Caring for aging loved ones is one of the most meaningful, and often one of the most challenging roles any of us will take on. It raises questions about health, independence, finances, and how to balance caregiving with the rest of life. And while every family's journey looks different, the need for support and good information is universal. Just take it from Carrie Crawley, an elder care and aging life specialist who's dedicated her work to helping families prepare for and manage the realities of aging. In Part One of their conversation, Carrie and Kelly dig into the real challenges of planning for, paying for, and implementing elder care in the lives of not only our loved ones - but in our own lives as well.  

Resource Links: 

• AARP Learning - https://learn.aarp.org/
• ADRC-Aging and Disability Resource Center - https://acl.gov/programs/aging-and-disability-networks/aging-and-disability-resource-centers
• Medicare Care Compare - https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/
• WHAT IS DEMENTIA? - http://alzheimers.org.uk/Facts_about_dementia/What_is_dementia/
• TYPES OF DEMENTIA - https://www.helpforalzheimersfamilies.com/alzheimers-dementia-education/
• THE ALZHEIMER’S FOUNDATION OF AMERICA - http://www.alzfdn.org/AboutUs/missionstatement.html
• NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING -https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/memory-and-thinking-whats-normal-and-whats-not

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

Are you a born leader? Alan Mikolaj isn't sure anybody is. In fact, he's got the research to prove that NOBODY is born to be a leader, because leadership isn't a genetic trait - it's a learned skill that anybody can manage, if taught under the right conditions. Alan returns to the podcast to talk about what leadership researchers James Kouzes and Barry Posner discovered in their findings to help develop the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) 360 curriculum, and how you can leverage your own self-understanding to help better realize your own self-worth. 

Find out more about Alan Mikolaj at https://www.alanmikolaj.com/

Get Your Copy of Alan's Free List of Values Worksheet at https://www.alanmikolaj.com/uploads/1/3/7/8/13789733/alans_values_worksheet.pdf

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

Being a leader is harder than it looks. It's a demanding and isolating job, with immense pressure and a constant need to adapt. Just take it from Alan Mikolaj - he's a leadership and organizational development consultant, executive coach and the author of “Stress Management for the Emergency Care Provider” and “The Change: Insights into Self-Empowerment," who works with people in high impact roles, helping build awareness, lead with authenticity, and stay aligned with their sense of purpose. Alan joins Kelly on the podcast to talk about just that - purpose, and how identifying and closing in on the interests that drive you can create a more meaningful outlook for any one of us, leader or otherwise. 

Find out more about Alan Mikolaj at https://www.alanmikolaj.com/

Get Your Copy of Alan's Free List of Values Worksheet at https://www.alanmikolaj.com/uploads/1/3/7/8/13789733/alans_values_worksheet.pdf

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

Walk the talk! It's a simple phrase, but what does it really mean? And more importantly, does it apply to you or the leadership at your organization? This idea of aligning your actions with your words is one that executive Coach Ken Jenkins was introduced to early in his career, and it's a principle he's lived by ever since. Today, we continue our conversation with Ken, diving deeper into what it truly means to be a leader. We explore why it's so critical to build trust, drive performance, and create a culture where people want to follow not because they have to, but because they believe in the direction. If you're leading a team, navigating change, or simply striving to be a more authentic and effective leader, this episode is for you.

Find out more about Ken Jenkins at https://kenjenkinsllc.com/

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

Think back on your career. Have you ever worked under a leader who struggled to communicate clearly? Maybe you found it difficult to follow their direction because the direction itself wasn't clear. Or perhaps you are the leader facing a major organizational change, feeling uncertain about how to guide your team through it. If any of this sounds familiar, it might be time to consider working with an executive coach. Today we're talking with Ken Jenkins, an in-demand executive and leadership coach, who shares insights on how coaching can help leaders and cover their strengths and weaknesses, why coaching isn't an stand-in for therapy, and a few key ways all of us - executives or otherwise - can help to mitigate toxic stress in our busy lives. It's not always easy, but for those feeling stuck or looking to boost their effectiveness, coaching can be a game changer. 

Find out more about Ken Jenkins at https://kenjenkinsllc.com/

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

Social Media companies have all but perfected the art of the infinite scroll. On average, every time you pick up your phone you'll end up spending upwards of 20 minutes, mindlessly sacrificing your time - and your sense of accomplishment - with just a single tap. Natural Empathic doctor Heather Dreske returns to the podcast to reveal a few key ways you can ground your senses, plant your feet, and stop the doomscrolling without losing the connections that reward us. 

Find out more about Heather Dreske and her practice at https://www.lettierome.net

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

A recent Harvard study found that 73% of Americans experience loneliness. What's got everybody down? Heather Dreske might just have the answer - she's a natural, empathic doctor with expertise in family medicine, psychology, and holistic wellness. Heather and Kelly dig into the number one source of loneliness, anxiety, and depression in America - technology, and more importantly, our phones and the social media that drives them - to uncover the five vulnerabilities every major tech company is leveraging to keep you on scrolling, along with a few key exercises that anybody can try right away at no cost to get away from the infinite scroll and start truly living again.

Find out more about Heather Dreske and her practice at https://www.lettierome.net

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

Grief isn't something you just 'get over', and it's not something you can expect people to move past. It's an emotion that deserves understanding - one that lies under nearly every aspect of our world today. For some it can be more affecting than others. Just take it from Natalie Sanchez - picking up where they left off last week, Natalie and Kelly dig into the support systems Natalie's built into her life since losing her father in 2018, from exercise and regular routine to a loving partner and supportive friend groups that surround her, along with a few key reading recommendations to help anybody break the cycle and grow to find joy in their journey. 

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

Grief is an intense and complex emotional response to loss, but its impact extends far beyond mental and emotional distress. Just take it from Natalie Sanchez - the author of 'The Language Of Loss' and 'Becoming Human', Natalie developed a deep relationship with grief after losing her father in 2018. Kelly and Natalie dig into that relationship - and how Natalie managed to find joy in her journey - in Part One of their two-part conversation on understanding The Language of Loss. 

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

Laughter isn't just a reaction - it's a resource; one that can go a long way, especially when life feels heavy. And the best part is, we can choose it. Just ask Kody Green - known online as the Schizophrenic Hippie, Kody's amassed over a million followers on TikTok and Instagram by sharing his story and advocating for just a little more lightheartedness when times are tough. Kody and Kelly pick up where their conversation left off in Episode 58 to talk about actionable ways to inject a little more laughter into your life, whether you're a patient, caregiver, or just trying to get by on your own. 

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc