We were lucky to catch up with Denise Castille recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Denise, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
At the start of 2015 I noticed my ankles and feet all of a sudden were swollen. When I asked my primary care physician why this was happening her response wasn’t rooted in science or medicine. Later the same year my symptoms of heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and fluctuating blood pressure were rudely dismissed as “nothing wrong with my heart.” Imagine my surprise when traveling for work I missed my flight because of a medical emergency–my medical emergency. There was one person in the office who knew exactly how to respond to the medical emergency. If not for Marie, I wouldn’t be here today. I was blown away when I learned not only did, I have a massive heart attack there was 99% blockage. I had survived the widow maker heart attack. Soon afterwards I knew that my life’s purpose was to raise heart disease awareness and equip and empower as many people as possible as I could to respond to medical emergencies by using life saving skills such as CPR, use of an AED and first aid.
I started Fresh Start for Your Heart to raise heart disease awareness as well as pay it forward for others experiencing/surviving cardiac events by providing a delivery of heart healthy foods and other resources to help them thrive.
Around the same time I started Any Day CPR Training. The name came from watching many episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. The fictional character Dr. Derek Shepherd always said before his surgeries, “it’s a great day to save a life.” We believe any day is a good day to learn life-saving skills.
I didn’t know exactly how or if the nonprofit idea would work. I just knew I had been gifted an abundance of heart healthy foods and when I asked how I could thank them they said, “do it for someone else.” The fact that grocery deliveries is a “thing” has helped tremendously. Being able to send groceries to someone anywhere in the world has ensured I can keep my promise to pay it forward. I am proud to say no one in the heart healthy nonprofit space (or any other space for that matter) solves heart healthy eating following a cardiac event in the way we do. What gets me excited about the work we do is we get to give hearts the fresh start they need and we don’t expect anything in return.
Starting Any Day CPR Training I was really unsure about the steps to take. I knew I needed to be an instructor. I completed the instructor certification requirements and bought my equipment. Everything literally set in the garage until one day I came across some information that girl scout leaders need to be CPR certified to take troops camping (I missed this as a Girl Scout leader myself because I wasn’t really into camping). I had history with the person over training for Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. I set an appointment to meet with her. She shared that they had someone who did their CPR training but “if” something came up she’d let me know. Two (2) days later something came up and I got to teach my first CPR class. I’ve been teaching for GSNETX for 4 years and growing the business with other regular clients.
I knew that there were other people teaching CPR but I thought and still believe that we offer a fun but firm way to easily learn CPR | AED | First Aid in a way that is engaging and effective. What gets me excited about this business and what we do is that I’m teaching life-saving skills.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Any Day CPR Training, LLC is a North Texas based certified Women Business Enterprise (WBE). Fresh Start for Your Heart is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
We are most proud of our Be a Better Babysitter with CPR workshop. We’re most proud of Be a Better Babysitter with CPR because I created a babysitting class with simulations (from properly picking up an infant to our infamous pamper changing championship), branded babysitting bags, a starter set of business cards to market their babysitting businesses, 2-year CPR certification, lunch and more fun than the participants can ever imagine. Additionally, the Be a Better Babysitter program is available as a turnkey option for others who want to add a new, fresh babysitting program to their CPR offerings.
We are excited to now be offering Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for sell. This is especially exciting because we know that when people do CPR compressions coupled with early defibrillation it gives patients in cardiac arrest the best opportunity for survival. We want to create a world where it is an anomaly not to have an AED. We are delighted that our growth necessitates adding CPR instructors to our training site.
We are most proud of providing resources in addition to heart health foods. Back in the summer of 2021 we were referred to a patient who was having open heart surgery. Their need wasn’t food –they had the food part covered. Instead, they asked if they could have a shower chair and new shower head (otherwise showers for the patient would have been difficult). Again, because of places like Amazon we placed the order on our end, and it arrived to the patient within 2 days. The patient was delighted and we were happy to meet the client where they were.
We want people to know that we don’t do a lot of fundraising. We’re back to having our annual Hats and Heels for Healthy Hearts an afternoon tea, silent auction and networking. Though the event was canceled due to inclement weather we are in the process of planning for May 14th at an amazing venue, The Dinosaur Company in Allen, TX. We are also very proud of our new Take Good Care of Your Heart merchandise line consisting of our very own tea blend and a candle that smells amazing. We’ve got some other items prepared to launch during the back half of the year.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
Initially, when I started Any Day CPR Training it was indeed a side hustle that afforded me numerous opportunities to travel. It wasn’t until the summer of 2020 during the pandemic that it occurred to me that CPR training is a viable standalone business.
I had an opportunity to participate in Share the Green, a Waste Management program specifically designed for women business owners. I applied to the program and was selected to participate. They offered pitch opportunities. After submitting a 60-90 second video I was selected to give a 10-minute pitch to 70+ businesses. The result was an opportunity to meet so many women business owners from across the country as well as to work with Waste Management delivering CPR classes on an ongoing basis. This was exactly the push I needed to leave my day job to pursue teaching CPR on a full-time basis.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I am still working on building my reputation within my market. One of the ways I am building my reputation within the heart health market/space is by providing relevant useful content to post on social media. Additionally, I am a WomenHeart Champion and an active volunteer with the American Heart Association. Additionally, I wrote a book that launched last year, “I Don’t Want to Die Like This: A Survivor’s Guide to Thriving After a Heart Attack.” The book as well as speaking engagements help to build my credibility which builds my reputation.
To build a reputation in the CPR space I created two Facebook groups where I provide support, advice, tips and techniques and challenges to members. Additionally, I created a virtual conference for CPR instructors and business owners.
Contact Info:
- Website: anydaycpr.com | freshstartheart.org
- Instagram: @freshstartheart | @anydaycpr | @anydaycprtraining
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anydaycpr | https://www.facebook.com/freshstartforheart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-castille-mba-mhrm-78113523/ |
Image Credits
These pictures were taken by Fresh Start for Your Heart and Any Day CPR Training, LLC