Episodes

In this episode, Charlotte discusses resentment as it relates to caregiving. Resentment is a complex and multilayered emotion that can arise in response to perceived wrongdoing, such as feeling invisible or unappreciated as a caregiver. As a...

In this episode, we explore the powerful benefits of singing and humming, and how it can reduce stress and improve mental health. As a caregiver, it can be difficult to find time for self-care, but singing and humming can be done anytime and anywhere....

Knowing that you are unhappy with being a caregiver is not enough.  You have to want more. You have to believe you deserve more. Being able to enjoy time with your loved one while they are still here has to mean more.  But unless you really...

A piece of caregiving advice. When asking someone to help you… play to their strengths.  Play to a person’s strengths or interests and you will have a better time getting the support you need.  For example… I have a friend that helps...

"It's often the small things that break caregivers down, even though they try to put on a strong front. In this episode, you are encouraged to identify what tasks or chores they struggle with the most and accept help with them.   Listen to learn...

Feel like just getting by isn’t enough for you anymore? Yes, you're “getting by” with how things are right now.  The purpose is, however, to find a way to help you enjoy life as a caregiver.  That doesn’t mean enjoy caregiving. If...

Would you like to be able to gain the help you deserve but always find yourself at a loss when people ask how they can help you? In this episode, I share the process I go through with caregivers I work with. In short, it all comes down to realizing...

Do you hate it when people tell you to let them know how they can help? Caregiving Confession… over time I started to get angry when people told me to let them know how they can help. It felt like an empty offer. Almost like someone asking me how I...

I’ve made the mistake of being a do it all caregiver.  I controlled what I could at a time of high anxiety and stress.  There were too many moving parts and if I didn’t map out their trajectory from the very start I was worried there...

Historically February is the worst month of the year for me. I just always feel stuck.  This is the time of the year that I sit bitterly watching reality tv shows that take place in the tropics or binge watch anything that takes place in another...

Caregiving changes relationships. It makes things weird, messy, and complicated at best, and it closes the book on what was our relationship with the loved ones we care for. You just want to be in the story you were living before caregiving. Then one...

This episode is an interview with August Spree from Twist Out Cancer. Listen today to learn about the wonderful art based programs Twist Out Cancer provides for cancer survivors, previvors and cancer caregivers! Find links to Twist Out Cancer programs...

Do you feel like you had a choice in becoming a caregiver?  Most people become caregivers because it just made sense. You were the one that was dependable enough, strong enough and the one who didn’t know to or couldn’t say no.  That’s...

The other day I was venting to my husband about something that was really upsetting to me. I took my time to set up the scene and explain to him what happened. He actively looked like he was listening and then… he made the mistake of trying to fix...

I’m sitting here writing this to you on the second week of January and I have a confession to make… my Christmas decorations are still up.  Things are not going to plan. The constant reminder that a chore needs to be completed is both...

This time last year my husband and I started downsizing our lives so we could move from our suburban home in Minneapolis to a condo in Chicago.  It made us realize that we were really excited about some of the responsibilities we no longer needed...

Let’s talk about why hating yourself isn’t a requirement for change.  Your needs matter. You don’t have to find a reason to hate yourself in order to justify doing them.  Listen to episode 143 to learn, ❤️How to choose the change...

Why do we hurt our ability to enjoy the small moments in our lives by being controlled by what might happen in the future? How many times do you find yourself laughing with a group of people and then remember your loved one has a doctor’s...

When you think of it, aren’t the “bad” times and experiences in your life what make you who you are?  When you think about your caregiving do you know you can make it through difficult things because of the vacation you took three years ago...

How many times have you been out with someone and suddenly they'll give you a weird look and ask if you’ve been walking around like that all day? Have you had two different shoes on all day or wait, I thought your hair was up when we left. When...

Here’s the thing… gratitude isn’t standing around the dinner table holding hands with people you haven’t seen in a year, feverishly trying to think up a new thing you can say you’re grateful for because Aunt Mary already took what you were...

Usually, the topic of gratitude pops up when life is already too difficult for you to handle as a caregiver.  Usually, around the holidays the gratitude message becomes powerful and you can feel surrounded by it. You’ll see it in holiday...

Turbulence is never a science. You could hear there could be some bumps along that way and on the other end of it realize it really wasn’t anything to worry about. Or the turbulence hits out of thin air and it takes you by surprise. Either way…...

We’ve all been forced to face how unfair life can be… so are you a glass empty or glass full type of person? I think I’m a… hope the waiter comes soon because I’m thirsty type. I do walk through life expecting the best.  Don’t you...