Some parts of caregiving are easy to talk about. Others are messy, lonely, heartbreaking, funny at completely inappropriate times, and much harder to admit.

This week on Mind What Matters, Nikki DeLoach turns the questions toward Elizabeth Humphreys for a conversation about Liz's book, Too Bad About That, and the 13-year journey with her mother that inspired it.

Liz shares where the book's title came from and why she wanted to tell a story about Alzheimer's that didn't leave out the darker parts: anticipatory grief, family fractures, resentment, guilt, loneliness, impossible decisions, and the moments of absurdity that somehow exist alongside all of it.

But as Nikki reflects on Liz's story, another thread emerges. This is also a story about learning to let other people in. They talk about the communities of women who taught Liz what it meant to show up for someone, the years she spent believing she had to handle hard things on her own, and the people who eventually gave her a safe place to fall apart.

They also revisit some of the most painful moments of caring for Liz's mom, including what happens when the people making decisions about someone you love don't see what you're seeing. For Liz, learning to trust her own knowledge of her mother became one of the most important lessons of the entire experience.

Because caregiving doesn't come with a neat ending, and neither does grief. Sometimes surviving it means trusting what you know, finding people willing to sit beside you in the hardest moments, and allowing love to be a lot less polished than we imagine it should be.

To learn more about Mind What Matters or to support our mission head to our website.

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Mind What Matters is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

Why are you still tired after a full night's sleep? Can you really catch up on sleep over the weekend? And are melatonin and magnesium actually helping you sleep better?

This week on Mind What Matters, Elizabeth Humphreys and Nikki DeLoach sit down with double board-certified sleep medicine physician and pediatric neurologist Dr. Christopher Allen, known as Sleep Dr. Chris, for a practical conversation about sleep, brain health, and what happens when getting the recommended seven to nine hours doesn't fit neatly into your life.

Dr. Chris breaks down sleep debt, circadian rhythm, sleep apnea, melatonin, magnesium, restless legs, and the small changes that can make it easier for your brain and body to wind down. He also explains why consistently poor sleep may be telling you something beyond needing a better bedtime routine and when it may be time to see a sleep specialist.

Nikki brings her own experience with ADHD and an unpredictable work schedule into the conversation, while Liz asks about everything from catching up on lost sleep to that sudden falling sensation that can happen just as you're drifting off. They also explore sleep during perimenopause and menopause, including why women experiencing middle-of-the-night wakeups shouldn't automatically have their concerns dismissed as stress or anxiety.

And for caregivers, who often have little control over when or how long they can sleep, Dr. Chris offers a more realistic approach: protect the sleep you can get, understand what your body needs, and give yourself some grace when life gets in the way.

Because better sleep isn't only about how you feel tomorrow morning. It's part of taking care of your brain, body, and long-term health.

To learn more about Mind What Matters or to support our mission head to our website.

Connect with us on Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

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Mind What Matters is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

Caregiver burnout doesn't always look like complete exhaustion. Sometimes it looks like anger, resentment, fear, guilt, or even wanting to get as far away from the person you love as possible.

This week on Mind What Matters, Elizabeth Humphreys and Nikki DeLoach have an honest conversation about caregiver mental health and the emotions that can be difficult to admit, especially when you've spent months or years in survival mode.

Liz shares a deeply personal experience that helped her recognize disgust as part of her own response to caregiving trauma. Nikki opens up about learning to recognize her fight response and why she's had to practice pausing before reacting, fixing, or trying to change something outside of her control.

Together, they explore caregiver burnout, trauma responses, emotional processing, boundaries, self-compassion, and the complicated transition that can happen when an intense caregiving season ends. They also talk about accepting people for who they are without abandoning yourself, finding small ways to care for your mental health when time and resources are limited, and why having even one person you can be completely honest with can matter.

Because caregiving can bring out emotions we're not proud of. That doesn't mean we have to hide from them. Learning to understand what we're feeling may be part of finding our way through.

To learn more about Mind What Matters or to support our mission head to our website.

Connect with us on Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

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Mind What Matters is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.