Join us for one last, heartfelt episode with Mary Foley, who shares some of the year’s most touching and pivotal moments. This episode is filled with personal stories about her family, the laughs, the tears, and the unexpected twists that life threw her way. From the emotional roller-coaster of moving her mom into memory care to the poignant reminder of life’s unpredictability with Aunt Mary’s passing, Mary drives home the importance of love, connection, and a good sense of humor. Signing off from podcasting, she leaves us with gratitude and an inspirational note on handling life’s curveballs.

Take-Aways:

Keep Reaching Out: The story about Mary’s aunt staying connected even through tough times reminds us that a little effort to stay in touch can make a huge difference in our relationships.

Don’t Wait to Spend Time with Loved Ones: Life’s unpredictable! Mary’s moment with Uncle Bud tells us that we should cherish every opportunity to be with our loved ones—you never know what tomorrow holds.

Find the Fun, Even in Tough Times: From goofy photo sessions to heartfelt birthday celebrations, Mary shows us that it’s totally okay—and important—to find joy and laughter, even when things are tough.

Navigating Care for Aging Parents: Mary’s journey in finding the right care for her mom highlights the need for patience and compassion. It’s about learning to adapt and knowing when extra help is needed.

Rolling with Life’s Seasons: As she steps back from podcasting, Mary encourages us to be there for each other and to readjust as life changes. Remember her motto: "chip happens, but we can all flip the chip."

In this episode, host Mary Foley opens up about the sudden and unexpected health issues her aging family members have faced, including her mother's bout with shingles and COVID-19, as well as her aunt's sudden passing. She reflects on the emotions, uncertainties, and ways in which she has found strength and comfort during these challenging times.

Here are a few takeaways for all of us:

1. Being Real: Mary’s honesty about her struggles and emotions encourages listeners to be open about their own challenges and seek comfort.

2. Power of Community: Mary reminds us that family and friends play a crucial role in providing solace during tough times, stressing the importance of being there for each other.

3. Finding Strength: Mary shares how her faith has been a source of strength, providing insight into how God offers peace in the face of adversity.

4. Coping Toolbox: Mary introduces a practical approach for dealing with tough times, focusing on prayer, presence, and practical actions as key strategies for navigating life’s unexpected curveballs.

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You're invited to join Mary in her new "40 Days of Renewal" experience this Lent! The includes a daily dose of personal devotional time with the thought-provoking and heart-penetrating book Journey to the Cross. PLUS, there will be weekly virtual group gatherings where we will reflect, share, and celebrate the amazing ways God is working in our lives. Anticipate the most meaningful 40 days of Lent that you've ever experienced! Deadline to register is Feb 9, 2024. Go here to sign up today: http://www.40daysofrenewal.com

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Quotables:

Final Goodbyes to My Dying Aunt: "Now, it was wild to do that, but I got to do that." [9:14 → 9:20]

Amazing Encouragement from My Mom with Dementia: "You're going to be all right. You're strong." [10:32 → 10:36]

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On this episode, Mary Foley shares a heartwarming "Flip the Chip Moment" that's sure to lift your spirits. She tells the story of a mini-miracle moment involving her aging uncle and her mom, who's battling dementia. Despite the challenges they face, Mary and her family find a way to make her uncle's wish of visiting his parents' gravesite come true. Through small acts of love and kindness, they create a beautiful and joyous experience, proving that even the little things can make a big impact.

Here are three takeaways for all of us:

1. Small is Mighty: Mary reminds us that even little acts of care and love pack a powerful punch and can mean the world to someone.

2. Sparking Joy: By giving attention and love, we can create beautiful moments that brighten the lives of those around us.

3. Choose Kindness: Mary encourages listeners to choose hope and to never underestimate the impact of small, caring gestures in creating moments of joy and connection.

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Quotables:

Such a Cute Moment: "At one point, my mom and her brother are sitting on this bench and they're talking, so engaged with one another, and he is telling her why he has this bump on her head and she is listening so intently. And then she was smiling and believing every word of it. And by the way, it was an amazing, fantastical story, which isn't exactly true, but that didn't matter. She was listening and he was telling and she was believing. And it felt like in that moment, like the older brother and the younger sister on the school bench in the playyard after school." [4:14 → 4:53]

Positive Vibes Spreading: "What happens is when you give something or someone some attention, you give them energy. You really give them some of your life. It's a life giving exchange that that alone can spark others around you to do the same, and that can build momentum. And then in time, it can feel like an event or something that happens. That's a mini miracle." [7:12 → 7:40]

In this episode, Mary Foley shares a hilarious and heartwarming story from her caregiving journey. She recounts the day her mother, who has dementia, came home with a mysterious pair of men's pants in her purse. Mary digs into possible scenarios, but also dives into the bigger life lessons this quirky incident holds.

Key Takeaways:

1. Don't jump to conclusions: It's easy to make up stories when we only have snippets of info. Mary urges us to hold off on assuming and be mindful of the tales we weave about others.

2. Write a happier story: Mary suggests making up hopeful and uplifting stories about yourself and others instead of going down the critical and gloomy road.

3. Laugh it off: Life's full of funny moments, just like the one with the men's pants. Mary encourages us to embrace the light-hearted and find humor every day.

4. Embrace the mystery: We're all still writing our life stories, and that's okay. Embrace the unknown and keep going.

5. Find meaning in the unknown: Even if we never found out who the men's pants belonged to, Mary reminds us to find meaning in the unknown and assume the best.

This episode offers a heartwarming and insightful dive into caregiving, resilience, and finding humor in the unexpected. So, don't miss out—subscribe and join Mary's email list for more meaningful stories and fresh perspectives.

Get notified when the next story is released:

Click the Subscribe button on your fave podcast platform:

https://www.livelikeyournailcolor.com/podcast

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Quotables:

Dementia's Surprise: "She came home with a pair of men's pants in her purse, and she certainly didn't go there with them." — Mary Foley [02:00 → 02:07]

Choosing Hopeful Stories: "Why not make a story make up a story that's more hopeful versus depressing and critical, that's more uplifting versus downtrodden. That is something that's more of possibility than of like, oh my gosh, gloom and doom. Why not? We have that choice." — Mary Foley [08:05 → 08:26]

Embracing Humor Daily: "There's funny moments like that in every day, so why not just choose the light hearted and the funny more often?" — Mary Foley [09:12 → 09:21]

I'm back with another short story as a sidekick caregiver that I'm calling Flip the Chip Moments.

Because as you know, chip happens on your nails and in your life. But instead of letting the chips keep you down, you can decide to "flip" a challenge or difficultly that’s wants to hold you back into something more positive that helps you more forward.

These stories aren't just about caregiving or aging parents and relatives. There are about life.

Today's story is about my uncle who is in hospice. After celebrating his 92nd birthday, he made a personal plea to me that I will never forget. His plea was heavy and sad and I thought I couldn't do a dang thing to help him. The chips in his life were definitely down.

I've never faced a plea like this. I didn't know what to do. And then, an idea came to me.

Yeah, don't give me credit. Must have been from God. I was just standing there with eyes like a deer in the headlights. Listen to here what happened.

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https://www.livelikeyournailcolor.com/podcast

I've decided to make a temporary change to my Live Like Your Nail Color Podcast where I talk with amazing midlife women. Because I need the time and energy to be present for my aging loved ones (including Mom with dementia and Uncle in hospice). Instead, I've decided to share stories (AKA Flip the Chip Moments) from my journey as a sidekick caregiver. Because the most difficult moments in life can also be the most beautiful.

Here's the first one that happened on National Daughter's Day (with my Mom who no longer knows I'm her daughter).

If you want more stories, please comment/reply with a simple "YES!".

To be notified when the next story is released, you can:

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2. Subscribe to my podcast (including YouTube with these videos): https://www.livelikeyournailcolor.com/podcast

When any chip happens in your life, where do you immediately turn? I bet it’s a gal pal, a female friend! That’s why today we’re exploring what we need from female friendships at midlife and how to create and nurture them. The opportunity to create rich female friendships at this point in life is greater than ever, if we are willing to try.

I’ve invited two of my previous guests back to have a conversation about the importance of female friendships in midlife. My first gal pal is Jill Baughan, host of the podcast called “Find Joy…No Matter What!” She describes it as doing joy shots with a friend. My second gal pal is Patti DeNucci. She’s a speaker and author of “More Than Just Talk: The Essential Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Enjoy Better Conversations.” And, as we know, any good female friendship has ALOT of good conversations!

In this episode, we talk about:

• The benefits of having female friends in midlife
• Tips for having richer conversations
• How to make time for important friendships
• Finding joy in female friendships

Here’s a glance:

[6:57] Jill and Patti are both Naked Nelly’s who are not afraid to be their authentic selves.

[9:18] Jill and Patti share the importance of female friends in their lives and why.

[14:33] Jill and Patti weigh in on must haves in a female friendship.

[19:46] The struggles of making time for female friends when time is limited.

[27:17] Tips and ideas for having deeper, richer conversations.

[34:39] Guidance for introverted or socially shy females who want to start conversations.

[37:56] The importance of being authentic in female friendships.

[44:29] How Jill finds joy in her female friendships.

[52:03] Patti’s created nail color would be Colorful Conversations and Jill’s would be Confetti.

[1:01:38] In the Flip the Chip segment, Mary highlights the big, do-able takeaways Jill and Patti shared about creating and nurturing female friendships in midlife.

“We need all the encouragement, support, and joy that we can get from our friends especially in this time of life.” — Jill Baughan on @livelikeyournailcolor

“Just like exercise, eating well, and getting to sleep, you have to make your friends a priority.” — Patti DeNucci on @livelikeyournailcolor

“We all want to be known, understood, and accepted.” — Mary Foley on @livelikeyournailcolor

JillBaughan.com

Finding Joy…No Matter What Podcast

Listen to episode 29 with Jill

PattiDenucci.com

More than Just Talk: The Essential Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Enjoy Better Conversations

Listen to episode 35 (Part 1) with Patti

Listen to episode 36 (Part 2) with Patti

Sweet Potato’s Queen Book of Love

Take the quiz and discover your nail color persona: mynailcolorpersona.com

“Mary and the Live Like Your Nail Color podcast is inspiring and fun!” <– If that sounds like you, please take a hot minute to rate and review my show! This helps me get the podcast in front of more women so they, too, can flip the chip to feel happy, free, and full of life. Go here (or https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-like-your-nail-color-podcast-with-mary-foley/id1621128078), scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”

Plus, make sure to subscribe to the podcast. Because it's not nearly as fun without you!

In part 1 of this discussion, we talked about the common reasons why estrangement happens with an adult child and four things you can do starting today to put yourself on the path of reconnection. In part 2, Tina offers five specific things not to do if you have an estranged child, some real stories of reconciled relationships, and an unexpected takeaway that applies to all of us, whether you currently have an estranged adult child, or not.

Tina Gilbert is a Psychotherapist, Author, Estrangement Consultant, and author of Reconnecting with Your Estranged Adult Child: Practical Tips and Tools to Heal Your Relationship. She cuts through the blame, shame, and guilt on both sides of the broken relationship and offers techniques and tools to parents who have felt powerless. She believes reconciliation is a step-by-step process, but the effort is worth it. It is never too late to renew relations and experience better-than-ever bonds.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What not to do when attempting to repair an estranged relationship
• Successful reconnections between parents and estranged children
• The importance of self-compassion when it feels that life isn’t fair

Here’s a glance:

[2:41] Tina shares a few strategies many parents try but are not effective in repairing an estranged relationship.

[9:45] Stories of successful reconnections between adult children and parents.

[17:46] Why allowing time to pass could be what is needed to heal a relationship when nothing else is working.

[25:07] Keys to finding self-compassion when it feels that life isn’t fair.

[30:22] Tina explains why Self-compassion Cinnamon Cookie is the nail color she would choose to heal relationships.

[34:12] In the Flip the Chip segment, Mary highlights Tina’s five things not to do if you are currently estranged from your adult child.

“Continually reaching out, in some cases, will actually do more harm than good. In other cases, it won't make a difference.” — Tina Gilbertson on @livelikeyournailcolor

“I hear regularly from parents who have managed to reconnect with their kids. There's a certain point at which the parent takes ownership of the problem and says "I am going to figure this out”. You have to overcome shame to do it.” — Tina Gilbertson on @livelikeyournailcolor

“Most estrangements are temporary.” — Tina Gilbertson on @livelikeyournailcolor

TinaGilbertson.com

Reconnecting with Your Estranged Adult Child: Practical Tips and Tools to Heal Your Relationship

Reconnection Club Podcast

Reconnection Club

Take the quiz and discover your nail color persona: mynailcolorpersona.com

“Mary and the Live Like Your Nail Color podcast is inspiring and fun!” <– If that sounds like you, please take a hot minute to rate and review my show! This helps me get the podcast in front of more women so they, too, can flip the chip to feel happy, free, and full of life. Go here (or https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-like-your-nail-color-podcast-with-mary-foley/id1621128078), scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”

Plus, make sure to subscribe to the podcast. Because it's not nearly as fun without you!