Advertise on podcast: Connecting the Dots: Senior Living Success with Matt Reiners

Most senior living marketing reports still lead with clicks, impressions, and cost per lead. Marissa Burkhardt and Cliff Karklin of Fountain Digital think that's the wrong scoreboard. In this episode we get into why fewer, better leads often produce more tours, what AI search is doing to your organic traffic, and what a real operator-agency partnership looks like when the numbers aren't all green arrows. KEY TAKEAWAYS Lead volume can drop while quality leads and tours go up. Track the conversion ratios, not just the top of the funnel.The cheapest cost per lead is rarely the best use of your next dollar.AI search is shrinking organic traffic for some communities, but the visitors who do click are further down the funnel.Generic AI-written content doesn't get cited. Content only your community could write does.If marketing data and CRM data aren't integrated, you can't prove what's working. Start there. TIMESTAMPS00:00 Introduction01:32 Welcome, Marissa and Cliff02:56 Marissa's story: stumbling into senior living and falling for it04:13 Cliff's story: 20 years in data and how disconnected senior living felt05:54 Turning digital marketing into occupancy, not clicks08:43 Hitting a brick wall in the CRM, and why gut feelings hurt11:41 Can operators have lead quantity and quality?15:18 Where the tension shows up: budgets, conversion ratios, sales teams18:20 Frightening a sales team or two20:39 What AI search is doing to the data24:39 SEO fundamentals, amped up: quality, credibility, local authority26:55 Why cheap AI-generated content doesn't get picked up28:19 Moving beyond leads: defining a quality lead metric29:26 Attribution, and connecting dollars to tours34:27 What a productive operator-agency partnership looks like38:16 Transparent reporting and the end of spin40:47 The first thing to fix if you can't connect marketing to move-ins44:05 Their LeadingAge session: Marketing Data for CEOs46:13 Closing NOTABLE QUOTES "The lowest cost per lead is not necessarily going to be the best get for you." - Marissa Burkhardt"As a data guy, gut feelings can be painful." - Cliff Karklin"If you're never talking about something that didn't work, it usually means you're not talking about opportunities to improve." - Cliff Karklin MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Fountain Digital: https://www.fountaindigital.comMarissa Burkhardt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissaburkhardt/Cliff Karklin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliffkarklin/LeadingAge Annual Meeting, Oct. 25-28, 2026, Philadelphia: https://annualmeeting.leadingage.org/"Marketing Data for CEOs" session with Springpoint Senior Living ABOUT THE GUESTSMarissa Burkhardt is Chief Strategy Officer at Fountain Digital, where she leads strategy and operations. She has spent more than a decade in senior living marketing and has led digital strategy for hundreds of clients, from senior living providers to Fortune 100 financial services companies. She has worked across the full digital funnel, from SEO and web to paid media and content, and focuses on tying marketing to tours, deposits, and move-ins. Cliff Karklin is VP, Performance & Analytics at Fountain Digital. Over 20 years on the agency side, he started in SEO, moved through client service, and found his calling building and growing data teams. After years in e-commerce, he came to senior living to close the gap between marketing activity and what actually happens in the CRM, with integrated attribution as the foundation. Enjoyed this one? Follow Connecting the Dots, share it with your sales and marketing team, and if you're in Philly for LeadingAge, go catch Marissa and Cliff's session. There may be t-shirts.

Budget season is here, and I can’t think of a better guest for it. Steven Crittenden went from Army paratrooper to senior living CFO to co-founding ICON Financial Services, which now supports close to 150 communities. We get into why budgets fall apart before they’re even built, how to lock down your data so everyone runs the same numbers, and why the rent roll might be the most underrated report in your building. I don’t think I’ve learned more in a 30-minute episode. Key Takeaways Set up your systems first. If you don’t know what you need, you’ll get sold on features.Start with the bookends: revenue, NOI, total expenses, and payroll. Then ask whether the margin supports the mission.Know your effective rate increase, not just your intended one.Lock down unit types, capacity, and job titles. Don’t lump AL and memory care caregivers together.Use budget season to audit everything, then spend the year maintaining it.Timestamps 02:00 Welcome02:45 Steven’s path: Army paratrooper, CBRE accountant, then a baptism by fire at Pegasus, Sodalis, and Proveer08:53 Acuity and staffing: do we actually know what’s happening in the building?10:33 Caregivers working from memory, and how budget-season favors turned into ICON12:28 Why budgeting matters, garbage in, garbage out, and starting with the bookends16:04 Start with the truth: capacity, product types, and intended vs. effective rate increases18:38 Data integrity: two occupancy numbers, “you shall not pass” on unit types, job titles, and AL vs. memory care staffing25:06 Outside budget season: auditing the rent roll28:56 From reactive to proactive: vendor contracts, escalators, and AI31:20 Looking ahead: theory vs. reality, and knowing when to get help33:11 Where to find Steven and ICON34:42 Closing Notable Quotes “If you don’t know who you are and what you want, you get sold by features.”“You got food, you got care, and the rest don’t matter.” (a saying from Stephen Vick)“With no mission, there’s no margin. With no margin, there sure as heck ain’t no mission.”“Be relentless when it comes to your data integrity.” Resources: ICON Financial Services: https://icon-fs.comSteven on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-crittenden/ICON on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icon-fsEmail Steven: [email protected] About Steven Steven Crittenden is the Co-Founder and CEO of ICON Financial Services, an outsourced finance and accounting team built exclusively for senior living. He spent eight years in the Army as a paratrooper and air traffic controller, then earned his degree in finance and started out as an accountant at CBRE. He entered senior living as director of FP&A at Pegasus Senior Living. He then served as CFO at Sodalis Senior Living, where he helped grow the company from roughly $12 million to over $100 million. He later joined Proveer Senior Living, where he focused on raising debt and equity. Three years ago he co-founded ICON with Michael Kropp. The firm now manages financials for nearly 150 facilities. It offers free budgeting for incoming clients and free underwriting for operators taking on new buildings.

Evan Friedkin is back on the show four years after his first episode. This time we're going after something every operator does every day: acting on assumptions nobody has ever checked. Evan walks through the assumptions he sees fall apart almost weekly, from "we don't get residents from across the river" to comp sets built on billboards and gut feel. We get into: how combining your own data with market data shows who's really winning your leadswhy most teams only revisit assumptions after a leadership changethe two words that should set off an alarm bell in every strategy meeting Key Takeaways: Your comp set might be wrong. One operator found that only 2 of the 5 competitors taking most of its leads were actually on its list."We don't get residents from that side of the river" is testable. Check whether your competitors do.To see who you're really losing to, pair your first-party data (CRM, EHR, financials) with third-party market data.Don't wait for a new executive to question the defaults. Revisit key assumptions on a regular cadence.When you hear "I feel like," you're hearing an assumption. Notable Quotes: "If you're saying 'I feel like X,' that means you're making an assumption." - Evan Friedkin "Why do we need to wait for a major event like a leadership change to revisit some of these assumptions?" - Evan Friedkin "If it's easy to test, we should." - Evan Friedkin Mentioned in This Episode: Occulytics: https://www.occulytics.comEvan Friedkin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanfriedkin/Raising Tech, powered by Parasol Alliance: https://raisingtech.buzzsprout.com/1992084 About Evan Friedkin Evan Friedkin is Head of Growth at Occulytics, a data analytics and AI platform built for senior living. He oversees sales, marketing, and customer success. Evan entered the industry in April 2019 as employee number six at Roobrik. He spent six years there building the sales team and helping operators have better conversations with prospects. After Aline acquired Roobrik, he served as Vice President of Sales and got a broader view into dining and operations. In 2026, he stepped back to find the tech company he believed would go the distance, and he landed at Occulytics.

Everybody in senior living is talking about the growth wave. Far fewer people are talking about how it actually gets paid for. Rachel Lynch leads the long term care division at First American Equipment Finance, a bank-owned equipment lessor and subsidiary of RBC. She spends her days inside capital budgets — which means she sees where the money is really going before most of the industry does. In this conversation, Rachel breaks down the three buckets absorbing senior living capital right now, why days cash on hand has suddenly become the metric boards keep circling, and how bond financing and equipment financing complement each other instead of competing. Plus the analogy that reframes the whole thing: would you finance your groceries into your mortgage? If you've ever watched a capital budget quietly disappear into "stuff" — the IT refresh, the furniture, the generator on a rainy day — this one's for you. Resources Mentioned: First American Equipment Finance (a subsidiary of RBC)Rachel Lynch on LinkedInLeadingAge events and conferences Guest Bio: Rachel Lynch leads the long term care division at First American Equipment Finance, a bank-owned equipment lessor and subsidiary of RBC that provides CapEx financing to organizations nationally. Like a lot of people in this field, Rachel will tell you senior living found her rather than the other way around. First American's healthcare team has served hospitals, health systems, and long-term care organizations for more than 25 years, and by 2023 there was a growing consensus internally that senior living had become a niche deserving its own dedicated focus. In the spring of 2024, Rachel said yes to building that practice alongside her colleague Brooke Prieston — and hasn't looked back since. Based in Western New York, Rachel spends much of the year on the road at industry conferences and LeadingAge events, working with nonprofit and for-profit organizations alike. Her favorite part of the job is the conversation before the financing: where is an organization's cash position today, where does it need to be in a few years, and which tools in the capital stack will actually get them there. Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn.

Katharine Ross has spent 25 years watching how families actually shop for senior living — first through magazines in four states, now through a national website. Families lead their own research now, arriving with expectations already formed and often starting with AI before they ever reach a provider's site. Declining traffic isn't necessarily a failure, but the old metrics are telling you less and less. We get into what to track instead, why vagueness around pricing is the most expensive mistake a community can make, and why your best marketing asset is already sitting in your dining room. Key Takeaways The research happens before you ever see it. Families form opinions off-site, so lower traffic can still mean more engaged visitors.Own the pricing conversation or someone else will. If you're vague, third parties fill the gap — and take your visibility with them.Audit your digital footprint quarterly. Search yourself in AI tools, see which bucket you've been put in, and decide if that's where you want to be.Specific and human beats generic. The how-to listicle still has a place, but resident stories are what pull people in.Consistency builds trust. Reviews, website, and marketing language should say the same thing — without duplicating each other word for word.Timestamps: 00:00 — Introduction02:00 — Welcome, and Katharine wears polka dots in honor of the show03:51 — A series of unpredictable events: joining her in-laws' company, launching the site in 200105:23 — The non-compete that turned into a 25-year career06:21 — How family research changed: self-led seniors and boomers who expect control08:24 — Cutting through the noise: why families read everything before they call or tour09:24 — Where AI shows up now, and why provider website traffic is declining10:30 — The measurement problem: what analytics miss, and why engagement metrics matter12:15 — What content still works: specific and human over generic how-to13:15 — Three nights in a CCRC, and the line from her cousin she can't stop thinking about14:41 — The biggest marketing mistake: vagueness, especially around pricing15:48 — Building trust across every touchpoint16:32 — The custom GPT that gave up the discount policy (and my fictional Stanford MBA)17:21 — When AI hallucinates: Butch Cassidy and your one big value statement18:29 — Where to find Katharine20:18 — Closing thoughts Notable Quotes "I have more friends today than I've ever had in my life." — Katharine's cousin, on CCRC life"He was known. And don't we all want to be known?""I think the biggest mistake is vagueness.""These third parties will, and then they'll own your visibility." Mentioned in This Episode: Katharine Ross on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/katharine-ross-rms-seniorsguide/Seniors Guide — https://www.seniorsguide.comRoss Media Solutions on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/company/ross-media-solutions Guest Bio: Katharine Ross is the President of Ross Media Solutions, the senior living media company behind Seniors Guide. She joined in the early 2000s with a media and advertising background, coming aboard with her in-laws to launch their Seniors Guide edition in North Carolina — a one-year plan that turned into a career. She launched the company's first website in 2001 and has since grown the business from a regional print footprint across four states into a national digital resource for older adults and their families. She's a vocal advocate for ethical marketing that supports families as they control their own research journey.

Most operators treat agency spend like weather, something that happens to you. Blake Thiess doesn't buy it. Blake has hired hundreds of healthcare professionals without agency. In his most recent role he went three years with zero agency usage and averaged 25 days to offer — less than half the industry average. At Prestige Care he cut agency spend by $3 million in one year. He walks me through how, and almost none of it costs money. Key takeaways: Speed is the game. Two or three interviews max. Beat everyone to the candidate decision.Employer brand is free if you'll do the work. Team members on camera, and job posts that answer "what's in it for me?"AI is a polisher, not a decider. The recruiters who survive can influence a human to take a call.Recruiting isn't a cost center — but you have to prove it. Show the CFO the agency dollars you didn't spend.Retention is a recruiting strategy. Career lattices, plus the courage to promote from within.Notable quotes: "Nobody wants to read a three-page bullet point list of all the stuff you're gonna be doing. That's bad berries, as my grandpa would say.""It was a 30-minute video interview with an AI recruiter, and it scared me. This person was better than most recruiters I know.""Have the courage and audacity to promote people into roles they haven't served in before."Mentioned in this episode: Blake Thiess on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakethiessBlake's articles on ERE — https://www.ere.net/authors/blake-thiessPrestige Care — https://www.prestigecare.comGem, the recruiting CRM Blake implemented — https://www.gem.comAbout Blake: Blake Thiess is a healthcare talent acquisition leader with over a decade building recruiting and employer brand functions in senior living, skilled nursing, and post-acute care. As Director of Talent Acquisition at Prestige Care he supported roughly 75 locations across eight states and cut agency spend by $3 million in one year. Most recently, as Director of Recruiting at Trinity Hospice, he kept the organization agency-free for three years while averaging 25 days to offer. He holds his PHR and SHRM-CP and is currently open to his next role.

What happens when researchers, physicians, care partners, and people living with dementia all walk the same road — in the same purple shirt, with no labels? In June 2026, Michelle Daniel and Julie Moore joined Walking the Talk for Dementia, a global immersive initiative that pairs a four-day, 40-kilometer walk along the Camino de Santiago in Spain with a two-day symposium, alongside 96 people from 35 countries. In this conversation, they bring those lessons home. Michelle has spent 31 years in eldercare and leads The Eden Alternative. Julie has been a care partner for four parents through Alzheimer's and other dementias — and three years ago, was diagnosed with early-onset dementia herself. Together they unpack what it means to design environments that remove barriers instead of asking people to adapt, why the "tragedy narrative" does more damage than the diagnosis, and how well-being — not happiness — makes room for joy and sorrow to sit side by side. It's a conversation about labels, listening, and the difference between being in charge of someone and care partnering with them. Resources Mentioned The Eden Alternative — www.edenalt.orgDementia Action Alliance — www.daanow.orgWalking the Talk for Dementia (founder: Fernando Perez) — www.walkingfordementia.orgDementia Resources — dementia-resources.comCreating Moments of Joy by Jolene BrackeyGuest Bios Michelle Daniel — President & CEO, The Eden Alternative, Inc. Michelle Daniel is the President and CEO of The Eden Alternative, an organization she has been part of since 2000, when she first encountered its work as a graduate student. Her calling found her earlier than that — in a high school social justice class in the Washington, D.C. area, where a teacher read her journal entries about a great aunt in a New Orleans nursing home and told her she'd found her life's work in advocacy for older adults. Thirty-one years later, Michelle has served as an administrator and a family care partner, and now leads an organization dedicated to person-directed care and to changing how our culture sees elders and people living with brain change. Learn more at www.edenalt.org. Julie Moore is an advisory board member of the Dementia Action Alliance, an outreach mission of The Eden Alternative. A lifelong learner with ten associate degrees and a bachelor's degree, Julie spent her career supporting people with physical and developmental disabilities, work that shaped her understanding of accommodation, advocacy, and the limiting assumptions that come attached to a diagnosis. She served as a care partner for both of her parents and both of her parents-in-law as they lived with Alzheimer's and other dementias. Three years ago, Julie was diagnosed with early-onset dementia herself. Today she is an advocate at the community and state level, a research participant, a runner and cyclist, and — as of June 2026 — a Camino de Santiago pilgrim. Learn more at www.daanow.org. Julie Moore — Advisory Board Member, Dementia Action Alliance

Eric Hansen is the founder and CEO of Burst Billing, a medical billing company on a mission to help nursing homes reclaim the Medicare Part B supply reimbursements they're owed and almost never collect. He got his start in senior care as a CNA before moving into portable x-ray and lab sales, where he saw firsthand how the system's "medicine by prophecy" approach — over-supplying to be safe — quietly drained facilities' already-thin margins. He walked away from a six-figure salary to bet that nine out of ten nursing homes were giving their profits away, and that he could win it back for them. In just two years, Burst Billing has grown to 17 states and recovered more than $1 million in reimbursements for its clients. Self-taught in AI with over 2,000 hours behind him, Eric has built a fleet of agents that keep his company lean — and he's refreshingly candid that his ultimate goal is to make Burst unnecessary by helping the entire industry collect these dollars on its own. Show Notes: 00:00 — Introduction02:01 — Meet Eric Hansen: the bet that 9 of 10 nursing homes are giving profits away03:44 — From CNA to founder: how Eric got into senior care and spotted "medicine by prophecy"06:31 — Going all in: disproving the model, the weekend that changed everything, proving yourself wrong10:13 — On the naysayers: "You'll stop caring what others think when you realize how little they do"12:31 — What is a Part B supply? The reimbursements nursing homes leave on the table, and why "free" is expensive16:21 — The math: 2% margins, $500/day beds, and profit "like filling five beds without filling a bed"18:51 — The elephant in the room: why billing for more actually reduces Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse23:18 — Growing Burst Billing: 17 states, $1M+ recovered, and a company designed to disappear26:08 — Handing work to AI agents: the first job to delegate, goal-based AI, and the line never to cross32:19 — Starting from zero with AI: the learning curve, Notebook LM, and MVP discipline36:34 — AI in everyday life: relationship management, staying lean, fighting misinformation39:39 — A parting thought: the 9.7M caregiver shortage and whether AI could bring people back home41:38 — Closing thoughts

In this episode, I sit down with two friends and two of my favorite people in the industry — Katie Pitts, VP of Marketing, and Brad Scoggins, Senior Director of Sales & Owner Relations, both at Charter Senior Living. Charter has grown from nine communities to more than 70 in just ten years, and we get into what that growth actually looks like on the ground: what happens when you take over a new community, how you win over an anxious staff, and how you scale without turning every community into a cookie-cutter version of the last. Katie shares her "scale plus localization" framework, Brad breaks down prospect-centered selling and why follow-up is the industry's most underrated skill, and we talk culture champions (not culture vampires) throughout. Key Takeaways Transitions are about people first. Before anything changes, the job is building trust fast and reassuring staff that exceptional care isn't going anywhere.Scale plus localization wins. Strong frameworks let you grow, but senior living is a local sell — the best programs leave room for local flavor.Hire for culture. Getting to 100 communities depends on culture champions who live the mission, not just strong résumés.Follow-up is the differentiator. Prospect-centered selling and genuine follow-up beat the old cookie-cutter numbers game every time.Brand beats budget. The best marketers ahead won't have the biggest ad spend — they'll build trust through transparency and education.Timestamps 02:59 — What actually happens when Charter takes over a new community05:23 — The marketing side: keep the name or change it?07:00 — Embracing the culture (and why Brad started as a dishwasher)09:29 — From 9 to 70+ communities and the "scale plus localization" framework11:24 — Thinking differently about sales at scale, and hiring culture champions13:58 — What drew Katie back to the provider side18:30 — People, processes, or tech: what's hardest to integrate21:19 — Why follow-up is the industry's most underrated skill23:13 — Reading the data on newly acquired communities26:49 — What Charter intentionally says "no" to29:20 — What most people underestimate about scalingNotable Quotes "We're a business of people taking care of people." — Brad Scoggins"No culture vampires — just culture champions." — Brad Scoggins"Senior living is a local sell." — Katie Pitts"Some of the best marketers in the years to come may not be the ones with the largest ad budgets, but the ones who build a brand on transparency, trust, and education." — Katie Pitts Mentioned in This Episode Charter Senior Living — https://www.charterseniorliving.com/Katie Pitts on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-pitts-2613015/Brad Scoggins on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-s-scoggins-16642b73/Charter's mission: "Enhance the human spirit" About the GuestsKatie Pitts is the VP of Marketing at Charter Senior Living, where she leads brand and marketing strategy across the organization's growing portfolio. With nearly two decades of experience spanning both the agency and provider sides of senior living, she champions a "scale plus localization" approach that balances company-wide systems with hyper-local, market-specific marketing. Brad Scoggins is the Senior Director of Sales & Owner Relations at Charter Senior Living. Having grown up in the industry — starting as a dishwasher before rising through the ranks over nearly six years at Charter — he brings a people-first, prospect-centered philosophy to sales, coaching teams to build trust through genuine connection and relentless follow-up.

Show Notes What happens when leaders stop performing and start leading from alignment? In this episode, Matt sits down with Kiera DesChamps — CEO/Founder of KD Consulting Group, leadership strategist, keynote speaker, and author of You Are the Brand: Stop Performing. Start Aligning. Kiera shares how she went from "bossy" middle child to leadership strategist, why so many accomplished leaders feel burned out, and how misalignment quietly costs organizations their culture, retention, and results. Whether you lead in senior living, healthcare, nonprofits, or business, this conversation is a practical, honest look at what authentic leadership actually requires. Timestamps 02:00 – Welcome and introduction04:40 – Kiera's story: the "bossy" middle child who was always a leader06:27 – From counseling and higher ed to the senior living space09:00 – "You Are the Brand": what it really means and why it matters now13:00 – The trap of "fake it till you make it" and the cost of misalignment16:03 – How to really know a company's culture (the smoke-break test)16:52 – The rise of the empathetic leader: meeting people where they are20:53 – Stop performing, start aligning: the daily signs you're leading for approval27:33 – Why leaders who look successful on paper still feel burned out32:04 – The LEADer™ Model explained: Listen, Engage, Adapt, Deliver, Execute Results36:13 – The one challenge every industry shares: misalignment40:07 – The one mindset shift every leader can make today41:00 – What's next for KD Consulting Group: courses, keynotes, and the Brand Brunch43:25 – Closing thoughtsGuest Bio Kiera DesChamps is the CEO/Founder of KD Consulting Group, a leadership strategist, keynote speaker, executive coach, and author of You Are the Brand: Stop Performing. Start Aligning. Be Unapologetically You. Kiera helps leaders and organizations strengthen leadership, optimize sales performance, and create exceptional client experiences by aligning people, processes, and purpose. She is the creator of the LEADer™ Leadership Model, a practical framework that equips leaders to communicate with confidence, build trust, and execute results. Known for her authentic storytelling and practical leadership strategies, Kiera challenges leaders to stop leading for approval and start leading from alignment. Her work has helped organizations improve culture, strengthen teams, increase performance, and create meaningful, measurable results.

In this episode of Connecting the Dots, I sat down with my longtime friend Therese Ten Brinke, Executive Director of Innovation and Impact at Eskaton. Therese is a gerontologist, educator, and innovation leader, and she makes a case I keep coming back to: real innovation in senior living doesn't start with AI or robotics — it starts with people and culture. We got into why the words we choose shape how we age, how technology can empower rather than manage decline, and why the best ideas never come out of a conference room. Key Takeaways: Innovation starts with understanding people, not buying technology — the tech is just one tool among many.Language shapes culture: focusing on what people can't do breeds learned helplessness, while focusing on possibility builds empowerment.When care teams help shape a solution, resistance disappears — Eskaton saw adoption climb from 90% to 100% by listening first.Real innovation often isn't a tech problem at all; it's a workflow, communication, or culture problem that has to be solved first.Technology should expand what's still possible for older adults, not just compensate for decline.The best problems aren't solved in a conference room — they're solved by sitting with residents and care partners.Timestamps: [01:30] Welcome and introduction to Therese Ten Brinke[03:20] Therese's story: her Nana, a skilled nursing summer, and a volunteer trip to Costa Rica[06:00] Why the U.S. views aging differently — and her choice to change the narrative[08:05] Innovation begins by understanding people, not buying technology[10:40] Why the best tech partners ask about culture and workflow before pitching[12:30] "Innovation isn't something we buy — it's something we build together"[13:15] How language shapes culture: learned helplessness vs. possibility[15:30] The Sync Labs case study — listening first drove adoption to 100%[21:00] Piloting the right way and solving the real problem[26:25] Building a culture-first organization and the Eskaton Academy[30:50] "One voice": weaving culture through everything, not just compliance[33:05] Technology as a tool of empowerment, not decline[37:30] What older adults have taught her about technology[44:00] Why staff are often more resistant to technology than residents[45:50] What gives her optimism about aging — and her advice: start with your people[51:10] Closing thoughtsNotable Quotes: "Innovation isn't something we buy — it's something we build together.""Technology shouldn't just compensate for what someone has lost. It should expand the possibilities of what remains possible.""The best problems aren't solved in a conference room — they're solved when we're talking to people."Resources & Mentions in This Episode: Eskaton — https://www.eskaton.orgTherese Ten Brinke on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/therese-ten-brinke-b30128299/Eskaton Academy; Sync Labs (AI documentation startup, University of Pennsylvania)Dr. Bill Thomas; Jennifer Carson; LiveWell (Connecticut)'About The Guest: Therese Ten Brinke is the Executive Director of Innovation and Impact at Eskaton, one of Northern California's largest nonprofit senior living organizations. A gerontologist, educator, and innovation leader, she has spent more than 14 years reimagining what aging can look like across AI, robotics, digital health, and person-directed care. Her work lives at the intersection of culture, technology, and human connection, guided by one conviction: innovation starts with people, not platforms. SEO Meta Description: Gerontologist Therese Ten Brinke of Eskaton on why innovation in senior living starts with culture and people — not technology — and how language shapes aging. Subscribe & Connect: Enjoyed this one? Follow Connecting the Dots wherever you get your podcasts, and share it with someone in senior living who'd appreciate it.

Episode Summary What really changes between nonprofit and for-profit senior living sales—and what stays exactly the same? In this episode of Connecting the Dots, I sit down with Bri Stewart, VP of Sales Operations at Watercrest Senior Living, to explore the unique challenges and opportunities of leading sales across both models. Drawing from her experience in hospitality, nonprofit Life Plan Communities (CCRCs), and for-profit senior living, Bri explains why great sales isn’t about pressure—it’s about trust, emotional intelligence, and putting people first. We discuss how sales cycles differ between CCRCs and rental communities, why hospitality is reshaping the resident experience, how technology can strengthen—not replace—relationships, and why leaders who focus on people ultimately see the strongest business results. Whether you’re a sales counselor, executive director, regional leader, or operator, this conversation offers practical insights for growing occupancy while staying true to your mission and culture. About Bri Stewart Bri Stewart is the Vice President of Sales Operations at Watercrest Senior Living. With leadership experience spanning hospitality, nonprofit Life Plan Communities, for-profit senior living, consulting, and private equity, Bri specializes in building high-performing sales cultures that scale revenue without sacrificing identity. Her leadership philosophy combines operational excellence with emotional intelligence, helping teams create meaningful relationships that drive both occupancy and resident satisfaction. Timestamps 1:32 – Bri’s journey from hospitality to senior living 6:20 – Lessons learned across nonprofit and for-profit organizations 9:00 – Why emotional intelligence matters more than sales scripts 11:25 – Listening as a competitive advantage 11:55 – Technology that helps sales teams stay present 15:02 – Nonprofit vs. for-profit sales: the biggest differences 18:55 – Building trust through financial conversations 19:37 – Becoming a trusted advisor, not just a salesperson 23:37 – “Hunter with a heart”: balancing empathy and accountability 28:36 – Hospitality, service recovery, and keeping your brand promise 31:23 – Technology adoption: why nonprofit organizations often move differently 35:41 – Scaling revenue without sacrificing your people-first culture 37:47 – Closing thoughts Key Takeaways The fundamentals of senior living sales are the same regardless of ownership model: build trust, listen well, and become a trusted advisor.Nonprofit CCRCs require longer sales cycles, greater financial planning conversations, and patient relationship-building.Rental communities often involve more urgency, requiring exceptional service delivery and rapid recovery when issues arise.Hospitality principles are becoming a competitive differentiator across senior living.Technology should remove administrative work so sales professionals can be more present with prospects—not replace the human connection.The best leaders focus on people first because sustainable financial results naturally follow.

What does it take to build an organization that puts people before competition? In this episode, I sit down with Rob Liebreich, CEO & President of Goodwin Living, to discuss how purpose-driven leadership is reshaping aging services. Rob shares the personal story that brought him into senior living, why he believes organizations should freely share their best ideas, and how Goodwin Living is tackling workforce shortages, expanding access to brain health, and investing deeply in its employees. From housing and healthcare to preventative wellness and community partnerships, this conversation explores what it means to lead with courage while preparing for the future of aging. Whether you’re a senior living executive, healthcare leader, or simply passionate about creating stronger communities, this episode offers practical leadership lessons with a refreshing dose of optimism. Guest Bio Rob Liebreich is the CEO & President of Goodwin Living, a faith-based nonprofit organization serving nearly 5,000 older adults across Northern Virginia and the Washington, D.C. region through senior living communities, healthcare services, and innovative wellness programs. Under Rob’s leadership, Goodwin Living has expanded its impact through initiatives focused on workforce development, preventative health, brain wellness, and community partnerships. He is a nationally recognized advocate for sharing best practices across aging services, believing that collaboration—not competition—creates better outcomes for older adults, caregivers, and communities. Show Notes with Timestamps 1:00 – Introduction to Rob Liebreich and Goodwin Living3:00 – Rob’s journey from telecommunications to senior living6:15 – The demographic shifts reshaping aging services over the next five years9:05 – Why workforce shortages will define the future of care10:10 – Expanding beyond senior living communities into preventative health13:05 – Why Goodwin Living openly shares its best ideas with the industry16:10 – Lessons learned from COVID and leading with generosity17:20 – The origin of the Stronger Memory program and scaling innovation19:00 – Building a culture that invests in people first20:25 – Tuition assistance, citizenship support, student loan repayment, and employee development24:00 – Preparing Goodwin Living—and the broader industry—for what’s next27:15 – Final thoughts on courage, purpose, and the future of aging services

In this episode of Connecting the Dots, I sit down with Carsten Ellsworth, Director of Marketing at Avista Senior Living, to explore what it really means to become an AI-enabled marketer. Carsten shares how he “accidentally” found his way into senior living through an internship that turned into a nine-year career, and how his passion for marketing has evolved alongside the rise of AI. Rather than treating AI as a shortcut or content machine, Carsten sees it as a tool for deeper thinking, better strategy, and building real systems that improve the way marketing teams operate. The conversation covers practical ways senior living marketers can use AI today, from campaign strategy and reporting to business frameworks, automation, app-building, and data analysis. Carsten also offers a grounded perspective for leaders who feel behind: the key is not mastering everything at once, but taking action and applying AI to the next real problem in front of you. Guest Bio: Carsten Ellsworth is the Director of Marketing at Avista Senior Living, where he leads marketing strategy across a diverse portfolio of senior living communities. An AI-enabled marketer, Carsten is passionate about using artificial intelligence to enhance strategic thinking, improve workflows, analyze data, and build practical systems that help teams move faster and make smarter decisions. His approach to AI is rooted in experimentation, action, and the belief that these tools can empower marketers to expand what they are capable of creating. Time Stamps 02:38 — Carsten’s path into senior living03:45 — The moment AI became empowering07:22 — Practical AI value in senior living marketing08:25 — Building AI business frameworks11:13 — Turning a spreadsheet into a real internal app13:18 — Avoiding AI slop15:37 — Balancing data, intuition, and AI insights17:26 — First steps for marketers who feel behind20:38 — Why AI-enabled people will have the advantage22:08 — What separates marketers who thrive from those who struggle22:54 — Final thoughts on empowerment and possibility Carsten Ellsworth, Director of Marketing at Avista Senior Living, joins Matt Reiners to discuss how AI-enabled marketers can use strategy, automation, data, and action to build real marketing systems in senior living.

In this episode of What’s the Yap?, I welcome back Rachel Keller back to the senior living industry and dives into one of the most common questions surrounding AI today: Which AI tool should you actually be using? Rachel shares her experience using ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI tools in both her personal and professional life, discussing where each platform excels and how professionals can think more strategically about AI adoption. The conversation explores practical use cases, productivity hacks, AI-powered caregiving applications, and why emotional intelligence may become even more valuable as artificial intelligence continues to advance. Whether you’re just getting started with AI or looking to deepen your usage, this episode offers practical advice on choosing the right tools while staying focused on the uniquely human skills that technology can’t replace.   Guest Bio Rachel Keller is a senior living leader known for her passion for innovation, technology adoption, and operational excellence. After spending time in the dental industry, Rachel has returned to senior living, bringing fresh perspectives on AI, workforce efficiency, caregiver support, and the importance of human connection in an increasingly digital world. Throughout her career, she has been an advocate for leveraging technology to improve experiences for both employees and residents while maintaining a strong focus on relationships and emotional intelligence. TL;DR: Rachel Keller joins Matt Reiners to discuss ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and the future of AI in senior living. Learn how to choose the right AI tool, improve productivity, and develop the human skills that matter most in an AI-driven world.