Before the Stories Begin: Why Who Cares About Me? Exists – Part 1

Caregiving While Working Full-Time

For the caregivers who have full-time jobs, and have to balance demanding work schedules with 24/7 care needs, requirements for workplace flexibility and balance, and the long-term economic consequences of potential reduced work hours. Often times, these caregivers face a complex, high-stress, and often hidden crisis that severely impacts their career, finances, and mental health. In Episode 4, David Casey, an 8-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps, and seasoned Fortune 50 senior executive in Strategic Diversity Management, shares how he balanced caregiving for his Mom, Dad and Grandmother, with his demanding career, and the emotional toll it took on him.

Bonus: What This Journey Is Teaching Me Now: Why Who Cares About Me? Exists – Part 2

In Part 2 of this bonus content series, host Jackee de Lagarde touches on the first month of the podcast, what it’s teaching her, and reflects back on the challenges of being a new caregiver early on, the affects it had on her mentally and physically, and how advocating for your loved one is so crucial. “I launched my podcast, "Who Cares About Me?" to create a space where caregivers feel seen and heard. Through honest conversations, I’ve learned that reflecting on my own caregiving journey has been both enlightening and emotional. It’s tough to navigate the complexities of caregiving, from dealing with a rare disease to managing everyday challenges.” Caregivers know this isn’t just a role; it’s a journey full of unexpected challenges. Can you relate? Share your journey or the journey of someone you know, in the comments.

Taking Ownership of the Hand You’re Dealt

Caregiving often arrives without permission. No training, no warning, no roadmap. One day you’re living your life, and the next, you’re managing medications, appointments, emotions, and decisions you never imagined making. It’s about more than the tasks at hand. It’s about ownership, but not ownership in a controlling way, but ownership as acceptance, and choosing to engage with the reality in front of you, instead of fighting the fact that it exists. In this episode our guest, Peter Tannenbaum, addresses something deeper than logistics and responsibilities, he talks about the acceptance of it all.

Setting Boundaries Without Guilt

Boundaries can feel impossible in caregiving. Saying no can feel like failure. Asking for space can feel selfish. And yet, without boundaries, caregivers often burn out, which often results in long-term health issues of both the caregiver and their loved one. In this episode, we’re talking with guest, Lynette Sheard, about the struggle to protect your time, energy, and well-being, without the constant weight of guilt.  Lynette explains why boundaries aren’t selfish, they’re sustainable and you’re allowed to protect your energy, and that love doesn’t disappear when you draw a line. It becomes more honest.

When Caregiving Finds You

Our premiere episode examines how caregiving begins, often unexpectedly, and how it reshapes everything. Most of us don’t raise our hands and volunteer for this role. We step into it because someone we love needs us. And once you’re in it, life keeps moving…work, family, responsibilities, even as everything else feels like it’s shifting underneath you. Our host, Jackee de Lagarde, welcomes her first guest, Lori Stokes, to the show. Lori, an Emmy award winning journalist, spent many years as a caregiver to her mother and father, balancing a flourishing career in the public eye, and splitting her time between NY and Ohio. Like so many of us, Lori embraced this role without hesitation, because the pillars in her life needed her. Today’s episode is about that moment, the one that shifts everything.