Hello Brave Friends! Welcome to today's Expert episode, #265, with Dr. Sundeep Dugar. These are conversations with experts in fields relevant to caregiving parents.
In this episode, Jessica Patay and Susanna Peace Lovell sit down with Dr. Sundeep Dugar to explore the science behind caregiver stress, exhaustion, and burnout—and what is actually happening inside our bodies when our energy reserves are continually depleted.
Dr. Dugar explains why energy is fundamental to virtually everything our bodies do and takes us down to the cellular level to understand mitochondria, the powerhouses responsible for producing the energy our bodies need to function. Together, they explore how the constant physical, mental, and emotional demands of caregiving affect that energy supply and why caregivers can find themselves running on empty.
The conversation also looks at the ways our energy reserves change as we age and how sleep, nutrition, and exercise can support energy production and resilience. Dr. Dugar explains the critical role of sleep in allowing both the brain and body to recover, including why our sleep cycles and REM sleep matter.
Using the analogy of energy as a bank account, Dr. Dugar helps Jessica and Susanna examine what happens when caregivers continually make withdrawals without enough opportunities to replenish their reserves. They discuss practical strategies caregivers can use to make those important “deposits” and better support their bodies through the ongoing demands of caregiving.
This conversation offers a fascinating look at caregiver burnout from the inside out—and a reminder that caring for our own health and energy isn't separate from caregiving. It's part of what allows us to keep going.
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We are incredibly grateful to Rise Educational Advocacy for sponsoring Season 11 of Brave Together Podcast and for supporting our mission to strengthen and encourage caregiving moms. Find more information about Rise here.
Find out more about Dr. Dugar and Blue Oak NX here.
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Find more information about Life Coach, Susanna Peace Lovell here.
Find Susanna’s book, Your True Self is Enoughhere.
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Brave Together is the podcast for We are Brave Together, a not-for-profit organization based in the USA. The heart of We Are Brave Together is to strengthen, encourage, inspire and validate all moms of children with disabilities and other needs in their unique journeys.
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