Are you running on pure emergency fuel to keep your grandchildren out of foster care? Child welfare and school systems often rely on caregiver self-sacrifice to fill their missing policies and empty budgets—here is how to stop burning out.
Episode Summary:
In Episode 131 of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (@grandparentspodcast), host Laura sits down with Dr. Felicia Brown—licensed professional counselor, emotional regulation expert, and adoptive mother of three children with complex PTSD. Drawing from 15 years in public education and deep clinical expertise, Dr. Brown breaks down how system failures exploit caregiver willingness to burn out, why secondary trauma impacts grandfamilies, and how setting a daily "good enough metric" can protect your nervous system.
Key Takeaways & Timestamps:
0:00 - Running on Emergency Fuel: The Caregiver Burnout Trap
0:45 - Episode 131 Intro & Dr. Felicia Brown's Clinical Journey
1:15 - How Systems Exploit Caregiver Self-Sacrifice
3:00 - Secondary Trauma & The Brain Science of Co-Regulation
5:00 - Establishing Your Daily "Good Enough Metric" for Success
7:00 - Breaking the Silence: Liking vs. Loving Traumatized Kin
8:30 - System Fix: Dedicated Navigators & Trauma Clinicians
Call to Action (CTA):
Subscribe to @grandparentspodcast for weekly advocacy, mental health strategies, and kinship resources.
Stream Full Audio: Listen on Apple Podcasts & Spotify at https://www.grandparentspodcast.com
Access Felicia Brown’s Resources: Free emotional regulation tools & programs at https://feliciabrown.org
