Send us a text This week's episode is abbreviated to say the least with my husband's health issues taking center stage! Short updates on things going on. Did you listen to last week's interview by the way? If this resonates, follow the Only Child Diaries Podcast on your favorite app, leave a rating and review to help others find us, and share the show with a friend who needs a thoughtful voice in their feed. Join us on Instagram at Only Child Diaries and Facebook at Only Ch...

Send us a text What if the quiet of an only-child home becomes the engine for a louder, fuller life? Tracy sits down with Leslie Berlin to trace that arc—from a childhood shaped by early divorce and Sunday dinners with dad to a grown-up world built on cousins, neighbors, and in-laws who feel like true family. Leslie’s warmth and candor turn familiar worries into practical wisdom: how to learn confrontation without sibling sparring matches, how to make small holidays feel rich, and how to carr...

Send us a text What do you hold onto when the week unravels—when a hospital discharge turns into a maze of home care, a storm flattens your Halloween decorations, and the cat needs an ER visit at 1 a.m.? I walk through a stretch of days where everything asked for attention at once and explain how I kept moving by choosing a glass half-full approach. We start with my husband’s recovery plan: two bulging discs, a broken rib, and a team effort that includes a visiting nurse, physical the...

Send us a text A cascade of pain, four falls, and a fractured rib turned a quiet week into a high-stakes navigation of hospital systems, protocols, and hard choices. We walk you through the unvarnished reality of being a caregiver when the lights of the ambulance meet the glow of Halloween decorations, the dog won’t stop barking, and the chart misses the most important details. From the ER intake to a five-day stay that demanded constant vigilance, we dig into medication mix-ups, the pharmaci...

Send us a text The week started with hope—physical therapy was finally helping my husband to build strength and balance—then it swerved into a nerve flare that turned my husband into a bedridden dependent partner that made me worry and exhausted at the same time. Caregiving isn’t glamorous; it’s small adjustments repeated with patience: finding a position that eases pain, measuring the day by steps, and choosing what gets dropped when everything can’t fit. I share how “in sickness and in heal...

Send us a text Have you ever broken a promise to yourself for something that unexpectedly connected you to someone you've lost? That's exactly what happened when I subscribed to The New York Times after vowing never to accumulate publications again. When we moved from our apartment a few years ago, we discovered mountains of magazines and newspaper clippings tucked away in closets and corners—evidence of my fundraising career, my husband's modeling hobby, and our shared love of reading. The ...

Send us a text Have you ever had a revelation when someone you've known for years suddenly reveals themselves to be completely different from who you thought they were? Maybe you suddenly started spending a LOT of time with them and finally got to really KNOW them? That somewhat jarring disconnect between perception and reality forms the heart of this episode's exploration into the complicated layers of our closest relationships. And let's face it, sometimes we just give people the bene...

Send us a text The choice to drive drunk can destroy lives in an instant. On September 7, 2017, my husband Bill and I were enjoying a vacation in Las Vegas when a drunk driver slammed into our rental car at approximately 80 miles per hour. The impact was so violent that I genuinely believed I wouldn't survive. Our world transformed in that moment—from carefree vacation to a 20-month nightmare of physical recovery, emotional trauma, and an exhausting fight for justice. This is my annual re-rel...

Send us a text This week I'm celebrating three years of the Only Child Diaries podcast, reflecting on the journey and expressing gratitude to listeners across 58 countries worldwide. The podcast has grown into a global community where experiences of being an only child are shared with humor and insight. • Upcoming interview with Leslie Berlin, a fellow only child with a different background including divorced parents, multiple cousins, and her own children • Podcast demographics reveal liste...

Send us a text Yeah, you get to a certain age, and you think, okay, there are some things I can do well....or at least good enough. Discovering you've been watering trees wrong your entire life is not something I expected to learn about myself after hiring an arborist to help me with our aging tangerine tree. A beloved 50-year-old tangerine tree planted by my father back when I was a teenager. But I did learn something new and I'm hoping I can nurse it back to some level of bette...

Send us a text If you're a regular listener you already know I've talked a lot about grief. It gets to be a bigger part of life as you go along. Saying goodbye isn't a single moment but a journey that unfolds in unexpected layers over time. After keeping my horse Dallas's stall for over a year following his sudden passing, I 'm finally facing the last tie with the barn - giving up his stall. This wasn't just about emptying a locker filled with dusty memories, but about ackn...

Send us a text Homeownership can feel like navigating uncharted waters without a compass. That sinking feeling when you hear an unfamiliar noise in your house? It happened to me recently, and what followed was both educational and let's face it, expensive. When I moved into my parents' home, I quickly discovered that years of deferred maintenance meant something broke literally every day. It became a running joke – what would give up the ghost today? Eventually, things settled down, a...

Send us a text Tracy celebrates three years of podcasting with the Only Child Diaries, now reaching listeners in 54 countries and 593 cities worldwide. She shares personal updates including her recovery from a recent fall, exciting news about her first podcast interview appearance, and her early preparations for Halloween decorations. • Recovery update from last week's fall with painful but healing rib injuries • Celebrating the podcast's third anniversary with growing global listenership • ...

Send us a text Ever wonder what happens when you try to support someone through a cremation ceremony and end up sprawled across cemetery steps instead? Life has a way of mixing profound moments with unexpected comedy. Death remains one of our most challenging transitions – something many of us approach with hesitation, especially when supporting loved ones through the process. After losing my friend Neliya (who began as my friend's mother before becoming my friend too), I joined her daughter...

Send us a text Have you ever wondered what will happen to all your possessions when you're gone? After the recent loss of a friend, I found myself contemplating the mountain of stuff we accumulate throughout our lives and the burden it places on those left behind to sort through it all. In this week's personal exploration, I introduce the concept of "Swedish Death Cleaning" – a practice with an unfortunate name but a compassionate purpose. While initially skeptical (and questioning the PR ch...

Send us a text What if the secret to happiness isn't complicated at all, but simply requires us to choose joy daily? After losing someone who was like a second mother to me, I've been reflecting deeply on how we navigate life's challenges while still maintaining our sense of purpose and happiness. June has mysteriously become a month of pivotal moments in my life - when pets joined our family, jobs began and ended, and sadly, when loved ones passed away. This pattern of beginnings and ending...

Send us a text Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is step back and breathe. After releasing episodes consistently for almost three full years, I found myself at a crossroads when Neliya – my late friend Gina's mother and someone who had become like a second mom to me – entered the hospital with sudden liver failure. The physical and emotional toll of hospital visits, coupled with the ordinary responsibilities of life, created an extraordinary weight. Neliya's quick decline took about a we...

Send us a text Facing overwhelming challenges requires intentional self-care and perspective. This episode explores personal struggles with a broken washer, community concerns about ICE raids, and a family friend's health crisis, while offering reminders about maintaining healthy habits during difficult times. • Broken washing machine leads to laundromat visits and unexpected complications with replacement • Social and political concerns about ICE raids taking an emotional toll • Close frien...

Send us a text Amidst sensationalized headlines and political rhetoric claiming Los Angeles is "burning," I'm pulling back the curtain to reveal what's actually happening on the ground in my city. Having spent over two decades working in the heart of downtown LA, I offer perspective that goes beyond the dramatic footage you've seen on the news. Let me take you on a journey through LA's complex geography—a sprawling county of 4,000 square miles and 88 distinct cities—to understand why what's ...

Send us a text Taking care of yourself is vital to both physical and mental health, yet it's often neglected during busy periods. After working 50-hour weeks for a major fundraising event, I share my experience with post-event exhaustion and the importance of intentional recovery. • The challenges of being an overachiever/perfectionist when planning events • How intense work periods cause basic self-care and household tasks to be neglected • The necessity of rest and recovery after high-ener...