0023: The Power Of Your Voice with Certified Rehab Nurse, Public Speaker, PhD Professor & SFM-Voice Inventor Rebecca Koszalinski

Ea interviews. Episode 23, Inspiration, Transformation, Success Stories and the Imperfect Action Round. Seven days a week. Join Mario Ficcini for today's expert authority effect interview. Welcome, expert authority world. I am excited to be here with you on today's episode. I have none other than Rebecca Kozlinski. She has created an app to give patients a voice. And I don't know if you have ever been in a situation where you're in the hospital and you have an ailment, you have chest congestion, you have pain, you might have pneumonia, and you can't talk. I had the pleasure of meeting her when I was producing a show with Johnson and Johnson and show me your stethoscope in New York a couple months back. And I had heard about her and I read up on her and. And I will tell you, it was surreal because the four women on that panel are literally changing the world. And I swear I'm gonna get through this. And wait till you see what is coming up. And wait till you see her, because I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days with them producing the show and what they were telling me and the stories that they had, it just pulled on my heart. And there are so many people out there that don't have a voice. Maybe you're not in the hospital. Maybe you're at home and you can't talk. Maybe you're at school and you can't talk.

Maybe you're in fourth or fifth grade and you get picked on and someone throws you down in the dirt and pours glue in your jacket.

Whatever the case may be, can you imagine if this thing was gone? Can you imagine not being able to communicate with the outside world? Everyone out here is taking selfies and pictures and doing stuff 24 7. But imagine if you had no voice.

You're walking by them every day trying to get that great shot. But there are people out there that need you. Don't overlook them. That's why I'm excited to be bringing Rebecca up right after we thank the sponsor. So you want to go live on Facebook, but you're not sure where to start or what to do. Some people say just grab your phone or buy all this expensive software. Well, I have a better option for you. Check out mariofacini.com BELive BELive is the simplest and easiest way to go live on your Facebook with a professional production. Once again, MarioFaccini.com belive here she is, everyone. Rebecca Kozlinski. Rebecca, it is an honor and privilege to have you here. Thank you for all that you're doing in the world. Thank you. Are you ready to share with everyone else what you've shared with me?

I am. Mario, thank you so much for having me on today. It's such, such a privilege to come here and chat with you for a bit. And it was great meeting you in New York. What an adventure it has been.

It has been. And I'm excited what you're doing with your revolutionary new app. I can't even imagine what it would be like to not be able to communicate with someone. I know what it's like when I've just been sick or not feeling great, and it's like, you know, and that's temporary. But thank you for what you're doing and making a difference in the world. So I want to go right into it. What inspired you to start your business and what inspired you to do this? I mean, it can't be easy building an app, helping people. I mean, it's a lot of work. Why did you want to do it?

I'm a rehab nurse. I specialize in rehabilitation, and the goal of rehab is to help the patient reached their highest level of functioning, whatever that is, and they decide what that is. So I worked with patients in the community who had some disabilities and other reasons that they were not able to communicate well, and they had their means of being able to communicate in the community because they had found ways to be able to do this. But when hospitalized, they didn't have that same. They didn't have the same mechanisms. They couldn't bring their big boards in, and nurses didn't understand what they need. Although nurses really tried. They really do want to know what the patient needs. And so I happened in on a patient who was a friend of the community, and unfortunately, she was in a situation where she was unheard, and she was frustrated and she was angry. And in the situation, she asked me if I would please help her and her friends, and I said yes. And nurses, you know, we just. If you say yes, then you have to do it. So from that point on, that became my entire PhD walk, was to develop an app, develop instrumentation to measure it and to take it into the hospitals to test it. And, yeah, it's been about 10 years of my life now, from beginning to where we are now.

Wow. Well, I'm so glad you stuck with it and you're moving forward with it. Who does your app help and how does it help them?

It helps people who are hospitalized. They may be intubated, they may have trachs, maybe trauma, maybe head and neck surgery for cancers. Whatever the reason may be that they're unable to communicate the way that we're communicating now. And what this app does is very simple, user friendly app so that they can, so that patients can tell nurses and other health care providers what they need, including who they would like to come to the bed, decisions about where they would like to go when they are discharged, palliative care, end of life decisions. It gives them a way to. It's a graphic to tell people I hurt right here, this is where I'm having pain. So there's no question about that pain and pain level. It translates or we have 80 languages on it. So if someone. And we're working on more development on this. So patients can communicate in their own language if they would like to. And it has specific needs and it's just very user friendly. Most patients can't bring in their large expensive boards. They. This is a cost effective, easy to deliver solution and we are finding that it is effective.

Well, it sounds, it sounds amazing and I'm thankful I don't need it right now. But at the same time I'm very, very, very excited for you that it's out there and you're helping the people who do need it. Let's talk about the people you've already helped with it. What's the biggest transformation that you've seen with someone with where they came in and you were telling me a little bit earlier, but what's the biggest transformation story you've had from someone using it?

I think it's.

A young lady who was intubated and had an NG tube and was quite involved and her nose itched. And so she brought her hand up to try to itch, which unfortunately was translated as her trying to pull the tubes out. And so the response to that, for her protection, to make sure she did not pull out the tubes, that meant that she was being placed in soft restraints. So when I was able to go in and work with her and communicate with her, she was able to tell me about her frustration and her anxiety. And.

Her daughter was. It was amazing to see other people in the room.

Translate and help her. And she, she was relieved she was able to communicate her needs and they weren't, which meant being rolled, which meant an itchy nose. Will you please itch my nose? Which is where we started. Would you please itch my nose? And so seeing people be being able to communicate those types of needs for me is just, it's an amazing. I don't know if you'd call It a transformation, but for me, it's meaningful.

I would definitely say it's a transformation. I mean, I know what it's like, you know, in a business where you have text and emails and communications and so many of those. I tell people, I said, you know, don't make this year a thousand new connections, but no communication. It's very easy to miscommunicate and not be able to connect properly with someone. And I can't even imagine you're just trying to scratch your nose like I am now, and someone thinks you're trying to harm yourself, and obviously you want to do it for their protection, but next thing you know, you're tied up and you can't move.

And you have a solution to that.

Yeah.

So what's another. What's another story that I'm sure you've got dozens of them, but many another one or two that are on your mind?

Well, this is one that I had not ever considered. I was being called into the hospital late at night for a. For a person who had decided that she no longer wanted to prolong life, and they were going to, you know, stop the mechanical ventilation, the heroic efforts. And she wanted to be able to communicate with people through the night. So I went in and delivered the tablet to her, and she used it through the night. And.

That was amazing that she was able to talk about whatever she wanted to talk about in that night. And then, of course, they proceeded, and I felt like I had just a little bit of.

It was again, very meaningful for me to be able to assist.

I would have to agree 100%, because that is absolutely a transformation. You essentially gave that person and family 6, 8, 10, 12 more hours of time to continue the love and the family and everything that was going on. I remember my sister a few days after I lost Dad a couple years ago.

I didn't see him a day or two before, but they told me they came over to see him and he also.

You know, we didn't have your tablet, but there was one of those, like, little Magna Doodle boards where you could just write some words on it. And they were. They were telling me they came over to visit while mom was at church, and he wrote a couple of things out.

And.

I can't tell you what I would do to have your app in that instance and have another even hour with them.

So it absolutely is a transformation that you're providing. And I'm glad as anything less, I'm.

Glad you had your Magna Doodle, because that was meaningful, too.

Whatever we need to help communicate. That's where I am on it. Whatever paper, pencil, whatever it is.

When you're helping your patients, you know the struggles they're going through. How do you communicate that with them? What have you found has helped you even before the app, communicate with them best?

Oh, recognize them as person. Letting them know that they are a person and honoring them, getting on their level. I don't stand over the bed. Most people get on their level and talk to them. I just. I want to honor their personhood and let them know that I will. I will take the time, I will slow down, I will spend time with them. And let me say, all nurses want to be able to do that. In my unique role, I get to slow down and do that. And the purpose of this app is that hopefully it cuts out some of that time and questions about what the patient really needs so the nurse can get to it and help them. So it's meant to also help the nurse, not just the patient, but the nurse and the healthcare provider so they can be clear on what that patient wants or clearer than what the patient wants.

What would be an ideal outcome for you? What would be an ideal outcome for you for your app? I know you've told me you've got it into some hospitals, and obviously the world needs it. What would you love to see happen 12 months from now, 24 months from now with it?

I would love to be able to give it back to the patients.

You know, some of the patients who asked me to do this have since passed, which breaks my heart because I wanted to give it back to them. And so my drive is to find a way, as you said, to get this out to patients who could use it. Commercialization would be lovely.

Yes, commercialization. Okay. I know with your position, you do public speaking, correct?

You do.

So for anyone that wants Rebecca, reach out to her. She's awesome, and you should hire her for your event and to help your organization. But tell me about your public speaking. How has that helped move your business forward?

Oh, wow. This, as I said, it has been such an adventure from the very first time I was asked to do an article.

That's so surreal. To be interviewed for an article or to be on your show is still surreal for me.

It's transformational. To be able to get my story out there and to talk about the app and to be able to provide something meaningful for patients, that has been amazing. We did the New York, the Johnson and Johnson. That's amazing that I was able to go and do that. And I learned so much. And getting to know you and everyone else on that panel talk about dynamic, powerful women. It was humbling to be on that panel and to be able to deliver what I'm doing in this forum is just amazing. I can't even put it into words. It's been amazing.

So you were speaking about the video we did and how has video helped your business?

I think the Johnson and Johnson video especially has been powerful in helping me helping this work be recognized nationally, not just regionally, but nationally. And again, to be named in that video with, again, all of those amazing nurse leaders. And actually Sister Kenny. I did research on Sister Kenny when I first started my doctoral work, and she. She's been my role model. So to see Sister Kenny represented in that video is amazing too.

So I think. I don't know, it just. It continues to snowball, gets better and better. And I'm. I'm just. I'm just enjoying having this opportunity to not only talk about the tablet, but get to meet so many incredible people.

I know what's in store for you, and you're gonna have a great next five years, and it's gonna be decade for you. I remember when I first started public speaking. And you're yearn for a fun decade.

Thank you. I have to learn to not use my hands so much. You can. You can teach me that.

You can see me, right? You. You know that I'm a little bit of the Italian persuasion, correct? Telling me, I'm gonna teach you not to talk with your hands.

Okay, we'll see how that goes.

Okay. Okay.

But I'll tell you this. Be yourself. I've had people correct me on the show, on the this, on the that, the other thing. You're talking too much. I think, honestly, the way I open this up all the time. You know how I said, welcome, expert authority world, and I think that might be subconsciously as a, hey, screw off to the people who, when I started doing that, they said, you shouldn't open up like that. It's my show. I'll do what I want. So, you know, obviously, you've had. You've done it your way, this way. Don't. Don't think it always has to be perfect. Lord knows I'm not, and this isn't. So have fun with it. That's what I would tell you.

I will. I will. I'm learning to have fun with it.

All right, so I'm. We're gonna thank our next sponsor and we're gonna come back for the imperfect action round instead of trying to get your prospects attention, why not be so captivating they can't look away? That's quote from my first book, Video Marketing for business Owners. And I'm saying it again today because the truth of the matter is if you can't get your prospects attention, they're not going to pay attention to you and they're not going to receive your message and you'll never be able to help them. That's why I love Belive. Before it even launched, I was using it in the beta phase and it is the simplest and easiest way to do Facebook lives, to reach your audience, to interact with them. You can cue the comments up, you can take questions, you can answer them live. There's live polling features. You can make a professional looking production very inexpensively and very quickly, which is important because you don't want to be spending your time messing around with computers and hardware and all this other stuff. Live streaming can get very intense and there is literally nothing else I would recommend to start off with that is simpler, easier and more affordable than Belive. So check out MarioFaccini.com belive Once again, that's MarioFoccini.com belive All right, we're back with the imperfect action round. Rebecca, are you excited to share with people how they can get the best results the fastest?

Absolutely.

So my first question for you is what is the fastest path to the cash when you're dealing with funding? I'm sure that when you launched your app you had the idea you wanted to help people, but is it safe to say you needed to get some funding in there?

I started out self funding, actually a lot of it came from our personal account so that we could get this started. And then I've been able to do updates with it through the University of Tennessee Knoxville. And I continue to write grants. Now I'm just in that grant writing phase. Just keep writing grants.

All right, keep writing grants. You hear that expert authority world. So the next thing is, what is the biggest problem you see with your audience and how can they overcome it?

I'm concerned about cost. I want to keep this low cost in an easy deliverable. Most patients who are hospitalized and have this type of, let's say a catastrophic injury are not going to go out and buy expensive hardware and software. And so my concern is to find a way to deliver it to them without further burdening them.

Very good. That's always a concern and you're smart for focusing on that. So the last imperfect action question I have for you is how would you say is the best way to maximize the patient lifetime value once you get in touch with them?

I think some patients may need to transition into the community, and they may not need.

You know, the full AAC that could be available to them. Perhaps this would help them in the community as well. So I'd like to see them be able to transition from the hospital into the community with the same type of technology.

Can you expand on that a little bit? What would you. I'm gonna go off script a little bit here. It's my show and I'll do what I want. But I want you to expand on that, too. I'm interested. And what is the best way you think we can achieve that?

So now I'm pausing for a moment because I really have to think about that. It comes down to funding, making it possible for patients to not only have it in the hospital, but in the community setting. I'm going to go. I'm going to loop back to being a rehab nurse in that the goal of a rehab nurse is to help the patient reach the maximum level of independence, whatever that is for them. So I think about patients who want to be able to shop independently or drive independently or whatever it is that they want to do. And technology.

Is helpful in many of these situations. And my app is just another piece of technology to help bridge their needs to actually having it. I don't know if that makes sense because I'm off script now, too, but I'd like to be able to see them have that same type of autonomy in the hospital, to let everyone know what they need and need, and in the community to be able to continue that autonomy and that lifestyle that they want, because everyone should be able to live.

Autonomously, make decisions. At least that's. That's my belief. Everyone should be able to say, no, I don't want to sit in that chair, and no, I don't want to go to bed right now, and I want to stay up and I want to socialize. Okay, I'm really off script now.

That's perfect, because it's the best honest answer. There's nothing wrong with freedom independence, is there?

Right. Absolutely. And as the rehab nurse, I want to. My goal is to see that everyone has whatever level of independence and autonomy they choose.

Well, I appreciate you for sharing that with us. So where can they find you?

Oh, sfmhealth.com is our website. And feel free to ask questions.

It's been an absolute pleasure. Can't wait to continue the conversation. And I'm glad to have you on today.

Thank you Mario. This has been a blast. Thank you for your time and you're amazing. God bless.

God bless. You're already successful. You've worked hard to get where you are. We both know it wasn't overnight and hasn't always been easy. No doubt you're the expert on your subject matter, but do your prospects in your marketplace think of you first as their go to trusted advisor all the time? ExpertAuthorityChecklist.com is 100% free and reveals the 21 steps to determine if your prospects view you as the expert and authority of your marketplace or if it's just all in your mind. Important required steps like do you have a process in place for prospects to self identify if they qualify for your time and expertise or not? Does your current offer have the seven components of an irresistible offer required to make it a no brainer for your prospects? Do you have a real life paperback book showcasing you as the subject matter expert you can actually hand someone? Get your free Checklist now@expertauthoritychecklist.com Once again, expert Authority Checklist to make sure you have the 21 steps covered. It better not be more, but don't leave those one or two things you may have missing go any longer. Visit expertauthoritychecklist.com and make sure you're being seen as the expert in authority today. Once again, that's expertauthoritychecklist.com get your copy now. Belive offers entrepreneurs and small business owners around the world the opportunity to broadcast live video on your Facebook page, profile, group or event. The platform is fully web based, there's nothing to download. Belive has made the dashboard super easy and intuitive to use. You can be up and running with your own TV style talk show, interviewing guests, interacting with your community and offering your products and services to a wider audience in 20 minutes. To learn more, go to marioficcini.com belive Once again, marioficcini.com forward/beloved thanks for listening to the episode. I hope you got a lot of value out of it. Let's continue the conversation over in the community expertauthorityworld.com we can have discussions, talk about the episodes and I'd love to get your thoughts on it. Once again, expertauthorityworld. Com.