How I Stopped Caring About “Tech” And Focused On What Works — Shauna Sweeney
Release Date: 12/18/2025
How I Stopped Caring About “Tech” And Focused On What Works — Shauna Sweeney
Home Care Hindsight
Shauna Sweeney, founder and CEO of Tender Care, joins host David Knack to discuss the pivotal mistake that reshaped her approach to building technology for families navigating aging and care. Shauna, a former Facebook executive who entered the care space while caring for her father with Alzheimer’s, opens up about how she initially overlooked a simple, physical solution, the Tender ID, because it didn’t fit the “tech founder” mold. She shares how clinging to the vision of a complex, all-in-one digital platform delayed solving a critical, immediate need: giving first responders instant...
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My Fear of Risks Slowed My Career Down — Michelle Cone
Home Care Hindsight
Michelle Cone, SVP of Industry Engagement at HomeWell Franchising, joins host David Knack for a conversation that spans from marathon running to mission-driven leadership. Michelle opens up about the career mistake that shaped her trajectory: playing it safe early on and not taking enough risks. She explains how saying “yes” to an unfamiliar role in home care as an inexperienced mom became the turning point that led to a 27-year career. Michelle dives into the underrated core of home care: delivering exceptional quality care as the ultimate growth engine. She unpacks why a strong intake...
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Home Care Hindsight
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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_outlineShauna Sweeney, founder and CEO of Tender Care, joins host David Knack to discuss the pivotal mistake that reshaped her approach to building technology for families navigating aging and care. Shauna, a former Facebook executive who entered the care space while caring for her father with Alzheimer’s, opens up about how she initially overlooked a simple, physical solution, the Tender ID, because it didn’t fit the “tech founder” mold.
She shares how clinging to the vision of a complex, all-in-one digital platform delayed solving a critical, immediate need: giving first responders instant access to vital health information during emergencies. Shauna explains why “letting what a founder is supposed to look like get in the way of actually solving the problem” was a costly error, and how embracing a tangible, QR-based tool unlocked rapid adoption and real impact.
The conversation explores the underrated power of video for home care marketing, the small mistake of ignoring online reputation, and how the industry must adapt to a more tech-savvy, time-starved family decision-maker. Shauna also shares exciting news about journalist Lisa Ling joining Tender Care as Chief Caregiver Advocate to amplify stories of care.
Lesson Takeaways:
1. Problems Need Solutions, Not Your Ego: Don’t let preconceived notions of what a “tech company” or “founder” should be stop you from building what the market clearly needs. If a simple, tangible solution works, build it, even if it’s not the sleek software you envisioned.
2. Control What You Can Promise: Before building complex integrations reliant on other systems, start with solutions you can fully control and deliver flawlessly. This builds trust and allows you to make and keep clear promises to your users.
3. Show Your Humanity on Video: Home care is built on trust and human connection. Underutilized video is a powerful tool to let families see the compassionate, real people behind your agency. Authenticity beats polished production every time.
4. Tend Your Digital Reputation: A single unanswered negative review can undermine years of trust-building. Proactively manage your online presence; it’s a small task with a massive impact on a family’s decision to choose you.
5. Competition is Heating Up, Differentiate: As demand grows, so does competition. Compete on quality, trust, and hyper-local, personalized relationships. Big agencies must learn to “stay big but feel small” to win.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction to Shauna Sweeney and Tender Care’s mission
02:10 – Shauna’s background: From Facebook to family caregiver
05:30 – The recurring mistake: Ignoring market signal for a physical product
08:45 – The “Tender ID”: A simple QR code that replaces the Vial of Life
11:13 – How the ID triggers emergency alerts and stabilizes families
16:10 – Letting founder ego block the right solution
20:18 – The most underrated tool in home care: Authentic video marketing
25:22 – The little mistake: Neglecting your online review reputation
28:09 – The future of home care: Tech-savvy buyers and hyper-local trust
33:20 – A recent win: Lisa Ling joins Tender Care as Chief Caregiver Advocate
35:07 – How to get Tender IDs for your clients and join the trusted network
Quotes:
Shauna Sweeney: "My big mistake was letting the better of what one is supposed to look like when solving a problem, get in the way of actually solving the problem. As soon as we actually built these [Tender IDs], they started to go. It’s the classic story of the fish jumping into the boat."
Shauna Sweeney: "Every day you have to choose to be in service of the solution more than your ego. You have to want to solve the problem more than you want to look cool."
David Knack: "If all we are as a home care agency is a staffing company, it's gonna be really hard to compete... If you are finding other ways to add value, to provide useful resources... it doesn't matter that you cost 20% more, you make their life so many multiples better that they'll pay it."
David Knack: "Families are gonna fall in love with you. You just have to go out there and let them."
Resources:
1. Connect with Shauna Sweeney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunas/
2. Learn more about Tender Care and the Tender ID: https://trytendercare.com/
3. Apply to join the Tender Care Trusted Network: https://trytendercare.com/join-the-network/
4. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/
5. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com
6. Watch this episode on Zingage’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage