Creating TREND Community with Maria Picone

Be The Good Media strives to elevate the GOOD - amplifying compassion-driven stories and encouraging the support of people and organizations who are focused on creating a lasting and positive impact. Christy McCaffrey is the owner, producer, and host of the podcast. She focuses on a theme of compassion, highlighting a diverse group of guests, each who is working in their own unique way to make a difference in their communities and in society. 

Maria Picone is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, USA Championship Rower, and, most importantly, a mother.  After her daughter was born with a rare genetic disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), Maria and her husband committed to creating solutions for rare diseases so nobody felt the way they had hearing their daughter’s diagnosis. This inspired TREND Community, and today, she uses her platform as Founder and CEO of TREND to advocate for and bring hope to people living with rare, chronic, and emerging diseases.

Speaking with Christy, Maria dives into her personal journey before her daughter, and how everything changed when she received the news of her diagnosis. She discusses the importance of community and how her corporation aims to cultivate a sense of community for those who are in the same position as her family.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Maria’s Intro

1:30 - Maria’s experiences before Trend Community

3:00 - How did Trend Community come about?

5:11 - What is Prader–Willi Syndrome (PWS)?

6:35 - How does Trend Community provide insights to researchers, families, and caregivers to advance treatments for rare diseases?

10:00 - What does the information captured go to, and how does that advance research and treatment?

16:40 - How does the trend’s technology hope to improve treatment for rare diseases?

19:40 - How important are advocacy and awareness in treating rare diseases? And what is the greatest value in cultivating stronger communities surrounding rare diseases?

26:00 - Why is it important for Trend Community to be a certified B-corporation?

28:00 - How does compassion play a role in furthering the mission of Trend, and what does it mean to Maria?

30:55 - Where can people go to get involved and support TREND Community?

Backlinks:

https://trend.community/

https://www.facebook.com/trendcommunity/

https://www.facebook.com/trendcommunity/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariapicone/