When Jodi Seals joined Brethren Care Village as a Human Resources Assistant, she was looking for more than a paycheck—she was searching for purpose. With two decades of experience in management and staffing, Jodi had spent most of her career in roles that were fast-paced and people-focused, but often task-driven. What she wanted now was something different. Something deeper.

“I wanted a job where the things you do matter to people’s lives,” she says. “That’s what I was looking for.”

She found it. But just three weeks after she started, the world shut down.

Jodi didn’t come from senior care. She wasn’t yet familiar with the rhythm of life at Brethren Care. But in those first few weeks of COVID-19 lockdowns, what she saw left a permanent impression.

“When you’re new, you don’t know anything about anything. And when you don’t know the industry, you know even less,” she says. “But it didn’t matter what your job was. It didn’t matter where you worked on campus. No one said, ‘That’s not my job.’ People just jumped in—anywhere and everywhere—to help the residents.”

With communal life paused and residents confined to their apartments, staff across every department stepped in to provide not just care, but connection. Meals were delivered with extra smiles. Moments of encouragement happened in hallways and through closed doors. Jodi, still figuring out her role, watched the entire community rally around its most vulnerable.

“You didn’t hear people complaining,” she says. “You just saw compassion.”

She shares that story with nearly every new hire who comes through orientation. “To me, that’s the moment that embodies who we are here. We’re a family. I needed to see that to understand the kind of place this is.”

It was the moment Jodi realized she’d landed exactly where she was meant to be.

“I remember seeing the job posting and telling my husband, ‘That’s my next job.’ He thought I was out of my mind, but I just had a feeling.” She laughs. “I didn’t even know what it would be like to work in a place like this. But I knew this is where my soul needed to be.”

What she’s found at Brethren Care is a workplace where even administrative roles—like HR—connect directly to the lives of the people who live there. Whether it’s onboarding a new caregiver or checking in on a team member, Jodi sees the impact of her work daily. And she’s felt that care firsthand, too.

Not long after starting, Jodi began struggling with health issues she hadn’t yet recognized. It was her coworkers—some of whom barely knew her—who urged her to see a doctor. Their encouragement, she says, likely saved her life.

“They didn’t have any vested interest other than wanting me to be okay,” she says. “That’s who they are. And at first, I didn’t know how to take it. It felt strange. But eventually, I realized—they just genuinely care.”

That culture, Jodi believes, starts at the top. She points to CEO Mindy Scurlock as someone who leads by example, rolling up her sleeves, pitching in where needed, and always putting residents first.

“When leadership genuinely cares, it filters down,” Jodi says. “People adapt to their environment. And when your environment is full of compassion, that’s what you become, too.”

Now five years into her role, Jodi can’t imagine being anywhere else. “I wish I had found this job in my twenties,” she says. “I don’t wake up wishing I could take a vacation day. I love coming to work. It doesn’t always feel like work—it feels like purpose.”

She especially loves the stories of the residents. Whether it’s tales from World War II or reflections on raising families during the Great Depression, Jodi is captivated by the richness of their lives. “Even if they tell the same story 20 times, I could listen all day,” she says. “There’s just so much wisdom.”

The stories of staff matter to her, too. She recalls one new hire early in her time at Brethren Care—a young woman from a difficult background who was just beginning to turn her life around. “She told me that working in a place like this was exactly what she needed,” Jodi says. “It gave her a sense of purpose. Today, she’s an LPN. I’m so proud of her.”

It’s the kind of outcome that makes Jodi believe in what they do—not just for residents, but for staff as well.

“This place gives people a chance,” she says. “It supports growth. It heals.”

For Jodi, it’s also deeply humbling. “You could be having the worst day, and then you see a resident and it puts everything in perspective,” she says. “It reminds you what really matters.”