Meet Heather Holmes, Founder and Owner @ The Vibe

The Vibe is an assisted living and memory care home that prioritizes personalized care, intimate environments and nature-inspired living. It seeks to scale a portfolio of communities across the Midwest and nationwide. Holmes said they plan to open a physical location in west Omaha that will break ground in the summer 2026. 

The company was a semifinalist in the 2025 Silicon Prairie Startup Week Pitch Competition.

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur or support other entrepreneurs?

My calling into entrepreneurship has always felt like a remembering, not a decision. For nearly two decades in senior living, I kept seeing the same truth rise up in me: Our elders deserve more softness. More nature. More presence. More dignity. And the people doing the caregiving deserve the same.

I became an entrepreneur because I wanted to build what I could not find. I wanted to create a home where aging feels sacred instead of institutional. I wanted to prove that care can be rooted in love, curiosity, intention and community without compromising quality, safety or outcomes.

Supporting other entrepreneurs came naturally because I know what it feels like to stand at the edge of a dream and wonder if you’re allowed to leap. I want people to feel held in that space. There is room for all of us. And the world needs more brave, heart-centered builders.

What advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time to when you were just starting out?

I would tell the younger me to trust the rhythm of her own life. The seasons are always working on our behalf, even when it looks like nothing is growing.

I would tell her that softness is not weakness. Vision is not arrogance. Feeling deeply is not something to fix.

And I would remind her that the right people, the right opportunities and the right timing will always arrive. Her only job is to stay rooted, keep listening and move with intention.

The path was never supposed to look like anyone else’s. It was always supposed to look like hers.

How do you stay motivated when things feel overwhelming — or stagnant?

I return to nature. I return to my breath. I return to the people I love.

When I feel overwhelmed, I step back into practices that regulate my nervous system like yoga, ceremonial baths, slow mornings, meditation, Ayurvedic routines, walking outside, touching the earth and checking in with my own body for what it needs.

When things feel stagnant, I stop pushing. I’ve learned that forcing anything only creates resistance. Instead, I reconnect with the why: the residents who will live at The Vibe, the daughters and sons who will sleep better knowing their parents are safe and the caregivers who will finally feel honored in their work.

I focus on the impact, and motivation naturally returns. It’s the kind of work that calls you back to center every single time.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome and how did you overcome it?

One of my biggest challenges has been releasing the pressure to fit into the traditional model of senior living leadership. For years, I was told to be less emotional, more corporate, more quiet, more conventional.

But my gift has always been my heart. My intuition. My ability to see people deeply. When I finally stopped shrinking and allowed myself to show up whole, everything changed.

I overcame that challenge by choosing to trust myself. By surrounding myself with people who value soul-centered leadership. By healing old stories about worthiness. And by remembering that disruption always requires someone willing to go first.

The Vibe exists because I stopped asking for permission and started listening to my own wisdom.

How can the Nebraska community support you?

The most meaningful support comes through connection. Share our story. Visit our website. Reach out if you feel aligned with our mission. Introduce us to people who dream of changing how we care for our elders.

We are building something deeply relational and rooted in community. Nebraska has the heart for this. There is so much goodness here.

As we prepare to open The Vibe, support can look like sharing your experiences, offering your expertise, partnering with us on wellness programming or simply cheering us on as we bring a new model of aging to life.

The Vibe is more than a home. It is a collective movement toward natural aging, and we want Nebraska to be proud of what grows here.