Why Nobody Talks About Being a Caregiver at Work (& What It's Costing Us) with Jennifer Levin

In this deeply personal episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher speaks with Jennifer Levin, television writer, journalist, and founder of Caregiver Collective, about her powerful book "Generation Care: The New Culture of Caregiving." While we're in meetings and hitting deadlines, millions of workers are simultaneously managing something most colleagues know nothing about—caring for aging or chronically ill family members. Jennifer became a caregiver at 32 when her father was diagnosed with a rare degenerative illness, and what she discovered changed everything about how we should think about work, support, and what it means to show up.

Episode Highlights:

• What makes millennial and Gen X caregiving different—and why "you don't have other responsibilities" is a dangerous assumption
• Why most young caregivers don't identify as caregivers—and what that silence costs them
• The role reversal nobody prepares you for: becoming your parent's parent
• Why our culture doesn't value family care as strong social capital—and the discrimination that follows
• The real cost to companies: employees leaving not because they want to, but because unpaid leave forces impossible choices
• Signs a team member might be struggling with caregiving (even if they haven't said anything)
• Ambiguous loss: grieving the person who's still here and the life you thought you'd have
• Why guilt is the one word every caregiver mentions, no matter what aspect of care they're discussing
• How to create a culture of care awareness without requiring people to sacrifice their careers
• The "waiting for the other shoe to drop" reality—and why caregiving emergencies don't follow a schedule

Quotable Moments:

"People will question your decisions all the time when you're a caregiver. But the person you're caring for wouldn't want you to give up on yourself either." - Jennifer Levin

Resources:

This episode of The WorkWell Podcast™ is made possible by Lyra Health, a premier global workforce mental health solution. Learn more at Lyrahealth.com/workwell.

Jennifer's Book: "Generation Care: The New Culture of Caregiving" by Jennifer Levin

Join the Caregiver Collective: A national online support group for caregivers who feel younger than expected in this role