Tani Austin Discusses Humanity Through Hearing

Starkey’s Chief Philanthropy Officer, Tani Austin, joins Dave to discuss strong women role models, Starkey Cares, fitting hearing aids on people across the globe, and always putting the patient first.

Link to full transcript

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to Starkey Soundbites. I'm your host, Dave Fabry, Starkey's Chief Innovation Officer. Our guest today is someone I greatly admire and feel honored to work alongside in the important work that she's done of helping people hear better so that they can live better. She's Starkey's Chief Philanthropy Officer, Tani Austin. She was named Female Philanthropist of the Year and honored at the First Lady Summit at the UN General Assembly in 2015. Tany volunteers so much of her heart and her time to helping those in need, and I'm delighted to have her with us today on SoundBites. Tany, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:43

Well, thanks so much, Dave, for having me. It's great to be with you today.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

Well, I I don't even know where to begin, but let's start at the beginning. Uh, decades ago, uh, you know, what sparked your interest when you were growing up uh at working with people who have hearing loss?

SPEAKER_01 1:01

Well, you know, I was actually raised by my mother, Pat Manhart, and she uh had her own business in the 60s, which was almost unheard of, you know, for a woman to have their own business back then. But she loved the hearing aid aspect of it and helping people hear. And I was just raised around it. You know, it was part, it wasn't what she did, it was who she was.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

It was just immersion. You were immersed in it and surrounded by it.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

And uh, you know, if they didn't have anywhere to go for Christmas, they came to our house. And so, you know, she just absolutely embraced uh the hearing aid profession.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

Yeah, and I've only known her for probably the last 20 years, but I can only imagine what a dynamo she was. And the apple doesn't fall far from the tree either, I have to say.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

But actually, I've married myself, you know, because uh, you know, I became I I um had my own business also in the hearing aid industry for about 12 years and uh ran uh four clinics in southern Illinois. I was on the practicum uh examiner as a practicum examiner on state licensing uh right at the very beginning in 1984 uh for the Illinois Department of Public Health. And so, you know, always pioneering and and being part of uh you know the profession in in moving it forward and and uh you know being uh that that professional that uh you know that the industry needed.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

Well, and really when you talk about having your your mom as such a powerful role model, owning her own business in the 60s in this discipline, which you know certainly at that time was a male-dominated profession. And to see and and and with her energy and her example really then set you on that career path. Um what would it could you describe in just a few words what you love most about those career beginnings and working with patients?

SPEAKER_01 3:10

You know, I think that that is the key, you know, is you know, I of course, Illinois small farming, you know, mining community. So um it was if you sat in your office, you you were very lonely. It was like the Maytag dryer, washer dryer person, you know, like and and still true today, you know, is that you know, people can put off hearing loss because there's no pain, there's no blood, and you know, they don't sometimes don't know that they're having the problem. So I was always going out to the farm towns and to the community and community centers and and actually, you know, raising awareness back then, even though I didn't see it that way. You know, I was actually advocating, you know, for um uh hearing, hearing loss, and hearing aids back then, training and educating people and you know, trying to get them to acknowledge hearing loss. And so I think that's what I loved the most was seeing that turnaround. I've always been a very good problem solver. I've always lived in the answer, you know, not the problem. And I feel like that's what the hearing aid is, right?

SPEAKER_00 4:26

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

It's to the problem. And so, you know, I always um loved that point where, you know, someone, I don't have a hearing loss, I don't need this, I don't, and then all of a sudden you're you see that quality of life and and going, oh my gosh, you know, I can hear my children, I can hear the birds, I can hear, you know, everything. And in in doesn't matter what walk of life, you know, everyone's life, you know, is is just as important as someone else's. So those farmers and and bridge clubs and all of that, I just enjoyed that immensely, much like my mother, you know, I I grasp the importance of what hearing brings to the quality of life.

SPEAKER_00 5:12

Well, and you really talk about, I mean, I'm an audiologist, as you know, but uh I've um been educated uh all along my career by hearing instrument specialists as well as uh audiologists. And one of the distinguishing points that I've always seen in some of my role models has been their willingness to go to the patient rather than to sit in the clinic. And uh and I think you know, when we talk about the way that inspiration and innovation has occurred, it's meeting the patient where they are and uh on that journey. And it's not always in your office, in your clinic, waiting for them to come into you when when that complexity, you know, the uh uh of the what they're grappling with when they're uh dealing with their hearing loss and the resistance to it. And some of my best tutors have been those who've been willing to go out and meet the patient where they are, and you're among them.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Absolutely, and and especially with hearing loss, because uh, you know, that like I said, so often, you know, they don't acknowledge the problem. And so you have to get past that psychologically, and you know, and in order to help them. And so I always found that, and it's really come full circle because there's so much home care now going on. And uh, you know, I felt like it was my destiny, you know, it wasn't um something that uh was happenstance or or anything. I feel like it was my destiny as I I moved into uh my journey with Bill, you know, owning Starkey. And Bill is very much um the the same uh ilk, you know, in always, you know, uh putting the patient first and doing what the patient needed. And so, you know, when I uh our lives connected and I started working side by side with Bill, that grassroots experience just kicked in and has been truly um, you know, our guiding light, you know, for uh uh all work uh domestically and globally.

SPEAKER_00 7:16

Yeah, I mean, I think a lot of people who don't know you well may think that, you know, when you met Bill and your lives intertwined, that that's when you went in and and discovered hearing. Uh and you know, with your your mother as a successful role model and with your career, I mean, you were well established already before your paths crossed.

SPEAKER_01 7:36

And then certainly I had been training in training all of my life to uh be Bill Austin's partner. I love that because you know I I see, you know, the the similarities, you know, but between my mother and and Bill in their career is that you know, uh it's a purpose-driven life. And I've always accepted that. I've always known how important that is. And, you know, it it isn't a business, you know, it is a um, you know, absolute purpose. And so, you know, right there in Starkey, the Center for Excellence, I see that, you know, as a living room because, you know, that's where Bill uh is most comfortable. And, you know, anywhere where there's a hearing impaired person, that's where he's gonna be.

SPEAKER_00 8:24

Yeah, it's a very busy living room indeed. Uh even during COVID, uh, with all of the proper precautions, it still has maintained. Uh I mean, never before have we really seen the example of how essential hearing is and healthy hearing is. No question. Well, you mentioned uh philanthropy, and um you know I've had the the pleasure and honor to volunteer with you and Bill um with the Starkey Hearing Foundation, and as the co-founder and number one volunteer uh in your leadership of that. I mean, it's it's certainly taken you, you've traveled the world on your ears, um, but not for the purpose of travel. Like you said, this is the impact of really being able to go and meet patients where they need. We talk about the uh low adoption rate of hearing aids in the U.S. It's currently around a third of the people who have measurable hearing loss do something about it. When you get to some of the developing parts of the world, um it's one or two percent. And uh so talk about your journey as the co-founder of the foundation and and your vision along with Bill's hand in hand in why that was such an important part of your mission and your vision.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

Right. Well, you know, Dave, first thing I want to say is, you know, um that you have been instrumental in so much of the foundation as a volunteer, as I, you know, with lending your expertise and your caring and your love for people. And, you know, that's the synergy, right? And and you know, truly blending um that caring with the clinical side and knowing that these uh uh you know, so many people, these people in need, uh, don't have that option. And so I think, you know, because of my background and because of exactly, you know, um uh Bill and my um experience of going to the community and always knowing that, you know, that person in Africa the woman has uh fields to plow, water to carry, children to feed, and you know, she's last in her world. And so we knew, you know, um, as co-founders, that you know, if this was gonna work, you know, it was going to have to be, you know, um community-based because they're not gonna drop everything, just like that farmer in Illinois, you know, these women in uh in these uh villages are not gonna drop everything to go to go fix something that's not painting, not not bleeding, not uh life-threatening. Uh they they're last in their world. Yes. And so, you know, that was really where how I approached um the whole um field work and knowing that you know accessibility was the key. And, you know, it's it, you know, a lot of times no electricity, you know, um, you know, how so how can you bare bones, you know, entry level, you know, effectively help someone here. And, you know, my husband has always been that type of person that um he's gonna find the answer. And so we we truly approached um the foundation with our skill sets and our knowledge um in that aspect from our experience. Uh, and I think we've broken a lot of barriers and created uh, you know, national plans in many countries for entry-level hearing health care. And um, you know, speaking of COVID again, you know, with the foundation, um, you know, uh Starkey Hearing Foundation was always moving towards uh a hand up, not a handout, because uh we worked side by side with the governments and the people and the programs that were already existing, and and you know, how how can the foundation move in and uh supplement what they need? And every single country was different. And so, you know, the COVID actually did something that I don't think would have happened otherwise, which was actually, you know, turn it over to the governments and to the partners that are already there and the people that were trained and educated in our um model that the foundation has, and you know, then Bill's um WFA fitting method. And so we've you know just seen butterflies. I mean, that's the only thing I can describe it as, because you know, they're truly, you know, moving into that self-sustainability and socioeconomic phase of, you know, teach a man to fish or teach a woman to fish for and and truly um championing the the hearing health care for their village, you know, the aftercare that still goes on and they're doing it. And so it's it's a with a lot of pride that we see um this move into uh a new uh era and new evolution of um, you know, what the foundation is going to focus on now is just training and educating more champions on hearing, hearing loss, hearing aids, and the programs on on how to implement them into their country.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

Well, so much to unpack here. So I want to I want to dig a little deeper on a couple of these things. First of all, thank you for your kind words. Uh I've I'm happy to have just played a very small role uh with uh your work. And my f who would have thought that a decade ago I hadn't set foot on the continent of Africa and I lost track after 25 at how many times I've been there and how many nations I've been there. As you recall, when I first had the opportunity to volunteer and travel with you, um, I said that I wanted to go back to the same places rather than, you know, I've I've had the the privilege and luxury of traveling a lot for over my over the course of my career, but I really wanted to see was the impact of the work by going back to the same places rather than um going I I can't, number one, I can't keep up with you, you and Bill, with your travel schedule and the team. Um but I said I wanted to go to Africa and see some of the work there. And so my first trip was with you when we went to Kampala and then Gulu uh in Uganda. And uh it happened to be over International uh hearing day, which is March 3rd, and then also uh we happened to be in Kampala on um uh International Women's Day, which is March 8th. And uh given that we're in March now, I mean I think it's appropriate that we're talking to you about that. But but you talked about the role of women, first of all. Um and and uh I remember on that first visit on International Women's Day um uh the the unfortunate consequence of women not being valued in their society. But I also remember a woman that was at the mission in Kampala who had no legs. And um but but from her perspective, she had no disability. She had normal hearing. She knew that that you and Bill and the team were going to be there, and she'd heard and she'd organized, she led the effort to bring school buses of people, kids and adults with hearing loss, uh, because she didn't see herself as being disabled. This woman with she couldn't walk. It was uh uh I'll never forget that moment. And seeing all of what she had done to bring these people in, and she refused help for herself, even to help her mobilize to get around, uh was incredible.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

Right. Well, you know, um, Dave, you know, Bill uh always says, you know, you find your greatest greatness in your smallest smallness. And I felt so small at that moment, and I as I'm sure you did too. I almost it brings tears to my eyes because she was in full charge, man. You did not uh, you know, cross her and not that she was, you know, angry or anything else. She was just fully in charge.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

She was determined and in charge. She was the boss, and uh, and she brought hundreds of people.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:43

And and for people that aren't familiar with the work that uh you do when you go to one of these locations, you say oftentimes there's no power. So you're fitting really, I I only half-kiddingly say, you know, we're fitting by camera light, uh, because when it's dark, we have no power. We have the battery power of the cameras for uh to be able to uh fit and continue to meet the needs of every single person that shows up because they come like this woman did from, in some cases, uh hundreds of miles away. Um talk a little bit about the establishment of the WFA fitting model first. So how is it that how is it that you can fit so many people um uh in one day? I think it's beyond most people's comprehension to understand until they see it for themselves how the WFA fitting model works. So would you can you describe it at a high level first?

SPEAKER_01 18:40

Well, it's on a subjective model. You know, it's um, you know, uh Bill uh, as he does, you know, has so much respect for history and based it on the Raymond Carhartt method.

SPEAKER_00 18:52

Yeah, behavioral model. So it's it's using and engaging uh responses from the individual because they don't have an audiometer, we don't have a lot of access to sophisticated equipment, and yet being able to discern what a person is hearing or not um uh with using behavioral model.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

So fitting method, you know, all you know, you you um absolutely go through uh a medical clearance, you know, make sure there's no um infections and any mon medical contraindications, and um, you know, that the canal is clear and and um and then you know you you helped us so much. That's why I said it's just crucial your your uh contribution, you know, with the voice testing and and you know all of our protocols put in place with this. But um, you know, the WFA fitting method um is subjective, you know, starting at the very lowest gain and and moving up the scale uh to the most powerful. And uh, you know, someone subjectively um telling us uh you know when when they can hear, you know, and and the sound. So it's it is it's very basic, but um has been proven, you know, uh over and over again statistically and and uh you know after uh a lot of studies and and um you know aftercare, you know, there there were five points to the aftercare and um on on uh you know the patient's uh implementation of the device into their life. And so, you know, it's been to me um one of the um the best things and the best gifts, you know, Bill could have given to the world was the simplicity of that model and um that that creates the accessibility, right? Absolutely, yeah. That's the main thing that that you're talking about statistics from WHO. You're talking about, you know, International Women's Day, you know, all of these things um connect around accessibility because that's what WHO has to have for these um you know over 460 million people that have debilitating hearing loss. And and they predicted by 2050 there'll be 700 million. So it isn't gonna go away. It is we're not gonna cure anybody of this. And this is uh a scalable way um to uh fit people with hearing aids and give them a chance in life. And so, you know, to me, and you go back to international women, you know, and uh day, is that women are the key to that also to that accessibility. Um, you know, women uh and you know, mothers are the same, same around the world, right? And um, and it isn't just daughters, it's their sons and daughters that they care about. They care about everyone. And so that platform, that International Women's Day platform, you know, as we saw in Uganda, yeah, you know, re truly. Truly brings those women to the forefront so we could meet her. You know, so so um we could see and experience, you know, her strength and power. And you know, that's the platform that's needed because women will create the accessibility to hearing.

SPEAKER_00 22:19

Yeah, and I think a couple of things that that just that again, people may not be familiar with. When you talk about 466 million with what the World Health Organization considers to be a disabling amount of hearing loss, and as you say, with um the the the mother or the partner, uh the woman being the center of the home in many of these environments, uh I was hit when we first got to Uganda that very first time with the staggering reality that the average male at that time, a decade ago, uh Ugandan male lived to be 46 years of age. Now they're seeing some of that uh longevity increase, but the reality of the situation is many uh individuals at that time weren't living long enough to have presbicis or aging of the ear. And so rather it was, as you said, mothers bringing uh their children out of concern that they had hearing loss. Um and uh and the saddest part for me in many of the cases was seeing at the schools for the deaf were kids that had uh untreated hearing loss of a degree that had we been able to, or had anyone been able to get to them earlier, would have been able to live much more in a hearing world, even though their the degree of their loss was not all that significant. And so that's why I think this commingling of International Hearing Day and uh International Women's Day is central to so many of these developing nations.

SPEAKER_01 23:47

Absolutely, it's key. And and you know, the um the as you talk about the deaf schools, um you know our our whole and there and there's the deaf community, you know, is very strong internationally. And um, you know, our uh stance during that time was just to give everybody a chance, you know, and let them decide, you know, to be in the hearing world or to live in the deaf world. And I think we we made a lot of peace with the deaf community on that because you know, we're not saying you one way or the other, but you know, if someone wants to uh live in the hearing world and wear hearing aids, then that's that's their choice, you know. So we're kind of freedom of choice on that. And um, and you know, so many um uh kids have a better chance at life in the in these uh countries, you know, in the hearing world. So, you know, you you see mothers walking, you know, three days to get there and sleeping outside the facility, you know, to be sure and be in line. You know, so their um fortitude, you know, for having a better life for their children is is just remarkable.

SPEAKER_00 25:06

Yeah, and and I think you know, what you talk about with the WFA fitting method and with the team going there on location, that's stage, you know, that's the early stage. That's the process of giving people the opportunity to see if they benefit from amplification. A lot of people also may not be aware that with the WFA fitting method, it's a binaural. Every child, every adult uh began with the process and the the premise that they're going to receive devices for both ears. And um and so by ensuring audibility for both the left and the right with behavioral responses to speech sounds that span the range of hearing for speech understanding, that it's audible and they can repeat it back when they're not lip-reading, um, that it's balanced between the two ears, and that sounds are not loud or uncomfortable. I mean, you know, we can use a lot of sophisticated testing, but the reality is that sound right there produces a level that if the maximum output of the hearing aid is too intense, it you'll know, and we can tell through the translator or through just looking, looking at expression, you get the nuance of that.

SPEAKER_01 26:15

Absolutely. Absolutely, you know, and and you know, recruitment is so prevalent, you know, because of disease there. And so we dealt a lot with that, you know, and and uh, you know, trying to find that balance for someone. And it was, and it's just interesting, you know, because instinctively, you know, you become, you know, just so astute and aware of uh, you know, just just the facial movements and the you know the eyes and everything, you just instantly, you know, go to the answer, right?

SPEAKER_00 26:48

Yep, yep. And and really then, you know, the the issue is, and and where where I um really had my eyes opened was the notion of the fitting, that WFA fitting method. That's that's the first part. But then what let's talk a little bit about the community-based approach of the aftercare you mentioned, aftercare, and really what your vision was to ensure really that where we are now, COVID, as you said, changed the world in so many ways. And now with the inability to have the team be able to go to a lot of these nations to uh you know, you can't be everywhere at once. And so your goal was really then to build to this point in time where now the community-based approach takes over, and really the ultimate vision is where you don't have to be there on the ground because the community will take care of it. But talk a little bit about aftercare and the community-based approach.

SPEAKER_01 27:45

Yeah, the the um, you know, as co-founders, you know, Bill's vision was so the world may hear. He wanted to help as many people as possible. Yep. And and that was his vision. Um, and my vision, uh, and when I kind of, you know, truly came into my own um what in in this uh uh in my work, in my career, I feel, is um I wanted to make sure that when we helped them, you know, helped these people here, that they had access to simple care. You know, it's and and that's what Bill says is we can't take care of the world, Tany. Um you know, that we're not a government, you know, and I'm like, I I know that, but you know, if we just do basic five things, you know, and I want to know that mother has um access to batteries and knows how to put the ear mold, does the ear mold hurt her feedback? Uh does the hearing aid uh can they hear, right? Because nobody knows that at that moment. It's just it's no different than somebody getting a hearing aid in this country. Is is you fit them to the best of your ability at that moment. They have to go wear it in their environment, they have to, you know, be able to put it in their ear, they have to be able to work the hearing aid. And and so you you don't know those things unless you have that second or third contact. And uh so, you know, that was really my vision to implement um that aftercare on a very basic level. But that was to me the most important part because I think even in this country, we can do a better job in um, you know, rehabilitation and implementing it into their lives because it it isn't natural. It and it has to be um you know something that they adapt to and realistically. And so I feel like um, you know, even we could work on our aftercare skills here too.

SPEAKER_00 29:58

Absolutely. Well, and you talk about the parallels. I mean, really, you're giving the opportunity for a person to see um if they if hearing aids will benefit them, and using that behavioral model to ensure that it's actually making a difference uh uh because of the low accessibility and affordability for hearing care in uh many of these uh, and we've only isolated just uh selfishly, I went to Africa because that's where my heart is, but you've done this all over the world. And in many areas where there's very low adoption rate, and and now you know we're looking at in the U.S. this transition into over-the-counter hearing aids, which remove the necessity of an audiogram or the role of the professional, but it still is done with the focus on accessibility and affordability. So I see some parallels here, but then what you've done is really provided an environment for rehabilitation and aftercare that is provided and supported by the community.

SPEAKER_01 30:57

It has to be there.

SPEAKER_00 30:58

It's not just the device.

SPEAKER_01 31:00

The thing of it is cheap hearing aids, and now they call them OTCs, have been around since we've been in the industry, since 60 years ago. You know, it's been around forever. I, you know, been around while Bill was dispensing hearing aids, it's been around when I was um in in had my clinics, uh, Rhodes in Illinois, you know, is the biggest mail order catalog. That's all it is.

SPEAKER_00 31:27

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

And you know, uh, so it's always been there. They are just bringing attention to it for monetary reasons. And it's and it's nothing, we'll always be there. You know, Starkey believes in the professional. Um, the person is just going to take it into the professional and going, this doesn't work.

SPEAKER_00 31:46

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_01 31:47

And they're gonna take it to, right? And and then they're going to have to make it work, you know, or give them a better solution because I can tell you, you know, um, that that is that's where we start, you know, in the developing worlds is giving them a chance and then they let them know what uh hearing sounds like and then progress. I can tell you that so many of our patients now, you know, um have jobs and going to school, buying their own hearing aid.

SPEAKER_00 32:19

They're really climbing up because they're now entering the world, they're getting better opportunities and and they're they're working and they're engaging in life. Right.

SPEAKER_01 32:29

So this is nothing new. You know, it is regurgitated and coming back around and and being politically charged. Um, and so, you know, we know what we do, we know why we do it, and we know who we do it for. And we feel like, you know, you uh a patient cannot look in their own ear. They cannot um, they aren't the best judge, you know, when it comes to uh what's wrong or what's wrong with the hearing aid. So the profession is has always been a service and delivery profession. So um, you know, it will remain so. And so that ends up evolve and we will be busier than ever.

SPEAKER_00 33:17

Absolutely. And and to that end, I mean, part of your legacy as well is you establish the Starkey Hearing Institute and as a means of training individuals who then will go back and work in their respective communities.

SPEAKER_01 33:31

And this is what um the board and of Starkey Hearing Foundation has decided to focus on is that training and that educating, getting more professionals out there for accessibility. Now that we have the foothold in um the governments, which didn't really understand hearing loss at all. And so now that they do, and and uh a lot of the students that um came out of the Starkey Hearing Institute are now running those government programs, and so more effective than ever in uh uh understanding what they need to do for um their citizens and and communities. So it's it's been an a very, very um successful and something that Bill and I are just so proud of to have, you know, as I talk about our vision, but to have lent our visions and our skill sets in that particular way and and uh and yours, you know, and then bringing other people together. You know, um you mentioned uh International Women's Day, and I and I've I've had the the um honor to work with so many strong women around the world, um Dr. Manke in India, Dr. Kaitesi in Rwanda, Dr. uh uh Carla Rondeau in El Salvador, who was our initial clinical director at the foundation. Um, you know, I think about Cheryl Figliano. Um, you know, she was doing her own mission work and joined up hands with us to bring uh this um fitting method to fruition. And uh she's in Ohio, um, uh Dr. Jill Caseworm in Michigan, Patty Ramos in Florida, Heather Jensen in uh Utah, professor in Utah, and uh Dr. Ianthe uh Dunmorad, which you brought on board, David, um, to Kenya, and um, you know, just champions, champions of uh uh strong, you know, professional skill sets, but caring hearts and visionaries in their own right in their own communities. And um, you know, so you know, being able to experience that and be part of that uh as a whole and you know, bringing that elevating that talk track and that conversation and uh unity, you know, um in the hearing care around the world. Um uh no matter your degree or your experience, we were all rowing in the same direction because we put the patient first. And you know, that's something that um, you know, you said how, you know, kind of what um my uh career has shown me is is that's what uh my mother always did, that's what I have always done. Uh when I met Bill, um, you know, Bill starts at the patient. If it's not good for the patient, it's not good for any of us. And so, you know, so Starkey has always been for the patient. And um, you know, so really getting that camaraderie around that message, um, which is which we're we're needing right now, right? Because um the patient needs the professional. And so if the patient needs the professional, Starkey needs the professional, right? And um, you know, because if that's best for them, that's best for us. And and we, you know, we do what's best for the patient, you know, technologically and um philosophically and in care. You know, and speaking of amazing women, you know, Bill and I have just been so amazed at the masterful, excellent leadership uh for Starkey in the last several years, you know, starting at the top with Mary Jeffries, starting uh Sarah Burdack, uh, you know, Jessica Perez, um Michelle Hicks, Michelle White, you know, I could just go down the list of these very strong, intelligent, you know, powerful women and you know, so so much leading the industry as uh, you know, and and as I was saying, Dave, you know, uh not just the women, but the men of Starkey also. I'm just so proud uh of the leadership that has transpired over the last several years. You know, Brandon has been the voice for the industry through this COVID, and there is no uh map for that. And it was uncharted waters and, you know, not just COVID, but in Washington, DC on OTC and for the hearing professionals, you know, with the patients, which is a foundation of Starkey's belief. And so we couldn't be happier, prouder of the leadership and how it's gone to a new level and into a new era. And so it's pretty exciting.

SPEAKER_00 38:31

I know people really um uh want to want to know what's next and what's going on. And I think one of the things that I'd like to talk about a little bit is Starkey Cares, the corporate uh social responsibility initiative that you kicked off last year. So tell us about the initiative and what's what's ahead for 2022.

SPEAKER_01 38:51

Yeah, and that's kind of um, you know, has been uh something that I've wanted to do for a long time. I've been um distracted and and um buried globally, but um, you know, coming back to um Starkey and Bill's vision, you know, for 60 years is um contributing to the community. And Starkey Cares uh is something I'm I'm extremely proud of. It's a corporate social responsibility program at Starkey. So it's our our uh you know, we've kind of based it on three pillars, our commitment to uh the local community. And when I say local, I mean, you know, um our home, you know, where we are in Minnesota, but also, you know, through our um local our professionals, we're able to help people uh with uh hearing needs that that uh can't afford hearing aids through their local communities. We're helping our professionals uh through Starkey Cares. And then uh our one thing that, you know, we're American-owned company, and so so we respect and uh honor the veterans in the uh um active duty military uh and and so we support their organizations and and partnerships, and so something that's very near and dear to our heart, and then globally, you know, Starkey continues um to find access for um hearing needs, you know, for all walks of life.

SPEAKER_00 40:29

Excellent. Yeah, and I and having seen the kickoff last year and some of the ongoing uh work that has uh been involved with that, I had the the privilege, and you mentioned with Starkey being based in Eden Prairie, um uh there was an initiative uh that I just uh participated with a few months ago on uh black men's black men with stethoscopes. And so often, you know, the media uh presents a very different picture. And to see some of these young men um who are uh they're wanting to uh pursue a career in healthcare. And there's no greater way to connect uh each other in healthcare than through our hearing. Um and it was uh an honor to represent Starkey and part of this initiative at a at a day that they held where they brought in about 80 uh junior high and high school uh students who were interested in pursuing careers in the healthcare discipline and to show them the technology, but more importantly, to show the importance of caring uh to connect people with each other along with other healthcare programs that day was a privilege.

SPEAKER_01 41:33

Well, and that's what we have to do is get out in the community and show our commonalities and and create the renaissance, you know, not a revol violent revolution, but a renaissance of humanities and science and art and caring. And and, you know, you talk about uh you know the the differences in um then and now, you know, is there's so much difference. There's so much good that has been done that people aren't talking about and the elevation of um uh you know people's opinions and and societies. And and you know, it's training and educating ourselves, right, on that and um reaching out and understanding we don't know everything, and that, but we can share our skills and get to meet people and um and learn a lot. That's what we've done around the world, and we need to do it in our own communities.

SPEAKER_00 42:32

Absolutely. And two ears, one mouth, that that applies here too. We listen to the community and then we act in the way that we know best, and uh that you've led by example on that. And so already I knew that the time would fly by with this. And so as we wrap up, we uh one of our traditions is we like to ask our guests to share key learnings andor life lessons with our listeners. Uh and so what wisdom can you impart on hearing care professionals, people with hearing loss, uh, really anyone uh from your vantage point, which is a unique vantage point in my mind?

SPEAKER_01 43:09

I think that, you know, one of the things that my approach, you know, is I love working with you. There's so many um uh men that I just absolutely adore and I would have never been able to accomplish what I did around the world had it not been for you, is to, you know, looking at each each person, you know, individually. And I think I do think culturally we're starting to do that. And you know, when I say I don't really define myself as a woman, you know, is because I've truly um never looked at myself that because I've I've always just forged ahead outwardly, and I've I've truly felt like I've accomplished what I've set out to do intentionally, you know, when I have the intentions. intentionalization to um do something i i figure out how to do it and and this was before the lost so um you know i and i and that comes from my mother because she did the same thing she never saw herself as inadequate or unequal and i think that's so important when i say you know uh that it starts with you right and you know no one's life is more important than someone else's life and when i look at a woman carrying water or five children you know in a field um you know i'm I'm not looking down on that woman I'm admiring that woman right she could teach me a lot and um her day is just as important as my day and so you know just always being yourself and always you know um that's always good enough in any situation you know I've been with kings and queens and presidents and and um you know I've always been able to just be myself and I think that's gets you so far. And um you know living like I said before living in the answer not the problem you know immediately going to the answer you know if you see a problem what's the answer you know don't live in the problem and I I feel like that's why I've succeeded in the hearing aid industry is because the hearing aid is the answer right and it and it can be the problem so when it's the problem you got to go to that answer and um it gets you very far in life and you know you know the last thing I'll say is I get emotional just be kind you know um you don't know you know be kind to that person that cuts in line and you know you don't know what they're going through that day and when you truly understand that then you have the answer because um you know you're not thinking of yourself you're thinking of others and you know we get up every day to contribute to life contribute to humanity and we find our humanity through hearing you know that's what we've our gift that we've been given but also what we can give you know but the true message is you know um caring is love and action and this world needs a lot of love.

SPEAKER_00 46:41

Yeah we sure do especially now and um and I love you know humanity through hearing and uh I'm so grateful to you for opening my eyes and ears to places that I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever get to see and experience and maybe even like you said you know just the little impact that each of us can be we're all cogs in the in the big wheel and uh and I'm very responsibility for that. We have that responsibility.

SPEAKER_01 47:09

It's not just the privilege it's the responsibility and you have to act and and anybody can do it you know at any at any time and it's just a decision it's a choice every single day.

SPEAKER_00 47:22

Absolutely well um I'm so grateful to know you and to have had the opportunity to work side by side with you and to learn from you. And uh and I look forward to continuing to do that. We're not done yet we've still got more work to do.

SPEAKER_01 47:36

So we've got a lot of work to do. Thank you so much Dave for having me.

SPEAKER_00 47:40

Oh it's my pleasure so um to our listeners thank you for listening to this episode of Starky Soundbites if you enjoyed this conversation please rate and review Soundbites on your preferred podcast platform. You can also hit subscribe so that you're sure not to miss a single episode. See and hear you next time