In this episode, host Chris LaVictoire Mahai sits down with Tia Newcomer, CEO of CaringBridge, to discuss those who are critical to the health and wellness of our inner circles and broader communities yet far too often left out of the conversation: caregivers.

Together, Tia and Chris unpack questions and stories that illuminate the unpaid caregiver experience today: Who are they? What barriers and burdens do they face? What value, seen and unseen, do they provide? And, as our title suggests, who in healthcare truly cares about them?

New this season! Each episode features consumer voices and testimonials based on their experiences, allowing us to truly orient our conversations from the “outside-in.” Thank you to those who shared their experiences with us.

About our guest

Tia Newcomer has a career of leading, building and creating great cultures that drive enterprise value through world class customer experience supported by scalable technology platforms at companies that care about, and for, humans.

She joined the CaringBridge team as CEO in 2021, ensuring all operations contribute toward the CaringBridge vision – a world where no one goes through a health journey alone. Tia is passionate about building on the 24-year CaringBridge legacy and leading the team in finding the next opportunities for growth that exponentially help more families with their health journeys.

Prior to joining CaringBridge, Tia was Chief Commercial Officer at Generate Life sciences and has spent the last decade in executive healthcare industry roles (Cord Blood Registry, Prelude Fertility, Kindara) with a foundation in technology and consumer packaged goods (Hewlett Packard, Frito Lay, Clorox, Revlon). She is also a board member and advisor providing go to market expertise that drives focus and higher IRR for life sciences companies.

About CaringBridge

CaringBridge is a nonprofit social network that helps people connect with friends and family during a health journey. Founded in Eagan, Minnesota in 1997 by Sona Mehring, CaringBridge has made it simple and safe to offer or ask for support when it’s needed most. With more than 300,000 active daily users—CaringBridge offers simple tools for patients and their caregivers to share health updates and rally their community’s support.

A health journey of any kind—diagnosis, injury, medical or behavioral illness, pregnancy complications or other experiences—is difficult to endure alone. CaringBridge is here to ensure that no one goes through a health journey alone. You can learn more about CaringBridge at their website: CaringBridge.org.

Episode resources

Link to CaringBridge’s article on caregiver stress, mentioned by Tia in this episode: 14 Life-Changing Tips for Managing Caregiver Stress | CaringBridge

Memorable quotes from this episode:

“Whole person care is talked about a lot right now in the healthcare industry. And whole person care isn’t individual to the patient; it’s all the people surrounding them. […] We have to remember that the caregiver is very important to the outcomes of that patient.“

Tia Newcomer

“I think the first hurdle, quite honestly, is getting people to realize that they’re in this position… and, by the way, it’s a really important position. Because the more that we identify caregivers, the more we can help.”

Tia Newcomer