No One Trains You For This: What 30 Years of Leadership Never Taught Her About Caregiving

What does it take to care for a parent from another continent — while running a global team, then walking away from thirty years of corporate leadership to build a life around freedom instead? Françoise Le Poulichet has spent her career navigating hidden burdens — first her own, in a narcissistic relationship that became the basis for her book, and then her mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis, managed from thousands of miles away in the United States while her family held the front line in France. In this episode of The Triple Shift, Françoise joins Lauren and Denise to unpack what she calls a “Russian doll” caregiving structure — her father caring for her mother, her sister caring for both, and Françoise caring for all three from a distance. She shares the 2024 crisis that pushed her out of a 30-year corporate career, why she now defines success as one word — freedom — and why no leadership training she ever received prepared her for a caregiving crisis on her own team. Time Stamps: [01:32] Introduction — Françoise Le Poulichet, author, publisher, and long-distance caregiver [03:20] What her triple shift looks like: a caregiving story with a global component [10:48] The Russian doll structure — how she, her sister, and her father divided the caregiving load [12:54] COVID, quarantine, and losing two years of in-person time with her mother [16:12] 2024: leaving a 30 year corporate career [18:38] Redefining success as freedom — and what that meant when the June emergency call came [21:17] What business continuity training never covered: a caregiving crisis on the team [30:09] Why seniority — not policy — often determines how much flexibility a caregiver gets [33:42] Where to Find Francoise [34:25] Hosts Reflect and Takeaways [42:16] Closing and Call to Action About Françoise Le Poulichet Françoise Le Poulichet is an author, speaker, and publisher whose work explores how the hidden burdens we carry can become sources of strength, meaning, and transformation. Born in Brittany, France, and now based in the United States, she spent more than 30 years in international leadership, including 17 in the diabetes field, deepening her understanding of resilience and the unseen pressures many people quietly carry. Her own experience of a narcissistic relationship became the catalyst for this book: a compassionate guide for reclaiming clarity, strength, and self-worth after an emotionally destructive relationship. She is the founder of Black Swan Courtyard, a boutique publishing house, and creator of Stories Unleashed, a coaching program that helps people turn lived experience into books that inspire and heal. As a speaker, she invites audiences to rethink their burdens and find the gifts hidden within them. Find Françoise at: • Website: www.blackswancourtyard.com • LinkedIn:   / francoise-le-poulichet-8669525   • Facebook: Francoise Le Poulichet • Narcissism — available on Amazon 🔗 Learn more about working with Lauren Yankoff at: Lauren@theempoweredexec.com or https://www.theempoweredexec.com/ 🔗 Learn more about working with Denise Brown at: Denise@caringourway.com or https://www.careyearsacademy.com/ Nothing prepares you for this — until you're the one living it. Share this episode with one person who needs it — a working caregiver, a people leader, or anyone quietly carrying a hidden burden of their own. Subscribe to The Triple Shift wherever you listen to podcasts.