What can senior housing leaders expect from the 2026 NIC Fall conference, and what does the current industry outlook tell us about where the sector is headed? In this special fall-preview episode, Josh and Lucas welcome Lisa McCracken, Head of Research and Analytics at NIC, for a look at the conversations shaping the senior housing industry. Lisa previews sessions focused on capital markets, valuations, economic conditions, development, reinvestment, longevity, wellness, the consumer, and lessons senior housing can learn from the lodging industry.

Key Topics Covered

The growth and evolution of NIC and its attendee base

Why senior housing is attracting new capital and industry participants

Capital markets, valuations and transaction activity

Economic conditions, interest rates and geopolitical uncertainty

Senior housing development and reinvestment

Longevity, wellness and changing consumer expectations

What senior housing can learn from the lodging sector

The evolution of major hospitality brands and third-party management

Networking strategies for first-time NIC attendees

NIC's industry sentiment index

The demographic tailwinds supporting senior housing

How industry leaders can use conferences to take the pulse of the market

Meet the Hosts:

Lucas McCurdy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasmccurdyseniorlivingfan/

Josh Crisp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcrispsocial/

Connect with Our Guest

Lisa McCracken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mccracken-62ba78a

Learn more about NIC

https://fallconference.nic.org

Produced by Grit and Gravel Marketing.

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Growing up on a family farm in rural Georgia, John LaHood never imagined he'd one day help shape both senior living communities and state policy. As CEO of Fellowship Family and a Georgia State Representative, John brings a unique perspective on what it takes to build exceptional communities while advocating for the future of senior housing.

John shares the remarkable story of how his grandparents founded their first community, how three generations have expanded the business into one of the Southeast's growing operators, and why new development remains critical despite today's challenging market conditions. The conversation explores innovative community design, workforce development, legislative advocacy, and the importance of creating environments where older adults remain connected to the broader community.

Key Ideas:

The origins of Fellowship Family and a three-generation legacy

Growing from one community to a multi-state operator

Why new development still matters despite acquisition opportunities

Designing communities that feel connected—not isolated

Integrating public amenities into senior living campuses

The value of legislative advocacy for operators

How policy decisions impact senior living operations

Recruiting and retaining exceptional team members

Career growth opportunities within senior living

The demographic opportunities ahead for the industry

Meet the Hosts:

Lucas McCurdy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasmccurdyseniorlivingfan/

Cameron Bell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-bell-322143147/

Connect with Our Guest

John LaHood: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-lahood-3532a152/

Learn More about The Fellowship Family

https://thefellowshipfamily.com/

Produced by Grit and Gravel Marketing.

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As demand for senior housing continues to outpace supply, operators are preparing for one of the biggest growth opportunities the industry has ever experienced. In this episode of Bridge the Gap, Lucas McCurdy and Cameron Bell sit down with Carrie Boone, Founder of Generation Healthcare Managers, during the NHI Music City Symposium in Nashville.

Carrie shares her unique journey from land development into senior living operations, explaining how a single assisted living project became a lifelong passion for serving older adults. The conversation explores the critical role executive directors play in community success, why promoting leaders from within often produces the strongest outcomes, and how family culture has shaped Generation Healthcare Manager’s growth.

Key Topics

• Building a family-oriented senior housing organization
• The importance of executive directors in community success
• Developing leadership from within existing teams
• Current acquisition and development opportunities
• Demand significantly outpacing senior housing supply
• Expansion strategies and future community growth
• Technology adoption after COVID-19
• AI applications in senior living operations
• Workforce development and the future of caregiving

Meet the Hosts:

Lucas McCurdy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasmccurdyseniorlivingfan/

Cameron Bell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-bell-322143147/

Connect with Our Guest

Carrie Boone: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-boone-5a3b085a/

Produced by Grit and Gravel Marketing.

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At the NIC Spring Conference in Nashville, Josh and Lucas sit down with two emerging leaders preparing to enter the senior living industry. Listen as these students share their paths into senior living and why they believe the industry offers tremendous opportunities for growth and impact. The conversation explores how young professionals are discovering senior housing, the importance of mentorship, lessons learned from networking at NIC, and innovative care models from around the world. The guests discuss demographic trends, the growing demand for senior living solutions, and the need to attract more students and young professionals into aging services careers.

Key Topics

• How students discover careers in senior living
• The value of NIC's Young Professionals and Scholars programs
• Real estate opportunities within senior housing
• Healthcare administration and long-term care leadership
• The role of mentorship in career development
• Demographic trends driving industry growth
• Innovative memory care village models from Europe
• Building professional networks early in a career
• The importance of industry awareness among students
• Creating meaningful impact through aging services

Meet the Hosts:

Josh Crisp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcrispsocial/

Lucas McCurdy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasmccurdyseniorlivingfan/

Connect with Our Guests

Michael Pittenger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-pittenger-b4a645321/

Michael Giovacco: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-giovacco-75915527a/

Produced by Grit and Gravel Marketing.

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On this episode of Bridge the Gap, hosts Josh and Lucas sit down with Bobby Guy to unpack the massive changes happening across senior living, healthcare investing, and capital markets. Bobby shares why senior housing M&A activity is reaching record levels, how demographic shifts are reshaping the future of senior care, and why the industry desperately needs innovation aimed at the middle market, not just luxury communities. Bobby argues that healthcare innovation requires new access to capital and explains why bringing more public companies into healthcare could transform the industry’s future.

Key Ideas:

• The return of large-scale healthcare and senior living M&A
• Why senior housing development is underserved in the middle market
• The demographic realities impacting luxury senior housing
• How tax credits and incentives could reshape affordable senior housing
• AI’s future impact on healthcare operations and patient outcomes
• Why public healthcare companies have declined since Sarbanes-Oxley
• The relationship between private equity and healthcare innovation
• Healthcare integration across behavioral health, pharmacy, rehab, and senior living
• The future of capital markets in senior housing
• Record-setting healthcare transaction activity in 2026

Meet the Hosts:

Josh Crisp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcrispsocial/

Lucas McCurdy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasmccurdyseniorlivingfan/

Connect with Our Guest

Bobby Guy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-guy-4a25967/

Learn More about the Polsinelli

https://www.polsinelli.com/

Produced by Grit and Gravel Marketing.

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On this episode of Bridge the Gap, Josh and Lucas sit down with Kimberly Erickson, COO of Bethesda Senior Living, to explore the future of attainable senior housing and the role nonprofit operators can play in serving the growing middle-market population.

Kimberly shares insights from her transition from the for-profit sector into nonprofit leadership, highlighting how mission, culture, and compassion shape operational decisions at Bethesda. The conversation dives into middle-market senior living strategies, charitable care programs, affordable housing models, labor and staffing realities, and why culture cannot be reduced to buzzwords or technology platforms.

Key Topics

• The transition from for-profit to nonprofit senior living leadership
• Why middle-market senior housing remains underserved
• How Bethesda approaches charitable care and resident affordability
• Shared-suite housing models for attainable senior living
• Labor challenges and maintaining margins in senior care
• The role of PACE partnerships in serving more seniors
• Why culture starts with presence and human connection
• Leadership lessons rooted in counseling and faith-based service
• The importance of staff engagement and emotional intelligence
• Why senior living careers offer purpose-driven opportunities

Meet the Hosts:

Josh Crisp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcrispsocial/

Lucas McCurdy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasmccurdyseniorlivingfan/

Connect with Our Guest

Kimberly Erickson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-erickson-89a23351

Learn More about Bethesda Senior Living

https://www.bethesdaseniorliving.com

Produced by Grit and Gravel Marketing.

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What if the future of senior living isn't about healthcare—it's about purpose? This week, we welcome Anna Hall, Chief Culture and Community Officer at Front Porch Communities and host of the Front Porch Podcast. Anna shares her journey through more than 25 years in senior living and explains why purpose, belonging, and meaningful relationships are becoming the foundation of the industry's future.

Key Ideas:

• Purpose is a critical component of well-being and healthy aging.
• Senior living communities are becoming centers of connection, growth, and belonging.
• Authentic storytelling helps reshape public perceptions of aging.
• Team member retention is deeply connected to meaningful relationships with residents.
• Future generations are increasingly seeking purpose-driven careers.
• Loneliness and social isolation create opportunities for senior living providers to make a profound impact.
• Aging should be viewed as continued growth rather than decline.

Meet the Hosts:

Josh Crisp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcrispsocial/

Lucas McCurdy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasmccurdyseniorlivingfan/

Connect with Our Guest

Anna Hall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annakhall1/

Listen to Anna's Podcast

https://frontporch.net/podcast/

Learn More about the Front Porch Communities

https://frontporch.net/

Produced by Grit and Gravel Marketing.

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Josh and Lucas sit down with Kyle Gardner from NIC MAP to discuss the evolution of data-driven decision-making in senior housing and the launch of NIC MAP’s new AI-powered underwriting platform: Deal Intelligence. Kyle shares how institutional investors, private equity firms, and lenders are increasingly entering the senior housing market, fueled by improved access to reliable industry data. The conversation explores how NIC MAP’s 20-year data milestone has transformed capital markets, reduced financing costs, and accelerated confidence in the sector.

Key Ideas

• NIC MAP celebrates 20 years of senior housing data collection
• Expansion from 31 to 214 markets nationwide
• Why institutional capital is rapidly entering senior housing
• The impact of data transparency on valuations and cap rates
• How Deal Intelligence automates underwriting workflows
• The role of AI in acquisitions and investment analysis
• Why “human-in-the-loop” decision-making still matters
• Future applications of AI for development and operations teams
• Emerging trends in proptech and commercial real estate analytics
• How operators can compete with larger acquisition teams

Meet the Hosts:

Josh Crisp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcrispsocial/

Lucas McCurdy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasmccurdyseniorlivingfan/

Connect with Our Guest

Kyle Gardner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-gardner-nm/

Learn More about the NIC MAP

https://www.nicmap.com/

Produced by Grit and Gravel Marketing.

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The senior living workforce conversation is changing fast, and operators who adapt now will have the advantage moving forward. In this episode of Bridge the Gap, Josh and Lucas sit down with Matt Strange, COO of Procare HR, to unpack the evolving labor landscape in senior housing and what operators must do to attract, retain, and engage frontline teams. Matt shares why predictable scheduling may be one of the biggest hidden drivers of employee retention, revealing ProCare HR’s research around the “14-day scheduling sweet spot” that improves attendance, reduces turnover, and creates workforce stability.

Key Ideas:

• The current state of the senior living labor market in 2026
• Why predictable scheduling improves retention and attendance
• The “14-day scheduling” workforce strategy
• How geography impacts workforce expectations
• Competing against retail, logistics, and remote work opportunities
• Why culture matters more than compensation alone
• The connection between employee engagement and resident experience
• Leadership strategies for rapidly growing operators
• The role of AI and workforce technology in senior living
• How labor analytics can help prevent turnover and burnout

Meet the Hosts:

Josh Crisp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcrispsocial/

Lucas McCurdy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasmccurdyseniorlivingfan/

Connect with Our Guest

Matt Strange: https://www.linkedin.com/in/strangem/

Learn More about the Procare HR

https://procarehr.com/

Produced by Grit and Gravel Marketing.

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Senior housing is no longer a niche asset class; it’s become one of the most talked-about sectors in real estate and institutional investing. On this episode of Bridge the Gap, Aron Will returns to break down why senior living is entering what he calls a “historic growth cycle.” Aron explains the powerful convergence of demographics, limited new development, strong occupancy growth, and increasing institutional capital flows driving unprecedented momentum in the sector.

Key Topics

Why senior housing is attracting institutional investors

The demographic wave driving demand growth

Occupancy trends and rental rate growth in senior living

Why development has slowed dramatically

Construction costs and replacement cost challenges

The difference between real estate value and operating business performance

Positive leverage opportunities in senior housing

Risks of irrational exuberance in the sector

Why senior housing is more insulated than office and multifamily

Capital markets outlook for 2026 and beyond

Meet the Hosts:

Josh Crisp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcrispsocial/

Lucas McCurdy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasmccurdyseniorlivingfan/

Connect with Our Guest

Aron Will: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aron-will-b05395a

Learn More about the CBRE

https://www.cbre.com/

Produced by Grit and Gravel Marketing.

Become a sponsor of Bridge the Gap.