Circle Leader Bios

Susan Rowe was a caregiver for her mother and has been leading programs at Daughterhood since its inception in 2015. She has a background in Information Technology and leading church congregations in worship. Susan serves on the front lines of Daughterhood’s service to its community, bringing a strong sense of empathy and a belief in building an authentic community of, “friends helping friends”. Susan is also an award-winning songwriter and has composed the music for Daughterhood The Podcast and the quarterly Daughterhood Policy Podcast.

Elizabeth Miller, Certified Caregiving Consultant, created the Happy Healthy Caregiver site, podcast, and community because she craved a supportive community like this when her caregiver responsibilities took on a whole new level after her dad passed away in 2014, and she had no choice but to move her chronically ill mom to Georgia.  She was stressed, overwhelmed, and often felt suffocated by her never-ending to-do lists.  The Happy Healthy Caregiver mission is to help caregivers worldwide become happier and healthier while caring for others. We can do hard things but don’t need to do them alone.

Jodi Hempel is the founder and CEO of Success by Design. She is an entrepreneur, trainer, coach, and writer committed to helping women live a life they love. When Jodi was 19 years old, her mother suffered a massive stroke.  Jodi instantly went from being an irresponsible college kid to her mom’s caregiver., a role she held for 20 years.That experience led her to co-authoring the book “Life: The Next Phase. Navigating the Issues of Caring for Your Aging Parents or Loved Ones” and creating the“Walking the Path with Your Aging Loved One” online training course. She has lived in Tucson for 9 years.  She loves to travel to explore new places in the world. 

Rosanne Corcoran’s journey into caregiving began with a dementia diagnosis of her fiercely independent mother, opening the door to a twelve year journey in sandwich caregiving. After experiencing first-hand the stress and isolation caregiving brings along with the lack of meaningful resources for caregivers, Rosanne created Daughterhood the Podcast: For Caregivers. As host of the podcast, Rosanne brings her authentic voice to each conversation and discusses challenges caregivers face with experts in all fields. She has been a Daughterhood Circle Leader since 2019 and has been featured in CNN Health, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Barron’s, Next Avenue and others. She was also named one of the Next Avenue’s 2024 Advocates for Aging.  

Kiki Reef has been involved with Daughterhood as a Circle Leader since November of 2016. She’s an experienced family caregiver, having cared for both her father who had Parkinson’s Disease and spinal cord issues (over a 10 year period) and her mother who had cancer (over a 1 year period). She has a background in corporate event planning and is a small business owner of a marketing consultancy with her husband. They currently live as digital nomads, but were previously based in the Los Angeles area.  Kiki is an avid reader, dog lover, and has a sugar “issue”.

Nicole Smith is an author, speaker, and eldercare advocate. Nicole became immersed in the dementia dynamic when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2021. She released her first book, Diagnosis Dementia: Your Guide for Eldercare Planning and Crisis Management, in October 2023. Nicole is a distance caregiver for three aging parents and is the parent of five children. She prioritizes self-care to manage her space in the sandwich generation. Nicole shares thoughts on memory related memoirs, research, and resources on Instagram @dementiabookreview. Her book is available through her website www.njsmithbooks.com

Kara Curtis is fulfilling her life’s mission to support aged/disabled people to age in place as a thought leader who is advancing systems of care, advocating to support strategies to finance this care, and influencing state-level decision-makers across the U.S. In addition, Kara serves as a trusted advisor for the National Council on Aging guiding the national redesign of senior centers. She is a contributing team member of Tomorrow’s Women TODAY, a professional community of emerging and executive level female leaders. Plus, a committee member of Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts board and a Daughterhood Circle facilitator in Massachusetts. Kara holds a BA from Pennsylvania State University, a master’s degree in public administration from Maxwell School of Public Affairs at Syracuse University focused on aging policy, and an executive leadership certificate from Cornell University.