Cheri McEssy
CEO & Founder
Proudly working as a Registered Nurse, in clinical, advisory and executive leadership roles, I have focused my life on always striving for excellence and finding solutions to identified problems. My experience tells me that while there is more information available to us now than ever before, people are overwhelmed with the volume and variety of that information. They are unsure of the health and wellness choices to make for themselves and their loved ones, and they’re unsure of the voices they should listen to. I have watched the evolution of health-related resources change over the past 30 years and have participated in the implementation and delivery of many of those changes; however, I too have had to spend countless hours researching, customizing and reworking a wellness plan that works for me and then also create a system for managing it all. I have advised friends and family who have asked for similar help, and now I do the same for my parents.
It makes me wonder: what does everyone else do when they need this type of overall guidance? How can people have the equivalent of me - a first-born daughter who knows her way around healthcare, fortunately lives close by and is available to address ever-changing needs and priorities - become a key part of their life journey. The need for trusted life, health and wellness partners is the new identified problem, and I’m intent on creating a solution that will empower people to make the best decisions possible for their own lives.
I think about the professional advising that already exists and that we all use to manage our finances and legal needs. We include these advisors to walk with us on our lifetime journeys. Why would we take our most precious asset – life itself - and not approach it with the same professionalism and expertise?
My experience as a clinician, working as an ICU nurse, and then as a successful entrepreneur with Brightstar Care, serving and supporting families in Chicago, and further as an advisor and investor to many other new healthcare companies looking to make a difference, have all prepared me for this next role and vision. Through my work with the College of Nursing at Marquette University, I am committed to the profession of nurses and other allied healthcare providers. I diligently work to find ways to live with, and eventually cure, Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias through my Board Member role with the Alzheimer’s Association of Illinois. I personally participate in executive wellness programs and follow functional health practices related to lifestyle and behavior choices as being the first line of defense to both acute and chronic conditions.