Cynthia Smalls-Middleton, RN, BSHA, CDP, CAPS
Cynthia Smalls-Middleton, RN, BSHA, CDP, CAPS, is an accomplished healthcare and clinical informatics leader with a career grounded in clinical excellence, operational strategy, and compassionate care delivery. Based in the Charleston, South Carolina metropolitan area, she brings extensive experience across acute care, long-term care, and managed care environments, with a strong focus on improving care coordination and patient outcomes. Throughout her career with organizations such as AmeriHealth Caritas and Cigna, she has led clinical informatics initiatives, optimized electronic health record (EHR) systems, and partnered with multidisciplinary teams to enhance workflow efficiency, regulatory compliance, and population health management. Her expertise spans clinical system configuration, HIPAA compliance, staff training, and operational leadership within complex healthcare systems.
Cynthia is the Co-Owner of Navigating Care with Joyful Energy, a care coordination and geriatric support business dedicated to assisting families caring for loved ones with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic illness, and aging-related needs. Alongside her business partner—both experienced nurses with backgrounds in acute care, long-term care leadership, and direct patient care—they step in when caregivers feel overwhelmed, stressed, or uncertain about how to safely support loved ones at home. Their process involves a comprehensive assessment of patient needs, caregiver stressors, and environmental barriers, followed by the development of individualized care plans. They also manage the vetting and connection of families to appropriate resources, including in-home care services, education, disease-specific training, and community support programs, with a strong emphasis on aging in place and preserving quality of life at home.
Her work is deeply personal and purpose-driven, shaped by her lived experience as a primary caregiver for her mother, who had Lewy body dementia, and her great-uncle, who had Alzheimer’s disease. These experiences strengthened her commitment to guiding families through the emotional, logistical, and clinical challenges of dementia care, including navigating resources such as day programs and financial assistance. Cynthia’s professional journey has included direct patient care in hospital settings, leadership roles in long-term care, and managed care experience supporting clinicians and members within health insurance systems. Across all roles, she is guided by a core mission to nurture, empower, and support others—believing that even in life’s most difficult health journeys, compassionate guidance and informed care can help individuals and families find strength, dignity, and hope.
• Registered Nurse
• Nursing Diploma, Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training
• Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist (CAPS)
• Certified Dementia Practitioner
• Saint Joseph's College - BS, Health/Health Care Administration/Management
• Trident Technical College - AS, Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
• Dragon Boat Racing Team (breast cancer survivor support group)
• Embracing You (co-founder
• Breast cancer awareness and support organization)
• Respite Care Charleston Board Member
• Urban Farms Volunteer
What do you attribute your success to?
I definitely would say, first of all, family. From an early age, my parents, grandparents, and the village around me always reinforced that there's nothing I can't do - I just have to understand what I want to do and keep myself focused on it, and not let distractions keep me off course. Even if I get off course, I need to find a way to get back on course. I've also been able to identify people as mentors in different areas of my life - career mentors, spiritual mentors to keep me grounded and focused on my purpose, and mentors for relationships and other areas of life. When I was in first grade, I was in an accident where I got hit by a car coming off the school bus. I spent over a month in the hospital on a pediatric ward, and the nurses took such good care of me. They were so passionate, and I loved them so much that I told my mom, even at that age, that I was going to be a nurse. When I was old enough to be a candy striper, I came back and volunteered on that same pediatric floor where a lot of those nurses who had cared for me were still there. In my career, I've always said that every position allowed me to learn something. As I focused on wanting to own my own business or go into leadership, all the leaders I've had either taught me what it was like to be a good leader or taught me the type of leader I didn't want to be. I've taken away from those positions and opportunities, knowing this is going to help me when I get ready to start my own business. I've always loved learning and I'm always curious, so in any position I've been in, I've wanted to know more about the ins and outs of things, the processes. My path has been about family grounding at an early age, identifying mentors as a young woman and teenager, and then going into my career and using every opportunity as a learning experience and growing in those experiences. Even the challenging ones taught me something.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to them, put your dreams into motion. Don't be afraid to reach out to someone you see either doing what you want to ultimately be doing or is in a position that you ultimately want to be in. Sometimes we think that when people are in certain places or certain positions, they won't have time to give you advice, support you, or be your coach or mentor. But I think especially when it comes to women, there are women out there, like myself, who are willing and excited to help young women get to that next level. I think it's all about them being true to who they are, being their authentic self, and knowing who that is. Ground yourself so you're confident in who you are, not based on what society says you should be, or even your parents think you should be. Ground yourself in who you know yourself to be. And then, go put your dream into action.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My whole perspective is about making sure caregivers have the tools they need. I tell all my friends and family who I help along the way, especially with being caregivers, that if your loved one is happy, then your life's going to be happy. You have to make the adjustment - it's not about fitting them into your life, you have to fit into theirs. That means you have to make sacrifice and make changes. It's about being that person to help walk with them, hold their hand, and then eventually release your hand because I know you can do this on your own. I'm here to help you get to that point, and know that I'm always going to be here as a support for you, but I want to see you fly on your own and be able to do it in a way where you can still thrive and your loved one could still be at the best optimal health and quality of life at home. My why about having this company and going through this path now is about time, because I know how priceless time is. When you are caring for your loved one, you want that time. Time is so priceless because you want time to reflect on old memories, you want time to build new memories with them, and you want time even to prepare for what will come. For me, it's about being able to give people the time, the priceless time they need, to really be able to see the good in even all the midst of the challenge. I've always had a passion for helping people - I just think that's really my purpose, to be here, to help, to nurture and to also help to empower people to understand that even in the struggles of life, there's good in it, that you can still have goodness in there.