The SH!T Sandwich Generation
Raw. Relatable. Real Life. Welcome to the Sh!t Sandwich Generation, the podcast for those caught in the messy middle - juggling aging parents, growing kids, demanding careers, and a life of your own (if you can find it). Hosted by sisters MaryBeth and Susan Parisi, we share unfiltered stories, expert advice, and honest conversations about navigating the emotional, financial, and logistical chaos of caregiving from both sides. Because this isn't the highlight reel - this is survival with a heap of heart, humor, and hard-won wisdom. 📱 Follow us on Instagram: @marybethp6 💻 Listen + learn more: pursuelifecoaching.com/podcast-1 🥪 Have a sandwich story? We want to hear it — find us on Instagram and send us a DM.
Episodes
We thought we were finally nearing the finish line.
Our mom had made it through one major surgery. Then came the surgery we hoped would finally remove the cancer—and at first, the news was everything we had prayed for.
Until it wasn't.
In this episode, we share what happened when a surgery that seemed to go according to plan suddenly took an unexpected turn, and the finish line we thought was finally within reach...
When a parent faces major surgery, someone has to manage the appointments, hotel rooms, transportation, work schedules—and decide who will actually be there. But what happens when the family group text goes silent?
As our mom prepared for two major surgeries, the logistics were only part of the burden. We talk honestly about unequal caregiving, unspoken expectations, resentment, disappointment, and the family d...
Our mother had already endured one brutal surgery and vowed she would never do it again. Then an aggressive cancer left us facing an impossible choice and a plan that kept changing faster than we could process it.
Two major surgeries. Two different hospitals. Multiple specialists. And through it all, Mom kept asking the one question that mattered most to her.
🎙 The Sh!t Sandwich Generation is hosted by sisters MaryBe...
Just when we thought we could finally breathe again, the floor fell out beneath us.
After months of treatment, our mom was doing well. We had started making plans again. For the first time in a long time, we allowed ourselves to believe the hardest part might be behind us.
Then one message changed everything.
In this episode, we share what it feels like to have hope ripped away...and how, somehow, you keep showing up a...
In this episode, we step away from the timeline of our mom’s illness to talk about something less visible—but just as real.
What happens to you in the middle of all of it?
When you’re constantly moving between roles—parent, caregiver, professional—you don’t always notice the shift happening. You’re showing up. You’re functioning. You’re doing what needs to be done.
...
How do you choose between your kids and your parents when both need you at the same time?
In Episode 5, MaryBeth and Susan unpack one of the heaviest parts of the sandwich generation: guilt.
The guilt of not spending enough time with aging parents.
The guilt of missing moments with your kids.
The guilt of putting work, goals, and your own life on hold while trying to care for everyone else.
And the guilt that...
Getting her home felt like a turning point. After everything that had happened, we thought the hardest part might be behind us.
But it wasn't.
It was just different.
We talk about what it actually looked like bringing her home — how quickly things changed, how much we had to adjust, and how nothing really felt normal anymore.
This was the beginning of a new reality. She wasn't herself yet. And neither were we.
This...
This episode continues our Mom's healthcare journey - when everything shifted from trying to understand what was happening... to being asked to make a decision we didn't feel ready to make.
Do we stay local or go into the city? Do we pursue a clinical trial? When is something an emergency - and what do you do in that moment?
We share what it actually felt like to navigate those decisions in real time - bal...
This episode is a deeply personal conversation about our Mom's healthcare journey - from the early signs something wasn't right to the moments that felt confusing, overwhelming, and uncertain.
We share what it was like navigating the system as daughters - and as physicians - while offering insights on how to move through a system that can feel incredibly difficult to navigate.
This story was too im...
Welcome to the mess.
We're kicking off The Sh!t Sandwich Generation by talking about the stage of life no one prepares you for.
You're raising kids.
Managing a career.
And quietly, your parents are aging.
This episode is an honest conversation about how we got here and what it feels like to live in the middle of all of it.
The pressure.
The guilt.
The chaos.
And the moments that catch you off guard.
It's real life.
And if you'...
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