In this special Christmas episode closing out Season 8 of Bridge the Gap, Josh and Lucas reflect on eight years of conversations that have helped shape the senior living industry. From humble beginnings to nearly 600 pieces of content, they look back on the relationships, stories, and mission that continue to drive the platform forward.

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In this episode, we discuss:

The missional “why” behind senior living leadership

Entrepreneurship and family-driven roots in senior housing

Technology and AI’s growing role in the industry

Learning from industry thought leaders and conferences

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Meet the Hosts:

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Josh Crisp

Lucas McCurdy

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Produced by Solinity Marketing.

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Become a sponsor of Bridge the Gap.

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Listen to more episodes here.

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Intro

Welcome to season eight of Bridge the Gap, a podcast dedicated to informing, educating, and influencing the future of housing and services for seniors. The BTG network is powered by sponsors, Aline, NIC MAP, Procare HR, Sage, Hamilton CapTel, ServiceMaster, The Bridge Group Construction, and Solinty and produced by Solinity Marketing. Bridge the Gap in three, two.

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00:40 - 00:54

Lucas McCurdy

Welcome to Bridge the Gap podcast, the senior living podcast with Josh and Lucas. And guess what? Today is Josh and Lucas. Because it's our famous Christmas episode that we do every single year. It's that time of year again. Josh.

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00:54 - 00:55

Josh Crisp

I love it.

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00:55 - 00:57

Lucas McCurdy

Are you feeling festive?

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00:57 - 00:58

Josh Crisp

I'm getting there, man.

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00:58 - 01:00

Lucas McCurdy

Kind of a bah humbug sometimes.

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01:00 - 01:05

Josh Crisp

Don't say that about me. That is not true. I just it takes me a little while to get warmed up.

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01:05 - 01:18

Lucas McCurdy

That's true. Okay, well. Fair enough, fair enough. You know, we are completing eight years. We call them seasons, right? Eight, eight seasons of Bridge the Gap. I'm frankly a little surprised we've lasted this long.

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01:18 - 01:27

Josh Crisp

Well, I would encourage our listeners not to do this, but if you go back and look in those first couple years, look a little different.

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01:27 - 01:31

Lucas McCurdy

Yeah, I had more hair and I was a little trimmer.

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01:31 - 01:40

Josh Crisp

Well, both of us and we had a little less gray in our beard. Yes. But, but it's been it's been a fun ride with you for the last eight years.

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01:40 - 01:50

Lucas McCurdy

Aging. Aging is good. You know, it's a good thing we we covered the business of aging, and we've aged right along with it, too. And you know what? We have a lot to look forward to.

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01:50 - 01:55

Josh Crisp

That's right. And so to our listeners, it's been a fun few years and so much more.

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01:55 - 02:46

Lucas McCurdy

It is you know, just as I said, I'm surprised we've lasted this long. And, you know, we're going to keep it going. We have no intentions of stopping, you know, just just try to come and take it. I mean, I'm from Texas. We have that phrase come and take it, you know, just come and get us. Know, we love covering the industry.

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We love covering the stories of the industry, our friends, our supporters, the people that do the heavy lifting day in and day out to make this industry special, to make it great, to make it what it is. And I've said this many times on the podcast, and in conversations is that to me, the common thread that binds are the great people in this industry. And Bridge the Gap has been at the forefront and had the big responsibility of covering those stories and telling those stories on the network.

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02:46 - 03:29

Josh Crisp

Well, and it's always encouraging to me, you know, it's it's hard as a podcaster, you sometimes don't know all the people that are listening. We see our numbers and our we see our stats and you see the downloads. But it's really fun when we get together at these events. Our, industry does such a great job at putting on great conferences around the country.

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It's always really rewarding when you have somebody who comes up and recognizes us and says, Hey, I've been listening. And the reason why I got into the industry is because of you guys, or I got into the industry, and I've learned so much by listening to your guests. And how rewarding is that? Because, you and I and the team behind bridged the gap, put in countless hours around the year. It's a real passion project that's so, so rewarding.

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03:29 - 04:41

Lucas McCurdy

So high level. Let's just go high-level on, giving a magnitude of what bridged the gap network has become over the course of eight years. So we are approaching nearly 600 episodes on the Bridge Gap network. And not all of those are from just you and me. We've had, contributors. We've had, some other guest-type hosts.

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We've done special, kind of exposes of different themes and seasons, but nearly 600 episodes, and over 400 of those being directed, directly, hosted by you and myself. And we have had, over the course of the years, we've had, nearly a million downloads just on the audio podcast. We've had multi, multi million views on our videos.

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And I would wager to say that it is the largest library of diverse digital content related to senior housing that's ever existed. And that's eight years of constant content and storytelling from our friends and partners. In the Bridge Gap network.

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04:41 - 04:56

Josh Crisp

Have you ever had any idea when you pitched this idea to me at that Nick event, when we were in that lobby, about starting a podcast that this many years later, this many millions of impressions and downloads later that we'd still be doing this.

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04:56 - 05:46

Lucas McCurdy

Josh, I want to set the record straight right now. And you'll actually enjoy this, because I want to give credit where credit is due. Because I've heard you say this before. You said it was my idea. Now, I think it was. It's fair to say it was a collaborative idea, but I think you were the first person to say out loud, maybe we should do a podcast now.

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Maybe we talked about it. But I think you were the first person to really voice that, out there. And I could probably go back into our private message LinkedIn archive and find that exact conversation eight years ago that said, it was a fantastic idea. And when you said it, I immediately, without reservation, knew that that is exactly what we should do. And we got about the business of doing it.

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05:46 - 05:58

Josh Crisp

Well, you bird docket, let's put it that way. You made it. Fair enough. You made it happen and made sure it happened, even if it was a crazy idea. But here we are all these years later, and, it's been quite a ride with you.

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05:58 - 07:52

Lucas McCurdy

Yes, and we have been bridging the gap. It's been a lot of fun. So, you know, Josh, we've had this year in particular in 2025, technology dominates the conversation. And that's obvious. That's not a surprise either is such a huge component of our daily existence. And others, you know, a lot of that is impacting senior housing.

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And if you go to btgvoice.com and type into the search feature there, you could type in technology, you could type in AI. We have a fantastic library, that you can simply just type in to the search feature, any topic that you want to listen to. But if you typed in any of those for technology and a lot of that would, would come back.

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And so, you know, Josh, we have season highlights. We've, you know, we've talked about, technology. We've talked about organizational culture. What approaches have you found to be effective in building alignment, engagement, even just within your team? And before you answer that, let me tee this up a little bit better, because I have these in private conversations where, they'll say, you know, oh, it's interesting of a podcast.

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I say, yes, my role on the podcast is to be mediator. I'm not a senior living operator. I'm a vendor partner to the industry. You are. Your entire career has been revolved around being a provider, being a care provider in senior housing, an operator, and, which is so incredibly valuable to the conversation and which is why you drive the conversation.

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Normally on the show, most of our listeners may or may not know that. And so you as a provider in the industry, as an operator, how have you involved some of the things we've discussed on the industry to help drive your organization?

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07:52 - 09:32

Josh Crisp

Well, I mean, let's face it, you and I are extremely lucky. And I tell people this all the time because we get to go to these events. First of all, not everybody gets to go to the events. So that's a big deal. But every single week out of the year, 52 weeks a year, we have a thought leader that we're sitting down with.

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You know, most of the time. And we get to pick their brain. We get to pick their brain before they get on the show. And as they're leaving and, you know, these are powerful people, very big thought leaders and influencers that a lot of people would love to just be able to get a minute or two conversation and be able to shake their hand.

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And we have a long discussion with them, and they're the industry's brightest. And when you're talking about things like AI or technology, it's changing so rapidly. And so, you know, to answer your question, how I've, I actually learned a lot. You know, every single episode we're learning, we're asking questions. And then we get to have follow up conversations.

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And then I involve my team. I got I couldn't do it. It's such a complex, an ever changing, evolving infrastructure. Every decision you make impacts your organization greatly. Your team, all the different stakeholders, your residents, care providers and partners. So it's very, very important that you pick the right partners and providers. So that's how I've, I've actually used a lot of our episodes. And the guest, put them into my network. I follow them and they're putting out great content. And so we use that to help guide us to the right products and services.

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09:32 - 10:30

Lucas McCurdy

the industry is, in my opinion, and I think that this is, well thought out. And the truth is very entrepreneurial, I think even more so than some other major verticals, that are, you know, out there because there's a lot of family businesses. And we continue to hear from these individuals where they say, you know, we toured, we looked for a place to put mom, and we just decided, you know, we could do it.

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We thought we could do it better. And even some of the big organizations, historically, if we look back into the history books of senior living, are often driven by big families. And, there's a lot of entrepreneurship that, I think resonates, at least with me, I find it very fascinating. You're an entrepreneur. I'm an entrepreneur. What are your thoughts on just kind of senior living entrepreneurship? Well, I think,

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10:30 - 11:57

Josh Crisp

You know, most of the people that I talk to in senior living, they all have somewhat of a similar. Why. And what I mean by that is there's some personal connection or experience that has motivated them to do the business that they're doing, or start the business that they're doing. I'm not sure that's always the case in every vertical.

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You know, sometimes I talk to entrepreneurs that maybe are what you call serial entrepreneurs, and they're just looking for gaps out there, where some widget or some product or service service and there's a monetization plan. Well, you know, senior living, the nature of it is you're dealing with with humans. You're dealing with lives, people at their most frail state.

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And so, you know, being an entrepreneur is extremely difficult. I'm sure you can relate. But, since I started my journey, I can think of many times when if it was not a very deep motivation in the why, I just had to had to do it for something very missional. You would just give up, right? Because there's probably easier ways to make money and make more money.

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Right? So that's one thing that I think is very endearing to me about our industry is you see the products and services. And yes, it's so cool, some of the things that are coming out. But the stories behind why these products and services are created is what's really neat.

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11:57 - 13:16

Lucas McCurdy

Well, and those relationships really run deep. You know, this year we have been fortunate to attend many, many conferences for our listeners. They know when they listen to Bridge the Gap, they're going to hear some background noise. Bridge the gap is not recorded in a sound studio. Bridge the gap is recorded amongst the people of the industry, which is intentional.

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We love doing that. We like the in the environment that we get to record in. And one that stood out this year, which comes from one of our very first supporters, our friend Eric Mendelson, CEO of NHI. He's got a great team over there. We love Cameron. And, all of his team over there are great. And, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Great spot, great people, great company. They have their own industry, event that they host where they bring in all of their operators and their partners. And we had a chance to sit down with a lot of great people to record that day. One that stood out was their keynote speaker, Matthew Lund. He's the former Pixar and Simpsons story artist, and he had a very compelling story. And the whole thing was weaving in story. You remember some of those conversations?

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13:16 - 13:47

Josh Crisp

Oh my gosh, what an amazing guy. I can't believe, you know, I had to pinch myself. I'm like, I'm really getting to sit down and talk with this guy. I mean, how lucky are we? But yeah, what an awesome story for us to be able to help him share his story, but his keynote was very motivational and eye-opening. And I think it, sometimes we get bogged down in the business of our business. But while we have compelling stories to tell and in what a what a way to frame it, I would sit down with him.

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13:47 - 13:54

Lucas McCurdy

It is great. And, also, Eric gave a keynote, I guess you could call it a keynote, and told his story.

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13:54 - 13:56

Josh Crisp

I love seeing that side of Eric.

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13:56 - 14:36

Lucas McCurdy

I do too, I do too, and that's so, to me, very unique. Obviously publicly traded me. There's, you know, that's, you know, speaks volumes in itself. But again, it goes back to my point of this common thread that I find that weaves in between everyone is that it's very missional. There's a there's a very missional approach to this industry.

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And for obvious reasons, we, the industry is caring for older adults that deserve dignity and respect. And I see the heaviness of that responsibility, really, in every community that I'm fortunate to walk into each and every week.

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14:36 - 14:58

Josh Crisp

Yeah. And, you know, we were so honored to be able to be at the Music City Symposium that they put together a lot of work for their operators to come together and learn and, sort of be recharged, to go out and do a better job. So we so appreciate what they've done for us to help launch us into the business, continue to encourage us, support us, and continue to support the industry. So great partners.

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14:58 - 16:31

Lucas McCurdy

So looking ahead in 2026, after a fantastic year, you know, it's always this time of year around Christmas time that I, I start to kind of take a deep breath myself and reflect on the blessings of this year. And also some goals of what we may be looking in, 20, 26, and into next year. Bridge the gap is going to continue to bring the excellent content and excellent discussions that we have as the industry faces challenges and opportunities.

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The industry is changing and reshaping. There's a lot of new people, new operators, new tech companies, new providers, and we are going to be, reaching out and looking to those folks. And as a part of that, in 2026, Bridge the Gap is going to want to bring back, I believe, some contributors to the platform. This is something we've done over the years.

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And we didn't necessarily sunset it, but, we're looking for great voices to continue to join our platform. And so for our listeners out there, you can go to BG voice.com and look back at some of our contributors series that we've done. And if you feel like you have a voice and would like to participate in driving the Bridge the Gap mission forward, we'd like to talk to you. And also in addition to that, we're going to be continuing our ambassador program. Josh, tell our listeners more about the ambassador role.

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16:31 - 17:38

Josh Crisp

The Ambassador program has been one of, I think, the coolest programs we've got. So, every year it's grown a little bit organically. But somewhere in the neighborhood of about 50 ambassadors now annually join to be part of this. What I just really think is an exclusive networking group, that would be the best way I would describe it.

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So get together at events around the country. But I love to see when I jump in the private chat rooms that they have where they're helping each other solve real time industry challenges, bouncing ideas off of each other, working to improve quality of care, distribution of services. And sometimes it's just introducing people to help some newcomers, to the space, meet some of the people to do information, share and educational share.

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So helping each other be better while helping our industry be better and really doing just the mission of Bridge the Gap, which is to inform, educate, to create positive influence in the space. And so it's such an exciting group. They bring the energy any time they get together.

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17:38 - 18:41

Lucas McCurdy

And if those words resonate with you, we do want to connect with you. There is room on the bridge, the gap network for you and your voice, and we love partnering with great people and we have some great partners and some great sponsors. For those of y'all that listening out there, you know, we could not bring this content to you without the sponsors, that help underwrite the cost that we invest.

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Josh and I personally invest in this platform, and we have sponsors that help us underwrite the yearly cost of bringing this message to you. And so thank you to our sponsors. And we ask our listeners, you know, scroll down in the show notes, go to our website, visit our sponsors. These are folks that believe in the Bridge the Gap mission, and they believe in bringing educational content and driving a voice in the industry. And so, Josh, as we look at 2026, we've got a great 2026 tour lined up already. We're going to be visiting a lot of different events next year.

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18:41 - 19:29

Josh Crisp

Absolutely. Yeah. Well, and some of our favorites we attend every year. We're so thankful for the partnerships of the events that allow us to set up, in their lobbies and in their expo centers and networking lounges to bring you the greatest content from the greatest people in our industry, as well as emerging leaders. As you said earlier, there's so many people that have been really the founders of this industry that have been on our show, but there's so many newcomers coming in, and so the wealth and information share is phenomenal.

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So we'll be at the usher, event. We'll be at the knick events, as always. We're throwing in a couple others this year that can't wait to bring you. So be looking for those tour dates, as we call them. And make sure when you see a senator event, stop by and say hello.

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19:29 - 20:04

Lucas McCurdy

Absolutely. Catch us at those events. FSLA, Senior Living, 100 Leading Age, just to name a few, if you're going to be attending those events, those conferences, reach out. We'd love to connect with you to shake your hand and talk to you. So, as we wrap up, another great season here.

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Year eight, season eight on the Bridge the Gap Network. As we reflect on the wonderful blessings and the conversations that we've had. Josh, we wish all of our listeners and our industry a very Merry Christmas.

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20:04 - 20:06

Josh Crisp

And a blessed New Year.

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20:06 - 20:21

Lucas McCurdy

Amen to that. God bless you. Thank you for listening to our episode of our Christmas Season eight, and have a wonderful Christmas time and holiday season. Go to btgvoice.com and we'll catch you on the next one.

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Outro

Thanks for listening to Bridge the Gap podcast with Josh and Lucas. Connect with the BTG network team and use your voice to influence the industry by connecting with us at btgvoice.com.

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