Shows
Sandwich Season SanityIntegrating Personal Ambitions and Caregiving ft. Laura AcuñaClick here to send a text and tell us how you like the show!In this episode of the Sandwich Season Sanity, I’m sharing my guest appearance on the Still Becoming Podcast with Laura Acuña, discussing the unique challenges and opportunities that come with balancing caregiving roles and personal ambitions during midlife. I’ll share my personal journey from being a busy mom of four to finding renewed purpose and productivity in the empty nest stage. Together, we discuss the grief and loss that often accompany this season, but also highlight the possibilities for growt...2025-06-3026 minSandwich Season SanitySupporting Your Kids While CaregivingClick here to send a text and tell us how you like the show!In this episode of the Sandwich Season Sanity podcast, I sat down with my youngest daughter, Kylie, to explore the unique challenges that arise when a mom transitions into a caregiving role while still raising children. Kylie, who was fourteen when I began caring for my aging parents, shares her perspective of what it was like to experience big family changes at a young age. Together, we walk through the confusion, anxiety, and sense of responsibility that she felt, and the importance...2025-06-2322 minSandwich Season SanityMy Journey Through Trauma and Self-CareClick here to send a text and tell us how you like the show!In this episode of the Sandwich Season Sanity Podcast, Ruthie opens up about her personal healing journey after years of caregiving and business leadership left her feeling emotionally depleted. She shares a candid reflection on the toll that “little t” trauma—like ongoing stress, caregiver emergencies, and unresolved emotions—can take on mental health, especially for women in midlife. Ruthie emphasizes that seeking counseling and wise counsel is an act of self-care—not a sign of weakness—and a necessary f...2025-06-1618 minSandwich Season SanityHow Healthy Boundaries Reduce Stress ft. Lisa SarugaClick here to send a text and tell us how you like the show!In this part two episode with trauma therapist, Lisa Saruga, Ruthie and Lisa focus on how setting boundaries can bring peace to sandwich generation moms. Lisa shares her “property line” metaphor for boundaries, a crucial mindset for overwhelmed caregivers. They discuss real-life examples from their own caregiving journeys and address the unique struggles of maintaining boundaries amidst family dynamics, pride, and guilt.Listeners will hear honest conversation around the importance of pruning even “good” activities during chaotic seasons—like churc...2025-06-0925 minSandwich Season SanityIdentifying and Managing Caregiver Trauma ft. Lisa SarugaClick here to send a text and tell us how you like the show!In this episode of Sandwich Season Sanity, Ruthie sits down with Lisa Saruga to explore the often overlooked topic of caregiving trauma. Lisa, a therapist and author of The Trauma Tree, shares her personal experiences of managing care for elderly relatives, highlighting the emotional and sensory overload that caregiving can bring. Both Ruthie and Lisa underscore the reality that caregiving involves not just physical demands, but deep emotional challenges, and subtle stresses that can have a profound impact...2025-06-0228 minSandwich Season SanityGrowing a Guilt-Free Prayer Life ft. Janet McHenryClick here to send a text and tell us how you like the show!Episode 8 of the Sandwich Season Sanity podcast features guest, Janet McHenry, national speaker and author of 27 books, including Praying Personalities and her latest, Looking Up: Finding Joy as You Read and Pray Through the Bible. Janet shares insights from her personal sandwich season as a wife, mom, grandmother of 10, and remote caregiver for her mother, who is currently in hospice care. She reflects on the challenges and joys of multigenerational family life, the importance...2025-05-2631 minSandwich Season SanityIntentional Long Distance Caregiving ft. Lori Ann WoodClick here to send a text and tell us how you like the show!In this episode of Sandwich Season Sanity, Ruthie interviews Lori Ann Wood about her experiences navigating the complex realities of the "sandwich season"—long-distance caring for aging parents while raising her own children and balancing a serious illness. She discusses the importance of healthy, respectful family communication and highlights the difficulties of helping parents maintain their independence while also ensuring their safety.Throughout the conversation, Lori Ann also reflects on the impact her serious heart condition has had, bo...2025-05-1934 minSandwich Season SanityFrom Worry to Hot Flashes: Sleep Tips for Midlife MomsClick here to send a text and tell us how you like the show!Send a text by tapping the link above and let me know if you like the show!This episode of Sandwich Season Sanity offers essential sleeping tips for busy midlife moms, who are usually either premenopausal, menopausal, or postmenopausal. Ruthie Gray shares candid stories about her own sleep struggles that began during her children’s teenage driving years and continued through empty nest and caregiving seasons. She discusses the anxiety and physical changes, like men...2025-05-1219 minSandwich Season SanityFinding New Purpose in Empty Nest ft. Kate BattistelliClick here to send a text and tell us how you like the show!This episode of Sandwich Season Sanity is about navigating the “afterparty” of the empty nest, offering encouragement and wisdom for moms redefining their purpose after their children have grown. Host Ruthie Gray welcomes guest Kate Batastelli—author, former Broadway actress, and mother of Grammy-winning artist Francesca Battistelli—to share her insights and journey.Ruthie and Kate discuss the reality that the shift to an empty nest can bring deep grief and a loss of purposeful identity. Kate shares, “The only w...2025-05-0524 minSandwich Season SanityBalancing Boundaries: Loving Adult Children Without Losing Yourself ft. Pat FennerClick here to send a text and tell us how you like the show!This episode of Sandwich Season Sanity features a heartfelt check-in between host Ruthie Gray and guest Pat Fenner discussing what it’s like to juggle work commitments, family responsibilities, and grandparenting—all while striving to nurture healthy boundaries with adult children and loved ones.Here are three key takeaways for moms facing similar challenges:Setting Boundaries Is Necessary—And Never Easy: Pat shared her ongoing journey of creating healthy boundaries, especially with adult kids and gr...2025-04-2816 minSandwich Season SanityHow to Have Tricky Conversations with Adult Children ft. Melinda PatrickClick here to send a text and tell us how you like the show!Today's episode with guest, Melinda Patrick, explores how parents can navigate and maintain healthy relationships with adult children, especially when they choose paths that diverge from their upbringing. As parents, we often wrestle with how to handle our children’s unexpected life choices as they grow into independence. These choices can range from where they shop for groceries, to church attendance, to walking away from their faith. Through her personal experiences, Melinda Patrick shares how to move beyond our instincts of tak...2025-04-2128 minSandwich Season SanityReal Talk for Caregiver Burnout ft. Rayna NeisesClick here to send a text and tell us how you like the show!Ruthie Gray explores the concept of "sandwich season," emphasizing the caregiver's role as the central hub between multiple generations, often managing responsibilities for both children and aging parents. She shares her personal experiences with multigenerational caregiving, offering insights into the importance of support and validation for those who feel overwhelmed.Key Takeaways 1. Practical Strategies for Managing Caregiving Challenges:o Being proactive and seeking practical solutions is essential for sustaining your efforts in the long run.2025-04-1431 min
Authentic Online Marketing with Ruthie GrayEp. 116: Balancing Family and Work as an Empty Nest Entrepreneur
Balancing family and work is a challenge many of us face, especially in the empty nest stage of life. How do you carve out time for your God-given passions while ensuring your family’s needs are met? In today’s episode of the Authentic Online Marketing podcast, Ruthie Gray and her insightful retreat staff discuss these questions.
Resources
Sign up for the Next Steps Retreat
Listen to Ep. 95: Faith-Fueled Leadership: Empowering Christian Women in Business and Social Media
Listen to Episode 94: Ep. 94: Empty Nest Case Studies: Finding New Purpose in the Digi...2025-04-0724 min
Sandwich Season SanityManaging Anxiety as a Mom and CaregiverClick here to send a text and tell us how you like the show!Welcome to Episode 1 of Sandwich Season Sanity! This episode explores finding peace amid fear, particularly for those navigating the challenges of sandwich season—caring for aging parents while supporting growing and adult children.Finding Peace Amidst Fear: Ruthie Gray shares personal stories about her own fears with her adult daughter’s health scares. She emphasizes the significance of finding God's peace through prayer and scripture (Philippians 4:6-7) rather than succumbing to worry.Cultivating Thankfulness: Ruthie high...2025-04-0711 min
Sandwich Season SanityWelcome to Sandwich Season Sanity!Click here to send a text and tell us how you like the show!Welcome to Sandwich Season: Peace, joy, and wisdom for moms who are stretched thin in multigenerational caregiving, juggling parenting, grandparenting, and eldercare. Take charge of reactions, set those oh-so-important boundaries, and find time for new passions and hobbies.Visit Ruthie's Website at RuthieGray.com Get Ruthie's Sandwich Season Pieces Newsletter Read Ruthie's book, Empty Nest Awakening; Weaving the Threads of Your Passions into Purpose2025-04-0505 minAuthentic Online Marketing with Ruthie GrayEp. 115: 5 Clear Indicators It’s Time to Quit and Start Fresh
Knowing when it’s time to quit can be hard, right? Today, I’m sharing how I said goodbye to a season and how this decision unfolded over time. If you’re contemplating a pivotal shift or quitting something to start something new, this episode is for you.
Resources
Purchase your copy of 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan
Join the waitlist for the Empty Nest Entrepreneur Retreat in West Virginia in 2025
Purchase your copy of Empty Nest Awakening by Ruthie Gray
Finding Peace in Letting Go
2024-12-0923 minAuthentic Online Marketing with Ruthie GrayEp. 114: Goal Setting Essentials for Empty Nest Entrepreneurs
As an empty nest entrepreneur, setting goals is essential for sustained growth and achievement. But how do you effectively set goals that encompass both short-term wins and long-term aspirations, say, three to five-year goals? And as many of you know, most of our listeners are in the empty nest, meaning we’re fifties, sixties, even seventies. And I want to point out, you may not have heard this, but it’s a well-known statistic that women in their sixties and seventies are just hitting their most productive time of life. These goal setting essentials have helped me in my entr...2024-11-0417 minAuthentic Online Marketing with Ruthie GrayEp. 113: Leverage Your Podcasting Personality with Linda Goldfarb
We’re thrilled to have Linda Goldfarb on the podcast with us to discuss how to leverage your podcasting personality. Linda is an award-winning podcast host, author, actress, and audiobook narrator, renowned for her expertise in creating engaging audio content. In this episode, we discuss the art of podcasting, starting with Linda’s journey from guest to host, and uncovering the pivotal role that understanding your podcasting personality plays in your success.
We’ll explore the four unique podcasting personality types—Mobilizer, Socializer, Stabilizer, and Organizer—and how each can leverage their strengths while addressing their challenges. Linda shar...2024-10-0731 min
The Martha + Mary Show216: Awakening Courage for Empty Nesters with Ruthie GrayRuthie Gray, author of Empty Nest Awakening, talks about finding purpose and embracing a legacy of courage in your 2nd half of life. Disclosure: Affiliate links are used in this post. If you choose to purchase through the links, we may be compensated at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases. See full disclosure policy. Today's Guest: Ruthie Gray is a wife, Gigi, empty nester, and content marketing consultant for Christian creatives. Her hobbies include Florida beach walks, RV-ing with hubby, and singing ‘70’s tunes in the pool. Ruthie ho...2024-09-2530 min
A Season of Caring PodcastFinding Balance and Faith Through Caregiving: Stories of Hope with Ruthie GraySend us a textWhat if you were suddenly tasked with balancing the care of your aging parents, your spouse, and your children all at once? Join us as we unravel the compelling story of Ruthie Gray, from hospital visits to homeschooling her daughters, Ruthie’s unwavering faith and resilience transformed her into the primary advocate for her family's medical needs. Her journey is a testament to the power of love, determination, and the human spirit in the face of adversity.In this episode, Ruthie also delves into the essential support systems that allowed her to...2024-09-1929 min
Your Best Writing LifeJuggling the Writing Life as a Caregiver with Ruthie GrayWhat did you think of this episode?Writing and Caregiving. Is it possible to do both and be successful? Today’s guest is a multi-generational caregiver and a writer. Her story and tips will encourage… and equip you. My industry expert is…Ruthie Gray. Ruthie is a wife, Gigi, empty nester, and content marketing coach for Christian creatives, specializing in Instagram and newsletter growth. Her hobbies include Florida beach walks, RVing with hubby, and reading historical fiction. Ruthie founded Authentic Online Marketing School and podcasts at Authentic Online Marketing (so easy, your m...2024-09-1021 min