The Caregivers Podcast

Latest Episodes:

PTSD Crisis Management w/ Dr. Shaili Jain Mar 13, 2026

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In this episode of The Caregivers Podcast, Dr. Mark sits down with Dr. Shaili Jain - a Stanford psychiatrist and world-renowned PTSD expert—to provide a practical "playbook" for caregivers. We dive deep into the neuroscience of trauma, explaining why logic fails during a trigger and how caregivers can protect their own nervous systems from "vicarious traumatization."

Support our guest:
▶️ https://www.shailijainmd.com/
▶️ https://www.shailijainmd.com/buy-book
▶️ https://www.tiktok.com/@thestressdocmd

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Chronic Pain Explained w/ Dr. Dean Tripp Mar 06, 2026

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This week on The Caregivers Podcast, Dr. Mark sits down with returning guest Dr. Dean Tripp, a professor of Psychology, Anesthesiology, and Urology at Queens University.

Together, they pull back the curtain on the neuroscience of chronic pain, explaining how it physically alters the brain and why the traditional medical model often fails those in pain. Dr. Tripp introduces the C.A.R.E. Method, a practical framework for caregivers to provide empathy without burning out, and tackles the taboo topic of caregiver resentment.

Whether you are living with pain or caring for someone who is, this episode offers a roadmap for moving from a state of learned helplessness back into a loving partnership.

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How To Build Capacity As A Caregiver w/ Susan Ackland Feb 27, 2026

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In this episode of The Caregivers Podcast, Host Dr. Mark sits down with Susan Ackland, a psychotherapist with decades of experience who has spent the last 10 years navigating the complexities of caring for a mother with Alzheimer’s and a father-in-law with Lewy body dementia, all while raising children and maintaining her professional practice.

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Do You 'owe' Aging Parents Care? w/ Elizabeth Miller Feb 20, 2026

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In this episode of The Caregivers Podcast, Dr. Mark sits down with Elizabeth Miller, founder of Happy Healthy Caregiver, to tackle the question nobody wants to say out loud: When parents age and need care, what do their adult children actually owe them?

As a veteran podcaster and sandwich generation caregiver, Elizabeth shares the raw reality of balancing a career and children while managing the declining health of aging parents. We discuss the mudslide of caregiving, the difference between being a caregiver and a care partner, and how to handle the burnout that comes with the impossible squeeze of the sandwich generation.

Click here to watch a video of this episode.
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▶️YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAcYkpMK6I3Y0ep-kyvrZaQ

Decolonizing Medicine: A New Vision for Future Doctors w/ Dr. Jamaica Cass Feb 13, 2026

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Why do Indigenous communities distrust the healthcare system, and how do we fix it?

In this episode of The Caregivers Podcast, Dr. Mark sits down with Dr. Jamaica Cass - the first Indigenous woman in Canada to earn both an MD and a PhD. Dr. Cass shares her mission to decolonize medicine, from reshaping medical school curricula to building localized health education programs.

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Parenting a Child with Pulmonary Hypertension w/ Cynthia Neilson Feb 06, 2026

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In this episode of The Caregivers Podcast, host Dr. Mark sits down with Cynthia Neilson to discuss the emotional and practical realities of raising a child with a rare heart-lung condition.

Cynthia shares her journey from the initial shock of a complex diagnosis at SickKids to the "stress tests" of everyday parenting—navigating medical equipment at bedtime, setting boundaries with school, and eventually empowering her daughter, Clare, to become her own advocate. It is a story of resilience, finding peace in the face of uncertainty, and the vital importance of caregiver communities.

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Is Caregiving a Life Sentence? w/ Kate Washington Jan 30, 2026

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In this episode of The Caregivers Podcast, author Kate Washington joins us to discuss her powerful memoir, Already Toast, and the invisible crisis of caregiver burnout. We explore the raw emotional realities of spousal caregiving, the "slow slide" into medical responsibility, and how systemic failures in the healthcare system leave families feeling abandoned.

Kate Washington is the author of Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America, a powerful blend of memoir and reporting that exposes how quickly love and responsibility can become total, invisible labor when a partner becomes seriously ill. Her story traces the psychological narrowing caregivers live through: identity erosion, relentless coordination, and the quiet reality of doing high-stakes care with little training, pay, or recognition, all inside a system that often treats caregiving as private “family stuff,” not real work. Washington is also a longtime journalist and food writer based in Northern California, and a frequent speaker on the systemic challenges facing family caregivers.

Click here to watch a video of this episode.
Support our guest:
▶️ Website: https://www.kawashington.com/

▶️ Buy Kate's book, Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America:
https://www.kawashington.com/already-toast

Caregiving in 2026: What's IN and What's OUT Jan 23, 2026

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Is caregiving consuming your life, or are you surviving the work? In this episode of The Caregivers Podcast, Dr. Mark breaks down why the "hero narrative" is breaking caregivers and why 2026 is the year we shift from mindless sacrifice to strategic sustainability.

We explore the 10 things that are IN (like boundaries as a clinical skill and energy management) and the 10 things that are officially OUT (like toxic empathy and productivity worship). If you are a professional clinician, a family caregiver, or an advocate, this conversation provides a new framework for protecting your health while caring for others.

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Nurses on the Edge: Fear, Burnout, & Hope w/ Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions President Linda Silas Jan 16, 2026

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In this powerful episode of The Caregivers Podcast, Dr. Mark Ropeleski sits down with Linda Silas, President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses' Unions (CFNU), to discuss the precarious state of nursing in 2026.

Far beyond simple "burnout," Linda describes a "moral injury" occurring across Canada—a systemic failure where nurses are forced into 30-hour shifts, face escalating workplace violence, and are unable to provide the level of care their patients deserve

Watch the full video episode here:
▶️YouTube: https://youtu.be/W0kbtWNrGL4

Support our guest:
▶️Twitter: https://x.com/CFNUPresident
▶️Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CFNUPresident/

2026: Caregivers Reset Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

Caregivers don’t need more motivation, they need more margin. In this Season 2 premiere, Dr. Mark Ropeleski addresses the "diffusion of energy" that leads to caregiver burnout. If you find yourself saying "yes" to every crisis but "no" to your own well-being, this episode is your permission to simplify.

Watch the full video episode:
▶️YouTube: https://youtu.be/lzn6qzCgHag

Books referenced in this episode:
📖 Essentialism by Greg McKeown
📖 The One Thing by Gary Keller
📖 Atomic Habits by James Clear
📖 The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

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