Soul Shift Sessions Podcast: The Cost of Caring – How Caregivers Can Heal While Giving

In this heartfelt episode of Soul Shift Sessions, host Coach Sapphire Star and co-host Coach Kyle McLeod welcome Carla Prayer (Inner Beauty By Design), an 8-year caregiver, self-care coach, speaker, and advocate, to unpack the emotional, physical, and mental toll of caregiving—and how to thrive through it.

Key Highlights:

Carla's Journey: After closing her 40+ year salon to care for her husband Patrick (diagnosed with mixed Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's in 2018 after 4 years of symptoms), Carla pivoted to full-time caregiving. She emphasizes holistic self-care (spiritual, mental, physical, emotional, financial) via nutrition, exercise, faith, positive energy, and support groups to handle "shockwaves" without burnout.

Lewy Body Dementia Insights: Often misdiagnosed (mimics Parkinson's/Alzheimer's), patients are aware of their decline—unlike other dementias. Advocate fiercely: Research, join groups, update doctors with symptoms, secure healthcare directives/power of attorney. Carla fought for Patrick's diagnosis and helped pass California AB 2047 for better doctor training.

Emotional Toll & Healing: Don't go alone—many caregivers die first from isolation. Shift mindset: Protect yourself first (oxygen mask analogy), use positive self-talk ("I can do all things"), borrow others' strength, laugh through hallucinations (hilarious "truck on the fence" story), and find joy in furry companions (Carla's doggy daycare pivot from "no pets indoors" skeptic!).

Practical Gems: Warm water/lotions for care rituals; choose hospices wisely (Carla's was "beautiful"); prepare pre-diagnosis (legal docs, finances). Now, Carla coaches caregivers, turning pain into purpose via her upcoming book (August 18, 2026, anniversary release) on her "by design" life from age 5.

Pivots & Rewards: From salon chair to self-care coaching and doggy daycare (under 40lbs!), Carla models unconditional love, vulnerability in safe spaces, and openness to change.

Soul-Shifting Quote: "You cannot or should not do it on your own... When impacted physically, mentally, and emotionally, don't do it alone."

Rapid Fire Gems:

One word: Blessed.Books: Boundaries (Bruce Wilkinson), No Matter What (Lisa Nichols).

Presence: Bring light, hope, joy.

Mirror note: "Girl, you got this. You were created for this. Let's go get it."

Final Words: "Gratitude isn't always about what's going right. It's about finding a little light in the moment that we're in."

Connect: Inner Beauty By Design (all platforms) https://innerbeautybydesign.com/. Watch documentary Facing the Wind.

Caregivers: You're not alone—reach out!

Subscribe, rate, share if this shifted you—join at soulshiftsessions.com. #CaregiverHealing #LewyBodyDementia #SelfCare #SoulShiftSessions

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About us - www.soulshiftsessions.com

Coach Sapphire Starr - www.sapphirestarr.com

Coach Kyle McCloud - www.inspirelegacyai.com

Become A Guest - www.soulshiftsessions.com

Business inquiry - soulshiftsessions@gmail.com

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In this inspiring episode of Soul Shift Sessions, host Coach Sapphire Star and co-host Coach Kyle welcome guest Stephanie (Cafcules Consulting) for a raw conversation on reinvention—remembering who you truly are amid life's upheavals.

Key Highlights:

• Catalyst for Change: Stephanie shares her 2019 brain surgery for a benign acoustic neuroma tumor, followed by COVID, depression, and a messy recovery. It forced her to confront people-pleasing, prioritize self over others, and declare, "I can't live like this anymore." Therapy, research, and self-reflection pulled her through.
• Self-Discovery & Women’s Struggles: Echoing the "put your oxygen mask on first" analogy, they discuss how women often tie identity to roles (mom, wife, worker), sidelining self-care until a crisis hits. Reinvention means serving from overflow, not depletion, to avoid burnout.
• Parenting a Teen in the AI Era: As a single mom to a 15-year-old with ADHD (like her), Stephanie jokes about co-parenting with ChatGPT for modern challenges—no blueprint, just trial-and-error amid tech, high school drama, and perimenopause.
• Entrepreneurship Pivot: From corporate "process fixer" (art master's + tech savvy, no coding!) to her backend software consulting biz, she thrives on "working smarter," automating CRMs/project tools, and ditching 9-5 monotony for organized chaos.
• Life Lessons: Embrace the entrepreneurial rollercoaster (wooden, not steel!), step outside comfort zones (Les Brown vibes), and reject predictability. Rapid fire gems: Books like The Body Keeps the Score (trauma healing) and Art & Fear; daily mirror notes like "Remember who you are" or "Quit negotiating with your intuition."

Soul-Shifting Quote: "Reinvention means figuring out who you are again—and remembering who I actually am."

Final Words: "Our mind is capable of passing beyond the dividing line that we've drawn for it." Let your soul glow! 🌟

Subscribe, rate, share if this shifted you—join the Soul Shift Tribe at soulshiftsessions.com. #Reinvention #SelfCare #Entrepreneurship #BrainSurgerySurvivor #SoulShiftSessions

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About us - www.soulshiftsessions.com

Coach Sapphire Starr - www.sapphirestarr.com

Coach Kyle McCloud - www.inspirelegacyai.com

Become A Guest - www.soulshiftsessions.com

Business inquiry - soulshiftsessions@gmail.com

Follow us on IG - @soulshiftsessions

Are you using AI, or is it using you? Most people don't realize they are already interacting with AI every day, but few entrepreneurs are using it to actually drive revenue and buy back their time.

Today, Coach Sapphire Starr talks with leadership expert and AI strategist Kyle McCloud about building a sustainable, automated business. Kyle breaks down his "intern" philosophy—treating AI as a capable but fallible assistant that needs your "Pilot" leadership to succeed.

Key Takeaways:

• The Core AI: Why you need a foundational tool (like Claude or ChatGPT) to act as your business architect.
• The 24-Hour Pivot: How Kyle used AI to prep for a complex data analytics class in less than a day.
• Human-Centric Automation: Strategies to ensure your brand stays authentic and your voice doesn't get lost in the code.
• The "Blind Spot" Prompt: A powerful exercise to help you find where you’re sabotaging your own growth.

Resources Mentioned:

• Kyle’s AI Workshops: classes.inspirelegacyai.com
• Follow Kyle on Socials: @Keitano
• Soul Shift Sessions: soulshiftsessions.com

"Learning never exhausts the mind." — Leonardo da Vinci (shared by Kyle McCloud)

Please Like, Comment, & Share!

About us - www.soulshiftsessions.com

Coach Sapphire Starr - www.sapphirestarr.com

Coach Kyle McCloud - www.inspirelegacyai.com

Become A Guest - www.soulshiftsessions.com

Business inquiry - soulshiftsessions@gmail.com

Follow us on IG - @soulshiftsessions