Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign Dr. Vera, thanks again for being on the show. I did just do a quick intro to everybody, but I think it's, it's worth highlighting the fact that today you work as the CEO of Vibra Healthcare, which has over a thousand employees. And was it nine states? Ten states. And you're in Massachusetts. So I mean, you just got this beast of a, of a healthcare business that you're working with. But that's not the amazing part of your journey. The amazing part of your journey is that you, you are an md, you're a doctor, and you started in, in, in medicine. So I want to talk a little bit about that journey. What was it about?
What were the experiences in your life that led you to want to be a doctor, especially in the medical field?
[00:00:50] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for having me, Travis. I really appreciate it.
So I've always wanted to be a physician growing up.
And then when I got older, you know, I went to high school, then I went to college, and after college I went to medical school.
When I started my clinicals, I was really interested in surgery, general surgery. So when I was doing, you know, my internships in the hospital, know, the schedule was really hectic, but I really, really love surgery. That was maybe I would say the only specialty that I wanted to go into because it is so, so just new. You know, things are different every day and that's really what I wanted to do. But then the work, life balance, as I was, you know, experience experiencing it firsthand, you know, going to the hospital at six in the morning, I will do my.
Being the. Or by, you know, 8 in the morning, 8am being the. Or scrubbing, depending on the surgery, you know, it takes from, you know, five hours to whatever, depending on, you know, how the case is.
Yeah. And then I will get home by 6pm and I remember one time I did that. I got home at 6pm, I was taking a shower, trying to get dinner ready. And then I get, you know, a call on my pager saying there's an emergency, so I have to go back. And I'm like, oh my gosh, so this is going to be my life. And I'm like, I can't do it knowing that, you know, I have to kind of do the same routine every day.
And that's kind of not really where I see myself. And I've always just had that leader thing in me, maybe because I'm the oldest in my family. So I've always just been, you're a.
[00:02:52] Speaker A: Naturally born leader then. Or I should say naturally born. Forced leader or parents are. Hey, watch the little ones.
[00:03:00] Speaker B: Yes, yes. I think that's where that comes from as well.
So I just decided to get my master's in healthcare administration while I was, you know, in, in my medical school training. So I did that.
[00:03:15] Speaker A: You were doing your residencies and you're like, you know, this isn't enough. I also want to go back to school.
[00:03:21] Speaker B: I know, right? Only me. Only me.
Yeah. That program was two years. I was able to complete that the same year that I actually got my, my degree in medicine.
So I did that with the, with the goal of eventually being in leadership positions because, you know, like I said, I, I've always seen myself as a leader more than just being, you know, a floor doctor, which, you know. No, no, not to.
[00:03:52] Speaker A: We, we love floor doctors. We need them.
[00:03:54] Speaker B: Exactly. We do need them.
[00:03:56] Speaker A: Absolutely not for everyone.
[00:03:59] Speaker B: No. But I wanted to kind of have more of a say so in, you know, the decision making instead of just being kind of told what to, to, to do and then, and operating like that. So I wanted to, to kind of be in that position as a CEO. I mean, it came sooner than I expected, but I, I, hey, I went with that.
I didn't start there. I started, you know, with perfect care and I gradually, you know, I was the healthcare administrator and then I moved on to, you know, Keith operating office.
[00:04:33] Speaker A: So this is, this is one of the interesting things I want to bring up to the audience here is that you were in medical school doing your residencies to finish your degree and realized you didn't want to do it. And then so you're going to mass, you get go to masters so you can get better prepared for management. But you were also doing work at this time and you ended up becoming the CEO of a healthcare company. So I just want people like I don't you probably to you, because you live through it, you're like, it's not a big, big deal, but I was like CEO while doing a master's degree while finishing residencies. Like when, when did you sleep?
[00:05:06] Speaker B: You're right. I mean, I don't really think about it because like you said, I'm, I'm living it like I lived it. So it's kind of like not a big deal. But you know, when you actually put it this way, it's like, yeah, how was I able to do that?
[00:05:19] Speaker A: That's kind of take a minute and just like pat yourself on the back if your family and friends haven't. Because that, like, I'm exhausted. Just listen to that. I don't, I don't understand how that works but man, I mean, it's remarkable.
[00:05:30] Speaker B: Yeah. Sometimes we forget to celebrate ourselves. You know, we just always on to the next thing, the next thing, the next thing. So yeah, you're right. Definitely. Definitely.
[00:05:39] Speaker A: So you started as an administrator and that went into CEO and, and so now you're, you've got your boots on the ground and you're in theory of, of, of management while you're actually living the realities of management.
So what were some of the core lessons that you learned once you became a coo? Especially about how different business school mentality is versus sort of real world, like how to deal with stuff.
[00:06:06] Speaker B: Oh yeah. I mean book work, school work is definitely different than reality. And you know, life, hands on experience, it's completely different because whatever you encounter day to day, you can't, you, you can read that in a book. You know, you can read as many books as you can, but it's not the same as, you know, living it in, in real time. So definitely challenging you. I had to learn a lot of patience.
I'm somewhat a person that, you know, kind of likes everything done within a certain timeline, you know, somewhat of a perfectionist. So I had to learn to you.
[00:06:47] Speaker A: Like organization and structure.
[00:06:49] Speaker B: Yeah. So I had to learn to just let people do their thing. Trust, but verify. So I'm still, that's something that I'm still learning to, you know, kind of give my, you know, let people do their thing because when it's not done how I want it, want it to be done, I kind of take it back and try to do it myself, which can be overwhelming because I can't this job. So I have to, you know, trust that they will do it. Still verifying, but it's, it's challenging day to day.
[00:07:19] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:07:20] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:20] Speaker A: So how, how did, when you became the CEO, how did the job sort of differ from what you were expecting it to be?
[00:07:27] Speaker B: Oh, it was different. It was completely different. I mean administrator, you know, you're not really in the operations as when you're officer, you know, as the coo, you're the second hand, you know, you're the second one in line after the CEO. So all the operations, all the financials, everything, all the, the staffing and that can, that's on you. So that's really something that is demanding and that's something that, you know, you have to be prepared for. I'm lucky that I'm very quick on my feet and I learned, you know, very quickly as I go So I was able to adapt rather quickly to the new position, but it wasn't, it wasn't easy. A lot of sleepless nights, a lot of, you know, just learning on my own and figuring things out. But I mean, it worked out.
[00:08:22] Speaker A: Yeah. That's fantastic. So from a management perspective then, what has been your approach to working with people that are under you?
[00:08:32] Speaker B: My approach has been to have a team mentality.
I always say, you know, my staff success is my success. Their failures is my failure. I make sure that they have all the tools that are necessary to succeed because I'm not one to go for failure number one. So I want to make sure that you have all the tools that you need to succeed. You know, additional training or whatever the case may be. I set you up for success to make sure that, you know, we're all succeeding. So, so again, it's, it's a team teamwork. I try not to single handedly, you know, blame one person you didn't do. It's a, a group kind of mindset and I found that, you know, it's, it's beneficial for the team and it's, it also speaks to the culture of the organization and just, it makes people feel good, you know, that they're not.
That their leader kind of appreciates them and wants to see them succeed as well.
[00:09:39] Speaker A: Boy, you know, it's just as a civilian, I listen to what you're saying and like, that's so amazing because obviously it's very timely because everything was going on right in the beginning of 2025 and the disaster we're seeing in Los Angeles with those fires and it's like the exact opposite. You have leaders that didn't give their employees any of the tools they needed to succeed. And then they immediately started trying to blame everybody but themselves when the reality was they didn't give them the tools they need to do the job right. And it's so interesting to me in the business world, you look at these things and going, it's so structured and it makes the psychological sense and, and you can actually create a good culture and be effective and productive. And then, well, like, why is that never translated into public service? I don't understand. But it sure is frustrating to hear someone at your going like, this is how it works. This is great. And you're like, that makes so much sense. Why, like, who do we have to smack in the face to get them to apply that to other stuff?
[00:10:35] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, I think that the key is really communication. It sounds, you know, so generic, but Even, you know, now my, my one policy is I have an open door policy. So even as the CEO or whatever title that I may have, I'm accessible to person A all the way down to person Z. So I don't, I don't discriminate that, you know, you're the janitor or you're the nurse or you're the, you know, coo. Everybody gets the same treatment and that just shows the, the humanity and that makes people want to work with you and want to work for you because they see that, you know, oh, she's the CEO, she's treating, you know, the janitor and the same as she's treating the, her next CEO or whatever the case may be. So just I think that having that, that empathy side, that, that human side that we're sometimes losing with these titles that I think is just titles, but we also have to keep the, the human side of, of the, the title.
[00:11:40] Speaker A: So how do you deal with the communication challenges and, and like, how do you work with your employees to help them have better communication?
[00:11:48] Speaker B: It's by leading by example. Leading by example. I remember when I first joined Vibra, we were having a lot of turnover and with the staffing challenges during that time when I joined, you know, coming out of COVID and people really not wanting to be working in the healthcare field.
Yeah.
[00:12:12] Speaker A: So how much of an impact did you see in the business because of that?
[00:12:15] Speaker B: Oh, a huge, huge impact. A huge impact.
The moral of everybody, all the staff, they were just all demoralized. They did not want to work because number one, they were all exhausted from, you know, the COVID stuff. And then also they were just feeling that the leadership team wasn't on their side, wasn't really, you know, responsive to them or caring about their needs. So when I joined, I kind of changed that. That's what I'm saying, you know, leading by example, not just saying, saying, saying, but when you're doing it yourself, you're embodying what you're talking about. It just things just come to you, gravitates towards you. So me, you know, as the CEO, I was doing rounds throughout the hospital. I would go, you know, do the rounds in the hospital if cna were.
[00:13:07] Speaker A: The people shocked to see you on.
[00:13:09] Speaker B: The floor, but very shocked. That was, you know, my, my secret weapon again because, you know, having that relationship with my staff, that's kind of what made them stay and make, made other people want to join us because, you know, like I said, I was, I will go on the floor, help my CNAs change patients, which they were like, whoa, what is happening? Like, why are you doing that? I implemented something that, you know, we call all hands on deck, especially when we're short during lunchtime, the receptionist will call all hands on deck. And then I made all the leaders in the different departments, including myself, go out on the floor and help the cnas pass trays to the patients.
[00:13:51] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:13:51] Speaker B: Yes. So that not only created this culture of we're working together, but they're saying that, you know, everything that I'm saying to them in our meetings that, you know, let's work, understand what you guys are going through, what all the team, blah, blah, blah, they are seeing me doing it and I'm not just doing it, you know, one day. This is like a continuous everyday thing. So that just speaks volume by itself.
[00:14:17] Speaker A: So, you know, that reminds me of a article I saw on Doordash or the, the owner of the founder CEO of DoorDash. It was a requirement where he made all of the programmers, they had to work an eight hour customer service shift answering support tickets. And, and, and when he first did it, there was a big revolt, right? The guy, the engineer, the programmers, like, this isn't my job, I'm not a customer service person. This is beneath me. And, and, and his, and he basically was like, you guys need to get in there and see the problems that your programming is creating. And then it's, they were saying that like that one thing when the programmers had to start seeing what people were complaining about, you know, as programmers, their brains didn't understand and then they hear in the user and then they would go, oh, I didn't think that we could, that that would be a thing with the, the software. Right. And so from what I understand, it was one of the apps that people enjoy using the most because of that. But did you get any pushback from the other leaders when you, you always.
[00:15:18] Speaker B: That is a no brainer, you know, but you as the leader, does he.
[00:15:22] Speaker A: Push back or looks of terror?
[00:15:24] Speaker B: Both.
[00:15:27] Speaker A: I gotta be on the floor.
[00:15:28] Speaker B: Oh, both. Because they've never, they've never done it. They've never had a CEO that kind of, you know, implement this. And it's like, whoa, why do I have to go help a CNA pass trade? That's her job. That's not my job. My job is to sit here in front of my laptop and answer this email, whatever the case may be. Like, no, that's not your job. We're all doing everybody's job. So we're all in this together. So, yes, of course, there's always pushback, but as a CEO, you have to be firm when it comes to certain things.
[00:15:58] Speaker A: All right, so you took over. You had challenging. So the first thing you did was work on the culture to make the employees, first and foremost, feel appreciated.
What were the things you were able to do to help them feel less exhausted? I mean, obviously coming out on hands, all deck happened. But was there anything else you implemented to help kind of alleviate that feeling of like, I'm on my own and I'm burnout?
[00:16:21] Speaker B: One thing that I did, I mean, almost every weekend I will go in myself and work with them. I didn't have to, you know, the.
[00:16:29] Speaker A: Saturdays, I usually Would you do like, a full shift when you would go in?
[00:16:32] Speaker B: Yes. So the shift is usually 7am to 7pm so I will go in at 7 in the morning and leave at 7pm and mind you, I live in Connecticut, so I'm like, commuting an almost an hour from. Yeah. To. To the job also, you know, just having a weekly.
I call them pow outs, where, you know, I will have the whole team together and just talk and. And kind of hear them as well, having, you know, pizza, giving them pizza here and there. But by them seeing me, you know, putting that effort, it just changes everything because they feel that they're. They're being heard. They feel that, you know, I'm not just the CEO sitting in the office all day and saying, you do this, you do that, you go here, you go there. But I'm actually there with them, knowing what they're doing, helping them with what they're doing whenever I can, and just improving the culture and overall alleviating some of the burden as much as I can.
[00:17:36] Speaker A: Wow.
So, all right, so once you address the culture and started working on helping them, you obviously were still facing the challenges of, like, huge turnover, people leaving, people not wanting to be there. So how did you go about recruiting and getting people to come in to take that, I'm assuming, and to a high degree, getting people to want to come back to work in the medical field. Did you have any specific sort of strategies that you deployed to make that appealing?
[00:18:05] Speaker B: Yes. So we had a lot of agencies that were working with us, you know, from COVID and on. And I'm not sure if, you know, but agencies, we pay them almost double what we pay our regular staff.
[00:18:18] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:18:19] Speaker B: So, yes. So a regular cna, let's say we pay them depending on their years of experience. Let's say $20 an hour. An agency CNA is paid about 35, 40 an hour.
[00:18:34] Speaker A: So part of that go. Because it's going to the agency, they're taking a big cut or just because.
[00:18:39] Speaker B: Just because, well, we're not paying for the insurance and things like that. Wow.
[00:18:44] Speaker A: That. Yep. Yeah.
[00:18:46] Speaker B: So by me, you know, doing all of these things that I mentioned before, you know, working on the floors and. And having these different meetings with my staff one on one, and kind of hearing their concerns, what they would like to see change, what. What's working, what's not working, hearing from them firsthand. So I've. I had. First I had, you know, a group meeting and then I started having individual meetings with each staff member. So they can tell me, you know, if they don't want to speak in a group setting, they can tell me personally, one on one, what, you know, what's working, what's not working, what they would like to see, what they, you know, things like that.
And slowly, you know, by me just doing these things, people just started appreciating it because again, they've never seen that done before.
So the word of mouth just started, you know, going. And it's just spreading like wildfire. No pun intended there, but, you know, just started spreading. And before I knew it, I had the agency staff wanting to come join full time.
Yeah. So when I was signing up with the agencies, I put something in the contract where I would say, you know, if I was to hire your staff, I wouldn't pay any finder's fee because with the agency, usually when you hire their staff, you have to pay, you know, some kind of finance. So I worked out in the contract that I wasn't. That I wouldn't pay. So that's kind of how I was able to recruit those people from the agency because they wanted to. To work with me, because they're seeing all the wonderful things that, you know, we're doing in the facility, how we. We're changing things and just improving the, the morale of the staff. So that's kind of how. And they will bring their friends and tell the friends and. And so on and so forth.
[00:20:41] Speaker A: Yeah, well. Well, I mean, what an interesting concept too, right. Because I'm assuming most agencies, like, they put place people and then the company aggressively pursues them to try to get them there. And that's why they asked for the finder's fee. But you reversed the scenario where it's like you weren't approaching them, they were coming to you going, like, hey, how do I get out of my agency contract to come to work? Because I like what you're doing.
[00:21:00] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:21:01] Speaker A: How did you find that the employees were, even the lower level employees were, were pretty truthful and honest about what worked and didn't work, or was there. Were they a little kind of reluctant at first of like, is this some sort of.
[00:21:14] Speaker B: Yeah, they were definitely reluctant at first. Again, you know, things don't just change, you know, first month. So this was a work in progress. So they want to see, I mean, it's just like anybody you want to see that, you know, this person is genuine, whatever that they're doing is, they're really doing it because they care, because they want to do it, not just because it's something that they're doing for today. So. And that's not something that I was doing for just today or for just the week, but that's something that naturally, you know, I just, I'm just somebody that's very empathetic and I, I see, you know, from other people's point of view, so I understand what they're going through.
So at first, yes, they were reluctant. Most, some of them were reluctant. But as they're, as we go on and, and they see as I'm doing more and more and more, they started coming to me because I will only set one meeting, one individual meeting with, you know, each person. So once your time goes and then you speak to the other person, they're like, oh, no, she's cool, she's this, she's that, you know, you. Then they will, they'll come to my assistant and say, hey, can I have a meeting with, with her? I'll say, sure. Then just, they'll set up the, the meeting and then, you know, they'll come back and say, you know, I didn't tell you this, but this is what's going on, blah, blah, blah. And that's kind of how, you know, that worked out.
[00:22:34] Speaker A: So what's your, as a CEO of a company that big, what's sort of your day to day schedule like?
[00:22:42] Speaker B: I mean, it varies. A lot of meetings, a lot of phone calls with the corporate team, you know, discussing financial, discussing different things, meetings with vendors. So my schedule is always, always full. My assistant tries to give me a break here and there, but I, I'm just somebody that, I love meeting people. So if somebody requests a meeting, I try my best to accommodate as, as much as I can. I mean, it came to a point where I wasn't even having lunch anymore. I would just have lunch maybe for a quick 10 minutes. Never.
Throughout my time, I've never Taken, you know, my full hour lunch. I will, it was. It will always be a working lunch. Whether, you know, I'm taking a stuff out to eat so we can discuss, you know, what the, the feedback is or whatever. I will take a phone call. I will be, you know, in emails and whatnot. So always be like a working lunch. So. Yeah.
[00:23:46] Speaker A: So how do you ground yourself and have your own self care outside of work? Because it sounds like it's pretty intense. You're working a lot, so how do you take care of you so that you still have all this energy to give back to your employees and your staff?
[00:23:58] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a good question. I'm a workaholic. That's something that I don't like to admit, but it is true. I don't think that the person that.
[00:24:06] Speaker A: Was a CEO doing a master's in medical school too.
[00:24:13] Speaker B: But I would say my family is really what's grounding me.
I am somewhat of a homebody. I'm not somebody that, you know, like to go out all the time. I like to stay home with family, just, you know, enjoying family time and maybe watching a movie or whatever the case may be cooking dinner, exercising. That's one thing that I found, you know, kind of helps me with, with stress relief.
But family will be my, my biggest thing.
[00:24:46] Speaker A: What's your, what's your go to cheat food or I should say your comfort food when you're like, I've had the worst week, I need my food.
[00:24:52] Speaker B: Oh my gosh, everything and anything. I mean, I'm a big sweets person. So, so bad cookies, candies. It's like I'm trying to reduce that because it's not good for you, but it's a work in progress.
[00:25:05] Speaker A: Yeah, I got it. All right, so we're coming up now on almost a decade of you being in a C suite executive position.
When did the tickling in the back of your brain of like, it's time for you to start your own business. When, when did that start to, to just show up?
[00:25:24] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, it started, I would say, a couple years ago.
Like I said, I'm always big on, on independence and just, you know, wealth building. Like I said, my family is what grounds me. So when I'm thinking long term, I'm thinking of, you know, building wealth, generational wealth for my family.
So I said, why not start, you know, a home care company? And that's what I did.
I started Care haven't, which is a home care company. We're located in Connecticut, West Hartford, Connecticut. But we do service the entire state.
Yeah, I mean it's just about again, the continuum of care. Providing care to patients now in their homes instead of being in the hospital. Because depending on what their diagnosis is or whatever they're facing, some patients do better at home if they stay at home. Especially, you know, if you have a elderly mom and she's been in her home for over 50 years, she doesn't want to go into a facility, an assisted living or, you know, nursing home. She wants to stay in her home. So that's why we come in, we bring a staff in that, you know, matches her personality. We do an assessment for first. So when a client contacts us, I go out to the client's home, I do an assessment, kind of determine what their needs are, whether they have dementia or they need help with bathing, cooking, taking them to the doctor's appointment, whatever it is that they need. We get a care plan together, set the, the times that they want services to be provided, kind of get their preferences, their likes and the dislike. Because we want to match the client with the caregiver. We don't just want to send any caregiver to the home. We want to make sure that, you know, they get somebody that will be a good fit for them.
[00:27:27] Speaker A: That seems very forward thinking for the medical industry.
Seems normally they're like, this is who's available, that's what you get.
[00:27:36] Speaker B: No, no, we try our best to match people that are a good fit because we want you to feel comfortable in your home with that is providing that service to you.
[00:27:48] Speaker A: So was there anything in specifically about the home health care that made you choose to start that particular business? Because it sounds like you've got such a broad array. You really could have kind of create everything. So what was it about that particular segment that, that sparked your interest of wanting to devote, you know, long term?
[00:28:05] Speaker B: Yeah, I kind of had a taste of that with perfect care, but also, you know, taking care of my grandmother who is, you know, 94 years old and still living at home and, and us kind of having to take care of her and, and you know, address her needs. Every service that we're providing, you know, she, she benefits from, from that. So. And then I, I thought why not, you know, just do it in a bigger sense. So she was kind of the inspiration separation there, you know, just caring for her and, and all of that, seeing kind of the, the things that she's going through and her not wanting to be in the facility being one wanting to stay at home. So, you know, the, the main thing and we believe that, you know, home is where the heart is and also where healing happens best. So I Care Haven. You know, we really care for you like family. We'll make sure that you have everything that you need to succeed at home. It's not for everybody, of course, some people do need to be in facilities, but for those that stay home, we are there to support them in any capacity that they may need.
[00:29:18] Speaker A: So do you have any big goals with your company? Do you want to just stay in Connecticut or do you want to eventually expand nationwide?
[00:29:27] Speaker B: Yes, the long term goal is to expand nationwide.
So we want to be, that's our vision to be, you know, a household name in home care. So when you think of home care, you think of Care Haven. So eventually we're going to expand, you know, out of Connecticut to Massachusetts, Rhode island, you know, and eventually, you know, the Midwest, the South, all of that, the West Coast.
So that's, that's our vision, our long term goal.
[00:29:59] Speaker A: You know, I've done marketing in the past and one of the things that shocked me about the baby boomer generation was when they started turning 65, just how many of them there are. And so, you know, Obviously we're in 2025 now, but the, the stats are. So right now there's 10,000 people per day turning 65 in the United States. And that's going to continue until 2035?
[00:30:22] Speaker B: Absolutely, yes.
[00:30:23] Speaker A: I mean the next 30 years we have this huge wave of aging parents coming on that this is going to meet it so. Well, this is fascinating. You know, the idea is, is good and like it looks like you are because of you're working so much directly with people by being having boots on the floor and you know, doing, you're doing shifts with your employees. Like I really feel like you're bringing something to the table that most CEOs aren't, which is because you're in the thick of it. You're seeing what the trends are heading towards and you're creating something to move in that direction. And so yeah, it's going to be exciting to see where your company goes this next little while. If people want to support you or anything you got going on, where can they go to find more information about your company and what it's doing?
[00:31:13] Speaker B: Yes. So they can go on our website, which is www.carehavenvhs.com Again, that's Carehaven vhs.com VHS is, it stands for V Healthcare Solutions. So that's the, the big name of the company. But then have Care Haven. So that's kind of.
[00:31:35] Speaker A: It's a great name, so. Well, Dr. Vera Eagle, thank you so much for your time. It's been fascinating, and I look forward to watching your growth.
[00:31:43] Speaker B: Likewise. Thank you so much, Travis, for having me.
