S2 Ep.1: Meet the New Host of Vision

Miriam Allred (00:08):

Welcome to vision, the home care leaders podcast. I’m Miriam Allred with home care pulse today’s episode is a little bit different than the norm. It’s gonna be an episode really, unlike any other episode that we’ve ever recorded before, but I’m excited to share today’s conversation with you. So, so like I said, I’m Miriam Allred with home care pulse. I’ve been the host of vision for the last two years. And it’s with real excitement that today this episode will be kicking off season two of vision. In reality, it’s a bittersweet day for me, as the host, as we kick off season two, I will also be passing the torch over to my colleague, Melissa Mendez, who will be the new host of vision, our home care pulse podcast. She’s here with me today and I’m excited to introduce her and introduce her to all of you to get to know her a little bit as she starts this journey as the new host.

Miriam Allred (01:06):

So here in a couple of moments, I will introduce her and we’ll learn a little bit about her as the new host of vision before we do that. I want to spend just a couple of minutes reflecting back on my time as the host of vision. To be honest, I have learned so much, it has been really the joy of like my early career to be the host of this podcast and to learn vicariously through all of you my guests and the subscribers to this podcast, really to learn about the challenges that you all are facing in this industry. And I, I love it all. I love both. I love the challenges and the trials that you all are overcoming, but I also love the joy and the stories and the fulfillment that you’ve shared with me, because really there’s so much satisfaction in this industry.

Miriam Allred (01:58):

And I get to get a taste of that through all of you by hosting this podcast. And it’s been really educational and inspirational to me as a young professional in this home care industry. I’ve had the opportunity to talk with home care professionals all over the country with varying backgrounds, years of experience different passions within their home care business. But really, I think the unifying goal that I’ve, that I’ve seen kind of the tone of this industry has been, everyone has a passion to improve the lives of seniors. And it’s been so inspiring to me to feel that and to have it resonate with me personally, as I’ve, as I’ve learned through all of you looking back to over the last really, you know, few years, I’ve developed a love for this industry, you know, looking back three to five years, I, would’ve never predicted that I would’ve ended up here that I would be in the home care industry, but now I really feel like home care runs through my veins.

Miriam Allred (02:59):

I know that’s a cliche, but I feel that it’s embedded in my heart. And I hope to continue to learn and grow alongside everyone in this field. The next two to three years of this industry are going to be difficult. They’re gonna be trying, but I also think the next two to three years are gonna be the most exciting and the most impactful to really set the tone for the industry for decades to come. And I’m excited to be a part of that and to continue to learn alongside all of you. That being said, I’ve grown so much personally and professionally being the host of this podcast. I am so grateful to home care pulse and to the team at home care pulse for believing in me and for giving me the platform and the opportunity that I’ve had to be the host over the last couple of years.

Miriam Allred (03:50):

So thank you to all of you for being our long standing subscribers and our long term listeners. I also wanna thank all of you that are just discovering this podcast through this episode or in the last couple of weeks or months. We really hope that you’ll stick around and continue to learn and listen, and implement more importantly, take action on what you learn from this podcast and apply it in your businesses. So enough about me and enough, thanks for this opportunity. I want to introduce you to Melissa. Who’s actually here with me today, Melissa, how exciting this is really a pleasure for me to be able to pass the torch over to you. So thanks for being here and joining me.

Melissa Mendez (04:34):

Of course. Thank you for having me and giving the opportunity to take this on and I’ve got some big shoes to fill, so I, I hope I do it justice. You’ve, you’ve done amazing. And I think some real exciting things are to come from it. So I’m I’m really excited. Thanks.

Miriam Allred (04:53):

Absolutely. No doubt. You’re, you’re gonna do an amazing job. So let me ask you a few questions. I want our audience to get to know you a little bit. Let’s start with your background in home care in general, and then how you made your way to home care pulse.

Melissa Mendez (05:07):

Definitely. so back in 2016, I joined on with the home care Institute as an instructional designer and LMS administrator home care Institute is a well, had been a provider of home care and hospice educational resources that improve patient care and outcomes Activated Insights merged with in the know in 2020 followed by the acquisition of HCI in 2021 today, the ITK caregiver training and the HCI clinician training has evolved into what Activated Insights training is today. During the merger, I transitioned onto the clinical content team followed by joining the marketing team. When I was with HCI, I had the opportunity to train owners, training managers, and clinical educators on how to maximize the training platform to their specific needs. So I’ve, I’ve definitely gotten some great experience getting to know owners and, and help them with their goals. So that’s what I’ve been doing. That’s how I got here. Yeah,

Miriam Allred (06:22):

I love it. You were, you’re adopted into the home care pulse family by acquisition. Like, like Melissa said, we, we merged within the no caregiver training and then we acquired home care Institute which is where Melissa came from. So I think of you as like adopted into the home care pulses family, and it’s been a wild ride, you know, obviously through the pandemic, but it has been an absolute, like pleasure to merge with these training companies and to incorporate them into the home care pulses family. It’s just been such a seamless transition. And we’re so glad that you came to us by way of acquisition.

Melissa Mendez (06:57):

Yeah. I’m super excited to see where Activated Insights training takes us to have clinician and caregiver content under one roof is really spectacular

Miriam Allred (07:09):

Actually. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Well, tell us a little bit more about what you’re doing at home care pulses today. You talked a little bit about, you know, your journey with HCI. Tell us about like your progression here at home care pulse and what you’re doing today.

Melissa Mendez (07:22):

Right. So I am a customer marketing specialist. I get to take my customer centric mindset to act as the voice of the customer. I get to collaborate with other teams to improve on the customer journey. I see that when our customers are successful, that that is really the best measure of success in, in my eyes. So I get to continue those conversations of what’s working. What’s not working for owners and training managers even down to the learners. So just more conversation about what’s going on and, and how we can collaborate together.

Miriam Allred (08:02):

Awesome. Like, like everyone listening to this podcast, everyone has like a niche within their business, whether that’s finances or recruitment or, you know, sales and marketing, I think everyone has kinda like their niche. And I would say your, your niche, your passion is training. You know, our training platform probably better than anyone else, but I also, in my time working with you, you love training and you love helping and encouraging training managers and administrators and owners really learn to love training. And so I, I’m excited for you to bring your passion to this show and for you to speak with other passionate professionals about the things that they’re passionate about. Because I think that’s something that can like mutually connect us and create bonds is just our passion for home care, but passion for individual like pieces of the puzzle within a home care business.

Melissa Mendez (08:57):

Yeah. Most certainly I’m, I’m excited to continue building that and sharing my passion with others and, and increasing theirs. I think it it’ll be real great to see this grow.

Miriam Allred (09:10):

Yeah, absolutely. Well, let’s get to some fun and personal facts about yourself. I know now we know kind of some background about your home care side and your involvement with home care pulse, but tell us a little bit more about you personally.

Melissa Mendez (09:25):

Yeah. I currently am based out of Atlanta and I’m a person that loves to create. I love to paint. I love to write I’m artistic musically as well. I love to sing though. I’m not very good at singing, but I love to do it. And in my free time outside of home care pulse, I am a photographer. I’ve been able to capture some really beautiful moments in people’s lives catch the start of life and even the end of life. And that insight into the various stages of one’s life is really carried over into other parts, both professionally and personally. So it’s really my, my passion to do that. I am certainly a healthy mix of introverted and extroverted personalities. Love to travel, love to see new things, do new things but nothing beats your own bed, right? You’re home. You can be comfortable kick off your shoes. So a little bit of both there and kind of a, a random little thing is I love to collect vintage cameras. I think I’m up to about 15 at this point. The idea of what those cameras have seen in their lifetime is, is really intriguing to me. They’ve definitely seen a lot of things, so that’s me in a nutshell, I guess.

Miriam Allred (10:47):

Super cool. Are you an Atlanta native? Is that where you’re from originally?

Melissa Mendez (10:51):

I am not. I’m originally from Boulder, Colorado.

Miriam Allred (10:54):

Okay. That’s what I thought. So you, you’ve seen a few different pockets of the country, which is really cool. What, one question on your photography side, what is your favorite thing to capture?

Melissa Mendez (11:07):

Oh, my favorite thing to capture

Miriam Allred (11:11):

And putting on spot,

Melissa Mendez (11:13):

It would probably have to be like a milestone birthday, like a first birthday, right. Seeing a, a child eat cake for the first time kind of thing. And just tear into that cake. It’s, it’s really cute. Second might be weddings and first looks between groom and bride or parents and bride. I think it’s just get a little teary eyed every time, you know, you don’t, you don’t dress up quite like you do on your wedding day. So

Miriam Allred (11:44):

Good visuals. I, I love the milestone concept too. I feel like there are a lot of examples of milestones, obviously first birthday and such, but I just love milestones in life. And so I think that’s cool that you like to capture that because those days are unforgettable and super special. So it’s cool.

Melissa Mendez (11:59):

Yes, definitely.

Miriam Allred (12:00):

So now that we know yeah, a little bit about your background, a little bit about you, let’s talk a little bit about your journey to being host. What are you most excited for as you venture into this role?

Melissa Mendez (12:12):

I am certainly excited to learn more about the challenges that owners are faced with in today’s environment and learning more about the techniques that they have discovered along the way to help meet those challenges and just putting their, putting that out there for everyone to hear and read about and, and trial in their own agency.

Miriam Allred (12:35):

That’s exactly what you’re gonna do and what you’re gonna learn. And it’s gonna be a fun journey, Melissa, it’s been so fun to catch up and to get to know you. And I’ve been really excited and grateful to be passing the torch to you and for you to kick off season two, we’ve got an incredible lineup of guests that you’re gonna interview, and it’s gonna be a really wild ride the next couple of months and really yours. Like I said, in this industry, we all have so much to learn and we have so much to offer one another. And that’s really the purpose of this podcast is to help generate ideas, generate stories, generate action items for you to take back to your business, to implement by learning through other people in the country. There’s so many opportunities to learn with all that being said.

Miriam Allred (13:18):

I just want to say thank you and give everyone another reminder to join us for home care. Live with Melissa. Next Tuesday, May 24th at 2:00 PM. Eastern. Many of you listening know that we record these podcasts live on Tuesdays at 2:00 PM Eastern. Now obviously we publish the recordings and that’s how you’re listening to this, but know that if you want to join the conversation in real time and engage with the guests and ask questions and be surrounded by other owners and operators feel free to join us live called home care life on Tuesdays. So we’ll start that back up again. Next Tuesday on the 24th at 2:00 PM Eastern Melissa, what parting words would you have to say and how can people get in contact with you?

Melissa Mendez (14:03):

Yeah. I would just like to say I’m super excited for the opportunity. Can’t wait to chat with everybody. And for those folks who would like to be a guest have feedback, you can certainly reach out to me directly by email at melissamendez@homecarepulse.com.

Miriam Allred (14:22):

Awesome. Well, thanks for joining me. Thanks everyone for tuning in and we’ll catch you next week for home care. Live on Tuesday at two Eastern. Thanks everyone.

Melissa Mendez (14:32):

Thanks.