Navigating the World with Your Aging Loved One

What caregiving really asks of us—emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

What happens inside us when we’re called to care for someone we love? Beneath the to-do lists and the sleepless nights lives an unspoken truth: caregiving changes us. It can strip us down, reshape our identity, and ask us to find me...

We’re told that aging is about loss. About slowing down. About limits. But what if we’ve got it all wrong?

U.S. News & World Report announced its 2025 Best Senior Living ratings, naming 1,894 communities based on 450,000+ survey responses. In this episode, Liz Pearce, Product Director for Senior Living, joins us to share how the rankings are created, what families should know, and how these ratings help older adults and caregivers find trusted, compassionate senior living options nationwide.

Learn more about U.S. News & World Report HER...

What do we do when someone we love says no to the very thing we believe will help them most?

When care is met with resistance, it can feel frustrating and heartbreaking—especially when dementia is part of the story. In this episode, we unpack the topic of refusals of ca...

What if the people we care for had the microphone? What if—before we create another policy, schedule a medication, or make assumptions about what’s “best”—we paused and simply asked: What do you want? How does this feel? What matters most to you today? In a world where caregiving often centers on doing for, we sometimes forget the power of simply being with. This episode is an invitation to slow down and listen...

Thank you to our sponsors HeroGeneration and Zinnia! 

What would you do if someone you loved needed care—and the system meant to help only left you feeling more lost?

When Christie Stukenholtz set out to find care for her grandmother, she never imagined the overwhelming maze she’d have to navigate. No clear answers. No trusted guide. Just frustration. That experience lit a fire in her—and...

In this episode, we sit down with Norman Harris, a licensed nursing home administrator, founder of Comfort Measures Consulting, and host of The Let’s Get Comfy Podcast. His journey started at just 8 years old, volunteering in nursing homes with his grandmother. Now, he’s on a missio...

What happens when the people who raised us, cared for us, and shaped our lives suddenly need us to step in and care for them? For many, caregiving doesn’t arrive as a sudden, clear-cut role—it sneaks in gradually. At first, it's just helping with a few things here and there. Then, one day, you look up and realize you’ve become a caregiver. Today, we’re talking about what it means to step into this role as well ...

Caregiving is one of the most profound acts of love—but it can also feel isolating, overwhelming, and uncharted. My guest today is Carlos L. Olivas III, an advocate for Alzheimer’s caregivers and mental health awareness. His journey is deeply personal—rooted in the love and care he provides for his father, who is living with Alzheimer’s.

In this episode, we talk about the meaningful layers ...

Thank you to our sponsor, Zinnia TV, a therapeutic dementia care platform to support caregivers. We invite you to use the code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription HERE.

Today, we're giving you a sneak peek into Gather Darlings, my other podcast with the amazing Carrie Aalberts, aka Dementia Darling! This space is all about heartfelt conversations, real-life caregiving, and the deep connections that keep us going.

What if the hardest moments in our lives were also the ones that woke us up the most? What if loss, caregiving, and midlife unraveling weren’t just things to endure but were actually invitations to live more fully? Today, we’re having one of those conversations—the kind that’s raw, real, and full of heart.

As the year comes to a close, I want to pause and say thank you. Your support, listens, shares, and heartfelt messages mean everything to me. Together, we’ve created a space that celebrates caregivers, older adults, and those making a difference in aging services.

What’s stopping me—or someone I love—from building strength, and how might our lives change if we took that first step? Today’s episode is for anyone who wants to better understand the role that strength, movement, and mindset play in the aging process. As we grow older, we naturally lose muscle, and that quiet decline can impact not only our independence but our overall quality of life. The good news? There’s ...

How can hospice care help us navigate life’s hardest goodbyes?

What makes a nursing home one of the best? One in five U.S. nursing homes rated as “Best.” The 2025 evaluation features ratings of nearly 15,000 U.S. nursing homes. Behind those rankings that guide countless families in making life-changing decisions, there’s a blend of rigorous analysis, dedication, and a commitment to quality care. Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on that process and diving into the stor...

“Are we old yet?”  Today’s guest, Garry Cole, invites us to reframe that question—not as something to fear, but as an opportunity to embrace the journey of aging with optimism, curiosity, and humor. Aging is inevitable, but the way we approach it is entirely up to us. What if growing older wasn’t something to dread but a chance to discover, reflect, and prepare for what’s ahead?

Andrea Hughes story is a powerful reminder of how much caregivers give and how little they often keep for themselves. As a caregiver for her mom living with Alzheimer's, she’s made it her mission to shift the narrative—to show that caring for others doesn’t have to come at the expense of our own well-being. Her approach blends personal experiences, sharing vulnerability so others know they are not alone, and he...