On Death and Dying in Home Care Part 1 – Gabrielle Pumpian and Nicole Soares
Release Date: 10/28/2025
I Trusted Passion Over Process and It Broke My Business – Kristen Duell
Home Care Hindsight
Kristen Duell, founder of Momentum Healthcare and Technology Consulting, joins host David Knack for a raw conversation about the recurring mistake that has shaped her entire leadership journey: believing that shared passion and purpose are enough to run a successful business. Kristen opens up about the "black eyes and kidney punches" she's endured from moving too fast and trusting that others shared her standards of integrity, without first establishing clear structure and alignment. She explains why "momentum without tension is chaos" and how this hard-won lesson is now the core philosophy of...
info_outline
My Failed Acquisition Pushed Me To Do More Due Diligence – Kevin Smith
Home Care Hindsight
Kevin Smith, CEO of Best of Care, joins host David Knack to pull back the curtain on a splashy but failed acquisition that taught him a brutal lesson about due diligence. Kevin opens up about buying an adult day health program's home care arm, a deal that made perfect sense on paper but fell apart at the seams, resulting in a massive revenue shortfall. He reflects on the costly mistake of relying too heavily on his relationship-driven "gut" for a process that required forensic analysis, and how the timing—closing the deal the day before his first child was born—added immense personal...
info_outline
On Death and Dying in Home Care Part 2 – Gabrielle Pumpian and Nicole Soares
Home Care Hindsight
Gabrielle Pumpian returns, joined by death doula and end-of-life consultant Nicole Soares, for a profound conversation about the one thing every home care agency deals with but few are prepared for: death. They explore a common operational mistake: failing to align a caregiver's duties with a client's core values, leading to disengagement and a reduced schedule. Nicole shares her powerful personal journey that led her to become a "one-stop death shop," while Gabby reflects on the costly mindset of viewing a client's passing primarily as a revenue loss. The discussion offers actionable advice...
info_outline
On Death and Dying in Home Care Part 1 – Gabrielle Pumpian and Nicole Soares
Home Care Hindsight
Gabrielle Pumpian returns, joined by death doula and end-of-life consultant Nicole Soares, for a profound conversation about the one thing every home care agency deals with but few are prepared for: death. They explore a common operational mistake: failing to align a caregiver's duties with a client's core values, leading to disengagement and a reduced schedule. Nicole shares her powerful personal journey that led her to become a "one-stop death shop," while Gabby reflects on the costly mindset of viewing a client's passing primarily as a revenue loss. The discussion offers actionable advice...
info_outline
The "Frankenstein's Monster" Team That Forced a Culture-First Fix – Victor Hunt
Home Care Hindsight
Victor Hunt, the passionate CEO and co-founder of Zingage, joins host David Knack for a long-awaited conversation. Victor opens up about the critical hiring mistake from his first startup: prioritizing raw technical skill over team cohesion and culture fit, a misstep that almost broke the company. He explains why this "Frankenstein's monster" approach to building a team fails and how it informed his "culture-first" philosophy at Zingage. Victor shares the only two traits he now looks for in every hire and dives into the underrated genius of home care owners, who are often overwhelmed by...
info_outline
The $10,000 Mistake That Forged a Stronger Partnership – John "Moz" Mozdzien
Home Care Hindsight
John "Moz" Mozdzien, a Navy veteran and co-founder of Veterans First, joins host David Knack to share a costly hiring mistake—but not of a person. He "hired" a flawed understanding of VA benefits, leading to a $10,000 loss on his company's very first case. He opens up about the specific rule regarding surviving spouses that they misunderstood and how this "hard fail" became the foundation for a 99.9% approval rate today. Moz reflects on how the crisis forged an unbreakable bond with his business partner, built on pre-existing trust. The conversation also covers the underrated power of...
info_outline
Hiring the Wrong Person Taught Me About Building a Better Team – Becky Reel
Home Care Hindsight
In this re-released episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack sits down with Becky Reel, founder and CEO of Reel Home Care Consulting and former owner of a top-rated home care agency. In their conversation from 2024, Becky vulnerably shares the story of her biggest hiring mistake: bringing her nanny into the office during COVID-19. She details how she overlooked numerous red flags, which led to a toxic work environment and significant business disruption. From this experience, she learned invaluable lessons about the importance of thorough reference checks, truly listening to her team,...
info_outline
Stop Waiting for January: Strategic Growth Planning – Steve “The Hurricane” Weiss
Home Care Hindsight
In this returning episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack is joined by Steve “The Hurricane” Weiss, founder of Home Care Evolution. Together, they dive into how home care agencies can finish 2025 strong and hit the ground running in 2026. Steve emphasizes the importance of using September–October to audit your business, tighten referral relationships, and prepare for seasonal surges (like elective surgeries leading to more home care referrals). He shares how to create an orthopedic specialty program to stand out from competitors and walks through the patient journey for better...
info_outline
The $100,000 Partnership Mistake I Was Too Stubborn to Quit – Clayton Foutch
Home Care Hindsight
In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack is joined by Clayton Foutch, a home care veteran and founder with over 18 years in the industry. Clay opens up about the costly mistake of stubbornly pursuing a major partnership that was a poor strategic fit for his company's "Four Seasons" vision. He shares how his refusal to listen to his team and cut losses earlier resulted in a significant financial and reputational hit. Clay also dives into the importance of revenue diversification for stability, the collaborative nature of the home care industry, and how to thoughtfully...
info_outline
What I Wish Every Home Care Owner Knew – Steven Gonzales
Home Care Hindsight
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...
info_outlineGabrielle Pumpian returns, joined by death doula and end-of-life consultant Nicole Soares, for a profound conversation about the one thing every home care agency deals with but few are prepared for: death.
They explore a common operational mistake: failing to align a caregiver's duties with a client's core values, leading to disengagement and a reduced schedule. Nicole shares her powerful personal journey that led her to become a "one-stop death shop," while Gabby reflects on the costly mindset of viewing a client's passing primarily as a revenue loss. The discussion offers actionable advice on preparing caregivers for end-of-life care, creating true partnerships with hospice, and building a company culture that sees death not as a failure, but as a sacred, honored part of life.
Lesson Takeaways:
1. Align Care with Client Values, Not Just Tasks: A client's well-being is tied to their passions. Failing to connect care with what brings them joy can lead to client dissatisfaction and reduced hours.
2. Reframe Death from a Loss to an Honor: Shift the internal mindset from seeing a client's passing as a revenue hit to recognizing it as a sacred event your team is privileged to support.
3. Your Caregivers Need to Process Grief: Create safe spaces and rituals for caregivers to express emotion and process grief after a client dies. This is critical for their well-being and retention.
4. Forge Deep Partnerships, Not Shallow Referrals: A true partnership with hospice or a death doula involves joint training and shared values, not just exchanging business cards.
5. Identify and Empower Your "Death Liaison": Not everyone is comfortable with end-of-life conversations. Identify a team member who excels in this area and empower them to be the specialist and emotional support point person.
Timestamps:
00:01 - Introduction to a unique episode on death, dying, and home care
02:18 - What is a death doula? Nicole Sos explains her role as a "one-stop death shop"
05:35 - David on America's death-averse culture and its link to senior loneliness
06:12 - Nicole's personal catalyst: The accident that put her in charge of her best friend's life-and-death decisions
09:41 - The critical gap in advanced directives: Why having a document doesn't guarantee your wishes are followed
13:45 - Gabby's challenge: Should home care agencies make advanced planning a standard part of their assessment?
17:08 - Gabby's journey from avoidance to leaning into conversations about mortality
21:00 - The "inconvenient truth": Confronting the gut reaction of revenue loss when a client passes
24:49 - Nicole's experience: When a hospice provider's policies conflict with a client's desire to end suffering
28:30 - How to practically and emotionally equip caregivers for a client's final days
31:47 - A powerful success story: Matching a client with a water aerobics-loving caregiver to restore joy and purpose
34:20 - Tapping into an untapped resource: Leveraging the cultural strengths of your caregiver team
35:15 - A simple, high-impact cultural practice: Implementing a daily 10-minute team meditation
37:51 - The power of ritual: Creating meaningful ways to honor clients who have passed away
43:00 - The non-negotiable: Creating safe spaces for caregivers to express emotion and process grief
44:44 - The leadership imperative: Framing end-of-life care as a gift and an honor, not a burden
46:30 - How to identify and empower a "death liaison" on your team to lead with heart and expertise
Quotes:
Nicole Soares: "I realized I could hold space for people that are dying and that I'm very deeply committed to helping people have good deaths... it was because I didn't get that when I needed it."
Gabrielle Pumpian: "When you hear that you've lost two 24/7 clients... when you hear that two people have died, that makes it really difficult to then be able to support your caregivers. Ask them questions, pause, help them understand grief."
Nicole Soares: "I really challenge caregivers and these home care companies to really look at what is a client's value and how do we align with that."
David Knack: "What a gift that our people are in this business where they get to stand in the gap where family is not able to be there."
Resources:
1. Connect with Gabrielle Pumpian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gpumpian/
2. Connect with Nicole Soares on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-soares-420bb27/
3. Learn more about Nicole’s services on her website, Eco Love Transitions: https://www.ecolovetransitions.com/
4. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/
5. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com
6. Watch Episode on Zingage’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage