Caregiving doesn’t just affect your schedule and emotions; it affects your brain.

In this episode of The Care Collective Podcast, Mikayla sits down with Dr. Christine Powell, an education therapist and executive functioning coach, to explore the brain science behind caregiving stress.

Many caregivers experience mental exhaustion, forgetfulness, decision fatigue, and emotional overwhelm. But according to brain science, these experiences aren’t personal failures, they’re often the result of prolonged stress impacting the brain’s executive functioning systems.

Dr. Powell shares both professional insight and personal experience as her family supports her nearly 90-year-old father. Together, we discuss practical tools caregivers can use to reduce cognitive overload, support aging loved ones, and care for their own mental wellbeing.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What executive functioning is and why it matters for caregivers

• How chronic stress impacts memory, focus, and decision making

• Why caregivers often experience “brain overload”

• Simple systems that can reduce mental strain (checklists, calendars, visual tools)

• How to support autonomy in aging parents and loved ones

• Strategies to prevent caregiver burnout

• Why self-compassion is essential for caregiver wellbeing

Dr. Powell also shares helpful tools for supporting both caregivers and aging loved ones, including visual timers, structured routines, and ways to stimulate the brain through connection, memory, and meaningful engagement.

If you’re caring for a parent, spouse, or loved one and often feel mentally overwhelmed, this conversation will help you better understand what’s happening in your brain, and give you practical ways to lighten the load.

Resources Mentioned

Executive Function Assessment (Free)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfrrS2eef1-rbGMvgguXUzHryXvSmRaBojfg_4mx5yo1gzRFg/viewform

You can connect with Dr. Christine Powell through the ADHD Success Lab on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

https://learningbyconnecting.com/

Listen to The Care Collective Podcast

Follow the podcast and find all episodes here: https://linktr.ee/Carecollectivepodcast

About The Care Collective Podcast

The Care Collective Podcast shares honest conversations about caregiving, aging, grief, resilience, and the emotional realities of supporting the people we love. Our goal is to help caregivers feel seen, supported, and less alone.

Morning routines can become surprisingly difficult for people experiencing memory loss, dementia, or executive functioning challenges.

Tasks like brushing teeth, getting dressed, or preparing for an appointment may seem simple, but they actually require multiple brain functions working together. When those functions change, everyday routines can become confusing and overwhelming.

In this solo episode of The Care Collective Podcast, Mikayla explains why daily routines often break down for people with cognitive changes and shares a simple tool that can help: visual routines.

Visual routines use pictures and clear step-by-step prompts to help someone move through daily tasks with more independence and less frustration.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why executive functioning challenges make simple routines difficult • Why repeating instructions often doesn’t work • How visual cues and environment prompts can help • How to create a simple morning checklist for a loved one with memory challenges • Practical caregiver strategies to make mornings smoother

Mikayla also shares a free Visual Morning Routine Guide that caregivers can customize using their own photos to support loved ones with memory loss or cognitive changes.

This episode is especially helpful for caregivers supporting someone with:

• dementia or Alzheimer’s
• traumatic brain injury
• stroke recovery
• Parkinson’s disease
• ADHD or executive functioning challenges

🎧 Download the free Visual Morning Routine Guide Here

What happens when you start noticing small changes in a parent, missed appointments, unpaid bills, or confusion over everyday tasks, and suddenly realize the caregiving journey has begun?

In this episode of The Care Collective Podcast, Mikayla sits down with Ellen Frazier to talk about stepping into the role of caregiver for her mother while navigating the uncertainty of an ongoing dementia diagnosis.

Ellen shares how her journey began when she started noticing changes in her mom’s memory and daily routines. What started as frequent visits to help with small things, like finding the remote or adjusting the thermostat, eventually led to a major life decision: renovating her home so her mom could move in and live with her family.

This conversation explores the emotional, logistical, and relational realities of caregiving, from advocating within the healthcare system to managing caregiver burnout and finding moments of connection along the way.

If you are caring for an aging parent, supporting someone with dementia symptoms, or preparing for a future caregiving role, this episode offers both practical insights and emotional encouragement.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The early signs that a parent may need caregiving support
• How Ellen navigated the long and often frustrating process of seeking a dementia diagnosis
• What it looks like to advocate for a loved one within the healthcare system
• The emotional shift from occasional help to full-time caregiving
• Creating a living situation that supports both independence and safety
• The importance of caregiver mental health and avoiding compassion fatigue
• Building a support system and learning to accept help
• Self-care practices that help caregivers avoid burnout
• Why compassion and patience are essential when caring for someone experiencing memory changes

Ellen also shares how her background as a recovery coach and her own sobriety journey have shaped how she approaches caregiving with empathy, patience, and intentional self-care.

At the heart of this conversation is a reminder that caregiving is not just about tasks — it's about relationships, dignity, and meeting people where they are.

As Mikayla says throughout the podcast:

The Care Collective is here from the first emergency… all the way through the identity crisis of figuring out who you are after caregiving.

If you’re navigating this journey right now, you are not alone.

Resources Mentioned

Family Caregiver Support Resources https://www.caregiver.org

You can learn more about Ellen and her work here: https://ellenfrazier.com

Connect with The Care Collective

Follow the podcast for more conversations about caregiving, resilience, and navigating the realities of supporting aging loved ones.

https://linktr.ee/Carecollectivepodcast

What is it really like to build a 30-year career in professional caregiving?

In this episode of The Care Collective Podcast, I sit down with Christina Potts, a retired home health aide turned caregiver advocate, to talk about the realities of working in home care for three decades.

We discuss the hidden grief caregivers carry when clients pass away, why caregiving is often misunderstood as “just a job,” and the emotional resilience required to stay in the field long-term. Christina shares how formal training shaped her approach, what families should look for when hiring caregivers, and why background checks and credentials matter more than people realize.

We also dive into caregiver burnout, sexual harassment in home care, the national caregiver shortage, Medicaid and Medicare concerns, and the urgent need for better pay and benefits, including the push toward $20/hour wages and long-term retirement support for care workers.

If you are:

• A professional caregiver

• A family caregiver

• Considering caregiving as a career

• Hiring in-home care for a loved one

• Or advocating for better caregiver wages and protections

This conversation will give you insight, validation, and practical perspective.

Caregiving is real work. It is skilled work. And it deserves recognition.

—

Follow The Care Collective for more honest conversations about caregiving, grief, burnout, and building sustainable support systems for those who care for others.

Caregiver loneliness is real, and no one talks about it enough.

In this solo episode of The Care Collective Podcast, we’re diving into a hidden layer of caregiving: losing friends and feeling isolated while caring for someone you love.

If you’ve ever felt like your world has gotten smaller… Like you’re canceling plans more than you’re making them… Like friendships have quietly shifted since you became a caregiver…

You are not alone.

Caregiver isolation and social loneliness are incredibly common among family caregivers. Between managing appointments, emotional stress, anticipatory grief, and burnout, maintaining friendships can feel overwhelming, and sometimes impossible.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why caregiving changes friendships

• The emotional impact of social isolation

• The “double grief” of losing connection while caregiving

• Why friends may struggle to show up (without villainizing them)

• How to find support in this season

If you're caring for a parent, spouse, child, or loved one, and feeling alone in the process, this conversation is for you.

The Care Collective Podcast exists to support caregivers navigating burnout, grief, resilience, and the emotional weight of care. Because when caregivers feel seen and supported, everyone benefits.

🎧 Listen in, share with someone who needs it, and remember: you are not too much. You’re carrying something heavy.

Find more information on the podcast here: https://linktr.ee/Carecollectivepodcast

Caregiver burnout is real, and it doesn’t mean you’re failing.

In this episode, we’re talking about the emotional stress of caregiving, the warning signs of caregiver burnout, and how to prevent exhaustion when you’re caring for an aging parent, spouse, or loved one with dementia.

I’m joined by Kevin Lambing, co-owner of enhdme.com and longtime advocate for family caregivers. With a background in caregiver education, and personal experience in caregiving, Kevin shares practical insight into what burnout actually looks like in real life.

We discuss:

• The emotional toll of dementia caregiving
• How falls can impact both physical and mental health
• Sleep deprivation and caregiver anxiety
• Why “self-care isn’t selfish” is essential for survival
• The importance of respite care and support systems
• How to prepare your home to reduce stress and prevent crises
• Why caregiver stories matter, and how community reduces isolation

Caregiver burnout doesn’t happen overnight. It builds in the constant responsibility, the grief, the decision fatigue, and the feeling that you always have to be “on.”

Whether you’re in the early stages of caregiving or deep in the thick of it, this episode will remind you that you are not alone, and that protecting your own mental health is part of being a good caregiver.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Kevin’s free home safety checklist for families
• Fall prevention tools and dementia support resources (Links in show notes.)
• ENDHME for personal care products

If this episode resonates, share it with another caregiver who may need encouragement today.

You deserve support, too. 💛

Find more information on the Podcast Here

Who takes care of the caregiver?

In this special Valentine’s Day episode of The Care Collective Podcast, Mikayla shares a love letter to caregivers who are feeling exhausted, invisible, or emotionally overwhelmed.

Caregiving is one of the most loving roles a person can step into, but it’s also one of the most unseen. If you’re experiencing caregiver burnout, caregiver stress, grief while your loved one is still alive, or the quiet emotional weight that comes with supporting someone else, this episode is for you.

This is not a productivity episode. This is not advice on how to “do more.”

This is emotional support for caregivers, words of affirmation, encouragement, and reminders that:

• Being tired does not mean you are failing

• Burnout is not a personal weakness

• You deserve support that does not require you to earn it

• Love does not require losing yourself

You’ll also hear reflection questions designed to help you reconnect with your own identity outside of caregiving.

If you’ve ever felt invisible as a caregiver, struggled with limits, or wondered how to care for yourself while caring for someone else, this episode offers reassurance and practical emotional grounding.

Share this with another caregiver who needs to hear it.

Because caregivers deserve to be cared for too.

____________________________________________

Find more information about the Care Collective Podcast here: Link

How do you advocate for yourself at the doctor, especially when appointments feel rushed, medical records don’t always match, and you’re trying to explain months of symptoms in just a few minutes?

In this episode of The Care Collective Podcast, Mikayla sits down with two nurse practitioners to answer one of the most common healthcare questions patients and caregivers ask:

👉 How do you navigate medical appointments and make sure your voice is heard?

Together, they break down practical, real-life strategies to help you feel more confident and prepared when managing your healthcare or advocating for a loved one.

In This Episode, We Cover:

✔️ How to prepare for a doctor appointment

✔️ What to bring (including medication lists and health history notes)

✔️ How to ask better questions during medical visits

✔️ How to coordinate care between specialists and primary care providers

✔️ Why medical record errors and medication mix-ups happen (and how to catch them) ✔️ How caregivers can advocate for loved ones without conflict

✔️ How to navigate a fragmented healthcare system with more confidence

If you’ve ever left a medical appointment feeling confused, unheard, or overwhelmed, this episode will give you tools to better advocate for your health and make the most of your time with providers.

Connect with Our Guests:

👉 Learn more about Storyline and their patient advocacy services here: Story Line Health Navigation

Connect with Mikayla & The Care Collective:

👉 Follow along for caregiver support, advocacy education, and community resources: Find our Info Here

About The Care Collective Podcast:

The Care Collective Podcast helps caregivers and families feel empowered, seen, and less alone while navigating healthcare, aging, mental health, and complex medical decisions. Each episode shares expert insight, lived experiences, and emotional support for those caring for themselves or someone they love.

Talking about nursing homes, funeral planning, advanced directives, or medical decisions can feel overwhelming, and for many caregivers, these conversations feel almost impossible to start.

If you’ve ever avoided end-of-life planning conversations with someone you love, you are not alone… and you are not doing anything wrong.

In this episode of The Care Collective Podcast, we’re stepping away from checklists and paperwork and focusing on something caregivers are rarely taught:

👉 How to emotionally prepare for end-of-life conversations before a crisis happens.

Because end-of-life planning isn’t just practical preparation, it’s emotional preparation, nervous system regulation, and learning how to navigate fear, grief, guilt, and love all at the same time.

This episode is a gentle, supportive space to help caregivers begin processing these difficult topics without pressure, shame, or overwhelm.

Download the episode guide here: link

Follow us on Instagram here: Link

Making end-of-life decisions can feel overwhelming, emotional, and incredibly isolating, especially when you’re trying to do “the right thing” for someone you love.

In this episode of The Care Collective Podcast, I’m joined by Kristy from @ownyourend.co (on Instagram), who is changing the way we approach end-of-life planning with more clarity, compassion, and humanity. We talk about the emotional weight caregivers carry when navigating end-of-life decisions, why these conversations are so hard to have, and how planning ahead of crisis can actually reduce guilt, fear, and burnout.

Kristy also shares more about her new product launch, designed to help individuals and families navigate end-of-life wishes with less stress and more confidence, without feeling cold, rushed, or transactional.

If you’re caring for a parent, partner, or loved one, and feeling anxious, stuck, or unsure about next steps, this episode is for you.

You don’t have to have everything figured out today. You’re allowed to slow down. You’re not alone in this.

Topics covered:

• End-of-life decision anxiety
• Caregiver stress and emotional burnout
• How to talk about end-of-life wishes
• Planning ahead vs. crisis decision-making
• Compassionate end-of-life resources for families

Find more info about Kristy here:

Link to Kristy's Information