From Fatigue to Connection: A Relational Approach with Denise Brown

What if the most meaningful way to support caregivers isn’t by jumping to solving problems but by pausing and truly seeing and hearing them?

In today’s episode I sit down with Denise Brown – caregiver advocate, coach, and founder of the Caregiving Listening Project to explore what it really means to show up for caregivers, and how listening with presence can build trust, ease stress, and deepen connection. Through rich storytelling and gentle wisdom, Denise shares how even the simplest moments of human connection can shift the caregiving experience for families, staff, and care teams alike.

Denise invites us to think differently about “compassion fatigue”, reframing it as an umbrella term for a range of emotional drains like grief fatigue, decision fatigue, support fatigue, and even grace fatigue. She shares how naming these layers of exhaustion helps us better understand what caregivers are truly experiencing and how we can support them in more human, relational ways.

From the admission process to everyday interactions, Denise offers gentle, practical ways to help caregivers feel validated, heard, and less alone. Whether you’re a care team member, leader, or supporting a loved one, this episode is a reminder that presence is one of the most powerful tools we have.

1. There’s More to Fatigue Than Compassion.
What we call compassion fatigue often hides layers of grief, guilt, decision-making pressure, and more. Naming them helps us respond with care.

2. Start with Simple Validation.
A gentle phrase like “We know this is a hard day” can shift everything. It creates safety, trust, and space to connect.

3. Slow Down to Save Time: A few minutes of listening with presence can ease tension, prevent confusion, and help everyone feel more grounded.

4. Listening Is a Form of Support.
You don’t always need a solution. Sometimes what people need most is to feel heard, not fixed.

5. Presence Opens the Door to Solutions.
It’s not either/or, presence and problem-solving go hand in hand. But it starts with presence.

Denise’s compassionate wisdom invites us to bring curiosity, presence, and care into every conversation. Because sometimes, being heard is the very thing that helps us heal.

Tune in now to reconnect with the human heart of caregiving.

About Denise Brown:

Denise supports individuals managing difficult life experiences with coaching, planning and training. Through her work, Denise helps clients find hope, possibilities and a path forward.

Denise began helping individuals who care for a family member in 1990 and launched a business to help them in 1995. She created one of the first online caregiving communities in 1996 which she managed until its sale in 2020.

Denise now develops and delivers training programs for the workplace and for individuals who want to coach family caregivers. More than 400 individuals from eight different countries have enrolled in her training programs. Twice a year, she hosts a Caregiving Listener Project to create space for family caregivers and former family caregivers to speak from the heart about their experiences in a private Zoom room with a Volunteer Listening Artist.

Denise is the author of several books that provide insights, comfort and hope to those who care, including the five-book series called Take Comfort; The Caregiving Years, Your Guide to Navigating the Six Caregiving Stages; and After Caregiving Ends, A Guide to Beginning Again.

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