Living in the Sandwich Zone

Some of the biggest gifts I’ve received from launching Living in the Sandwich Zone are the incredible connections-turned-friendships I’ve made with my podcast guests. My guest today is most certainly one of those gifts!  After being introduced to Laurie by one of my college roommates, we connected and, right away, I knew she was a kindred spirit! Laurie James is the mother of 4, an author, a relationship coach and what she calls a “recovering caregiver”. While raising her four daughters, Laurie cared for both her parents until their deaths. In this episode she shares all about her parenting and caregiving experiences and what she learned along the way. We also talk about the book she wrote, Sandwiched: A Memoir About Holding on and Letting Go, in which chronicles her life both before, during and after making her way through the Sandwich Zone.   Just last week, Laurie added another title to her resume: podcast host. As of June 29, 2023, she launched her new podcast, Confessions of a Freebird, in which she talks about a multitude of midlife topics including life as a “freebird” (aka being an “empty nester”), parenting, divorce, dating, sex, loss, grief and so much more. Be sure to take a listen and follow her podcast for more of Laurie's wisdom!   You can learn more about Laurie by visiting her website, www.LaurieEJames.com. Also, be sure to follow her on Instagram @Laurie.James and follow her on Facebook at Laurie James, author.   As always, you can follow me on Instagram at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@karen.e.osborne⁠⁠⁠⁠ Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): ⁠⁠⁠⁠LITSZ_Club_Sandwich⁠

It's been a while since I've done a solo episode so that's whatcha get this week!  I'm coming off an unusual week of solitude. While the other three Osbornes were off galivanting on adventures of their own, I was the only (fur-less) Osborne holding down the fort for nearly a week. In this episode I share what that was like for me and the "aha" I had about how I spend my downtime.  Want a sneak peek for next week? Check out my guest ⁠Laurie James⁠ whose new podcast ⁠Confessions of a Freebird⁠ debuts Thursday, June 29th. You can find her on Instagram at ⁠@Laurie.James⁠. As always, you can follow me on Instagram at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@karen.e.osborne⁠⁠⁠⁠ Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): ⁠⁠⁠⁠LITSZ_Club_Sandwich⁠  

Although not often talked about openly, estrangement is more common than many might think. Fractured family relationships occur quite often. According to a recent national study, 6 percent of adults reported estrangement from their mothers and 26 percent reported estrangement from their fathers. Estrangement carries with it intense feelings, often including feelings of shame, guilt, and grief. The pain and grief of estrangement is something Kreed Revere is all too familiar with. As a young adult, Kreed experienced estrangement when she distanced herself from her parents. Then, later in life, she experienced it again when her two adult daughters stopped communicating with her. As a result of her own devastating estrangement experience, Kreed worked hard prioritizing her own mental health and soul healing-- ultimately repairing her relationship with her daughters. Now, as a coach, she helps estranged moms work through the pain of estrangement and come out the other side with a renewed sense of self and helps them develop new, improved communication skills to repair and maintain healthy relationships. Kreed Revere is a podcaster, coach, author, public speaker and formerly estranged & now reconciled mom of two adult daughters and a grandmother of four. She is an advocate for repairing & healing relationships between parents and adult children as an estrangement & reconciliation coach specializing in relational communication and ambiguous grief. In her podcast, The Estranged Heart, Kreed shares openly about the topic of estrangement and is empowering others to do the same. In doing so, she helps suffering family members feel seen, understood and supported as they navigate estrangement and work towards healing. To connect with Kreed or to listen to her podcast, The Estranged Heart, visit her website TheEstrangedHeart.com. She is currently in the process of writing a book about her estrangement journey so keep an eye out for that in the near future as well! You can follow Kreed on Instagram at @theestrangedheart And, as always, you can find and follow me on Instagram at: ⁠⁠⁠@karen.e.osborne⁠⁠⁠ Click on this link to join the Living in the Sandwich Zone (LITSZ) private community, Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): ⁠⁠⁠LITSZ_Club_Sandwich    

My foray into the world of goat yoga delighted me so much I was inspired to find out how such a unique wellness practice came into being. So, after reminiscing with my friends who joined me for my goat yoga outing last February, I decided to reach out to Michelle Trittenthe founder of Hello Critter and the host of our fun-filled goat yoga extravaganza to learn more about how she embarked on her entrepreneurial venture with goats. Michelle was the first person to introduce goat yoga to the Los Angeles area. Animals had always been a passion for her and through a series of synchronicities and a very popular Facebook post, Michelle was inspired to hold her first goat yoga class on Earth Day in 2017. She's been hosting goat-centric events ever since! In this special bonus episode, Michelle shares her story about how Hello Critter came into existence and what life is like sharing goat yoga with others. To find out more and to connect with Hello Critter click here. If you're near the LA area and want to experience their ⁠Baby Goat Yoga and a Sound Bath⁠ event, hurry up and sign up for their class offered Saturday, June 17th from 10:30am-12:30pm in Agua Dulce, CA. Follow the cute kids at Hello Critter on Instagram at ⁠@hellocrittercare⁠. And you can follow me on Instagram at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@karen.e.osborne⁠⁠⁠⁠ Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): ⁠⁠⁠⁠LITSZ_Club_Sandwich⁠

In keeping with the theme of mental health awareness this month, this week I'm sharing with you about yet another outside-the-box therapy modality. This one involves horses.   I first became curious about equine therapy (aka “horse therapy”) when Linny was in residential mental health treatment. In the programming at “res” (as it’s often called), each week the treatment facility would take participants on a trek out to a place that specialized in equine-assisted psychotherapy. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy has been shown to help with a myriad of challenges – such as, relationship issues, depression, anxiety, anger management, trauma and recovery. The horses act as a sort of a mirror for the person they are working with and provide direct and non-judgmental feedback that helps clients to become grounded in the present moment, identify unproductive patterns, and create change in the moment. (You can check out Stand InBalance for more information.) In this week (and next week’s) episode, I talk with equine-assisted therapeutic facilitator, Kuniko Vroman. I connected with Kuniko after having repeated soul-stirrings that kept nudging me to try equine therapy. By following a series of Divinely inspired breadcrumbs, I connected with Kuniko and, before returning to work from my leave of absence, met with her weekly for a short while to see what this horse therapy thing was all about.  If you haven’t noticed by now--I’m a talker. So, when Kuniko and I sat down to talk about all things equine-assisted psychotherapy/therapeutic services, we talked…and talked…and talked. The next thing I knew, we’d been talking for over 2 hours! We covered so many good subjects that I couldn’t bring myself to edit our conversation down to only one episode. Hence, you get back-to-back weeks horsing around with us!   To connect with Kuniko or learn more about equine-assisted therapeutic activities and services, check out her website HelpingHoof.org. Helping Hoof, is the non-profit  501(c)(3) organization Kuniko founded to fulfill her mission of providing equine assisted therapeutic activities to individuals experiencing mental, physical or developmental challenges.    You can also follow her on Instagram at @helpinghoofeaat.   You can follow me on Instagram at: ⁠⁠⁠@karen.e.osborne⁠⁠⁠ Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): ⁠⁠⁠LITSZ_Club_Sandwich  

At this stage of my life, I am realizing more and more how important it is to have people in my life who are willing not only come along for the fun rides but who also stay close and ride the waves with me when things get stormy. ACE is a shining example of one of those people. Last week, ACE and I reminisced about our adventures in Africa and talked about some of the takeaway moments from our safari. (If you haven't heard the first part of our conversation, ⁠click HERE to listen.⁠) While the majority of our adventure was filled with rainbows and elephants (maybe elephants are the unicorns of Africa), we did have one particularly difficult moment. In today's episode, ACE and I continue unpacking our African Safari experience and share about that tough moment we had and the feelings it brought up for each of us. Notwithstanding this one bumpy interaction, I can say without hesitation that my trip to Africa with ACE ranks as THE #1 travel experience of my life thus far. So, if you are inspired to go on a life-changing African adventure with ACE, you have your chance! ACE is hosting a 10-day yoga retreat to Morocco this fall October 21-30, 2023. For details contact ACE via email at ⁠info@aceyogala.com⁠ For details contact ACE via email at info@aceyogala.com, DM her at  ⁠@aceyogala⁠ on Instagram or go to her website ⁠aceyogala.com⁠. Be sure to follow ACE on Instagram at ⁠@aceyogala⁠ Also check out her website ⁠aceyogala.com⁠ to join her mailing list and stay up to date all of her amazing offerings. You can follow me on Instagram at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@karen.e.osborne⁠⁠⁠⁠ Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): ⁠⁠⁠⁠LITSZ_Club_Sandwich⁠  

It's been just over a month since I returned from Africa. My safari experience was so transformative--on so many levels--I just haven't been able to compose a podcast about it. Immediately upon returning home, I landed right back in the thick of life having to juggle lots of tough stuff. But taking some time to travel on my African adventure definitely helped expand my bandwidth to handle it all. In today's episode, I chat with my safari travel partner, ACE. We catch up, reflect on our adventure and start to unpack our takeaways from our safari. If you're inspired to go on an African retreat with ACE, it's not too late. She's hosting another one in the fall--a 10-day excursion to Morocco! For details contact ACE via email at info@aceyogala.com or via her website aceyogala.com. This weekend (4/22/23) ACE is hosting an online workshop Breakups to Breakthroughs: Earth Day Reset at 9am Pacific. Her workshop will focus on forgiveness, parting with limitations, and how to grow from your past. To register CLICK HERE. Follow ACE on Instagram at @aceyogala You can follow me on Instagram at: ⁠⁠⁠@karen.e.osborne⁠⁠⁠ Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): ⁠⁠⁠LITSZ_Club_Sandwich

Having people in your life who can show up, be present and stay by your side through good times and bad is an essential part of any Sandwich Zone support system. In the past several years, I’ve been supremely fortunate to find a crew of phenomenal friends.  My LARK friends (Lupe, Ariel and Renae) have been with me through some of my darkest days in the past 2 years and have been an invaluable source of support, love, and encouragement. Know that it’s never too late to find your tribe—the people who “get” you, love you and stay with you through all life’s ups and downs are out there! If you haven't found them yet keep looking! In this episode we talk a bit more about Lupe's breast cancer scare and the importance of mindset. I also talk with my LARK friends about the special connection we share and how much our friendship means to us.  You can follow me on Instagram at: ⁠⁠⁠@karen.e.osborne⁠⁠⁠ Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): ⁠⁠⁠LITSZ_Club_Sandwich

It feels like there have been so many times since launching this podcast that I have started episodes acknowledging the devastatingly brutal and senseless loss of life due to rampages of gun violence. In light of the tragic events in Nashville, this week I ask you to take action. Below are links for organizations dedicated to ending gun violence. Please donate and contact your Congress members and Senators to demand safe and responsible gun legislation.   ⁠wemarchfourth.org⁠ ⁠@march_fourth_⁠ everytown.org @everytown   newtownactionalliance.org @newtownactionalliance   SandyHookPromise.org @sandyhookpromise   https://momsdemandaction.org @momsdemand   @bradybuzz wevote.us Here's how to contact your senators and Congresspeople: Find your senator. Find your representative. Visit ContactTheCongress.org.  

In this week’s episode I’m sharing my conversation with Christy Byrne Yates: caregiving advocate, coach, author and overall Sandwich Zone expert.  Christy’s Sandwich Zone journey taught her a lot! For six years she experienced the sandwich zone squeeze caring for her parents (both of whom had dementia) while also raising her children, nurturing her marriage and working full-time as a school psychologist. Now, Christy shares the knowledge, resources and lessons she gleaned from those experiences as a coach and advocate for others who are navigating the challenges of Living in the Sandwich Zone.  In her book, “Building a Legacy of Love: Thriving Inside the Sandwich Generation”, Christy shines a light on many of the hurdles faced by those of use living in the Sandwich Zone and offers loads of strategies for moving from struggling to overcoming those hurdles.  In this episode, Christy and I discover we have A LOT in common! We talk about our respective Sandwich Zone journeys as well as things we can do to make our sandwich generation parenting/caregiving journeys easier for us and our families. To learn more about Christy and her work visit her website: https://www.christyyates.com Click HERE to purchase Christy’s book “Building a Legacy of Love: Thriving Inside the Sandwich Generation” Follow her on Instagram:  @christybyates You can follow me on Instagram at: ⁠@karen.e.osborne⁠ Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): ⁠LITSZ_Club_Sandwich⁠  

I'm back from Africa and mixing things up! While I take some time to settle back in and let my jet lag dissipate, I'm sharing with you an episode of my first ever podcast interview with my friend Lesley McShane from her podcast Redesigning Midlife. Lesley is yet another extraordinary human that I crossed paths with during my (so frequently mentioned) podcast class.  In her podcast, Lesley offers a weekly dose of Monday Motivation to get you moving and making the most out of your midlife experience. Last January, we sat down to talk about sandwich generation life and my experience of Living in the Sandwich Zone.  You can find Lesley at her website:  LesleylMcShane.com Click HERE to schedule a Kickstarter Call with Lesley to get your nutrition and fitness on track! Follow her on Instagram: @lesleylmcshane Join her community at the private Redesigning Midlife Facebook Group If you'd like to join me at the Kensington Senior Living webinar The Sandwich Generation Squeeze: Finding Balance While Caring for an Aging Loved One & Raising Children 3/16/23 at 3pm Pacific: Webinar Registration Link You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): LITSZ_Club_Sandwich

Are you curious to find out who I'm traveling to Africa with? Well, wait no more! In today's episode you get to meet my friend, ACE--the person who inspired me to take the plunge and book my safari.  Alicia “ACE” Easter is a yoga and meditation instructor, brand ambassador, and master Reiki practitioner on a mission to empower others by helping them work through emotions physically. It’s a journey that began when she discovered the emotionally healing powers of yoga while grieving the loss of her mother, who died of pancreatic cancer when ACE was 19. I crossed paths with ACE during a  6-week yoga series she led in The Support System (Sheri Salata's online women's transformation group I am a part of).  From the moment I met ACE, I adored her. Her vibrant spirit, beaming smile and contagious laugh hooked me immediately. In this episode you'll hear more about ACE's story and how she came to curate the amazing African safari we will be taking together. She also fills me in on a big surprise about our trip that I had absolutely no idea about. ACE is the host of The Joy for Life Podcast on Apple, Spotify and wherever you like to listen to your podcasts.  You can follow her on Instagram: @aceyogala To learn more about ACE and her offerings visit her website: www.aceyogala.com You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): LITSZ_Club_Sandwich

If you've been following me on Instagram or listening to here, you know that I am going on safari to Africa. In today's episode I share with you why, for me, this is the exact right time to go to take this trip and what doing so means to me.  You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): LITSZ_Club_Sandwich

This is Week 2 of my scrumptious conversation with my friend Sheila Tully. Sheila is a wife, mom, entrepreneur, behavior change specialist, coach and overall fantabulous person! If you haven’t listened to the first part of our conversation—definitely go back and check it out. It’s a must listen! You'll hear us catching each other up on what's been going on in our lives, our kids, work and a lot more. This week, in the second part of our conversation, we talk more about how to take the reins on our brains and reframe our thinking and some practical tips to reduce our suffering in life.  We talk about our podcasts, our families, our desire to be of service and Sheila gives me a little bit of one-on-one coaching to help me reframe my thinking, release my fear and change the way I’m approaching reinventing myself in the second season of my life and career. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER for our FREE webinar on February 25, 2023 at 12pm Pacific Taking the Reins on Your Brain about how to reduce unnecessary suffering in life.  You can learn some great tips and have the chance to get some one-on-one coaching from Sheila.  You can learn more about Sheila and her work on her website  https://www.sheilatully.com Follow Sheila on Instagram: @sheilatully1 You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): LITSZ_Club_Sandwich

NEWSFLASH!!! For the first time ever I’m airing back-to-back weeks with the same guest. My guest for the next two weeks is Sheila Tully. Sheila spent over 25 years in corporate America before venturing into the world of entrepreneurism.  After leaving her corporate joy in 2018, she redirected her life toward helping women end unnecessary suffering that arises from our relationship with our bodies and ourselves. Through her work Sheila helps women get out of their own way, untangle issues that have kept them stuck so they can realize their full potential. Sheila is not only an entrepreneur, coach and behavior change specialist, she is my friend. We met when our kids were in elementary school. Though with the hustle and bustle of life, we never really had the chance to hang out and connect as much as I would’ve liked. Now our kids are in high school, we’ve both launched podcasts and a while back we sat down to catch up. Our conversation flowed from one thing to another. We ended up talking for almost 2 hours. We talked about our kids (Sheila didn’t know about all that had been going on with Linny), her family’s move to Tennessee, her work, navigating the world and so much more. We covered som much juicy stuff, I had to make Sheila’s debut on Living in the Sandwich Zone a double header. You can learn more about Sheila and her work on her website  https://www.sheilatully.com Follow Sheila on Instagram: @sheilatully1 You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): LITSZ_Club_Sandwich

WIth all that's been going on in the world, this week I just couldn't go with the flow and put out the episode I'd intended. Instead, I'm sharing a little bit of what's been going on in my heart.  If you'd like to make a contribution to the fund for my friend Kory O'Rourke  CLICK TO DONATE HERE. You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): LITSZ_Club_Sandwich

First of all, I want to profoundly apologize to Dr. Pollak for my extreme delay in airing this episode. I recorded this interview almost an entire year ago. I had just launched my podcast and had a ginormous case of imposter syndrome. As a result, I put this interview in the "vault" to save for when I had more experience with podcasting, had built some sort of audience and gained some traction with this whole thing. The next thing I knew an entire year had passed!  What I've realized over my first year of podcasting is that the people I talk to are just really nice, generous, kindhearted people. They are people I'd like to hang out and become friends with. They are so much more forgiving of me than I am of myself. As I go forward, I hope to keep this lesson in the forefront of my mind and extend to myself the compassion that Dr. Pollak says is so important to cultivate as we navigate the Sandwich Zone. My guest this week is Dr. Susan M. Pollak, MTS, Ed.D. Dr. Pollak is a psychologist in private practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is a longtime student of meditation and yoga who has been integrating the practices of meditation into psychotherapy since the 1980s. Additionally, at the time of our conversation, while managing her psychology practice she was also caring for her almost 98-year old mother.   Dr. Pollak is cofounder and teacher at the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion at Harvard Medical School / Cambridge Health Alliance and was the president of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy for ten years, from 2010 to 2020. She is a co-editor of The Cultural Transition; a contributing author of Mapping the Moral Domain; Evocative Objects; and Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, 2nd Edition; co-author of Sitting Together: Essential Skills for Mindfulness-based Psychotherapyand is the author of the new book Self-Compassion for Parents: Nurture Your Child by Caring for Yourself. Dr. Pollak is the author of the  Psychology Today blog, The Art of Now: Essential Skills for Mindfulness, an exploration of the art of integrating mindfulness into clinical practice and daily life, sharing new insights, reflections, and inspiration. You can find out more about Dr. Pollak by visiting her website: DrSusanPollak.com You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): LITSZ_Club_Sandwich

My car is one of the few places I can be completely alone. When I record for the podcast in the car, it generally means I'm processing something heavy--which is the case this week.  In this first month of 2023, I have had some high highs and some very low lows. I unpack some of those lows this week from the safety and solitude of my car.  Please be mindful of what is best for you and your well-being in this moment. If you're carrying all that you can emotionally hold right now this episode may just be too much. So please, check in with yourself and your heart and do whatever is best for you in this moment.   UPDATE: At the time of recording this episode, to protect and respect her privacy, I did not refer to my friend by name. Since then, however, I learned that a fund has been set up to support her family. I am posting this here because, if you've been listening to my podcast, you actually have met my dear friend, Kory O'Rourke, who was a guest on the episode of my podcast that aired on November 23, 2022 (Hear Kory's episode here.)  Only a few months ago, Kory and her family had moved--spending upwards of $7,000 to relocate. In light of the events shared in this episode they will have to move again suddenly. With Kory's permission, I am sharing the link to the meal train and donation site that has been set up to support their family. Even if in just a small amount, please consider making a contribution. CLICK TO DONATE HERE You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): LITSZ_Club_Sandwich

In this episode I share about Day 1 of 2023 and how my year got off to a rather bumpy start. I recorded this on January 3, 2023, my first day back to work after the New Year's holiday weekend.  You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): LITSZ_Club_Sandwich

I can hardly believe it's been a year since I launched my first episode of Living in the Sandwich Zone! In today's episode I share my reflections on my podcasting adventure and how it has changed me.  You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): LITSZ_Club_Sandwich