Carolyn Thurston is the Founder, President, and CEO of Wisdom Senior Care, a faith-based in-home senior care brand she started in 2006, and Founder and CEO of Wisdom Health Academy.
She began as a caregiver and administrator in her own agency before building a team, then launched Wisdom Health Academy to give caregivers a real educational foundation. In 2016–2017, recognizing she could serve more people by sharing a proven system, she founded Wisdom Business Owners, Wisdom’s franchise platform, so aspiring owners wouldn’t have to build alone.
Carolyn currently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Franchise Association. Wisdom earned Franchise of the Year (2018), recognition connected to the company’s testimony before the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS advocating for small businesses and franchises. A consistent theme in her advocacy is helping people of all backgrounds see business ownership as a viable path to generational wealth and legacy.
Diversity has been part of Wisdom’s identity from the start. It was never an initiative the company had to adopt, but a reflection of who its caregivers, managers, students, and franchisees have always been.
With over 30 years in health care, Carolyn has trained more than 250 senior care agency owners on regulations and procedures and is licensed by the State of North Carolina to teach the state’s required home care provider class. Her franchise model rests on five core values (Faith, Compassion, Commitment, Integrity, and Loyalty), which govern every decision, including which franchisees are invited to join.