Cara K. Richardson

I think a lot of it comes down to internal drive. I’ve learned that even when things don’t work out the way you planned, you have to keep going. That was instilled in me early on. I started a professional organizing company before it was popular, before there were TV shows making organizing trendy. The business didn’t go anywhere, but that experience taught me something important. You don’t stop. You adjust, you try something else, and you keep moving forward. For me, success is really about that consistency. Finishing the book I was writing, starting this company, and continuing to build it. It’s not about everything working perfectly, it’s about staying committed and seeing things through.

I learned more from experience, setbacks, and figuring things out the hard way than from any formal career advice. Some opportunities work and some don’t, but each experience builds skills and perspective you carry into the next chapter. The key is to stay willing to evolve rather than getting stuck in disappointment.

My advice would be to keep trying and not to stay stuck in something that doesn’t feel right. If you don’t like how something is going, you have to be willing to shift and make a change. Speak up for yourself and don’t be afraid to advocate for what you need. There were times early in my career when I asked for support and realized it wasn’t going to be there, so I made the decision to leave. That taught me an important lesson: sometimes the strongest thing you can do is walk away from situations that no longer align with your values or the direction you want your life to go.

I think there are a lot of challenges in healthcare right now, and the system itself is a big part of the problem. Care is often driven by insurance and reimbursement models, which can make it difficult for people to receive the support they actually need. In many ways, parts of the system feel outdated. We have strengths within healthcare, but there are also areas that are clearly broken.

That’s one reason I value the Medicaid waiver model. It was designed to help keep people out of institutions and support them within their everyday environments and communities. Our work is very different from a traditional clinic-based model because we provide consultation directly to caregivers and support teams. That allows us to spend meaningful time understanding what is really happening in a person’s daily life rather than only seeing a small snapshot during a clinic visit. That difference is what makes the model effective. We’re able to listen to caregivers, meet people where they are, and provide practical solutions based on real-life experiences and routines. That level of collaboration, follow-through, and individualized support is something that can be difficult to achieve in more traditional healthcare settings.

Honesty is very important to me, along with a strong work ethic and the ability to stay consistent over time. I try to build a team that reflects those same values: people who are hardworking, trustworthy, and willing to show up and do the work. Problem-solving is also key. You can’t let one obstacle get in the way of finding a solution, and that mindset carries through everything we do.

One of my team members recently said, ‘I really love our team. Everyone is open to collaborating,’ and that meant a lot to me. We place a strong emphasis on collaboration and making sure everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas and insights so we can provide the best possible care for the people we serve.