What happens when life doesn’t just take a detour—but completely reroutes your future?

In this deeply moving episode of Plucky Not Perfect, I’m joined by Erika Brouillette—mom, caregiver, advocate, podcast host, and founder of Reclaim: TBI Wives. Erika shares her story of becoming a full-time caregiver overnight when her husband suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, and how that moment reshaped her identity, faith, boundaries, and purpose.

We talk about:

• Advocating for a child with special needs—and a spouse with a traumatic brain injury
• Becoming a caregiver in the middle of crisis (and COVID)
• Losing yourself in survival mode—and how to slowly reclaim who you are
• The permission many women need to care for themselves without guilt
• Setting boundaries after years of people-pleasing
• Finding hope when doctors give none
• Why community matters when no one else truly “gets it”
• Gratitude, faith, and recognizing glimmers of hope in the darkest seasons

Erika also shares how her own healing led her to create a space for other women walking similar roads—women who are so often asked how their husband is doing, but rarely how they are.

This conversation is for anyone who has found themselves living a life they didn’t plan—and is learning how to keep going anyway.

Connect with Erika:

• Website & Community: Reclaim TBI Wives
• Podcast: Real Lives of TBI Wives
• Socials: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok

Connect with your host: Carrie