take some weight off your shoulders
take some weight off your shoulders
take some weight off your shoulders
Help for big-hearted humans
who feel torn between their own ambitions
and the needs of those they love.
Help for big-hearted humans who feel torn between their own ambitions and the needs of those they love.
Does this sound familiar?
You are a get-it-done person with a plate full of plans.
Your life was already full – with multiple demands on your time and energy – even before you started helping your friend or family member who is facing a health crisis or struggling with a chronic condition or experiencing a mental or physical decline.
Perhaps you’re the person that your family (or community) naturally leans on, so you naturally stepped-up when this person needed on-going support.
Or perhaps you’re laser-focused on your career – and caregiving was definitely not on your vision board.
Maybe your involvement and responsibilities grew slowly over time.
Or maybe caregiving crashed into your life without a warning.
But you wanted to help (or felt like you should)…
…so you made the commitment.
And yet…
…you aren’t able to devote your entire life to giving care (as society has relied on so many women to do throughout history).
…you know that “pressing pause” on your life is a myth (this IS your life – extra years won’t be magically added to the end of it as a thank you bonus for all of this hard work).
…you are also concerned that your own desires and plans and goals are being crushed / diminished / swept aside by the weight of supporting another adult.
You might be getting stuck in spin-cycles of sadness / anger / worry / frustration about how your career or your home life or your own health is being impacted by these added responsibilities (and shifts in your family relationships).
Maybe your own physical limitations prevent you from giving as much care as you’d like to.
Or maybe you’re exhausting yourself in a heroic attempt to save your loved one from their circumstances.
Yeah. This is difficult stuff.
Caring for another adult is one of the most complex challenges life has to offer – physically, emotionally, mentally, relationally, and financially.
Even so, I know you will make it through.
But I want you to make it through with your own life and wellbeing intact.
Caring for my sister was not the plan I had for my 40’s.
In many respects, I was a reluctant, deficient caregiver. I did many things wrong – but I did one thing very, very right…
…I chose, at every opportunity, to not just go through this experience, but to grow through it.
I learned how to calm my mind (hard), ask for help (harder), and feel my feelings (hardest). And I discovered that no one ever dies from discomfort (even though sometimes you wish that you would).
Because of that inner work, caregiving DIDN’T swallow me whole. I exited the caregiving tunnel WITHOUT being thoroughly drained, demoralized, or derailed. My life WASN’T in pieces. I was okay. Wiser but also stronger.
That’s what I want for you, too.
That’s why I created You First – a top-notch group coaching program that will help make sure this extraordinarily challenging (and sometimes excruciating) chapter of your life doesn’t swallow you whole.
Yes, the person you are caring for needs support –
but YOU are allowed to get some support, too.
Does this sound familiar?
You are a get-it-done person with a plate full of plans.
Your life was already full – with multiple demands on your time and energy – even before you started helping your friend or family member who is facing a health crisis or struggling with a chronic condition or experiencing a mental or physical decline.
Perhaps you’re the person that your family (or community) naturally leans on, so you naturally stepped-up when this person needed on-going support.
Or perhaps you’re laser-focused on your career – and caregiving was definitely not on your vision board.
Maybe your involvement and responsibilities grew slowly over time.
Or maybe caregiving crashed into your life without a warning.
But you wanted to help (or felt like you should)…
…so you made the commitment.
And yet…
…you aren’t able to devote your entire life to giving care (as society has relied on so many women to do throughout history).
…you know that “pressing pause” on your life is a myth (this IS your life – extra years won’t be magically added to the end of it as a thank you bonus for all of this hard work).
…you are also concerned that your own desires and plans and goals are being crushed / diminished / swept aside by the weight of supporting another adult.
You might be getting stuck in spin-cycles of sadness / anger / worry / frustration about how your career or your home life or your own health is being impacted by these added responsibilities (and shifts in your family relationships).
Maybe your own physical limitations prevent you from giving as much care as you’d like to.
Or maybe you’re exhausting yourself in a heroic attempt to save your loved one from their circumstances.
Yeah. This is difficult stuff.
Caring for another adult is one of the most complex challenges life has to offer – physically, emotionally, mentally, relationally, and financially.
Even so, I know you will make it through.
But I want you to make it through with your own life and wellbeing intact.
Caring for my sister was not the plan I had for my 40’s.
In many respects, I was a reluctant, deficient caregiver. I did many things wrong – but I did one thing very, very right…
…I chose, at every opportunity, to not just go through this experience, but to grow through it.
I learned how to calm my mind (hard), ask for help (harder), and feel my feelings (hardest). And I discovered that no one ever dies from discomfort (even though sometimes you wish that you would).
Because of that inner work, caregiving DIDN’T swallow me whole. I exited the caregiving tunnel WITHOUT being thoroughly drained, demoralized, or derailed. My life WASN’T in pieces. I was okay. Wiser but also stronger.
That’s what I want for you, too.
That’s why I created You First – a top-notch group coaching program that will help make sure this extraordinarily challenging (and sometimes excruciating) chapter of your life doesn’t swallow you whole.
Does this sound familiar?
You are a get-it-done person with a plate full of plans.
Your life was already full – with multiple demands on your time and energy – even before you started helping your friend or family member who is facing a health crisis or struggling with a chronic condition or experiencing a mental or physical decline.
Perhaps you’re the person that your family (or community) naturally leans on, so you naturally stepped-up when this person needed on-going support.
Or perhaps you’re laser-focused on your career – and caregiving was definitely not on your vision board.
Maybe your involvement and responsibilities grew slowly over time.
Or maybe caregiving crashed into your life without a warning.
But you wanted to help (or felt like you should)…
…so you made the commitment.
And yet…
…you aren’t able to devote your entire life to giving care (as society has relied on so many women to do throughout history).
…you know that “pressing pause” on your life is a myth (this IS your life – extra years won’t be magically added to the end of it as a thank you bonus for all of this hard work).
…you are also concerned that your own desires and plans and goals are being crushed / diminished / swept aside by the weight of supporting another adult.
You might be getting stuck in spin-cycles of sadness / anger / worry / frustration about how your career or your home life or your own health is being impacted by these added responsibilities (and shifts in your family relationships).
Maybe your own physical limitations prevent you from giving as much care as you’d like to.
Or maybe you’re exhausting yourself in a heroic attempt to save your loved one from their circumstances.
Yeah. This is difficult stuff.
Caring for another adult is one of the most complex challenges life has to offer – physically, emotionally, mentally, relationally, and financially.
Even so, I know you will make it through.
But I want you to make it through with your own life and wellbeing intact.
Caring for my sister was not the plan I had for my 40’s.
In many respects, I was a reluctant, deficient caregiver. I did many things wrong – but I did one thing very, very right…
…I chose, at every opportunity, to not just go through this experience, but to grow through it.
I learned how to calm my mind (hard), ask for help (harder), and feel my feelings (hardest). And I discovered that no one ever dies from discomfort (even though sometimes you wish that you would).
Because of that inner work, caregiving DIDN’T swallow me whole. I exited the caregiving tunnel WITHOUT being thoroughly drained, demoralized, or derailed. My life WASN’T in pieces. I was okay. Wiser but also stronger.
That’s what I want for you, too.
That’s why I created You First – a top-notch group coaching program that will help make sure this extraordinarily challenging (and sometimes excruciating) chapter of your life doesn’t swallow you whole.
Yes, the person you are caring for needs support – but YOU are allowed to get some support, too.
Kristine really removed the sense of hopelessness I was feeling. I see that I’m allowed to have a life instead of feeling like the only way to be “a good Puerto Rican daughter” is to lay my life aside for them.
Kristine really removed the sense of hopelessness I was feeling. I see that I’m allowed to have a life instead of feeling like the only way to be “a good Puerto Rican daughter” is to lay my life aside for them.
More accessible than therapy.
More affordable than private coaching.
More strategic than traditional support groups.
More accessible than therapy.
More affordable than private coaching.
More strategic than traditional support groups.
You know what’s super fun?
Guilt.
Do you feel some guilt when…
…you turn your attention to your own life and goals?
…when angry, ungenerous thoughts pop up in your head (or out of your mouth) when you are extra-tired or frustrated?
…when you consider spending money on guidance for yourself when the person you are caring for requires your financial support?
The guilt is real.
So is the shame, anger, and sorrow.
These heavy feelings are companions to caregiving, making everything a bit more difficult – decisions, emotions, family dynamics, competing agendas, priorities, etc.
Joining You First will help you learn how to reduce the daily frustrations and frictions that drain you of energy.
Joining You First will give you a safe space where you can process your thoughts and feelings (and say the scary / spiteful / shameful stuff out loud) without feeling judged.
Joining You First will ensure that you receive personalized, long-term support throughout the ups and downs of your caregiving journey (rather than having to “make do” with a single course or class or a just few, expensive private sessions with a therapist or coach).
Caregiving is rough on the body, mind, and soul.
You might need some guidance to unwind from the bad-feeling stories, emotional spin cycles, and mental energy leaks that are adding to the stress of your circumstances.
And, while free support groups are important (especially those that connect you with a community caring for people with the same ailment), you might feel undernourished in these groups.
You might be yearning for a type of strategic, growth-oriented guidance that those particular environments and facilitators aren’t able to provide.
In You First we don’t focus on the issues that person you are caring for is facing, we focus on the issues YOU are facing while you are caring for that person. So that you will be able to sustain yourself and stay connected to your Self – especially if this becomes a long-haul.
Caregiving doesn’t have to take
all of you out of you.
You know what’s super fun?
Guilt.
Do you feel some guilt when…
…you turn your attention to your own life and goals?
…when angry, ungenerous thoughts pop up in your head (or out of your mouth) when you are extra-tired or frustrated?
…when you consider spending money on guidance for yourself when the person you are caring for requires your financial support?
The guilt is real.
So is the shame, anger, and sorrow.
These heavy feelings are companions to caregiving, making everything a bit more difficult – decisions, emotions, family dynamics, competing agendas, priorities, etc.
Joining You First will help you learn how to reduce the daily frustrations and frictions that drain you of energy.
Joining You First will give you a safe space where you can process your thoughts and feelings (and say the scary / spiteful / shameful stuff out loud) without feeling judged.
Joining You First will ensure that you receive personalized, long-term support throughout the ups and downs of your caregiving journey (rather than having to “make do” with a single course or class or a just few, expensive private sessions with a therapist or coach).
Caregiving is rough on the body, mind, and soul.
You might need some guidance to unwind from the bad-feeling stories, emotional spin cycles, and mental energy leaks that are adding to the stress of your circumstances.
And, while free support groups are important (especially those that connect you with a community caring for people with the same ailment), you might feel undernourished in these groups.
You might be yearning for a type of strategic, growth-oriented guidance that those particular environments and facilitators aren’t able to provide.
In You First we don’t focus on the issues that person you are caring for is facing, we focus on the issues YOU are facing while you are caring for that person. So that you will be able to sustain yourself and stay connected to your Self – especially if this becomes a long-haul.
Caregiving doesn’t have to take
all of you out of you.
You know what’s super fun?
Guilt.
Do you feel some guilt when…
…you turn your attention to your own life and goals?
…when angry, ungenerous thoughts pop up in your head (or out of your mouth) when you are extra-tired or frustrated?
…when you consider spending money on guidance for yourself when the person you are caring for requires your financial support?
The guilt is real.
So is the shame, anger, and sorrow.
These heavy feelings are companions to caregiving, making everything a bit more difficult – decisions, emotions, family dynamics, competing agendas, priorities, etc.
Very often, smart, capable people are the ones who feel the most ashamed, confused, and anxiety-ridden as caregivers.
Because you’re used to heavy lifting.
You’re used to being self-sufficient and not needing any help.
You’re used to fixing and solving and saving the day.
(Shouldn’t you be able to handle this by yourself??? Why aren’t your superpowers working anymore!?!)
Caregiving is rough on the body, mind, and soul.
You might need some guidance to unwind from the bad-feeling stories, emotional spin cycles, and mental energy leaks that are adding to the stress of your circumstances.
And, while free support groups are important (especially those that connect you with a community caring for people with the same ailment), you might feel undernourished in these groups.
You might be yearning for a type of strategic, growth-oriented guidance that those particular environments and facilitators aren’t able to provide.
In You First we don’t focus on the issues that person you are caring for is facing, we focus on the issues YOU are facing while you are caring for that person. So that you will be able to sustain yourself and stay connected to your Self – especially if this becomes a long-haul.
Joining You First will help you learn how to reduce the daily frustrations and frictions that drain you of energy.
Joining You First will give you a safe space where you can process your thoughts and feelings (and say the scary / spiteful / shameful stuff out loud) without feeling judged.
Joining You First will ensure that you receive personalized, long-term support throughout the ups and downs of your caregiving journey (rather than having to “make do” with a single course or class or a just few, expensive private sessions with a therapist or coach).
Caregiving doesn’t have to take
all of you out of you.
My biggest growth was the realization that I didn’t have to be “everything” to my mother and that I wasn’t responsible for her relationship with my siblings. I wasn’t even aware I had taken those things on, or how much I had invested in that identity.