IAM151- Podcaster, Photographer and Caregiver Runs Podcast to Support and Offer Information on Alzheimer

Jennifer Fink has a family history of Alzheimer’s disease. After her father died she & her sister became responsible for their Mother who has advanced Alzheimer’s Looking for support, answers and more Jennifer did deep internet research dives but came up short. Realizing that as one of the more than 16 million unpaid family caregivers she couldn't be the only one searching for help so she decided to create her own podcast. While still new, Fading Memories has already helped many people including Jennifer. Being part of the podcasting and caregiving community has given her more than she expected when she conceived of the plan to start a supportive podcast.

• CEO Hack: Buffer for scheduling posts
• CEO Nugget: (1) Do something you love and have a passion for it (2) Sometimes you just have to listen to yourself
• CEO Defined: Balance and flexibility to do what you want

Website: http://www.fadingmemoriespodcast.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jennifer_Fink
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fading-Memories-Podcast-1983477658647638/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alzheimerspodcast/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-fink-338957/

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Transcription:

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:27

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Jennifer Fink of Fading Memories Podcast. Jennifer, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Jennifer Fink 0:36

Well, thank you. Good morning to everyone.

Gresham Harkless 0:38

Good morning to you. And what I want to do is just read a little bit more about Jennifer, so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Jennifer Fink has a family history of Alzheimer's disease. After her father died, she and her sister became responsible for their mother who had advanced Alzheimer's disease looking for support and answers Jennifer did a deep dive into internet research but came up short. Realizing that one of the more than 16 unpaid family caregivers, she couldn't be the only one searching for help so she decided to create her own podcast. While still, new Fading Memories has already helped many people, including Jennifer. Being part of the podcasting and caregiving community has given her more than she expected when she conceived of the plan to start a supportive podcast. Jennifer, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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Jennifer Fink 1:26

Definitely.

Gresham Harkless 1:27

Awesome, awesome. So what I wanted to do, is hear a little bit more about your CEO story, and what led you to start your business.

Jennifer Fink 1:33

Well, I've always been an entrepreneur, and my main career at this point is as a professional photographer. But that's an industry that's changing dramatically with cell phones, digital, and all that stuff, and not necessarily changing for the best, in my opinion. So I've been looking for something different for a few years. And like the bio says I was searching for ways to connect better with my mom and coming up short.

And I realized I think the bio is slightly wrong. There are over 16 million unpaid family caregivers in America. And I couldn't possibly be the only one looking for better solutions. So I searched for a podcast that also came up short, there are a couple that didn't appeal to me. And so one day while I was at the gym, I thought, hey, why not start my own? And I love it. The conversations with people are beneficial. They're healing in a lot of ways. They're fun, and I'm loving every step of the way. So that's the short take on the journey.

Gresham Harkless 2:38

Okay, that makes perfect sense. And obviously sorry to hear about everything that went on with your father. And obviously helping to support your mother, you're definitely courageous for being able to do that. And I always say like, in the true entrepreneurial form you saw a problem. And you said, Okay, well, there's nothing here that's kind of filling that gap. So I'm gonna decide to create it myself. It sounds like.

Jennifer Fink 2:58

Exactly

Gresham Harkless 2:59

Yeah. And I wanted to drill a little bit deeper. Could you tell us guess a little bit more about your podcast, and then also about what type of photography you do as well?

Jennifer Fink 3:06

Well, the photography part's easy. I'm a professional portrait photographer, and I get to make beautiful pictures of everyday people, which is always a challenge. But it's fun. I've been doing that for 26 years.

Gresham Harkless 3:19

Nice.

Jennifer Fink 3:19

So it's nice to have a new challenge in the podcast, I wasn't sure what direction I was going to go with it other than a supportive podcast for caregivers like myself until I started working on episodes, the very first one I did was a bunch of different audio recordings of my time visiting mom. And that took so many hours to piece together into something that I thought might be worthy of listening to that. I'm like, no, this is not the direction we're going. I don't have this many hours every week. She's not always super conversational. So I knew that wasn't sustainable.

So I started looking around. And people started coming to me with hey, you know, I have this question, or have you heard of this? And just, started with the idea that I wanted to pass on the information that I wish I had known when my mother was in earlier stages, there are so many outlets for help and support and information out there. And almost everybody I've spoken to is shocked when they realize I didn't know there was, you know, this help or this information or this product and it seems like we're all caregiving in the dark.

And that's no good. So since May 1, my goal has been to pass on all the information I've learned dealing with my mom, starting the podcast, learning, doing research, and finding out more about what options are what help there is because we're not in the dark. There's a ton of stuff out there. We just need to share it better.

Gresham Harkless 4:48

Absolutely. And I've always heard that and especially when something does happen to whether it be a father, a mother, grandparent, whatever, often you're kind of obviously dealing with that but being able to take time to do the research and all that's kind of like not something you have time to do or even the focus to do to make the right decision. So the fact that you put in that time and not only did it for your father but also are taking your time and your talents to be able to create this podcast to help others is definitely admirable.

Jennifer Fink 5:18

Thank you. And it's been exciting. I've had my episode that's coming out next week, I talked to a podcaster and his mom, they lost grandma/mom in June, and his podcasting partner thought, oh, you know, doing an episode with me would help them process. Well, their episode is fantastic, the way their family came together when Dad threw up the white flag and said, I can't do this anymore. I need you guys to find a caring community for Mom/grandpa, and what they did, they call it the committee.

And it's a blueprint that I think every family should hear and hopefully, take to heart and follow as a guide because I was just, it was so inspiring. And one of the problems a lot of families have is its constant grief, I go and I see my mom, and she's not doing as well, or some days, like this week, she was a lot, she was dressed better, she looked more put together, I'm like, Okay, this is a good day, some days, it's just, she just seems really lost in her own mind.

And it's, I call it a death by 1000 cuts because it's just difficult. It's not, it's a very long process. And it doesn't take the same path for everybody. So it's hard to deal with on a basis in a daily basis, and some family members can't do it, they don't think they can do it, and they're afraid to try. So it ends up being the burden of one or two siblings to date, take care of a parent, or handle most of the work and the way they went around that was fantastic. So I've learned a lot. It's just it's been an exciting journey.

Gresham Harkless 6:59

Now, I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. And this could be what you feel kind of sets you apart or your podcast apart. And what makes you unique.

Jennifer Fink 7:07

When I first started, I was still processing some grief and anger after my father died. People that have listened to the podcast will understand why because I do talk about it. And I wanted to be very open and share. But at one beginning of an episode, I had my husband listen to him, like is this kind of too negative? And he goes, Oh, God, yeah, you need to delete that.

So I did. And I tried very hard to be fun and positive and throw in the humor because if you can't find the humor in dealing with this disease, you will lose your mind literally. And it just that's just a place people don't want to go. So it's I can try to keep it very personal. I could try to keep the humor in it. And I just try to be very open.

And I think that's what people are responding to in one of the podcasts that talk about Alzheimer's, that's similar to mine. I haven't heard her talk about her personal journey much. She's been around a lot longer. And I'm sure it's there. But one of the reasons that I started my podcast was I couldn't handle her audio quality. If I think it's the artist in me, it's I just couldn't hack it.

And there's some of the episodes were so bad I could listen to it with earbuds it was like, the host was at one volume and the interviewee was at another volume, it was much lower, and it was like, you're constantly turning the volume up and down. I'm like, I can't do this. I want to hear this person speak. I've met this person in real life. And I can't listen to this episode. So I try to keep in mind that even though it's just me, I'm just a little one-person podcast right now. I want to keep it personal and humorous and honest. And I think that's what people respond to is it's, they can relate.

Gresham Harkless 8:48

Yeah, I think especially in this day and age when you are open and honest. And you're telling your story people do connect with that, because during difficult times, especially usually you kind of clam up I guess you can say and then you don't necessarily want to talk about it, but the fact that you're able to tell your story and you're empowering others to definitely, you know, listen to your podcast for one, but definitely, I'm sure to reach out and see how they can learn from you and then also get help as well. So it's awesome that you're able to do that.

Jennifer Fink 9:15

And I've been trying to connect with people on social media, there's a gal on Twitter, whose situation makes mine look like a walk in the park. And when I see her making comments that could be described as kind of a little bit of cry for help. I tried to respond and give advice and like a long-distance hug because I can't imagine walking in her shoes and I know what walking in mind is like hers is even worse.

And there's a couple of people online that I kind of check in on a daily basis because I just don't know how they get up every day. I really don't so I can see that she needs help and try and I'm trying a little bit that I can to help because I've gained so much knowledge it would be I think it would be wrong to not share it so.

Gresham Harkless 9:58

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. It's kind of like our duty to do that. So I appreciate you for doing that. And now I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an app or book or habit that you have. But it's something that makes you more effective and efficient as a business owner.

Jennifer Fink 10:13

Oh, that's tough, because I'm doing so many different things right now. But I've there are so many online tools because the photography business is changing and not in the best way. It's definitely the opposite of growing, I don't have a ton of money to advertise and promote the podcast. So I've greatly learned how to do it through social media. And I use the scheduling platform Buffer because I don't have time to do this stuff daily. So I go in a couple of times a week to fill up a week or two of social media posts. I look at my calendar and see, okay, what am I going to be doing that day, my husband ran for city council. So I was I utilize social media for his campaign. And I learned how to make it personal even though I'm scheduling it a week or two out.

Gresham Harkless 11:01

Nice, nice. No Buffer is definitely a great CEO hack. Now, I wanted to ask you for a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or piece of advice. Or if you can happen to a time machine. What would you tell your younger business self?

Jennifer Fink 11:11

Oh, well, definitely word of wisdom is you know, this is cheesy because everybody says this, but it's do something that you love something you're passionate about. I mean, the podcast is new, it's not monetized yet. So it's definitely a passion project at this point. And there are times I think, man, I don't know, if I'm sure I'm ever gonna get to a point where this is making money. But I, I know what I'm doing is for good.

So I keep going, do what you love. And then you don't work a day in your life. I'm sure people have heard that a lot. But that's been my mantra for the last 26 years. And if I went in a time machine, I don't I think I would tell somebody that constantly, if I would tell myself really think outside the box, I've listened to advice from rock stars, professional photographers, and other industry notables.

And I find a lot of the times their advice doesn't apply to me the photography, and they're always saying, you aren't your own client you have to focus on this other demographic. And when I stopped listening to that, and realized, yes, I am actually my own client, my clients are just like me, how would I want to be marketed to what would I want? What would make me spend more money happily, I was much more successful.

So sometimes you just have to listen to your inner voice. And other times you have to step outside of yourself and try to look in so you can find the little thing that you aren't doing that will probably make a difference.

Gresham Harkless 12:38

That makes perfect sense.

Jennifer Fink 12:40

I was hoping that made sense.

Gresham Harkless 12:41

Yeah. I mean, I like the idea, especially of scratching your own itch, so to speak, because a lot of times some of the best ideas that I've heard have been from people that have had issues even your podcast, because you went through your with your father, and then your mother, now you decided to create something. So it definitely sounds like you're doing something phenomenal, and you're creating something.

And sometimes we never know exactly how that end product will manifest itself. But I believe full-heartedly in what you said, if you can follow your path, follow what your love, follow what you are, and is your gift, that will align and lead you down the right path. So I definitely agree with that.

Now, I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is a definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote, CEOs on the show. So I wanted to ask you, Jennifer, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Jennifer Fink 13:26

I think that I have the I have balance and flexibility in my life to do all of the things I want to do. I go to the gym in the morning. I normally cycle on Wednesdays and Fridays, but I am in the worst, Arizona and California thanks to all the fires right now, it's pretty bad. And there are times I think, you know, the household is struggling monetarily. So maybe I should just go get a real job quote-unquote.

And I look back and I'm like, if I got a 9 to 5 job and commuted somewhere, I wouldn't be able to deal with my mom and her needs. And I wouldn't be able to work on the podcast. And so I just move forward in trying to try and find the sweet spot of monetization and doing a passion project that makes me happy and benefits other people. And now it just it I think it just means you're in charge of your own life.

Gresham Harkless 14:20

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And sometimes whether highs or lows, sometimes you just have to keep moving forward. And a lot of times, that's what's kind of separates people as a whole. So I definitely appreciate you for sharing that definition with us. And what I want to do is pass you the mic just to see if there's anything additional that you want to let our readers and our listeners know and then also how best people can get a hold of you. And of course, subscribe to your podcast.

Jennifer Fink 14:40

Well, I'll start with the easy part. The podcast is on Apple and Google podcasts and probably most podcast platforms. The podcast host I use pushes it out in places that I'm not familiar with because I'm an all-Apple person all the time. I've been an Apple computer user since 1982. But the website for the podcast is fadingmemoriespodcast.com. I post a lot of additional information if I'm talking to somebody I think this week's episode was on long-distance caregiving.

So I link articles and basically blog about how to do that effectively. So there's definitely you can listen, you can read, you can do both. I think people need to know that, well, life is short, although my grandmother is almost 101. So I'm not so sure, I always believe that. And you need to do what makes you happy. And you need to adjust your life so that if you're happy at a lower income level, versus maybe you want to be at a corner office level, but that doesn't make you happy, do what makes you happy, because, if you're unhappy, life's gonna be long and unpleasant.

And that's been my motto for a long time. I'd rather have the flexibility and the freedom to do what I feel is right, what makes me happy versus chasing the almighty dollar. I think that has led me to find things that I'm very good at that I can then turn into a business.

Gresham Harkless 16:08

That makes perfect sense. And yeah, that's definitely a good reminder for everybody. So Jennifer, I truly appreciate you for taking some time out of your schedule. We'll make sure to have all those links in the show notes as well. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Jennifer Fink 16:20

You too. Thanks so much.

Outro 16:21

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co

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