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From 23 Clients to a Team of Eleven: 15 Years Later

From 23 Clients to a Team of Eleven: 15 Years Later

A 15-year reflection from Shari Geller, CEO of Senior Options

For those of us with a growth mindset, we’re always looking back, at our accomplishments, our challenges, our failures- and asking the same question: Did I use my time well? Was I effective? Did it matter?

This year, Senior Options turns 15. So I did the math on myself.

And when I looked back at what was done, I’m proud. Proud of the growth. Proud of the impact. Proud of the lives my team and I have been able to change for the better.

It started with just me, myself, and I.

Fifteen years ago, it was one person and 23 clients. No team, no nurses, no office full of people who cared as much as I did, just me, a phone, and a mission to do right by families who needed help navigating one of the hardest chapters of their lives.

Today, we’re a team of 11 Care Managers (and growing), serving one of the most vulnerable populations in our community, from Fort Lauderdale to Jupiter. We’ve added Nurses to the team, and I can’t overstate the value they’ve brought to our clients and their families, a level of clinical insight and comfort that rounds out everything else we do.

“Mom, you should write a book.”

After fifteen years of stories, after sitting with countless families through some of their hardest and most tender moments, my son, Daniel, keeps telling me I should write a book.

My answer is always the same: Nobody wants to read about this. They’re living it.

But truth be told? After 15 years in this space, I do want to share it with the world. All of it. The stories of how our clients walked through our door- scared, overwhelmed, unsure, compared to the lives they were leading once we were truly engaged in their care. That transformation is the whole reason this work exists, and it deserves to be told.

You’ll see from time to time we share success stories, not for the sake of patting ourselves on the back, rather so we can all take part in the joy of success. The joy of our clients living more fulfilling lives, through the help of so many caregivers and community partners. All of us, together.

It hasn’t all been easy. That’s exactly the point.

The last 15 years have had their ups and downs. Successes and failures. Tears and laughter, often in the same week. But at the end of the day, it was all worthwhile. Time well spent. And if you asked me to do it all over again, I would, without hesitation.

Fifteen years ago, owning a business was nowhere on my radar. It wasn’t in my world view. But it happened, and I’m so glad it did. It changed the trajectory of my life in ways I never could have planned for, personally and professionally. That growth shows up everywhere, including in my work with the Aging Life Care Association: from serving on committees to, now, stepping into the role of President-Elect of the Florida chapter.

None of it was the plan. All of it was worth it.