Mind What Matters

Ashley Stevens on Dementia Caregiving, Breaking Stigma, and Building Real Support

This week on Mind What Matters, Elizabeth Humphreys and Nikki DeLoach sit down with gerontologist and licensed clinical social worker Ashley Stevens, founder of The Dementia Guru, for a grounded and empowering conversation about what families truly need after a dementia diagnosis. Ashley shares how her own childhood experience with Alzheimer’s shaped her life’s work, and how she now supports caregivers navigating burnout, stigma, and complex family dynamics. Together, Liz, Nikki, and Ashley explore what happens in the early days after diagnosis, why caregiving cannot be done alone, and how to realistically divide responsibilities within families. They also talk about therapy, respite care, advocacy, and the urgent need to reduce the stigma surrounding dementia and aging. This conversation is both deeply personal and deeply practical. For anyone supporting a loved one with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or another neurodegenerative illness, this episode offers clarity, validation, and actionable insight. To learn more about Mind What Matters or to support our mission [https://www.wearemindwhatmatters.org/donate] head to our website [https://www.wearemindwhatmatters.org/]. Connect with us on Instagram [http://instagram.com/mindwhatmatterspodcast] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/mindwhatmattersnonprofit] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liWZrZj74lo&ab_channel=MindWhatMatters] ----------------- Mind What Matters is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co. [https://www.palmtreepodco.com/]

When Care Changes: Memory Care, Advocacy, and Staying Present

This week on Mind What Matters, Elizabeth Humphreys and Nikki DeLoach reflect on what happens when caregiving moves beyond the home and into memory care or assisted living, and how that transition can bring an entirely new layer of responsibility, grief, and vigilance. They speak openly about the emotional complexity of placement, the mix of relief and guilt that can coexist, and the realities families may encounter inside systems that are often stretched thin. Together, Liz and Nikki explore advocacy, trust, and the courage it takes to stay engaged when exhaustion would be easier. This conversation is not about fear, it’s about awareness. It’s about learning how to ask better questions, how to protect your loved one without losing yourself, and how caregiving continues to evolve even after the setting changes. For anyone navigating Alzheimer’s, FTD, Lewy Body Dementia, or another form of cognitive decline, this episode offers hard-earned wisdom, clarity, and the reminder that your presence still matters. To learn more about Mind What Matters or to support our mission [https://www.wearemindwhatmatters.org/donate] head to our website [https://www.wearemindwhatmatters.org/]. Connect with us on Instagram [http://instagram.com/mindwhatmatterspodcast] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/mindwhatmattersnonprofit] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liWZrZj74lo&ab_channel=MindWhatMatters] ----------------- Mind What Matters is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co. [https://www.palmtreepodco.com/]

Community, Advocacy, and Learning to Speak Up

In this episode of Mind What Matters, Elizabeth Humphreys and Nikki DeLoach reflect on caregiving, advocacy, and the moments that force us to find our voice, even when it feels uncomfortable or risky. Nikki shares her experience navigating simultaneous medical crises involving her father and her infant son, Bennett, and what it taught her about intuition, persistence, and advocating inside a complex healthcare system. Together, Liz and Nikki talk about the difference between being “nice” and being effective, why trusting your gut matters, and how trauma reshapes the way we show up for others. They also explore the importance of community, personal responsibility, and learning how to stay grounded in moments of fear and uncertainty. This conversation is a reminder that speaking up isn’t about control, it’s about care, courage, and showing up when it matters most. To learn more about Mind What Matters or to support our mission [https://www.wearemindwhatmatters.org/donate] head to our website [https://www.wearemindwhatmatters.org/]. Connect with us on Instagram [http://instagram.com/mindwhatmatterspodcast] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/mindwhatmattersnonprofit] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liWZrZj74lo&ab_channel=MindWhatMatters] ----------------- Mind What Matters is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co. [https://www.palmtreepodco.com/]

What Caregiving Teaches You: Tools, Boundaries, and Trusting Yourself

In this episode of Mind What Matters, Elizabeth Humphreys and Nikki DeLoach continue their deeply personal conversation about caregiving, shifting from naming the pain to sharing the hard-earned tools that helped Elizabeth survive thirteen years of caring for her mother with Alzheimer’s. Elizabeth opens up about burnout, family tension, and the emotional weight of being the one who carries the day-to-day reality of decline. Together, she and Nikki talk honestly about what actually helps caregivers, from learning when not to correct or argue, to understanding anxiety-driven behaviors, to setting boundaries without shame. This conversation explores family dynamics, asking for help, recovery work, and the moment caregiving forces you to trust yourself even when others disagree. For anyone in the thick of caregiving, or still processing the aftermath, this episode offers clarity, compassion, and reassurance that you’re not failing...you’re learning. To learn more about Mind What Matters or to support our mission [https://www.wearemindwhatmatters.org/donate] head to our website [https://www.wearemindwhatmatters.org/]. Connect with us on Instagram [http://instagram.com/mindwhatmatterspodcast] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/mindwhatmattersnonprofit] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liWZrZj74lo&ab_channel=MindWhatMatters] ----------------- Mind What Matters is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co. [https://www.palmtreepodco.com/]

UPDATED: All Episodes Mind What Matters Nonprofit The Long Goodbye: Caregiving, Grief, and Becoming Who You Are Along the Way

Welcome back to Mind What Matters! In this episode of Elizabeth Humphreys and Nikki DeLoach turn the microphones inward to explore the raw, unfiltered realities of caregiving, grief, and the long emotional arc of loving someone with Alzheimer’s. To kick off the new year, the two friends treat each other as guests asking the hard questions about what caregiving really costs, how grief evolves over time, and what healing looks like after years of living in survival mode. Elizabeth shares her thirteen-year journey caring for her mother, from the earliest gut instincts that something was wrong to the exhaustion, burnout, guilt, and grace that marked every stage of the disease. Together, she and Nikki unpack the “death by a thousand paper cuts” that caregivers experience, the shame we place on ourselves for not doing it perfectly, and why allowing grief to do its work, rather than resisting it, can be profoundly transformative. This episode is an honest reminder that caregiving changes you, grief is not linear, and healing happens in small, daily acts of self-forgiveness. For anyone walking alongside a loved who requires care, or carrying the aftermath of that journey, this conversation offers validation, wisdom, and the reassurance that whatever you’re feeling, it’s all okay. To learn more about Mind What Matters or to support our mission, visit our website. To learn more about Mind What Matters or to support our mission [https://www.wearemindwhatmatters.org/donate] head to our website [https://www.wearemindwhatmatters.org/]. Connect with us on Instagram [http://instagram.com/mindwhatmatterspodcast] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/mindwhatmattersnonprofit] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liWZrZj74lo&ab_channel=MindWhatMatters] To learn more about Mind What Matters or to support our mission [https://www.wearemindwhatmatters.org/donate] head to our website [https://www.wearemindwhatmatters.org/]. Connect with us on Instagram [http://instagram.com/mindwhatmatterspodcast] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/mindwhatmattersnonprofit] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liWZrZj74lo&ab_channel=MindWhatMatters] ----------------- Mind What Matters is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co. [https://www.palmtreepodco.com/]