Becoming LiveWell's COO: Maley Hunt's Mission to Transform Dementia Care

[0:16]  Welcome back to another episode here on the Heart Hustle Podcast. Our guest today, she was actually on track to become a doctor. Now she's reimagining dementia care for an entire generation. And what changed and what did she feel at that moment? We'll actually have to figure that out. But let's get into it. Mey, welcome.

[0:32]  Thank you, Afrain. Glad to be here.

[0:34]  Same. Same. So, let's kind of get straight into the conversation. We only got but so much time. You had a plan. Med school, the white coat, the whole thing. What did it feel like emotionally to just walk away from that version of your future? Like, I'm pretty sure now you're like, I'm happy I did it. But in the moment, it was probably a little crazy.

[0:49]  Absolutely. I definitely made the right choice in the end, but I think our lives are filled with these inflection points. And growing up and starting out in life, your perception on health care are the providers that you experience uh when you need health care, whether it's the tremendous nurses or physicians or techs that you're meeting when you go to receive health care. And so I knew I wanted to help people. I loved science and math. I wanted to get into that field. uh came in my my first year of college and realized, you know, there's there are a lot more roles in health care and being a physician isn't the only way to support people and there's a lot of impact that you can have from a public health standpoint. And so I was kind of in the right place at the right time. I went to GW down in DC. I I loved that university and they had a tremendous public health program and sociology program. And so when I fell into that track and was able to combine those two instances, they've continued to intersect uh throughout my career and I really started to look at healthcare as human development and see how we can combine those two lenses throughout all the work uh that I do.

[2:03]  I love I love how life could you know I always say the word life be lifeing but that's what it is. You go to school, you're there for one thing, realize well maybe I can actually pivot this and still be in the same realm of things. You know what I mean? Absolutely.

[2:14]  Um, hell, I used to always kind of pray to God or tell people that one day I'm going to be on a stage talking to people and this is my stage that I'm blessed with, right? Talking to people like this is great. So, I I believe that when you have this vision, we think of it one way, but life just takes us down a different route. And now you're sitting as the president, is that correct, of the organization?

[2:35]  I'm the chief operating officer here at Livewell up in Connecticut.

[2:39]  Did you ever think COO was a title that you were going to go for one day? You know, it it surprised me myself and I started as an intern at one of the largest health systems in Connecticut and got some really fabulous experience from some amazing leaders very early on in my career. I find that there are so many executives and leaders that are just hungry to share their knowledge and if you show up in the right place and come with curiosity and a willingness to help and basically do anything that people need help with in senior living. Uh that's really unique because we are a place where people live and so it could mean helping in the kitchen one day, it could mean helping with housekeeping one day. But you put that time in with those different teams and people see the sweat equity that you're putting in and your willingness to learn every level of an organization and then that can translate to being at the table and getting to observe other senior leaders. Uh and so I I grew up quickly at the the health system that I was at. And then we had this this little thing called COVID which I think many of us um want to move on from. Um, but I was a licensed nursing home administrator in 2020 and I hadn't practiced yet. Um, nursing home administrators decided that was a great time to retire because of all the stress that the pandemic put on and so for a lot of people it it left some openings and so I I seized an opportunity when the phone call came uh to be the chief operating officer here at LiveWell. I was very fortunate. They actually called me the day after I had a co elopement which was very popular that year and they said what are you up to and I said I got married yesterday like you want to have an interview like sure why not just make lots of really big life changes in a short period of time

[4:32]  I'm happy that I mean the pandemic was definitely not a a beautiful thing for a lot of people but there was also so much like positive that happened in people's lives right because there was so much risk that had to be taken and people really taking the time to find themselves in a sense as well. Um and now when I have these conversations and I say how did you get here people would say 2020 you know everything changed for me and it's like wow like yeah there was a lot of bad things that happened but also so much changes and so much uh success that happened in people's lives during that time um but I want to talk about the leadership you mentioned that um on your journey you met a lot of good leaders they're always willing to share information I believe that sometimes people are afraid to speak to leaders right but if you ask the right question just ask the question they're always willing to to give you insight What are some of the things that you learned early on as you're kind of going through um trying to get into the leader seuite space? Is do you remember anything like maybe that leader that gave you some good information that you still hold on to today?

[5:30]  I think one of the things that I hold on to the most is when you are at a table where you absolutely know and this is me every day. I am not the smartest person in the room. I am here to learn from the other people at the table. And so if you can sit there and you can gain that information and know when to ask a question and when to maybe pause and ask the person after the uh meeting happens or after the board meeting, there's a time and a place and if you can time your questions correctly with great leaders, they will absolutely share candidly what you what you want to know. I also think it's finding really authentic people that are there because they want to be and they're optimistic and they have views about their career that are ever evolving and they just as much want to learn from you as a younger professional or as a student as you want to learn from them. And when you find those uh couplings, the synergy can be just quite tremendous. Uh if you find somebody who's stuck in their ways, you can sometimes get that sense, don't keep trying. Turn around because there's probably somebody else near them that can get you the experience and the learnings that you want to to have from them.

[6:52]  Those are always good. I I I haven't been in a space where um I had to lead too many young folks, but when I was in management and I had to lead those young people that never had a job and just I love those because you really get to mold them into what it looks like to be just a great uh leader, you know, cuz to me, I was always training leaders up. Um but yeah, you definitely do notice when someone comes up and and they're more just chasing a paycheck and not really the purpose. And in your case, purpose is everything, right? we in in this job. Do you agree?

[7:23]  I I think purpose is penultimate when you're thinking of nonprofit senior living. Um we work uh with people with cognitive change and dementia and it can be challenging work and there are a lot of regulatory challenges. there are a lot of stigmas around our field and so for young people the idea of saying I want to work in a nursing home um there that often is faced with uh why or that's hard isn't everyone's job hard um doesn't everybody have a purpose and

[7:54]  life is hard

[7:55]  life is hard um but it's it's amazing how you can be greeted when you share what you do um and especially as a as a young leader in my first management type position every single person that reported to me was at least 15 years older than me. And so that was a really interesting dynamic to be sitting in a team meeting where you're the youngest person and you're the supervisor. You have to listen. You have to um be open to what people have on their plates inside and outside of work because I don't have the experiences that they have. I don't have the life road that they've had to where they're at. So, how can you respect each other? uh try to see where other people are coming from. And one of our things that we say a lot here that I've really embraced myself is practice being human. Um because we're all human and we all experience this range of emotions and challenges on any given day.

[8:49]  I want to talk about what you said because for those young leaders that are going to experience that same thing. You're in a room with people 15 years older than you, it is not easy, right? I feel like it's intimidating as hell. um they're already looking at you like who is this young individual that may not know anything but you still got to show up with confidence um and and know that you don't know everything in the room. You mentioned it. I'm not the smartest person in the room, but I'm here to learn and I want to grow like pour into me. And I just remember um being in some rooms sometimes where I had those people would just almost say things to me just to try to see what my reaction would be, right? Like it was just the worst thing ever. Yeah. and and I was young so you know sometimes you tested the right person and but I speak to those people what are some of the things that you had to carry on being in those rooms when you are the youngest person in the room because it it does happen more than often nowadays

[9:41]  I've definitely learned and and grown since that time I think when I first started I felt like I needed to do things that uh almost postured me as older or as more experienced or less goofy or uh just hiding certain parts of my personality uh to show up as the person that I think they were expecting the leader to be. And so it took me uh pretty much until I came to live well to really embrace my authenticity as a leader and what I could bring to that table. Uh, and so when you're sitting there and you're trying to present as more serious, more put together than other people, there's always a a gap between you and the people that you're you're leading or you and your supervisor. And so I think the the faster that we can recognize that we if we're there for the right reasons and we're there for the mission of the organization, particularly in nonprofits, then we have something really cool in common already. And so how can we use that to guide our relationships and break down some of those barriers on I have kids that are older than you or I'm not doing anything new. I'm retiring in four years. I'm not changing for you. Good luck. and then kind of chipping away at those people with your tenacity to know they're saying that, but if they're at a missiondriven organization, particularly senior living, nonprofits, they're not just there for a paycheck. There's more to it. And so, you just be be tenacious, be persistent, and have grace that this is a big change for them, too. And they may not be in the in the spot that they thought they would be in their career.

[11:28]  Yeah. I had this experience. since I was like 19 20 years old where this guy was like probably in his 50s and um he happened to be the friend of a his supervisor so maybe he was supposed to be a store manager just maybe didn't fit fit for him but I happened to be the store manager so they put him to work with me and the guy would not work with me and he he flat out told me I think you're great I think you're a great leader I think with the right team you'll be amazing I just can't work for you

[11:55]  and and it was you know you're looking at a 20-year-old and I get it you're looking at a 20-year-old guy, right? Kid. I'm 20 years old. I'm a kid.

[12:01]  Lots of energy.

[12:02]  Yeah. Lots of energy.

[12:03]  Yeah.

[12:04]  Exactly. He just wasn't with it. And uh great guy. I loved him and I respected that and I'll never forget that he said that to me. Ephan, you're great and with a great team you'll be phenomenal. I just couldn't do it. Um and at first I felt some type of way, but it happens every single time. And and and we just have to be also be patient because sometimes we have to go through that and almost prove ourselves that we're not here as we mentioned for a paycheck. that we're truly here because we love what we do and we want to be better. Like I'm willing to listen. I'm willing to learn from you. And that's what kind of leaders we are. Looks like me. You're the same leader. It's like, hey, I don't forget where I come from. Yeah. I'm a COO, but I'm still on the front line. And in the nonprofit world, you play almost every single You have every hat on. Actually,

[12:44]  lots of hats.

[12:45]  Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're not just COO, you're doing a lot more things. But no, this is exciting. I also want to talk about you mentioned that your organization deals with dementia

[12:52]  and you're really flipping the script on how even um we talk about dementia like what does that look like from the organization standpoint from melee standpoint?

[13:01]  Yeah, so is a really unique place. Uh it's been around for over 30 years. Uh we started as the Alzheimer's resource center. So in that we shared very broadly what we do. Uh and through the last 30 years and plus, this organization has evolved to continue to change based on the voice of people with the lived experience. And so what that means is we're crafting our vision, we're crafting our values, we're crafting our mission, our programs by including the voice of people living with dementia and finding what are their strengths, not what are their deficits, not what are they losing. When we think of dementia care, people often refer to it as memory care. Memory care calls out what you might not have. And so, how can we start to flip that script at LiveWell? If you go on our website, you look up anything about us, you'll see why we're different than memory care, but you'll never see us define ourselves as that. And I think later we can talk about some of the challenges that come up with that. But I think it's just this piece of using a strength-based lens and recognizing coming back to that piece,

[14:12]  we're human. You're your diagnosis doesn't define you. And there there's a human development piece and a disability approach that we can take with people living with dementia that is not the common place right now. You know, I actually just heard and I don't know if you guys experienced this or do this, but that there's some VR or there's like some something that you can put on that allows you to experience what dementia actually uh looks like. Have you experienced that or heard of something like that?

[14:39]  So, so we haven't used VR um but we are actually the lead dementia friendly educator for the state of Connecticut. And so we do a lot of experiential trainings with people. We call it dementia capable care. Uh, and it focuses on meeting people where they're at. And we use tools like glasses or gloves or different things for so that people can experience the sensory defects that might come along with a changing brain. I may not be able to see from my peripheral vision. I may have blind spots. I may not have the dexterity in my fingers. And while those are things that people with dementia experience, those are also things that people who age experience.

[15:22]  Yeah. And one thing we all have in common from from when we born from when we're b from when we are born to when we die is that we are aging. We're all going to be 30 minutes older when we finish this podcast. We're we're all aging. And so how can we kind of share in that experience through the education and the learning that we have about different um diagnoses that can happen as we get older.

[15:45]  If the Heart and Hustle podcast has ever sparked any idea or made you think differently, do us a favor. Make sure to guys share this, post it on LinkedIn or even text that nonprofit friend that you just have. Whatever works. This is what keeps the conversation going and allows us to just grow this community together. Seriously, we appreciate you. Which is really why last time I spoke to you, you said um the care the focus model is really on on um on on strength, not loss.

[16:17]  Yes.

[16:17]  Right. Strength. What have you witnessed in someone's comeback story that made you stop and go, "This is why we're doing it this way."

[16:23]  I think there are there are there are a lot of them. We have an empowering partnership network that is made up of people living with cognitive change and dementia and they are they are the spokespeople for this movement. Um because it is a movement to see people beyond their diagnosis. Uh, and we had a a panel a couple months ago where people got to share what their experience is. And they always start the panel by saying, "What are adjectives that you would use if somebody used the word dementia?" And they go around the room and they have people share things and it's hopeless, it's uh despair, uh loneliness, um not not able to do things, uh not independent. uh all of these negative adjectives come up and then through this panel of three or four people sharing their story and their experience of a diagnosis where somebody gave them a diagnosis of dementia, they're there with a loved one. Immediately they start talking to the other person as opposed to the person that was just diagnosed.

[17:30]  They're like, "I'm the same person I was 5 seconds ago before you did the test. Why are you not looking and talking to me?"

[17:36]  Uh and there's unfortunately too many stories like that. But then through this sharing of these lived experiences at the end they ask the same question about the adjectives and you would be amazed at the things that people share and the ability to learn to grow uh purpose hope uh tenacity and all of these things that people share. It's just it's amazing to watch a room evolve in 45 minutes. Um and it's because people living with dementia are sharing their story. And so that's probably one of the most powerful things that I've gotten to experience uh since being at LiveWall.

[18:14]  I was going to ask you on your hardest days, what really pulls you back um even when you're frustrated, tired, but this is it is is hearing these stories. I can only imagine. Is that correct?

[18:23]  It's stories and then it's the team. Um because the people we work with are just they're here for the mission. They want to grow and evolve. And you talk about CNAs, nurses, people who are working 247. We we have all all types of supports here and they love what they do and they take the time to get to know people, get to know their strengths, get to know their histories. They know more about the people that live here um sometimes than their kids or their families. Uh and the stories that they have uh you can just walk around and and you can feel it.

[19:00]  I love stories every time. Stories is everything. When we share stories and tell those stories, it truly does make an impact. So you mentioned stories. I do appreciate that. I want to get into the technology piece because um an elderly care, we did mention VR. I know you said you weren't in that space, but we have to continue to adapt and and I know when we say the word AI, the elders are kind of probably living in fear a little bit, right? How do you continue to add that in there, but never lose humanity? Because I think that's what people are thinking is like we're going to lose the human touch. And I I don't I'm not a believer. I think it just helps us really do things at a higher scale if done right. There is those that could be used in the wrong. But how do you allow that to um help in a sense of never using humanity but still help the mission?

[19:44]  So I think some of the best ways that we're using technology is through um there's this wearable tech we use called Care Predict. Uh, and there are these infrared beacons all over our campus and this software uses uh, AI to get to know the person who's wearing the wearable just like if you have other smart watches and things like that. And so when we installed this technology, we used it for autonomy. Uh because when you think of traditional memory care, you think of locked doors. You think of people focusing on safety and security, not focusing on autonomy and choice. And so what Care Predict allows the people that live at LiveWell or the community members that are here having classes, um it allows them the ability to unlock doors to their apartment, to their balcony, to the outside. It also tracks their sleep patterns and their steps and it just gives them like a key to the campus. It can even track and predict things like social isolation uh based on we're friends and then it notices you know what we haven't been spending as much time together. We get an alert saying me and a friend are are no longer talking to each other. What's up? Maybe maybe they're not socializing. Maybe they're feeling depressed or reclusive. And so it's starting to give us insights into how people are doing. And so it was a really big investment of um time, resources, and shifting how people think. And people said, "Nobody's going to wear that. Nobody's going to want to wear wear a wearable on their wrist.

[21:20]  Every single person has wanted to wear it. We haven't had one instance of somebody not wanting to wear it because the why is autonomy. The why is choice. And it's normal now to have a smartwatch that tracks what you do.

[21:34]  And so I have dementia. It's normal to have this wearable because everybody that works here has them. Everybody that lives here has them. It can pay for your lunch at the cafe. It's it's a tool. We all use tools every day. And I've been telling my boss, I said like chat GPT, I put some things through there. It's a tool. You drove to work in a car. That was a tool. Somebody a long time ago said, "No, you can't have a car. It's got to be a horse." This is that this is that equivalent. And yes, I did say that to our CEO last week.

[22:06]  You got to you got to put it in that sense sometimes though. Like really for them to understand. I I love that you you mentioned that because it is so hard sometimes to get something to the other side because of that, right? Like who's going to wear it? No one's ever going to wear it. And then you're in a space where everybody's wearing it. And I know it makes you feel good like I I knew I was right if you would just listen and not fight me because we always go through that situation because people live in fear or they don't know. They're just not educated enough really in that space. Um and that's why a leader like yourself

[22:36]  take the risk, try, fail, try again. And I think that's something that when I talk to great leaders and and people like you, there's a pattern of take the risk, try what's the worst that's going to happen. Um, and it's pro where does that come from the worst is probably not actually the worst that does happen.

[22:53]  Where does that stem from or being a risk taker?

[22:56]  I I think it comes from from my upbringing and and just seeing uh some strong parents and role models in my life and I've been very fortunate to have a good support system and my brother and things like that. But

[23:12]  you only get one life. And when you work in senior care from the age of 20, you see people who say, "I wish I did the thing."

[23:19]  Yeah.

[23:20]  I I don't want to get to 60, 70, 80 saying, "I wish I did the thing." Uh, so I I encourage all of us because

[23:28]  now's the time, not tomorrow.

[23:30]  I love it. I love that you I heard the same thing when I was I think 23 is when I opened up my first cafe um downtown Orlando and I after a year I had to close it, right? And I'm here trying to find angel investors cuz I wanted to keep it open. I didn't want like a failure. And when I spoke to my mentor that was 10 years older than me, he said, um, why do you want to keep it open? And I said, well, I don't want to like I failed. And he's like, you took a risk and now you can learn from it. It's not a loss. It's a lesson, you know. And he's mentioned exactly what you said. There's people 30, 40 years old saying, I wish I would have. You did it. You know, now you can you you don't have to live with regret. And I think life is like that. It is roller coasters. There is ups and downs. And I think sometimes when we get so uncomfortable because sometimes we're super comfortable in what we're doing on a day-to-day. And when we get uncomfortable, the doors start to open and and life just starts to happen in ways that we've never experienced. I mean, look what happened to me when she took a risk and shifted her damn uh you know, career. And look what she's she sitting at COO. It probably doesn't happen if you were on the other side of of life, right? So yeah,

[24:29]  what you said with co we didn't have a choice but to change.

[24:33]  Everybody in the world had to change something generally speaking. And that's when you when you talk about you hear lots of cool things and beautiful things that happen during that time. When you put the pressure on something, that's that's when the change happens.

[24:47]  Yeah. And I think when you talk about pandemic, it's cuz that mental health, right? Everybody started to tap into their mental and see things a little bit different. I I love that mental health has actually become a word that we can use so freely with ever without being judged now. Cuz it was when we talked about mental health, it was something that people would judge on. Now it's the same conversation. We're getting older. I'm 35 and I'm already I think I hit midlife crisis or something cuz as I was turning 35 I was like oh my god I started thinking about you know death and I started thinking about my kids or if I'm not here but we're all going to go through it and it's a conversation that we should be having and me you've been in this conversation for a lot of years now I don't know the age but since you were 20 so I'm going to say I'm going to give you like 10 years okay 10 15 years okay I ain't going no disrespect here but I I love that you're in this space is there anything like that one piece um traditional dementia care you refuse to bring into like live well's future.

[25:38]  I think one piece that we we refuse to acquies on that I see as a challenge for us but also our biggest asset is language and the words that we choose to use. We are very intentional in our language because when you think of traditional dementia care, memory care, it's not strength-based. It's very paternalistic. And even some of the communities that I get to tour that do it really well and they they mean well their purpose, their mission, it's so aligned, there's still this paternalistic thread that goes through of doing for versus doing with or seeing what I need to help someone with as opposed to saying

[26:21]  what's the most important thing for you in a day. let's spend your energy on that and then let me support you with the other pieces as opposed to me deciding what's important for you in a day. And so I think that language is something that LiveWall really prides itself on. And it sometimes has us ending up as the best kept secret or something people say they I had a tour last night. I said, "I wish I knew about this sooner." Like we've we've been saying it this way for since 2017 when we rebranded as live well because people didn't want to get on a bus that said Alzheimer's resource center.

[26:59]  They wanted to live well with dementia and they wanted to live well in their life. And so I think it's just this piece of language and that doesn't take resources. Each person that's listening to us today, whether it's you or me or the people I'm going to talk to later today, it's just this idea of you are one person, but you can choose how you speak about any cause, whether it's dementia or anything that's meaningful to you. How one person shares something can make somebody else say, "hm may maybe I can change the word that I use or the phrases or the terminology." And I I think of uh like how people delineate gender now and we share our pronouns so much more regularly. What's the equivalent of that for all these other movements? And that's kind of that sociology lens of

[27:45]  what what is the antithesis of stigma? How are we looking at other causes and then connecting the dots and learning from them?

[27:53]  Have you ever done podcast before?

[27:55]  Uh I did one podcast before.

[27:57]  You're so good at this. I'm looking I'm just listening to you and I'm like when me goes back and sees this the mic everything like she's going to be doing her own podcast soon. I'm just saying just give it content. That's so hard.

[28:11]  No, I love it. Um, LiveWell, you said you guys changed the name. Is this something that's local? Because I feel like I've heard LiveWell. Is it just local or is it something that you guys actually um are international?

[28:19]  So, we're a standalone nonprofit. We do have reach through consulting uh engagements across the United States and we've partnered with some people internationally as well. Um, but we're trying to get the the word out out there and we're growing our online database of courses and we have virtual classes. Um, but we started as a nursing home and have continued to evolve from there because I think most of us would agree that while our goal would never want to be to live in a nursing home, what are other things that we can do that could help prevent pieces of the aging process or prevent dementia? there are modifiable risk factors that you and I can start doing today um that would have significant impact on our ability to have a healthy brain for the rest of our life. And so LiveWell is trying to tap into those pieces and and partner uh locally and globally on building those resources in the United States.

[29:14]  What an idea. You said, "Let's not just stay in this box. Let's really expand out of it." I think it's it's genius. Was this your idea? Whose idea was it? So, I I started at Livewell five years ago and this train w was already going before I got here. And so, our CEO, Michael Smith, uh is a tremendous visionary. He does a wonderful job of I like I said earlier including people with that lived experience. And so, whenever we're making decisions, uh it's a team approach. It's including people who have had the experience. I at this point in my life don't have a changing brain. Uh and so I don't know better than the people that I serve who do have that diagnosis. And the second that we think that we do know better than someone who's actually living the experience is when we'll probably start down the wrong path. Um, and so through Michael's leadership and collecting really dynamic leaders along the way and tapping into the residents here, people in the community and then recognizing the United States is one country. There are a lot of things happening in Scotland, in Finland, in Korea, um, that we can bring those practices back here and collaborate on.

[30:29]  And you said some of the courses, what are some of the courses that you guys offer online so the people that are listening can know?

[30:34]  Absolutely. So we have some uh synchronous classes and so we offer virtual fitness classes, virtual cognitive stimul cognitive stimulation therapy classes. Um we have support groups, but then we also have um a healthy lifestyle program that can be done online. And then hopefully um we've applied for some funding to continue to expand that library and offer some of the full series that we're doing on campus as asynchronous learning. Uh because when I think of people like my parents that want to consume what we have to offer but can't come here every Thursday for two or three hours, what do we have to offer? And so hopefully with this funding, we'll be able to create some really dynamic videos that can be offered further a field.

[31:20]  This is very dope. And you said you've been there only five years. So what is the next five years at LiveWell? What is success success look like in the next five years for LiveWell? I mean, you spent five years. years. I can imagine another five years with you and the CEO and great leaders that there's a lot more to come. You mentioned a little bit about on the program than expanding that, but is anything that you mainly want to actually see that maybe you're fighting for?

[31:40]  I think the thing that uh I most want to fight for for LiveWell is to continue to grow in becoming a household name in in concert with the mission and the movement that we are trying to create. I have gone to places all across the United States that are exceptionally proud of the work that they're doing and I'm proud of the work that they're doing and a lot of it is thing are things that live well might have been doing 10 years ago. And so how can I help um take what we do in Connecticut and influence other senior living leaders uh in this field and not in this field across the United States. Um because if we can start to change people's language, not just at live well and and further out and recognize and not hold too tightly the fact that we're a residential provider. Um because I think this value proposition for senior living leaders is I have all these apartments or I have all these beds, they need to be full. That's how I get my revenue. That's how I reinvest in my mission. And I just want to challenge people to say you can go upstream. you can become part of the public health solution to figure out how do we grow healthier brains? How do we have classes? How do we target people who are younger and not ready to move in so that if they ever not don't want to live at home, maybe they do live here and it becomes more of a choice proposition as opposed to a necessity proposition. And I really think that in the next five years, Liville is poised to do that through some of the partnerships with local universities and researchers that we're starting to form today. You guys are doing it, man. I You keep talking to the people. I'm actually going to ask you, um, for someone who's listening, but who's scared to lead with horror in a data driven world like a nonprofit, um, what would you tell them from the other side?

[33:34]  I mentioned it a little bit earlier, but I think it's authenticity. I think when I shed the notion that I needed to be something other than myself, uh, that was when I really unlocked my leadership. I am someone who cares very deeply about my work. I work very hard. I am very committed to this. I really uh eat, sleep, and breathe the work that we do here. And I do it in a fun way and I goof around with my team and last week I was in a dunk tank for our education fair. And I think it's just kind of doing all of these different things that are relatable to people. Um because if you think you need to lead with a certain way that's different than how you live your life outside of work, you're always going to be pulled in this tension and this dichotomy that takes energy. And so I don't want to use any of my energy putting up a facade and trying to be someone that I'm not. I want to use it to do the mission and to connect with the people that I work with and to support well-being and in our mission and our vision and my personal philosophy. We spend a lot of time at work. If I can't see you as a person and say, "You know what? It looks like you're having a day where maybe being here isn't the right thing for you,

[34:55]  why don't you go to the beach?

[34:57]  Take take the afternoon cuz tomorrow you'll come back better than if you had suffered through the afternoon and then you're not recharged for the next day and then we've lost two days progress versus just a couple hours." And so I think it's it's finding what those things are for each of your team members and knowing them on a level where the recognition is is pointed enough to say, you know what, your your bonus for for this season that we're in is why don't you take your spouse to that restaurant you've been wanting to go to because you work in the culinary department. We're going to call ahead. We're going to talk to the chef. You're going to get to tour their kitchen. That's better than giving someone a thousand dollars. that's an experience that they're not going to forget. And so I think finding that and learning that in your team is really how you can motivate them.

[35:44]  You're such a good leader. Like yes, it's not about money. Sometimes it's just letting people feel seen or heard, right? Um you're a totally cool leader. I love the fun part about it because I'm the guy when I used to be in the corporate world that I'm coming in with all the energy and if you were didn't have the energy, no worries. I got the energy for the both of us. Uh, so I used to be a facilitator and there were some times where I, you know, I I would work with other facilitators and it just wasn't the same, right? The energy was different. They just weren't fun. They they were just too serious for me. And it's like, listen, we're here for work, okay? I get here for a job, but you don't got to lose yourself in it, you know? Don't be fake. Be yourself authentically within still being within the guidelines of professional. Um, so I always enjoyed that, man, because it allows people to really want to come to work. Yeah,

[36:30]  you have less call out when you as a leader show up like that, like show up and create the foundation and and create that energy. I mean, I used to facilitate sometimes 7 o'clock in the morning and at 6:45 I'm already blasting the music and the other facilitators looking at me like, there's no way in hell, Ephrain, it is 6:45 a.m. And I'm like, we got to be up. We got to be cuz you have to create that in your establishment. And mainly the whole time that I'm talking to you, I see why you're in the position that you're in. And one day you're running it as CEO. I I'm I'm going to put that out there because you know we got to speak it into existence. Um we're going to start wrapping up. It's already I mean godly almost 40 minutes in here if they even realize it. But if people wanted to know more about live well, people want to connect more with me, what are the socials that we can go to?

[37:13]  Yes. So livewell CT uh is our Instagram and it's the same link for for Facebook. Uh and our website is a wonderful resource and tool and it's constantly changing with special events and ways to connect. um you can actually join and become an advocate, become part of the movement. Uh and so I think that I also invite anybody who is remotely near Connecticut to come in and visit. We love having people visit. Just stop in and um we'll get you a tour and connect you with some of the services that we have here. Uh and then for me, you can definitely look me up on LinkedIn, u Mey Hunt, and I would love to connect. I talk with students and leaders through my university, through our nonprofit uh association, Leading Age, and I try to find the time for everybody. The the best tip I have for anybody who's trying to get in touch with a leader is just maybe remind us a few times because there's a lot of things going on and we want to make the time, but give us grace if we need to reschedule once or twice.

[38:16]  Exactly. I actually had someone that was so unhappy with me yesterday and wrote me an email says, "This is very unprofessional of you and XYZ." I said, "I want to let you know that I'm I mentioned I'm dealing with a whole nonprofit emergency at this point. I had my one-year-old in the emergency room because he decided to fall. His teeth goes up into the gum." And you know, that's exactly how I respond to her. I said, "I do apologize. It's not the way that I operate, but I'll go ahead and take you off my do not disturb list because I don't need this energy." Right? Like me, we create what the energy looks like. I don't need that. I don't need to have these conversations if if I don't want to. This is not a job for me. It's truly out of a passion. So, I uh I appreciate everything that you shared with Truly a great leader. I really want to see the photo of the the dunk tank, though. Where can we find that at

[38:59]  I I think it's going to be posted on social, but it's it's not up yet.

[39:04]  Okay. Okay. So, if you guys about to see that, you guys about to make sure you guys go to social, right? And connect. I think it's it when we talk about um really doing the bare minimum just a follow just to like just to share let people know that live well does exist. It's an organization that's obviously um beyond their years that are doing amazing things in the Connecticut world but also trying to expand globally. So make sure all we got to do listen just share. You don't got to donate. If you do want to volunteer I'm pretty sure me what are some of volunteer opportunities that they may find at uh live well? Oh my gosh, we have a wonderful volunteer coordinator that would love to connect with folks. We have people who volunteer in our dementia positive cafe. We have people who help co-f facilitate classes. Um we have people who share their gifts of music and art. Uh so if you have a passion, people probably want to learn about it. And so if you want to have a creative outlet, LiveWell can definitely be that place for you to volunteer.

[39:58]  And people think that they have to, you know, volunteer a lot of time. What's the minimum amount of time somebody could volunteer? Oh, you could come do one special event for us for a half an hour, 45 minutes.

[40:07]  That's it. That's all it takes, guys. If you want to make a difference, make sure you guys show up. So, I give you the blind question that the last theater has asked us. Are you ready?

[40:13]  I am ready.

[40:14]  All right. So, what are the values that you live by every day to make sure live well continues to succeed?

[40:21]  What are my core values? I think that when I think of my values, I think of leading with honesty, openness, and uh like a tenacious drive to keep trying. Um because I think that if we share when we don't know something, and if we share when we're excited about something, that's how we're going to connect as people and that's when really cool things can come out of it. Um, if we don't have trust in one another, uh, then we're on a shaky foundation and we're not going to be able to achieve the amazing mission and vision that we have as a nonprofit, as a business, as um, providers in human development type work.

[41:08]  I love it. I um, what is your blank question next, if I ask you my last question?

[41:12]  Great. So, my blind question for a leader is, what is something you are continually learning and relearning about yourself and your leadership?

[41:21]  That's actually a really good question. I never heard that question. That is a really good question. My last question before I let you go is if you had to name a podcast, what would it be?

[41:30]  Oh boy. If I Oh, wow. That might be the one that stumps me. Uh, if I had to name my podcast, you know what? It would probably be a pun on my last name. I love puns and so maybe something like on the hunt and okay, we would be on the hunt for great ideas and great uh

[41:51]  change. I'm only trying to speak into existence. So one day that you do got a podcast, just remember that I was a part of the journey. Um even if live will start the podcast, you got to be the host of it. All right. Maybe you're interviewing

[42:01]  sound studio. So maybe

[42:02]  I'm saying interview some of the guests that you guys have. maybe those that are part of live well um using your services. I think it's great to just kind of get the word out, right? When we talk about what is happening, what better way to get people that are actually involved, whether it's your volunteers, whether it's those patients that still can um have the conversations are living with dementia, whether it's their families, to get those words out there. I want me to be the host. You are amazing today. Uh thank you so much for your time. And if guys, if you guys are watching, all you got to do, it's free. Like, share, subscribe. Go visit uh livewellct. Is it livewellct.com or is it just livewell.com?

[42:39]  Livewell.org.org. Yeah, of course. I knew that. Livewell.org. However, on social is livewellct, Facebook and Instagram. And make sure you guys also connect with me Hunt on LinkedIn. Guys, it's been a pleasure to have another great leader in here just sharing insight to what it looks like in the world of helping others. Mey, we thank you. My name is Erain Mey. We'll catch you on the next one. Lers.