Check Out Rebecca West’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca West

Hi Rebecca, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I never planned on starting my own business. But necessity is the birthplace of invention, they say.

I was a decade into my career as a vet tech when the pandemic hit.

Although I was an essential worker, I wanted to be more useful, on the front lines, and a CNA program seemed like the best way to get started. So I enrolled in classes, having no idea where it would take me.

I worked Sunday-Wednesday at my job in animal welfare, went to school on Fridays and clinicals on Saturdays, graduating in May 2021. CNA stands for Certified Nursing Assistant, and is an entry level avenue into medicine. To become “certified” you must pass a state board (DORA) written and a practical exam.

I had no idea how much deciding to take that class would change my life.

I hadn’t told anybody yet. But I was being sexually harassed where I worked as a vet tech. When I got up the courage to report it, things did not go well. When I tried to move on and keep working as a vet tech at another company I began having panic attacks. Being a vet tech, was all I ever dreamed of, I saw being a CNA as a temporary way to help during the pandemic, nothing more.

The more I fought through it, the more my life in animal welfare became unmanageable, everything became triggering, panic attacks became my near daily occurrence and I was diagnosed with PTSD. I was faced with the reality that I might need to take a step back from the career and identity I had created for myself for over a decade and I was devastated.

Simply as a way to pay the bills I started working full time as a CNA.

Like I said, none of this was according to plan!

As fate would have it, I ended up at Vail Health Hospital and my heart began to heal. Taking care of my patients, helped me take care of myself. I felt safe at the hospital. Being surrounded by professionals who were emphatic and educated in mental (and physical) health made me feel like it was okay for me to start to be myself again. That feeling of safety made me passionate about healthcare and left me wanting to create a similar safe space for other people.

And so The Invisible Crowd was born: a place where it’s safe to be seen. Not only did I want to start a place for healthcare workers to network, I also wanted to change the opinions of some roles within the system like nursing assistants. Some people look at a job and see what it is, others look at a role and see what it can be. I want to support people interested in seeing what something can be. What started as an entry level role in a hospital, has become a busy home health operation that has made me a small business owner.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As someone who lives with anxiety and PTSD. I am constantly filled with fear. All of the time. I am afraid of things that will probably never happen. I’m afraid of ordinary things like driving my car. I feel it sitting there on top of my chest every minute of the day.
So if you’re going to be chronically terrified you have to learn to be consistently brave. Be scared and do it anyway. Speak up even when your voice is shaking. Do that thing even if you might start crying. When things feel heavy, learn that it’s okay to set them down, not everything needs to be carried.
Your emotions are not your weakness. The point of life is not to stop feeling. Let those pesky feelings fuel you, let it bring you empathy and let that empathy connect you with others. Stop waiting for the feeling to pass, learn to not let it stop you.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am proud to give caregivers a platform. Whether you are paid or unpaid, in your home or in a hospital, taking care of someone is the most important work we can do. It fundamentally supports the economy. The unpaid work provided by family caregivers is valued at an estimated $600 billion, according to the latest report in AARP. With the next generation getting ready to retire we will need more paid caregivers to help support our aging population. It’s time caregivers garner the respect they deserve.
The Invisible Crowd was created in 2023 as a way to connect providers, resources and healthcare workers in Eagle County.
The name The Invisible Crowd come from my focus on in-home care. Because myself and others, are often in someone’s home giving them the care they need you don’t see me or people doing similar work as much as you’d see those working in a hospital setting. Caregivers need to know they are not alone, their work needs to be recognized. We deserve to feel seen and be celebrated.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Finding good mentors is critical, no matter what you’re trying to do. Always have someone you can go to for advice, perspective or a reality check. Offer to be that person for somebody else. Without Molly, Beth, Veronica, Wendy, Austin, Eric… too many to mention, I wouldn’t be here. Crowd source. Find your tribe or start one at theinvisiblecrowd.org.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theinvisiblecrowd.org
• Instagram: theinvisiblecrowdco
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theinvisiblecrowd