Care to CEO
The only podcast built for underdog entrepreneurs, everyday people, and caregivers who want to build their own care-based business (Group Homes, Home Care, Foster Care, Behavioral Health Housing, Veteran Housing, etc.) without a trust fund or a fancy degree.
This show is hosted by Crystal Smith, a former CNA turned CEO & City Councilwoman, who shares the real, unfiltered, from-the-trenches playbook, helping you focus on the transformation journey from being an overworked and underpaid worker to becoming CEO and business owner — just like Crystal did — with tactical steps, mindset shifts, mentorship, and hard truths.
Care to CEO
Turning Soft Skills Into CEO Strength: Crystal Smith’s Journey to Leadership
Welcome back to Care to CEO, the podcast where everyday caregivers transform into confident care entrepreneurs. In this episode, Crystal Smith - Mother, former CNA, Black Woman CEO, and City Councilwoman - digs into the real, often untold truth: women of color, especially caregivers, are not the underdogs. In fact, they’re uniquely built for business leadership.
Crystal shares her inspiring journey from managing a multigenerational household to founding her own care business and winning a city council seat. She unveils how the so-called "soft skills" develop through a lifetime of caregiving, like resilience, resourcefulness, and emotional intelligence. These are actually women's greatest business strengths. Crystal tackles the realities of impostor syndrome, being underestimated, and turning adversity into advantage.
Get ready for actionable insights, hard-won wisdom, and a strong message: those everyday skills you use to care for your family and community are the very building blocks of a powerful entrepreneurial legacy. If you’re a caregiver or a woman of a minority considering entrepreneurship, this episode will leave you feeling seen, equipped, and empowered to just start, because your story, your strength, and your leadership matter now more than ever.
Timestamps:
00:00 Innate Leadership in Adversity
03:57 Leadership Rooted in Compassion
07:23 Recognizing Undervalued Soft Skills
10:41 Empowering Entrepreneurs of Color
14:28 Entrepreneurial Journey: Triumphs and Trials
17:58 Mentorship for Marginalized Communities
21:28 Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
25:12 "Embrace Trial and Error"
26:31 "Just Start Your Journey"
Care to CEO - Podcast Show Website - https://caretoceo.com/
Crystal Smith - https://www.crystalsmithandco.com/
TopHealth - https://tophealth.care/