“One can become an optimist through challenge, but also there’s the element of growing as an optimist by seeing others experiencing challenge. Through it, you can learn resilience and you can find hope. Seeing hope in the world is truly what makes us compassionate beings.” ~ Lisa Groon
Simply put, more often than not, life can be painfully awkward and imperfect! Great, unexpected challenges come up, like when one of your parents is diagnosed with Alzheimer's and, later, the other is diagnosed with dementia and requires care.
Having two parents concurrently in cognitive decline would be challenging enough under the best of circumstances, but caring for them while also supporting and caring for three children and fostering a healthy family, with the help of her husband of course, well, that takes quite a degree of resilience. Undoubtedly, the key to Lisa’s resilience is her unwavering outlook on life. As she says, “The more good you look for, the more good you find.”
Lisa Groon is a healthcare quality strategist and caregiver advocate with over twenty years of experience in patient-centered care. Inspired by her role caring for a mother with Alzheimer’s, she reframes dignity as an act of compassion and presence that we can choose to give. Her Dignity Paradox framework challenges conventional approaches to Alzheimer’s caregiving, empowering caregivers to preserve dignity through presence. She also brings these lessons to life through keynotes, workshops and a TEDx talk, guiding audiences to deepen connection and restore dignity in the human experience.
In short, Lisa thrives on being a leader in challenging situations. Her number one tip for good leadership? “Assume good intent.”Yes, my next guest is obviously highly quotable. Want one more? When asked her thoughts on cooling the current political climate, she offers: “It’s important to remember that taking care of one another starts with being kind, one seemingly small act at a time.”
I am both excited and honored to have a talk with Lisa Groon. Eagerly awaiting more gems like the ones above, I look forward to discovering the important ideas and stories she has to share with us.
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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest
**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com
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