Tia Newcomer on turning caregiver overwhelm into community action || EP. 195

[00:00:00] a YouTube star, he was in a severe car accident. His wife created a CaringBridge page. We had over a thousand comments on one post in one day. We have over 300,000 people a day using CaringBridge. So the power of it is activating your community and support of what you need.

[00:00:23] This is Inspiring Women. I'm Laurie McGraw, and we're speaking with Tia Newcomer, and she is the CEO of CaringBridge. She is a longtime executive, but not always in healthcare. It's only been a dozen years in healthcare as a senior leader and a business leader and a sales leader, and now a leader of a really important nonprofit. Tia, thank you for being on Inspiring Women. Thank you, Laurie. Thrilled to be here.

[00:00:47] Yes, we're here in New Orleans. The last time we were together, we were talking about inspiring women. You were giving me some coaching advice of different things I should do, and then here you are. So I really appreciate you being here. Tia, I want to start with the career. So you started off, you've been a sales leader, you've been a business leader, you've been at many different businesses. Give us a little bit of the bio sketch before you moved to healthcare.

[00:01:14] Absolutely. I always say that I started fresh out of college carrying a bag. Truly, I had a car, a company car, and a leather-bound bag, and I called on retail stores all across Colorado, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Yes, like truly carrying a bag. Imagine me in a suit and carrying this bag in a feather duster and selling into retail. At that time, I started at Revlon. So big, big cosmetics company right out of college.

[00:01:40] And just, I think that was such a fundamental foundational piece of my career. Because when you start truly at the ground, I always call it feet on the street. That carries with me as I've gone all the way up to CEO where I'm currently at. Because you have to remember always the people who are actually selling the thing or using the thing that you are contemplating or putting strategies together.

[00:02:03] Well, that type of sales is really different than the type of sales that people do today, which is like Zoom calls and those kinds of meetings. Everything's electronic. And it's like, you know, people get excited about being in person. Door-to-door, I mean, that is battle combat in terms of sales. What did you learn during those early days?

[00:02:22] Yes. And I will add, in college, I did advertising sales out of the white pages. So I was truly going through the white pages, calling people, cold calling them, and selling. So I've had this ability to sell from a long time prior. So what did I learn? I learned that relationship building and that trust building was paramount, right? It's easy to go in and say, here are the things that I have. But getting to know the people that I was actually calling on, and a lot of that had to do, and it translates to leadership, quite honestly.

[00:02:51] Is how do you get to know more about not just the business that they're running or the thing that is going on that day in the store, but what's going on in their lives? And so that rapport building was really, really critical. And it translates digitally, but to your point, in person, it becomes something different.

[00:03:08] And in sales, you moved on to be a leader of sales, a leader of sales teams and the like. So, and that's unusual for a woman. It's still sales is majority male dominated. So what was that like? How did you sort of make your way, be successful in spite, or was it an issue at all that you were a woman in that space? I played sports.

[00:03:32] Yes. And so I credit, and again, it just is what it is back in the early 90s, right? It's competitive, and you kind of have to establish yourself. And so I think that competitiveness gave me an advantage with when I was mostly and usually surrounded by men, whether it be upper management or with my peers. The way that I built the credibility was really talking with them and connecting with them, but that competitive spirit. And then here's an example, golf courses. Back in the day, and I would argue even today, a lot of things still happen on the golf course.

[00:04:01] I had never picked up a golf club prior to being in college. Now, funny thing, I dated a college golfer. So I spent some time on the golf course. So that alone helped me kind of get in the conversations. And I was kind of the underdog. People were like, oh yeah, sure, you can come play with us. But I was in the conversation. I think that's probably the biggest takeaway is be in the conversation. Go where the conversations are happening as you're comfortable.

[00:04:25] Okay. So then you moved to healthcare. So was it a purposeful choice to start to move into healthcare companies versus product companies or retail-led companies from before? Yes. This is where I'll pause and I'll tell a little bit of my personal side of my story. My husband is now a retired lieutenant firefighter. He was in the fire department for 27 years. So it's very different when you're coming home to a spouse and they're truly, when you say, how was your day?

[00:04:53] And they talk about saving a life. That's different than coming home. And when you're saying, oh, gosh, we missed our sales quota or gosh, it was a hard day because fill in the blank. I didn't make that sale. Yeah, exactly. So it gave some perspective. And at that time I had two young daughters. They were under the age at that point, under the age of 10. And so it was one of those moments where I looked around and I was like, if I'm going to be away from my family as much, because when we're working, right, you're with your work more than you are with your family.

[00:05:22] And so I really wanted more of that purpose-driven. And what hit me, two things. One, my husband came home one time and he was like, you know, I'd do this job, but they didn't pay me. And I was like floored. I was like, tell me more about that. What does that feel like and why? And so really got underneath like what was his passion and what he does. I'm like, I want to feel like that. Life is too short not to feel like that. And, you know, there, of course, every day, there are days even that he had that felt like work.

[00:05:48] So that was a purposeful kind of like, what do I want to do? So I reached out to mentors, people that really knew me. I was like, here's what I'm feeling. At that time, I was at Hewlett Packard, had a great career, probably still would be there. But getting up and selling printers and PCs into retail outlets just wasn't motivating. And so that purposeful pivot, they looked at me and they said, listen, Tia, I know that you have a mission orientation.

[00:06:10] And one of the things that I will also share personally is my husband is a two-time cancer survivor. And so when I first met him, there was this tattered piece of paper. We still have it on our refrigerator. And it says what you do today is important because you exchange a day of your life for it. So I took these two truths, I guess, is what I'm doing today worth what I, you know, exchanging a day of my life? And then two, what is that more mission driven? And if no one paid me, would I still show up?

[00:06:40] And so through my mentorships, et cetera, they were like, you know, healthcare, go to healthcare. And you've been at all of these big fortune 100 companies. Try private equity, try midsize businesses. I think you'd like the pace one to kind of, yes, you're doing strategy, but you're also diving in and you're rolling up your sleeves, which I love.

[00:07:00] So you did that. Just want to like spend a second on this because if you have a big job at Hewlett Packard and it might be printers, but it's still sales, it's still business, you're well compensated. You know, those are hard things to walk away from, to go to something very unknown and you might have a lot of passion for it, but it's a big deal.

[00:07:22] Your family was younger at the time. So that sort of like calculus that you did to take that leap, did you feel like that was a brave move? Was that a like agonizing decision or was it like absolutely made my mind not looking back, just easy to make that step? Definitely not easy at all. I would say it was definitely a leap of faith and take the jump.

[00:07:44] I remember specifically you talk about the compensation, right? There's a little bit of a safety feeling when you're in those bigger companies and you can move all around. You're moving up across different countries. Right. Oh, okay, we're going in a different direction. No problem. Exactly. So I remember I had a spreadsheet that was calculating my current shares at HP and then I talked to the private equity team when I went over into women's health probably three times.

[00:08:08] My CEO that is now a really good friend and mentor of mine. I think he was just like, okay, Tia, this is not hard math. And I'm like, yes, but it is. So I remember looking at that and just saying, okay, there's a little bit of a risk, obviously going to private equity or if you're in VC. But I was also looking at the work that I was going to be doing. So again, I'll go back to sure. I could have stayed at Hewlett Packard and had this amazing career, but I was getting bored, quite honestly.

[00:08:34] Higher you go, the more you're just managing up, you're getting way away from that feet on the street, which I actually really like that part. I like to go in and come out. And so it was a leap of faith. And even my husband, by the way, we've had our forever home three times now. We were in the first forever home and it was a leap for my entire family. So we moved from Oregon, where we were at, to California.

[00:08:57] So it was definitely, to answer your question, kind of in that long storyline, it was a leap and it was scary and had no idea whether it was going to pay off or not, but it seemed worth it. Well, it prepared you for the next leap. So you spent a number of years at various companies, fertility space where you focus.

[00:09:15] Talk about how you got to CaringBridge, because it's one thing, again, to be in business leadership and sales leadership with products that still have a sales focus to them, to a nonprofit organization. So what drew you to that? And then I want to get a bit into CaringBridge. What drew me into CaringBridge was twofold. One, I didn't know it was a nonprofit. Yep. So full disclosure, I got the job description.

[00:09:46] Didn't have a spreadsheet. No, but didn't have it. Exactly. It had this great job description. And so what I found out later is I have an amazing board that punches way above the weight class of the size of organization we are. So they're coming from organizations like Mayo. They're part of big private equity companies. UnitedHealthcare, we had a board that thought more like a business. It is a powerhouse board. I was looking at that.

[00:10:08] Yes, yes. So I think they had, I don't think, I know they had sights on how do we bring someone in that perhaps could really look at this as a business pivot that can scale this amazing nonprofit that we have. So I didn't know that when I got the job description. I got it from a friend, another CEO, colleague, and she said, I think this job would be perfect for you.

[00:10:29] And it combined all of kind of my big consumer packaged goods experience, also digital health that I had been in and out of over those last 10, 15 years in women's health and into this caring bridge, this digital platform for health journeys. Which is a nonprofit, by the way. Yes, which is a nonprofit. Exactly. It was. It was like a whisper at the very end, right? I almost dropped. I was like, nonprofit? Yeah, no. If you would have asked me ever in my life, would I work for a nonprofit? I just had preconceived notions.

[00:10:58] Yes, yes. And I'm coming from private equity, fast paced, high exit values, three to five year turns, like it's intense, right? So I was convinced by the board and the interview process and really this opportunity to take something and transform it, which I love doing. And I now have a different viewpoint on this.

[00:11:18] And I do think it's much like my early career with Frito-Lay PepsiCo, where everyone, no matter what rank you were coming in at, had to go drive on the route truck for two to three weeks. 4 a.m., dock time, load boxes, merchandise, all that stuff. Really? That's awesome. And I feel like that people should go in and out. We should trade more people in nonprofit and for profit in and out, kind of the rotations. Or if you remember in P&G as an example, right, you'd rotate in and out of marketing sales.

[00:11:48] Those, we need more people with that business background in nonprofit. And I think conversely, the mission driven, how do you stay focused and true to that in the for profit side? I have not the same, but a similar experience. So I have many years at for profit companies, public companies. I did a good amount of time at the American Medical Association. I have to say, I knew nothing about the AMA except how to spell it before I was working at the AMA.

[00:12:18] And same reaction when I first, you know, was presented with a job to look at. I was just like, the AMA, are you kidding? A nonprofit? Like, what are you talking about? And just preconceived notions that are completely wrong. I loved my time there. And in terms of the power of an organization to do something that is the most important thing is the mission. It's the mission. It's not the balance sheet. It's the mission. Not that the balance sheet isn't important. So I love that. But let's get back to CaringBridge.

[00:12:48] So what is CaringBridge? CaringBridge is a nonprofit digital health platform. She does now. Exactly. Nonprofit digital health platform that helps caregivers surround their person that's going through a health journey with support. And that support is emotional, social, and also functional or tangible support. And so who needs support? People with cancer. Yes. Over 50% of our journeys are cancer. Oh, so it's not exclusively cancer. 50% are cancer.

[00:13:16] And then the rest are traumatic. Think about traumatic, sudden injury-type incidents, whether it be an accident, a sudden accident, traumatic brain injuries. If you think about the fundamental moment when people are most overwhelmed, is at that diagnosis or traumatic incident, where they're in their first point of overwhelm is everyone's asking, what happened? How can I help? And that's where CaringBridge was born out of and still surrounds people with support at that moment.

[00:13:44] So what does CaringBridge actually do? What does it provide for your statistics? Or, you know, I think I read it was like, you know, there are 12 new CaringBridge sites that are stood up every hour or something like that or a minute. Every minute. Just like every 12. You know, just like that. Maybe you give the statistics. I'm not doing a good job with that. No problem, Lori. So CaringBridge was born out of that fundamental need to communicate out to many people. I love this and I share this all the time.

[00:14:12] Our founder coded the first CaringBridge page in 1997. Mark Zuckerberg was 13. So I always look at Sana Merring, our founder, I say, you are truly the first, the inventor of social media for good and we have stayed for good. We do not sell ads. Thank you. You're welcome. And it's benefiting us a lot now. So we've always been about health journeys and we've always been not about ads and monetizing data. So you asked the question, what does CaringBridge actually do?

[00:14:41] So that first point of overwhelm when everyone's asking what happened and how can I help? It is a three-step. You enroll and you have a page where you literally write what's going on and you communicate it out to the community of your choice. So it could be a thousand people. It could be 10 people. We just had an example, a YouTube star. He was in a severe accident, car accident. His wife created a CaringBridge page. We had over a thousand comments on one post in one day.

[00:15:09] We have over 300,000 people a day using CaringBridge. So the power of it is activating your community and support of what you need. It starts with that just, I'll call it emotional and social support, just comments, prayers, support of what can I do for you? Then it starts moving into the, can I bring you a meal? Well, some people need crowdfunding for financial needs. And so it moves into more of that functional support that's happening every day as they're going through that health journey.

[00:15:38] But it's born out of that first point of overwhelm, communication. So in those journeys, whether it is a cancer journey where we all know that is the person, but cancer is a family experience. It is a friend's experience. It impacts many more than the individual. Someone who's going through a trauma experience, that's different. They might be incapacitated, I can imagine.

[00:16:02] So just in terms of what CaringBridge is providing for the individual, but also the community, can you give a little bit of insight to that? Yeah, absolutely. We did a study with Archangels, actually, Alex Drain and Archangels about two years ago. And she has this amazing database from the CDC. It's a large database of caregivers and people going through cancer journeys and other traumatic events.

[00:16:26] And we compared that database to CaringBridge users that had started a CaringBridge page and then 30 and 60 days later. And in that data, this is what came out of it of what is it doing for both patient and the caregiver, but also that community that's surrounding them. So the person, the caregiver, really, the family caregiver, two times more feeling like they do not have strife that's going on in their family.

[00:16:49] So that very mechanism of being able to communicate in one place, even if it's a family that's afar or a family that's near, keeping everyone informed, everyone involved. Because there's decisions that need to be made, complicated decisions that need to be made. Yes. So navigating those when you're emotionally charged or distraught or whatever. I've been through that, you know, with parental experiences. Right. And it's that coordinating help that often causes the strife within families.

[00:17:16] And so this is a way that people can not only know what's going on, but then you can start coordinating the help. I need this. There's usually always one or two primary people that are taking care of surrounding that patient with support. They also need help, right? They need a break every so often, or maybe they have a job, which often is the case. And so that helps the coordination of the help that is needed for that cancer journey. So that's a really big one.

[00:17:42] They are also, anytime anyone posts on Care InBridge, you got to also think that this is something that I can do at 2 a.m. bedside. I can do it driving to an appointment. It's on my terms, which is also really, really helpful for the caregiver. Because, you know, there's tons of things going on. So when everyone's asking you what's going on, I can tell you on my own terms and you know where to go.

[00:18:02] And we know that once someone asks for help on the Care InBridge platform, three-fourths of the time, they are answered within 24 hours with an offer or a matched offer of help when they ask for it. So it alleviates that overwhelm. So you're matching resources to these people who need support in some way. Yes. And it could be as simple as, I need the dog walked. We're not going to be home for 10 hours. All the way to, we started to GoFundMe.

[00:18:29] It's integrated into Care InBridge because our copay was X. It's now drained us. We don't have any more funds. So it can be something as significant as a financial need all the way to, I don't want to say dog walking is not significant, but it's maybe an easier task to fulfill.

[00:18:44] Sure. So Tia, I can appreciate the feeling of emotion and pride that you must have for leading this organization and providing something of significant value to people who need it in circumstances of need. But as CEO, this is really different than selling printers. This is really different than leading companies that are business focused. So as CEO, what are you trying to achieve with Care InBridge? How are you trying to grow it?

[00:19:13] Why did they bring in someone as talented as you are from a business perspective to lead Care InBridge? We have a bold vision, which is to serve 10 times as many people as we serve today. So that's going from 25,000 to 250,000. That is a big number by the end of 2028. And why did they bring me in? I think they needed that mindset to say, okay, this has been around. We survived Facebook, Instagram. If you think about it, it's a simple communication platform.

[00:19:42] We text, we email. We have Facebook. We have TikTok, right? Survived all of that. And so I think that board knew that there was something here. And why wasn't it scaling? So what are we missing? They needed someone to come in and say, what are we missing? And also be a truth teller. Because sometimes you're like, we're not missing anything. We're just going to ride this out, right? Or maybe we need a business model pivot. And so that was really the fundamental thinking is, yes, we have this amazing thing. And it's really easy to get, feel really good about what we do.

[00:20:12] And yet they wanted someone to feel good about what we do, but go, it's not enough. And we're not reaching as many people as we should be. And when you look at that 25,000 number, let's just take cancer rates. There's almost 2 million cancer diagnoses a year. We're serving 20,000. Well, 25,000. Yeah, you know, 12,500. Half of those, right? Huge opportunity. Why aren't we reaching those?

[00:20:35] And so the second part of that bold vision of reaching 10 times as many caregivers as we do today is to be embedded at either intake, discharge, or diagnoses. Because we know that's when people need CaringBridge. We are a no-cost resource. And so it's one of those, like, what are we missing? Why isn't healthcare or the institutions taking us in and integrating us at point of diagnosis?

[00:20:57] So that's a big part of what we're doing is working with commercial entities, hospital systems, EAPs, employee assistance programs, health and wellness organizations, and really saying we're no-cost. And I get a lot of conversations now, less now, but let's say a year ago, what am I missing, Tia? There's a hook here. I'm like, actually, there is no hook. I just need this integrated. Here's the outcomes evidence. Here's what we do. We are no-cost.

[00:21:24] But let's talk about that because I think if we go back to, and I'm glad you brought up Facebook and Instagram and Snapchat, you name it. But all of these, which were social platforms for community, not necessarily purposeful other than providing community. Some would say, I might argue, that, you know, a force for good is not how I would capture, you know, what is actually going on there.

[00:21:49] So if you think about the mission that you signed up for with CaringBridge as you achieve what you're expecting to achieve in that 10x growth in a really short period of time, how are you going to stay true to the mission and be confident that you will not waver in what becomes? I don't know what choices you might be faced with, but how are you thinking about staying true to that platform for good? That's a great question.

[00:22:17] And one that we talk about a lot, right? Because it would be very easy to sell our data. As an example, we're sitting on 27 years. Very valuable data. Very valuable. 27 years of unstructured data about every health condition you can imagine. And so we talk a lot about it in the boardroom. We talk a lot about what the tradeoffs are.

[00:22:36] So if you think every single piece of research I've looked at before I came into the position and research we've done, user research after, the fundamental reason we still exist is because we do not sell data and that we are no cost in a nonprofit. And so let me give you an example. I came from health tech connected device world. And I went through a freemium model business pivot. 3% is one of the best rates you can get when you go from free to, let's say, $5.99 a month.

[00:23:06] So you do the math on CaringBridge, we would not be around. So it's actually really been helpful for me to bring real-world for-profit business model conversions and say, great, it sounds good on paper. And my team, I have a great team, we just met, we do quarterly offsites. And we just met and we went through, okay, big ideas, start them on the table. And we do back of the envelope, good enough math.

[00:23:28] And every single time, it's not huge dollars, but it puts our mission and the trust that we have. That's probably the biggest thing, the trust that we have with people that use CaringBridge, that they know we're not Facebook, that we're not Instagram. That trust, if you eliminate that, our business model crumbles. So it's not just about the money. Yeah, you're putting actually a value on trust. Absolutely. So that's interesting.

[00:23:52] You know, it's like, again, just like now, because of my experience at the AMA, I've had the opportunity to work with a number of nonprofits. And it's always interesting to me because usually what I see is just incredible people who might understand the science, who might understand the mission or what they're trying to impact. But the business of how it all works and keeping that sort of also front and center so that you can sustain the important work that's being done.

[00:24:21] That always seems to be a little bit less in terms of what I've seen. So I imagine that like what you're seeing in terms of the trajectory for CaringBridge is going to have a lot of insights that you're bringing to your team. Yes, 100%. And I think it's a great way to put it because most of the time you feel really good about what you're doing. But then you have to take a step back and say, what are the numbers behind why I'm feeling good? Yeah.

[00:24:44] That's also what we've done over the last three years is to really anchor in on our, what I'll call our key metrics, right? Are we growing new users? Are we growing engagement? Because engagement, by the way, helps people feel more supported. Are we growing those ways, we call them ways to help and the number of ways that we're helping people. We're measuring that daily. So it's things like that that keep us honest to both we're growing the mission and we feel good. Well, on that feel good note.

[00:25:13] So if we can think about like the future. So it's been just a bit of time that you've been at CaringBridge beginning like the 10 year mark out when you've hit your big numbers and everything. What's the impact you're expecting to have? Oh my gosh, I can't wait. You know, one of the things that we know is that we help solve loneliness and isolation. And there's a lot of conversation about that in the world right now. An emerging epidemic. Absolutely.

[00:25:39] And just by the nature of activating your community, both physically in the space that you live in, but also universally, really, we reach people all over the world. I look at that and I can see a definitive impact in the healthcare system. So I always say that CaringBridge sees the messy middle that healthcare cannot see. At a community level, at a day-to-day caregiver to patient interaction, that's what's showing up on the pages of CaringBridge.

[00:26:05] And so I see us filling a really critical space in solving isolation and loneliness, ultimately the overwhelm of caregivers. And then I think importantly is being able to crosswalk people. So this is the big, big audacious vision. Like when you say 10 years out, I think CaringBridge has a unique opportunity to crosswalk people over to all of those.

[00:26:28] And I talk to them, CEOs and founders that are creating and inventing amazing solutions to solve caregiver needs and patient needs. But no one's reaching those needs or those solutions because caregivers are like, I don't have time. I have a 40-hour workweek and a 30-hour caregiving workweek. And so I think the power of CaringBridge to be able to lessen their overwhelm to then enable them or crosswalk them over to specific personalized, regionalized solutions.

[00:26:57] That's the big vision for me. And then, gosh, imagine what we could do. I can see why you can't wait. Tia, I'm going to pivot us and close us out with, I'm talking about WBL. We're both here at the conference in New Orleans and it's the annual summit. You've been here before. I've been here before. Why do you come? Why are you here? I get asked this a lot. And I love this question because WBL, two weeks into my role as CEO, I had five people say, you need to join WBL. I'm like, why? Trust me.

[00:27:27] Here's why I think everyone should join. It is the best event where you have a combination of personal, professional, and development combined with purposeful networking. And that purposeful networking, you know, what's the rule? You take the call. We all prep for the call and everyone takes the call. And I think people are blown away. We have some big names here. Yeah. You reach out to them. You're one of them, Tia. They answer. Well, thank you. Thank you. They answer, right? And I have found that. It also taught me.

[00:27:56] I answer the call. And guess what? It pays forward in spades. Always. And I always learn something on that call, regardless of who it is. Always learn something. So I'm excited to be here because it's that purposeful. And I always learn something here, too. It's that moment for me to pause. I actually block it every single year because for me, it's that pause. I can step away. And I leave this conference, this summit every year with my mind a little bit open. And I know my team's like, oh, gosh, Wednesday.

[00:28:24] What emails are we getting from Tia on Wednesday? Because, you know, my mind just kind of unlocks because it gives me the space to think, network, and professionally and personally develop. Well, that's awesome. All right. Last question. So it's an inspiring women conversation. You are an inspiring woman. And so, Tia, as you think about the 100 other Tias that are in the wings who want to be working hard, having successful business careers, maybe sales careers, but then move to that

[00:28:52] CEO role, what is the advice you're going to give to them? I'm going to pass on what my mom told me. My mom and I have very different career trajectories. I'll leave it at that. Call me if you want to know about it. You can have it all, not at the same time. And I think it's easy to look at me, to look at you, to look at other leaders and think that we have it all. And there's always a trade-off. And that's okay. By the way, that's okay. But I don't think you can have it all at the same time. And that's an important qualifier, right?

[00:29:20] You can have it all, just not at the same time. So in any given moment, what's your trade-off? And I mean moment. It's not like, oh, for this year, I'm going to do this. But I think every day you have a choice. Sometimes I lean into my family. Sometimes I lean in way more to work. Sometimes my own personal health, right? There's always these puts and takes. So that's my close is you can have it all, just not at the same time. And that's okay. That is okay. And I love how you also think about like all of these different things within a really short

[00:29:49] period of time because time moves really fast and career journeys are really long. This has been an amazing, inspiring women conversation. I've been speaking with Tia Newcomer. And Tia, thank you so much. Thank you, Lori. Thank you, Lori. you