Meet the Founder: My Journey Into Caregiving

I was 19. No experience. No certifications. Just a baby-faced college student in my first pair of scrubs, willing to show up and learn. I didn’t know it then, but that first job would shape the rest of my life—and become the foundation for what would eventually become Carelink Services.

My very first client ended up being one of the most challenging of my entire career. She didn’t trust me, didn’t want help, and definitely didn’t want me. I was a kid—what did I know about connecting with someone four times my age, with a lifetime of experiences I couldn’t begin to relate to?

But I kept showing up.

Over time, I learned that caregiving isn’t just about tasks—it’s about energy, presence, and knowing how to listen without pushing. That one client, the one who didn’t want me there, slowly let me in. We found our rhythm.

From then on, the agency started giving me the “difficult” clients—the ones who had run off every other caregiver. The ones who were picky, resistant, and impossible to please. Somehow, I became the one they asked to stay. I don’t say that to brag—I say it to show how much I’ve learned about people, patience, and emotional connection over the years.

One client in particular will always stick with me. She hated every caregiver. I was nervous the first time I knocked on her door. That first day was rough. I spent the whole shift learning her triggers, her preferences, and where to tread lightly. I left unsure if I’d ever be back.

But by the next week, my boss called me—shocked. This woman, who never liked anyone, had requested me full time. She even gave the agency praise, which was unheard of. And over time, that dynamic turned into something really special. She began to feel safe—not just physically, but emotionally. She’d call me just to chat. She’d ask for my opinion, or even for advice—from me, a 20-something-year-old just trying to figure out life myself.

That experience taught me everything I needed to know about this field. How to build trust. How to connect across generations. How to show up with consistency, empathy, and just enough quiet confidence to make someone feel safe without forcing it.

Because the truth is, this role is so much more than just knowing your job duties. It’s about intuition. Adaptability. Reading between the lines. It’s understanding that what someone says and what they need aren’t always the same thing. It’s the ability to form real human connection even when it’s hard.

Now, more than a decade later, I’ve worked with so many incredible people: veterans, stroke survivors, dementia patients, traumatic brain injury survivors, and inevitably, hospice clients. Every single one of them has taught me something.

Caregiving shaped who I am. It taught me how to adapt, how to communicate, and how to build relationships with people from every walk of life. And it’s the heart of what I bring into Carelink—not just staffing caregivers, but making real matches that work.