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The Caregivers Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Dr. Mark Ropeleski
The cost & courage of caring - stories that spark resilience.
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The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 4 days ago1h 33m
Caregiving Killed Our Marriage w/ Kate Washington
In this week's episode, Dr. Mark sits down for a deeply moving, brutally honest conversation with returning guest Kate Washington. Kate is a writer and former caregiver whose reality was completely upended when her former husband was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, shifting their dynamic from equal partners to nurse and patient.Kate opens up about the invisible mental load of caregiving, the erosion of physical and emotional intimacy, and the free-floating resentment that surfaces when your life is no longer your own. She also shares the immense guilt and social anxiety she faced when choosing to step away from her marriage years after the initial crisis passed—not out of selfishness, but as an act of survival.If you have ever felt completely invisible, isolated, or burnt out while looking after a loved one, this episode is a powerful reminder that you are not carrying this weight alone.Click here to watch a video of this episode. About Our Guest:Kate Washington is the author of Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout In America (BeaconPress, 2021) and a frequent speaker on the systemic challenges facing family caregivers. Herwriting has appeared in The New York Times, TIME, HuffPost, Eater, and many otherpublications. Her second book, Midstream: A Life Remade in 50 Swims, is forthcoming July 7, 2026. She holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and lives in Sacramento with her two daughters, one very friendly dog, and one very unfriendly cat.Support Our Guest: ▶️ Website: https://www.kawashington.com/▶️ Pre-Order Kate's new book, Midstream: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/816937/midstream-by-kate-washington/▶️ Buy Kate's book, Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America:https://www.kawashington.com/already-toast▶️ X: @washingtonkateConnect With Us:▶️ https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcastSubscribe to The Caregivers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. If you find these conversations helpful, please leave a review or share this episode with a fellow caregiver.🔊 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c 🔊 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665
- 1 weeks ago1h 36m
The Complete Guide to Hospice Care w/ Les Harp
In this weeks episode, Dr. Mark Ropeleski sits down with hospice nurse, clinical educator, and content creator Les Harp (@thathospiceguy). After unexpectedly becoming a caregiver and losing two wives to cancer, Les turned his profound personal grief into a life mission to educate families and healthcare professionals about the reality of end-of-life care.In this deeply moving and honest conversation, Dr. Mark and Les dismantle the biggest myths surrounding hospice, discuss how to handle shifting goals of care, and explore the heavy emotional toll—including anticipatory grief and burnout—carried by family caregivers.Whether your family is currently navigating an end-of-life diagnosis or you simply want to understand this inevitable stage of life with more humanity and less fear, this episode is for you.Click here to watch a video of this episode. Support Our Guest:▶️ TikTok: that.hospice.guy ▶️ IG: that_hospice_guy ▶️ YouTube: ThatHospiceGuy ▶️ Facebook: That Hospice Guy (https://www.facebook.com/p/That-Hospice-Guy-61584427606316/)Connect With Us:▶️ https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcastSubscribe to The Caregivers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. If you find these conversations helpful, please leave a review or share this episode with a fellow caregiver.Listen:🔊 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c 🔊 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665
- 2 weeks ago55 min
"Promise Me You’ll Never Put Me in a Home”: When Families Face Long-Term Care w/ Janice Martin
In this episode of The Caregivers Podcast, host Dr. Mark Ropeleski sits down with senior living expert Janice Martin to unpack the hidden traps families fall into during this challenging stage. From navigating the guilt of a "never put me in a home" promise to managing intense sibling friction over inheritance versus care costs, this conversation brings to light the realities families are often afraid to say out loud. We also explore the practical side of senior housing: baseline costs, level-of-care price thresholds, resident rights regarding personal habits, intimacy in care facilities, and how to recognize the tipping point of true caregiver burnout.Click here to watch a video of this episode. Support Our Guest:▶️ Book a call, buy a book, & more: https://stan.store/seniorliaison▶️ The Complete Guide To Assisted Living: https://amzn.to/4u3Cnb4▶️ The Journey To Assisted Living: Expectation vs. Reality: https://amzn.to/3P1lCi1Connect With Us:▶️ https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcastSubscribe to The Caregivers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. If you find these conversations helpful, please leave a review or share this episode with a fellow caregiver.🔊 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c 🔊 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665
- 4 weeks ago59 min
Setting Boundaries Without the Guilt: A Caregiver's Guide to Healing w/ Greg Fougere
Caregiving is often framed through the lens of love and duty, but what happens when it becomes an old survival role? In this episode, Dr. Mark Ropeleski sits down with trauma-informed coach Greg Fougere to explore the deep-rooted family patterns, nervous system responses, and "self-abandonment" that often drive the default caregiver.We dive into the concept of parentification - where children become the emotional regulators for their parents - and how these childhood adaptations create a "survival mode" baseline that leads to extreme burnout in adulthood. If you’ve ever felt like you can’t keep going but you also can't stop, this conversation is for you.Click here to watch a video of this episode. Support Our Guest:▶️Website: https://healoutloud.info ▶️Book a call: https://start.healoutloud.info/simple-book-call-appt ▶️TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greg.healoutloud ▶️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greg.healoutloud/ ▶️YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Greg.HealOutLoud ▶️Email: greg@healoutloud.infoConnect With Us:▶️ https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcastSubscribe to The Caregivers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. If you find these conversations helpful, please leave a review or share this episode with a fellow caregiver.🔊 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c 🔊 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665
- May 1, 20261h 13m
The Hidden Family Dynamics That Break Caregivers | Amy Vasterling on Narcissism and Care
Are you a family caregiver who feels trapped by unfair family dynamics? In this episode of The Caregivers Podcast, Dr. Mark Ropeleski welcomes author Amy Vasterling to discuss how family conditioning can strip away a caregiver’s identity. Amy shares insights from her book, Know, explaining why boundaries are often treated as betrayal in enmeshed families and how caregivers can reclaim their inner truth.The conversation dives deep into the difference between The Model (social and family control) and The Knowing (our innate truth). Amy and Dr. Mark explore the unique challenges faced by Highly Sensitive People (HSP) in caregiving roles, the hidden control within enabling behaviors like worry and guilt, and practical strategies for navigating siblings who refuse to share the load. If you have ever felt like the family scapegoat or struggle with the false moral standard of total sacrifice, this episode provides the language and tools you need to find safety and choice again. Click here to watch a video of this episode. About Our GuestAmy Vasterling is an author and researcher who helps individuals reclaim their inner truth from social and family conditioning. Her book, Know: Where the Status Quo Ends and You Come to Life, offers a handhold for those navigating complex emotional systems.Support Amy▶️"Know": https://mybook.to/knowbyamyvasterling▶️ https://linktr.ee/amyvasterling▶️ https://amyvasterling.comConnect With Us▶️ https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcastSubscribe to The Caregivers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. If you find these conversations helpful, please leave a review or share this episode with a fellow caregiver.🔊 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c 🔊 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665
- Apr 24, 20261h 0m
Is It Time For Assisted Living? w/ Janice Martin
When is it truly time to transition a parent or loved one into assisted living? In this episode of The Caregivers Podcast, Dr. Mark Ropeleski sits down with senior placement expert Janice Martin to pull back the curtain on the elder care industry.From navigating the 72-hour Medicare discharge crisis to the staggering reality of home care costs (which can exceed $21,000/month), Janice provides a roadmap for families feeling overwhelmed and guilty. We explore how to identify the subtle red flags of decline, how to choose a facility based on care rather than pretty furniture, and why the phrase "I love you too much to let you live like this" is the most powerful tool in a caregiver's arsenal. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Support Janice:▶️ Book a call, buy a book, & more: https://stan.store/seniorliaison ▶️ The Complete Guide To Assisted Living: https://amzn.to/4u3Cnb4 ▶️ The Journey To Assisted Living: Expectation vs. Reality: https://amzn.to/3P1lCi1 ▶️ https://www.instagram.com/Senior.liaison ▶️ https://www.tiktok.com/@Seniorliaisoncfl ▶️ https://www.facebook.com/janice.senior.liaisonFollow us:▶️ https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcastListen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts:🔊 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c 🔊 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665
- Apr 17, 20261h 18m
The Social Media Outrage Economy: Why Doom Scrolling Hooks Us w/ Dr. Pamela Rutledge
This week on The Caregivers Podcast, Dr. Mark sits down with media psychologist Dr. Pamela Rutledge to discuss the "unseen guest" in every caregiving environment: the social media feed. Caregiving already demands immense emotional steadiness, but how do we maintain that clarity when our phones are designed to keep us in a state of hyper-vigilance? We explore the psychological impact of the attention economy, why "doom scrolling" is a double-whammy for caregivers, and how to reclaim your agency in an environment designed to keep you activated.About Our Guest:Dr. Pamela Rutledge (PhD, MBA) is a leading media psychologist who focuses on the intersection of human behavior and digital technology. She helps individuals navigate the complexities of social media, focusing on how we can use these tools to enhance, rather than diminish, our well-being.Click here to watch a video of this episode. Support Our Guest:▶️www.pamelarutledge.com ▶️https://drpam.substack.comAll Things CGP: ▶️https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcastListen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts: 🔊 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c 🔊 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665
- Apr 10, 20261h 26m
How to Have a Midlife Crisis Without Breaking Your Life w/ Beverly Blaney
Is it just a sports car and a new wardrobe, or is there something deeper calling from within?In this episode of The Caregiver's Podcast, Dr. Mark welcomes back psychotherapist Bev Blaney to peel back the layers of the "midlife crisis." Moving past the Hollywood cliches, Bev and Mark explore the profound internal reckoning that occurs when the life we’ve built no longer feels like our own.They discuss the tension between the Ego - the rulebook we’ve followed since childhood - and the Soul, which often begins to "call" us toward a more authentic existence during our middle years. Whether you are currently questioning your own path or balancing the heavy responsibilities of caregiving for others while navigating your own transitions, this conversation offers a grounded, empathetic perspective on finding meaning in the "breakdown."Click here to watch a video of this episode. Follow us:▶️All things CGP: https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcast
About The Caregivers Podcast
The cost & courage of caring - stories that spark resilience.
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