Laid Off at 40, New Dad, Grieving: How I Rebuilt My Life | Kreisler Ng
The Meridian Point Podcast
Episode Date: January 2026
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Kumar Dattatreyan: Hey everyone, thank you for joining and welcome to The Meridian Point Podcast. Happy New Year! Hopefully all of you had a pleasant and relaxing holiday and you're hitting the new year with all of your goals in mind.
I have a special guest today, someone that I've known on and off for many, many years. I've been acquainted with him over the years. Today I'm talking to Kreisler Ng, founder of Right at Home Long Beach, a home care franchise serving families in Southern California.
After twenty years in corporate consulting and agile coaching, Kreisler experienced profound personal disruptionâcaring for his late mother-in-law during COVID, becoming a first-time father, and getting laid off, all within months of each other. Instead of returning to corporate life, he honored his mother-in-law's wish that he find work helping others in a more direct way.
Now he's navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship in an industry that forces families to confront what Western society often avoids: aging, decline, and end-of-life planning. So let's dive into this journey. Let me welcome Kreisler here to the stage. Thank you so much for joining us, Kreisler.
Kreisler Ng: Hey, good morning, Kumar. Thanks for having me. Excited.
Kumar: Of course. Did you have a good New Year?
Kreisler: I did, yeah. It was very relaxing. I'm in LA, so it, quote unquote, rained a lot for us. So just a little family time.
Kumar: Yeah, I noticed the floods there. It was quite something to watch. I don't know if you were flooded, hopefully not.
Kreisler: I was fortunate. But yeah, we need the rain. It's a give and take, right?
Kumar: Yeah, exactly. Here's someone wishing us a happy new year. Thank you, Elian.
So you experienced multiple life-changing events nearly simultaneously a few years ago, right? Caring for your mother-in-law, becoming a father, getting laid off. Walk us through that period. When did you realize you weren't going back to corporate work? And how did you decide on this new endeavor?
Kreisler: Yeah. So to take you back, Kumar and your audience, this was probably, I'd say, four years ago, three and a half, four years ago. So during COVID. And as you mentioned in your intro, I was in corporate for twenty years. I say I was institutionalized in that sense, in a good way. Right? And I was working for C-Prime, a national consulting company. And I had several roles and things were going greatâleadership roles and just taking on more responsibilities. And that's how you and I connected back in those days.
And then my mother-in-law, you know, she had been homeboundâor my late mother-in-law was homeboundâthe last ten years of her life. And what that means medically is it's too hard to get out of the house for the person, right? From a medical perspective.
And then COVID hit. She had a private caregiver. The caregiver quit within twenty-four hours. If you recall, if everyone recalls back then, all that anxiety everyone was going through, the unknowingness, the unknown. And then my wife and I became her primary caregivers. Okay? And we live forty minutes away, but we have flexibility. So we became the primary caregivers in the home. All her needs, essentially more or less.
So just going through thatâand if anyone's ever cared for a loved one or an aging one, it's not easy, whether it's medical or emotional or anxiety. And, you know, we all have corporate lives and things like that we had. And this was actually before our daughter. Right? And so we cared for her the last three years. Our daughter was born, and then when she was age one, my mother-in-law abruptly passed away.
I see this every day now in this space, but literally from getting sick to bedridden within five days to passing in the home. And so, yeah. And so she never liked what I did for a living. That was her thing, her view. I always say she was a person that, you know, yes, you deliver value to society, but "I really want you to help people from a healthcare perspective." My wife is a pharmacist and she always has been, and so she just really wanted me to do something different.
But anyhow, you know, again, she abruptly passed away. And then a few months later I was laid off from C-Prime. And so it all happened all at once, right? And then being a new father and the pressures of that. And then, you know, we actually bought our first home, probably a year into it too as well. So there was just a lot going on at that time and making that transition.
So it wasn'tâI don't think it was intentional. Some people tell me, well, some people are very intentional about, "Hey, this is what I want to do." Right? But it gave me meaning. It made me rethink about life, Kumar. And really, I thought I was going to go back to corporate. I'm just going to be honest. This is why it wasn't intentional.
I'm sure some of your audience, if they're tech folks, know how hard the market is. Even I've heard even today, it's been really hard. And so I looked for a bit just like everyone else. But I kept going back to what my mother-in-law said of doing something meaningful in the second half of my life or career. And so I thought about caregiving because that's what I was for a few years for my mother-in-law.
Kumar: Yeah. That's really interesting. My cousinâher husband had a similar experience, I suppose, but with his mother, not his mother-in-law, but his mother. Caring for his mother as she was going through, you know, her last days on this planet, on this journey, right?
He ended upâhe and my cousin, his wifeâended up forming a company. Not caregiving, but more about providing families with the types of equipment and beds and things like that. This is in India where I think maybe people have a closer relationship to the last days of people's lives. Families often live together in the same household and things like that. So that just kind of reminded me of that time in their life and what they had gone through. Pretty interesting.
Kreisler: Yeah. It's going to touch everyone, right? Everyone goes through it. And this was my first time going through it. Like my own parents are still alive and I'm luckyâthey're fortunate and healthyâbut I know everyone goes through it. Everyone's going to be touched by it. Everyone, in my opinion, is going to be a caregiver at one point or another.
Kumar: Yeah. So that's an interesting pivot. I mean, completely different from what you were doing before, completely different than what I do now, right? So talk to us about that. I mean, that's a huge disruption in your life. It feels like it was a calling to a certain extent. And how did the experience of caring for your mother-in-law steer you in that direction?
Kreisler: Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, coming from twenty years of corporate, I'm used to working in large organizations, just like you, Kumar, right? Like whether you're coaching with a client or whatever it may beâlarge organizations, having a team, you know. And I don't want to say safety, right? Because I used to think that way of "the larger, the bigger." But as we've known in this world, nothing is forever, right? Which I'm still practicing, honestly.
And just making that transitionâI mean, even as simple as, and I'm still transitioning. Like, I know we titled this "Rebuilt." I'm like, I was thinking, I'm still rebuilding my life. I'm still rebuilding my life. And I actually think everyone is going through that one way or another, right?
But even making that transition of having a paycheck, right? Every two weeks, having a team, and then going to zero. Going to zero and trying to build something to one. Right now, doing payroll, understanding labor laws, managing everyone, doing this. And at the end of the day, the ball ends with you, right? As a small business owner, as you probably well know.
And it's just a mental switch of just thinking, right? And I'm starting to say I'm not a very good small business owner because I'm still learning. You know, I tell people all the time I'm still learning. And yeah, just kind of seeing that and learning the industry and yeah.
Kumar: Yeah. What was attractive about the franchise model versus you starting something from zero?
Kreisler: Yeah. So, honestly, I never thought about a franchise. You know, people tell me all the time, like, "Go back to Agile. You're going to do fine. You'll find a job." And I'm like, "No, I don't want to do that." They're like, "Okay, start your own consulting company." You know, Agile coaching, transformation. And I'm like, "I don't want to do that either."
So I needed something new because I needed to force myself to do it, right? And so the franchise model gives me that foundation of, "Okay, I get a brand. I get a support system." They'll get me up and running initially, but at the end of the day, it is my business. Right? Right.
Kumar: Right.
Kreisler: I like that. I'm not necessarily a risk-taker that can create a business from scratch. I'm learning that over time. You know, I have a lot of respect for entrepreneurs like yourself. Kumar, where you've created it from scratch, right? You've had multiple businesses over time. So I wanted something that gives me the support system in case I hit a wall or, you know, things like that.
Kumar: Sure, sure. So you mentioned that you're one year into this. Are you a profitable business yet?
Kreisler: No, unfortunately.
Kumar: Okay. So that's typical, right? Typical for a first-year business.
Kreisler: Yeah. I mean, I think it's, yeah, it's very typical for year one in the home care industry. And again, I'm still learning the industry as well. There's a lot of market dynamics of understanding home care and all the, like, who's paying and Medicare and Medicaid and...
Kumar: The healthcare system.
Kreisler: Yeah. Yeah. It's just a lot to learn.
Kumar: Yeah. Well, I think one thing you do have to your advantage is that you've gone through it already, right? You've cared for someone. You know what the stress is like. And so you get that, right? You understand your customers in a way that maybe a lot of entrepreneurs don't necessarily understand their customers.
Kreisler: Yeah. And I think that goes beyond just understanding your customer, I think. It's also understanding the caregiver side of things. Right? Like, where I'm coming from and this is where it can be lonely sometimesâbecause in corporate America, we have a lot of support systems, there's a lot of resources. Here, I'm trying to be the support system for the caregiver themselves. The caregivers themselves as well.
Because if they're burnt out, you know, just like in corporate America, a burnt-out employee doesn't provide good work. And here, a burnt-out caregiver sometimes can, you know, not provide good work either or even worse. So it's a very delicate balance of trying to support caregivers and the family and the client. So that three-way communication or support, it's really hard.
Kumar: Yeah. For sure. It's interesting. I have a client that is in the home care business. He just opened his agency about a year and a half ago, a bit before you. And he tells me it's the hardest thing he's ever done. And it really is, because his biggest challenge has been finding good people. The right people, the right caregivers. And he's in a rural area as well, which makes it doubly hard.
Kreisler: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's finding good people, you know. I mean, yeah. Yeah, for sure.
Kumar: Yeah. So you and I, you know, we've known each other over the years from Agile, having been Agilists. But you seem to have removed that from yourself entirely. And you've said you don't want to go back to that world. So what is it about that world that sort of, I don't know, has turned you off or has put you off enough that you don't want to return? Is it just because you've found your passion here, or is there something else?
Kreisler: Yeah. I think it's a few things. You know, maybe it's a grass is greener thing, right? Maybe. I think of it sometimes. But I think there's a few things that I find, one, it's more rewarding to me personally being able to help someone right away. Not that coaching isn't rewardingâI'm not saying thatâbut there's less of a gap, right? There's less of, "Okay, let me coach you. A year later, we see results." Here, the cycle is much shorter. I'm able to provide, you know, caregiver to the home right away. You know, maybe in a week or maybe in a few days if there's a medical discharge. So it's rewarding to see that.
And there's a lot less politics, I'll say. There's a lot less office politics. It really is very straightforward of, am I supporting someone? Can they provide care? You know, are they safe? Is the caregiver safe? Is the client safe? You know, do they have, are we meeting their needs? Pretty straightforward. It's not, you know, who reports to who? And, you know, all that.
Kumar: Yeah.
Kreisler: Yeah. And so that to me was very refreshing in a way to not have to deal with the Bs.
Kumar: Yeah. Well, so over the years, as you know, Agile sort of, I think it lost its luster a little bit. Companies started in the last few years sort of pushing away from it and not hiring Agilists or coaches or Scrum Masters or product owners as much and relying more on their internal people who've kind of adopted the practices. And so, you know, it makes sense that you've made this transition. And also, I think that the way you've been working thisâhow you've been approaching this businessâis in a very agile way. Right?
You know, just as you've talked about the fact that you're being, you know, you're learning as you're going. You're understanding what doesn't work as you're going. You've got this now built-in mindset that I think allows you to do that. And I don't know if the Kreisler from before you were an Agilist would have been able to do that. Maybe you would have, but I think it's helped. Right?
Kreisler: Yeah. I think that's a good point, honestly. Yeah. I mean, you know, again, it's twenty years of being in that space and learning those principles. You know, the idea of how do I help, right? And one of the things I don't think, you know, I didn't say it earlier, but, you know, Agile for me and obviously coaching and wanting to help people, you still want to help people. It's just in a different way. Right? And so I think that was very rewarding. And I think without those twenty years, I don't know if I'd be able to get through this.
You know, for example, like, you know, how often a caregiver calls in sick last minute or they're running late. And clients, families are freaking out. And just being able to kind of, you know, pivot at a moment's notice, right? To solve a problem or find a solution.
Kumar: Right.
Kreisler: You know, I can't change at a moment's notice because, to your point, things change, right? And so you have to be very adaptable and nimble and be able to pivot and come up with solutions that help your clients as best as you can. And so I don't know if it's helped you being an Agilist in the past, but I suspect that maybe it's helped you be more adaptive to the changes that you've had to deal with.
Kreisler: Yeah. Yes. Yes, it has to a certain extent, right? Yeah. I mean, it goes back to, I think it's just daily practice, right? And I don'tâI would take it beyond Agile, right? It's just being human and understanding that change is constant. And I know we talked about that as Agilists, right? But it's just constant. And knowingâtrying to be mindful of what you can and can't control, right?
Like, I can't control a client, medical conditions, family dynamics. The caregivers have their own lives, right? Like they have personal emergencies, whatever it may be. And yeah. So just be mindful of that. And just how much agency do I have in situations?
Kumar: Sure. Yeah. Makes sense. So, you know, everyone says year two or three in the businessâyear one, two, and three generally suck before you start making a profit. I don't know how far you're into this journey. Where would you say you are now? Still sucking, or is it still sucking?
Kreisler: Still sucking. Still learning.
Kumar: Okay. Okay.
Kreisler: Well, yeah, I would give a shout-out. Like, my wife is never online or anything, but bless my wife for just being super supportive and not stressed. She's not stressed.
Kumar: Has it helped you in your personal life, you know, moving away from corporate? Do you have more time at home, or is that still sort ofâyou're trying to find your balance?
Kreisler: So I would say I can make my own schedule, right? Just like in a small business. Or as I have a good friend, a childhood friend who's a fairly successful small business entrepreneur, and he always says, "You don't have to work. You just won't get paid." He's like, "It's just the way it is, right?" And so I think it's very much like that, right?
Kumar: Yeah.
Kreisler: Around that. And you could do ten thousand things, which I wasn't prepared for. Like, sometimes I'll sit down and go, you know, in corporate life you have some sort of objectives, whether you're using OKRs or whatever it may be, or your tasks. And here it's, what do you want to build? What do you want to do to drive value and get clients and help people? So I think that's also very different.
Kumar: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. Yeah. I mean, I try to with my small business clients introduce some of those practices that work with large companies. And yeah, to a certain extent, you know, but there's some things that just don't because things move so rapidly. You can only control what you can control.
Kreisler: Yeah.
Kumar: So I've had some success, though.
Kreisler: No, that's awesome. That's awesome. Yeah. I mean, I don't miss meetings. I'll tell you that. The meeting is with myself and maybe with one or two staff members.
Kumar: Yeah.
Kreisler: And we go, "All right, go execute." There's no committees. There's no oversight.
Kumar: Yeah. That certainly is a blessing. I would say you don't have meetings that you have to attend all the time.
All right. So maybe some lightning round questions before we end our session today.
Kreisler: Sure.
Kumar: What's the best business advice you've received since opening Right at Home?
Kreisler: Ooh. Best business advice. I would go back toâand I'm not saying I follow this adviceâeveryone's saying it's going to be one of the hardest things you're going to do. I don't think I was fully mentally prepared for that. I knew it was going to be hard. But really, once you're in it, it's very different. And that's the biggestâI would really encourage anyone, obviously, to explore this if you're open to it and, you know, small business or entrepreneurship. And I, you know, it's not for everyone.
But I think to really think through like what that means, you know, to yourself, what do you want to build? If you have family responsibilities, financially, that's very important as well because it's a risk. Any business, right? It doesn't matter what it is.
Kumar: Sure.
Kreisler: It's always a risk, right? But I will say I've had a number of people tell me, and probably this is not a lightning round answerâsorry, Kumarâbut it's weird. I have some good friends that just come up and be like, you know, whatever happens, even if it doesn't work out, you got some courage to do that because most of us don't have the courage to do that.
Kumar: Yeah, no, that's so true. I think small business owners are the most courageous people, really, because you're putting everything on yourself, right? Faith in yourself, faith in your intuitions. And it's a big risk, but you're taking a risk on yourself. And what could be more rewarding than to see that risk pay off? So kudos to all the small business owners out there.
So what keeps you going on tough days?
Kreisler: Clients. Just, you know, when I'm able to help them in a bind or feedback, right? One. And then I would say, too, going back to my late mother-in-law, just, you know, she's always on my shoulder.
Kumar: Yeah.
Kreisler: Yeah. Just reminding me, this is meaningful work.
Kumar: Yeah. That's great. I love that. Yeah.
If you could tell families one thing to prepare for aging parents, what would that be?
Kreisler: One thing? I would say just be prepared emotionally.
Kumar: Okay. That's good advice. Yeah, because it can be an emotional thing to think about.
Kreisler: Yeah. Yeah.
Kumar: All right. I don't have any other questions. Do you have anything for me?
Kreisler: I'm going to ask youâwhat advice do you have for me? I mean, you've been running your own business since I met you. What are some key nuggets?
Kumar: I think it's just resilience, perseverance, and to keep trying things, you know? Keep experimenting with different approaches. Question everything. You don't know what you don't know. And even what you think you know is based on incomplete information because the world changes all the time. And especially over the past, I'd say, five, ten years, it's changing even more rapidly than it ever has before with AI. And it's touching every part of society. I think it will eventually touch every part of society.
So it's really not staying comfortable with what you think you know and just sort of always experimenting.
Kreisler: That's fair. That's fair. No, I appreciate that.
Kumar: All right. Well, thank you so much for being on the show, Kreisler.
Kreisler: Thanks for having me, Kumar.
Kumar: Yeah, it's good to have you on, good to sort of catch up with you. When I originally contacted you, the topic was, you know, the Kreisler I knew. Not the Kreisler I know now. But it was a really pleasant surprise to hear about your journey and where you've come and where you're taking this.
And I'm going to share this comment from Mary: "Really, really touching. Thank you for the important work you do." For sure. Yeah.
And I hope this episode was useful. I thought this would be a perfect episode for the new year. It's sort ofâyou're kind of rethinking yourself, birthing yourself a new version of you. You've gone through this. You go through this every day, Kreisler, in your job and in serving the clients that you serve.
So I would say for all of us, you know, it's a moment to think back and just kind of reflect on what you think you know, what you actually do know, and do something different. Experiment with something that makes your life a little better, makes the lives of others better. I think that would be my takeaway anyway from our conversation.
Kreisler: Yeah. Yeah. No, I appreciate the opportunity, Kumar, and thank you for having me on.
Kumar: Of course. Thank you so much. And thanks for watching, everyone. Thanks, everyone. See you all next week. Bye, all.
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