Ep 104: Promoted and Caregiving - The Reality Young Professionals Don't Talk About

BrainStorm wants to hear from you! Send us a text.What happens when your carefully mapped career path collides with an Alzheimer's diagnosis — and you're only 26? In this deeply personal episode of BrainStorm by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, host Meryl Comer sits down with Jessica Guthrie, founder of the online platform Career and Caregiving Collide, whose life changed forever when her mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's in 2014.Jessica shares what it means to be a young Black professional thrust into the role of long-distance caregiver — navigating a healthcare system that often didn't listen, workplaces that weren't designed with caregivers in mind, and support spaces where she was frequently the youngest and only Black person in the room. Rather than suffering in silence, she turned her experience into a growing online community where caregivers across generations find connection, validation, and practical wisdom.Meryl and Jessica unpack the hidden barriers facing Black families seeking an Alzheimer's diagnosis, the toll caregiving takes on career ambitions and financial security, and why the people who show up at diagnosis often disappear years down the road.This is conversation for anyone who has ever had to choose between their dreams and their family.Support the show