The Caregiver’s Journey: Drawing Purpose from Pain

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What would happen if you were suddenly thrust into the role of caregiver for someone you love? Would you have any idea what to do or how to do it?

It’s estimated that as many as 50 million people in the United States are caregivers, a job that virtually none of them trained for.

We all know someone who became a caregiver and had to learn on the fly. Unfortunately, there are precious few resources that can help. Sue Ryan and Nancy Treaster experienced it first-hand. These inspiring women worked together in the software industry before finding themselves facing a similar life challenge: becoming caregivers for their husbands, both of whom were battling dementia.

There was plenty of information about their husbands’ diagnoses. Doctors were happy to provide them with hordes of information about what to expect as the disease progressed, but nobody was there with practical information about how to be a caregiver for someone with dementia.

Their lived caregiving experience gave Sue and Nancy all the training they needed to make sure nobody else would have to figure it out on their own. That’s when they founded the sensationally popular podcast, The Caregiver’s Journey. Each episode features truly practical advice about how to manage as a caregiver. Topics range from self-care to advice for clipping your loved one’s fingernails. They truly cover it all.

The Caregiver’s Journey has since grown to a powerhouse brand that fills a hugely meaningful gap for anyone who finds themselves having to be a caregiver. The organization was recently granted nonprofit status.

In this episode, Sue and Nancy discuss their former careers, their friendship, and their own personal journeys. It’s at times compelling, heart wrenching and funny, but it’s entirely inspirational and helpful.

To learn more about The Caregiver’s Journey, visit them at thecaregiversjourney.org. And look up “The Caregiver’s Journey” on any podcast app.

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Second Act Stories theme music: “Between 1 and 3 am” by Echoes.

The Case of Rachel Humphrey: Trial Attorney Turned Women’s Leadership Champion

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Rachel Humphrey was a trial attorney who was certain she would spend her entire career in front of judges and juries and eventually retire in a courtroom. After relocating from Virginia to Atlanta with her husband, she took a job at a firm where she represented clients in the hospitality industry, and that sparked a passion she didn’t know she had. The hospitality industry was interesting to her, and she thought that becoming involved with the associations that help the industry might be a great next step, but she had no real business experience at all.

Prompted by the unexpected departure of the nanny who took care of her children, Rachel decided to leave her job to be there for her young family. This also allowed her to do some serious soul searching and figure out what would come next.

A serendipitous conversation with Cati Stone, then the executive director of Komen Atlanta, opened Rachel’s eyes in ways she never could have imagined. As fate would have it, and what Rachel didn’t know, was that Cati happened to be a former trial attorney who moved into a role as an association executive. The advice Rachel got from Cati showed her that there was a viable – and possible – path to follow her passion.

Rachel networked her way into an executive role with AAHOA, the largest hotel owners association in the country, eventually ascending to the role of Interim CEO. After realizing a need for more diversity in the hospitality, she later founded the Women in Hospitality Leadership Alliance.

In this episode, Rachel shares her path from fighting legal battles to advocating for women, and all the trials that went along with her journey.

If you like this episode, you may also enjoy these episodes featuring former attorneys with incredible second act careers:

Second Act Stories theme music: “Between 1 and 3 am” by Echoes

Two Friends Ditch The Corporate Job Search; Launch “Second Act Women”

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Barbara Brooks and Guadalupe Hirt are two, talented women based in Denver, Colorado. Both have entrepreneurial backgrounds but had the same plan as they approached their 50s: Get a stable, corporate job…Enjoy solid health benefits….And put away some retirement funds. But like many older workers they hit a brick wall called ageism.

After dozens of resume submissions and almost no interviews, they took a different direction. Barbara and Guadalupe formed an organization called Second Act Women. Not surprisingly, we love the name of their organization that helps women in their 40s, 50s and above navigate the latter stage of their professional lives. At the center of the group is an amazing event called “Biz Life Con” an active online community on Facebook. After a successful start in Denver, they are now in the early stages of taking their approach to other cities in the USA.

Click here to learn more about Second Act Women.