At Minds Matter, LLC, our culture is more than a set of words. It’s something we live out every day through our work, our relationships, and our commitment to the people we serve. Guided by our mission to help those living with brain injury live, work, and play in their community, our culture is shaped by five core values: person-centered, creative, advocacy, of the community, and inclusive.
These values aren’t just principles we talk about, they are reflected in the everyday moments where compassion meets action, where challenges become opportunities, and where meaningful progress happens one step at a time.
Person-Centered Care Starts with Listening
Our culture begins with putting people first.
Being person-centered means taking the time to understand each individual’s goals, fears, and hopes. Every person living with brain injury has a unique story, and every recovery journey looks different. We honor that by listening closely and tailoring our support to meet each person where they are.
Sometimes that means holding sessions at the local fishing location. Sometimes it means baking a gluten free coconut cream pie to share with legislators. For our team, those are the moments that remind us why we do this work. When someone shares a goal, our response is simple: Let’s do it.
That spirit of encouragement and partnership is at the heart of our culture.
Creativity That Makes Progress Possible
No two days look the same, and neither do the solutions we create.
Our team embraces creativity as an essential part of helping people overcome obstacles and build confidence. Whether it’s adapting therapeutic strategies, problem-solving through unexpected barriers, or finding new ways to help someone engage more fully in daily life, we approach every challenge with flexibility and innovation.
Creativity often means seeing possibilities where others might see limitations. It’s about empowering people to try something new, trust their abilities, and take meaningful steps forward…sometimes literally.
Advocacy That Stands Beside People
Advocacy is woven into everything we do.
People living with brain injury often face challenges that extend far beyond rehabilitation. Navigating healthcare systems, securing essential services, and ensuring their needs are heard can feel overwhelming. Our role is not only to provide support, but to stand alongside individuals and help them advocate for themselves.
Sometimes advocacy means helping someone navigate a difficult situation with confidence. Other times, it means rallying a team together to ensure a seamless transition during a time of uncertainty. No matter the circumstance, we believe everyone deserves to feel heard, respected, and supported.
Our culture encourages every employee to be a champion for the people we serve, for their families, and for better systems of care.
Rooted in Community, Strengthened by Inclusion
Our mission is centered on helping people live, work, and play in their community, because belonging matters.
Being of the community means supporting meaningful connections to neighborhoods, workplaces, friendships, and activities that bring purpose and joy. We believe rehabilitation doesn’t stop at recovery; it extends into helping individuals reclaim their place in the world around them.
That commitment is strengthened by our dedication to being inclusive. We strive to create a culture where every person, whether employee, consumer, or family member, feels welcomed, valued, and empowered to be themselves.
A Culture of Impact
Our culture comes to life in the everyday moments of encouragement, teamwork, and resilience that define the work we do. It’s seen in the confidence someone gains after reaching a personal goal, in the creativity it takes to overcome unexpected challenges, and in the unwavering support our team provides along the way. To highlight what our culture in action truly looks like, we recently asked a few staff members to share meaningful moments that exemplify our core values. Their stories offer a firsthand look at the impact of person-centered care, creative problem-solving, and dedicated advocacy. Read on for two inspiring examples from members of our therapy team, Keith Schwartz and Tia Weathers, whose experiences beautifully reflect the heart of our mission.
I have a consumer that I have been working with since January of this year. She had been anticipating receiving a prosthetic leg but was a little apprehensive about the process and worried that she would not be able to receive a prosthetic or that it would take months for her to learn how to walk. We spent a lot of time working on building strength and learning new strategies for standing up safely in preparation. She finally received her prosthetic and she expressed that she wanted to try and ambulate right away. Our first session she was able to walk around her apartment without assistance while using a walker. The very next session she said she wanted to be able to ambulate into her bathroom to use the toilet and take a real shower. We spent about half our session practice walking side ways and managing her walker as this would require careful navigation through a very narrow bathroom. We then decided that we would give it a try and she breezed right though it without difficulty. It was so exciting to see her confidence skyrocket from first walking around her apartment to being able to use her actual bathroom and feel human again. This was a big light bulb moment for me as far as the culture of Minds Matter. A goal and a desire was expressed and my first reply was “Let’s do it.” Being able to empower this consumer to achieve these things has continued to increase her confidence and progress and also to remind me why I love working in this field and working with Minds Matter.
-Keith Schwartz, PTA
I am a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). I recently had the opportunity to assist a Consumer with navigating through a very challenging situation with a community home care service provider. The Consumer’s brain injury and physical limitations require support in the home, in order to carry out daily functional tasks. The provider’s role is to ensure healthcare needs are met, as well as in-home safety. The Consumer consistently communicated concerns, however, the provider was not willing to address those concerns. The stress negatively impacted the Consumer’s overall health, both physically and mentally.
As the OT therapist, I was able to provide the Consumer with support and reassurance of self-advocacy. The Consumer placed many calls, left voicemails, and sent emails expressing concerns/needs. Due to no fault of the Consumer, the provider sent notification in an unprofessional manner (placing letter on Consumer’s doorstep), stating that this provider would be closing the Consumer’s account but there was no explanation as to why that decision was made. As a result of this, the Consumer needed to find a new home care provider within a short period of time.
The Consumer’s team at Minds Matter rallied with him by having additional team meetings, working with his MCO case manager, helping him make calls and scheduling meet & greets with other home care providers within a limited amount of time. With the diligence and hard work of the entire team, the Consumer had a seamless transition to a new home care provider. The new provider has been attentive, caring and professional, which was the Consumer’s desire, all along. This has given the Consumer peace of mind, as well as his team!
-Tia Weathers, COTA/L
