ASK US ANYTHING: How Do I Find My Purpose When My Whole Life Revolves Around Caregiving?

Hello Brave Friends! This is an Ask Us Anything episode in which YOU, the listener, get to write or call in and, you guessed it, ask us anything! In this Ask Us Anything episode, #262, Jessica Patay, Susanna Peace Lovell, and Dr. Zoe are responding to the question: “Hi Bravies! How do I find my purpose when my whole life revolves around caregiving? I am a single mom and I do not have respite caregivers or family to help me out.” When caregiving requires nearly everything you have, where is the space to figure out who you are or what gives your life purpose outside of being a mom? Jessica, Susanna, and Dr. Zoe talk honestly about identity, purpose, and the very different seasons of a caregiving life. They acknowledge the grief that can come with losing a career, freedom, spontaneity, or a version of yourself you thought you would get to be—and why those feelings deserve compassion rather than judgment. Together, they challenge the idea that purpose is something we have to go out and “find.” Instead, purpose can be formed through the way we live our lives right now. Living in alignment with our values, finding small moments of meaning and calm, and staying connected to ourselves can matter even when our circumstances leave very little room for anything beyond caregiving. They also discuss the importance of community and connection, practical tools for supporting mental health, and how thinking about future seasons can create hope without requiring us to pretend our present circumstances are easy. Most importantly, this conversation makes room for the reality behind the listener’s question: not every caregiving mom has respite, family support, time, or the ability to simply “do something for herself.” Finding purpose shouldn't become one more impossible task on an already overwhelming list. Your purpose doesn't have to be a destination, a career, a passion project, or something separate from the life you're living. It can evolve as your circumstances change—and so can you. Keep the vulnerable questions coming. We’re here to support you. We see you, and we love you! We are incredibly grateful to Rise Educational Advocacy for sponsoring Season 11 of Brave Together Podcast and for supporting our mission to strengthen and encourage caregiving moms. Find more about Rise here: https://www.riseeducationaladvocacy.com/ Resources mentioned in this episode: Calm App: https://www.calm.com/ Values Bridge by Susie Welch: https://www.susiewelch.com/values-bridge Find more information about Licensed Psychotherapist, Dr. Zoe Shaw here: https://drzoeshaw.com/ Find Dr. Zoe’s book, Stronger in the Difficult Places: Heal Your Relationship with Yourself by Untangling Complex Shame here: https://a.co/d/gzdgaM4 Find more information about Life Coach, Susanna Peace Lovell here: https://www.susannapeacelovell.com/ Find Susanna’s book, Your True Self is Enough here: https://a.co/d/161v5tw Find our first book from We Are Brave Together, Becoming Brave Together here: https://a.co/d/jct57Zq Find our second book from We Are Brave Together, Suddenly Brave Together here. Find FULL episodes and clips of our podcast on Youtube here:    / @wearebravetogether   Brave Together is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of children with disabilities and other needs in their unique journeys. JOIN the international community of We Are Brave Together here: https://www.wearebravetogether.org/ Donate to support all of We Are Brave Together's programs and offerings here: https://www.wearebravetogether.org/do... Donate to keep this podcast going here: https://www.wearebravetogether.org/do... Can’t get enough of the Brave Together Podcast? Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearebravet... Facebook:   / wearebravetogether   Feel free to contact Jessica Patay via email: jpatay@wearebravetogether.org Please leave a review and rating today! We thank you in advance! Disclaimer: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17... Join our Community https://www.wearebravetogether.com Listen to our podcast https://www.wearebravetogether.com/po... Read on the blog https://www.wearebravetogether.com/bl... See our latest gatherings https://www.wearebravetogether.com/ga...