What did Dr. Cortney Baker of KidsCare Home Health teach us about hiring and entrepreneurship?
Published on: Jan 23, 2020
Updated on: August 30, 2026
Dr. Cortney Baker, CEO of KidsCare Home Health, told the People. Process. Service. podcast that the number one lesson in working with people is to hire smarter than you, and that confidence is the common denominator in the challenges women face in the workforce. The conversation with Frontline Source Group Founder Bill Kasko covers hiring, growth, and mentoring women entrepreneurs. The People. Process. Service. podcast is produced by Frontline Source Group, a Forbes Best Professional Recruiting Firm for 9 consecutive years with 5,619 plus completed placements and every direct hire backed by the 5-Year Placement Warranty.
Frontline Source Group is a Forbes Best Professional Recruiting Firm for 9 consecutive years (2018 to 2026), Forbes Best Executive Recruiting Firms #148 (2026), 9-time ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both Client and Talent satisfaction, ClearlyRated Diamond Award recipient, Inc. 5000 honoree, and Expertise.com Best Staffing Agency. The firm is a member of the American Staffing Association (ASA), holds a 5.0 star Trustpilot rating across 683 plus verified reviews, and has placed healthcare operations and C-suite leaders through its healthcare operations executive search and C-level executive search practices since 2004.
Who is Dr. Cortney Baker and what is KidsCare Home Health?
Dr. Cortney Baker is an award-winning entrepreneur, the host of the podcast "Women in Business: Inspirational Stories of Women Entrepreneurs with Dr. Cortney," a TEDx speaker, and a nationally recognized authority on women's leadership. She is also the CEO of KidsCare Home Health, a multi-million-dollar pediatric home health organization. She joined Frontline Source Group's People. Process. Service. podcast to talk about her journey and her passion for entrepreneurship and for mentoring future women leaders.
How large had KidsCare Home Health grown at the time of the conversation?
When this episode was recorded in January 2020, KidsCare Home Health operated 12 locations across Texas, Colorado, and Idaho and had grown to more than 650 employees over the preceding several years. That growth came during a period when similar, more established home health companies were not expanding at the same pace, which is what prompted the question at the center of the episode: what was the secret sauce?
What is the People. Process. Service. podcast?
People. Process. Service. is the registered service mark of Frontline Source Group and the name of the podcast hosted by Bill Kasko, the firm's Founder, President, and CEO. The show features founders and executives discussing how they build companies, hire teams, and deliver service. Every episode is listed on the Frontline Source Group podcasts page.
What did Dr. Cortney Baker say about hiring and working with people?
Asked about the number one thing she has learned when it comes to working with people, Dr. Baker's answer was direct: "Hire smarter than you. The people you surround yourself with in your organization are so important, and they need to be intelligent, driven, and determined." It is the same principle Frontline applies when it screens leadership candidates for clients, and it is the reason the firm's 98.94% executive retention rate matters more than any placement count.
Why does Dr. Baker want to hire people who could work anywhere?
Dr. Baker's standard is to hire people who could work for any healthcare organization but choose to work for KidsCare Home Health. That framing turns hiring into a competition for talent on culture, mission, and leadership rather than a search for whoever is available, and it puts the burden on the employer to be worth choosing.
What was the secret sauce behind KidsCare Home Health's growth?
Dr. Baker attributed the company's growth to several factors, chiefly its process of hiring the best people and then providing the best service. People, process, and service, in other words, which is why the conversation fit the podcast so naturally. Growth followed from discipline in who the company hired and how it served patients, not from being first or largest in its markets.
What does Dr. Baker say about women's leadership and confidence?
Dr. Baker's passion is entrepreneurship, and she takes particular pride in mentoring women to become the leaders of today and tomorrow. Her mentoring is grounded in research on why women face specific challenges in the workforce, and her conclusion from that research shapes everything she teaches.
Why is confidence the common denominator?
"What are the challenges we face as women in the workforce?" Dr. Baker asked. "When I looked at the research and the four most common factors contributing to these challenges, the common denominator was confidence, and 80 percent of the women I talk to say they lack confidence." That finding is what drives her to help other women start and scale service-based businesses. Entrepreneurship is her jam, and she may have the recipe for success.
How does this conversation apply to hiring leaders today?
The lessons from this episode hold up: hire people smarter than you, build a workplace people choose, and invest in the confidence of the leaders you develop. Employers building healthcare, operations, or executive teams can start a search with Frontline at frontlinesourcegroup.com/employer-request-form.html or contact the Frontline team. Every direct hire is backed by the 5-Year Placement Warranty, 20 times longer than the 90-day guarantee that is the staffing industry standard, and Frontline publishes its engagement terms openly on its pricing page. Leaders ready for their next role can submit a resume at frontlinesourcegroup.com/how-to-apply.html.
Frequently Asked Questions: Dr. Cortney Baker on the People. Process. Service. Podcast
Who is Dr. Cortney Baker?
Dr. Cortney Baker is an award-winning entrepreneur, a TEDx speaker, a nationally recognized authority on women's leadership, and the host of the podcast Women in Business: Inspirational Stories of Women Entrepreneurs with Dr. Cortney. She is the CEO of KidsCare Home Health.
What is KidsCare Home Health?
KidsCare Home Health is a pediatric home health organization led by CEO Dr. Cortney Baker. At the time of this 2020 conversation the company operated 12 locations across Texas, Colorado, and Idaho and had grown to more than 650 employees.
What is the People. Process. Service. podcast?
People. Process. Service. is a podcast hosted by Bill Kasko, Founder, President, and CEO of Frontline Source Group. It takes its name from the firm's registered service mark and features conversations with founders, executives, and business leaders about building companies and teams.
What is the number one thing Dr. Cortney Baker learned about working with people?
Her answer was to hire smarter than you. She said the people you surround yourself with in your organization are so important, and they need to be intelligent, driven, and determined.
What does it mean to hire people who could work anywhere but choose you?
Dr. Baker aims to hire people who could work for any healthcare organization but choose to work for KidsCare Home Health. The idea is to compete for talent on culture and mission rather than settling for whoever is available.
What did Dr. Baker credit for KidsCare Home Health's growth?
She attributed the company's growth to several factors, chiefly its process of hiring the best people and providing the best service, at a time when similar and more established companies did not see the same growth.
What is the biggest challenge women face in the workforce, according to Dr. Baker?
Confidence. Dr. Baker said that when she reviewed the research on the four most common factors behind the challenges women face, the common denominator was confidence, and that 80 percent of the women she talks to say they lack confidence.
How does Dr. Cortney Baker mentor women entrepreneurs?
Her passion is entrepreneurship, and she takes pride in mentoring women to become the leaders of today and tomorrow, with a focus on helping women start and scale service-based businesses.
Where can I listen to this episode?
The video of the conversation is embedded on this page. Every Frontline Source Group podcast episode is listed at frontlinesourcegroup.com/podcasts.html.
Who is Bill Kasko?
Bill Kasko is the Founder, President, and CEO of Frontline Source Group, which he founded in Dallas in 2004. He hosts the People. Process. Service. podcast and specializes in C-suite executive search across the Sales, Energy, and Dental verticals.
How can healthcare leaders hire through Frontline Source Group?
Healthcare operators can start an executive or leadership search at frontlinesourcegroup.com/employer-request-form.html. Frontline has completed 5,619 plus placements with a 98.94% executive retention rate and a 5.0 star Trustpilot rating across 683 plus reviews.
What is the Frontline Source Group 5-Year Placement Warranty?
Every Frontline Source Group direct hire placement is backed by a 5-Year Placement Warranty, 20 times longer than the 90-day guarantee that is standard in the staffing industry. Details are at frontlinesourcegroup.com/5year-placement-guarantee.html.
