In this episode, Matt Reiners sits down with Marissa Gardner, founder of Bloomsy, to unpack a problem many senior living operators know well: teams working hard but still missing the mark. Marissa shares why underperformance is often less about effort and more about misdiagnosis, how “more activity” can actually amplify the wrong strategy, and why people problems are often systems problems in disguise. She also introduces a practical framework leaders can use to evaluate community performance through the lenses of environment, systems, and strategy.

Guest Bio

Marissa Gardner is the founder of Bloomsy, a diagnostic system designed to help senior living operators uncover where sales performance is actually breaking down. After leading sales and marketing across a multi-site operator, she developed a systems-based approach to help teams move beyond reactive activity and focus on the issues that truly impact conversions, census, and long-term growth.

Timestamps

01:00 – Welcome and introduction to Marissa Gardner and Bloomzee
03:24 – Marissa’s path into senior living and the life experiences that shaped her perspective
05:20 – The moment she realized many teams were solving the wrong problems
07:24 – Why more activity does not automatically fix underperformance
10:32 – Where senior living teams most commonly misdiagnose sales performance
12:50 – Why identical playbooks produce different results across communities
15:53 – A practical framework: evaluating performance through environment, systems, and strategy
18:00 – What it looks like when a “people problem” is really a systems problem
23:28 – How to tell the difference between healthy performance and metrics that only look good on paper
26:02 – What Marissa would tell herself on day one in senior living
28:16 – Closing thoughts

Matt Reiners talks with Marissa Gardner of Bloomzee about why senior living sales teams misdiagnose performance and how better systems drive growth.

Jean Hartnett is the founder of Radical Sabbatical, an education and consulting company focused on trauma awareness for the senior living workforce and the people they care for. With a career in senior living that began in 1989 as a certified nursing assistant, Jean has served across frontline and executive leadership roles. Today, she helps organizations better understand trauma-informed care, burnout, healing, and the human realities shaping care teams and older adults alike.

Jean Hartnett shares how trauma-informed care can reshape senior living by addressing burnout, supporting healing, and helping leaders build a more compassionate workforce.

01:02 — Matt welcomes Jean HartnettJean shares the mission behind Radical Sabbatical and why her keynote message resonated so strongly with senior living audiences.

02:34 — Jean’s path into senior livingJean reflects on starting as a certified nursing assistant in 1989, earning degrees in social work and health services administration, and eventually leading communities as an executive director and administrator.

04:58 — Burnout, caregiving, and the birth of Radical SabbaticalAfter years in leadership, Jean describes her own burnout and how caring for her parents after her mother’s stroke in 2021 led her to build a new company focused on trauma awareness and healing.

05:47 — Why trauma-informed care became urgentJean explains how a 2018 CMS requirement pushed her to understand what trauma-informed care actually means in practice for skilled nursing communities.

07:31 — Turning personal healing into professional educationJean shares how her own trauma-healing journey and her work in senior living came together, shaping the education and consulting work she now leads.

10:14 — Why trauma awareness matters in senior livingJean explains why understanding life history is essential to avoid re-traumatizing both older adults and team members, and why listening matters more than forcing disclosure.

12:20 — What changes when leaders understand traumaJean describes her leadership education program and how it helps managers connect trauma science to their own lived experiences, leading to more compassionate leadership.

15:29 — Healing as a workplace strategyThe conversation explores why trauma education alone is not enough, and why organizations need to make room for healing, reflection, and healthier ways of coping.

17:45 — The ACEs study and what senior living leaders need to knowJean breaks down the Adverse Childhood Experiences study, explains why ACE scores matter, and highlights research showing elevated adversity levels across the senior living workforce.

22:04 — Why supporting the individual comes firstMatt and Jean discuss why training only goes so far unless organizations also prioritize the person behind the role.

23:21 — Final thoughts and where to connectJean shares how listeners can learn more about Radical Sabbatical and connect for support in nursing home and assisted living settings.

In this episode, Julie Boggess joins Matt Reiners to break down the CMP program in plain English. She explains where CMP funds come from, how nursing communities can access them, what those dollars can and cannot support, and what facilities should expect once a project is approved. The conversation also gets practical, covering implementation, reporting, sustainability, and the real-world outcomes that can come from using CMP funds to support staff education and better resident care.

Guest bio

Julie Boggess is Vice President of Workforce Development Initiatives at AGE-u-cate Training Institute. She joined the team in 2020 after more than 31 years in nursing home operations, with experience spanning admissions, social services, management, and executive leadership. A licensed Illinois nursing home administrator since 1990, Julie is passionate about dementia-capable, person-centered care and helping providers use CMP funding to strengthen staff training and improve resident quality of life.

Timestamps:

• 02:00 Welcome and introduction to Julie Boggess
• 02:59 Julie’s path into senior living and aging services
• 04:37 What the CMP program is and why it was created
• 06:06 How nursing communities can access CMP funds
• 09:24 What CMP funds can cover — and what they cannot
• 12:31 Why staff training and education are such a strong use of CMP dollars
• 14:19 What facilities are responsible for after funding is approved
• 19:31 How Julie’s team supports implementation, reporting, and long-term success
• 23:04 Real outcomes from CMP-funded dementia training programs
• 28:24 How staff confidence and caregiving relationships improve
• 29:53 Final takeaway: why more communities should be paying attention to CMP funds now

In this episode, Matt sits down with Rania Kfuri, Vice President of Philanthropy, Sales, and Marketing at Glenmeadow, to talk about what senior living really is, why authentic storytelling matters, and how nonprofit communities can better connect philanthropy, sales, and marketing under one mission. Rania shares how her background in fundraising and entrepreneurship shaped her approach, why education is essential to breaking outdated stereotypes, and how Glenmeadow’s long nonprofit history informs its work today. She also explains how donor-centered fundraising, honest sales conversations, and community engagement all come back to the same core idea: listening well and helping older adults thrive. Based on the conversation, Glenmeadow is a nonprofit Life Plan Community in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, founded in 1884, offering independent living, assisted living, respite care, and at-home services.

Guest Bio

Rania Kfuri is the Vice President of Philanthropy, Sales and Marketing at Glenmeadow. She is a communications and development professional with more than 20 years of experience in marketing, fundraising, and donor relations. Glenmeadow appointed her to lead philanthropy, sales, and marketing strategy, including donor engagement, partnerships, and brand development. She previously served with the Baystate Health Foundation, and Glenmeadow’s announcement also notes earlier work with the Smith Fund at Smith College.

Timestamps

• 1:59 — Rania’s path into senior livingRania shares how her experience across philanthropy, entrepreneurship, sales, and marketing led her into senior living and why she values leading those functions together under one shared message.
• 7:27 — The biggest misconception about senior livingShe explains why many people still equate senior living with nursing homes, and why the industry needs better education around the full range of living and care options.
• 11:22 — Career paths people overlook in senior livingRania discusses the range of roles available in nonprofit senior living, from hospitality and wellness to philanthropy, programming, and marketing.
• 14:53 — Glenmeadow’s history and nonprofit rootsRania reflects on Glenmeadow’s founding in 1884 as a philanthropic gift and how that history still shapes the organization’s mission today.
• 18:24 — What authentic community engagement looks likeShe shares examples of residents and staff participating in volunteer efforts, regional partnerships, and intergenerational programming that keep the community connected beyond campus.
• 20:58 — Fighting stigma through purpose and participationRania talks about how active community life helps challenge outdated assumptions about senior living and supports connection over isolation.
• 22:52 — How to market senior living with honesty and dignityShe explains why authentic listening matters more than “brochure talk,” and why the right fit sometimes means pointing someone toward a different option.
• 26:32 — A donor-centered approach to philanthropyRania walks through how she approaches fundraising as a listening process, not a transaction, and how that overlaps with the best parts of the sales journey.
• 29:58 — Celebrating success over 60She highlights Glenmeadow’s Age of Excellence Awards and the importance of celebrating older adults who continue doing meaningful work and contributing in big ways.
• 31:18 — Why more people need to understand senior livingRania closes by encouraging people to ask questions, learn the language of the industry, and stay engaged with the broader conversation around aging and care.

In this episode, Matt sits down with Katherine Pack to explore what it really takes to sell into senior living today. Katherine explains why so many vendors miss the mark: they bring in aggressive, feature-first playbooks from other industries without taking the time to understand the culture, language, and emotional reality of senior living. Her core message is simple but powerful: this is an industry built on trust, and vendors have to lead with heart, curiosity, and real understanding of people.

Katherine also shares how the senior living buyer has changed over the last few years. After a wave of rushed technology adoption and poorly implemented tools, operators have become far more intentional. Buying decisions now involve more stakeholders, more scrutiny, and better questions, which means vendors need to earn trust through transparency, preparation, and consistent follow-through.

The conversation also dives into what modern sales excellence looks like in this space. Katherine makes the case that being human and being operationally strong are not opposites. The best vendors pair relationships with structure: thoughtful discovery, disciplined follow-up, honest communication, and a clear understanding of who they are serving. If you sell into senior living, this episode is a strong reminder that the human touch is not a soft skill here — it is the strategy.

Guest bio

Katherine Pack is a senior living technology sales leader and former VP of Sales with more than a decade of software sales experience. She entered the senior living space in 2020 through an operator-built enterprise software company, where she developed a strong understanding of how providers evaluate, implement, and use technology in real-world settings.

Timestamps

02:42 — Katherine’s path into senior living and how an operator-built software company shaped her view of the industry.

04:59 — What vendors get wrong about selling into senior living and why “heart” matters more than a generic sales playbook.

07:19 — Why the best outreach feels personal, informed, and persistent without becoming annoying.

09:44 — How the senior living buyer has evolved and why decision-making is now more intentional and team-based.

13:50 — Why relationships still need structure, process, and disciplined follow-up to work.

16:06 — Honesty, transparency, and why overpromising is one of the fastest ways to lose trust.

24:48 — How sales and marketing can better align around buyer language, qualified leads, and personalization.

29:41 — Conference strategy, follow-up discipline, and getting more ROI from events.

37:27 — Katherine’s advice to her younger self and why senior living became such a meaningful fit.

Matt Field owns and operates three Right at Home Home Care franchise locations serving Chicago’s surrounding suburbs. With a background in clergy work, he brings a values-driven, person-centered approach to supporting older adults, families navigating dementia, and the caregivers who make aging at home possible. He runs the business alongside his wife, Rachel, and focuses on dignity, communication, and helping clients remain safe and supported at home.

Show notes:

• 02:00 — Meet Matt Field: multi-site Right at Home owner in Chicago’s suburbs, leading with dignity and person-centered care.

• 03:08 — Matt’s path: from clergy life to home care—and why the “human moments” feel surprisingly similar.

• 07:10 — What families feel at diagnosis: why “can’t you just remember?” becomes a painful loop, and what to do instead.

• 10:38 — The communication breakdown: why correction escalates tension, and how to prioritize connection.

• 14:58 — “Connection over clarity”: practical mindset shifts that help families reduce conflict and preserve dignity.

• 18:26 — Early warning signs families miss: the small changes that add up (and why people wait too long to act).

• 24:02 — Supporting caregivers as a core strategy: retention, culture, and why the caregiver experience matters to the client experience.

• 27:55 — Let families be family: how home care can remove the hardest tasks so adult children can return to being sons/daughters.

• 29:01 — Building the business with his wife (Rachel): what partnership looks like day-to-day and how they align on values.

• 33:07 — Weaving “rabbi skills” into home care: presence, listening, and guiding families through hard transitions.

• 34:02 — Closing reflections on dignity: meeting people where they are—and what “success” really means in dementia care.

• 37:05 — Final thoughts and appreciation.

Rebecca Barker is the VP of Business Development at the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (NCCDP). She partners with senior living, home care, and healthcare organizations to strengthen dementia care through evidence-based training and workforce development. Her focus is helping teams move beyond mandated training to build confident staff, better culture, and measurable outcomes.

Time Stamps:

02:00 — Welcome + who Rebecca is and why dementia education matters
03:15 — Rebecca’s path from HR/payroll into dementia education—and what surprised her most about senior living
04:55 — “We already have training…” vs. training that changes behavior: why check-the-box programs fall short
07:06 — Making dementia-friendly interactions routine: consistency, repetition, and building habits that stick
08:07 — The business case leaders can’t ignore: culture, confidence, and measurable operational impact
10:20 — The ROI story: staff retention, reduced turnover pressure, stronger teams, and a better resident/family experience
12:24 — Reframing behaviors as communication: how better understanding can reduce escalation and reliance on psychotropics
15:39 — Where leaders should start: go beyond mandates, invest in role-specific training, and commit to ongoing education
16:55 — Wrap-up + what Rebecca’s watching in the industry

In this episode, Matt sits down with Greg Mehfoud, Head of Procurement at Twenty/20 Management, to unpack what really happens when you cross the line between operations and the vendor side in senior living.

Greg shares what surprised him most about SaaS sales, what operators often misunderstand about vendors (and vice versa), and how procurement isn’t about being sold — it’s about stewardship. The conversation dives into purchasing power, relationship-driven growth, and why clarity around priorities is the missing piece in most vendor-operator conversations.

If you’ve ever felt tension between “the dark side” and operations, this episode brings nuance, humility, and practical insight to the table.

Guest Bio:

Greg Mehfoud is the Head of Procurement at Twenty/20 Management, where he leads strategic purchasing and vendor partnerships across the organization’s senior living communities. With experience on both the operations and SaaS vendor sides of the industry, Greg brings a rare dual perspective to procurement, sales relationships, and long-term growth strategy. He is passionate about stewardship, operational excellence, and building vendor partnerships that truly enhance resident and team member experiences.

Timestamps

• 01:35 – Pants shopping, friendship, and career pivots
• 03:25 – Why Greg left operations for SaaS sales
• 05:46 – The biggest surprise about being on the vendor side
• 08:00 – Missing the impact of day-to-day operations
• 10:41 – How vendor “wins” add up at the community level
• 12:05 – What procurement really means (hint: it’s not about being sold)
• 14:13 – Purchasing power, stewardship, and due diligence
• 16:00 – Calling out fluff: integrations, transparency, and hard questions
• 18:00 – Building trust between vendors and operators
• 20:11 – What each side misunderstands about the other
• 23:39 – Stop stringing vendors along (and vendors, respect operator time)
• 25:50 – Advice for anyone considering crossing sides

In this episode, Matt Reiners sits down with Stacy Lademar to explore how leadership, not labor shortages, is often the root cause of staffing instability in senior living. Drawing from her experience at Five Star Senior Living, John Knox Village of Pompano, and beyond, Stacy shares practical, real-world strategies for reducing early turnover, identifying future leaders, and building confidence through feedback, onboarding, and one-on-one connection. This conversation is packed with actionable insights for operators who want teams that stay—and residents who benefit from consistency.

Website: https://www.stacylademar.com/

Episode Timestamps

• 02:00 – Stacy’s career journey and how she found senior living

• 03:45 – Why senior living communities are more like cruise ships than people realize

• 05:15 – The wide gap in leadership skills across senior living communities

• 06:40 – Why promoting great performers without leadership training creates risk

• 08:55 – How poor leadership directly fuels staffing and “quick quits”

• 10:00 – Rethinking onboarding: connection over paperwork

• 11:40 – Early warning signs that a leader is struggling

• 13:20 – The most overlooked leadership skill: feedback

• 14:20 – A real success story: building internal leadership pipelines

• 16:05 – How to identify high-potential leaders before they burn out or leave

• 18:30 – One practical step leaders can take today to build confidence and clarity

Dr. Sara Kyle is the founder of LE3 Solutions, where she helps senior living organizations reimagine customer experience and resident engagement. With a background in recreation therapy and a PhD in gerontology, she blends deep academic insight with real-world operational savvy. Her work focuses on simplifying engagement strategies so that every team member can play a part—and every resident feels the impact.

Show Notes with Timestamps

[01:00] Matt introduces Dr. Sara Kyle and shares how her influence shaped his early career in senior living
[03:00] Sara's journey from academia to reshaping engagement strategy in senior living
[05:00] Why customer experience is about more than just residents—and why staff and families are customers too
[07:30] The disconnect between satisfaction surveys and real-world experience
[10:00] What "engagement" actually means—and why organizations struggle to define or measure it
[13:00] The case for simplifying engagement so everyone in a community can own it
[16:00] Why most engagement models fall flat in real operations
[18:00] Aligning leadership, clinical, sales, and frontline teams under one experience philosophy
[21:00] Sara's framework for measuring impact without a data science team
[24:00] Common survey missteps that kill trust—and how to avoid them
[27:00] Where overwhelmed organizations should start when rethinking experience
[30:00] Why future disruption in senior living will come from the customer, not internal leadership