In this episode of A Minute with Maxwell: Mission in Motion, host Heather Maxwell continues the conversation with Mike Traub, former Vice President of Operations at Riverstone Retirement Communities, and Arta Shala, now Riverstone’s Vice President of Operations, to explore how lived experience, immigration, and frontline work shape people-first leadership in senior living.

From arriving in Canada with two duffel bags and no clear plan, to walking through a snowstorm to her first retirement home interview, Arta shares how chance, courage, and deep respect for elders led her into the sector—and why she never looked back.

Through powerful resident stories, including a Holocaust survivor whose quiet rituals spoke volumes, Arta reveals how listening beyond the surface transformed the way she leads teams, supports families, and carries forward Riverstone’s people-first culture.

Key themes they explore include:

• Immigrant experience and leadership lens: How Arta’s journey from a war-torn country to Canada shaped her resilience, empathy, and refusal to take opportunity for granted—and how that perspective informs every leadership decision she makes today.
• Frontline to executive leadership: Why starting as an office manager in a retirement home gave Arta a ground-level understanding of residents, families, and staff that now guides her as VP of Operations.
• Seeing beyond the surface in resident care: The story of a Nazi camp survivor, and how understanding hidden histories changed Arta’s approach to care, compassion, and dignity in senior living.
• People-first as a daily practice: How small moments—checking in on a withdrawn team member, asking “Are you really okay?”—reinforce the belief that “it’s a people business” where kindness, curiosity, and non-judgment are non-negotiable.
• Determination, fairness, and growth: The realities of being underpaid, having to work harder for promotions as a newcomer, and why those experiences made Arta more determined to build workplaces where people feel seen, valued, and supported.

The conversation offers an honest, story-driven look at what it means to lead with humanity in senior living—drawing on personal history, cultural transition, and everyday moments of care to shape a leadership style where people come first, and everything else follows.

About Maxwell Management Group

This podcast is brought to you by Maxwell Management Group, a national executive search and education firm specializing in the continuing care sector. For nearly two decades, they’ve partnered with organizations to build values-driven leadership, vibrant workplace cultures, and purpose-led employer brands.

Learn more: maxwellmanagementgroup.com

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro: Mission in Motion & Guest Introductions
00:09 – Why Mike Chose to Mentor Arta as His Successor
01:07 – Heather’s Welcome and Episode Framing
01:20 – Arta’s Unplanned Entry into Retirement Living
03:02 – First Job in Retirement & Early Culture Shock
03:13 – The Story of Mrs. Zem and Seeing Beyond the Surface
05:59 – “Be Kind”: The People-First Nature of Senior Living
06:39 – Arta’s Immigration Story: From War-Torn Kosovo to Canada
08:57 – An Immigrant Lens on Team Members’ Hidden Struggles
10:44 – Family Roots: Parents, Daughter, and Leadership Values
13:14 – Challenges as a Woman and Immigrant Leader
16:08 – Leading a Large, Diverse Team at Riverstone
22:45 – Psychological Safety, Trust, and Frontline Voices
26:55 – Mike on Retirement, Hobbies, and Ongoing Mentorship
28:11 – Mike’s Legacy: People, Properties, and Riverstone’s Growth
30:00 – Succession Planning Advice for Executives Nearing Retirement
31:32 – How Arta Defines Success and Leadership Today
34:27 – Advice to Newcomers & the Power of Mentorship
38:56 – When You Must Hire Externally: Choosing the Right Search Partner
42:01 – Final Reflections on Purposeful Careers in Senior Living

In this episode of A Minute with Maxwell: Mission in Motion, host Heather Maxwell sits down with Mike Traub, former Vice President of Operations at Riverstone Retirement Communities, and Arta Shala, now Riverstone’s Vice President of Operations, to explore what legacy leadership and people-first succession look like in senior living.

From building Riverstone “boots on the ground,” to leading through COVID-19 without ever closing the office, to cultivating teams and residents who stay for 15+ years, Mike and Arta offer a rare, practical look at succession planning that is both strategic and deeply human.

Key themes they explore include:

• Legacy leadership in senior living: How Mike intentionally prepared his own successor—from identifying Arta’s potential to gradually expanding her responsibility—so Riverstone could grow without disrupting residents, families, or staff.
• People-first, profit-follows philosophy: Why Riverstone’s guiding principle—“We look after the people and then the profits follow”—has shaped culture, operations, and long-term success across all communities.
• Mentorship and internal promotion in action: Real stories of informal mentorship, stretch assignments, and how most support office roles (and even a former accountant) were developed into successful leaders from within.
• Leading through COVID-19 and rapid growth: How Mike and Arta stayed “boots on the ground,” supported homes that couldn’t work remotely, and maintained trust, stability, and continuity during crisis and expansion.

The conversation offers a grounded, story-rich roadmap for organizations that want to turn mentorship, internal promotion, and succession planning into everyday leadership practices—especially in mission-driven sectors like senior living.

About Maxwell Management Group

This podcast is brought to you by Maxwell Management Group, a national executive search and education firm specializing in the continuing care sector. For nearly two decades, they’ve partnered with organizations to build values-driven leadership, vibrant workplace cultures, and purpose-led employer brands.

Learn more: maxwellmanagementgroup.com

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro: Legacy Leadership in Senior Living
00:59 – Early Impressions of Arta’s People-First Management
03:03 – Mike’s Path: From Hotels to Retirement Living
05:57 – People-First, Profit-Follows Philosophy
06:39 – Growth, COVID-19 & Responsibility to Residents
12:42 – Choosing Arta as Successor & Mentorship Begins
17:15 – Culture, Connection & Stories of Long Tenure
20:21 – Inside the Mentorship: Exposure to the Executive Role
24:34 – Why Succession Planning Matters
26:30 – Arta’s Journey: Being Mentored into Leadership
29:31 – Practical, Informal Mentorship & Internal Promotion
33:37 – Outro

In this episode of A Minute with Maxwell: Mission in Motion, host Heather Maxwell sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Rachel Toledano to explore how workplace mental health has transformed since COVID-19. They discuss the most common mental health challenges facing today’s workforce, why supporting mental health is now a business imperative, and how organizations can create psychologically safe cultures. From no-cost strategies like flexibility, trust, and daily recognition, to paid supports such as enhanced benefits and EAPs, Rachel shares practical, actionable ways leaders can better support their teams.

• Post-COVID shift in mental health: From stigma to normalization; “everyone was struggling” so the conversation opened up.
• Common workplace mental health challenges: Burnout/adjustment disorders, depression, anxiety, and especially substance use concerns.
• Evolution of EAPs and access to care: From a few in‑person sessions to ongoing, flexible, remote and tech-enabled support.
• Role of technology & AI: Tele-mental health, AI-driven matching with therapists (language, culture, identity, role-specific needs).
• Psychological safety at work: Reducing stressors like workload, role overload, and poor work-life balance; clear responsibility between employer and employee.
• Organizational responsibility & ROI: Mental health as a business imperative with clear return on investment.
• Leadership behaviors: Empathy, active listening, non-judgment, openness, and having real human conversations about struggle.
• No-cost / low-cost supports: Flex work where possible, reduced micromanagement, autonomy, trust, and everyday recognition and gratitude.
• Paid supports: Benefits for mental health, improved EAP structures, ergonomic and practical supports, dedicated mental health roles.
• Workplace culture & energy: How toxic versus positive cultures impact energy, engagement, productivity, and burnout.
• Burnout and return-to-work: Need for real accommodations and dialogue to prevent relapse, not just box-ticking.
• Using data for action: Turning engagement and satisfaction surveys into concrete, visible changes and closing the feedback loop with employees.

The conversation also looks ahead at trends like AI-driven care, tele-mental health, and holistic wellness approaches that are reshaping how we think about work, well-being, and burnout prevention.

About Maxwell Management Group

This podcast is brought to you by Maxwell Management Group, a national executive search and education firm specializing in the continuing care sector. For nearly two decades, they’ve partnered with organizations to build values-driven leadership, vibrant workplace cultures, and purpose-led employer brands.

Learn more: maxwellmanagementgroup.com

In this episode of A Minute with Maxwell – Mission in Motion, Heather Maxwell sits down with Derrick Bernardo, President & CEO of Broadmead Care in British Columbia, one of the province’s most respected continuing care organizations.

Derrick shares his leadership journey from his first role in a psychiatric hospital to leading a rapidly growing, innovation-driven non-profit that serves veterans, seniors, and younger adults with disabilities. He reflects on:

• How early exposure to interdisciplinary teamwork shaped his collaborative leadership style
• The turning point of opening his first long-term care home and learning to balance high standards with adaptability
• Broadmead Care’s evolution from a single veterans’ lodge to a multi-site organization with seven homes and expanding third‑party management up Island
• The internal culture shift behind the “You Matter” commitment and how it’s improving staff retention, psychological safety, and resident experience
• Broadmead’s Long Term Care at Home program (federally funded to 2028), using technology and home care to help seniors safely age in place and reduce ER visits and hospitalizations

Derrick and Heather also dig into:

• Common misconceptions about long-term and continuing care across Canadian provinces
• Why innovation ecosystems, partnerships and new models of care (like campuses of care and concierge-style independent living) are crucial for the future
• How Broadmead is tackling workforce challenges through creative recruitment, recognition programs (like the “You’re a Gem” award), and wellness initiatives
• Why Derek believes seniors care offers limitless career paths—far beyond nursing alone

Derrick closes with advice to his younger self—and to emerging leaders: take risks, listen first, act second, and never underestimate the power of relationships and engagement.

If you’re a leader, policymaker, or professional in the continuing care sector—or simply care about how we support an aging population—this episode offers a hopeful, practical look at what’s possible when innovation and compassion meet.

About Maxwell Management Group

This podcast is brought to you by Maxwell Management Group, a national executive search and education firm specializing in the continuing care sector. For nearly two decades, they’ve partnered with organizations to build values-driven leadership, vibrant workplace cultures, and purpose-led employer brands.

Learn more: maxwellmanagementgroup.com

In this episode of A Minute with Maxwell: Mission in Motion, host Heather Maxwell sits down with Rebecca Greenberg, a bioethicist, nurse consultant, and founder of Greenberg Consulting, to explore the often hidden reality of moral distress in healthcare, especially in nursing and long-term care.

Rebecca explains how she transitioned from bedside nursing into bioethics, driven by her early fascination with big philosophical and ethical questions. She shares a powerful story from her time as a nurse caring for a terminally ill patient whose family was not ready to choose a palliative care path, leaving staff to deliver aggressive treatment they felt was causing more harm than good.

Together, Heather and Rebecca unpack:

• What is moral distress?
• How moral distress shows up in long-term care
• Moral distress and Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)
• Moral distress vs. burnout
• Staffing shortages, system pressures, and moral distress
• What organizations can do: supports that actually help
• Self-care, boundaries, and realistic expectations
• Hope, moral resilience, and culture change
• Advice to nurses and care professionals

Website: greenbergconsulting.ca

Social: Search Greenberg Consulting on Instagram or LinkedIn

About Maxwell Management Group

This podcast is brought to you by Maxwell Management Group, a national executive search and education firm specializing in the continuing care sector. For nearly two decades, they’ve partnered with organizations to build values-driven leadership, vibrant workplace cultures, and purpose-led employer brands.

Learn more: maxwellmanagementgroup.com

In this episode, host Heather Maxwell sits down with Jeff Renaud, a passionate leader in long-term care who is on a mission to inspire the next generation of caregivers. Jeff shares why a career in long-term care is both meaningful and rewarding, breaking old myths about the sector being low-paying or limited in opportunity. He explains how leaders can transfer passion to young professionals, helping them see long-term care as a place to grow, contribute, and make a real impact on society. If you’re a young professional, student, or healthcare leader curious about long-term care careers, this conversation will open your eyes to the possibilities.

Keywords: long-term care, long-term care careers, senior care, leadership in healthcare, young professionals, healthcare careers, caregiving, meaningful work, healthcare leadership, career advice, Jeff Renaud, Heather Maxwell

00:00 – Introduction to Heather Maxwell and guest Jeff Renaud
01:00 – Why Jeff is passionate about long-term care
03:00 – What leaders can do to inspire young professionals
06:00 – Is long-term care still “low paying”? Debunking old myths
09:00 – Meaningful careers: making a real impact in society
12:00 – Advice for students and young professionals considering long-term care
15:00 – Final thoughts and message to future leaders

In this special Holiday edition of “Mission in Motion: A Minute with Maxwell”, Heather Maxwell brings together the Maxwell Management Group team for a warm, funny, and heartfelt year-end reflection.

From coast-to-coast travel mishaps and wrong-address meetings (with muffin rewards!) to mayoral campaigns, lipstick regrets on Zoom, and the mystery of getting into a Fort Knox–style Airbnb, the team shares real stories behind a year of serving Canada’s healthcare and nonprofit sectors.

You’ll hear from leaders across recruitment, executive coaching, and education as they reflect on:

• What makes Maxwell’s coaching, education, and recruitment approach unique
• How they support new leaders during their first critical months in role
• The importance of alignment, purpose, and culture in long-term care and healthcare organizations
• Personal lessons in resilience, kindness, courage, and connection
• Hopes for the future of people & culture innovation in continuing care

Whether you’re a leader, HR professional, or part of a care team, this episode offers encouragement, insight, and a reminder that behind every strong organization is a team of humans doing their best, with humor, heart, and a Santa hat (or slightly shrunken one).

00:00 – Festive welcome & year-in-review introduction with Heather
03:05 – Jackie on what makes Maxwell’s coaching division unique
04:15 – Supporting new leaders with aligned values & executive coaching
05:10 – Anna’s “lipstick on Zoom” confession & online education vibes
06:45 – Heather on live online classes for new leaders across Canada
07:49 – Catherine’s plot twist: showing up at the wrong address
08:47 – Turning mishaps into lessons (and muffins) in recruitment
09:13 – Thank you to the West Coast team & intro to Daniel
10:24 – Daniel’s big surprise: announcing a run for mayor
12:04 – The BC road trip & the “Fort Knox” Airbnb adventure
15:06 – How Heather met Hillary at a women’s event
15:22 – Hillary’s magic wand: courage, calm, and kindness at work
16:32 – Leading with empathy and compassion in people & culture
17:17 – Sponsor segment: About Maxwell Management Group’s mission
18:51 – Welcoming Laura: the power of executive coaching
20:25 – Continuity of care for leaders and organizations
22:38 – Setting up leaders for success in their first 30–180 days
24:33 – Coaching real-world challenges: change, policies, and pets at work
27:27 – How Laura knows coaching is working
29:12 – Leaders embracing coaching as a tool, not a test
32:54 – Charlyn’s reflections on growth, mentorship, and impact
35:31 – Janice’s year as an advent calendar & Swiss army knife
37:27 – The joy of relationships with clients and candidates
39:05 – Heather’s closing reflections & gratitude for 18+ years in business

Learn more about Maxwell Management Group’s executive search, coaching, and education services:
👉 https://maxwellmanagementgroup.com