99: J. Smiles On Finding The Humor In The Difficult Role Of Caregiving For A Her Mother With Dementia

Caregiving is still a misunderstood and under-celebrated role in today's society. For this episode, we welcome J Smiles to talk about her amazing story of caring for her mother, launching a career in comedy, and how she managed to navigate these difficult terrains. Soon after her father's passing, J Smiles’ mother was diagnosed with two forms of dementia, and it took a minute for her to realize that the deterioration she was seeing in her mother was not just grief. The process surrounding her mother's diagnosis and treatment was a tricky one, and J Smiles generously opens up, sharing the biggest challenges and the lessons she learned through them. She notably talks about how she began to talk differently about her role as her mother's caregiver, relinquishing the early methods involving avoidance and shock. J Smiles tells us all about becoming an advocate for caregiving, and what it means to normalize these conversations about sensitive topics. This leads to our exploration of her work as a conscious comic and how she started this branch of her life as an escape before pouring her lived experience and authentic self into her routine. Today our guest also has her own podcast, called Parenting UP!, in which she brings together all these areas and themes in a show that is truly her, so make sure to give that a listen, as soon as you finish with this great episode!Send us a text message. We'd love to hear from you!