Living in the Sandwich Zone

As parents we do the best we can. We make decisions in the moment that we hope are right. But sometimes they're not. Last week I shared how I applied some parental pressure to get Linny to go to school after the Labor Day holiday weekend. As it turned out...it was the wrong call because the very next day Linny tested positive for Covid.

In this week's episode, Karen's Covid Chronicles continue. I share about how, on the heels of this parenting blunder, the Universe presented me with an opportunity for a decision do-over the very next week. You'll find out if I was able to evade the Covid bug while nursing Linny back to health and if, when facing a similar parenting decision dilemma, I defaulted to my usual MO or took the road less traveled.

Last week I was under the weather and took the week off from podcasting. In addition, Linny woke up last Tuesday and reported not feeling so well, too. It was the day after Labor Day and, seeing no evidence of illness, I employed a little "tough love" and prodded Linds to rally and go to school.

In this week's episode, I reflect on how my parenting practices have evolved over time and you find out if I made the right call sending Linny to school.

This week I'm sharing an aha moment that really drove home for me how important it is to honor my own boundaries.

Between caregiving, parenting, work, life and everything else going on in this chaotic world of ours—stress is something each and every one of us has to reckon with in our daily lives. 

August 16th marks the first day of Linny's last year of high school. In this week's episode I share a few thoughts on reaching this milestone.

This is the last week of my summer podcasting break. I'll be back next week to catch you up on sandwich life with a brand new episode of Living in the Sandwich Zone.

Self-care in progress. I'll be back August 9th with more Living in the Sandwich Zone.

Just a gentle reminder, I'm taking the next 4 weeks off to rest and rejuvenate. I'll be back the with more espisodes beginning Wednesday, August 9th.

Till then...take good care and go out and do something that brings you joy!

Some of the biggest gifts I’ve received from launching Living in the Sandwich Zone are the incredible connections-turned-friendships I’ve made with my podcast guests. My guest today is most certainly one of those gifts! 

After being introduced to Laurie by one of my college roommates, we connected and, right away, I knew she was a kindred spirit!

Laurie James is the mother of 4, an author, a relationship coach and what she calls a “recovering caregiver”. While raising her four daughters, Laurie cared for both her parents until their deaths.

It's been a while since I've done a solo episode so that's whatcha get this week! 

I'm coming off an unusual week of solitude. While the other three Osbornes were off galivanting on adventures of their own, I was the only (fur-less) Osborne holding down the fort for nearly a week. In this episode I share what that was like for me and the "aha" I had about how I spend my downtime. 

Although not often talked about openly, estrangement is more common than many might think. Fractured family relationships occur quite often. According to a recent national study, 6 percent of adults reported estrangement from their mothers and 26 percent reported estrangement from their fathers. Estrangement carries with it intense feelings, often including feelings of shame, guilt, and grief.

The pain and grief of estrangement is something Kreed Revere is all too familiar with. As a young adult, Kreed experienced estrangement when she distanced herself from her parents. Then, later in life, she experienced it again when her two adult daughters stopped communicating with her. As a result of her own devastating estrangement experience, Kreed worked hard prioritizing her own mental health and soul healing-- ultimately repairing her relationship with her daughters. Now, as a coach, she helps estranged moms work through the pain of estrangement and come out the other side with a renewed sense of self and helps them develop new, improved communication skills to repair and maintain healthy relationships.

Kreed Revere is a podcaster, coach, author, public speaker and formerly estranged & now reconciled mom of two adult daughters and a grandmother of four. She is an advocate for repairing & healing relationships between parents and adult children as an estrangement & reconciliation coach specializing in relational communication and ambiguous grief. In her podcast, The Estranged Heart, Kreed shares openly about the topic of estrangement and is empowering others to do the same. In doing so, she helps suffering family members feel seen, understood and supported as they navigate estrangement and work towards healing.

My foray into the world of goat yoga delighted me so much I was inspired to find out how such a unique wellness practice came into being. So, after reminiscing with my friends who joined me for my goat yoga outing last February, I decided to reach out to Michelle Trittenthe founder of Hello Critter and the host of our fun-filled goat yoga extravaganza to learn more about how she embarked on her entrepreneurial venture with goats.

Michelle was the first person to introduce goat yoga to the Los Angeles area. Animals had always been a passion for her and through a series of synchronicities and a very popular Facebook post, Michelle was inspired to hold her first goat yoga class on Earth Day in 2017. She's been hosting goat-centric events ever since!

In this special bonus episode, Michelle shares her story about how Hello Critter came into existence and what life is like sharing goat yoga with others.

In keeping with the theme of mental health awareness this month, this week I'm sharing with you about yet another outside-the-box therapy modality. This one involves horses.

As a society, we are facing a growing mental health crisis. Finding the right treatment for mental health conditions can often be challenging—especially for those for whom medication has not been effect and people suffering from complex post-traumatic stress and trauma. For some, traditional therapy and psychotropic medications doesn’t provide relief. Thankfully, other therapeutic options are available. 

In this episode, I talk with therapist Allie Runkel, LPCC, about ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP) and its effectiveness in treating mental health conditions. 

Allie is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with a private practice in Costa Mesa, CA. She is a trained ketamine assisted psychotherapy facilitator and has also utilized KAP in her own therapeutic journey. In our conversation, we talk about what ketamine is, how it’s used in a therapeutic setting and who’s the ideal patient for ketamine therapy. 

The last several weeks have been pretty tough on me. A variety of situations have flared up and they've taken a significant toll on my energy, health and mental well-being. Since it's Mental Health Awareness Month, it seemed timely to dive right in and talk about it all.

A couple weeks ago, I shared about the story of the big epiphany I had after an interaction with Linny. I originally recorded about what happened to me at work that day but ultimately decided against it. In this episode I circle back and share about that work situation and how I put my epiphany insights into action to advocate for myself.

I talk about job stress, the challenges I've had and my experience navigating my workplace accommodations. I also share some of the things I'm doing to support my mental health and well-being.

Before discussing my accommodations with my boss, a colleague of mine gave me a much-needed pep talk and sent me information about the Americans with Disability Act (the ADA). Taking time to familiarize myself with the ADA and my employer's responsibilities really helped prepare me for that conversation.

If you're dealing with a situation at work in which you need workplace accommodations do some research and check out the links below.

It’s hard to believe that May is upon us and that means it’s Mental Health Awareness Month. In all candor, life has been pretty intense and challenging for me lately. I’ve been navigating some pretty hard stuff. As a result, my well-being and mental health have taken a hit. 

One of the things that I’ve learned to do when things get rough is to reach out and talk to someone. Sometimes it’s just to vent and valve some pressure and other times it’s a way of shifting my attention to a better feeling experience. 

This week, when things were rocky, my African safari soul sister ACE and I connected to record some more of our reflections about our adventure. The timing was a perfect way to help boost my mood and lift my spirits. 

As is our custom, we talked about a lot--memories of Africa, Mother's Day, family, our experiences as women and so much more. We even had a little guest appearance from Linny who joined our conversation for a little bit. At the end, I felt better. I always do after spending time with ACE.

Though I have lots more to share about my African adventure, this week I'm sharing an important lesson I learned from one of my greatest teachers--my youngest child. In this episode, I share about an interaction with Linny that really shined a light on what I have been asking and expecting from my children and led to a big epiphany for me about self-care.

At this stage of my life, I am realizing more and more how important it is to have people in my life who are willing not only come along for the fun rides but who also stay close and ride the waves with me when things get stormy. ACE is a shining example of one of those people.

It's been just over a month since I returned from Africa. My safari experience was so transformative--on so many levels--I just haven't been able to compose a podcast about it. Immediately upon returning home, I landed right back in the thick of life having to juggle lots of tough stuff. But taking some time to travel on my African adventure definitely helped expand my bandwidth to handle it all.

In today's episode, I chat with my safari travel partner, ACE. We catch up, reflect on our adventure and start to unpack our takeaways from our safari.

It's become a tradition that each time we gather Lupe, Ariel, Renae and I do a whole host of mindful-based activities. This year at our retreat we spent a lot of time in nature, did a mindful walk at Whiskey Point and created multiple vision boards depicting the feelings and things we want to create and experience this year. In this episode you get to vicariously accompany us through that process. Listen along as Lupe sets the stage for our mindful walk and then, later after we returned home, leads us through a writing exercise further integrating the intentions and images we included on our boards.

Having people in your life who can show up, be present and stay by your side through good times and bad is an essential part of any Sandwich Zone support system. In the past several years, I’ve been supremely fortunate to find a crew of phenomenal friends. 

My LARK friends (Lupe, Ariel and Renae) have been with me through some of my darkest days in the past 2 years and have been an invaluable source of support, love, and encouragement. Know that it’s never too late to find your tribe—the people who “get” you, love you and stay with you through all life’s ups and downs are out there! If you haven't found them yet keep looking!

In this episode we talk a bit more about Lupe's breast cancer scare and the importance of mindset. I also talk with my LARK friends about the special connection we share and how much our friendship means to us. 

In Part 2 of LARK Fest 2023, we get serious. In this part of our conversation, Lupe shares her emotional journey after getting an abnormal mammogram result. She opens up about her search for the right doctor, learning more about her family history and preparing for and going through surgery.

Here links for the podcast and book Lupe found helpful:

In the first quarter of 2023, I have traveled a lot! This week you'll hear about my first solo international trip that paved the way for my African adventure. Although this trip was initially born out of my scheme to get my Global Entry card activated in advance of my Africa trip. When I pitched the idea to Renae (LARK #3), who lives on Victoria Island in British Columbia, it quickly blossomed into our second annual LARK retreat!

So this week, you get to come along with us on LARK Fest 2023. We have tons of fun and also lots of heartfelt conversations. My hope is that a little of our joy will rub off on you and make your week a little bit brighter.

If you haven't met the LARK ladies yet you might want to circle back to last season and listen to the episodes starting with My Weekend Away.

It feels like there have been so many times since launching this podcast that I have started episodes acknowledging the devastatingly brutal and senseless loss of life due to rampages of gun violence.

In light of the tragic events in Nashville, this week I ask you to take action. Below are links for organizations dedicated to ending gun violence. Please donate and contact your Congress members and Senators to demand safe and responsible gun legislation.

In this week’s episode I’m sharing my conversation with Christy Byrne Yates: caregiving advocate, coach, author and overall Sandwich Zone expert. 

Christy’s Sandwich Zone journey taught her a lot! For six years she experienced the sandwich zone squeeze caring for her parents (both of whom had dementia) while also raising her children, nurturing her marriage and working full-time as a school psychologist. Now, Christy shares the knowledge, resources and lessons she gleaned from those experiences as a coach and advocate for others who are navigating the challenges of Living in the Sandwich Zone. 

In her book, “Building a Legacy of Love: Thriving Inside the Sandwich Generation”, Christy shines a light on many of the hurdles faced by those of use living in the Sandwich Zone and offers loads of strategies for moving from struggling to overcoming those hurdles. 

In this episode, Christy and I discover we have A LOT in common! We talk about our respective Sandwich Zone journeys as well as things we can do to make our sandwich generation parenting/caregiving journeys easier for us and our families.

I'm back from Africa and mixing things up! While I take some time to settle back in and let my jet lag dissipate, I'm sharing with you an episode of my first ever podcast interview with my friend Lesley McShane from her podcast Redesigning Midlife. Lesley is yet another extraordinary human that I crossed paths with during my (so frequently mentioned) podcast class. 

In her podcast, Lesley offers a weekly dose of Monday Motivation to get you moving and making the most out of your midlife experience. Last January, we sat down to talk about sandwich generation life and my experience of Living in the Sandwich Zone. 

Are you curious to find out who I'm traveling to Africa with? Well, wait no more! In today's episode you get to meet my friend, ACE--the person who inspired me to take the plunge and book my safari. 

Alicia “ACE” Easter is a yoga and meditation instructor, brand ambassador, and master Reiki practitioner on a mission to empower others by helping them work through emotions physically. It’s a journey that began when she discovered the emotionally healing powers of yoga while grieving the loss of her mother, who died of pancreatic cancer when ACE was 19.

I crossed paths with ACE during a  6-week yoga series she led in The Support System (Sheri Salata's online women's transformation group I am a part of).  From the moment I met ACE, I adored her. Her vibrant spirit, beaming smile and contagious laugh hooked me immediately.

In this episode you'll hear more about ACE's story and how she came to curate the amazing African safari we will be taking together. She also fills me in on a big surprise about our trip that I had absolutely no idea about.

If you've been following me on Instagram or listening to here, you know that I am going on safari to Africa. In today's episode I share with you why, for me, this is the exact right time to go to take this trip and what doing so means to me. 

This is Week 2 of my scrumptious conversation with my friend Sheila Tully. Sheila is a wife, mom, entrepreneur, behavior change specialist, coach and overall fantabulous person! If you haven’t listened to the first part of our conversation—definitely go back and check it out. It’s a must listen! You'll hear us catching each other up on what's been going on in our lives, our kids, work and a lot more.

This week, in the second part of our conversation, we talk more about how to take the reins on our brains and reframe our thinking and some practical tips to reduce our suffering in life.  We talk about our podcasts, our families, our desire to be of service and Sheila gives me a little bit of one-on-one coaching to help me reframe my thinking, release my fear and change the way I’m approaching reinventing myself in the second season of my life and career.

NEWSFLASH!!! For the first time ever I’m airing back-to-back weeks with the same guest.

My guest for the next two weeks is Sheila Tully. Sheila spent over 25 years in corporate America before venturing into the world of entrepreneurism.  After leaving her corporate joy in 2018, she redirected her life toward helping women end unnecessary suffering that arises from our relationship with our bodies and ourselves. Through her work Sheila helps women get out of their own way, untangle issues that have kept them stuck so they can realize their full potential.

Sheila is not only an entrepreneur, coach and behavior change specialist, she is my friend. We met when our kids were in elementary school. Though with the hustle and bustle of life, we never really had the chance to hang out and connect as much as I would’ve liked.

Now our kids are in high school, we’ve both launched podcasts and a while back we sat down to catch up. Our conversation flowed from one thing to another. We ended up talking for almost 2 hours. We talked about our kids (Sheila didn’t know about all that had been going on with Linny), her family’s move to Tennessee, her work, navigating the world and so much more. We covered som much juicy stuff, I had to make Sheila’s debut on Living in the Sandwich Zone a double header.

WIth all that's been going on in the world, this week I just couldn't go with the flow and put out the episode I'd intended. Instead, I'm sharing a little bit of what's been going on in my heart. 

First of all, I want to profoundly apologize to Dr. Pollak for my extreme delay in airing this episode. I recorded this interview almost an entire year ago. I had just launched my podcast and had a ginormous case of imposter syndrome. As a result, I put this interview in the "vault" to save for when I had more experience with podcasting, had built some sort of audience and gained some traction with this whole thing. The next thing I knew an entire year had passed! 

What I've realized over my first year of podcasting is that the people I talk to are just really nice, generous, kindhearted people. They are people I'd like to hang out and become friends with. They are so much more forgiving of me than I am of myself. As I go forward, I hope to keep this lesson in the forefront of my mind and extend to myself the compassion that Dr. Pollak says is so important to cultivate as we navigate the Sandwich Zone.

My guest this week is Dr. Susan M. Pollak, MTS, Ed.D. Dr. Pollak is a psychologist in private practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is a longtime student of meditation and yoga who has been integrating the practices of meditation into psychotherapy since the 1980s. Additionally, at the time of our conversation, while managing her psychology practice she was also caring for her almost 98-year old mother.  

My car is one of the few places I can be completely alone. When I record for the podcast in the car, it generally means I'm processing something heavy--which is the case this week. 

In this first month of 2023, I have had some high highs and some very low lows. I unpack some of those lows this week from the safety and solitude of my car. 

Please be mindful of what is best for you and your well-being in this moment. If you're carrying all that you can emotionally hold right now this episode may just be too much. So please, check in with yourself and your heart and do whatever is best for you in this moment.  

In this episode I share about Day 1 of 2023 and how my year got off to a rather bumpy start. I recorded this on January 3, 2023, my first day back to work after the New Year's holiday weekend. 

I can hardly believe it's been a year since I launched my first episode of Living in the Sandwich Zone! In today's episode I share my reflections on my podcasting adventure and how it has changed me. 

In this little bonus episode you'll hear some reflections on my conversation with Sheri Salata and I'll share some of the big gems I've gleaned from her that have helped me start rewriting my story.

In this inaugural 2023 kick-off episode, we're talking about letting go of old stories that keep us stuck and rewriting them to create the life of our dreams. I can think of no other person I'd rather have this conversation with my friend, mentor and former Executive Producer of the Oprah Winfrey Show, Sheri Salata.

During her 20-year career running the Oprah show, Sheri brought us wisdom from the most sought after thought leaders and spiritual teachers. It was the career of a lifetime! Though, in her words, she created her dream career but not her dream life. In this episode we talk about Sheri's reckoning that started her on the path to manifest the life of her dreams that she lives today.

Sheri is an author, world-class producer and transformation doula. She is the founder + CEO of The Support System, a private membership group for women dedicated to creating real-life transformation and Salata + Co, her personal development company offering acclaimed courses + retreats around the world. Her memoir, The Beautiful No: And Other Tales of Trial, Transcendence and Transformation is an Amazon Editor’s Choice Best Memoir and an Apple Must-Listen audio book.

Sheri spent 20 years in the land of Oprah finishing that glorious run as the final Executive Producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show, President of Harpo Studios and President of OWN as captured in the cable hit series Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes.

Sheri lives in the Napa Valley with her bulldog babies Dolly + Buzz the Wonder Boy. She spends her time manifesting the life of her dreams, appreciating every minute of the joy ride she’s creating + calling in what’s next.

Surprise! Didn't expect an episode this week, did ya? Welp, here I am! This week I fill you in on our birthday/Christmas celebrations and my theme for 2023:  INSPIRED ACTION.

With everything going on recently I didn't get around to preparing this week's podcast until (quite literally) the 11th hour. In this spur of the moment episode I let you in on how the holidays are unfolding in the Osborne house and also share some of the more emotional moments for me this past week. 

I recorded this episode while quarantining away from my family during my recent bout with Covid. I had a lot of time to think when I was alone. In particular, I spent a lot of time thinking out what it's like being separated from loved ones especially during special occasions. In this episode I share about the feelings I experienced after dropping Linny off to residential treatment on Matt and my 18th wedding anniversary and I also share some self-care strategies that helped me get through that excruciating time.

For the past almost 3 years, one of my greatest fears has been about what would happen to my parents if they got COVID. In our family, we pretty much have every single pre-existing condition risk factor on the health concern checklist. So, I have catastrophized a ton of horrific scenarios in my head over the last few years. But now, I know firsthand and no longer have to speculate...because over the Thanksgiving holiday, me, my brother, my nephew and BOTH my parents were stricken by the wretched COVID bug.  For me, it was my second time around!! (Sheesh, I sure hope it's not turning into an annual holiday visitor!)

Anyway, in this week's episode I share with you about my family's most recent COVID health challenge and the lessons I learned along the way. (And don't worry...we're all on the mend!) 

The hustle and bustle of the holidays can be chock full of fun and frolicking for many. For me...not so much. In this episode I share less than enthusiastic feelings about the holidays and all that is coming up for me this year. But, fret not, it's not all doom and gloom. List til the end and you'll also also get a couple tips that have helped lessen my stress and stir the holiday joy pot a bit.

My friend Kory O'Rourke is an amazing human and an especially bright light in my life. Kory and I crossed paths in the parent support group for the residential mental health program that our children attended. She has been an invaluable source of support and encouragement to me and I am delighted to gift you with her beautiful spirit today! In today's episode you get to be a fly on the wall as we take about pretty much everything--except what we initially set out to talk about!

By profession, Kory is an educator. She has been an adjunct Faculty member in the Undergraduate Teacher Education Center at the University of San Francisco since 2016.  She likes to say that she is "a teacher who teaches teaching to people who want to become teachers"!  In addition, Kory spent fifteen years as a public high school teacher and school leader, with a career-long focus on social-emotional learning, social justice, mindfulness for teachers and students, and student agency. 

She is also a Mindful Schools Certified Mindfulness Instructor (CMI), from the class of 2016.  She previously served as the Head of Program for Mindful Schools where she created programming to help teachers develop a secular mindfulness practice and learn how to share that practice with their students. 

On a personal note, she is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and has worked in various roles in schools to support LGBTQ+ students and staff; she has initiated and advised Gay-Straight Alliance groups, been the LGBTQ+ liaison for her school at the district level, and been a founding member of her schools’ Trans/Non-Binary Task Force teams.  Ten years ago, Kory began the vital work of becoming an anti-racist educator in earnest, and she continues to actively pursue learning, self-examination, and discomfort as she practices daily the tenants of anti-racist work; she shares this work with her colleagues through creating and leading ABAR professional development and through joining together with them in communities of practice.

Kory's personal journey includes healing from significant childhood trauma. She is dedicated to supporting the increasing awareness of trauma-informed and healing-based practices in education.

In her free time, you can find her reading, playing with words and with clay, embroidering, walking her two misbehaved dogs for long zigzaging walks on the beach, and pouring all of her love into her two children.

Rena Yudkowsky is a professional memory coach, geriatric social worker and the founder of Memory Matters an online resource that empowers mid-lifers (and beyond) to improve their memory and confidence through proven techniques and strategies.

Rena teaches online memory improvement courses to mid-lifers and seniors. Over the past twenty years, she has served as the director of an Alzheimer's unit in an assisted living facility in Maryland, the director of development at a senior enrichment program in Israel, trainer for dementia caregivers, facilitator of support groups, and international lecturer on aging topics.

Currently, she is the memory coach for an international anti-aging clinic where she does 1:1 coaching and Is working on a comprehensive program to prevent dementia.

She is super passionate about her mission of helping those 50 + to age more healthfully, both physically and cognitively as she empowers them to believe in their own memory with confidence and grace.