Get engulfed in the intense journey of a caregiver who happens to be a comedian. J Smiles use of levity reveals the stress and rewards of caregiving interwoven with her own personal journey. Almost 10 years ago, she was catapulted into caregiving overnight when the shock of her dad's death pushed her mom into Alzheimer's in the blink of an eye. A natural storyteller, her vivid descriptions and impressive recall will place you squarely in each moment of truth, at each fork in the road. She was a single, childless mechanical engineering, product designing, lawyer living a meticulously crafted international existence until she wasn't. The lifestyle shift was immediate. Starting from scratch, she painstakingly carved out useful knowledge and created a beneficial care plan for her mom. J Smiles will fly solo and have expert guests. You will get tips, tricks, trends and TRUTH. Alzheimer's is heavy, we don’t have to be. All caregivers are welcome to snuggle up, Parent Up!
The honest part of caregiving isn’t just the long nights and endless appointments—it’s realizing you’ve become the project manager for a situation nobody trained you for. Family Caregivers take that and turn it into a plan, s...
Caregiving comes with a stack of questions that rarely fit into neat answers—and that’s exactly where we go in this episode. We open up about the moments no one posts: the dark days, the quick resets that actually help, and t...
What does perseverance look like when words are gone and the day goes sideways? We set out to honor a promise—no gray roots, ever—and walked straight into a masterclass on safety, dignity, and the tiny choices that keep ident...
What if the care system you need doesn’t exist yet? Chanda didn’t wait. In this episode, we speak with Chanda Hinton, founder of the Chanda Center for Health. After a childhood spinal cord injury and years of depending on med...
A single shock can reorder a life. When my father passed suddenly and my mother’s Alzheimer’s deepened, I became the point person for everything. My pivot—raw, messy, and unplanned—sparked a mission: use comedy to have a posi...
Parenting Up Family! Tune in for a special episode during National Family Caregivers Month! We are usually bi-weekly, but thanks to the Alzheimer's Association of Georgia, we are releasing this bonus episode this month! In th...
“I'm On Edge Of Quitting Caregiving” Everybody has a bad day. What are signs that you need an immediate break from caregiving? I’m J Smiles, comedian, Alzheimer’s and Dementia activist, and family caregiver. You may know me…
“Advocating 101: Partner with the provider – chatting with “Eclectic” Dawn Your Loved One Doesn’t Have to Have Alzheimer’s or Dementia For You to be Part of the Parenting Up Family: 5 Reasons You Became a C…
“Keeping Mom Independent: A Chat with Kim Cooper” How to Give Your Loved one Independence for a Better Quality of Life I’m J Smiles, comedian, Alzheimer’s and Dementia activist, and family caregiver. You may know me f…