Stacey Clark, RN, co-founder of Virtuous Senior Living and Nested Story Assisted Living, shares her 30-year journey in senior living, starting at age 15 as a volunteer playing piano for residents. From nursing director to executive director, to a national leadership role, Stacey saw firsthand what it takes to create real quality care, and where the system falls short. In this episode, she reveals why she walked away from corporate to lead a new standard: hire for heart, build trust through staff relationships, and create the kind of care every resident deserves.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

01:03 Meet Stacey Clark: Senior Living is in Her Blood

01:46 The Happy Hour Spark: From Talk to Action

03:17 Virtuous Senior Living: Doing the Right Thing on Purpose

05:58 The People First Standard: What Corporate Got Wrong

08:31 Hiring for Heart: The Culture Filter That Changes Everything

15:17 Nested Story: Building a Boutique Home Where Care Feels Personal

16:36 The Property Twist + The Yes: How the Dream Got Funded

21:15 Brand, Story, and Meaning: Creating a Place That Feels Like Family

36:34 Leadership + Partnership: How Stacey and Jamie Make It Work

40:15 The Hard Parts: Staffing, Loss, and Carrying the Weight

42:31 Lessons Learned: Systems, Growth, and What She’d Do Differently

46:29 weVENTURE + Support: Don’t Build Alone

49:57 Final Advice: Don’t Wait, Stay Humble, Make Memories

Get Connected

Stacey Clark, RN Co-founder of Virtuous Senior Living and Nested Story Boutique Assisted Living Websites: virtuoussl.com nested-story.com Instagram: @virtuousseniorliving @nestedstory

Episode Sponsors

Valley Bank Local business banking partner helping you start, grow, and scale with confidence. https://valley.com/business

Harbour House Oceanfront Venue Florida’s premier private oceanfront destination for weddings and special events. https://www.harbourhouseevents.com/

About weVENTURE WBC

weVENTURE Women’s Business Center supports entrepreneurs and small business owners through education, mentorship, consulting, and a powerful network of resources. Their mission is to strengthen the local economy by helping businesses launch, grow, and thrive in Florida's Space Coast and Treasure Coast communities.

Co-Hosts + Production Credits

Darcy Manning | THE DARCYMM COLLECTIVE Luxury beauty agency serving Central Florida (bridal, business portraits, private lessons).

https://linktr.ee/darcymm IG: @makeupbydarcymm | @darcymmcollective

KyAlea Monma | HOKU Design Group Award-winning brand and media design agency recognized by USA Today and DesignRush for excellence in brand storytelling. https://www.hoku.design LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyalea/ IG: @hokudesigngroup

Brand + Production: @hokudesigngroup | https://www.hoku.design

Location: Harbour House Oceanfront Venue

Twelve years ago, Sarah Smith left a secure aerospace career while pregnant to become a stay-at-home mom and start a small side hustle. That side hustle became Southern Caramel, now an internationally awarded gourmet caramel brand selling on Amazon. In this episode, Sarah shares the journey of building her dream alongside her father as her business partner, and navigating the bittersweet tension of reaching her biggest wins after losing him to cancer.

00:00 Intro

01:03 Meet Sarah Smith + The Sweet Story Behind Southern Caramel

02:07 The Leap: Leaving Aerospace to Build a Business From Home (2013)

04:33 Why Caramel Won (And Why It Was the Smart Niche Move)

07:06 From Home Kitchen to “Real Business” Mode (Inspections + Wholesale)

08:45 The Family Power Move: Dad Joins and the Vision Gets Bigger (2018)

12:51 Grief + Growth: Losing Her Dad and Finding the Next Chapter

17:42 Bite-Size Joy: The Brand Values That Built Customer Love (And 10% Give-Back)

22:23 The Shelf-Life Disaster That Nearly Ended It All

25:46 The Breakthrough Recipe Pivot: No Corn Syrup, All Craft

27:41 From Setback to Standout: 6-Month Shelf Life + Award-Winning Caramel

30:18 Big League Moment: Amazon Launch + Bigger Space + Bigger Team

33:18 The Support System: How WeVenture Helped Her Scale Smarter

47:30 Final Words: “If I Can Do It, So Can You.”

48:08 Outro

Sarah SmithSouthern Caramel

https://southerncaramel.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southern.caramel/

Episode Sponsors

Valley Bank Local business banking partner helping you start, grow, and scale with confidence. https://valley.com/business

Harbour House Oceanfront Venue Florida’s premier private oceanfront destination for weddings and special events. https://www.harbourhouseevents.com/

About weVENTURE WBC

weVENTURE Women’s Business Center supports entrepreneurs and small business owners through education, mentorship, consulting, and a powerful network of resources. Their mission is to strengthen the local economy by helping businesses launch, grow, and thrive in Florida's Space Coast and Treasure Coast communities.

Co-Hosts + Production Credits

Darcy Manning | THE DARCYMM COLLECTIVE Luxury beauty agency serving Central Florida (bridal, business portraits, private lessons).

https://linktr.ee/darcymm IG: @makeupbydarcymm | @darcymmcollective

KyAlea Monma | HOKU Design Group Award-winning brand and media design agency recognized by USA Today and DesignRush for excellence in brand storytelling. https://www.hoku.design LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyalea/ IG: @hokudesigngroup

Brand + Production: @hokudesigngroup | https://www.hoku.design

Location: Harbour House Oceanfront Venue

“No one has to do this alone—and it shouldn’t cost anything just to ask a question.”

In this episode of HerStory, co-hosts Darcy Manning and KyAlea Monma sit down with Dr. Kathryn Rudloff, Executive Director of weVENTURE Women’s Business Center, to unpack what real support looks like for women entrepreneurs. From idea to launch to scaling and exit, Kathryn shares how weVENTURE’s federally funded programs provide little to no-cost coaching, training, mentorship, and strategy for founders at every stage.

This conversation is your reminder that asking for help is a power move, and clarity should never come with a price tag.

00:00 Intro

01:02 Meet Dr. Kathryn Rudloff + What weVENTURE Does

03:08 COVID Relief: “Boots on the Ground” Support 04:02 From

300 Clients to 1,000 in One Year

05:23 1988 Changed Everything for Women Entrepreneurs

08:45 The “She-cession” + The Data Behind Solo Entrepreneurship

11:02 Seasons of Life: Work, Family, and Business

19:03 Client Win: Southern Caramel (Kitchen to Amazon)

21:56 “It’s Not a Business Until It Can Run Without You”

23:47 Programs Breakdown: Ignite 360, CEO Peer Group + More

35:10 Why Google and AI Aren’t Enough (You Still Need Humans)

37:20 Why “Free” Coaching Works: Accountability + Honest Feedback

Dr. Kathryn Rudloff

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-rudloff/

https://weventure.fit.edu | IG: @weventurewbc

Become a Sponsor! Contact Kathryn at [email protected]

Episode Sponsors

Valley Bank Local business banking partner helping you start, grow, and scale with confidence. https://valley.com/business

Harbour House Oceanfront Venue Florida’s premier private oceanfront destination for weddings and special events. https://www.harbourhouseevents.com/

About weVENTURE WBC

weVENTURE Women’s Business Center supports entrepreneurs and small business owners through education, mentorship, consulting, and a powerful network of resources. Their mission is to strengthen the local economy by helping businesses launch, grow, and thrive in Florida's Space Coast and Treasure Coast communities.

Co-Hosts + Production Credits

Darcy Manning | THE DARCYMM COLLECTIVE Luxury beauty agency serving Central Florida (bridal, business portraits, private lessons).

https://linktr.ee/darcymm IG: @makeupbydarcymm | @darcymmcollective

KyAlea Monma | HOKU Design Group Award-winning brand and media design agency recognized by USA Today and DesignRush for excellence in brand storytelling. https://www.hoku.design LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyalea/ IG: @hokudesigngroup

Brand + Production: @hokudesigngroup | https://www.hoku.design

Location: Harbour House Oceanfront Venue

HerStory is the podcast where we share the real, behind-the-scenes journeys of founders who are shaping Florida's Space Coast and Treasure Coast communities.

Hosted by founders Darcy Manning and KyAlea Monma, each episode feels like a coffee shop conversation, honest, empowering, and deeply relatable. We sit down with founders and small business leaders to talk about where they started, what they’ve overcome, and what it really takes to build something meaningful.

This is about the stories you don’t always see on social media—the risks, turning points, lessons learned, and quiet moments that change everything.

Produced in partnership with weVENTURE Women’s Business Center, HerStory is here to elevate small businesses, strengthen community, and spotlight the powerful local resources that help turn vision into reality.

Whether you’re a business owner, a dreamer in the early stages, or someone who loves supporting local small businesses, this show is for you.

Season One launches on January 31, 2026 with new episodes releasing every two weeks. Be sure to Subscribe.