Between Now And Next - A Podcast for Caregivers

Tessa Shahid
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Semimonthly

Between Now and Next is a podcast for caregivers, told through real stories and practical wisdom. Caring for others changes our lives, our work, and our sense of self. This show helps you navigate those shifts with grace and confidence. Each episode blends personal reflections, thoughtful conversations, and resources to prepare you for the choices and challenges of caregiving, so you feel seen, less alone and more equipped for what's next. Together, we're reshaping how we prepare for caregiving, creating space for clarity, resilience, and hope in the moments between now and tomorrow.

  1. Sep 26

    The Day We Let Them Go: Spreading My Parents' Ashes

    If you're standing on the other side of a hard, sacred day, whether that's spreading ashes, closing out an estate, or any goodbye you had to carry out by hand, this episode is for you. You already know there's no itinerary for grief, no matter how much you wish there were. What We Cover What actually happened on the day, the walk, the release, the flowers, and why it felt final in a way nothing before it had.Why I didn't want more time in the way people expect, the honest, complicated truth about not wishing for more time with parents who were suffering.What I wish I had known going in, from choosing the right vessel to deciding in advance what words or moments mattered to me.Why support doesn't stop after the day is over: therapy, support groups, and giving yourself space instead of filling it back up.What the other side of this actually feels like: lighter, but not finished, and why that's allowed.This Episode Is For You If... You have a hard, sacred day coming that you can't fully prepare for no matter how much you plan.You've felt guilty for not wishing for more time with someone who was suffering.You want to know what to actually think through before a similar day: vessel, location, words, who to include.You're on the other side of a loss milestone and wondering if what you're feeling now is normal. If this episode resonated, share it with someone who needs it. Want to share your story or ask a question?  Reach out on Substack — I'd love to hear where this lands for you. 📖 Read + connect: betweennowandnext.substack.com 📸 Follow along: instagram.com/betweennowandnext 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss what's coming next. This show reflects personal experience and is for informational purposes only. I'm not a medical doctor or licensed mental health professional, so please consult a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

  2. Sep 15

    Before I Said Goodbye: Deciding to Spread My Parents' Ashes

    If you have a loved one's ashes still waiting to be spread, or a wish they told you about years ago that you haven't found the time or the readiness to carry out, this episode is for you. You already know what it feels like to carry something that heavy for as long as it takes. What We Cover Why "knowing" and "doing" are different things, carrying out a loved one's wishes long after they've passed, and giving yourself permission to wait until you're ready.What it actually felt like to fly with my father's ashes, the TSA process, the surreal slow motion of it, and the grief that showed up.How planning mode kicked in afterward, the real decisions involved: location, regulations, timing, and personal preference.Why doing it with someone else made it easier, not lighter, but easier to carry.What the day before looked like, the quiet, the checking, the holding on before letting go.This Episode Is For You If...  You have ashes, belongings, or a wish of a loved one's that you still haven't acted on, and you're not sure that's a problem.You're dreading or anticipating a task tied to your loved one's passing that you know is coming but haven't scheduled.You've wondered what it's actually like, logistically, to travel with a loved one's remains.You're the one who ends up carrying the planning, even while you're still grieving. If this episode resonated, share it with someone who needs it. Want to share your story or ask a question?  Reach out on Substack — I'd love to hear where this lands for you. 📖 Read + connect: betweennowandnext.substack.com 📸 Follow along: instagram.com/betweennowandnext 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss what's coming next. This show reflects personal experience and is for informational purposes only. I'm not a medical doctor or licensed mental health professional, so please consult a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

  3. Sep 2

    Supporting Care from Afar: How to Show Up When You're Not the Primary Caregiver

    If you love someone who needs care but you live a few hours, a few states, or even a country away, this episode is for you. You're not the one handling the day to day, the doctor's appointments, the middle of the night decisions, but that doesn't mean you're not carrying something too. What We Cover Why “let me know if you need anything” actually adds weight to a caregiver's plate instead of lifting it, and what to offer instead.How to find the one thing you can take completely off someone's plate, whether that's insurance calls, groceries, meals, or bills.Why offering a break is one of the hardest things to give and receive, and how to make it easier to accept.How to build a shared decision process with the primary caregiver instead of weighing in from a distance without the full picture.How to visit without adding to the load, and where to find support for your own guilt about the distance.This Episode Is For You If... You've said “let me know if you need anything” and never heard back, or you've been the one hearing it and felt more overwhelmed, not less.You're carrying guilt or shame about the distance, or about the reasons you can't close it.You want to help the person doing the day to day but you're not sure what would actually make a difference.You've found yourself second guessing a decision you weren't there for. If this episode resonated, share it with someone who needs it. Want to share your story or ask a question?  Reach out on Substack — I'd love to hear where this lands for you. 📖 Read + connect: betweennowandnext.substack.com 📸 Follow along: instagram.com/betweennowandnext 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss what's coming next. This show reflects personal experience and is for informational purposes only. I'm not a medical doctor or licensed mental health professional, so please consult a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

  4. Aug 12

    When you’re the only one showing up - navigating unequal caregiving

    There's a specific kind of loneliness that comes from being the one who always shows up. Not because you're an only child. Not because there's no one else. But because family exists. Siblings, extended family, people who love the same person you're caring for. And somehow the weight still lands almost entirely on you. This episode is for the caregiver who is functionally alone, even when they technically aren't. The one making decisions by themselves, sitting in waiting rooms by themselves, carrying information and history and grief by themselves, while managing not just the caregiving, but the relationships around it too. That experience is real, it's common, and it rarely gets named. Today we're naming it. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN Why unequal caregiving is more common than most people realize, and how it usually forms without anyone fully deciding itThe difference between logistical reasons for imbalance and the deeper relational dynamics that can drive itThe emotional reality of being in the middle: loneliness, resentment, guilt, shame, grief, and what it costs to carry all of it quietlyHow to think about communication and decision-making when the family dynamic is complexWhat it looks like to set limits on managing everyone else's feelings, and why that matters as much as any practical strategyHow grief after caregiving can look completely different for the person who was in it every day versus everyone else If this episode resonated, share it with someone who needs it. Want to share your story or ask a question?  Reach out on Substack — I'd love to hear where this lands for you. 📖 Read + connect: betweennowandnext.substack.com 📸 Follow along: instagram.com/betweennowandnext 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss what's coming next. This show reflects personal experience and is for informational purposes only. I'm not a medical doctor or licensed mental health professional, so please consult a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

  5. Aug 1

    Caring for Someone Who Doesn't Want Your Help: Navigating Resistance

    You're showing up. You're doing everything you can. And the person you're caring for is telling you no. No to the help, no to the doctor, no to the plan. Maybe they're frustrated. Maybe they're scared. Maybe they feel like caregiving is the last thing standing between them and the life they used to have. Whatever the reason — you're left holding it, and it's exhausting. Resistance can be a common experiencing in caregiving. In this episode, I'll share what it looks like, where it comes from, and how to navigate it without losing yourself or your relationship with the person you love. Because working with the resistance, instead of against it can help.  WHAT YOU'LL LEARN The different forms resistance takes — from mild pushback to full refusal — and why they aren't all the sameWhat's usually underneath the resistance: fear, exhaustion, grief, and the need to hold onto some sense of controlHow to shift your approach — asking what they want instead of presenting what you think they needWhen to keep showing up, when to give space, and when the situation calls for a harder callThe two questions that can anchor you when you don't know what to do next: what do they want, and what do they need to be safeWhy guilt is not a reliable guide — and what to ask yourself instead If this episode resonated, share it with someone who needs it. Want to share your story or ask a question?  Reach out on Substack — I'd love to hear where this lands for you. 📖 Read + connect: betweennowandnext.substack.com 📸 Follow along: instagram.com/betweennowandnext 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss what's coming next. This show reflects personal experience and is for informational purposes only. I'm not a medical doctor or licensed mental health professional, so please consult a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

  6. Jul 9

    When You're The Only One There: Navigating Care Without Local Support

    If you are the one who is there, showing up every day, holding all the information, making the calls, managing the communication, and you're doing most of it without consistent nearby support, this episode is for you. We're talking about what it actually means to carry the invisible load of caregiving alone, what that costs you emotionally and practically, and what support can actually look like when you're deep in it. What You'll Learn What the invisible load really is and why it goes so far beyond the tasks people can see from the outside.Why outward communication is its own job and how being the point of contact for everyone adds to a load that's already fullWhat the emotional reality actually looks like: guilt, helplessness, fear, loneliness, and resentment, named plainly and without judgmentWhat help actually looks like and the difference between what people offer and what actually moves the needleHow to protect yourself practically and emotionally, without waiting until you're completely depletedTHIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF... You are the primary caregiver in your family, and there isn't anyone nearby who is sharing the weight at the same level you areYou've heard "let me know if you need anything" more times than you can count and it hasn't actually helped.You're managing your loved one's care while also managing your home, your work, your relationships, and your own life — and none of those things have stopped.You've felt resentment and felt bad or guilty because you did If this episode resonated, share it with someone who needs it. Want to share your story or ask a question?  Reach out on Substack — I'd love to hear where this lands for you. 📖 Read + connect: betweennowandnext.substack.com 📸 Follow along: instagram.com/betweennowandnext 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss what's coming next. This show reflects personal experience and is for informational purposes only. I'm not a medical doctor or licensed mental health professional, so please consult a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

  7. May 13

    When Caregiving Finds You Before You're Ready

    Caregiving doesn't wait for a convenient moment. It doesn't check in with your career, your timeline, or the life you were in the middle of building. It just arrives. And for a lot of people, it arrives before they ever feel ready, before their savings make sense, before their kids are grown, before they've finished school or figured out who they are yet. Or after all of that, it still wasn’t a “good” time. Caregiving is hard, and depending on where you are in life, it can be even more challenging.  This episode is about that. The weight of becoming a caregiver at the "wrong" time. What it costs you practically and emotionally, and why the timing of caregiving adds its own layer of grief that rarely gets named. Today, we're naming it and giving that experience the space it actually deserves. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN The four ways caregiving enters your life and why timing shapes everything that followsThe double grief that rarely gets named: grieving your loved one and grieving the version of your own life you had to set asideWhy guilt, resentment, and 'what if' thinking are normal, and what suppressing them actually costs youWhat does survival mode do to your body, your focus, and your ability to see past todayOne honest step toward acknowledging what you've lost without rushing toward fixing it If this episode resonated, share it with someone who needs it. Want to share your story or ask a question?  Reach out on Substack — I'd love to hear where this lands for you. 📖 Read + connect: betweennowandnext.substack.com 📸 Follow along: instagram.com/betweennowandnext 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss what's coming next. This show reflects personal experience and is for informational purposes only. I'm not a medical doctor or licensed mental health professional, so please consult a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

  8. Apr 19

    When Relationships Are Complicated—Navigating Care with Tension

    Not every caregiving story starts from a place of closeness. For many of us, caregiving happens within relationships that are already carrying the weight of unresolved history, emotional distance, or a family dynamic that was complicated long before anyone needed care. In this episode, we're talking about what it actually looks like to navigate caregiving inside those relationships. That means the relationship with the person you're caring for, sibling dynamics that are absent, unequal, or in conflict, and the broader family and community web that pulls on you, whether it's helping or not. This is also a personal one. I'm sharing part of my own story, what it meant to step into caregiving largely alone, within a family with its own particular shape, and what I felt when I realized that was just the reality I was working within. You don't have to have a perfect relationship to be a good caregiver. This episode is for everyone who has ever shown up for someone while also wishing things were different. If this episode resonated, share it with someone who needs it. Want to share your story or ask a question?  Reach out on Substack — I'd love to hear where this lands for you. 📖 Read + connect: betweennowandnext.substack.com 📸 Follow along: instagram.com/betweennowandnext 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss what's coming next. This show reflects personal experience and is for informational purposes only. I'm not a medical doctor or licensed mental health professional, so please consult a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

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About

Between Now and Next is a podcast for caregivers, told through real stories and practical wisdom. Caring for others changes our lives, our work, and our sense of self. This show helps you navigate those shifts with grace and confidence. Each episode blends personal reflections, thoughtful conversations, and resources to prepare you for the choices and challenges of caregiving, so you feel seen, less alone and more equipped for what's next. Together, we're reshaping how we prepare for caregiving, creating space for clarity, resilience, and hope in the moments between now and tomorrow.

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