Carrie On! with Carrie Murray

🎙️Carrie On!

Show Notes:

When J. Smiles’ father died suddenly, her mother’s dementia accelerated from grief-induced trauma into a rapid decline. Overnight, J. went from touring comic and multi-hyphenate professional to full-time only-child caregiver—and discovered just how broken (and expensive) the system is. We talk candidly about the $900 Alzheimer’s medication with insurance, the IRS flagging her for “money laundering” while she was literally paying for mom’s care, why “balance is a farce,” and the improv rule that saves her sanity: “Yes… and.” If you’re in the sandwich generation, this one will make you feel seen—and give you scripts, steps, and a little laughter to carry on.

Caring for an aging parent with dementia is messy, expensive, and heartbreakingly human. Comedian and caregiver J. Smiles shares how her mom’s symptoms accelerated after her dad’s sudden death, the $900 med shock, getting flagged by the IRS while fronting care costs, and the improv rule that keeps her sane: “Yes, and.”

Hot Takes & Aha! Moments

1. Sticker shock is real: “One of my mom’s Alzheimer’s meds—with insurance—was $900.”

2. Paperwork > panic: The biggest early crisis wasn’t money—it was access to money. Power of Attorney and health directives would have prevented months of chaos.

3. The IRS might call (seriously): Moving funds to front costs for a parent can trigger flags. Keep records; get legal docs before you need them.

4. Balance is a myth: “It’s not balance—it’s being on call forever.” Permission granted to stop chasing equilibrium.

5. Improv saves caregivers: “Yes, and…” in your head. Don’t argue with dementia—join the moment, redirect for safety, and look for humor.

6. The best helpers aren’t always family: Angels often come from neighbors, church, or a brand-new agency owner who’s “been there.”

7. Self-care that’s not cute: A doctor telling you “At this rate, you’ll die before your mom” can be the wake-up call to change everything.

8. The hardest grief: The body stays the same; the mind slowly leaves. That’s why denial hangs on—and why humor matters.

Memorable Quotes:

“I was effing furious. If I’m catching hell with connections, what happens to people without them?”

“Balance is a farce. You’re either on call or asleep.”

“Always say yes in your mind. Don’t fight the disease—redirect it.”

“The person looks the same for a long time—but their mind is leaving. That’s the grief.”

Guest: @jsmilescomedy | jsmilescomedy.com | parentingup.com

Sponsors (from this episode)

Two Peacocks Travel — Transformative small-group adventures for women: https://www.twopeacockstravel.com/

RFC21 — Progressive consulting and expert witness services in public child welfare: https://www.rfc21.com/

Disclaimer: This show is for storytelling and information only; not medical, legal, financial, or therapeutic advice.

💬 Loved this episode?

If J. Smiles’ story resonated with you, help us reach more caregivers by following, liking, and subscribing to Carrie On! on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Your support amplifies these conversations and reminds every caregiver—you are not alone.

Show Notes:

What happens when you grow up with a working mom, become one yourself, and then raise a daughter who chooses the same path? In this episode, I sit down with someone who’s known me the longest—my mom, Gail—to talk about three generations of working mothers and what it really takes to balance family, career, and self.

From growing up in a military household to raising kids during Navy deployments, to building a 42-year federal career that ended at NASA Ames, my mom shares the lessons, struggles, and resilience that defined her motherhood journey—and shaped mine.

Whether you’re a working mom, the child of one, or questioning the “mom guilt” narrative, you’ll walk away inspired by her story.

In this episode:

• Growing up with a working mother in the 1930s and 1940s
• Building a marriage and raising kids while navigating Navy life
• Facing stigma: “How could you leave your child?”
• Finding childcare, support, and survival skills on military bases
• Why money equals freedom, not shame
• Going back to school (with NASA paying!) as a working mom
• How moving every few years builds resilience and social superpowers
• Her advice for new moms choosing to go back to work

Hot takes you’ll love:

• “I was a better mom because I was happier when I worked.”
• “If you have more money, you have more choices and more freedom.”
• “After a while, how much Sesame Street can you watch?”
• “Nobody knows you and your kids better than you do—turn off the mom-shaming.”

Resources & mentions:

• Two Peacocks Travel — women’s purpose-driven adventures
• Ready for Ted with Toni Purry — craft your TEDx talk
• Be Woman Marketing with Stacey Beaman — strategic websites + branding

✨ If you loved this episode, please follow, rate, and review the show on Apple Podcasts. Your support helps amplify women’s stories and keeps Carrie On! in the ears of listeners everywhere.

Carrie On! In this boldly honest and wildly informative episode of Carrie On!, host Carrie Murray dives into the (not-so-secret-anymore) world of pelvic floor health with the incredible Dr. Sara Reardon, aka The Vagina Whisperer.

From urinary leaks to painful sex, prolapse, menopause, and yes—stronger orgasms—this conversation is your ultimate guide to what’s really going on “down there,” and why no one taught us this sooner.

Dr. Sara is a board-certified pelvic floor physical therapist with nearly two decades of experience, the founder of The V-Hive, a TEDx speaker, and author of the empowering new book: "Floored: A Woman’s Guide to Pelvic Floor Health at Every Age and Stage".

Whether you’ve had kids, are approaching menopause, or simply want to better understand your body—this episode is a MUST-WATCH.

What We Cover:

• What exactly is the pelvic floor—and why should you care?
• Why urinary leakage when sneezing or laughing isn’t normal (even if common)
• The link between pelvic floor strength and better orgasms (and when too tight is a problem!)
• Why pelvic issues affect everyone—not just postpartum or menopausal women
• How to proactively support your pelvic health during perimenopause
• Topical estrogen, vulva moisturizers, and the truth about “vagina tightness” myths

Nuggets of Wisdom:

💥 “These issues are common—but they’re NOT normal.” 💥 “Tension doesn't mean strength. It’s about contraction and relaxation.” 💥 “If your doctor says ‘give it time’—go see someone else.” 💥 “Pelvic floor fitness is not just tightening your vagina—it’s healthcare.” 💥 “It's never too late to start. Even women in their 70s and 80s can improve pelvic health.”

📚 GET THE BOOK

Floored: A Woman’s Guide to Pelvic Floor Health at Every Age and Stage 🛒 [Available now wherever books are sold] – We'll link it in the description!

💪 JOIN THE V-HIVE

Get 30 days FREE when you pre-order the book! Visit: https://thevagwhisperer.com

🎧 LISTEN TO CARRIE ON!

Available on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

🫶 SPONSORS

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

• RFC 21 – Redefining public child welfare with purpose. Visit RFC21.com
• Two Peacocks Travel – Thoughtfully curated group trips for women. twopacxtravel.com

🎙️ Follow Carrie:@_carriemurray_ 👩‍⚕️ Follow Dr. Sarah: @the.vagina.whisperer

🎙️ Carrie On!

Episode: Financial Trauma to Financial Freedom: Retirement Planning Made Real

Money talk isn’t always easy—but it’s necessary. In this powerful episode of Carrie On, I sit down with Diana Greshtchuk, CEO of Fan Your Flame LLC, financial literacy coach, and your best financial friend. Together, we dive into the fears, shame, and myths that often hold women back from financial independence and planning for retirement.

From navigating debt (helpful vs. unhelpful), to preparing for college expenses, to setting boundaries around aging parents and long-term care, Diana shares trauma-informed strategies that bring both compassion and clarity to money management.

Whether you’re 40 and realizing you haven’t saved enough, sending a kid off to college, or wondering how to care for your parents without draining your retirement fund—this episode gives you tools, tough love, and hope.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

1. Why financial trauma keeps many women from building wealth—and how to shift out of shame

2. The simple mindset change from “I can’t afford this” to “How can I afford this?”

3. Why debt isn’t always bad (hello, “helpful debt” vs. “unhelpful debt”)

4. How to have “money dates” with yourself to get financially—and emotionally—naked

5. Strategies for balancing saving, investing, and living the life you want

📌 Links & Resources

Connect with Diana: https://fan-your-flame.com/

Download her free Money Date Hand Book: https://fanyourflame.kit.com/ab6995bff8 and start your financial check-in today

Follow Fan Your Flame LLC on Instagram & Facebook

🙏 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors

Two Peacocks Travel – Women supporting women through curated global adventures. Find your next travel bestie at twopacxtravel.com

Ready for TED with Toni Purry – An 8-week program to clarify your message and craft your TEDx talk. Apply at readyforted.com

✨ And hey, while you’re there, hit follow/subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. That way, you’ll never miss an episode packed with wisdom, humor, and the real talk we all need.

✨ Episode Summary:

This week on Carry On!, we dive into passport stamps, personal growth, and the power of travel with the dynamic founders of Two Peacocks Travel — Sandy and Ana. What started as a post-pandemic soul-searching trip with their kids turned into a globe-trotting mission to empower women to reclaim adventure and connection in midlife.

From Machu Picchu birthdays to hot air balloons over Morocco, this episode will ignite your wanderlust—and maybe even get you booking that long-dreamed trip. Discover how this woman-owned boutique travel company curates immersive, impact-driven group adventures across Cuba, Peru, Morocco, and beyond—while building lasting friendships along the way.

✈️ Whether you're newly empty nesting, post-divorce, recently retired, or just craving meaning and movement—this episode is your permission slip.

👯‍♀️ Guests: Sandy & Ana Founders of Two Peacocks Travel

🌍 twopacockstravel.com

🎧 Two Peacocks Podcast available on Apple & Spotify

🌏 In This Episode, We Explore:

• How two hospital administrators pivoted to full-time travel curators
• Why adventure in midlife matters more than ever
• How their group travel model helps women make deep connections—fast
• Tips for solo female travelers (from passport prep to personal safety)
• What sustainable, impact-driven travel really looks like

🧳 Featured Trips & Signature Destinations:

• 🌍 Cuba (authentic connection, giving back, local immersion)
• 🐪 Morocco (hot air balloons, sisterhood, surprise belly laughs)
• 🏔️ Peru (Machu Picchu magic, bucket list dreams come true)
• 🌸 Oaxaca (Day of the Dead with mezcal & meaning)
• 👣 Camino de Santiago (spiritual 78-mile walk across Spain)

💬 Quotes to Carry On:

“We give women the permission they didn’t know they were waiting for.” – Ana

“You can start something new at any age. This is our third chapter—and we’re writing it boldly.” – Sandy

“Don’t wait for someone to say yes. Be your own yes. Book the trip.” -Ana

👥 Let’s Connect:

🌐 Website: TwoPeacocksTravel.com

📸 Instagram: @two_peacocks_travel

📺 YouTube: Two Peacocks Travel 🎧 Podcast: Two Peacocks on Apple & Spotify

📘 TikTok & Facebook: Two Peacocks Travel

📣 Shoutouts:

✨ Stacey Beaman of BeWomanMarketing.com – helping purpose-driven entrepreneurs show up professionally online

✨ Everyday Action – nonprofit partner helping extend impact beyond the trip

👍 Don't Forget To:

🔔 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell so you don’t miss an episode 💬 Comment with your dream destination

🌍 Share this with a woman who needs adventure in her next chapter

Carrie On!

Episode: What happens when the kids leave the nest… and you still have dreams left to chase?

In this heartfelt and motivating episode of Carry On!, host Carrie Murray sits down with Harvard-trained dermatologist, hair restoration expert, and mom of three, Dr. Meena Singh, for a raw and empowering conversation about motherhood, legacy, aging, and what comes next.

As Carrie prepares to send her daughter off to college, and Dr. Meena reflects on raising her children solo while building her medical practice, the two women explore the grief, grit, and growth of midlife transitions—and how to reinvent yourself without losing yourself in the process.

From skincare tips in your 40s and 50s to the emotional toll of an emptying nest, this episode blends vulnerability, expert insight, and sisterhood. Whether you're navigating college drop-offs, career pivots, or crow’s feet, this one’s for you.

Guest: Dr. Meena Singh Board-Certified Dermatologist & Hair Transplant Surgeon

📍Founder of Skin and Hair Center, Overland Park, KS

📸 Instagram: @drmeenasingh

🌐 Website: skinandhaircenter.com

💡 What You'll Learn in This Episode:

-What it's really like to drop your first kid off at college

-The bittersweet beauty of reclaiming your time post-motherhood

-How Dr. Meena built her career while raising 3 daughters solo

-The surprising truth about women’s hair loss after 40 How legacy and community shape our definition of success

💬 Quotes to Carry On:

“You have 18 years where your household is a certain way—then it changes forever.” – Dr. Meena Singh

“I raised this child. I’m a single mom. She’s alive, she made it. That’s legacy.”

"My daughter met Ruby Bridges. That’s not history—it’s our present.”

🌍 Sponsors Who Support This Show:

🎒 Two Peacocks Travel – Curated small group travel for women in midlife

📚 RFC 21 – Transforming public child welfare with integrity & innovation

💻 Be Woman Marketing – Helping women-owned businesses grow with confidence

Let’s Connect:

📺 Watch more episodes: YouTube.com/@CarrieOnShow

🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

Follow Carrie: https://www.instagram.com/_carriemurray_/

🎙 Carrie On! Episode: Amplify Her Voice: From Miss Alabama to Media Powerhouse with Toni Purry

In this deeply inspiring episode, host Carrie Murray is joined by speaker, author, and communication strategist Toni Purry—founder of Shaping Narrative and creator of Ready for TED. Toni’s journey from a determined college student chasing scholarships to becoming the first Black Miss Alabama USA, and later a top-tier PR agency owner, is nothing short of extraordinary. Together, they explore themes of confidence, legacy, and the power of storytelling as a tool for influence, reinvention, and liberation. ✨ Key Talking Points: The power of voice: Why Toni believes there’s a cultural agenda to silence women—and how storytelling disrupts that. The origin of confidence: How Toni’s childhood and relentless pursuit of the Miss Alabama crown shaped her grit and mission. Four B’s of narrative power: Be curious, be scrutinizing, be willing to reject, and be optimistic—Toni's method for rewriting both public and personal narratives. Signature talks & thought leadership: Toni’s three-part recipe—values, expertise, and personal story + a dash of confidence. The birth of Ready for TED: An intimate 8-week program helping women craft their TEDx-worthy talk rooted in truth and transformation. 👑 Quotes to Carry On: “When women speak up and share their stories, other women see themselves—and they feel less alone.” – Tony Purry “You can’t just suck it up anymore. Confidence is a muscle—and we have to work it.” “If they won’t build you a stage, build your own.” 📣 Mentioned in This Episode: 🔹 RFC21 – https://www.rfc21.com/ 🔹 Two Peacocks Travel – https://www.twopeacockstravel.com/ 🔹 Ready For TED – https://www.readyforted.com/ 👥 Let’s Connect: 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts & Spotify 📸 Follow Carrie: @bra_network 📸 Follow Tony: @tonypurry 🌐 Learn more: https://www.carrie-murray.com/ 📢 Don't Forget: 👍 Like this episode 📝 Comment below with your favorite takeaway 🔔 Subscribe & hit the bell so you never miss an episode 📬 Share this with a woman whose voice needs to be heard #CarrieOnPodcast #TonyPuri #AmplifyHerVoice #WomenInLeadership #TEDxTalk #ConfidenceCoach #SignatureTalk #MyHypeBook #StorytellingPower #MidlifeReinvention #WomenSupportingWomen #PublicSpeaking #SpeakerTraining #WomenInPR #EmpoweredVoices #NarrativeStrategy

🎙️ Carrie On! – Episode: “Saying No, Setting Boundaries & the Enneagram Edge with Tracy O’Malley”

Host: Carrie Murray Guest: Tracy O'Malley - https://tracyomalley.com/ – Enneagram Expert, Leadership Coach, Business Biohacker

Episode Summary: In this empowering and hilarious episode, host Carrie Murray dives into the complicated world of boundaries, saying no, and personal reinvention—with the brilliant and blunt Tracy O’Malley. Known globally for her transformative work with the Enneagram, Tracy breaks down why setting boundaries is so hard (especially for women), how people-pleasing shows up in different Enneagram types, and why saying "no" might be the most loving thing you do for yourself and others.

Carrie kicks things off with a deeply personal (and hysterical) story about how she nearly took a job on a cruise ship just to avoid confrontation. Tracy unpacks the psychology behind these kinds of decisions and shares how understanding our Enneagram type helps us break free from cycles of self-abandonment, burnout, and resentment.

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

1. Why saying “no” feels so damn hard—and how to make it easier
2. How the Enneagram is an “atlas for your soul” (and not just another personality quiz)
3. How different types struggle with boundaries in unique ways
4. What it means to be a “yes person” vs a “no queen”—and how to find your sweet spot 3 game-changing tips to create space for miracles in your calendar

📍Connect with Tracy O’Malley:

Website: tracyomalley.com

Podcast: The Enneagram Edge (400+ episodes!)

Instagram: @tracy_omalley LinkedIn: Tracy O’Malley

This episode is sponsored by:

1. Be Woman Marketing – Strategic websites + done-for-you marketing magic. bewomanmarketing.com
2. Two Peacocks Travel – Curated global adventures for women seeking growth & sisterhood. 2peacockstravel.com
3. RFC 21 – Transforming public child welfare systems with equity and purpose. rfc21.com

Listen & Subscribe:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/carrie-on-with-carrie-murray/id1829193172

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2icI2dCIVgJUacoXTEsOrM?si=648c9767e7ae491e YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@carrie_murray

Carrie On! This isn’t just a show. It’s a rally cry. It’s where we unpack the beautiful, brutal, bold moments of midlife and beyond. The second (or third) act. The rebirths, resets, and the radical audacity it takes to start over, especially when the world says you should’ve had it all figured out by now. Because as we grow older (and wiser, with any luck), we don’t stop evolving. We keep shifting careers, renegotiating relationships, rediscovering our passions, healing past wounds, and building something new from the ashes. Carrie On! was born from that place. And I’m inviting you to come along. Each episode features raw, real conversations with fearless entrepreneurs, truth-tellers, and changemakers who are rewriting the rules and their own stories. No matter what generation you belong to, if you’ve ever felt like you had to carry it all alone, this show is for you.