WELCOME TO PARENTING UP!
Our Playful Podcast Community of Caregivers
Are you an unpaid, untrained family caregiver? Welcome! A supportive village member to a caregiver? Welcome! Have you ever been confused or overwhelmed by watching Alzheimer’s suck the life out of someone that matters to you? Welllllll com’ on!! I’m comedian J Smiles and you-are-in-the-right-place!!
I created Parenting Up! Caregiving Adventures with Comedian J Smiles® to uplift FCGs through graphic and humorous storytelling.
MORE ABOUT US:
THEE global family caregiving community.
The Holy Spirit bullied me into founding Parenting UP! Caregiving Adventures with Comedian J Smiles® in 2020 to combat the profound isolation of COVID-19 pandemic. I ain’t wanna do it. That little loud azz voice wouldn’t hush. 7 seasons later, FCGs in 130 countries across six continents trust me for hope, humor, and belonging. Grateful.
PULL UP A CHAIR...
What I provide
Caregiving drove me to comedy. Because itz hardAF. Now comedy helps me and bunches of others get through it. If dementia has turned your world upside down, pull up a chair.
Episodes are a mashup of my lived experiences, truths from fellow FCGs, and fancy facts from experts. Puhleeze be prepared for heavy doses of humor ‘cause ALZ makes people do silly stuff.
Expect a ‘lil sunshine at the end of every episode. I call it the Snuggle Up™... a short takeaway to consider or carry with you into whatever comes next!
HOW DID I GET HERE:
Alzheimer’s Came in the Blink of an Eye…
In 2012, my dad died suddenly of a massive heart attack. Then, 90 itty-bitty days later, my mom “Zetty," a forensic CPA and expert-witness powerhouse, went from being 100% self-sufficient and doing brilliant, glass-ceiling shattering work to walking out the house without pants. WTH?!?!?
And me? I went from living THE life — single, childless mechanical engineer, product designer lawyer living a meticulously crafted international life… to having a mama-baby.
Did you know?
Women are more likely to get Alzheimer's than men.
More than half of all individuals with Alzheimer's do not know they have it.
6M+ Americans living with Alzheimer's.
13M+ Americans projected rise by 2050.
1 in 3 seniors will die with Alzheimer's or another dementia.
