This episode is about love, responsibility, anticipatory grief, and the hard part no one prepares you for: the after. When the role ends, the routines disappear, and you are left asking, “Who am I now?”

In this episode, Derek Canty joins me to share what it was really like before and after he became his mother’s caretaker following her cancer diagnosis.

Derek opens up about the tension of being both “the responsible one” and still just a son, trying to stay present while the ground is shifting underneath you.

We talk about the role you take on before you are ready, and how caretaking can blur everything, including your identity, your emotional capacity, and even your relationship with the person you love most.

We also talk about what it feels like to lose a loved one in real time, how grief can pull you so far from yourself you barely recognize who you are, and what happens to a family when loss touches everyone in different ways.

Life is not about holding everything together. It is about knowing what to release. Kristen Crockett unpacks the emotional and practical parts of letting go in life, leadership, and identity. A grounding, eye opening episode for anyone ready to creat more space for happiness, joy, and alignment.

In this Episode:

-Why letting go is a leadership and life skill -How holding on to old identities blocks clarity, joy, and next level opportunities

-The connection between grief, growth, and alignment

-Why shrinking yourself disconnects you from your power

-A powerful leadership lesson

-How to identify the one thing you are currently carrying that is draining you

-Why making space is the real beginning of alignment

In this powerful and unforgettable episode of The Plastic Couch Podcast, Yarbrah shares her experience transitioning into a C-suite role as Chief Program Officer before she made the difficult decision to choose herself and quit her job. She also talks about the physical and mental toll of burnout, being the problem solver, pushing beyond capacity, how childhood experiences shaped her identity as a high achiever, her struggle with perfectionism, and the breaking point that led to her decision to leave her role despite feelings of guilt and responsibility.

[00:00] Introduction to episode about being the "strong friend"

[01:00] Yarbrah describes her breaking point and decision to quit

[02:00] Host Kristen welcomes Yarbrah to the podcast

[04:00] Yarbrah describes herself in three words: empowering, anxious, leader

[07:00] Yarbrah discusses quickly being promoted to Chief Program Officer

[10:00] Trying to maintain a confident facade while struggling

[14:00] Childhood experiences as the "good girl" who achieved[18:00] Comparison with her sister and internalizing problems

[23:00] Discussion about perfectionism and avoiding activities not immediately good at

[27:00] Internal struggle of feeling responsible for fixing everything[32:00] Kristen spotting signs of Yarbrah's struggle

[36:00] Never learning when something was "too much"

[40:00] Physical symptoms of burnout

[45:00] Moment of truth – seeing herself in the mirror

[50:00] Returning from vacation and decision to quit[55:00] Friend pointing out she picked herself, not just let others down

[59:00] Unrealistic plans for productivity during time off

[01:04:00] Challenge of truly resting for the first time

[01:08:00] Closing advice about identifying people who see you

[01:22:00] Closing thanks and sign-off