Most caregivers don't call themselves caregivers. They're just helping someone they love.

Chris Punsalan didn't set out to become one either. But when his grandmother could no longer care for herself, he stepped in. What followed was an eight-year journey that would reshape his life, identity, and purpose.

In this conversation, Chris shares what caregiving really looks like behind closed doors, the emotional weight, the quiet moments of dignity, and the responsibility that changes you. We talk about grief, legacy, and the power of storytelling as a way to make others feel less alone.

Chris is a content creator, former full-time caregiver, and now Creative Director at TenderCare, where he's helping build resources for families navigating care. His work has reached millions because it doesn't try to be perfect, it tells the truth.

This episode is for anyone who has ever cared for someone, is caring for someone now, or will one day step into that role.

Caregiving will touch all of us. The question is, are we prepared for it?

To learn more about Chris Punsalan visit HERE.

To learn more about tendercare visit HERE.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit www.willgatherpodcast.com

What happens when the person caring for others professionally suddenly becomes a caregiver at home?

In this episode of the willGather Podcast, Nicole Will sits down with Saudia Gajadhar, Vice President of Marketing & Communications and Chief Happiness Officer at Comfort Keepers, for a conversation about what care really means, beyond services, schedules, and safety plans.

Saudia now finds herself living the same reality many families face: supporting aging parents while navigating the emotional shift from daughter to caregiver. Together, Nicole and Saudia explore the human side of aging, independence, and the quiet moments that bring dignity and joy into everyday life.

This conversation moves beyond logistics to ask bigger questions:
How do we help someone remain themselves as life changes?
What do families actually need when care enters the home?
And why does human connection still matter more than any technology we create?

You'll hear insights on aging in place, dementia caregiving, home care support, caregiver well-being, and the power of small moments, what Comfort Keepers calls a "Daily Dose of Joy." From navigating difficult decisions to redefining what "home" really means, this episode offers encouragement for families, caregivers, and anyone walking alongside someone they love.

Because care, at its best, isn't about managing decline.
It's about elevating the human spirit and remembering that joy is still possible.

Learn more about Comfort Keepers: https://www.comfortkeepers.com/

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit www.willgatherpodcast.com

In this conversation, Nicole speaks with Shauna Sweeney, caregiver, founder and CEO of tendercare, about what caregiving asks of us when love reshapes our lives. Drawing from caring for her dad with early-onset Alzheimer's from 3,500 miles away, Shauna shares how families can move from crisis to clarity and why systems must center families.

Shauna reflects on the emotional collision of identities that caregiving brings daughter, advocate, organizer, protector, and what she learned from her dad about dignity, autonomy, and the desire to still be known. We talk about inequity in caregiving, why families must be treated as the true power source of care, and how tendercare is challenging a system that too often centers institutions over people.

To learn more about tendercare visit: https://trytendercare.com/

Get your free tenderID: https://trytendercare.com/tenderid/

Get Info on trusted network: https://trytendercare.com/trusted-network/

Watch Sweeney's Rock Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3xe_SH2_n4

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit www.willgatherpodcast.com

Thank you to our Sponsor

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers. We invite you to use the code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription HERE.

How do we measure quality care in a way that truly supports families? In this episode, Nicole sits down with Ben Harder, Managing Editor and Chief of Health Analysis at U.S. News & World Report, to explore the heart and science behind the 2026 Best Nursing Homes ratings.

Together, they break down the updated methodology, what makes top-performing facilities stand out, and how families can use these insights to make confident, compassionate decisions, whether navigating short-term rehab or long-term care.

This conversation brings clarity to a system that often feels overwhelming, offering a grounded look at how data, transparency, and thoughtful evaluation can guide better care for the people we love most.

View US News & World Report Best Nursing Homes HERE.

Thank you to our Sponsor

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit www.willgatherpodcast.com

Instagram: @willgather

At 26, Jessica C. Guthrie, M.Ed became a full-time caregiver for her mom living with early-onset Alzheimer's. Now a leading advocate and educator, Jessica is reshaping how we understand the intersection of career and caregiving. In this conversation, she and host Nicole Will explore love, equity, and representation in care, what it means to be seen, to lead with compassion, and to build a world where every caregiver's story belongs.

To learn more, visit: https://www.jessicacguthrie.com/

To connect with Jessica, visit:

@CareerCaregivingCollide

LinkedIn: Jessica C. Guthrie, M.Ed

Thank you to our Sponsor

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers. Creating engaging, dementia-friendly video content to reduce anxiety, spark memories, and provide meaningful moments of connection for individuals living with cognitive challenges and their caregivers. We invite you to use the code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription HERE.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit www.willgatherpodcast.com

Instagram: @willgather

When her husband was diagnosed with frontotemporal degeneration at just 29, Katie Brandt's life changed overnight. What began as confusion and heartbreak became a lifelong calling to transform how we see, support, and study dementia. Today, Katie is the Director of Caregiver Support Services and Public Relations at the Massachusetts General Hospital Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, and the Founder & CEO of Katie Brandt Advocacy.

In this conversation, we talk about what it means to become a "caregiver detective", the quiet observer, the record keeper, the advocate who pieces together the truth when something feels off. We explore how early and accurate diagnosis brings dignity, how research becomes more human when it includes caregiver voices, and why supporting caregivers isn't just compassionate, it's strategic. Katie shares the lessons she's learned through love, loss, and leadership, and how her belief that "love will end FTD" continues to guide her work and the families she serves.

To buys tickets and learn more about A Night with the Arts for FTD, an annual gala featuring the Sermos Memorial Art Show, benefitting the clinical research program in the MGH Frontotemporal Disorders Unit. Visit HERE.

The MGH Frontotemporal Disorders Unit hosts From Care to Cure podcast. Listen HERE.

Thank you to our Sponsor

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit www.willgatherpodcast.com

Comedian Kelsey Cook, known for her specials on Hulu and YouTube, opens up about her personal journey as a caregiver for her mom with Frontotemporal Dementia. In this heartfelt conversation, Kelsey shares the early signs she noticed, the trauma of crisis care, and the challenges of supporting her mom from a distance. She reflects on how humor has been a lifeline, how advocacy became part of her purpose, and why community connection matters now more than ever.

Follow Kelsey and check out her work and podcast! https://www.kelseycook.com/

Thank you to our Sponsor

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit www.willgatherpodcast.com

When caregiving became her world overnight, Andrea Suchin's life changed forever. Her husband was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia at 54, leaving Andrea to navigate full-time caregiving while raising four children. Sleepless nights and overwhelming stress became her reality. Out of that journey, Andrea and her sister created Wuggle™, a deep touch pressure sleep cap designed to bring calm and restorative rest. In this episode, Andrea shares her story of resilience, the creation of Wuggle™, and how better sleep can transform the caregiving journey.

To learn more about Wuggle here: http://www.wuggleme.com/

Thank you to our Sponsor

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit www.willgatherpodcast.com

Instagram: @willgather