Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeanette Yates
Hi Jeanette, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been caring for my mom, in some way, most of my life after she was diagnosed with an illness in 1984 when I was eight years old. The backdrop of my childhood and teen years was her illness, though I did go to college, get married, and have two amazing children. As my mom’s conditions worsened and got more complicated, her needs became greater and I became increasingly burned out by trying to care for her, my kids, and all the other things and people in my life. When the pandemic hit, I realized that my attempts to care for her the way she needed and wanted were leaving me feeling emotionally and physically exhausted as well as the feeling of a growing disconnection with my family and my life outside of caregiving. Despite my best efforts at practicing “self-care,” I found it still wasn’t helping me feel any better about myself and my life. I felt guilty or insecure about my caregiving, especially as I began to try to find ways to tend to myself and my life. With no relief from the traditional self-help and self-care approaches, I used my background in teaching, fitness, and education to find a way to care for myself without feeling guilty and still care for my mom. In all of that experience, I had felt so alone. Still, deep down, I knew I wasn’t the only caregiver struggling in this way, so through The Self-Caregiver, I help women caring for their aging parents take back their time without feeling guilty, even if it’s all on them.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Caregiving has been a rollercoaster with many ups and downs. The trauma of constantly feeling responsible for my mom’s health and potential death was overwhelming at times, but of course, we have persevered for 40 years on this journey together, so there is something to be said for that. As for business, I am still just getting started! The biggest challenge is helping caregivers understand that self-care is not just something to add to the plate…it is the plate. We tend to think of self-care as something we do as a reward or if there is time or when we can squeeze it in. As much as I love those things, the self-care that heals you and keeps you able to do all the things is not something you do; it’s a way of being. Caregivers are used to putting themselves last. It’s my job, and quite the challenge, to remind them that they are worthy of the same care they give others. Most caregivers I have met know this in theory but can’t figure out how to put it into practice. That’s where I come in!
We’ve been impressed with The Self-Caregiver LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At The Self-Caregiver LLC, Jeanette Yates helps women caring for aging parents take back their time, without the guilt, even if it is all on them. Through online community support, 1:1 coaching, and her signature Guilt-Free Caregiver Course, she provides step-by-step strategies for overcoming chronic caregiver burnout and living full lives beyond their caregiving roles.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I have been extremely blessed to have a supportive community of friends and family as well as therapists to help me navigate my own healing journey and encouraged me to help other women caregivers heal as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theselfcaregiver.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theselfcaregiver/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556188502873
- Twitter: https://x.com/JnetteYates
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSelf-Caregiver
