Nobody Told Me This Part: Caregiving, Loss, and What Comes Next

How do you actually live your life after a massive, identity-shifting loss? In this final installment of our inaugural series, Shelby shares the gentle wisdom she wishes she could whisper to her 47-year-old self sitting on the couch. She breaks down why you must protect your own healing timeline from the well-meaning pressure of others, and what "moving forward, one breath at a time" practically looks like in her life today—from morning cups of coffee to launching this very podcast. If you are ready to stop staggering and start gently getting your bearings, this 10-minute episode is your invitation to step into the present moment. Need some regular encouragement for the journey? I send out weekly(ish) encouraging notes via email. You can sign up for them here. If you'd like to begin exploring who you are, what you like (and don't) with someone who has been in your shoes, I'd love to welcome you to a Who Am I Now? 75-minute session with me. No pressure. No big plans. Just a simple step or two to start you on your journey to discovery.

How do you start finding joy again when you’ve completely forgotten how to have fun? In this episode, Shelby shares a heartwarming and messy step in her own healing journey: visiting a local paint-your-own-pottery studio and eventually buying cheap acrylics to make art that, by her own admission, "really sucked." She discusses the profound guilt that comes with experiencing pleasure after loss, and how she used the memory of her husband Rich—her biggest cheerleader—to give herself permission to play. If you are terrified that finding joy means betraying your person's memory, this 10-minute episode is a gentle invitation to try something small, messy, and entirely for you. If you'd like to begin exploring who you are, what you like (and don't) with someone who has been in your shoes, I'd love to welcome you to a Who Am I Now? 75-minute session with me. No pressure. No big plans. Just a simple step or two to start you on your journey to discovery.

What do you do when the caregiving ends, the distractions are turned off, and you are left staring at a completely empty calendar? In this heavy but deeply necessary episode, Shelby talks about the moment her grief counselor asked her a simple question: "What do you do for fun?"—and the terrifying realization that she had no answer. If, after caregiving, you find yourself starting completely over in midlife, staring into what feels like an empty abyss of identity loss, this 10-minute episode is a gentle validation that you are not useless, you are not alone, and an empty space is simply a place where something new can eventually be built. If you'd like to begin exploring who you are, what you like (and don't) with someone who has been in your shoes, I'd love to welcome you to a Who Am I Now? 75-minute session with me. No pressure. No big plans. Just a simple step or two to start you on your journey to discovery.

Why is it that you can easily summon the energy to do laundry, buy groceries, and manage your family's needs, but getting up to do something for yourself feels entirely impossible? In this episode, Shelby opens up about her own "summer on the couch" following the loss of her husband. She shares how her late mother's blanket, alongside endless loops of Love It or List It and House Hunters, became a necessary psychological sanctuary. If you are running on caregiver autopilot but feel completely paralyzed when it comes to your own self-care, this 10-minute episode will give your exhausted body permission to simply rest. If you'd like to receive a weekly(ish) encouraging email from me, please just click here

What happens when the caregiving stops, the paperwork slows down, and you are suddenly hit with a wave of relief? In this episode, Shelby shares a raw, personal story about a solitary lunch at a neighborhood Chili's, a ringing phone, and the sudden, suffocating guilt that comes when the storm finally ends. If you are struggling to balance grief with a newfound sense of peace, this 10-minute episode is a gentle reminder that your feelings are normal, valid, and a necessary part of moving forward. If you'd like to receive a weekly(ish) encouraging email from me, please just click here. 

When your caregiving journey ends, the world expects you to simply move on. On the outside, you’re doing all the things that have to be done—paying bills, managing the family, and going through the motions. But on the inside, does the spark that made you you feel completely gone? In this very first official episode of Nobody Told Me This Part, host Shelby DellaRosa shares her personal story of caregiving for her husband, Rich, for 15 years, and the "summer on the couch" that followed his passing. Shelby dives gently into the profound identity shift that happens when you are no longer a caregiver, why a Buffy the Vampire Slayer song perfectly captures this feeling, and why you might be feeling a confusing mix of grief, guilt, and even quiet relief. If you feel hollow or lost today, please know: you are seen, you are understood, and you do not have to figure out what comes next alone. If you'd like to receive a weekly(ish) encouraging email from me, please just click here.

The host of Nobody Told Me This Part: caregiving, loss, & what comes next, Shelby DellaRosa, welcomes new guests to this podcast for caregivers who are struggling after the loss of their person.