Caregiving Comforts cover art

Caregiving Comforts

Caregiving Comforts

Written by: Denise M. Brown
Listen for free

About this listen

 You do the work without the title. You feel like you're constantly canceling plans, running on empty, and wondering how long you can keep up this pace. Sound familiar?Caregiving Comforts is the first and only podcast designed specifically for those overwhelmed moments when you need comfort, not another lecture about self-care.What Makes This Different:Episodes are just 2-3 minutes—perfect for your busy, unpredictable scheduleNo interviews, no experts—just authentic understanding from someone who's been thereContent comes from 30+ years of writing comfort for family caregivers like youPairs with weekly blog posts for deeper reflectionFrom the author of the Take Comfort book seriesYou'll Find Comfort For:Those days when you need a break but can't take a breakFeeling like life has canceled youThe exhaustion that no one else understandsWondering if you're losing yourself in caregivingThose 2 a.m. moments when you feel completely aloneUnlike other caregiving podcasts that require 30-60 minutes you don't have, Caregiving Comforts meets you exactly where you are with exactly what you need.Your Monday Comfort Ritual Starts HereWith 80+ episodes available, you have a library of understanding waiting for you. Whether you're new to caregiving or years into the journey, these bite-sized moments of comfort will remind you that you're seen, you're not alone, and what you're doing matters.#caregivingsupport #caregiving #compassion #stressreliefResourcesYou can read the comforts in "Support, Comfort and Compassion for You," our group on Caring Our Way, our community of support. Join us.You also can purchase Denise's five-book Take Comfort series so you always have comfort with you.About DeniseDenise M. Brown supports individuals managing difficult life experiences with coaching, planning and training. Through her work, Denise helps clients find hope, possibilities and a path forward. Denise began helping individuals who care for a family member in 1990 and launched a business to help them in 1995. She created one of the first online caregiving communities in 1996 which she managed until its sale in 2020.Denise now develops and delivers training programs for the workplace and for individuals who want to coach family caregivers. More than 400 individuals from eight different countries have enrolled in her training programs offered through her company, The Caregiving Years Training Academy. Her training programs have been approved to provide Continuing Education Units to health care professionals, including nurses, and human resource professionals. Denise developed several concepts, including The Six Caregiving Stages, The 12 Caregiving Fatigues and The 17 Caregiving Systems, which both explain the complexity of a personal caregiving situation and inspire interventions to better support family caregivers. Denise completed life coach training through iPEC Coaching in 2004 to ensure she brings the best skills possible into her training, her workshops and her support groups. Denise also hosts an online community, CaringOurWay.com, that supports individuals during and after their personal caregiving experience. Community members enjoy free workshops and special events like the Caregiving Listener Project and the 36-Hour Christmas Chat. For 18 years, Denise led Lunch and Learn workshops at employers located in the Midwest on behalf of Employee Assistance Programs and Work/Life Benefit companies. She presented to employees in various industries, including health care, financial services, telecom and insurance. Her seminars consistently were rated “Excellent” or “Very Good” by attendees. Her workshops provide insights to help attendees manage their work/life balance, their stress and their caregiving responsibilities. Denise is the author of several books that provide insights, comfort and hope to those who care, including The Caregiving Years, Your Guide to Navigating the Six Caregiving Stages and After Caregiving Ends, A Guide to Beginning Again. Her free resource, A Workbook for Your Workplace Wellness, helps individuals who care, grieve and work. Denise began helping her parents in 2004 after her father’s bladder cancer diagnosis. Her mom, who had Parkinson’s disease, died in August 2022, one year to the date after Denise’s brother died. Her father died in July 2023. Next Avenue named Denise a 2017 Influencer in Aging, one of “50 advocates, researchers, thought leaders, innovators, writers and experts who continue to push beyond traditional boundaries and change our understanding of what it means to grow older.” Her insights have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, US News & World Report, USA Today, SmartMoney.com, Time magazine and Chicago Tribune.Denise M. Brown Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • During Caregiving, How Do We Manage Uncertainty?

    During Caregiving, How Do We Manage Uncertainty?
    Jan 26 2026
    n this episode, Denise shares her latest Caregiving Comfort, "Thank You for Being Our Certainty" and the real conversation that inspired it—a community member's honest reflection on searching desperately online for answers that don't exist, only to pretend those fragments of information provide clarity.When so much of caregiving is unknowable—how long will this last? How will we afford it? What comes next?—where do we find solid ground?Denise explores what is certain in the midst of all that uncertainty: you. Your commitment. Your effort. Your resilience. Your ability to keep going, even when the storms are darkest. And how your refusal to pretend caregiving is fine is actually changing the conversation about what family caregivers need.This episode offers grounding and perspective for anyone caught in the exhausting cycle of searching for certainty in an inherently uncertain experience.Related resources:"Do We Search for a Way Out?""Thank You for Being Our Certainty"Join us for Coaching for Caregivers on January 31 and receive a free coaching session.Read our Caregiving Comforts.Purchase Denise's five-book Take Comfort series so you always have comfort with you.(Image by Annette Meyer from Pixabay)About Denise Denise supports individuals managing difficult life experiences with coaching, planning and training. Through her work, Denise helps clients find hope, possibilities and a path forward. Denise began helping individuals who care for a family member in 1990 and launched a business to help them in 1995. She created one of the first online caregiving communities in 1996 which she managed until its sale in 2020.Denise now develops and delivers training programs for the workplace and for individuals who want to coach family caregivers. More than 600 individuals from eight different countries have enrolled in her training programs offered through her company, The Caregiving Years Training Academy. Her training programs have been approved to provide Continuing Education Units to health care professionals, including nurses, and human resource professionals.Denise also hosts an online community, CaringOurWay.com, that supports individuals during and after their personal caregiving experience. Community members enjoy free workshops and special events like the Caregiving Listener Project and the 36-Hour Christmas Chat. Denise is the author of several books that provide insights, comfort and hope to those who care, including The Caregiving Guide, Your Go-To Reference and Companion During All Stages of Your Caregiving Experience, and After Caregiving Ends, A Guide to Beginning Again. Her free resource, A Workbook for Your Workplace Wellness, helps individuals who care, grieve and work.Denise began helping her parents in 2004 after her father’s bladder cancer diagnosis. Her mom, who had Parkinson’s disease, died in August 2022, one year to the date after Denise’s brother died. Her father died in July 2023.Next Avenue named Denise a 2017 Influencer in Aging, one of “50 advocates, researchers, thought leaders, innovators, writers and experts who continue to push beyond traditional boundaries and change our understanding of what it means to grow older.” Her insights have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, US News & World Report, USA Today, SmartMoney.com, Time magazine and Chicago Tribune.Caregiving Comforts offers exactly what you need: 2-3 minutes of genuine understanding, comfort, and hope. Every Monday, Denise M. Brown shares reflections that speak directly to your caregiving reality—the exhaustion, the overwhelm, the moments when you wonder if life has canceled you.
    Show More Show Less
    8 mins
  • During Caregiving, Boiling Over with Purpose

    During Caregiving, Boiling Over with Purpose
    Jan 19 2026
    Family caregivers boil over for really important reasons. Join Denise as she reframes your breaking point—not as failure, but as evidence that systems have failed you. Discover how to turn your boiling point into a teaching moment and powerful advocacy.

    Resources
    • Join us for Coaching for Caregivers on January 31 and receive a free coaching session.
    • Read our Caregiving Comforts.
    • You also can purchase Denise's five-book Take Comfort series so you always have comfort with you.
    • Image by Ken Boyd from Pixabay


    Caregiving Comforts offers exactly what you need: 2-3 minutes of genuine understanding, comfort, and hope. Every Monday, Denise M. Brown shares reflections that speak directly to your caregiving reality—the exhaustion, the overwhelm, the moments when you wonder if life has canceled you.
    Show More Show Less
    6 mins
  • There's Always More To Do During Caregiving—Choose Yourself Next

    There's Always More To Do During Caregiving—Choose Yourself Next
    Jan 12 2026
    There's always another request, another thing to organize, another person who needs your help. But what about what you need? In this episode, Denise explores the guilt and pressure that keep caregivers from prioritizing themselves—and offers a simple but powerful permission: 'I'm next.' Discover what happens when you make yourself part of the equation, and why keeping your own life alive during caregiving isn't selfish—it's essential.ResourcesReceive our support to manage your caregiving stress. Enroll in our More Or Less Coaching Support Program.Receive our support to resolve three care challenges. Enroll in our Dementia Care Family Support Program.You also can purchase Denise's five-book Take Comfort series so you always have comfort with you.Image by Albrecht Fietz from PixabayAbout Denise Denise supports individuals managing difficult life experiences with coaching, planning and training. Through her work, Denise helps clients find hope, possibilities and a path forward. Denise began helping individuals who care for a family member in 1990 and launched a business to help them in 1995. She created one of the first online caregiving communities in 1996 which she managed until its sale in 2020.Denise now develops and delivers training programs for the workplace and for individuals who want to coach family caregivers. More than 400 individuals from eight different countries have enrolled in her training programs offered through her company, The Caregiving Years Training Academy. Her training programs have been approved to provide Continuing Education Units to health care professionals, including nurses, and human resource professionals.Denise also hosts an online community, CaringOurWay.com, that supports individuals during and after their personal caregiving experience. Community members enjoy free workshops and special events like the Caregiving Listener Project and the 36-Hour Christmas Chat. Denise is the author of several books that provide insights, comfort and hope to those who care, including The Caregiving Guide, Your Go-To Reference and Companion During All Stages of Your Caregiving Experience, and After Caregiving Ends, A Guide to Beginning Again. Her free resource, A Workbook for Your Workplace Wellness, helps individuals who care, grieve and work.Denise began helping her parents in 2004 after her father’s bladder cancer diagnosis. Her mom, who had Parkinson’s disease, died in August 2022, one year to the date after Denise’s brother died. Her father died in July 2023.Next Avenue named Denise a 2017 Influencer in Aging, one of “50 advocates, researchers, thought leaders, innovators, writers and experts who continue to push beyond traditional boundaries and change our understanding of what it means to grow older.” Her insights have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, US News & World Report, USA Today, SmartMoney.com, Time magazine and Chicago Tribune.Caregiving Comforts offers exactly what you need: 2-3 minutes of genuine understanding, comfort, and hope. Every Monday, Denise M. Brown shares reflections that speak directly to your caregiving reality—the exhaustion, the overwhelm, the moments when you wonder if life has canceled you.
    Show More Show Less
    8 mins
No reviews yet