Meet Channtanza Chazzlee Fontenot | Gerontologist & Horticulturalist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Channtanza Chazzlee Fontenot and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Channtanza ChazzLee, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
My end goal is to be debt-free and financially secure, so I can spend the rest of my life focusing on urban farming and teaching others in my community how to grow their own plants and produce, wherever that may be. I have an extreme passion for plants and gardening. That developed when I moved to California. I have a significant number of houseplants that I care for. Every year since 2021, Virtuous Optimist, my brand, has its annual plant giveaway. It grows more and more each year. My goal is to eventually give over 1000 houseplants annually. I usually plan the giveaway for Fall each year. Last year, we scheduled it in December, the weekend before Xmas. We gave away a little over 300 popular and rare houseplants at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook Trailhead. It’s my way of sharing my passions with the community. Plus, everyone LOVES plants, especially when they don’t have to buy them.

I serve as a Client Care Manager, providing in-home care services for older adults. My role involves meeting with families to assess their needs, developing personalized care plans for their loved ones, and overseeing the implementation of those plans once services begin. By the end of my career, I aspire to become significantly more skilled at serving, advising, and coordinating with families who rely on our services. I have been in the industry since 2012 and have been a valuable asset to Home Instead in Culver City, CA. I also aim to be recognized as one of the best in the industry within the Los Angeles, Culver City, and Inglewood areas.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I moved to Los Angeles in 2015, where I studied for my master’s online for 18 months. I graduated with a Masters in Gerontology, concentration in Program Administration.

I’ve been working in the in-home care/senior care industry since 2012. I work with one of the top non-medical in-home care companies for seniors, having franchises in every state across the US & internationally called Home Instead. I was hired by the company as a caregiver in Lafayette, LA, in 2012, and in less than a year, the owner recruited me to work in their office doing HR functions like interviewing, hiring, and training temporarily. All while still working as a caregiver. I worked part-time as an admin and part-time in the field doing direct care for clients.

Once they hired an HR person, I was then trained to do their billing twice a month, billing close to 100 clients. Then, the staffing assistant was added to my responsibilities in addition to becoming an on-call administrator, answering the phones on evenings and weekends every other week. Home Instead operates 24/7.

Overworked and underpaid (but great experience), I worked with that franchise office until I relocated to Los Angeles in 2015. I started working for a Home Instead franchise office in Culver City, CA. They had just bought the franchise two years prior. With my experience in the Home Instead business, I would turn out to be a great asset in terms of growth for the Culver City franchise office. We now hold #7 out of about 100 franchises in the state of California.

I continued to cross-function but progressed in my job roles rapidly over the years. I now hold position as Client Care Manager, my dream position with the company. I’m no longer providing direct care but overseeing and developing personalized care plans for client care. I advise families when a client’s care plan starts to change. For instance, cognition may decline/dementia progression, they may have a fall and be hospitalized and have to rehab, a client may be transitioning to hospice, and families struggle with the transition. I support families through all of the changes their senior loved ones are facing. I’ve built trust with my clients and client family members as someone who is highly trained, knowledgeable, and skilled in my position. I’ve even built relationships with prospects who could not afford our service but needing to be led in the right direction to hopefully still have their needs met. I meet with new prospects weekly to discuss our services and why we are the agency of choice, being a quality in-home care provider to Culver City, Inglewood, and surrounding LA areas. It is a private pay service. I work with some of the most affluent black older adults in LA. Many of them worked in show biz as singers, actors, writers, spouses of said people, artists, doctors, lawyers, reverends, architects, teachers, nurses, the list goes on. It’s very inspiring as a young black woman who came from poverty. It reminds me that I can be just as successful and live comfortably in my old age, too.

What I want the world to know about me and my profession is perfectly captured in this Google review from a client:

“Tasked with the newly onset of providing care for my mom. I went online searching. I contacted several caregiver establishments. On the verge of deciding, I encountered, Ms. CHAZZ, a highly professional that exudes genuine compassion through her voice alone. We set up a meeting. So many of our questions of apprehension were alleviated. Ms. Chazz’s answers of confidence in the caregiver’s abilities were definitely assuring for my father and myself.”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ouu great question! No particular order

1. Baldwin Hills Scenic overlook at night to see the skyline. Hit the stairs in daytime
2. Walk to Johnny’s West Adams
3. Venice Beach – Rent bikes and ride the trail to Santa Monica beach
4. Cruise the PCH
5. Dub Club on Wednesday (Pre-Covid)
6. Earles on Crenshaw
7. Hop on the train and ride down to Santa Monica Pier
8. Visit Free The Trappers, Gorilla RX, and Sensi Retail Dispensaries
9. Walk my neighborhood in West Adams/Jefferson Park area
10. Lay out on the beach on a Sunday afternoon
11. Hang out at my eclectic studio apartment and listen to music
12. Catch a concert at one of the intimate venues in the city
13. Go to the Juice Joint to catch some improv by local musicians
14. Roller-skate
15. California Fish Grill
16. Jounetsu Ramen in Long Beach

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a shoutout to Diane Green and Eric Carr, the owners of Home Instead Culver City/Inglewood, for supporting my professional and personal development. Their leadership by example and encouragement of independent growth have been invaluable.

I’d also like to give a shoutout to Justin, Tellz, and America for recognizing my passion for gardening and generously sharing their resources, which have helped me pursue projects and provided valuable growth opportunities.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/channtanza

Twitter: https://x.com/virtuousoptimis?s=21&t=x_Z2vnLyDSNpkszltedwNA

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/channtanza.fontenot?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@virtuousoptimist?si=ueMEmXTZo9c5Fid2

Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/23yQfevKOP3hzApq1z2sjY?si=rIfLxxU4SyKJ6MPnuuX8KQ