpline, vouchers to reimburse some of the costs of caregiving, and the Senior Companionship Program. As "companions" these volunteers do not administer medications, provide any physical rehabilitation activities, or assist with transfer. Rather, they are what the doctor ordered for loneliness. They may simply come to talk, to play cards or other games, or to accompany a patient on a special outing. They are friends who care. Their cheery presence gives the fulltime caregiver—family member or professional—a break and the patient some welcome social interaction. To be a Senior Companion requires meeting three criteria: Being friendly, being 55 years old or older, and being under the federal guidelines for income. The companions receive a small stipend from the Corporation for National and Community Service. The income cap assures that older adults with limited financial resources themselves can benefit also through giving of their service to others. The program is a win-win-win! The patient, the caregiver, and the Companion all gain. But Jennifer Abernathy, the volunteer coordinator, hears from the Companions in their monthly meeting. They talk about the relationships with the people they serve—not the stipend—as what keeps them coming back. Those monthly meetings also provide continuous training for the volunteers and regular counseling for them, as well, because they too experience grief when their new friends die. One consolation for the volunteers is often the outpouring of thanks from the family as they recognize the gift of friendship the Senior Companion has given to their loved one. Caring and being cared for are both the essential oxygen that enables the Senior Companions to help others. In Tennessee, for more information visit tnrespite.org. Nationwide, as well as in Tennessee, for more information about Senior Companions and other opportunities, visit nationalservice.gov. Look under Senior Corps and then go to Senior Programs.

In this episode of ASK Megan, we answer three of YOUR questions.   Today's questions come from: – Ellen who asks about developing stage presence in spite of being shy and self conscious; – Maya who asks about what it means to be a Senior Corps de Ballet; – Heidi who is the mother of an aspiring dancer wondering about making decisions regarding training.   Megan provides very thoughtful and personal answers to these questions. Find Megan Fairchild ~  website/Twitter/Instagram Do you have a question about Ballet? YOU can be a part of the show by sending us your questions by clicking HERE:  BalancingPointe.com   Twitter/Instagram Please Rate and Review this show  

Welcome to the new format for the Friendship Centers' Podcast. For a long time now we've focused on the challenges of caregiving, but there are so many other services the Friendship Centers offer. We're not walking away from helping our listeners with the challenges of being a caregiver, just expanding into different areas where the Friendship Centers have some amazing programs and support for the aging community.Our first guest on "Ten Minutes of Friendship" is Jerri Sutton, Director of the RSVP program. RSVP is part of Senior Corps and is America’s largest volunteer network for people 55 and over. Volunteers make a difference by tutoring in the classrooms, becoming career mentors, helping other seniors get the health care they need, supporting those who served in the military or their families, and building capacity so neighborhood non-profits will be more effective in reaching their goal.These podcasts are all made possible thanks to the support of the Friendship Centers. Their slogan, "People Helping People" couldn't describe them better. It's an amazing group of people totally dedicated to the Southwest Florida communities. 

Welcome to the new format for the Friendship Centers' Podcast. For a long time now we've focused on the challenges of caregiving, but there are so many other services the Friendship Centers offer. We're not walking away from helping our listeners with the challenges of being a caregiver, just expanding into different areas where the Friendship Centers have some amazing programs and support for the aging community.Our first guest on "Ten Minutes of Friendship" is Jerri Sutton, Director of the RSVP program. RSVP is part of Senior Corps and is America’s largest volunteer network for people 55 and over. Volunteers make a difference by tutoring in the classrooms, becoming career mentors, helping other seniors get the health care they need, supporting those who served in the military or their families, and building capacity so neighborhood non-profits will be more effective in reaching their goal.These podcasts are all made possible thanks to the support of the Friendship Centers. Their slogan, "People Helping People" couldn't describe them better. It's an amazing group of people totally dedicated to the Southwest Florida communities. 

Members of the Senior Corps of the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums play the tunes that directed a soldier through his day, from morning’s first light to the night’s last ale.