Julie Podewitz
Grow Your Occupancy
Julie is a senior living sales expert with many years of experience and a proven track record. Senior living sales is her passion. Julie has spent time on both the provider and consultant side, always with a focus on sales and marketing. She has presented at multiple national and state industry conferences, most recently Argentum 2022 & 2023, GALA, CALA, SMASH, LALA, VALA, IALA, Michigan and Iowa Leading Age, and Senior Housing News Sales Summit. She has also participated in many expert panels via webinar.
Julie began her career as a community sales director and quickly filled census-challenged buildings. Her experience as a sales trainer, coach, and strategist has given her the insights she needs to successfully consult with hundreds of communities across 46 states.
Before founding Grow Your Occupancy, she spent eight years in the VP of Sales, CMO, and CSO roles on the provider side, most recently with Vitality Living. During her career, her track record of increased sales and occupancy has resulted in more than $70 million in increased revenue. All along, she kept her foot on the ground, never losing the “here and now” experience of the customer – the prospects, families, community, executive management, and ownership entities she serves.
She and her team have walked the walk, grown with the business, know what works, what to do, and how to do it. Many in the industry consider her the “go-to” resource for senior living sales; heck, she wrote the book!
What is a personal piece of advice (business advice/saying/quote) that you lean on and could pass on to others?
Don’t react emotionally to business curveballs. Process before jumping to solve. Give yourself time to plan.
Best business book you’ve ever read?
Mindset - Carol Dwick
Traction - Gino Wickman
Good to Great - James Collins
To Sell is Human – Daniel Pink
One misstep you took in your business that you could caution others about?
Talking myself into a new senior leadership hire and ignoring my gut.
How to you de-stress after a particularly hard day?
Exercise. I do Tracy Anderson almost daily and LOVE outside walks/hikes. I also love seeing my dogs run around the yard as I walk with them. Talking things out with my husband and venting to my best friend helps, too.
What’s something about you that would surprise everyone reading this?
I have listened to 700 audible books since becoming a subscriber.
I am one of the very few people who still drive a stick shift – and have a stick shift tattoo with “Baby You Can Drive My Car” written around it. I’m a HUGE HUGE Beatles fan.
What part of EO are you most looking forward to?
Having mentors! Being able to talk openly and confidentially with peers. Meeting people. I don’t get “out” much – home office and travel on planes.
Any exciting plans for 2024?
Mother daughter trip to NYC to celebrate her 21st in August.
Niece’s wedding in the fall.
I’m very close to my childhood best friends and make every effort to do 2-3 weekend get togethers yearly. (Michigan)