October 13, 2025 • 21 mins
Five years later, the room is louder, the laughs are bigger, and the village is real. We took our microphones into a buzzing anniversary reception at Buckhead Art & Company and let our community speak: caregivers who’ve lost, caregivers who are still in the thick of it, friends who learned how to show up, and pros who stepped in with services, strength, and heart. It wasn’t staged—it was hugs, dance breaks, and testimonies that prove love can outlast timelines and community can carry weight you shouldn’t have to hold alone.
We reflect on how my caregiving story became a global network for Alzheimer’s and dementia support, how humor makes space for hard truths, and how simple acts—an Uber gift card, a lunch invite, a text—can keep burnout at bay. You’ll hear why Zetty's 77th matters to a neurologist’s old clock, how we turned pandemic isolation skills into everyday resilience, and why asking your neighbor, your dentist, or your church for help is not weakness but strategy. From NPR spotlights to cross‑country listeners, this milestone is a reminder that caregivers deserve visibility, fair wages for professional helpers, flexible work, and real community care.
If you’re a caregiver, you’ll find hope and practical ideas. If you love a caregiver, you’ll leave with a playbook for showing up. Stick around for heartfelt supporter messages, gratitude for our behind‑the‑scenes team, and an open invite to join us on Patreon for closer connection and behind‑the‑scenes moments. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs a lift today, and leave a review telling us one small act that made your week lighter. Your story helps another caregiver breathe.
"Alzheimer's is heavy but we ain't gotta be!"
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_11 (01:14):
In the event or when that time comes.
SPEAKER_10 (01:17):
Parenting up Caregiving Adventures with
comedian Jay Smiles.
It's the intense journey ofunexpectedness, being fully
responsible for my mama.
For over a decade, I've beenchipping away at the unknown,
advocating for her, and pushingAlzheimer's awareness on anyone
in anything with a heartbeat.
(01:45):
Don't be afraid for the jokes.
Caregiver newbie, OG, andvillage members just willing to
prop up a caregiver.
You are in the right place.
SPEAKER_06 (01:57):
Hi, this is good.
I hope you enjoy my daughter'spodcast.
Okay.
SPEAKER_10 (02:07):
Today's episode, the fifth anniversary vlog.
Today's supporter shout-out camefrom people who were actually in
(02:28):
the building celebrating thefifth anniversary for Parenting
Up Podcast.
Check them out.
SPEAKER_11 (02:34):
Hi, I'm Monica Cost.
SPEAKER_07 (02:36):
Hello, I'm Aletha Taylor.
SPEAKER_11 (02:40):
One of the things I love about Parenting Up is
bringing these toughconversations to the public.
A lot of times we don't like totalk about some of the harder
things that are happening in ourlives, but she's been so bold as
to tell her truth, and it'simpacting people and helping
other people learn how to carefor their loved ones.
SPEAKER_07 (03:03):
So for me, one thing that I love is that I'm able to
share it with so many of myfriends.
Even before I came to the event,I was like, oh my gosh, I
forgot.
Your mother has Alzheimer's, andI'm going to an event where my
sorority sister's mother isgoing to be on a podcast.
So I'll have to send that toyou.
(03:24):
And I do that often.
So I really appreciate thatshe's doing that.
And then it allows me to kind ofhave an understanding into what
she's going through and alsowhat my other friends are going
through.
So I'm very appreciative for herpodcast.
SPEAKER_05 (03:41):
Hi, my name is Julia Demetrius.
And what I love about thepodcast is she shares so much
excellent information.
My husband and I both have agingparents, and we're learning a
lot of good information aboutwhat to expect.
Luckily, we still have myparents.
They're 80 and 81, but you neverknow what life brings.
(04:02):
And so I love and I value allthe advice that I get from Janae
from her podcast.
SPEAKER_03 (04:07):
I'm Mylyn Smith, and parenting up is really important
to me.
Growing up, you know, beingtaken care of by your parents.
Now we're in a position wherewe're responsible for taking
care of them, and it's a truehonor, it's a blessing, and it's
a lot of work.
And one of my favorite memoriesabout the Parenting Up podcast
(04:27):
is just that Jay provides aspace and an environment where
you can not take your role soserious.
And um you can relax a littlebit, you can laugh at some of
the hard things that you've gonethrough, and you find a
community of people who havebeen through some of the same
things that you've gone throughwhen you think you're the only
one.
So thank you for creating thisspace for all of us.
(04:50):
Thank you for the laughterbecause it's a little bit of
humor that we need to getthrough every day.
And just thank you for beingyou.
I appreciate you.
SPEAKER_00 (04:58):
Hello, I'm Mark Williams from Dallas, Texas.
So I'm a caregiver as well asJanae.
Um, both my parents live inDallas, Texas.
I just lost my mother five weeksago to death, and now I have my
dad who has dementia, and uh I'mhis caregiver, and I'm super
proud of that.
You know, I take care of hismedicine, I make sure he eats, I
(05:19):
make sure he gets to hisdoctor's appointments.
I'm basically his parent and Ienjoy it.
Uh I wish my mom was stillwalking the earth.
I was here this week to supportJay.
I've known Janae for over 25years, and uh I know she's a
caregiver.
I've learned everything I knowfrom her, and just to see her
with her mom, it's just the mostbeautiful thing.
(05:40):
So, congratulations to Jay andeveryone that's working with
Jay.
Job well done.
SPEAKER_08 (05:45):
My name is Erica Watson, and I am one of Janae's
assiduous 40 babies.
Janae, you have always been suchan inspiration and such a
guiding light for not just me,but for so many people.
And as I went through my owncaregiver parenting up journey
with my mom, I knew I was in thebest hands, just learning from
(06:07):
you and watching how you witnessand do this work with such joy.
And not letting go of yourselfin the process of caregiving.
So I'm glad that you're taking amoment to celebrate five years
of parenting up and just knowthat your village has got your
back five ever.
SPEAKER_01 (06:28):
All right, I'm Zach Wright Fisher.
I know Jay.
Uh, she comes in and sees me atStretch Lab.
I'm a stretch therapist.
Uh congratulations on your fifthanniversary here.
And Jay, just keep inspiringothers, moving forward and
changing the world one step at atime.
SPEAKER_10 (06:45):
Thank you all so much for taking the time to give
us those supporters shout outsin the middle of eating,
drinking, and dancing.
That was a whole lot to balance.
Now, if you want to be therecipient of a supporter shout
out, you know what to do.
Get to us on YouTube orFacebook.
Parenting Up.
That's where we are everywhere,baby.
(07:07):
Hey family, what's up?
It's your girl Jay Smiles.
This is a magnificent day.
We are in Atlanta in theBuckhead shops.
We have a major receptionhappening at Buckhead Art and
Company.
Why?
We've made it to five years.
The Parenting Up Podcast, ourglobal family caregiving
community.
We are five years old.
(07:29):
We big kids on the block now.
And today is Daddy's birthday.
So we are celebrating five yearsof growth, of community, of
excellence, and Daddy is 77.
Neurologist thought he wouldhave been out of here about
seven or eight years ago.
But through love and commitmentand village, we don't know how
(07:55):
long we have.
SPEAKER_11 (08:33):
Many of us will get the call or unfortunately or
unfortunately get theopportunity.
Good thing bad, I think whoknows.
It also gives us an opportunityto love on people in a way that
we may not have, had we not hadthat opportunity.
So if you know of a caregiver,please leave this weekend with
an extra uh fullness in yourheart to tell them thank you, to
(08:56):
get send them to lunch, to givethem a Uber gift card, to send
them some flowers, to let themknow that their gift to humanity
through the care that they givetheir loved ones is appreciated
about itself.
It's Daddy's birthday.
SPEAKER_10 (10:33):
Um my mom was diagnosed with two forms of
dementia, 13 and a half yearsago.
The best in a while in this inthe country told me three, six
years.
But when it feels like, no,we're 13.
(10:56):
She has a way of letting youknow little listeners, and don't
do that.
Um so being a caregiver haschanged my life.
It's the reason I'm a comedian.
It's the reason there's apodcast.
The podcast is now uh on everycontinent.
Um we've been on NPR, NBC, allthe both films and selection
(11:20):
situations, but the biggestthing is that I wanted to be
proof that you can be okay whenyou're a committed family
caregiver.
You can't figure out how to havesome kind of life.
It ain't gonna be the same life.
You just gotta make a new life.
And there are a lot of us outhere who need your continued
(11:41):
support of y'all.
So everything that you're doingfor us, we see it and we thank
you.
Whether it's a phone call or atext or hey day, let's go out to
lunch.
Even if I say no, the fact thatyou asked, bring it in the
gallery.
To all of the sponsors, they sayno.
That's what they're saying.
To all the sponsors, I can'tthank you enough.
(12:04):
I wouldn't have been able to dothis without you.
And umward and lower and betterand better and better.
We're gonna get a cure for thisdisease.
And then the key time is to paya fair wage or get a job that
finds it to work from home orsomething.
(12:24):
Something, something, something,something.
I love y'all.
The music is gonna get a littlemore upbeat, so y'all can dance
if you want to, you can drink ifyou want to.
Please do watch the whole video.
SPEAKER_09 (12:36):
Some of you will find yourselves in there.
SPEAKER_12 (12:39):
I love you all.
SPEAKER_09 (12:40):
Thank you for helping me take care of awesome.
SPEAKER_12 (12:48):
Well, continue to network and have lymations and
food.
SPEAKER_11 (12:53):
There is a cutout over there of Zebbie and Jay.
Please take a picture with themposted.
Hashtag parenting of fifthanniversary.
SPEAKER_02 (13:05):
Laura's is that it for her birthday?
I'm gonna give it to another.
Wait, mommy, look and if itwasn't for Monica, I wouldn't
have met Jay, so I wanted togive Monica this.
Where'd she go?
Oh, so I wanted to give herthat, and then we have one more
for the host, Jay Smiles, andit's coming in from the back.
SPEAKER_05 (13:27):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_02 (13:28):
So, yeah, so thank you.
I just wanted to say thank you,and thank you, everybody.
If anybody has anything to sayabout the podcast, we have
Annalise.
Shout out to our video editor,Sam.
We love her, and she is going totake testimonials.
I know some of you came from faraway, so please feel free to go
in front of the step and repeat.
We would love to get yourbeautiful faces on camera saying
(13:49):
happy anniversary.
And you will be on our YouTubepage.
You will be on the podcast forthe fifth anniversary podcast.
So uh please be sure to see us,alright?
SPEAKER_03 (14:03):
All right, we can get the music.
SPEAKER_10 (14:08):
Okay, the last thing I was gonna say after I set
Zaddy down, I can see Zaddyabout to leave.
So anybody who wants to say,hey, Zaddy, just watch me walk
out the door.
But the person holding the micis me a haul.
My podcast would not beexploding like it is without her
and Annalise.
The three of us together, whilewe all have our individual
(14:30):
companies, but when we aretogether, we are what?
WP, waste of productions.
Because we started wheneverything was virtual, and our
tops were really, reallybusy-like, and our models were
trash.
We were like, Wake up! We hadthis long as they can't see
what's going on at the bottom.
But uh, we have traveledtogether, we did um uh our first
(14:53):
tour, which was Detroit, butthese two ladies right here,
they make it look like what I'mdoing is easy, it's because they
are doing it heavy lifting.
SPEAKER_02 (15:09):
All right, muzzle time.
SPEAKER_10 (15:22):
Hey, what's up, parenting up family?
Guess what?
Have you ever wanted to connectwith other caregivers?
You want to see more behind thescenes footage?
Wanna know what me and Zetti aredoing?
I know you do.
All things J Smile are finallyready for you.
Even when I go live, uh-huh.
(15:45):
Do it now with us on Patreon.
Join us in the Patreoncommunity.
Catch everything we're doing.
Visit patreon.com forward slashJ Smiles Studios.
Can y'all believe the parentingup podcast community is five
(16:07):
years old?
Like, where did the time go?
I remember when the Holy Spiritbullied me into even starting
this podcast, and now we havebeen on tour.
We got a whole podcastproduction feed.
Shout out to Annalise and Mia.
And look, Andrew, look at you.
But it's amazing when you followthat inner voice that tells you
(16:33):
people need this.
Please do this for other people.
When you put yourself aside anddo the great things for other
people, then the world starts toopen up.
It's amazing.
So we just had a three-hourparty celebrating five years of
(16:54):
the fair thing of the podcast,celebrating very 77 years old,
and celebrating free and supportwithin the family caregiver
community.
We have people from California.
We have people from California,from New York, from Texas, from
Cincinnati, from Chicago, LA,Boston, Philadelphia.
(17:17):
Like, isn't that crazy?
Like, four or five cities inTexas.
I'm like, are you kidding me?
Like, are we really moving theneedle?
Thank y'all for helping me movethe needle.
Thank y'all for helping me makesure that family caregivers can
be seen.
Y'all, we had a blast.
So much so I parted out of myheels.
(17:41):
I don't like taking off my shoestill I get home, but tonight,
y'all, they won't me out.
They smiled out.
The snuggle up.
I don't know where to begin.
How do you put into words hoursof love and joy?
(18:01):
That's what just happened.
I am standing right in theBuckhead Art Company.
It's a gallery in the middle ofBuckhead.
It means a lot to me.
It's extra because one of myHoward University Alpha Chapel
School Awards owns it.
And it's gorgeous.
Okay?
(18:21):
The number of people who talkedto my mother and loved on her
tonight because it was herbirthday, I can't even count
them.
Period.
Like Zettie was smiling andhugging and grinning so much, it
was like she just turned 16.
(18:42):
My greatest takeaway from thisis caregivers have a village.
Y'all, we really aren't alone.
People do see us, theyappreciate us, they love us,
they're praying for us, and theygot our back.
Everybody in the building kepttalking about how much they do
(19:07):
for their loved ones and howmuch their friends and family
assist them.
So I think we are starting tomake a dip in the world around
how people think aboutAlzheimer's, how people think
about dementia, and then howthey can in turn support each
other.
When I first started thispodcast, it was a lot more
(19:30):
bleak.
There was a lot more despairwhenever you saw a caregiver or
you met one.
It was like, I don't know whereto go, I don't know what to do,
I ain't been on a date, I ain'tgot my hair comb, I didn't gain
20 pounds.
But listen, the pandemic isover.
It had us so um cloistered andsequestered that we ended up
(19:54):
finding how to live amongst eachother in isolation.
If you can figure out how tolive in isolation, you can damn
sure know how to live whenoutside open back up.
The beauty in it is, I can'ttell y'all this enough.
We aren't alone, caregivers,family caregivers, we aren't
alone.
(20:14):
Ask that cousin, ask thatneighbor, ask that person at
your church if they are achiropractor or a dentist.
Maybe they will take care ofyour loved one and service them
for free or half off becausethey know you're a caregiver.
That's the kind of networkingthat happened here at our
reception.
People were giving of theirservices freely and from the
(20:39):
heart.
All Zaddy's caregivers werehere.
Her physical therapist came, andit was a good thing he did,
though, because y'all, at theend of that 90 minutes, Zaddy
was about to pass out.
But he is a very, shall we say,strong man.
He is Nigerian, and everythingyou think about Nigerians, he is
(21:00):
that, okay?
He basically carried Zaddy's assout to the car, and I was like,
praise God, you got him right intime.
So we had a ball, we had aparty, we were eating, we were
drinking.
Most importantly, we wereacknowledging each other and the
world that has been createdbecause family caregivers demand
(21:22):
that their LOs be treatedproperly.
In the event or when that time comes.
SPEAKER_10 (01:17):
Parenting up Caregiving Adventures with
comedian Jay Smiles.
It's the intense journey ofunexpectedness, being fully
responsible for my mama.
For over a decade, I've beenchipping away at the unknown,
advocating for her, and pushingAlzheimer's awareness on anyone
in anything with a heartbeat.
(01:45):
Don't be afraid for the jokes.
Caregiver newbie, OG, andvillage members just willing to
prop up a caregiver.
You are in the right place.
SPEAKER_06 (01:57):
Hi, this is good.
I hope you enjoy my daughter'spodcast.
Okay.
SPEAKER_10 (02:07):
Today's episode, the fifth anniversary vlog.
Today's supporter shout-out camefrom people who were actually in
(02:28):
the building celebrating thefifth anniversary for Parenting
Up Podcast.
Check them out.
SPEAKER_11 (02:34):
Hi, I'm Monica Cost.
SPEAKER_07 (02:36):
Hello, I'm Aletha Taylor.
SPEAKER_11 (02:40):
One of the things I love about Parenting Up is
bringing these toughconversations to the public.
A lot of times we don't like totalk about some of the harder
things that are happening in ourlives, but she's been so bold as
to tell her truth, and it'simpacting people and helping
other people learn how to carefor their loved ones.
SPEAKER_07 (03:03):
So for me, one thing that I love is that I'm able to
share it with so many of myfriends.
Even before I came to the event,I was like, oh my gosh, I
forgot.
Your mother has Alzheimer's, andI'm going to an event where my
sorority sister's mother isgoing to be on a podcast.
So I'll have to send that toyou.
(03:24):
And I do that often.
So I really appreciate thatshe's doing that.
And then it allows me to kind ofhave an understanding into what
she's going through and alsowhat my other friends are going
through.
So I'm very appreciative for herpodcast.
SPEAKER_05 (03:41):
Hi, my name is Julia Demetrius.
And what I love about thepodcast is she shares so much
excellent information.
My husband and I both have agingparents, and we're learning a
lot of good information aboutwhat to expect.
Luckily, we still have myparents.
They're 80 and 81, but you neverknow what life brings.
(04:02):
And so I love and I value allthe advice that I get from Janae
from her podcast.
SPEAKER_03 (04:07):
I'm Mylyn Smith, and parenting up is really important
to me.
Growing up, you know, beingtaken care of by your parents.
Now we're in a position wherewe're responsible for taking
care of them, and it's a truehonor, it's a blessing, and it's
a lot of work.
And one of my favorite memoriesabout the Parenting Up podcast
(04:27):
is just that Jay provides aspace and an environment where
you can not take your role soserious.
And um you can relax a littlebit, you can laugh at some of
the hard things that you've gonethrough, and you find a
community of people who havebeen through some of the same
things that you've gone throughwhen you think you're the only
one.
So thank you for creating thisspace for all of us.
(04:50):
Thank you for the laughterbecause it's a little bit of
humor that we need to getthrough every day.
And just thank you for beingyou.
I appreciate you.
SPEAKER_00 (04:58):
Hello, I'm Mark Williams from Dallas, Texas.
So I'm a caregiver as well asJanae.
Um, both my parents live inDallas, Texas.
I just lost my mother five weeksago to death, and now I have my
dad who has dementia, and uh I'mhis caregiver, and I'm super
proud of that.
You know, I take care of hismedicine, I make sure he eats, I
(05:19):
make sure he gets to hisdoctor's appointments.
I'm basically his parent and Ienjoy it.
Uh I wish my mom was stillwalking the earth.
I was here this week to supportJay.
I've known Janae for over 25years, and uh I know she's a
caregiver.
I've learned everything I knowfrom her, and just to see her
with her mom, it's just the mostbeautiful thing.
(05:40):
So, congratulations to Jay andeveryone that's working with
Jay.
Job well done.
SPEAKER_08 (05:45):
My name is Erica Watson, and I am one of Janae's
assiduous 40 babies.
Janae, you have always been suchan inspiration and such a
guiding light for not just me,but for so many people.
And as I went through my owncaregiver parenting up journey
with my mom, I knew I was in thebest hands, just learning from
(06:07):
you and watching how you witnessand do this work with such joy.
And not letting go of yourselfin the process of caregiving.
So I'm glad that you're taking amoment to celebrate five years
of parenting up and just knowthat your village has got your
back five ever.
SPEAKER_01 (06:28):
All right, I'm Zach Wright Fisher.
I know Jay.
Uh, she comes in and sees me atStretch Lab.
I'm a stretch therapist.
Uh congratulations on your fifthanniversary here.
And Jay, just keep inspiringothers, moving forward and
changing the world one step at atime.
SPEAKER_10 (06:45):
Thank you all so much for taking the time to give
us those supporters shout outsin the middle of eating,
drinking, and dancing.
That was a whole lot to balance.
Now, if you want to be therecipient of a supporter shout
out, you know what to do.
Get to us on YouTube orFacebook.
Parenting Up.
That's where we are everywhere,baby.
(07:07):
Hey family, what's up?
It's your girl Jay Smiles.
This is a magnificent day.
We are in Atlanta in theBuckhead shops.
We have a major receptionhappening at Buckhead Art and
Company.
Why?
We've made it to five years.
The Parenting Up Podcast, ourglobal family caregiving
community.
We are five years old.
(07:29):
We big kids on the block now.
And today is Daddy's birthday.
So we are celebrating five yearsof growth, of community, of
excellence, and Daddy is 77.
Neurologist thought he wouldhave been out of here about
seven or eight years ago.
But through love and commitmentand village, we don't know how
(07:55):
long we have.
SPEAKER_11 (08:33):
Many of us will get the call or unfortunately or
unfortunately get theopportunity.
Good thing bad, I think whoknows.
It also gives us an opportunityto love on people in a way that
we may not have, had we not hadthat opportunity.
So if you know of a caregiver,please leave this weekend with
an extra uh fullness in yourheart to tell them thank you, to
(08:56):
get send them to lunch, to givethem a Uber gift card, to send
them some flowers, to let themknow that their gift to humanity
through the care that they givetheir loved ones is appreciated
about itself.
It's Daddy's birthday.
SPEAKER_10 (10:33):
Um my mom was diagnosed with two forms of
dementia, 13 and a half yearsago.
The best in a while in this inthe country told me three, six
years.
But when it feels like, no,we're 13.
(10:56):
She has a way of letting youknow little listeners, and don't
do that.
Um so being a caregiver haschanged my life.
It's the reason I'm a comedian.
It's the reason there's apodcast.
The podcast is now uh on everycontinent.
Um we've been on NPR, NBC, allthe both films and selection
(11:20):
situations, but the biggestthing is that I wanted to be
proof that you can be okay whenyou're a committed family
caregiver.
You can't figure out how to havesome kind of life.
It ain't gonna be the same life.
You just gotta make a new life.
And there are a lot of us outhere who need your continued
(11:41):
support of y'all.
So everything that you're doingfor us, we see it and we thank
you.
Whether it's a phone call or atext or hey day, let's go out to
lunch.
Even if I say no, the fact thatyou asked, bring it in the
gallery.
To all of the sponsors, they sayno.
That's what they're saying.
To all the sponsors, I can'tthank you enough.
(12:04):
I wouldn't have been able to dothis without you.
And umward and lower and betterand better and better.
We're gonna get a cure for thisdisease.
And then the key time is to paya fair wage or get a job that
finds it to work from home orsomething.
(12:24):
Something, something, something,something.
I love y'all.
The music is gonna get a littlemore upbeat, so y'all can dance
if you want to, you can drink ifyou want to.
Please do watch the whole video.
SPEAKER_09 (12:36):
Some of you will find yourselves in there.
SPEAKER_12 (12:39):
I love you all.
SPEAKER_09 (12:40):
Thank you for helping me take care of awesome.
SPEAKER_12 (12:48):
Well, continue to network and have lymations and
food.
SPEAKER_11 (12:53):
There is a cutout over there of Zebbie and Jay.
Please take a picture with themposted.
Hashtag parenting of fifthanniversary.
SPEAKER_02 (13:05):
Laura's is that it for her birthday?
I'm gonna give it to another.
Wait, mommy, look and if itwasn't for Monica, I wouldn't
have met Jay, so I wanted togive Monica this.
Where'd she go?
Oh, so I wanted to give herthat, and then we have one more
for the host, Jay Smiles, andit's coming in from the back.
SPEAKER_05 (13:27):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_02 (13:28):
So, yeah, so thank you.
I just wanted to say thank you,and thank you, everybody.
If anybody has anything to sayabout the podcast, we have
Annalise.
Shout out to our video editor,Sam.
We love her, and she is going totake testimonials.
I know some of you came from faraway, so please feel free to go
in front of the step and repeat.
We would love to get yourbeautiful faces on camera saying
(13:49):
happy anniversary.
And you will be on our YouTubepage.
You will be on the podcast forthe fifth anniversary podcast.
So uh please be sure to see us,alright?
SPEAKER_03 (14:03):
All right, we can get the music.
SPEAKER_10 (14:08):
Okay, the last thing I was gonna say after I set
Zaddy down, I can see Zaddyabout to leave.
So anybody who wants to say,hey, Zaddy, just watch me walk
out the door.
But the person holding the micis me a haul.
My podcast would not beexploding like it is without her
and Annalise.
The three of us together, whilewe all have our individual
(14:30):
companies, but when we aretogether, we are what?
WP, waste of productions.
Because we started wheneverything was virtual, and our
tops were really, reallybusy-like, and our models were
trash.
We were like, Wake up! We hadthis long as they can't see
what's going on at the bottom.
But uh, we have traveledtogether, we did um uh our first
(14:53):
tour, which was Detroit, butthese two ladies right here,
they make it look like what I'mdoing is easy, it's because they
are doing it heavy lifting.
SPEAKER_02 (15:09):
All right, muzzle time.
SPEAKER_10 (15:22):
Hey, what's up, parenting up family?
Guess what?
Have you ever wanted to connectwith other caregivers?
You want to see more behind thescenes footage?
Wanna know what me and Zetti aredoing?
I know you do.
All things J Smile are finallyready for you.
Even when I go live, uh-huh.
(15:45):
Do it now with us on Patreon.
Join us in the Patreoncommunity.
Catch everything we're doing.
Visit patreon.com forward slashJ Smiles Studios.
Can y'all believe the parentingup podcast community is five
(16:07):
years old?
Like, where did the time go?
I remember when the Holy Spiritbullied me into even starting
this podcast, and now we havebeen on tour.
We got a whole podcastproduction feed.
Shout out to Annalise and Mia.
And look, Andrew, look at you.
But it's amazing when you followthat inner voice that tells you
(16:33):
people need this.
Please do this for other people.
When you put yourself aside anddo the great things for other
people, then the world starts toopen up.
It's amazing.
So we just had a three-hourparty celebrating five years of
(16:54):
the fair thing of the podcast,celebrating very 77 years old,
and celebrating free and supportwithin the family caregiver
community.
We have people from California.
We have people from California,from New York, from Texas, from
Cincinnati, from Chicago, LA,Boston, Philadelphia.
(17:17):
Like, isn't that crazy?
Like, four or five cities inTexas.
I'm like, are you kidding me?
Like, are we really moving theneedle?
Thank y'all for helping me movethe needle.
Thank y'all for helping me makesure that family caregivers can
be seen.
Y'all, we had a blast.
So much so I parted out of myheels.
(17:41):
I don't like taking off my shoestill I get home, but tonight,
y'all, they won't me out.
They smiled out.
The snuggle up.
I don't know where to begin.
How do you put into words hoursof love and joy?
(18:01):
That's what just happened.
I am standing right in theBuckhead Art Company.
It's a gallery in the middle ofBuckhead.
It means a lot to me.
It's extra because one of myHoward University Alpha Chapel
School Awards owns it.
And it's gorgeous.
Okay?
(18:21):
The number of people who talkedto my mother and loved on her
tonight because it was herbirthday, I can't even count
them.
Period.
Like Zettie was smiling andhugging and grinning so much, it
was like she just turned 16.
(18:42):
My greatest takeaway from thisis caregivers have a village.
Y'all, we really aren't alone.
People do see us, theyappreciate us, they love us,
they're praying for us, and theygot our back.
Everybody in the building kepttalking about how much they do
(19:07):
for their loved ones and howmuch their friends and family
assist them.
So I think we are starting tomake a dip in the world around
how people think aboutAlzheimer's, how people think
about dementia, and then howthey can in turn support each
other.
When I first started thispodcast, it was a lot more
(19:30):
bleak.
There was a lot more despairwhenever you saw a caregiver or
you met one.
It was like, I don't know whereto go, I don't know what to do,
I ain't been on a date, I ain'tgot my hair comb, I didn't gain
20 pounds.
But listen, the pandemic isover.
It had us so um cloistered andsequestered that we ended up
(19:54):
finding how to live amongst eachother in isolation.
If you can figure out how tolive in isolation, you can damn
sure know how to live whenoutside open back up.
The beauty in it is, I can'ttell y'all this enough.
We aren't alone, caregivers,family caregivers, we aren't
alone.
(20:14):
Ask that cousin, ask thatneighbor, ask that person at
your church if they are achiropractor or a dentist.
Maybe they will take care ofyour loved one and service them
for free or half off becausethey know you're a caregiver.
That's the kind of networkingthat happened here at our
reception.
People were giving of theirservices freely and from the
(20:39):
heart.
All Zaddy's caregivers werehere.
Her physical therapist came, andit was a good thing he did,
though, because y'all, at theend of that 90 minutes, Zaddy
was about to pass out.
But he is a very, shall we say,strong man.
He is Nigerian, and everythingyou think about Nigerians, he is
(21:00):
that, okay?
He basically carried Zaddy's assout to the car, and I was like,
praise God, you got him right intime.
So we had a ball, we had aparty, we were eating, we were
drinking.
Most importantly, we wereacknowledging each other and the
world that has been createdbecause family caregivers demand
(21:22):
that their LOs be treatedproperly.
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