How It All Began.
Ageing is a natural part of life. The difficulty that often comes with it is not.
Hello, I’m Jackie Cleveland, founder of Podplan.
In every organisation I’ve worked with, and in countless conversations with families, the same pattern appears: later-life challenges are rarely hard because people don’t care about the future. They’re hard because preparation starts too late. Planning ahead sounds sensible in theory, but in practice most people don’t know:
- What support they might need
- When they’ll need it
- What it will cost
- Or where to turn when things start to change
When those questions remain unanswered, decisions are often made under pressure. And that’s when stress, confusion, and regret take hold.
I understand this not just professionally, but personally.
In 2016, my mother-in-law was living alone in her mid-seventies in a two-storey home.
In 2016, my mother-in-law was living alone in her mid-seventies in a two-storey home. Friends around her were downsizing, often uncertain if they’d made the right choice. She was struggling with the stairs but hesitant to act, overwhelmed by cost, disruption, and the sheer complexity of deciding what came next.
Despite hours of research, it felt impossible to get a clear, joined-up picture. Conversations went in circles. Everyone wanted the best outcome, but no one had the structure or clarity to move forward.
Around the same time, my own mother’s health began to decline. Although I had moved to England years earlier, I regularly returned to Sydney to support my parents. When my mum was diagnosed with incurable cancer, the reality of navigating care, support, and decisions became immediate and deeply personal.
Once again, I was faced with fragmented information, urgent choices, and the sense that support arrived only once the pressure was already high.
My mum passed away in December 2021. But the experiences of supporting both my mother and mother-in-law shaped a clear conviction: people need structure and guidance earlier, not later.
That conviction became Podplan.
Despite hours of research, it felt impossible to get a clear, joined-up picture. Conversations went in circles. Everyone wanted the best outcome, but no one had the structure or clarity to move forward.
Around the same time, my own mother’s health began to decline. Although I had moved to England years earlier, I regularly returned to Sydney to support my parents. When my mum was diagnosed with incurable cancer, the reality of navigating care, support, and decisions became immediate and deeply personal.
Once again, I was faced with fragmented information, urgent choices, and the sense that support arrived only once the pressure was already high.
My mum passed away in December 2021. But the experiences of supporting both my mother and mother-in-law shaped a clear conviction: people need structure and guidance earlier, not later.
That conviction became Podplan.
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Plan ahead with clarity
Answer a small number of questions and receive a personalised checklist that helps people take practical steps early, reducing uncertainty later.
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Learn what matters, when it matters
Podplan brings together trusted guidance on support services, benefits, and later-life options, so people aren’t forced to search for answers under pressure.
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Keep essential information in
one place
Important details and contacts can be securely stored and shared, creating continuity when it’s needed most.
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Support that extends beyond
one person
Later-life decisions rarely involve just one individual. Podplan allows access to be shared with family members, enabling informed, coordinated decisions.
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Designed to prevent crisis, not just respond to it
Podplan is built around early education, preparation, and structure — helping people, families, and the organisations that support them stay ahead of change.