Tips from Trestle: The Senior Living Food and Hospitality Podcast

Aaron Fish
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Management
  • Weekly

Tips From Trestle is a podcast focused on discussion about senior living food, hospitality, & the community experience. Hosted by THE Hospitality Executive to the Senior Living Industry Aaron Fish, he shares his thoughts, musings and discussions about food & beverage operations, community & resident experiences, and trends & happenings in the senior living industry. To be considered as a guest for TFT, please send an email to info@trestlehc.com Tips from Trestle is sponsored by: - eMenuCHOICE POS - Clark Pro - DiningRD Trestle Tactics is sponsored by - Gordon Food Service

  1. 9h ago

    Small Homes, Big Heart: Residential Assisted Living with Isabelle Guarino | Ep. 533

    A big heart isn’t a business plan—discover what it really takes to turn a passion for seniors into a residential assisted living home where people thrive. Aaron Fish welcomes Isabelle Guarino of Residential Assisted Living Academy to Tips from Trestle for a conversation about small care home ownership, caregiver leadership, and the preparation behind a people-centered business. Recorded at the RAL Assisted Living Conference, this episode explores how Isabelle’s grandmother’s care needs inspired her family to pursue a different approach to senior housing. Aaron and Isabelle also discuss why owners need more than vendors and training: they need a professional community that understands the challenges. In this episode: Why smaller care home owners needed a conference of their ownHow owner isolation affects the entrepreneurial experienceWhy serving seniors also means supporting caregiversWhere food and hospitality fit into the resident experienceWhy education should come before assisted living ownership Whether you are an aspiring care home owner, an experienced operator, or a senior living leader, this conversation brings the focus back to people serving people. Follow Tips from Trestle for more conversations about senior living food, hospitality, leadership, and community experience. Tips from Trestle is sponsored by eMenuChoice, WiseOx, Link Consulting, Dining With Dementia, and The 100% Leader. Learn more: RAL Academy at ral101.com. Connect with the show: @tipsfromtrestle.

    Small Homes, Big Heart: Residential Assisted Living with Isabelle Guarino | Ep. 533

  2. Oct 26

    All the Trimmings, Less Drama: Senior Living Holiday Dining | Ep. 532

    Senior living holiday dining takes more than a great menu. It takes a staffing plan, clear family communication, accurate guest counts—and a team that is not learning the plan on Thanksgiving morning. Aaron Fish welcomes Steven Cameron back to Tips from Trestle for a practical conversation about preparing senior living communities for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other major celebrations. They discuss how to: Get ahead of turkey orders and holiday protein purchasing.Build holiday schedules around employee preferences and shorter shifts.Coordinate leadership coverage and kitchen time-off requests.Communicate meal times, guest policies, and reservations to residents and families.Use banquet event orders to keep culinary, engagement, marketing, and support teams aligned.Track attendance, food quantities, and leftovers to improve next year’s plan. Whether you lead a small assisted living community or a large senior living campus, the goal is the same: prepare early enough to make the celebration feel personal. Listen for practical ideas on holiday staffing, foodservice operations, event planning, and the resident dining experience. Follow Tips from Trestle for more conversations about senior living food, hospitality, leadership, and community experience. Connect with the show: @tipsfromtrestle Tips from Trestle is sponsored by eMenuChoice, WiseOx AI, LINK Consulting, the Dining with Dementia Workshop, and The 100% Leader.

    All the Trimmings, Less Drama: Senior Living Holiday Dining | Ep. 532

  3. Oct 19

    Beyond Pizza Parties: Trauma-Informed Leadership with Jean Hartnett | Ep. 531

    What if your employee appreciation strategy is missing what your team actually needs? Jean Hartnett, founder of Radical Sabbatical, joins Aaron Fish on Tips from Trestle to explore trauma-informed care, workforce wellbeing, and the human side of senior living leadership. Together, they examine adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, toxic stress, and the expectation that employees should leave personal struggles at the door. Jean connects these ideas to nursing homes, assisted living, and the everyday work of leading caregivers and hospitality teams. For executive directors, dining leaders, department heads, and senior care professionals, this conversation offers a different lens on workplace culture and employee support. Guest: Jean Hartnett, founder of Radical SabbaticalHost: Aaron Fish Follow Tips from Trestle for conversations about senior living food, hospitality, leadership, and the community experience. Tips from Trestle is sponsored by WiseOx AI, LINK Consulting, the Dining with Dementia Workshop, and The 100% Leader. Connect with the show: @tipsfromtrestle

    Beyond Pizza Parties: Trauma-Informed Leadership with Jean Hartnett | Ep. 531

  4. Oct 13

    Every Behavior Is a Voice: | Dementia, Grief & Family Dynamics in Memory Care | Ep. 530

    How can senior living teams better support families through dementia? Aaron Fish talks with Dawn Platt, National Director of Memory Care at Discovery Senior Living and host of The Disappearing Mind. She has more than 30 years in dementia care and cared for her mother through vascular dementia. In this episode: Why families resist a diagnosis, and why it matters 120+ types of dementia, and why not everything is dementia Ambiguous loss and how to reframe grief Sibling conflict and family dynamics Why every behavior is a voice The four stages of understanding Why one-size-fits-all memory care no longer works Perfect for senior living operators, memory care directors, and hospitality and dining leaders. And follow The Disappearing Mind Podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Follow Tips from Trestle on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. More at trestlehospitalityconcepts.com. Sponsored by WiseOx AI, Link Consulting , the Dining with Dementia Workshop, and the 100% Leader.

    Every Behavior Is a Voice: | Dementia, Grief & Family Dynamics in Memory Care | Ep. 530

  5. Oct 6

    How to Build a Senior Living Brand Families Trust | Ep. 529

    How does a senior living community build a brand families trust before they ever tour? Aaron Fish talks with Sara Mitchell, now COO and CMO of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, about branding, rebranding, and authentic marketing. Recorded live while Sara was president and co-founder of a senior living marketing agency, the episode covers Google reviews and SEO, boomers turning 80, tour-day hospitality, rebrand mistakes, recruiting, website and Facebook metrics, lead forms, consistent messaging, and resident ambassadors. A practical listen for senior living marketers, executive directors, sales teams, and operators. Tips from Trestle is sponsored by: WiseOx AI, Link Consulting, Dining With Dementia, & The 100% Leader

    How to Build a Senior Living Brand Families Trust | Ep. 529

  6. Sep 28

    Death Isn’t a Failure | Ep. 528

    What if a better end-of-life experience in senior living begins long before someone’s final days? Aaron Fish sits down with Heather Holmes, co-founder of The Vibe, a nature-inspired dementia care home in Gretna, Nebraska. Heather brings experience in senior living, therapeutic recreation, and death doula work to a candid discussion about dementia care, family conversations, and the way communities support caregivers through grief. They explore how The Vibe plans to use gardens, natural light, music, food, and a quieter daily rhythm to create a sense of home. Heather also explains why she wants teams to learn each person’s story early, talk openly about end-of-life wishes, and give families room to ask difficult questions. The conversation ends with a practical challenge for senior living operators: get clear on what you believe about aging, caregiving, and death—then ask your team what they believe. A thoughtful listen for leaders in memory care, assisted living, hospitality, and family support. TFT is sponsored by WiseOx AI, LINK Consulting, Dining With Dementia, & The 100% Leader

    Death Isn’t a Failure | Ep. 528

  7. Sep 21

    Why Senior Living Leaders Burn Out | Ep. 527

    Why do capable senior living leaders become overwhelmed, reactive, and stuck answering every question? In this episode of Tips from Trestle, Aaron Fish sits down with Jill Valdez, Founder and COO of Link Consulting, to explore one of senior living’s most pressing operational challenges: leadership clarity. Jill explains why a strong caregiver, department head, or marketer is not automatically prepared to become an executive director—and what organizations must do to help emerging leaders succeed. Together, Aaron and Jill unpack how unclear roles, weak delegation, and inconsistent accountability affect team culture, employee engagement, resident satisfaction, family trust, occupancy, and financial performance. You’ll hear practical strategies for: Delegating without losing controlSetting clear decision-making guardrailsBuilding accountability through standups, shift handoffs, and KPIsDeveloping department leaders instead of creating bottlenecksConnecting leadership behavior to resident experienceDiagnosing the gap between today’s reality and a thriving community vision A must-listen for executive directors, regional operators, owners, clinical leaders, hospitality professionals, and anyone building stronger senior living teams.

    Why Senior Living Leaders Burn Out | Ep. 527

  8. Sep 21

    Why Senior Living Leaders Burn Out | Ep. 527

    Senior living leadership is not about one executive director carrying every decision. It is about giving capable people clarity, boundaries, coaching, and accountability. Aaron Fish welcomes Jill Valdez of Link Consulting for a candid conversation on leadership development in senior living, assisted living, memory care, hospice, and aging services. They discuss the common promotion gap: exceptional caregivers and department leaders are often elevated into management roles without the business, communication, delegation, or operational training required to thrive. Jill shares a practical framework for leaders who want to step out of the “answer every question” role while still protecting resident care, compliance, finances, and culture. The conversation covers delegation, employee engagement, accountability systems, leadership coaching, team development, turnover, resident satisfaction, and a real hospice turnaround that produced four consecutive profitable months. If your community feels dependent on one person, this episode offers a better path: build clarity, develop people, and create a culture where residents, families, employees, and performance can all thrive.

    Why Senior Living Leaders Burn Out | Ep. 527
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About

Tips From Trestle is a podcast focused on discussion about senior living food, hospitality, & the community experience. Hosted by THE Hospitality Executive to the Senior Living Industry Aaron Fish, he shares his thoughts, musings and discussions about food & beverage operations, community & resident experiences, and trends & happenings in the senior living industry. To be considered as a guest for TFT, please send an email to info@trestlehc.com Tips from Trestle is sponsored by: - eMenuCHOICE POS - Clark Pro - DiningRD Trestle Tactics is sponsored by - Gordon Food Service

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