Caregiving doesn’t just affect your schedule and emotions; it affects your brain.

In this episode of The Care Collective Podcast, Mikayla sits down with Dr. Christine Powell, an education therapist and executive functioning coach, to explore the brain science behind caregiving stress.

Many caregivers experience mental exhaustion, forgetfulness, decision fatigue, and emotional overwhelm. But according to brain science, these experiences aren’t personal failures, they’re often the result of prolonged stress impacting the brain’s executive functioning systems.

Dr. Powell shares both professional insight and personal experience as her family supports her nearly 90-year-old father. Together, we discuss practical tools caregivers can use to reduce cognitive overload, support aging loved ones, and care for their own mental wellbeing.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What executive functioning is and why it matters for caregivers

• How chronic stress impacts memory, focus, and decision making

• Why caregivers often experience “brain overload”

• Simple systems that can reduce mental strain (checklists, calendars, visual tools)

• How to support autonomy in aging parents and loved ones

• Strategies to prevent caregiver burnout

• Why self-compassion is essential for caregiver wellbeing

Dr. Powell also shares helpful tools for supporting both caregivers and aging loved ones, including visual timers, structured routines, and ways to stimulate the brain through connection, memory, and meaningful engagement.

If you’re caring for a parent, spouse, or loved one and often feel mentally overwhelmed, this conversation will help you better understand what’s happening in your brain, and give you practical ways to lighten the load.

Resources Mentioned

Executive Function Assessment (Free)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfrrS2eef1-rbGMvgguXUzHryXvSmRaBojfg_4mx5yo1gzRFg/viewform

You can connect with Dr. Christine Powell through the ADHD Success Lab on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

https://learningbyconnecting.com/

Listen to The Care Collective Podcast

Follow the podcast and find all episodes here: https://linktr.ee/Carecollectivepodcast

About The Care Collective Podcast

The Care Collective Podcast shares honest conversations about caregiving, aging, grief, resilience, and the emotional realities of supporting the people we love. Our goal is to help caregivers feel seen, supported, and less alone.

Morning routines can become surprisingly difficult for people experiencing memory loss, dementia, or executive functioning challenges.

Tasks like brushing teeth, getting dressed, or preparing for an appointment may seem simple, but they actually require multiple brain functions working together. When those functions change, everyday routines can become confusing and overwhelming.

In this solo episode of The Care Collective Podcast, Mikayla explains why daily routines often break down for people with cognitive changes and shares a simple tool that can help: visual routines.

Visual routines use pictures and clear step-by-step prompts to help someone move through daily tasks with more independence and less frustration.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why executive functioning challenges make simple routines difficult • Why repeating instructions often doesn’t work • How visual cues and environment prompts can help • How to create a simple morning checklist for a loved one with memory challenges • Practical caregiver strategies to make mornings smoother

Mikayla also shares a free Visual Morning Routine Guide that caregivers can customize using their own photos to support loved ones with memory loss or cognitive changes.

This episode is especially helpful for caregivers supporting someone with:

• dementia or Alzheimer’s
• traumatic brain injury
• stroke recovery
• Parkinson’s disease
• ADHD or executive functioning challenges

🎧 Download the free Visual Morning Routine Guide Here

What happens when you start noticing small changes in a parent, missed appointments, unpaid bills, or confusion over everyday tasks, and suddenly realize the caregiving journey has begun?

In this episode of The Care Collective Podcast, Mikayla sits down with Ellen Frazier to talk about stepping into the role of caregiver for her mother while navigating the uncertainty of an ongoing dementia diagnosis.

Ellen shares how her journey began when she started noticing changes in her mom’s memory and daily routines. What started as frequent visits to help with small things, like finding the remote or adjusting the thermostat, eventually led to a major life decision: renovating her home so her mom could move in and live with her family.

This conversation explores the emotional, logistical, and relational realities of caregiving, from advocating within the healthcare system to managing caregiver burnout and finding moments of connection along the way.

If you are caring for an aging parent, supporting someone with dementia symptoms, or preparing for a future caregiving role, this episode offers both practical insights and emotional encouragement.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The early signs that a parent may need caregiving support
• How Ellen navigated the long and often frustrating process of seeking a dementia diagnosis
• What it looks like to advocate for a loved one within the healthcare system
• The emotional shift from occasional help to full-time caregiving
• Creating a living situation that supports both independence and safety
• The importance of caregiver mental health and avoiding compassion fatigue
• Building a support system and learning to accept help
• Self-care practices that help caregivers avoid burnout
• Why compassion and patience are essential when caring for someone experiencing memory changes

Ellen also shares how her background as a recovery coach and her own sobriety journey have shaped how she approaches caregiving with empathy, patience, and intentional self-care.

At the heart of this conversation is a reminder that caregiving is not just about tasks — it's about relationships, dignity, and meeting people where they are.

As Mikayla says throughout the podcast:

The Care Collective is here from the first emergency… all the way through the identity crisis of figuring out who you are after caregiving.

If you’re navigating this journey right now, you are not alone.

Resources Mentioned

Family Caregiver Support Resources https://www.caregiver.org

You can learn more about Ellen and her work here: https://ellenfrazier.com

Connect with The Care Collective

Follow the podcast for more conversations about caregiving, resilience, and navigating the realities of supporting aging loved ones.

https://linktr.ee/Carecollectivepodcast