Caregivers & Medical Parents Need Space To Unpack

Yesterday, I had a real conversation with my best friend. My husband was out, and I finally let myself say a few things out loud that I’d been carrying quietly for a while. Not major issues — just  the kind of minor irritations you dismiss in the moment. The ones that build up over time because you’re too busy handling everything else.

I hadn't voiced these thoughts to anyone before. Not because they were shameful or explosive, but because they were subtle. Familiar. The kind of thoughts caregivers often shove down because there's no space or time to unpack them, and because acknowledging them can feel disloyal.

Someone Who Knows Your Life

But my best friend knows our life. She loves me. She knows and loves my husband for exactly who he is — including the parts that might occasionally drive his wife of almost 36 years a little nuts. Her response wasn’t judgmental. It wasn’t defensive. It was a grounded and loving presence.

And that gave me the freedom to vent — fully, honestly, even a little loudly.

Today, I noticed something surprising. The things that had been gnawing at me? They didn’t bother me. Not because they changed, but because I had space to name them, feel them, and let them go.

That conversation reminded me of something we forget too easily as caregiving parents:

Connection is not a luxury. It’s essential.

Burnout doesn’t only come from exhaustion. It comes from isolation. From shouldering too much, too long, with too little room to be human.

You don’t need a dozen people. You need one or two who get it. You need people who know your story, and can hold your frustration without trying to fix it or flip it into gratitude.

This is the heart of why I created the Medical Parent Network. Not to pile on more information or more expectations — but to create a space where medical moms don’t have to keep carrying everything alone.

Because sometimes, all it takes is one unfiltered conversation to release weeks of stress.

And when we build that connection into our lives — not as a rare relief, but as a steady presence — it can change everything.