I’ve spent several transformative years at Navion Senior Living, where I’ve come to redefine my understanding of success and discover my true passion.

When asked whether money or a title mattered more, it made me reflect on how I gauge success. Unlike equating success with a bulging bank account, my measure of success has always been tied to achieving goals and making a positive impact. My lifelong aspiration was to become a social worker. Not for prestige, but for the chance to aid those in need.

After college, I landed a role as a case manager in Tennessee, a step toward my goal – but it wasn’t as fulfilling as I thought it’d be. As my career continued, life experiences led me to the senior living business. I won’t bore you with all the details, but the highlights include marriage, the birth of twins, and ultimately realizing my passion was working with the senior population.

Two decades later, I found myself interviewing with Navion Senior Living. Before Navion, my pursuit of becoming a senior living administrator was often met with disappointment due to a lack of experience – at least four other companies selected other candidates because of it. How do you gain experience if no one gives you the opportunity to get the experience?

Navion recognized my potential and appointed me as an Executive Director of an assisted living community. My excitement didn’t arise from the title itself but from the acknowledgment of my skills and the opportunity to learn. I still remember my interviewer saying to me, “you have the drive and the people experience, we can teach you the operations side.”

My commitment to Navion has propelled my career from Executive Director to Area Director of Operations, and now, Regional Director of Operations. It has not been easy getting here. I have had to not only work hard, but I have had to be patient, take feedback, and soak up all I could learn from the Navion family who want to see me win.

Ultimately, success, I’ve come to realize, is not measured by wealth or titles, but by the joy of doing what I love – helping and empowering people to be their best selves. Whether it’s enhancing a senior’s quality of life or mentoring an associate, the fulfillment I derive from my work at Navion Senior Living is immeasurable.

Do what you love to do and the money will come. For me, my success has come working at Navion Senior Living because I am doing what I love to do.

Chaunda Graham

Regional Director of Operations