Maria Mayes: [00:00:00] Well, welcome back chakras and chardonnay listeners. I am so excited to be back with you and super excited about my guest today. I have Stephanie Hayes and she's a registered nurse providing concierge health services through her company, Vallation Health. So welcome so much, Stephanie. Thanks for joining me today.

Thank you so much for having me. I'd love for you to share a little bit about how you got on the path that you're on today. What prompted you to start this business and offer this very unique and very needed level of concierge services? 

Stephanie Hayes: Yeah. So it started, um, With working in the ICU, I, um, was an ICU bedside nurse and, um, really had an interest in putting all the pieces together.

It's just kind of like the way my brain works and my interest works and just very analytical and like wanting to understand the interplay of all the different systems and [00:01:00] connecting the dots. And then, um, also just having a priority of really connecting with my patients. Um, I would see time and time again, the differences in their actual health care with like taking the time to really sit and listen to them and better understand, you know, the symptoms they're explaining or things like that and seeing the difference that that can make.

So this concierge health service started out of being this like void, um, that, you know, I would put so much into. You know, getting to know the patient, working on getting all the pieces put together. Um, and then my 12 hour shift was done. And it's like, you give the best report you can, but every single one of those handoffs is a weak point in the system.

Every time there's a transition in care, you know, there can be miscommunications, there can be details that are dropped that wind up being pertinent. And that's something that just kind of [00:02:00] frustrated me increasingly over time. Um, and then actually, in meditation 1 day, I was prompted to think of, like, the piece of your work that is the most.

Like, fill, really fills you up, what, what element of work, any type of work that you've ever done, what small little element, like, really lights your soul on fire, and I had this image of just like, Holding this patient's hand and they're going through this, like, really uncertain time and them just having this, like, reassurance and peace of mind because, like, I've got you.

I'm right here with you. I'm keeping track of all of these details that are, like, swirling in circles around you. And I see you. I'm right here with you. And that, like, reassurance and peace of mind from that patient, I was like, Oh, that's it. That's, like, the moment that's, like, so meaningful to me. And. Like a way that I can really [00:03:00] contribute.

Well, and then and then the guided meditation went on to say, you know, now, can you imagine creating your whole work around that moment around like that part of your work that lights your soul on fire? How can you make that? Your whole business, your whole work and so I was like, Oh, I could stick with this guy.

I can stick with this guy beyond this 12 hour shift. I can help him, you know, in with the next provider that comes in. I can help him with the next tests that are coming up. I can, you know, help them with the recovery and then whatever may come next in his health journey. And so I kind of thought, Oh, maybe I'll do some of this.

You know, concierge care on the side and really with the intention of like sticking with this person through all of the providers and facilities, and I couldn't find anything like that. I couldn't find, you know, I thought I would just go join someone's company to do some of this work and I couldn't find anything that really met that intention of, you know, I'm not [00:04:00] just helping you under this roof of this facility or, you know, Just this coaching that is separate from your health care or any of those things.

And and when I saw that that wasn't there, I was kind of And you really just stunned for a while, like I spent a while like searching, like, why is this not a thing? Why is this not a thing? Why do we not have someone helping keep track of health care over the long term? Like back in the day, it was primary care physicians.

And now they're in a system where they can't be involved with every specialist you see in every procedure you have, you know, they're not the family doctor that just comes to your house and knows, you know, everything about you and your family and your support systems. And so. When I realized that this was just not available anywhere, it just felt like, you know, this is my job to create this and to get it available to people because working in the ICU, I mean, thousands of stories of the impact of someone paying [00:05:00] attention or, gosh, this person wouldn't be here in the ICU if someone were paying attention three months ago, six months ago, whatever it is, you know, someone we're listening a little sooner that has the medical background, um, and, um, And yeah, so that's, I just decided, I guess it's my assignment to do this.

Maria Mayes: That is just, it's just, I'm pausing because I'm really just taking it in and want our listeners to, to, because that was really impactful. What you just said about someone paying attention, how that could shift everything in a person's journey. And you're coming at this from such a holistic and heart centered space.

I mean, I feel your heart chakra just like exploding. And so, yeah. Wow. I mean, just for you to answer this call, which is not a easy call to just go ahead and create a business then if one doesn't exist, right? This is not an easy task. Wow. Well, I just, you know, there's so much we could talk about here and I really want to kind of [00:06:00] go in the direction of, For our listeners that might be out there hearing this and thinking, wow, God, I wish I had someone taking me through that.

I mean, as you were talking, I was thinking about my own health journey and how, how huge it would have been for myself. And then also as a caretaker for, um, my parents and their health journey, just how I kind of stepped in and tried to fill in the gaps there. And so this is such a needed service. Can you kind of paint us a picture of what the journey looks like for your client?

Um, as you go through this. 

Stephanie Hayes: Yeah. So sometimes, you know, people have seen a parent or a loved one go through a health situation where you see that, like, you know, things can just happen so quickly and, you know, to try to find quality care after something happens. Is really challenging. Like there's there's opportunities missed because time is of the essence when things are changing quickly.

Um, so sometimes it really is just a very, [00:07:00] um, preventative. I want someone on my team, um, who's ready and prepared because. They're just aware of, you know, that vulnerability in the healthcare system and the fact that we don't know at what point or if, how, when anyone's going to wind up really tangled up in the medical system.

You know, we always, we don't think it's us until we're there. You know, you never, things can come up unexpectedly. And, um, so sometimes it's really just a matter of being that known. And prepared advocate, um, and helping to really tailor wellness efforts to things that are the most impactful. So when people get, you know, the should do's, all the things you should do for your health, whether it's from, you know, whether it's from the internet or reading magazines or whether it's your doctor's direct advice to you, it can often feel like cookie cutter advice.

Like, this is the cookie cutter [00:08:00] advice. This is, you know, what we tell everyone they should do. And, and it can feel, um, it can be difficult to see how to fit those health efforts into a lifestyle that really feels sustainable for the individual. Um, when it's hard to grasp, like, is this really that important specifically for me?

How important, what is this really going to impact? So, I love working with people on this. You know, which of these risk factors or things are the highest priority for you as an individual to address? And then, you know, like take blood pressure, for example, if someone, um, their blood pressure is kind of high, doctors talk to you about all the risks of having too high a blood pressure, and it's, well, I should do, you know, the exercise, the lower sodium, the, all these things, and it can feel so daunting.

So, if you have an idea, really, [00:09:00] of how that blood pressure risk fits into your specific health profile, there's a different level of understand. It prioritizes differently in your brain when you understand how it connects to you as an individual. And then, let's look at all the different ways you can work on improving your blood pressure.

You know, if, if this, this one dietary change or this one exercise intention is not feeling sustainable in your lifestyle, Well, let's quit beating ourselves up about what's not working for us and work with both the small incremental improvements, but also let's look at all the different ways we can come at this.

Let's try different angles. Let's stick with it together and try different angles until we find something that really is sustainable for you, because that's the only way we're going to make. lasting impact. That's the only way we actually are going to influence our health risk factors is to have these changes that are [00:10:00] actually sustainable in our lifestyle, where you can still enjoy your life.

You're still having fun. You're still eating the foods you enjoy all of that. 

Maria Mayes: I love that because it's, it's, you're all, everything you're discussing here is about empowerment. And that's that's just like really the, the, one of the intentions behind this podcast is to empower folks with the knowledge that there are Ways to empower our health in a different fashion.

And so I, I just love that. And I know that, um, you know, as folks are going on their journey, and maybe have been pivoting now from having more of a preventive approach to maybe someone's in a position where they just got a diagnosis. Maybe they just found out they have RA or, you know, whatever it might be, and they're having to step into that next stage in the journey.

And all they've really received from the medical system is here's your diagnosis. Here's your drugs. Yeah. What? Um, paint us that picture then if you don't mind. Yeah. 

Stephanie Hayes: Yeah. So the, well, the preventative wellness is kind of one channel of how I work with people. And then there's [00:11:00] when there's actually more acute medical things going on.

So sometimes it's, there's kind of three channels here. So the second would be, they've got a new diagnosis. The third is they've got symptoms and they're not getting any answers. So those are both two other like kind of unique situations that I walk into with people. But so a new diagnosis, um, You know, they, the providers are in a system where they have so many people and small amounts of time, and the concierge physicians have a leg up on that one, but they still are under one roof.

They are the primary care physician or they are the specialty, um, not a consistency throughout the, Medical journey. So, um, being a point of consistency for that patient throughout the medical journey. Not only can I spend a little more time helping them understand the diagnosis, I can spend more time [00:12:00] understanding their concerns, their questions, um, how this is really impacting their lifestyle and what they, what their goals and priorities are.

Um, but then also, Like, what do you want to talk about, about this, that you don't want to say to that specialist? Right. Which, the, like, there's, I see the problem with, um, you know, people feel like they have to make a choice sometimes between like, I'm going to go the medical route, or no, I want to go a more holistic, natural route, I don't want medications, and people feel like they have to make a choice, like it's one or the other.

And when people do try to find You know, the balance between those that's best for them. Um, there's not very good open communication in that. Because if someone's trying to find where on [00:13:00] that continuum, they want to prioritize medicine versus holistic care. Do you feel like you can discuss your, um, your holistic preferences or the things you would like to try with that medical provider?

So it can feel like a. like, like to be the good patient for that doctor. It's like, yes, okay. And you just kind of nod your head in the doctor's office. 

Maria Mayes: Right. Yeah. So level of pressure of wanting to be wanting to check the boxes, be the good patient, say the right thing. People please, especially for us recovering people, pleasers, right.

You want to, you want to be that good patient, but then if you have that pit in your gut, like this doesn't feel right, I don't want to be on the, you know, this high dosage or whatever it is. Like having that, that advocate, like you said, that known and prepared advocate, I think that's so key that, that, that the combination of the expertise you bring from being [00:14:00] in the trenches and the ICU and also the compassion piece and then being there with that advocacy, that's, it's just huge.

Stephanie Hayes: Yeah. So not only can I. You know, help you understand all of the depth of the technical medical lingo and treatment options and all of that. Um, but also I am just as interested in hearing and supporting people's. More holistic preferences and how those interplay or, you know, where, where they fall on that spectrum of their individual goals and priorities.

And so having someone who, um, you can discuss those things with, who also understands the medical side of it, then I can help you really navigate those choices from a more empowered place. Like, let's actually discuss, you know, so this complementary alternative therapy. Is it. One that has, um, like has it been researched at all?

Do we know that it [00:15:00] has some efficacy? Do we not know anything about it? Do we not have evidence of efficacy, but we don't have any reason to believe it would be harmful? Or do we actually know that there are these specific risks of combining that with whatever this medical treatment or situation is. So there's just so many different pieces that you can look at in evaluating those options.

Um, when you have someone that can really just be open to that full dialogue 

Maria Mayes: for sure. 

Stephanie Hayes: Then with those new diagnoses, just, you know, often there's lots of different, different providers, different doctor's offices, different specialists, sometimes procedures.

Um, and it is so much information all at once at a time that is highly emotional. 

Maria Mayes: Right. 

Stephanie Hayes: It's stressful for you, for your family members, you know, the, the family members so far in this system have been the default advocate, you know, which I, [00:16:00] I believe is an, um, inappropriate burden to put on someone that doesn't have the medical background.

But then even if they do, you know, I, When my dad had a stroke, he did not want to notify me in the middle of the night of the symptoms that he was having, and he got himself to the ER, so he did what, you know, would generally be advised, um, but because I was his daughter, not his hired concierge partner in health, he didn't want to wake me up.

And his stroke was missed for 16 hours of sitting in the emergency room because they didn't recognize how different his cognition was from his baseline. They didn't recognize that his speech was different from his baseline. It's just these things that, you know, somewhat subtleties. I mean, I got the text of the symptoms.

I said, it's a posterior stroke. Did they do stroke treatment 10 hours ago? You know, but, um, so even, [00:17:00] even for my dad who has an ICU nurse daughter, it's still if that's not the role that you're specifically in to be this partner in health, this advocate, whatever, there's a missing piece. You know, having that third party that's not a member of your family who, you know, that that's what this person, the role that they're choosing to provide in my life, the service they're choosing to provide.

Yeah. I'm going to call her and wake her up in the middle of the night if I'm having stroke symptoms, please. That's what I'm here for. That's what you're hiring me for. 

Maria Mayes: Um, that's a good, yeah. 

Stephanie Hayes: I 

Maria Mayes: mean, just 

Stephanie Hayes: so just connecting those dots. Yeah. 

Maria Mayes: Kind of sitting with for a moment that just because that was had a big impact on me as you were describing that that when we're in a state, this is from my perspective of both being a patient and a caregiver and an advocate as a result of being a caregiver.

Right? And when we're in that state of receiving [00:18:00] that information, that test result, that new diagnosis, or that change in diagnosis, whatever it might be. We're, we go into survival mode, we go into fight or flight, right? And so our, our, our ability to retain the information and catch all the information it's, we kind of go into this cloud of like, Oh my God, are you kidding me?

And I'm not hearing all the things that are being shared, um, from the medical provider. Half of those are, are lost because we're in that state of sympathetic, you know, fight and flight. Just trying to. Um, and 

Stephanie Hayes: I think it's really important for 

Maria Mayes: people to hear the news and stay standing really. Right. So, um, wow, that's just, that's such an important.

Is this like the future of healthcare? This seems like it's such a, yeah, I believe 

Stephanie Hayes: so. I just, I, it's still, I still sit back and go, Oh, is this not a thing already? Right. Like, how can I not find other people doing this? [00:19:00] Um, it just seems like such a, to me, I'm like, this is such an obvious solution to so many issues that we have in healthcare.

Um, you know, you talk about the communication that's just totally missed when a family member is, you know, dealing with the emotional impact of a sick relative. But then the other side of that is also what a missed opportunity to be just fully present, supportive with that family member. What about just being able to be the daughter, be the spouse?

Without feeling that like, no, I need to have my notebook out and be taking really quick notes and, and then be on the internet looking all these things up, making sure that, you know, do I need to ask any other questions? Do I need to point anything else out? It's like you take on this whole role that takes you away from being able to just be fully present with your loved one, which is so neat.

Maria Mayes: This is so many ripples, Stephanie, because I'm looking [00:20:00] at, you know, I was someone who went through caregiver, uh, I basically burnt out as a result of. Spinning all the plates, taking care of all the people besides myself, and I feel like there's a lot of caregivers that end up in burnout state, and it's the impact that this is has potential to have by taking that burden off that family member so that they can just be there for the emotional support and hold space and not have to exactly what you were just describing.

Describing figure out all the things what do I have to research going to be up till 2 a. m. tonight trying to figure out the next, you know, way we can, um, try to improve things here. I just think this is so huge. I would love for you to share. I think we're going to have to schedule another conversation, too, because there's so many different things I'd like.

Yeah, but for the audiences listening today, what's 1 thing that they could do to step into more advocacy with their own health right now, or some tip you could give them to, [00:21:00] or they can put into action. Um, and then I'd love for you to share how we can get a hold of you too, but is, is there 1 thing they could do today?

Stephanie Hayes: Yeah, so, um, you know, it's, it's interesting that I kind of have to go for so many years. I would tell people, you got to be your own best advocate. You know, I have my 12 hour shift, I pass along report, and then I tell the patient or the family member, these are the things I want you to make sure get followed up with, you know, you got to be your own best advocate.

And that's because there wasn't something better in the system for that. So. Watch out for this change. Jump on the train and get the support that's needed for health care, but in the meantime, when you have a family member, somebody who is currently functioning as your advocate, um, don't hesitate to call.

Don't hesitate to notify them. Don't worry about, you know, [00:22:00] making too big a deal out of nothing. Voice your concerns. Let them know. Because that, that's really a frustrating piece to be intending to support and advocate for someone's health care and then just not know until it's too late for that appropriate stroke treatment or whatever it is that someone winds up being a situation and then just the way the system is right now that things are really rushed.

There's a lot of information coming from different angles. It is fully appropriate to say, hold on. Don't leave yet. Can you explain that to me a different way? Because I'm not understanding it or just can you say that again? You know, if someone seems to hurried, yeah, they do have too much on their plate and that doesn't change the fact that you should stop them and have them say it again another way.

Or repeat what they just said or give you some printed materials. Um, [00:23:00] and then just keep keep looking for the appropriate support services. Find what feels right for you. You know, this, this business concept came to me from the like, yes, this feels so good to do, you know, the idea of following your yes, Matthew McConaughey, that calls it the green lights, go for the green lights, and it's just like, this feels so right for me.

To work in this way in this capacity and to build this program and I think when people will pay attention to those like nudges of like this feels right for me, you'll find the right supports. You'll find the right information. Um, because there's people out there wanting to help. 

Maria Mayes: So amazing. Those are such huge takeaways.

Um, how can people get ahold of you if they're ready to start working with you? 

Stephanie Hayes: Yeah, so my website is valationhealth. com. That's V A L L A T I O N, valationhealth. com. [00:24:00] Um, Instagram at valationhealth. Um, yeah, love to discuss the service with anyone. This is, I'm so passionate about it. I just love these conversations and thank you for this opportunity to, to share about my work.

Maria Mayes: Well, we'll definitely have, um, your website. Your Instagram handle in the show notes, and I've got one more question before I let you go, which is yeah With all this entrepreneurial business that you're focusing on and, and saving the world here one patient at a time, do you ever find time for a glass of wine?

And if so, what's your favorite wine to mindfully sit? 

Stephanie Hayes: Oh, yes. Um, let's see. I really like a full bodied red, like a petite Syrah or Capsaicin, like the dark red. 

Maria Mayes: So tell me what you love about the petite Syrah or the cap. What do you like about the, the big reds? 

Stephanie Hayes: I think the, I don't know if it's the complexity of it, the, [00:25:00] um, it's like the more time you spend with it, the more you find out, the more you notice, the more you key into.

Maria Mayes: Love that. Well, do you have any particular, uh, Vintage or particular winery that you'd recommend folks. If not, I'll definitely include some in the show notes that I recommend. Yeah. I 

Stephanie Hayes: want you to include your recommendations for me because so I have three young kids, so I am finding the windows of time now to get out and used to love wine tasting, just trying all the different places.

And now when I look around, there's so many new places that I haven't been to yet along the central coast. And I, so I just love trying new things. 

Maria Mayes: Well, and you're in the heart of it all, right? So yeah. Love that. Well, Stephanie, it's been such a pleasure. I mean, what a gift, um, it was to offer this to our listeners.

I know definitely you're impacting a lot of lives within your client base, but I think even just the tips that you shared are going to really have impact. So thank you so [00:26:00] much for following your heart, following that nudge, doing that meditation that led you to do what you're doing here today. So thank you so much.

Stephanie Hayes: Thank you. Thank you for this opportunity.