Jocelyn Schrader, MS, LNHA, CDP

I attribute my success to experience, expertise, and a hands-on approach that sets me apart. After 20 years in senior living, I've reached a point where I can walk into any community in any state or country and diagnose their challenges, then provide a clear roadmap to fix them. But what really matters is that I don't just tell people what to do and walk away. I've always worked with companies, and now on my own, in a way where I say, let's do this together, and here's how I will help you do it. That commitment to working hand-in-hand with teams to implement real solutions has been the foundation of my success. Being able to sustain that approach independently, while maintaining the connections I've built over two decades, is what I'm most proud of.

The best career advice I ever received is that everyone is replaceable, and loyalty doesn't hold the same value it once did. The workplace has changed. It used to be that staying in one place was seen as a strength, but now moving and trying new things is almost a benefit. Knowing when to walk away and when to try something new is critical to success. You don't have to stay at the same place forever, and that's hard to accept, especially for women. I think we feel it's harder to leave, that we need to be loyal. But in order to get different opportunities and truly be successful, you've got to be willing to move up and take those chances. It's been scary for me too, especially going out on my own and walking away from a steady salary. But being willing to take that risk has been essential.

I would say it's a great time to come into the senior living industry. We've been talking about the baby boomers for 20 years, and now they are actually closer to the point of truly moving in. We've been trying to court them for these two decades, and I think there are some great communities out there that have been built. It's just an exciting time to see how the industry continues to change. I also think it's important to recognize that we are a very woman-heavy industry when it comes to caring and sales, but not always in operations. That's where the opportunity lies. I think there's always an opportunity to get more women in those operation roles. So my advice is to step into those spaces, bring your leadership, and help shape the future of this industry.

One of the biggest challenges in senior living right now is the lasting impact of COVID. It really changed the way families think about senior living, and not in a positive way. There was a lot of negativity around senior living during that time, and I think it's made it harder for families to make the decision to move their loved ones into a community. They're afraid. They worry about what would happen if something like that were to occur again, and all the horror stories that came out during COVID still weigh on them. I lived through it myself. I didn't have children, so I felt I wasn't at risk, and I was one of the first to get vaccinated. I was back on the road by mid-May 2020, traveling and helping wherever I could. I saw it all firsthand. Beyond COVID, instability in the economy has also made people pause when it comes to their finances. I work mostly in private pay, higher-end communities, so people have to spend a lot of money to get into a community, and that hesitation is real.

The values that matter most to me are time, balance, and community. I definitely value my time much more than I did in the beginning of my career. I used to be the person who moved eight times in five years, who raised my hand to do anything and move anywhere. But now, being able to have that balance is so important. I've worked remotely for 14 or 15 years, which has made a huge difference. We were using Zoom before the world got Zoom with COVID. That flexibility has allowed me to protect my time better, though I'll admit I don't always balance it well. There are definitely times I still struggle with that. But I value being able to say no, to balance my time, and to give back to my community. Now that I work for myself, I'm home more. I still travel, but I have much deeper connections with the community here in Savannah, and being able to support the local community in various ways has become incredibly meaningful to me.