Candice Smith -- Meaningful Conversations

My guest today is Candice Smith, co-founder, and CEO of Caregiven. She founded Caregiven after her experience caring for her father during his end of life. Her experience was similar to mine while I was a caregiver for my late wife Jane. Her vision is to get caregiving away from the transactional communications that dominate the end of life to a more meaningful experience. I first met Candice at a Founders Network retreat and we bonded over our shared experience with grief and loss. This conversation is going to do deep into grief, loss, caring for a sick loved one and a lot of points in between. We also talk about the challenges of being a non-technical founder, being a first-time for-profit founder, and how talking about end of life is tough for a lot of people. She also talks about her experience being isolated in a hotel on self-quarantine for COVID-19 before she could fly back to her home to be with her family. Before we jump into it, if you’re troubled by a conversation about loss and grief, then you may want to skip this one. I know that for some, it’s hard to talk about these sorts of things and I can respect the fact that everyone is on their own journey. I would encourage you to listen even if it’s a bit uncomfortable because by talking about loss and grief, we can get better at dealing with it. Now. Let’s get better, together. Actions to Try or Advice to Take It’s hard to rise to the task when it’s unclear exactly what has to be done. For caregivers helping loved ones, it’s even harder. We will all go through the end of life experience so we need to be educated on what it’s all about. If you go through a painful experience and learn something, then you should share your knowledge. Memento Mori: The one perennial truth – rich or not, successful or not, religious, philosophical, it doesn’t matter – you will die Know Your Why: It’s critical that you and your company have a reason for being that transcends the fame, fortune, and prestige that might be bestowed on you for your efforts. Know your market: Caregivers search for information from trusted sources as opposed to searching online or another place. The learning curve for her keeps on going up and will never stop. Knowing what you’re going to do the next day allows her to wake up for confidence. Pomodoro Technique: Break tasks into 25-minute chunks. While she was in self-isolation, she would stop at 10 minutes to the hour and walk around her floor. It’s important to have the discipline for both your mental and physical health. Links to Explore Further Caregiven Founders Network Candice on LinkedIn Keep In TouchBook or Blog or Twitter or LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 9 of the The Entrepreneur Ethos podcast, hosted by Jarie Bolander, Blue Wire, titled "Candice Smith -- Meaningful Conversations" was published on April 9, 2020 and runs 55 minutes.

April 9, 2020 ·55m · The Entrepreneur Ethos

Summary

My guest today is Candice Smith, co-founder, and CEO of Caregiven. She founded Caregiven after her experience caring for her father during his end of life. Her experience was similar to mine while I was a caregiver for my late wife Jane. Her vision is to get caregiving away from the transactional communications that dominate the end of life to a more meaningful experience. I first met Candice at a Founders Network retreat and we bonded over our shared experience with grief and loss. This conversation is going to do deep into grief, loss, caring for a sick loved one and a lot of points in between. We also talk about the challenges of being a non-technical founder, being a first-time for-profit founder, and how talking about end of life is tough for a lot of people. She also talks about her experience being isolated in a hotel on self-quarantine for COVID-19 before she could fly back to her home to be with her family. Before we jump into it, if you’re troubled by a conversation about loss and grief, then you may want to skip this one. I know that for some, it’s hard to talk about these sorts of things and I can respect the fact that everyone is on their own journey. I would encourage you to listen even if it’s a bit uncomfortable because by talking about loss and grief, we can get better at dealing with it. Now. Let’s get better, together. Actions to Try or Advice to Take It’s hard to rise to the task when it’s unclear exactly what has to be done. For caregivers helping loved ones, it’s even harder. We will all go through the end of life experience so we need to be educated on what it’s all about. If you go through a painful experience and learn something, then you should share your knowledge. Memento Mori: The one perennial truth – rich or not, successful or not, religious, philosophical, it doesn’t matter – you will die Know Your Why: It’s critical that you and your company have a reason for being that transcends the fame, fortune, and prestige that might be bestowed on you for your efforts. Know your market: Caregivers search for information from trusted sources as opposed to searching online or another place. The learning curve for her keeps on going up and will never stop. Knowing what you’re going to do the next day allows her to wake up for confidence. Pomodoro Technique: Break tasks into 25-minute chunks. While she was in self-isolation, she would stop at 10 minutes to the hour and walk around her floor. It’s important to have the discipline for both your mental and physical health. Links to Explore Further Caregiven Founders Network Candice on LinkedIn Keep In TouchBook or Blog or Twitter or LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode Description