Get ready for a moving and fascinating conversation. Sandra is joined by guests Sue and Deb to open up about the invisible toll of caregiving—on families, careers, and women’s equality. With decades of experience as executives, coaches, and caregivers themselves, they share unfiltered stories of navigating long-term care, juggling executive roles, parenting, grief, and the relentless demands of being “the rock” at home and at work.
We talk about:
- Deb’s journey from corporate executive to caregiver, losing her husband and parents while raising kids—and how it reshaped her career and purpose
- Sue’s story of caring for her father through end-of-life, balancing a startup role, and transforming her experience into a platform of support for others
- The hidden costs of caregiving: burnout, depression, financial strain, and the unspoken career trade-offs women face
- Why flexibility at work is no longer a “perk” but a necessity for caregivers—and what leaders can do differently
- The three “buckets” of caregiving choices, and the regrets that linger when support isn’t there
- How humor, therapy, friendships, and community can be lifelines through the hardest seasons
- Why reframing caregiving as both a burden and a blessing is essential to shifting culture—and closing the gender gap
Raw, honest, and at times heartbreaking, this conversation shines a light on the realities 75% of caregivers—mostly women—face worldwide. It’s a call for workplaces, leaders, and society to rethink how we support those carrying the heaviest load.
Whether you’re a caregiver now, have been one in the past, or will be in the future, this episode will leave you seen, supported, and inspired to keep pushing for change.
Our guests this week:
Deborah Bakti worked as an executive in seniors’ care for 11 years, and during that time became a resident’s family member three times with her husband, mom, and dad. That life-changing experience led her to found her consulting and training company, THINK Breakthrough Inc, to support seniors’ care organizations in building stronger partnerships with families. Her signature methodology, The Relational Approach™, helps transform the emotionally complex transition into seniors’ care by shifting interactions between staff and families from transactional to relational, building trust, clarity, and connection from the very first day.