Ensuring No One Goes Through a Health Journey Alone: Be Unapologetically Yourself (ft. Tia Newcomer)

Ed Marx (00:01)
Hey, it's Ed. Welcome to another edition of Digital Voices. Thank you for listening. I have so many choices of great podcasts out there. I listened to a bunch of them myself. You've chosen time with us. I just want to share how thankful I am and we're going to make it worth your while again because we have a fabulous guest as always and this time it's Tia Newcomer. Tia, welcome to Digital

Tia Newcomer (00:26)
Thank you so much Ed, I'm really excited to be

Ed Marx (00:26)
Thank you so much Ed, I'm really excited to be here. So Tia is for, we have some visual, but this is mostly a non -visual podcast, but wrote the forward for Diagnose. Yes, we both have, and we both have our carrying bridge shirts on and it'll make a lot of sense here in a second. She wrote the forward. Thank you so much for the book that Chris Ross and I have been working on for years. That's finally coming out in September of 24. I'm super excited about it Tia, thank you so much for.

writing the Ford and that's essentially how we first met is Chris Ross is a member of your board at CaringBridge and he brought us together and since then we've developed a friendship and I was like, man, I love CaringBridge. You're the CEO. I was like, you have to be on digital voices so we can share more about the great things that CaringBridge does.

So with that, Tia, again, welcome to Digital Voices. And the most important question that we ask Tia is, what songs are in your playlist?

Tia Newcomer (01:38)
I love this question. I have a wide, vast genre of music that I like to listen to. Electronic, indie, country, 80s to 2000s to present. So I'm gonna give you a couple. So one, I just discovered this great new artist called Chappell Rhone. My girls laughed at me. They're like, she's popular. You didn't discover her, but for me at my age, she's great. Chappell Rhone and one of my favorite songs that she has out is called After Midnight.

Ed Marx (01:38)
I love this question. I have a wide, vast genre of music that I like to listen to. Electronic, indie, country, 80s to 2000s to present. So I'm gonna give you a couple. So one, I just discovered this great new artist called Chappell Rhone. My girls laughed at me. They're like, she's popular. You didn't discover her, but for me at my age, she's great. Chappell Rhone and one of my favorite songs that she has, that is called After Midnight.

I love a good Chicago and Peter Saterra. One of my favorite is Along Comes a Woman. I can also rock out to some rap type music. So Players by Koy LaRae, which is very popular. And then my daughter is a commercial vocalist. And so she introduced me to a lot of really cool songs. There's one called July by Sir Chloe, if you've heard of

Tia Newcomer (02:06)
I love a good Chicago and Peter Saterra. One of my favorite is Along Comes a Woman. I can also rock out to some rap type music. So Players by Koi Lare, which is very popular. And then my daughter is a commercial vocalist. And so she introduced me to a lot of really cool songs. There's one called July by Sir Chloe, if you've heard of

And then my country list is quite extensive. It's all from the eighties, things like Strawberry Wine by Diana Carter. I could go on. I can't forget Erasure, OMD. Those are some of my favorite back from eighties and nineties. And then I always, always, and I will end with this, a song from, or songs plural, because I love Britney Spears and her collection of music. So that all sounds beautiful, but I got to tell you, I her. So there you go.

Ed Marx (02:30)
And then my country list is quite expensive. It's all from the eighties, things like Strawberry Wine by Diana Carter. I could go on. I can't forget Erasure, OMD, those are some of my favorite back from the eighties and nineties. And then I always, always, and I will end with this, a song from, or songs plural, cause I love Britney Spears and her collection of music. So that all blocks people, but I gotta tell you, I her.

Yeah, there you go. You're not the first one. You're not the first Britney fan and we do have a Spotify playlist for digital voices and we'll be sure to add some of those on especially the first one you mentioned which was chaperone. Yeah, okay. Chaperone. All right and we're gonna yeah definitely add that. What about a life message or mantra? Is there some words that you live by?

Tia Newcomer (03:12)
Yep. Chapel Road. Yep.

Absolutely. What you do today is important because you exchange a day of your life for it. And I'll just give you context. My husband's a two -time cancer survivor. And when I first met him and the first time I went into his home that he was living at, that was this tattered piece of paper on the refrigerator. And I found that that was his motto when he was 18 years old, actually 17, going on 18 through his first cancer journey. So...

Ed Marx (03:23)
Absolutely. What you do today is important because you exchange a day of your life for it. And I'll just give you context. My husband's a two -time cancer survivor. And when I first met him, the first time I went into his home that he was living at, that was this tattered piece of paper on the refrigerator. And I found that that was his motto when he was 18 years old, actually 17, going on 18, through his first cancer journey.

Tia Newcomer (03:50)
You know, it changed his life clearly and it changed his outlook on life. And because of that, it's helped me change my outlook. So it's one of my favorite.

Ed Marx (03:50)
You know, it changed his life clearly and it changed his outlook on life. And because of that, it's helped me change my outlook. So it's one of my favorite. Yeah, I love that. And we have a playlist for everyone's mantras as well that we're going to publish soon. And that's another great one. So yeah, thank you so much for sharing.

So Tia, we jumped right into the whole thing, know, CaringBridge and everything. Tell us before we go deeper into CaringBridge, tell us a little bit about your story, personal, professional, and sort of all the way up to today.

Tia Newcomer (04:27)
Yeah, so I'm going start with that. My husband, right? So meeting my husband has actually changed both the way I approach what I do as well as my career. so I also want to mention he is now retired firefighter paramedic. So he's been on the front lines for almost 30 years.

Ed Marx (04:28)
Yeah. So I'm going to start with that. husband, right? So meeting my husband has actually changed both the way I approach what I do as well as my career. And so I also want to mention he is now retired firefighter paramedic. So I've been on the front lines for almost 30 years. And what that does and why I bring that up is you live with someone that comes home every day and you think you have a hard day. used to work at HP selling.

Tia Newcomer (04:47)
And what that does and why I bring that up is you live with someone that comes home every day and is, you you think you have a hard day. I used to work at HP selling season printers and then you have someone that's like, you know, we're debriefing on our day and, know, he's had 17 calls, slept all of three hours and has saved, you know, three lives and it's like no big deal.

Ed Marx (04:57)
season printers and then you have someone that's like, you know, we're debriefing on our day and you know, he's had 17 calls, slept all of three hours and has saved, you know, three lives and it's like no big deal. And so it definitely puts perspective on what's important today along with obviously his cancer survivorship.

Tia Newcomer (05:08)
And so it definitely puts perspective on what's important today, along with obviously his cancer survivorship.

So I'll get to my career. But one other significant moment is that second bout with cancer that my husband had was when I was six months pregnant with our second daughter. And so, you know, my passion for where I am today and my leap into healthcare, which I'll talk about is because of the things I've gone through both both as a caregiver, but as a spouse of someone that's on the front lines day to day. So my career, you know, where has gone and this will be part of my life lessons, right? So I graduated with a degree in

Ed Marx (05:19)
So I'll get to my career, but one other significant moment is that second bout with cancer that my husband had was when I was six months pregnant with our second daughter. And so, you know, my passion for where I am today and my leap into healthcare, which I'll talk about, is because of the things I've gone through, both as a caregiver, but as a spouse of someone that's on the front lines day to day.

So my career, know, where has it gone? And this will be part of my life lessons, right? So I graduated with a degree in journalism and mass communications, thinking I was going to go into advertising. Suddenly found myself catapulted into sales, a sales role. Best decision I ever made was, I call it carrying the bag on the front line, because it informed, it has informed everything I've done going forward, because when you're on the front line and see, you're trying to sell the things

Tia Newcomer (05:48)
and mass communications, thinking I was going to go into advertising. Suddenly found myself catapulted into sales, a sales role. Best decision I ever made was, I call it carrying the bag on the front line because it informed, it has informed everything I've done going forward because when you're on the front line and see, you're trying to sell the things that people, as we used to call them the glass palace of design, which I guess now I'm in the glass palace. So it's changed my perspective in my career. So I started in sales at a company

Ed Marx (06:08)
people as we used to call them, the glass palace of design, which I guess now I'm in the glass palace. it's changed my perspective in my career. So I started in sales at a company called Revlon Cosmetics, which I think everyone knows, the Revlon brands, along with Evergirl and all of that. I also then have a hold into from sales into analytics. We now call it,

Tia Newcomer (06:18)
called Revlon Cosmetics, which I think everyone knows, the Revlon brand, along with Overgirl and all of that. I also then catapulted into, from sales into analytics. We now call it business intelligence, all the things, but back then we called it category management, also essential. That analytics lens coming from sales into analytics also has been foundational.

Ed Marx (06:33)
business intelligence, all the things. But back then we called it category management, also essential. That analytics lens coming from sales into analytics also has been foundational. I worked at Pepsico for a little bit, worked at Frito -Lay Pepsico. So the beginning of my career, I kind of defined it in four pillars, was all around consumer packaged goods. So lots of blue chip exposure to how you focus on the customer and that also.

Tia Newcomer (06:45)
I worked at Cork for a little bit, worked at Frito -Lay PepsiCo. So the beginning of my career, I kind of defined it in four pillars, was all around consumer packaged goods. So lots of blue chip exposure to how you focus on the customer. And that also has been foundational in my career.

Ed Marx (07:01)
has been foundational in my career. I then made the leap into technology and worked for Hewlett Packard for eight years. And I had seen that technology was kind of a burgeoning field. This was during and after the dot com bus is when I was at HP, but yeah, HP is still around and phenomenal culture to learn from and also global in nature. So I got a lot of global experience in that across Iran.

Tia Newcomer (07:03)
I then made the leap into technology and worked for Hewlett Packard for eight years. And I had seen that technology was kind of a burgeoning field. This was during, during and after the dot com bust is when I was at HP, but yeah, HP is still around and phenomenal culture to learn from and also global in nature. So I got a lot of global experience in that across. I I ran P and L's for what we will call small businesses at HP, 250 million in annualized

Ed Marx (07:27)
I ran P &Ls for what we would call small businesses at HP, 250 million in annualized revenue on and it was a global VP of marketing and several other roles. a myriad. And then I made the leap into healthcare. And that was again, back to my beginning story of my personal life was really watching my husband and what he does and really wanting to make a difference. I have two daughters.

Tia Newcomer (07:34)
on and did, was a global VP of marketing and several other roles. So a myriad. And then I made the leap into healthcare. And that was again, back to my beginning story of my personal life was really watching my husband and what he does and really wanting to make a difference. I have two daughters. They are now teenagers. One's getting ready to go to college. One's going to be a junior in high school.

Ed Marx (07:55)
They are now teenagers, one's getting ready to go to college, one's going to be a junior in high school. And so when you work, right, you're away from your family a certain amount of, you spend more time at work generally when you're in your working years than you do at home. And so I was like, I really want to do something that's meaningful. So I jumped into healthcare, primarily women's health and fertility, and that has been highly rewarding. And it led me to Karen Bridge and really

Tia Newcomer (08:00)
And so when you work, right, you're away from your family a certain amount. You spend more time at work generally when you're in your working years than you do at home. And so I was like, I really want to do something that's meaningful. So I jumped into healthcare, primarily women's health and fertility. And that has been highly rewarding. And it led me to CaringBridge. And really that...

Caring Bridge, would call it, it was my first nonprofit role. But importantly, it was that time where I could grab something that was so meaningful that is helping people that are going through health journeys and really create a culture, but also the opportunity to transform.

Ed Marx (08:23)
Caring Bridge, would call it, it was my first nonprofit role. But importantly, it was that time where I could grab something that was so meaningful that is helping people that are going through health journeys and really create a culture, but also the opportunity to transform. Yeah, that's super fascinating, both on the personal side. Thank you for sharing. And I'm so glad your husband's good, fine, being a two -time survivor.

And yeah, thankful for him being a first responder for so many years and yeah, saving a lot of people's lives and improving the quality of their care and stuff as a paramedic. And then yeah, your whole professional side, which I want to talk about a little bit later when we get into careers, because it's been fascinating the different areas that you've spent your time in. So CaringBridge, so I think we may know the answer to this already. I was going to ask you sort of what drew

to Caring Birds, but I think you may have let on to it already.

Tia Newcomer (09:24)
Yeah, think it, yes, and I will add to that. It's definitely around that, that ability to help people. And I always in one of my headlines, right, it's, am a person that wants to work for and in companies that care about and for humans. So wow, CaringBridge, there you go. But I would also say that this was a opportunity to transform.

Ed Marx (09:24)
Yeah, I think it, yes. And I will add to that. It's definitely around that, that ability to help people. And I always, in one of my headlines, right, it's, I am a person that wants to work for and in companies that care about and for humans. So wow, Caring Bridge, there you go. But I would also say that this was a opportunity to transform and build on a legacy with a strong mission.

Tia Newcomer (09:48)
and build on a legacy with a strong mission. And that was very attractive to me because I love strategic pivots that drive transformation, but have that human element. So that's really what drew me to Cambridge.

Ed Marx (09:51)
And that was very attractive to me because I love strategic pivots that drive transformation, but have that human element. that's really what drew me to So Tia, I want to ask you about the mission, vision of CaringBridge and the founding. And as you build that out for us, remember there may be a few of our listeners, and I didn't provide any sort of framework that are not familiar with CaringBridge.

I hope everyone is, in case they aren't, assume that they don't. So when you talk about the founding and the mission and vision, be sure to sort of let everyone know what Caring Bridge is all

Tia Newcomer (10:32)
We'll do.

Ed Marx (10:33)
Yeah. So I'm going to take you back to 1997, 27 years ago, our founder, Sana, marrying her, one of her best friends had a premature baby, baby Bridget. And, um, Joanna called her and said, can you reach out to all of our friends? It's overwhelming. We're just focusing on Bridget right now. She's in the NICU. Can you please call and tell everyone what's going on? Because we're getting overwhelmed with calls.

Tia Newcomer (10:33)
Yeah, so I'm going to take you back to 1997. 27 years ago, our founder, Sana, marrying her one of her best friends had a premature baby, baby Brigid. And Joanne called her and said, can you reach out to all of our friends? It's overwhelming. We're just focusing on Brigid right now. She's in the NICU. Can you please call and tell everyone what's going on because we're getting overwhelmed with calls. so Sana on her second call, she's

Ed Marx (11:02)
Sana on her second call, she's like, was 45 minutes, emotional. She's retelling the story. She's like, there's gotta be a better way. And she went to her basement and coded the first Caring Bridge page. So, you know, I, and I, I want to remind everyone, this is my favorite thing. I told Sana, this is Mark Zuckerberg was 13 when she went down and coded that Caring Bridge page. And so I always, you are the inventor of, I'll call it social.

Tia Newcomer (11:03)
like it was 45 minutes, emotional. She's retelling the story. She's like, there's gotta be a better way. And she went to her basement and coded the first Caring Bridge page. you know, I, and I want to remind everyone, this is my favorite thing. And I told Sana this is Mark Zuckerberg was 13 when she went down and coded that Caring Bridge page. And so I always tell her, you are the inventor of, I'll call it social.

connection for good and look at us 27 years later that still exists and it's fantastic. So CaringBridge is a platform that really rallies your community in support when you're going through a health journey, whether you're the caregiver or the patient that's going through that said journey. And we do that by doing four things. We activate your community because you're able to communicate what's going on in one simple way. We allow you to capture that journey, which by that

Ed Marx (11:31)
connection for good and look at us 27 years later, that still exists and it's fantastic. So CaringBridge is a platform that really rallies your community in support. It's going through that said journey. And we do that by doing four things. We activate your community because you're able to communicate what's going on in one simple way.

We allow you to capture that journey, which by that very simple act of capturing a journey helps you actually emotionally heal. And then we help coordinate help. And that community around you is really where when you ask for help, it's met immediately with help. And then the last thing is community. And we've done that for 27 years. We help rally and activate that community of your choice. That's important in the ways that you need them most, whether it be emotional,

Tia Newcomer (12:01)
simple act of capturing a journey helps you actually emotionally heal. And then we help coordinate help and that community around you is really where when you ask for help it's met immediately with help. And then the last thing is community.

And we've done that for 27 years. We help rally and activate that community of your choice, that's important, in the ways that you need them most, whether it be emotional, social, or even functional kinds of help. And so that's what CaringBridge does today and has in the past.

Ed Marx (12:27)
social or even functional kinds of health. And so that's what CaringBridge does today and has in the past. And I'll end with our vision, is so, it's so expansive and so important to what we do. And it is a world where no one goes through a health journey alone. And so that is what we do every week is focus on that vision. Yeah, I love CaringBridge. was a no brainer for me when Chris

Tia Newcomer (12:34)
And I'll end with our vision, is so, it's so expansive and so important to what we do. And it is a world where no one goes through a health journey alone. And so that is what we do every week is focus on that vision.

Ed Marx (12:56)
mentioned you and CaringBridge as being part of the book and the forward because I've had friends for the reasons that you cited from the founder, friends in difficult circumstances and leveraging CaringBridge. Chris leveraged it quite effectively when he went through his second bout of cancer. So in the book, we talk a lot about this. We call it the village, right? The concept of community. And so we, we cited CaringBridge, you know, in the book, cause like, Hey, this is a way to build that community. You got to have

and there's all sorts of science behind it, which we may talk about a a few numbers here in a second. Can you give why I just gave one example with Chris, can you give maybe one other example of someone that had helped just to make it practical for those listeners who have not, you know, ever engaged with caring bridge.

Tia Newcomer (13:46)
Absolutely. I'll bring us back to there's a universal truth when people are going through a health journey and that's that feelings of being overwhelmed, isolated and lonely are prevailing. And that's for a multitude of reasons that I could go on, but we've got a limited amount of time, but overwhelm, isolation, lonely. And so we know CaringBridge addresses that, those feelings by helping people come together in support of healing, all the things I just talked about. So two facts, and then I'm going to talk about, or I'm going to give you two quotes from

Ed Marx (13:46)
Absolutely. And I'll bring us back to there's a universal truth when people are going through a health journey and that's that feelings of being overwhelmed, isolated and lonely are prevailing. And that's for a multitude of reasons that I could go on, but we've got to live into the amount of time, but overwhelm, isolation, lonely. And so we know CaringBridge addresses that, those feelings by helping people come together in support of healing, all the things I just talked about. So two facts, and then we're going to talk about, or I'm going to give you two quotes from

Tia Newcomer (14:16)
users that are so powerful. When two -thirds of Caring Bridge caregivers receive a matched offer of support within 24 hours of their request. that's just huge. Whether it be emotional, whether it be a functional need, two -thirds receive a matched offer of support, which is fantastic. So when you think about how that translates, here's two quotes, powerful, very, very short, but two quotes from our users, and this will bring to life how we meet them. One, here's a

Ed Marx (14:16)
users that are so powerful. Two -thirds of Caring Bridge caregivers receive a matched offer of support within 24 hours of their request. That's just huge. Whether it be emotional, whether it be a functional need, two -thirds receive a matched offer of support, which is fantastic. So when you think about how that translates, here's two quotes, powerful, very short, but two quotes from our users, and this will bring to life how we meet them.

There's a quote, in this process, everything is so difficult, insurance, your daily life. When you find something like CaringBridge that works and it's simple, that makes things easy, it's a godsend. So that's one quote. And then the second is, it's the best place that you can share your journey, share your wins, share what you need for support. It's the best place for everyone to come and see your daily ups and downs and to encourage you and help lift your spirits. So that's what CaringBridge does.

Tia Newcomer (14:46)
in this process everything is so difficult. Insurance, your daily life. When you find something like CaringBridge that works and it's simple, it makes things easy, it's a godsend. So that's one quote. And then the second is it's the best place that you can share your journey. Share your wins, share what you need for support. It's the best place for everyone to come and see your daily ups and downs and to encourage you and help lift your spirits. So that's what CaringBridge does.

Ed Marx (15:15)
Yeah, that's pretty impactful. And as you were sharing that, I thought back of another friend of mine who leveraged CaringBridge quite effectively and was able to get a lot of his help from friends and neighbors and the community that he otherwise wouldn't have had the ability to network, to reach everyone. And people wanted to be part of that, right? And to be part of their healing process and help out. I know

impact numbers about CaringBridge and how CaringBridge has helped. I was really impressed when I saw those. Can you share some of those impact numbers so people get a sense of the breadth and depth of CaringBridge? Absolutely. nearly 320 ,000 people a day visit CaringBridge and surround that person with support. phenomenal. 320 ,000 people a day. We also know that every 12 minutes a CaringBridge page is created.

Tia Newcomer (15:53)
Absolutely. So nearly 320 ,000 people a day visit CaringBridge and surround that person with support. So phenomenal. 320 ,000 people a day. We also know that every 12 minutes a CaringBridge page is created. So huge impact. And then the last thing I'll share when we think about that community of support is 5 .5 million messages of support are shared every year on CaringBridge and growing.

Ed Marx (16:10)
huge impact. And then the last thing I'll share when we think about that community of support is 5 .5 million messages of support are shared every year on CaringBridge and growing. Yeah. And it means a lot because again, I'm kind of in one way, I'm so happy for CaringBridge. Another way, I'm like, wow, I've had a lot of friends, you know, that have to need it, which is never a good thing, right? If you have to need it. But I'm glad that it's there.

where I would post messages every time. So every time I got an update like, hey, there's been an update from the patient. You go on there, you post messages and support and love and prayers and things like that. And it means a big deal to the patient and their family. So it's so important what you're doing. I know CaringBridge is a non -for -profit organization that relies heavily on donations. How can people get engaged?

Tia Newcomer (17:06)
Yeah, thank you for asking. Simply go to caringbridge .org. You'll see a donate button. And that is anything from a one -time donation to recurring to part of your estate planning. We appreciate anything. We are 100 % funded by those that use CaringBridge and that believe in what we're doing. So that's how you can get involved, caringbridge .org. And I think the only other thing I'd add is that if you are listening and you are a leader in healthcare, what you just described earlier,

Ed Marx (17:06)
Yeah, thank you for asking. Simply go to caringbridge .org. You'll see a donate button. And that is anything from a one -time donation to recurring to part of your estate planning. We appreciate anything. We are a hundred percent funded by those that use CaringBridge and that believe in what we're doing. So that's how you can get involved, caringbridge .org. And I think the only other thing I'd add is that if you are listening and you are a leader in healthcare,

what you just described earlier, and as we're talking about the numbers and the impacts, we know that Caring Bridge fills in the gaps that healthcare cannot see. It's well, my ask is if you're in the healthcare industry, our goal is to be integrated at point of diagnosis and discharge. And we need healthcare leaders to stand up and bring us in. We're no cost. This is, you know, this, this, it's, you know, and so if you're listening, other way you can get involved is to contact me

Tia Newcomer (17:36)
as we're talking about the numbers and the impact, we know that CaringBridge fills in the gaps that healthcare cannot see. And so my ask is if you're in the healthcare industry, our goal is to be integrated at point of diagnoses and discharge. And we need healthcare leaders to stand up and bring us in. We're no cost. This isn't a hit P &L. And so if you're listening, the other way you can get involved is to contact me

CaringBridge directly and we'll have a conversation of how we get CaringBridge to your patients and caregivers at discharge and diagnosis.

Ed Marx (18:03)
CaringBridge directly and we'll have a conversation of how we get CaringBridge to your patients and caregivers at discharge and diagnosis. Yeah, that's a really good point. The other book that Chris and Ross and I wrote is a booklet for those who have a visual, we'll see it now. And it's just called Patient Experience, How to Improve the Patient Experience. And this is written for healthcare and it's just kind of five best practices. And we talk about that, Tia, and that you have to, as a healthcare leader, you have to, because we all know how important it is to the healing process.

and the care process, you have to help your patients and their families have a community, have a village if they don't have one. And most don't. And so CaringBridge is this simple, Easy, easy to use, easy to get involved in, doesn't cost anything for people to utilize. And so I agree with you. That should be on a list, you know, that all the patients are given, whether it's online or on a piece of paper, which they tend to have a lot of, is CaringBridge, you know, get...

get activated. So that's great. We'll put some more information in the show notes as well. So I want to turn down a little bit to your career. So it's been very broad. Like you mentioned, four major areas, everything from sort of consumer products to all the way to health care, not -for -profit world. How has having this breadth and depth of experiences and other verticals been helpful to you in your career?

Tia Newcomer (19:32)
Yeah, I've thought about this a lot and it's done two things. It's helped me transition to different roles in industries quickly because when you're going, mean, think about it, CPG to technology, to healthcare, women's health, to nonprofit. I mean, those all have very different components, but I think what my career breadth and depth of experience has shown is that one, I'm a risk taker, but importantly, I'm always learning. And so that ability in that, I think my career has shown that I'm always learning, which

Ed Marx (19:32)
Yeah, I've thought about this a lot and it's done two things. It's helped me transition to different roles in industries quickly because when you're going, mean, think about it, CPG to technology to healthcare, itself to nonprofit. mean, those all have very different components, but I think what my career breadth and depth of experience has shown is that one, I'm a risk taker, but importantly, I'm always learning. And so that ability in

I think my career has shown that I'm always learning, which is, think all you can do. And I think one of the most important things as you think about how you go from career move to career move. Yeah. Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. What are one or two common themes when you go through those four different verticals? What are one or two common themes that connect all of them together? I think you may have alluded to it earlier, but I'd be interested in your

Tia Newcomer (20:02)
I think all you can do and I think one of the most important things as you think about how you go from career move to career move.

Yeah, transformation for sure. Almost every role that I've been in, I used to label it NBDB, never been done before. And so I'm always coming in for people that either is in needs transformation and also innovation. so that NBDB, I love it because I love innovation that leads to transformation. So that's the theme that, I mean, I can go back to my first role, sales role, where I got the worst sales territory and all of a sudden it

Ed Marx (20:28)
Yeah, transformation for sure. Almost every role that I've been in, I used to label it NBDV, never been done before. And so I'm always coming into a that either is in needs transformation and also innovation. And so that NBDV.

I love it because I love innovation that leads to transformation. So that's the theme that I mean, I can go back to my first role, sales role, where I got the worst sales territory and also it was one of the top. And my manager's like, how'd you do this? And so a lot of innovation and different things. I could go on, every one of them has that component. What has been obviously the CEO of CaringBridge is the main answer, but aside from

Tia Newcomer (20:58)
one of the top and my manager's like, how'd you do this? And so a lot of innovation and different things. So I could go on, but every one of them has that component.

Ed Marx (21:16)
What has been the most fulfilling role to

I was trying to say, now you got me. Cause I was like cliche, but it's this one. I, know, if I, if I can't say Caring Bridge, I would say when I was at Hewlett Packard, they put me in a role that led at the time we called it shop or we called it, it wasn't shopper marketing. Basically I got to invent coming from my CPG background. got to invent an organization within Hewlett Packard

Tia Newcomer (21:23)
I was going to say, now you got me, because I was like cliche, but it's this one. You know, if I can't say Caring Bridge, I would say when I was at Hewlett -Packard.

They put me in a role that led at the time we called it shop or we called it, wasn't shopper marketing. Basically I got to invent coming from my CPG background. got to invent an organization within Hewlett Packard called shopper marketing, which was a maniacal focus on looking at customer insights to how we showed up and partnered with our retailers in store. So that was my second one because it had never been done before. And I was just went out and did it and, extra forgiveness

Ed Marx (21:48)
Shopper Marketing, was a maniacal focus on looking at customer insights to how we showed up and partnered with our retailers in store. So that was my second one because it never been done before. And I just went out and did it. And thanks for forgiveness later. Thankfully, they liked it. No, that's great. I can understand why. like you said, I could see the interconnects between each of these verticals. Is it something that you would suggest for someone in their career?

Tia Newcomer (22:04)
Thankfully, they liked it.

Ed Marx (22:18)
Maybe someone's just starting out and listening and they're just focused on one vertical. you recommend maybe dabbling in a couple others as long as there's this common connect?

Tia Newcomer (22:30)
I do, I do. And I hesitated for a moment because there are some people that have that trajectory that's like just in one area and I would never discount that. But I think underneath that is, and I said it earlier, I think is always be learning. And that to me, like if you're always learning and you're in the same company, but you're moving laterally and up and...

Ed Marx (22:30)
I do, I do. And I hesitated for a moment because there are some people that have that trajectory that's like just in one area and I would

Tia Newcomer (22:51)
across, that's the important piece. The benefit of jumping to different companies and or industries is, well, I just, get bored easily. My husband always looks at me about three years and he's like, no, no,

Are we moving? What are we doing next? Where are you taking me? I'm like, no, no, no, no. So if you're that kind of person that always be learning, think you can't go wrong either if you're looking inside your organization or externally to other opportunities.

Ed Marx (23:07)
What are we doing next? Where are you taking me? I'm like, no, no, no. So if you're that kind of person that always be learning, I think you can't go wrong either if you're looking inside your organization or externally to other opportunities. You've had this great track record of success and leadership again across all these different verticals. What are one or two key leadership hacks that you go to oftentimes, no matter what role that you're in? in other

What are two things you can share with the audience that are really important to you from a leadership perspective?

Tia Newcomer (23:44)
Love this and one that has always worked for me and when I haven't done it, it's a bit me and that is writing my own 30, 60, 90 day plan. And so I do a lot of, before I start a role, I do a lot of work and investment and writing that out. It typically becomes my 30, 60, 90 day plan because most organizations or leaders aren't really good about giving you that.

Ed Marx (23:44)
Love this and one that has always worked for me and when I haven't done it, it's a bit me and that is writing my own 30, 60, 90 day plan. And so I do a lot

Before I start a role, do a lot of work and investment and writing that out. It typically becomes my 30, 60, 90 day plan because most organizations or leaders aren't really good about giving you that. And so the other thing that it does, and I this is important, is I actually look at that at the end of every year, because when you go into a new role, you are the most clear. You haven't drank the Kool -Aid, right? You're not embedded. And so you're most clear on the things that need to be done.

Tia Newcomer (24:08)
And so the other thing that it does, and I think this is important, is I actually look at that at the end of every year. Because when you go into a new role, you are the most clear. You haven't drank the Kool -Aid, right? You're not embedded. And so you're most clear on the things that need to be done. So it's 30, 60, 90. So I always revisit and go, is this still true?

Ed Marx (24:25)
So it's 30, 60, 90. So I always revisit and go, is this still true? Am I ignoring this thing that I saw when I first came in the organization untainted, so to speak? So that is a thing that I highly recommend. And there's a book that I've used, it's called The 90 Day Plan, I think. I've got to go look. The 90 Day Plan, which is highly helpful. I don't use all of it, but you always draw the good things that resonate with you from that. So that I would recommend.

Tia Newcomer (24:29)
Am I ignoring this thing that I saw when I first came in the organization untainted, so to speak? So that is something that I highly recommend. And there's a book that I've used. It's called The 90 Day Plan, I think. I've got to go look. Yeah, The 90 Day Plan, which is highly helpful. I don't use all of it, but you always draw the good things that resonate with you from that. So that I would recommend.

The second as a leader, particularly as I've gone into leadership role is I, it was easier at Cambridge, you have smaller organization. But nonetheless, I do one -on -ones down to frontline individual contributors and I ask five questions that uncover themes. You can get your executive team, you might talk to them and you get different strengths and opportunities, but this really does a great job of uncovering themes. I'm going to give you the five questions.

Ed Marx (24:54)
The second as a leader, particularly as I've gone into leadership role is I, it was easier at Karen bridge, you have smaller organization, but nonetheless, I do one -on -ones down to, you know, frontline individual contributors. And I asked five questions that uncover themes and you can get, you know, your executive team, might talk to them and you get different strikes and opportunities, but this really does a great job of uncovering themes. I'm going to give you the five questions.

Tia Newcomer (25:23)
They are one, what are the biggest challenges the organization is facing or will in the near future? The second question is why is the organization facing or going to be facing these challenges? Third question, what are the most promising unexploited opportunities for growth? Fourth questions, what would need to happen for the organization to exploit the potential of these?

Ed Marx (25:23)
They are one, what are the biggest challenges that organizations facing or will in the near future? The second question is why is the organization facing or going to be facing these challenges? Third question, what are the most promising unexploited opportunities for growth? Fourth questions, what would need to happen for the organization to exploit the potential of these? And then last question, one of my favorite.

Tia Newcomer (25:50)
And then last question, one of my favorite, if you were me, what would you focus attention on? And so those five questions again, so imagine I came into Caring Bridge, I had 50 people that I talked to, some were quite different, but the themes that arose really helped me focus that 30, 60, 90 day plan and then catapult us into the transformative things we needed to do.

Ed Marx (25:53)
If you were me, what would you focus attention on? And so those five questions again, so imagine I came into CaringBridge, I have 50 people that I talked to. Some were quite different, but the themes that arose really helped me focus that 30, 60, 90 day plan and then catapult us into the transformative things we needed to do. Yeah, that's brilliant.

because you're obviously getting people engaged also. Like this person cares. They want to hear my opinion. They feel valued. I was so good on so many levels. As you know, people always leaders can sometimes feel rushed and pressured and, they don't want to take that time. But it's so key as you're helping us remember to do. So thank you for that. So you're speaking at your daughters are about to leave. They're both teenagers. I think you said one's about to leave for college. So you're speaking at their graduation.

high school graduation, what's one thing that you tell their class at graduation?

This one hit hard because yes, she just graduated. So I was like, yeah. I trying to call your mom because that's important. Trust your gut. Trust your gut. Love it. That's great. And you're obviously live a very full life with the teens, career, hobbies, husband, all that kind of stuff.

Tia Newcomer (26:54)
This one hit hard because yes, she just graduated. So I was like, my gosh. Yeah Outside of call your mom because that's important Trust your gut trust your gut

Ed Marx (27:18)
How do you integrate it all or do you? mean, how does it, what's one thing maybe you can share that has helped? You maybe haven't perfected it, but maybe it helps.

Marry good partner. Outside of that, a great partner. So honestly, what helps is being present and blocking time. And that being present is so hard. And I learned it, you know, sometimes the hard way, but being present, like I put my phone down, even in my one -on -ones with my team, my phone is down and upside down. When I'm with my girls or with my husband,

Tia Newcomer (27:28)
Marry good partner. Well, outside of that, a great partner. So honestly, what helps is being present and blocking time. And that being present is so hard. And I learned it, you know, sometimes the hard way, but being present, like I put my phone down, even in my one -on -ones with my team, my phone is down and upside down, right? When I'm with my girls or with my husband,

just blocking that time and being present. I would just leave it at being present, which is really hard for all of us, but be present.

Ed Marx (27:58)
just blocking that time and being present. I'm just needed at being present, which is really hard for all of us. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're you're you're spot on. I think that's a struggle that everyone feels. And that's a good way of of handling it is sort of the phones down and being being present makes a big difference. We covered a lot in a short period of time, everything from some new music for our playlist with chaperone, right? Chaperone and getting it right. And and then a great quote.

that you picked up from your now husband. And you shared a lot about Carrying Bridge and what a great mission, what a great organization, and best of all, it's free to people who need it, which is just amazing. There's not very many things like that in life. Talked lot about the mission and vision and how it works and how others can get engaged. And we talked a lot about your career. So it's such a fascinating career amongst different verticals and some of the common themes in between all of them. And then we talked a lot about leadership

You gave five, I'm sure people are gonna stop, press pause on the podcast and make sure they get all those five questions, because they're really great questions that get the conversation going with your team. And then the clarity about the 60, 90 day plan and reviewing it at the end of the year, because like you said, there's no more clear time about your role as when you first begin. So it's important not to forget that. Just gave a lot of great ideas about life and in general, and covered, like I said, a lot of different areas.

So Tia, what did we miss or anything that you want to double down on? I'll give you the last

Tia Newcomer (29:34)
You know, as I'm hearing all the great questions that you ask, I would say be unapologetically you. And that is, you know, that's, that's sometimes there's a mantra, like I'll be going into board meetings or I'll be going into.

Ed Marx (29:34)
You know, as I'm hearing all the great questions that you asked, I would say be unapologetically you. that is, you know, that's, that's sometimes there's a mantra like I'll be going into board meetings or I'll be going into, you know, different big presentations. the thing that I'm chanting in my head, just like getting myself prepared as I was like, be yourself, be yourself. And

Tia Newcomer (29:50)
you know, different big presentations. the thing that I'm chanting in my head, just like getting myself prepared as I was like, be yourself, be yourself. And so I think if you're unapologetically yourself, you will succeed. And sometimes people won't like you and that's also hard, but it is what it is. If you're unapologetically you, you will succeed.

Ed Marx (30:01)
I think if you're unapologetically yourself, you will succeed. And sometimes people won't like you, and that's also hard, but it is what it is. If you're unapologetically you, you will succeed. Love that. Great way. That's a lesson for me, too, that I need to learn, pocket away and learn. And thank you again, Tia, for being on Digital Voices.

Tia Newcomer (30:23)
Thank you, Ed. This is great.

Ed Marx (30:23)
Thank you, Ed. This is great. That wraps up another edition of Digital Voices. Thanks for listening.