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Trustcasting Podcast

Trustcasting Podcast

By: Zane Myers
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TrustCasting is all about helping professionals get the word out about their business. Whether you're an attorney, physician, CEO, auto dealership owner, or in any other industry, we sit down and have real conversations about what you do and how you help your customers. It's the perfect opportunity to talk about your business, share your expertise, and connect with a bigger audience - both in your local community and across the country. We dive deep into your story, your approach, and what makes you different, giving you a platform to reach the people who need what you offer most.Copyright 2025 Trustcasting Podcast Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • Esther Kane: Occupational Therapist Turned Tech CEO Solving the $50 Billion Fall Problem

    Esther Kane: Occupational Therapist Turned Tech CEO Solving the $50 Billion Fall Problem
    Mar 28 2026
    Esther Kane spent 12 years as an occupational therapist walking through seniors' homes spotting hazards before falls happened. Then she ran a digital marketing company for 25 years helping small businesses rank on Google. At 60, instead of retiring to play pickleball, she fused these two worlds into something the aging industry desperately needed. Falls cost $50 billion annually in medical expenses. A grab bar costs $30. The gap? Families don't know where to find the right people to install it correctly—or that they need it in the first place. Esther created Aging in Place Directory, a nationwide platform connecting families with the specialists who keep people safe at home—CAPS-certified contractors, occupational therapists, home care agencies, tech installers, and accessibility designers. Think Angie's List, but purpose-built for aging safely. The most dangerous things in nearly every senior's home? Rugs and clutter. Esther saw countless injuries from these "silly little accidents" that changed lives forever. Bathrooms require major reconstruction, but removing trip hazards costs nothing—except emotionally, because you're asking someone to acknowledge they're getting older. After launching Senior Safety Advice with her seventh-grade friend Robin Schiltz in 2018, Esther saw a pattern: readers kept asking "where do I find these people?" There wasn't one directory combining contractors, assessors, and designers into a team approach. Families were reacting in emergencies instead of planning proactively. So Esther built Aging in Place Directory in 2024. She vets providers through Zoom calls, background checks, and LinkedIn reviews. Free listings get exposure; paid members ($15/month or $120/year) receive weekly marketing webinars where Esther teaches SEO, ChatGPT, social media, and AI optimization strategies to aging-in-place professionals starting new businesses. Her big insight: many contractors don't consult with OTs before installing grab bars. They don't know the exact height to mount the toilet or precisely where bars should go. The directory creates a Rolodex so one professional walking into a home can refer to an entire team—including resources for reverse mortgages and grants to fund modifications. Over 80% of seniors want to age at home. Less than 10% of homes are set up for it. How do we close that gap? Esther's answer: assessors who do home safety evaluations ($125-$350) before problems occur, treating it like a house inspection—proactive maintenance for independence. Senior Safety Advice landed #5 on FeedSpot's list of 80 Best Caregiver Blogs in 2025. The secret? Esther focuses heavily on technology content—Alexa, smart home devices, gerontechnology—that other caregiving blogs ignore. She teaches simple, actionable tech solutions that help seniors and reassure remote family members. The emotional barriers are massive. Grab bars look like hospital equipment, screaming "you're old." But it's worth avoiding a broken hip that leaves someone unable to pick up a spoon. Money is the other barrier—families fear running out before they pass away. That's why Esther emphasizes having financial resources in that professional Rolodex. Esther's first website was "horrific"—her rapid-fire answer proves she's learned a thing or two in 25 years. Now she's teaching aging-in-place professionals how to show up in Google's AI-generated answers using Reddit-style Q&A content. Her advice to one company making fidget boards for dementia patients: structure your content as questions with concise answers—exactly what AI pulls for featured snippets. With 117 members so far, Esther intentionally kept 2025 free to build the directory before charging. She knows from internet marketing: don't put too much money out before money comes in. The modest pricing reflects that small businesses need affordable options while proving ROI. CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Introduction: OT + SEO = Aging in Place Directory 1:04 - The Moment Two Careers Should Collide 3:09 - Why There Wasn't an Angie's List for Aging in Place 6:54 - Rugs: The Dangerous Thing in Almost Every Home 9:11 - Why National Brands Are a Problem 10:59 - Why a Specialized Directory Instead of Teaching SEO 12:27 - First-Time User Experience on Aging in Place Directory 14:45 - Screening Vendors: Background Checks and LinkedIn 16:58 - What Is an Assessor and What Do They Cost 20:14 - Weekly Marketing Webinars and Private Community for Members 22:38 - Pricing Model: $15/Month or $120/Year 25:11 - Teaching AI Tools to Aging in Place Professionals 27:34 - Rapid Fire: Bathrooms, Raised Toilet Seats, Alexa, and That First Horrific Website 28:44 - 50-Year Friendship Becomes Business Partnership 29:42 - Senior Safety Advice: #5 on FeedSpot's 80 Best Caregiver Blogs 30:35 - Closing the Gap: 80% Want to Age at Home, 10% of Homes Ready 33:33 - Why Families Don't Install $30 Grab Bars Before $50 Billion in Falls
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    35 mins
  • Cheri Alvarez: Fighting the Loneliness Epidemic—One Friendship at a Time Across 40 Communities

    Cheri Alvarez: Fighting the Loneliness Epidemic—One Friendship at a Time Across 40 Communities
    Mar 28 2026
    The U.S. Surgeon General called loneliness as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Cheri Alvarez is doing something about it—leading an international movement built on a radical idea: that a single friend can change someone's mental health. As CEO of Compeer Buffalo and Compeer International, Cheri oversees programs in 40 communities across four countries. Compeer matches trained volunteers with people experiencing mental health challenges—creating friendships that complement clinical treatment. From six-year-olds to isolated seniors in nursing homes, Compeer serves anyone who needs connection. The model is deceptively simple: volunteers and clients are matched based on common interests—maybe both love basketball or dinosaurs. After an initial introduction facilitated by Compeer staff, they spend about four hours a month together, doing whatever feels natural. No therapy sessions. Just friendship. Cheri's path to this role started in foster care and adoption services, where she referred countless clients to Compeer and witnessed the transformation firsthand. When she stepped in as interim CEO during a turbulent transition, she brought 25 years of experience in Western New York nonprofits and a master's degree in Counseling Education from Canisius College. The organization was founded over 50 years ago in Rochester by Bernice "Bunny" Skirboll after a near-fatal car crash taught her the healing power of friendship during recovery. What started with 12 volunteers now engages thousands worldwide, earning recognition from the American Psychological Association and inclusion in SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs. Cheri serves on the steering committee of the Global Initiative on Loneliness and Connection (GILC), working alongside the World Health Organization to address what's become a global epidemic. She reached out on LinkedIn, asked to be more involved, and now collaborates with leaders from 23 countries tackling loneliness through different lenses—poverty, social media, the workforce, mental health. In 2021, Compeer received a $1.2 million federal grant from OJJDP to expand youth mentoring into 15 new communities. But growth comes with challenges: How do you scale friendship without losing what makes it authentic? Cheri's answer: rigorous standard operating procedures, peer learning between affiliates, and new programs embedded within existing nonprofits that can handle the infrastructure. During COVID, something unexpected happened—volunteer applications surged to their highest levels ever. People working remotely, isolated at home, wanted to give back and feel connected themselves. The virtual model proved that location doesn't have to be a barrier. A college student can maintain a friendship after going home for summer. Someone in Texas can be a phone buddy to an isolated senior in New York. Cheri's rapid-fire answers reveal someone comfortable with introversion leading an extroverted mission. Her favorite Buffalo wings spot: Elmo's. The nonprofit leader everyone should follow: Eddie Garcia from GILC. And if she could match any two people in the world? A Republican and a Democrat—to get to the human side of things. CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Introduction: Fighting Loneliness Through Friendship 0:56 - How Compeer Works: From Referral to Friendship Match 3:25 - Matching Process: Basketball, Dinosaurs, and Compatibility 7:06 - Volunteer Requirements: Background Checks and Training 8:32 - Who Needs Compeer: All Ages, All Backgrounds 10:16 - Serving Older Adults: The Loneliness of Nursing Homes 10:58 - Becoming CEO During Turbulent Times 12:27 - Compeer's Global Reach: 40 Locations, 4 Countries 13:34 - Funding Challenge: Running a Free Service 16:08 - Surgeon General's Report: Loneliness as Deadly as Smoking 17:58 - Youth and Loneliness: Social Media's Double-Edged Sword 20:45 - Rapid Fire: Buffalo Wings, Introvert or Extrovert, Republican Meets Democrat 22:42 - Joining the Global Initiative on Loneliness and Connection (GILC) 24:41 - How Loneliness Looks Different Across 23 Countries 26:11 - $1.2 Million Federal Grant: Expanding to 15 New Communities 28:20 - Where Compeer Operates: New York, Pennsylvania, and Beyond 30:20 - Getting Involved: Volunteers, Partners, and Virtual Phone Buddies CONNECT WITH CHERI ALVAREZ: Email: cheri@compeerbuffalo.org Phone: (716) 883-3331 ext. 313 Website (Buffalo): https://compeerbuffalo.org Website (International): https://compeer.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherialvarez Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CompeerBuffalo Instagram: @compeerbuffalo YouTube: Compeer Buffalo OFFICE LOCATION: Compeer Buffalo / Compeer International Headquarters 1179 Kenmore Avenue Buffalo, NY 14217
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    33 mins
  • Paul Slager on Boy Scouts Abuse Cases, Yale Murder Case, and Brain Injury Law

    Paul Slager on Boy Scouts Abuse Cases, Yale Murder Case, and Brain Injury Law
    Mar 27 2026
    What does it take to represent families after murder, child sexual abuse, catastrophic injury, and life changing negligence? In this episode of the Trustcast Show, Zane Myers speaks with Connecticut trial lawyer Paul Slager, partner at Slager Madry in Stamford, Connecticut. Paul shares the mindset behind taking only the most serious cases and why real justice is about more than money. They discuss the landmark Boy Scouts abuse case that led to a $12 million jury award, the civil case involving the murder of Yale graduate student Annie Le, traumatic brain injury litigation, youth concussion awareness, wrongful death, and how lawyers carry the emotional weight of representing people on the worst day of their lives. If you are interested in personal injury law, civil justice, brain injury advocacy, wrongful death litigation, or high stakes courtroom strategy, this conversation gives a rare look inside the work. Contact Paul Slager: Slager Madry LLC 750 East Main Street, Suite 810 Stamford, CT 06902 Phone: (203) 604-2446 Alt Phone: (860) 955-3633 Email: pslager@slagermadry.com Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Paul Slager 00:43 Why he takes the cases others avoid 01:51 From big law defense to plaintiff trial work 03:58 Working closely with clients after tragedy 06:17 Why his firm says no to many cases 07:41 The Slager Madry team in Stamford 08:58 The Boy Scouts abuse case and legal theory 13:34 Hidden files and decades of institutional knowledge 16:25 Jury verdict, appeal, and settlement 19:11 The Yale Annie Le case 21:12 Discovery, medical records, and e discovery 22:45 The pool drain drowning case 26:32 How he handles emotional trauma from cases 28:15 Making invisible brain injuries visible in court 29:39 Youth sports concussions and legislative work 31:05 Rapid fire questions 34:29 How he gets new clients 35:53 How to contact Paul Slager #PaulSlager #TrialLawyer #PersonalInjuryLaw #BrainInjuryLaw #WrongfulDeath #MedicalMalpractice #SexualAbuseCases #ConnecticutLawyer #TrustcastShow
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    37 mins
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