In a powerful episode of On the Brink with Andi Simon, I sat down with Joyce Salzberg, an extraordinary woman whose life and work illuminate the intersection of personal resilience, professional purpose, and societal transformation. Joyce is the co-founder and co-CEO of Sunny Days, a national provider of early intervention and autism services, and the founder of Oxford Consulting, which supports schools and adults with developmental needs. But her journey began with a painful turning point—and became a lesson in turning adversity into impact.
A Catalyst for Change: From Breast Cancer to Bold Beginnings
Joyce’s career in early childhood intervention took an unexpected turn after a breast cancer diagnosis while serving as the Associate Executive Director of United Cerebral Palsy of New Jersey. Despite undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, she continued working tirelessly—only to be told her insurance premiums had become a burden and, soon after, that her position was no longer needed.
Rather than retreat, Joyce fought back. She filed a lawsuit, becoming one of the first to test the newly passed Americans with Disabilities Act as a cancer survivor. The case garnered national attention and, ultimately, inspired Joyce to launch Sunny Days in 1994.
Pioneering a New Model of Care
Starting in the basement of her home, Joyce reimagined how services could be delivered. While others were focused on center-based programs, Sunny Days sent occupational, speech, and physical therapists into the child’s natural environment—their home. Joyce’s vision was validated when Congress reauthorized the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1998, mandating that early intervention services be delivered in those very environments.
Her innovation wasn’t just timely—it was transformative. Today, Sunny Days serves families in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, California, and more. Her son now leads operations in New York, her daughter supports administration, and Oxford Consulting continues to expand services for school-aged children and adults.
You may enjoy our YouTube video of this podcast:
Leading with Purpose, Scaling with Precision
Running a mission-driven company isn’t just about compassion—it’s about operational excellence. Joyce built Sunny Days and Oxford Consulting with no formal business training, relying instead on her background as a social worker, her experience managing programs, and her keen ability to recruit the right experts, understand government regulations, and manage complex budgets.
Today, Joyce oversees a team of 15 directors, with leadership succession plans in place to ensure her legacy lives on. The organization’s services are not only clinically sound—they’re deeply personal. Joyce continues to receive emails from parents whose children have made remarkable progress because of Sunny Days’ early intervention programs.
Policy Challenges and a Call to Action
Despite its success, Joyce is clear-eyed about the challenges ahead. Funding for early intervention, especially through Medicaid, is at risk. In states like New Jersey and New York, where the majority of children served rely on Medicaid, the future of these programs is in jeopardy.
She urges policymakers to recognize that early intervention is not an expense—it’s an investment. Getting services to children between birth and age three can dramatically reduce the long-term costs associated with developmental disabilities. As Joyce explains, “We save Part B of IDEA money by intervening early, helping children reach developmental milestones before entering school.”
Giving Back with Grace
Joyce’s success has come full circle. A first-generation college graduate from a working-class family in Philadelphia, she never forgot her roots. In 2019, she donated $1 million to Temple University to create the Joyce K. Salzberg Center for Professional Development, helping liberal arts students prepare for meaningful careers. She also established scholarships for single mothers, recognizing how hard that journey can be.
Her advice for aspiring women entrepreneurs? Network relentlessly. “You never know who will open the next door,” she says. And most importantly, listen to what others see in you. Sometimes others recognize your potential before you do.
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Andi Simon 00:00:02 Welcome to On the Brink with Andy Simon. I’m Andy, and as you know, my job is to get you off the brink. And I like to go find women and men who come and talk to you about things that are going to help you see, feel and think in new ways. And that’s the whole idea of being an anthropologist. When I help you step out and look at what’s going on outside of the box, you’re comfortable in, you begin to see things that help you change your own story. And remember, we live this story. We’re also the heroes in our story. And so when you hear someone else telling you their story, you’re going to think about, who am I? What am I doing? How can I do this better? What’s my purpose? Why do I matter today? I am absolutely honored to have Joyce Salzberg with us now. I met John Joyce through my dear friend Eddie Frazier, and she has been a wonderful woman who has been an entrepreneur, building a marvelous company called Sunny Days with tremendous purpose as well as success, however you define it.
Andi Simon 00:01:03 So, Joyce, thank you for being here.
Joyce Salzberg 00:01:05 Thank you. Thank you for having me, Andy.
Andi Simon 00:01:08 Let me tell you a little bit about Joyce. So you my audience knew why you should listen carefully. Joyce Salzberg is a distinguished leader in early childhood intervention and developmental disabilities, with over four decades of experience in health care. She’s a co-founder and co-CEO of Sunny Days and national provider of early intervention and autism services and the services, and the founder and CEO of Oxford Consulting, which offers therapy, staffing and support services to school children and adults with developmental needs. Now, her story is an interesting one and she’s going to tell you about it. But she shared with me before establishing Sunny Days in 1994. Now, Joyce served as the associate executive director of United Cerebral Palsy of New Jersey, where she oversaw early intervention programs. Grams. She had been a member of the new Jersey State Interagency Coordinating Council since 1988 1998. My apologies and currently serves as acting Chair. Her extensive service includes participation on numerous charitable boards, oversight committees, and industry advocacy.
Andi Simon 00:02:15 She’s a Philadelphia native, a first-generation college graduate, and she earned both her B.A. in Comparative religion and MSW from Temple University. She’s been honored as a Distinguished Alumna, inducted into the Gallery of Success in 2011, and the League for Entrepreneurial Women in 2013. In recognition of her contributions, she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Temple University, the first ever given by the College of Liberal Arts. And in 2019, she donated $1 million to establish the Joyce K Salzberg Center for Professional Development, supporting career readiness for liberal arts students. It really is a marvelous those stories. Now she’s a member of a committee of 200, a global organization of women business leaders, and serves on the advisory board of the Women Business Collaborative. Her lifelong commitment to empowering children, families and future professionals continues to shape the fields of health care, education and social impact. And you should check out Sunny Days. Com. But you really need to listen to Joyce tell you about her story. It’s full of twists and turns.
Andi Simon 00:03:23 And what I want just to get into today is how do you start a business, sometimes after a cataclysmic moment, and then how do you grow it, and how do you get it to thrive and reinvent it and expand it and run it? It’s not easy. And particularly when you are committed to doing things in a kind and purposeful way. Joyce, thanks. Thanks so much. Tell us about Joyce. Joyce. What’s your journey?
Joyce Salzberg 00:03:44 Well, well, first of all, thank you for that wonderful introduction. Even I was impressed.
Andi Simon 00:03:52 Well, sometimes we don’t know what we don’t know. And I think you’ve had a fabulous, just career in life. And it’s wonderful to share it. So, you know, share your own story because when you tell it, it comes alive. When I tell it, it’s. But you’re really rich. Go ahead.
Joyce Salzberg 00:04:09 Well, yeah, many people have told me I should write a book because me. My story is, I think, rather interesting, but it’s rather interesting to me and maybe those around me.
Joyce Salzberg 00:04:18 But hopefully it’ll be interesting to you too. and you mentioned a cataclysmic moment, and I think she was referring to when I worked, I was the associate executive director of United Cerebral Palsy here in new Jersey. I live in new Jersey, and my business is actually headquartered in new Jersey. but anyway, unfortunately, after being with them for about 13 years, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and, and, and this is the interesting part of all that, which is. It’s rather sad. Nobody should be diagnosed with breast cancer and hopefully we can conquer that. But I used to come to work with, chemotherapy attached to me. I would be the last person radiated so that I would miss very little work, because I had an important job. Anyway, after I was finished with radiation and chemotherapy and I had had my surgery already, I was brought into the executive director’s office to tell me that he made a bad mistake. And this is a life lesson to be aware of what people tell you and talk it away, even if it’s not important at the moment that, the premiums of us of their, their insurance, their medical insurance were going up, by 44%.
Joyce Salzberg 00:05:45 And it was because of me, because I had breast cancer. Okay. So I took that little factoid in my head. I head.
Andi Simon 00:05:52 I actually told you that.
Joyce Salzberg 00:05:54 Yes, he did. It was a bad mistake on his part. because I didn’t know that. Although I would have become aware of it eventually, because I was aware of a lot of the financial things that were going on with the with the company. But, about ten months later, they brought me into his office again to say that my position was not no longer needed. So I was basically riffed, but I, I put the two and two together and decided it was because of the insurance premiums going up. And I had a very dear friend of mine who was a childhood friend who became a lawyer, and she said, Joyce, this is not right. You need to sue them. And I was just recovering from breast cancer. So I said, I don’t know if I have the strength to do that. But she said, you don’t have a choice.
Joyce Salzberg 00:06:42 You have to sue them. And so I did sue them. and it made national news, because they’re, there obviously a company that is there to provide services to the development and developmentally disabled? and it was just after Ada was passed Americans with Disabilities Act, and I didn’t know that it covered people who are survivors of cancer or going through cancer. so that was a big no to fire somebody who is covered by the Ada. And so, the suit went on for, my best, I would say about two and a half years. but we had a very good case. Eventually, I will tell you, it was settled, but it brought some very bad, publicity to United Cerebral Palsy because of, firing me. And it was all over the New York news, the Philadelphia news. And it was in the New York Times. It was all over the place. And I was glad it was because. And I’m glad I’m bringing this up now, because I want to make people aware that the board of directors of United Cerebral Palsy were all men.
Joyce Salzberg 00:07:50 And I think if there had been some women on the board, I don’t think this would have happened because I think they would have had a lot more, empathy for a woman going through this and coming to work with chemotherapy attached to her and everything. but anyway, as I said to Andy earlier, I’m a believer that things happen for a reason. So while we helped a lot of people through United Cerebral Palsy, I do believe that Sunny Days, the company that I co-founded, has over the years provided way more services than United Cerebral Palsy ever did. So I think that there was, a higher order for me to go out and develop my own company and provide services for the development developmentally disabled.
Andi Simon 00:08:36 But you didn’t simply mimic the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. And I think that’s really important because this wasn’t simply a do over in a different fashion. You know, I’m angry at you, so I’ll do it better. This is a whole different approach that you brought to the market to help people who really needed it in a different way.
Andi Simon 00:08:53 It wasn’t supporters, it was a whole different training and development and autism. I mean, you have a much bigger scope to what you did. Am I right?
Joyce Salzberg 00:09:02 Yes. And I’m going to I’m not going to be, modest, because my company started in 1994 and we, you know, because we didn’t have bricks and mortar. It started in the basement of my house, and, and I had a business partner who started who I brought in around ten months after I started the company. And basically, we had, professionals, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapist who went out to and provided services in the children’s homes. Now, the reason I’m not going to be modest is because we actually were pioneers in doing that. The law. I don’t know if any of you are familiar with the idea. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It’s basically an act that entitles disabled children to get an education, the same as any typical child would get an education. so anyway, we decided to hire these, professionals to go out into the home.
Joyce Salzberg 00:10:09 Well, that was 1994. In 1998, Idea individuals with Disabilities Education Act was reauthorized by Congress. And lo and behold, they decided that these type of services for babies and toddlers who are developmentally disabled must receive their services in the child’s home or what they call a natural environment, which might be, a childcare center, a hospital if they are in a hospital. so we were four years ahead of the actual law that was passed, which we’re very proud of because we consider ourselves, I guess, pioneers in my industry of early intervention. and, and it’s kind of just grew from that. We started getting cases right away. But I’m going to say that I wouldn’t have gotten any cases if it hadn’t been for, me networking or people having respect for the work that I did at United Cerebral Palsy. I ran all the programs for them, and they were they were well run. They were they provided a lot of wonderful services for the developmentally disabled. and they were they were very upset about me having been ripped from United Cerebral Palsy.
Joyce Salzberg 00:11:21 So they decided to help me out, basically, and to start referring clients to me, my company. And at the same time I started, as Andy mentioned, I started Oxford Consulting, which, provided the same type of services but to schools. And it was started out just here in new Jersey. And by the way, both of the companies started in new Jersey. But there’s a little story to that, too. after about, 2- or 3-years providing services in Jersey, we decided to try to expand. I’m from Philadelphia. Originally, you might detect a little bit of a Philadelphia accent. but anyway, we decided we were going to expand into Pennsylvania, since that was my home state, and we took a lot of meetings and, and we did get started providing early intervention in Pennsylvania. And we still do provide services to Philadelphia and the surrounding counties of Philadelphia. then my business partner was from New York. So she said, well, let’s look into New York. Maybe we can go into New York and provide the same type of services.
Joyce Salzberg 00:12:32 And let me tell you, we took some very stressful meetings there. New Yorkers are no slouches as, as you as you know, Now, and they don’t pull any punches, and they really put us through the wringer with, with a lot of questions. But we did very well. And, my son actually became the director of our New York program, and he still is after all these years, because that started in, I think that was, year 2000. We started in New York. we started in, Pennsylvania, and I think it was 1998. So two years later, we went into New York, and we cover all five boroughs. We do cover Westchester County, we cover, Orange County, Dutchess County, Ulster County. So we started moving on up in upstate New York as well. but then I was, I have, cousins, first cousins who live in California, and they call me Joyce. So they said, Joyce, why don’t you try to open your business here in California so we could see you more often? So I said, well, I never really thought about it, but hey, it’s a thought.
Joyce Salzberg 00:13:41 So on a lark, I just started, trying to figure out how to do that, getting in touch with people, networking with people in California. And I did take some very tough meetings out in California. but we did get started in San Diego and in San Bernardino, which is the largest county in the United States. I don’t know if you know that, but it’s huge. It borders Arizona. it borders; I think Mexico as well. It’s huge. But anyway, we started in both of those counties, and we are still there to this day. We cover the entire state of California. We do a lot of work out there, and so does Oxford. Oxford covers the entire state with schools and charter schools and so on.
Andi Simon 00:14:28 Now, can.
Joyce Salzberg 00:14:29 You tell.
Andi Simon 00:14:29 Us?
Joyce Salzberg 00:14:30 Well, yeah. Go ahead.
Andi Simon 00:14:31 I mean, or you want to be modest, but you are truly extraordinary when you grow up. I’m married to a serial entrepreneur, so we’ve lived many evenings wandering around the house trying to figure out things.
Andi Simon 00:14:44 You make it sound like, oh, I’m just going to drop into New York. I’m going to drop into California. Let’s be honest. you know, and bad meetings are challenging meetings. It’s true. But here you’re hiring people. You’re placing people. You need to be sure that they’re doing the right things. This is a whole lot of process development. And, yeah, belts and suspenders, because this isn’t casual. This is really it’s not a product. This is a transformation of people’s lives. How do you do that? I mean, how do you make sure it is what you’re promising?
Joyce Salzberg 00:15:18 Okay, well, that’s a good question. And, and keep in mind that I do not have business training. I’m a clinical social worker. My background. I used to do some therapy besides working at United Cerebral Palsy. And, but I think there was very good training and running programs because you have to look at a spreadsheet. You have to figure out how many people that you should be hiring without going over your budget.
Joyce Salzberg 00:15:45 I was used to looking at budgets and making sure that I stayed within a budget. I was used to dealing with governmental entities because early intervention is an entitlement and it is a highly regulated business. So I was used to following the rules and regs and, and codes and, and I don’t know that I would have been successful if I hadn’t been used to doing those kinds of things because it is very intricate. Starting a new business as you probably know. Andy. you have to get all the things lined up. Those are your executive skills. And I don’t mean just being an executive. I mean, you know, being able to talk to people, being able to look at a spreadsheet, being able to, I was the chief interviewer. I was the recruiter for many, many years. I would stay up. My kids were in college when I started this. And my son didn’t really like it, but I was up till the wee hours of the morning cranking out contracts for practitioners, cranking out, contracts for schools.
Joyce Salzberg 00:16:48 God knows what I was doing, but he would be coming home on his breaks with his friends at 2:00 in the morning. And there I was in my office. What are you doing, mom? Why are you off? You know, but when you’re starting a business, it’s what I call the grunt years. You have to know what you’re doing. You have to. You’re kind of learning as you’re going. Yes, but, as I said, the program, being a program director for so many years, an associate executive director, you know, overseeing other program directors, gave me a lot of good experience. Plus, I can’t emphasize enough, the networking of with people who know more than you do. I think that’s a skill to know that I don’t understand technology. That’s not my that’s not my wheelhouse. So I need to be in touch with somebody who really could help me with technology. I’m not an accountant, so I need to get an outside accountant to help me with my finances.
Joyce Salzberg 00:17:47 I knew a lot about, the actual direct services, though, because my mentor was a physical therapist, and she became the dean of the physical therapy program at what was then UMD and J, which is now owned by Rutgers. So it’s Rutgers. Rutgers still has a very prominent, physical therapy program, which, by the way, she still the dean of and she’s ten years older than I am. So God bless her, and I she still does this. She’s, my hero.
Andi Simon 00:18:16 I can see why, but I but you needed a role model. Who gave you, the wisdom and the modeling to do it. but, you know, and the reason I asked you that is that we’re going to talk a little bit more about how you keep the purpose in the forefront. But this isn’t about just being interested in doing good for other people. You got to run a business, and it requires some weeds before you get the trees and everything else to begin to shine. Because if not, forget the mixed metaphor.
Andi Simon 00:18:49 But if not, it can go astray as you do good things and nothing. No one gets paid. The money doesn’t come through. You’re out of regulation. I mean, it’s all in the details. and so it’s important to be well aware if you’re going to grow your business, that you get into the weeds enough to know what’s going on. I mean, that accountant has to be doing the right things at the right time. And if you don’t know your numbers, you can have a really weird accounting. Weird things.
Joyce Salzberg 00:19:14 Oh, absolutely. Yeah. well, I will tell you that, the beginning years of our business were tough because we were showing other, keep in mind, and I already explained the history of early intervention in our country. It’s not just new Jersey or New York or wherever we are. It’s all over the country. All 50 states do participate in what we call part C of idea, so they do get federal money to help provide these services to children. But the other pieces is, funded through the state or the county or whatever.
Joyce Salzberg 00:19:50 Each state, funds it a little bit differently. and I’m going to bring us up to present before I go backward again. That’s why Medicaid is so, so important to us right now. And I and I was, Ed had me come to Washington, and I did get a chance to talk to Cory Booker about Medicaid because, you know, we’re really concerned about if that goes down the drain. 35% of the children who receive services in new Jersey are on Medicaid, and 60 over 60% in New York are on Medicaid. That, that, that, receive services. So I don’t know what in the world is going to happen, but I’m going to go back to the beginning years of sunny days where, as I said, we were pioneers for four years before the law changed to natural environment. We were providing services in the child’s natural environment. And let me tell you, our competitors and I will call them competitors. They did not like that. There was a sunny day around because they all ran center-based programs, and they could almost see the law was going to be changing to natural environment, and we were showing them or proving that it can be done because they were always said, we can’t.
Joyce Salzberg 00:21:03 You can’t go into the child’s home and provide services that’s not, you know, that’s just not something that we can do. Where are you going to get people to go into the child’s home? Well, we were already doing it.
Andi Simon 00:21:11 Yeah.
Joyce Salzberg 00:21:12 You know, the practitioners were happy to go into the child’s home because you were working directly with the parent or the or the guardian or the caregiver, whoever was there, to work with the child. And our purpose is to work really with whoever is there with the child. If it’s a grandparent, a nanny, whoever it is to help train them how to work with the child, to move them along developmentally so that they can reach their milestones and hopefully not have to receive services as they get older and go into the school system. And we and one of our, our, selling points, I would say, is that we can save what is called part B of that same law idea. A lot of money, if we can get the child early and help them reach their milestones early on.
Joyce Salzberg 00:22:04 And we know that 0 to 3 is a very, very important part of a child’s development, if we can get them then and get them up and walking or, or cognitively, you know, able to understand, you know, speech and get them speaking, we’re doing a wonderful thing. And it’s still I get stories all the time. I just got something emailed to me about a parent who wrote an email thanking our practitioners for what they did, how wonderful they were, and training them to do what they had to do, and how their child is thriving right now. And I still get choked up about that because that’s what we’re there for. I mean that that is the purpose of our business. And as you mentioned before, I’m the acting chair of the Sic, is a governor appointed counsel to advise and assist the lead agency. Every state has a lead agency for early intervention hours in New Jersey’s Department of Health in New York. It is as well. and I’m there. You know, I’m a representative.
Joyce Salzberg 00:23:10 I’m from sunny days, but I never forget that I’m there representing all programs in new Jersey. My voice is heard to replicate all the stresses, the accomplishments, whatever it is that we want to tell the Department of Health. This is why we’re here. This is what we need to make it better. This is what we need to have a quality program. And of course, we’re there to tell them we need more funds as well. So we’re big advocates, but we also examine the system very carefully to see what can be done better and in a more economical. But never forgetting why we’re there. We are there for the children and their families. And I think that’s a really important purpose. I mean, that’s why I’m there.
Andi Simon 00:23:55 Do you take this beyond their early childhood, or does it end at a particular age, or do you handle adults or anything in that? I mean, what happens when a child when they grow older?
Joyce Salzberg 00:24:07 Well, that’s a good question. And as I mentioned, part B of that law, once a child turns three and this is in most states, there they age out of early intervention because it’s a program for 0 to 3.
Joyce Salzberg 00:24:21 Okay. So when they turn three the local school district is supposed to take over and they have what is called an IEP. Some people who are watching this, who are watching this know that an individualized education plan and the district is supposed to pick up where early intervention left off, but it doesn’t provide as many services as early intervention does. because it has a different purpose. Purpose in early intervention is to help train the family to move their child along developmentally during that very critical time between birth and three years old. Once they go into a school system, the purpose becomes very child focused, not family focused, child focused where we want that child to be, militated enough to be included in all activities with their peers. So if they get physical therapy, it’s not too it’s not to rehabilitate them, to make them have better range of motion or anything. It’s really to help them navigate a hallway. Help them go up and down stairs so they can go to their classroom. Help them to skip and run and throw a ball, whatever they might be doing with their peers, so that the purpose is very different.
Joyce Salzberg 00:25:34 So my other company, Oxford Consulting, kind of picks up where early intervention ends up. If we, if we’re contracted by a school district, we do provide physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, for children. But we also provide, services for adults as well. Many of the adults, go through a program here in new Jersey and there are similar ones in all states, really. It’s called development, the Division of Developmental Disabilities. And they do kind of, give like a block of it’s like a block grant where they give money to families to use for their child. who their adult child who may still need services after they turned 21. Because once you’re 21, you age out of the school altogether, and then you’re an adult and either you’re working or just receiving services at home. But anyway, there’s money for families to provide physical therapy for those adults. Or occupational or speech therapy or nursing services. And so my other company does that, with adults, but only right now in new Jersey.
Andi Simon 00:26:48 Now, as you you’ve given us the past so beautifully. the future is fragile. but from the market, is demand accelerating? Are there more children in need? Are they? And, I mean, is there something in the market that is becoming a driver for we have to do this more efficiently or we have to use different tools, or AI is going to help us in new ways, or robots are going to be supportive. What do you see coming next? Assuming we can sustain our funding and that becomes exactly critical, right?
Joyce Salzberg 00:27:25 Yeah. Well, funding is critical. and I can tell you, you know, I’ll start with that, that we’re in a very, tenuous position right now with all early intervention because of Medicaid being, you know, possibly disrupted, if not taken away entirely. And as I mentioned already, there are a lot of children that are on Medicaid in New Jersey, New York. We serve, Oklahoma, California, Delaware, Pennsylvania. but I can tell you that, Governor Murphy and Governor Hochul are not very friendly to early intervention.
Joyce Salzberg 00:28:08 They are not putting any increases into the program and the way it exists right now. It cannot sustain itself the way it is. So I see, I right now I see a bleak future for early intervention. I hate to say that, because what’s happening is that I don’t have to tell you the cost of living goes up every year. We haven’t gotten any increases in New York in many, many years. Governor Cuomo was not a friend to Early Intervention, either. And so we have practitioners who are demanding a certain amount of money to provide those services to go into the children’s homes. And we’re competing with schools. We’re competing with hospitals, with nursing homes, with sports medicine, who all pay them more than we can pay them in early intervention. So it’s very, very difficult, to get really well qualified practitioners to be out there providing those services. So I’m not sure what. And I go to many meetings about this. Nobody is sure what the future is going to be. And in this, industry.
Joyce Salzberg 00:29:16 Unfortunately, it’s really a little frightening right now. I can tell you that.
Andi Simon 00:29:22 Yes. Well, and I’m sure it’s terrifying for parents who then are going to have to figure out what to do in a different fashion. it is. and I don’t want to suggest that the parents are going to have to be their own therapist and begin to develop skills to do that. Or, you know, it’s, it’s this is going to be. Because if you don’t, then these children are going to be at the mercy of the state to support them anyhow, one way or another.
Joyce Salzberg 00:29:56 Yeah, that’s what I don’t understand. Why not? Why, you know, disrupt a program that has proven itself time and time again to, you know, provide these needed services for children and their families and yet not put money into it. This is not part of for waste and abuse. I’m sorry. This is a very purposeful program that will eventually save all the states money. Save them federal funds as well.
Joyce Salzberg 00:30:23 Yeah. If we can get them early, you know, if we can get these kids early, we can eventually save money. And as they get older and even into adulthood, because we can keep working with them. You know.
Andi Simon 00:30:36 In some ways, I think that it’s time for a very wealthy country to take responsibility and care for those who are less fortunate. However you define that. But, you know, my daughter is a special ed teacher, and she said it’s hard to imagine children who simply can’t learn the way you and I might. and there are lots and lots of them. And she said, and the biggest problem is teaching the parents how to teach the children. So the work I do all day gets reinforced when they go home.
Joyce Salzberg 00:31:08 Right.
Andi Simon 00:31:09 Right. And it’s complicated. And she says, and I see a different world than my other teachers here. See, And, and it’s as if we’re to we’re living in two different countries.
Joyce Salzberg 00:31:19 Right? I know.
Andi Simon 00:31:21 It’s.
Joyce Salzberg 00:31:22 It’s I don’t know how to, you know, state any clearer that we have a big problem on our hands right now with, you know, I don’t want to get political, but our government needs to look closer to the whole community of the disabled and to do the right by them.
Joyce Salzberg 00:31:40 And you ask, are we are they is this growing? Yes. We have a growing population of children with autism. Oh, there’s no doubt about it. and here in new Jersey, we seem to have a very high preponderance of it. and the problem with all of that is that nobody knows what causes autism. I don’t care what you know. Our government says nobody really knows what causes autism and nobody knows how to cure it. So we have, you know, as the years go by, we have more and more children that are presenting with autism. So unfortunately, it’s a big business and people have figured out how to make money off of it. but.
Andi Simon 00:32:28 Parents who can say.
Joyce Salzberg 00:32:30 Yes and insurance who, you know, insurance has to pay now that there have been, you know, laws around that, that they have to pay for, you know, services for kids with autism. I hope that that doesn’t go away. But this is a big problem.
Andi Simon 00:32:46 Yes, it is.
Andi Simon 00:32:47 Equally, the problem of why it’s developed in the markets and where it’s at. we started the conversation with you sharing your own experience as being a breast cancer, survivor. But going through the whole transformation, and, and you devote yourself to helping parents and children find a way to thrive in very difficult situations and times. for yourself. you’re going to train your successors in the next generation of folks to do this. it’s a difficult challenge because when nothing is certain, nothing is ever certain, right? Except for the fact that the need is going to be there. Any thoughts to share about how we I don’t know, it’s not an exit strategy, but it is a purposeful path through our lives. Any thoughts?
Joyce Salzberg 00:33:40 Well, keep in mind that my business is a family business, actually. as I mentioned, my son does run New York. I, my daughter works in the. She’s a special educator also. She used to go see, the kids directly in their homes, but she has a very compromised immune system.
Joyce Salzberg 00:33:59 So now she just works, in the office for us. my business partners son in law runs Pennsylvania and Delaware. And I used to have, a related a relative who ran California. California. But he, he left the business to do his own. he’s a counselor, so he does his own counseling. So we have, you know, somebody that I work with for many years in new Jersey running California right now, and it’s great. is there a succession plan? Yes, I think that I was told I kid around that I’m going to they’re going to find me dead at my desk one day. because I’m always working.
Andi Simon 00:34:38 A long time from now, maybe years ago.
Joyce Salzberg 00:34:42 Let’s hope. But, you know, I as it stands right now, we do have things in place in writing and everything, and that, my son and, my, my business partners son in law will take over business. so that’s kind of our succession plan, but we have a total of 15 directors who all know what the heck they’re doing, you know.
Joyce Salzberg 00:35:07 And we have a tech director. We have, you know, a training. We do a lot of trainings. and we have obviously program directors. We have a, you know, a CFO, a CFO. We have we have we have our C-suite in place. And, you know, should something, you know, horrible happen, I think the company will continue to survive and hopefully thrive because I think they all know what they’re doing.
Andi Simon 00:35:34 The reason I asked is that the this is about Joyce. I loved your cousins calling you Joyce. I thought it was cute, but.
Joyce Salzberg 00:35:45 I like that. It’s kind of endearing.
Andi Simon 00:35:47 It is, but on the other hand, it really is about Joyce caring about the people who both work with you and the people who you care for. And none of this for those who are watching. If you’re building a business and it matters, that’s what purpose is about. it’s not about me. It’s about we it’s not about me, it’s about others. And while we do it and you know, Joy said modestly, this is an amazing business helping many, many, many people in all parts of the country in ways it’s quite innovative and dependent on others to sustain itself.
Andi Simon 00:36:24 But she’s also planning for the next generation to build it and sustain it so that her purpose matters in the future. And I do think this is something to pay attention to. because you, it’s bigger than just me. It’s about something bigger than just myself. Am I right?
Joyce Salzberg 00:36:44 Right. Yes. And that brings me to a different thought, which is one of the reasons you mentioned that I did donate a large amount of money to my alma mater, Temple University. and they graciously named a basically a career center after me because I come from very modest means, and me. My father was a bus mechanic in Philadelphia. My mother was a stay-at-home mother, basically my wife and mother. And, I grew up, I would describe it as being poor, like, on the edge of poverty, real poverty. and I was I only applied to one university. That was Temple University was the university of basically of our city of Philadelphia was the, the college that everybody kind of applied to.
Joyce Salzberg 00:37:34 Even though I graduated in the top ten of my class, I probably could have applied to Penn and maybe probably gotten in, I don’t know. But in any case, I went to temple and I’m not sorry. I think I got a great education there, which is why I wanted to donate money to my alma mater. and I think it’s important if you’re in a career where you happen and it’s a byproduct basically of making money and some wealth from, from the thing that you love, why not, you know, help others to do the same. I’m a first-generation college grad. A lot of the students at Temple University are similar to me. They’re first-generation college, you know, students and I have some scholarships set up for women in, at temple, who are single parents. And that was important to me. and the career center, of course, gives lots of advice as to how to get an internship. And by the way, my company does offer internships, for temple and for other students as well.
Joyce Salzberg 00:38:40 but I, I feel like it’s important to give back to society. You know, if you’ve if you’ve been successful and as you said, however you define success. It’s not always by money. you know, I think it’s important to give back to society. Then, you know, you’ve done your job as a human being, you know, to do better for our country for the whole society in general.
Andi Simon 00:39:04 I’m with you. I think they’re giving. what does it say? You know, give your living, give your do your giving while you’re living.
Joyce Salzberg 00:39:11 And yes, that’s right. Yeah.
Andi Simon 00:39:13 That’s right. And it however you define that, you find that you get elevated by it as well as the people or other programs you do for and, and, my husband and I had a program at Washington University called the Simon Initiative and Entrepreneurship. After he sold his business. He said, what can I give to help other entrepreneurs, particularly women entrepreneurs? But, you know, he was a guy, and it was a team.
Andi Simon 00:39:38 And, you know, he took his business from 0 to 100 million. And, and how can others do the same? And, and it doesn’t come because it’s not a slow motion. It is a real devotion, and it takes you to places that are really special. This has been wonderful. let’s wrap ourselves up because I am enjoying it. I’m truly honored that you shared with us one of the things that you want our audience not to forget. They often remember the end better. Some Joyce wisdoms.
Joyce Salzberg 00:40:10 Well, as I mentioned before, I think that for women entrepreneurs or women in business, not just entrepreneurs, I think that networking, I always say that is really, really important. you know, you never know who you’re you might be meeting up with. It’s important to just, reach out and try to start a conversation. this person may be able to network you with somebody else. And I have found that extremely, extremely helpful in my life. But something else that you mentioned before that I did have a mentor.
Joyce Salzberg 00:40:47 I mentioned her name is Alma Marians. And, she had a belief in me that I didn’t realize myself. And that’s what I always tell people. If people tell you something about yourself. Really take it to heart because you may not recognize it yourself. I didn’t. I really didn’t. And I think, you know, maybe I do have some leadership skills that I didn’t realize that I have. And so I think it’s important if somebody compliments you or says, you know, you’re really a good speaker or you’re really, you know, people really listen to you and you seem to be able you really knowledgeable about your field of work, really take that to heart and absorb it and then use it for good purpose, because I think that will go very far for you. And that is my all-listening wisdom for sure.
Andi Simon 00:41:39 And listen to hear what they mean. Try not to distort it into. They must have meant something that wasn’t positive. Listen carefully, because they speak with heart and they want to tell you that, you know you really did a good job feedforward and then and you the good people don’t let it go to the head, but they hear it in a different way.
Andi Simon 00:42:06 And I had to give a couple of programs on, an imposter syndrome. And as I was preparing for it, I said, you know, I’ve been an imposter my entire life, and I never paid attention to the fact that did I know how to be a professor? No one did. I know how to be a banker. No way did they know what they were hiring? Not the least. You know, when I got into healthcare leadership, did I know anything about, you know? No. And you figure it out. When I got into my own business, my PR guy said, you’re a corporate anthropologist. It helps companies change. Now, that’s 23 years ago, and I’m still doing just that. But did I really think I did that? Well, I knew I was an anthropologist, but I really didn’t know what I was going to be doing. But people, you know, they take you on a pathway and you trust, and I do. There’s a path. Trust.
Andi Simon 00:42:57 It’s a yes. Now, for all of you who come. If you want to know more about Joyce, I promise I will put it into her, all her bio and stuff on our blog post and on the on the website. but and LinkedIn is usually our friend when it comes to a directory. And so look for Joyce Salisbury and, and she has a very lovely LinkedIn page. but that’s because our, our, our directory of choice. but it’s an interesting time. and, and I have a hunch she would be a marvelous speaker for your organization or to, you know, team up with a group of women entrepreneurs looking to become, comfortable with being on the road. Their entrepreneurship is very much on a lonely road, and you need others to grow with. So it’s been fun for me. I want to say goodbye. Remember, as an anthropologist, we take observations and turn them into innovations. My job is to help you see, feel and think about yourself and your business in a new way.
Andi Simon 00:43:59 And so I bring wonderful women like Joy Salzberg here to share with you her own journey. And the story is transformative because you’re going to see yourself in a new way. After listening to her, I see myself in a new way as I’m listening. And I’m saying, you know, there’s so much sharing that we can do that can help you become the woman or the man you would like to be. My books are all on Amazon. I’m on the brink. It’s about how anthropology helps your business grow. Rethink is about women who smash the myths of women in business, like Joyce. And our newest book, Women Mean Business, has Joyce in there of 102 women sharing their wisdom. It’s so much fun to share. I promise you; those books are full of wisdom for you. You send me your emails at info at Simon Associates net and I’m all ready to hear from you. You bring me great people to meet with. I’m going to say goodbye. Thank you. Joyce, thank you so much for being here today.
Joyce Salzberg 00:44:51 Thank you. It’s been my pleasure. Thank you. Andy.
