Why Your Best Employees Quit (And How to Keep Them) — Krystal Wilkinson
Release Date: 05/06/2025
What I Wish Every Home Care Owner Knew – Steven Gonzales
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In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack is joined by Steven Gonzales, CEO of HealthView Home Health & Hospice, to demystify the world of home health. Steven breaks down the core function of home health, its role in the care continuum post-hospital discharge, and the critical financial challenges driven by payer mix and Medicare Advantage. He shares invaluable insights on how home care agencies can become essential partners by understanding clinical needs, tracking client payer data, and focusing on true care coordination. Steven also looks to the future, discussing...
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Find Someone 2-3 Years Ahead of You (Here’s Why) – Lucas Carroll
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In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack sits down with Lucas Carroll, CEO of The Business of Senior Care. Lucas specializes in guiding home care startups, change of ownerships, and expansions through the complex world of state licensing and compliance. He shares his unexpected journey from law school dropout to becoming a key resource in the home care industry. Lucas dives into a significant opportunity for agencies: diversifying into private duty nursing to retain clients, offer premium services, and increase revenue. He also emphasizes the profound value of building...
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The Two Jobs I Wish I’d Focused On Sooner – Chuck Bailey
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In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack welcomes Chuck Bailey, founder and CEO of True North Holdings, to discuss the realities of being a small business owner in the home care industry. With decades of experience as a corporate executive, franchisee, franchisor, and now a service provider to franchisees, Chuck shares invaluable insights on the challenges of entrepreneurship, the importance of financial discipline, and the two critical roles every business owner must master: driving revenue and building a team. He also reflects on his biggest mistake: trying to control...
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Stop Thinking Like a Manager when You’re an Owner – Emily Isbell
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In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack sits down with Emily Isbell, founder of EI and Company, to discuss her impressive journey from caregiver at 19 to a successful home care consultant and bestselling author. They talk about Emily's early career, the evolution of her business, and the release of her book, 'The 24/7 Solution.' Emily shares valuable insights on correcting mistakes, the importance of consistently executing strategies, and the necessity of looking for talent within your existing workforce. They also explore the challenges of maintaining emotional maturity in a...
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Why I Stopped Trying to Lead Alone – Guy Tommasi
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In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack welcomes Guy Tommasi, a seasoned leader in the home care industry with over 25 years of experience. Guy shares his journey from hospital care to pioneering innovative, data-driven strategies in non-medical home care. He takes us to a discussion of the importance of differentiating your agency by aligning with stakeholders' needs, leveraging data to demonstrate outcomes, and the pitfalls of overemphasizing "scaling" as a measure of success. Guy also highlights the transformative power of collaboration, both within teams and with clinical...
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Blind Optimism Cost Me Two Years (Here’s How We Fixed It) — Randy Platt & Rodney Burris
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Randy Platt and Rodney Burris, co-founders of Care Partners, reveal how blind optimism and over-reliance on culture nearly derailed their home care startup, and the pivotal shifts that turned their $0M mistake into 40% growth. In this transparent conversation, the duo unpacks their early missteps: from chasing unrealistic budgets to hiring for "culture fit" over performance. Discover how they transformed their partnership through radical transparency ("no barnacles"), why EQ now trumps IQ in their hiring, and the surprising metric that proves their team’s resilience. From solving healthcare...
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In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack interviews Rachel Gartner, founder and CEO of Carework. They discuss Rachel's life in rural South Georgia as an Army wife and mother, her passion for hiring military spouses, and the unique challenges in the home care recruitment industry. Rachel shares insights on building effective systems for employee recognition, managing rapid company growth, and the importance of maintaining a caregiver-first mindset. They explore the difficulties of balancing recruitment intentions with execution and the significance of analyzing recruitment...
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John Soltys, founder of Project Senior Care, shares his hard-won lessons from wasting two years (and resources) on an overcomplicated tech vision—and how a pivot to caregiver training and mentorship unlocked explosive growth. In this raw conversation, John reveals how his "big idea" mentality almost sank the business, why 96% of seniors fall into an unaffordable care gap, and the partnerships now helping agencies serve everyone—regardless of income. From rebuilding trust with his team to rethinking caregiver recruitment (hint: stop recycling the same hires), John breaks down the "no one...
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I Overcomplicated Medicare Advantage (And Found a Simple Fix That Worked) — Fady Sahhar
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Fady Sahhar, a disability advocate and home care strategist with decades of experience, unveils how Medicare Advantage is reshaping home care—and why agencies must rethink caregiver training to thrive. In this eye-opening conversation with host David Knack, Fady shares: Why 750+ Medicare Advantage plans now cover home care (and how to tap into this growing market). The "lifetime value" mindset shift that turns clients into long-term partners. How peer coaching solves EVV resistance and caregiver retention challenges. Fady also reveals common cultural blindspots when expanding into new...
info_outlineKrystal Wilkinson, owner of a 4-location home care agency in Arizona, shares hard-won lessons from 13 years in the trenches.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
1. The $250,000 Mistake: How holding onto toxic employees cost her top performers (and how to spot the red flags earlier)
2. The "Golf Cart Law" Effect: How advocating for seniors’ safety became a unexpected business growth lever
3. Caregiver Shout-Outs That Stick: The Wednesday ritual that boosted retention (including a 17-year employee)
4. From Theater Major to Home Care CEO: Why her Broadway background makes her a better leader
Lesson Takeaways:
1. Fire Fast, Hire Slow: Bad hires drain culture faster than they drain revenue
2. Core Values as a Filter: Her 3 non-negotiables for hiring (and how to test for them in interviews)
3. Appreciation ≠ Pizza Parties: Why automated birthday videos outperform one-time bonuses
4. The McDonald’s Rule: Why process consistency beats “winging it” when scaling
Timestamps:
00:00 - Seeing caregivers as people, not commodities
01:15 - Introduction to the episode and guest, Krystal Wilkinson
02:30 - Krystal’s background and journey from outreach work to home care
03:00 - Her husband's cancer diagnosis and impact on their lives
04:30 - How her husband's illness led to her joining the family home care business
06:10 - Transitioning from part-time helper to full-time home care owner
08:00 - Learning the business and the importance of trusting your team
09:45 - Building systems to empower team members
11:30 - The challenge of scaling while maintaining company culture
13:15 - How caregiver appreciation impacts retention
15:00 - Krystal’s philosophy: "People over profits"
16:45 - Advice for owners on stepping back and developing leaders
18:30 - Mistakes made and lessons learned about over-functioning
20:00 - The value of outside mentorship and fresh eyes
22:15 - How caregiver feedback shaped operational improvements
24:00 - A unique office culture that feels like family
26:00 - Final takeaways: respect caregivers, build systems, stay human
Quotes
1. "I don't think we appreciate Caregivers enough. And so, I often see that as being kind of the place that we kind of fail sometimes. As home care owners, we just forget to see them as people." — Krystal
2. "When you make a bad hire, fire fast and don't hang on to 'em." — Krystal
Resources:
1. Adultcare Assistance: https://adultcareassistance.com/
2. Krystal Wilkinson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystal-wilkinson-72795b50/
3. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/
4. Connect with Zingage on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zingage/
5. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com/
6. Watch Episode on Zingage’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage