Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracy Greene Mintz.
Tracy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was working in film & TV, having been through UCLA film school, for 12 years. It’s a lot of fun but at some point, a lot of people in that business start to look for some larger purpose or meaning to their work. To that end, I started volunteering to visit older adults in their homes. I had always known lots of old people and had gotten along great with that generation. More and more I gravitated toward the volunteer work. I started a post-production company with my husband to finance a return to school. I got my master’s in social work with concurrent gerontology certificate and never looked back.
My first permanent social work job was the perfect intersection of my 2 careers. I worked at the Motion Picture & Television Fund as the social worker to industry retirees and their families. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by the actual history I had studied in film school and represented what I love about the TV & movie business. It was a magical place to work and great time in my career. I was able to learn so much about social work and healthcare and seniors, but also about forming a social work community of trusted colleagues who are smarter than I am and keep me sane. I was also able to so my hours for licensure at the Fund, something for which I will always be truly grateful that organization.
After 5 years commuting from Redondo Beach to Woodland Hills, and with 2 young kids, I thought I needed to create my own job that allowed flexible hours and growth according to my own dreams and direction.
I discovered social service consulting for skilled nursing. I worked for 2 different companies, learning what worked and what didn’t, and how I wanted to position myself in the marketplace. I decided that emphasis on support and training was definitely the way to go. You get better outcomes and loyal clients.
In 2009, my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and I realized that she would need group health insurance that was under my control. This was the push I needed to start Senior Care Training, which qualified as a small business through Kaiser Permanente. We were able to get our own insurance this way, as my husband was still working freelance in the entertainment industry at that time. That move was scary, but it changed my career and, again, I am so grateful to Kaiser for working with us to give us that freedom and security for our daughter’s health. My clients have also been very supportive, understanding, for example, that I need to keep my phone on in meetings and sessions, in case the school called.
At that point, Senior Care Training started to grow and I decided that all working moms need flexibility like this, and should never have to choose work or stay home with a sick kid. This became a guiding principle for the company I was building: a network of social work colleagues who help each other and through that comes personal fulfillment and professional success
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Mostly smooth, but I don’t credit that all to luck. I try to be mindful of who has helped us and repay that when asked. We have had very few cash flow struggles because I am good at managing that part. There are always struggles when you have the periodic unhappy client, or lose an account. But frankly, we just try to learn from it and move on.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Senior Care Training – what should we know?
We provide clinical social work supervision and direct client service to skilled nursing facilities and residential care facilities for the elderly. We promote good social work practice, as well as regulatory compliance.
What sets us apart from others is that we are all licensed social workers so if a client needs something, we can show them how to do, not just tell them what to do. We all care about social work core values and try to practice and preach in some very challenging settings. We take a supportive approach to compliance. We love to help our clients solve problems in a way that preserves dignity for all involved.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Humor.
Healthcare with the old folks is really complex and challenging. Some situations are awful and some are pretty funny. It’s a high burnout industry so we try to keep it light for clients. It’s not uncommon for my clients to tell me “thank you” and “I love you,” which I realize in some businesses would be creepy.
Contact Info:
- Address: 409 N Pacific Coast Hwy, #413
Redondo Beach, CA 90277 - Website: www.seniorcaretraining.com
- Phone: 310-386-5576
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: seniorcaretraining
- Twitter: SrCareTraining
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