Sage’s Business Development Executive Julie Visone always knew she’d end up back home in New Jersey, but after college, she bought a one-way ticket to Oahu, Hawaii, 5,000 miles away. “I signed a lease with five people I had never met, and I didn't have a job, and I just took a leap,” she says. “I had a positive attitude, though. I landed on a Tuesday, and by Thursday, I had a job doing sales and marketing for the SoBe adrenaline drink line that Pepsi put out.”

It was a wonderful year, going to all the surf competitions and exploring the island, but after 12 months, she knew it was time to get serious and get on with building a career. Julie was interested in a career in the healthcare field and soon found herself in the physical therapy world.

Julie spent more than a decade at the company, and moved all the way up to a Director of Partnerships position. “I started going to conferences, and next thing you know, 11 years later, I’m seeing these same people who have now elevated themselves to CEOs and C-suite level, and I have relationships with them,” she says. “The biggest and most important component is building trust. I’m not just some salesman; I’ve only ever sold what I believe in.”

Throughout those 11 years Julie had the opportunity to see the inner-workings of the senior living world. There were communities where the caregivers changed residents’ lives, but Julie also saw communities where the care was lacking. She built a deep connection with a resident who was 104. “She was so cute. She dressed up and had her makeup on and her outfits matched every day,” Julie says. “She was amazing.” But one night, she fell in her room and laid on the floor out of reach of help until the next morning. “There was no intervention in place, no button she could have pushed to get help in there,” Julie says. “She ended up passing away.”

It was a wakeup call for Julie — there had to be a better system to protect residents in senior living.

Around that time, Julie ran into Sage’s Head of Community Lindsey Daugherty at a conference. She was surprised to see that Lindsey had left the operations side and joined a tech startup. Knowing Lindsey, she trusted that something special was happening at Sage. “She is just incredible with this infectious personality and always thinking 10 steps ahead about ‘How can we impact more people in a more effective way, and change the world,” Julie says.

Lindsey told Julie, “You need to take a shot with Sage!” So, she did.

In her three months at Sage, Julie’s already seen the impact. “It raises the bar and helps create better care all the way around,” she says.

And the animating goal of Sage — to help people age with dignity — fits perfectly with Julie’s experience and hope for senior living. Many people view senior living as a place to manage residents’ decline. But Julie spent more than a decade helping residents get stronger and healthier. “You're genuinely watching people’s lives change for the better,” she says.

Julie believes Sage can do that for the senior living world as a whole. “You can take the data and now have better quality of care for the residents and better quality of life for the caregivers, and better operations for the community,” she says. “We all love positively affecting people. We all love helping people. We all love the industry. Well, here’s our way to really bring it all together.”