Lowering the Barrier to Connections and Caretaking
Sandwich Generation Series
Overview
Target Audience: Those facing the challenges of caring for children and aging parents
Focus Areas: Financial health, caregiving, and family dynamics
Key Themes: Personal wealth management, intergenerational relationships, emotional well-being
🥄 Key Ingredients for Success
Understanding family dynamics and values
Managing emotional and financial burdens
Building effective support systems
Key Terms
Construal Level Theory: A social psychology theory that describes how people represent objects, events, or situations, based on their perceived “psychological distance.” In other words, depending on how near or far the concept feels in relation to time or physical space (e.g., retirement in 30 years or physically looking at houses you are interested in buying) you may think about it in more abstract or concrete terms.
Genogram: A detailed family diagram that goes beyond a traditional family tree to map out relationships.
🫕 Memorable Quotes
"The value modeled for me from the women in my family is about welcoming people in, caretaking and burning out.” - Moraya
🥘 Main Course Topics
1.Complexities of the Sandwich Generation
Balancing caregiving roles
Managing financial responsibilities
2.Understanding Money Attitudes
Impact of family history
Financial schema development
3.Navigating Family Systems
Gender roles in caregiving
Legacy and influence
4.Building Support Systems
Creating boundaries
Managing burnout
Chapter Guide
00:00 Defining the Sandwich Generation
06:50 Emotional and Financial Burden
15:59 Legacy of Creativity and Influence
19:20 Gender Roles and Financial Dynamics
28:02 Family and Money Attitudes
31:19 Navigating Loss and Responsibility
38:54 Meeting People Where They Are
Taste Test: Experiential
Discussion prompts. If you want to battle shame and lean into deeper change, share and process it with a friend, instead of trying to fix it.
How did your family talk about money when you were a child?
What's one money value from your upbringing that doesn't fit with who you are today?
Which money lessons from your childhood have you chosen to keep?
How does your financial upbringing compare to your partner's?
If you could go back to have a conversation about money with your family, what age and topic would you choose?
What's the most important message about money you want to teach your children?
📱 Connect With Us:
Socials:
Instagram/TikTok: @homeecpod
Email:
General: info@HomeEcPodcast.com
Moraya: Moraya@homeecpodcast.com
Nick: Nick@homeecpodcast.com
Websites:
Personawealth.com HomeEcPodcast.com
For more insights on navigating family dynamics and financial wellness, subscribe to our newsletter at HomeEcPodcast.comHappy Holidays from the HomeEc Podcast HomeEc Episode 6:
Sandwich Generation Series: Lowering the Barrier to Connections and Caretaking
⚠️ Content Warning: This episode we discuss grief, loss, and mention suicide. If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health or addiction, 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is our recommended 24/7 resource connecting you directly to caring counselors. Text, call, or chat.
Overview
Target Audience: Those navigating complex and burden of money conversations and caregiving relationships
Focus Areas: Family dynamics, financial communication, emotional intelligence
Key Themes: Transparency in relationships, caregiving support, quality of life decisions
🥄 Key Ingredients for Success
Building transparent money conversations
Understanding family systems through genograms
Creating support networks
Balancing quality of life decisions
Key Terms
Bid for Connection: An attempt to get attention, closeness, affirmation, or connection from a relationship partner
Emotional Pursuer (EFT): In relationship patterns, the partner who responds to disconnection by actively seeking contact, often when activated through criticism, blame, or persistent attempts to engage. They tend to move toward their partner in an effort to get their attachment needs met, which can sometimes feel overwhelming to their partner.
Emotional Withdrawer (EFT): In relationship patterns, the partner who processes emotions internally, pulls away as a way to get their emotional needs met. They tend to pull back to protect themselves from perceived criticism or overwhelming emotions, which can awaken a feeling of abandonment to their partner.
Genogram: A therapeutic tool that goes beyond a traditional family tree by mapping out detailed family relationships, patterns, and psychological factors across multiple generations. It uses specific symbols and lines to indicate family dynamics, we use it here at HomeEc & PersonaWealth with questions of money stories, purpose, and gender roles.
Reciprocal Friendships: Relationships characterized by mutual give and take
Sandwich Generation: Individuals caring for both aging parents and children simultaneously
Openface Sandwich Generation: Adult children, caretaking with no children of their own
Club Sandwich Generation: When we have multiple generations of caretaking actively occurring in the family system at the same time.
🫕 Memorable Quotes
Nick: "If I wasn't practicing what we preach on the show, I know our relationship would have suffered. Sometimes the hardest conversations prevent the biggest conflicts."
Nick: "How can we process everything we're carrying if we're carrying it alone?"
Moraya: "Why do we wait until after someone's gone to ask the questions that matter? What if we found the courage to ask them now?"
"Your friend reaching out with 'How are you?' - that's an invitation to connect. What if we focused less on the perfect response and more on simply showing up authentically?"
"We're talking about the sandwich generation, about stress and complex emotions. But if we're not reaching out to friends, if we're not letting anyone in..."
Nick: "How can we process everything we're carrying if we're carrying it alone?"
🥘 Main Course Topics
Responding to Listener Letter
End of life care discussions
Sibling dynamics
Navigating caretaker loneliness
Building Deeper Friendships
Lowering barriers to entry
Creating closeness in the sandwich generation
Fighting isolation
Personal Stories & Reflection
Nick sharing about opening up and how he feels better now because of it.
Moraya's experiences with her grandparents aging - can we ask the questions sooner?
Newport Folk Festival memories with Pete Seeger
Chapter Guide
00:00 Introduction and Setting the Stage
04:07 The Sandwich Generation: Definitions and Experiences
08:10 Understanding Genograms and Family Systems
17:08 Listener Letter: Seeking Support and Connection
30:53 Navigating Elder Care Decisions
42:56 Breaking Barriers in Difficult Conversations
48:29 Emotional Support and Connection
Taste Test: Experiential Discussion prompts to explore with a friend:
How do you approach difficult money conversations in your relationships?
What role does caregiving play in your friendships?
How do you balance quality of life decisions for loved ones?
What support systems have you built for yourself as a caregiver?
How has your understanding of family dynamics evolved through caregiving?
📱 Join Our Kitchen Table Conversations
Socials: Instagram/TikTok: @homeecpod
Email:
General: info@HomeEcPodcast.com
Moraya@personwealth.com
Nick@personawealth.com
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⚠️ Disclaimer: The advice in this show are a guide and sharing personal stories are for entertainment. The advice does not take into account your personal mental, financial, or personal lived experience. Please speak directly with a professional for personalized therapeutic, medical and financial guidance.
