Conflicted Caregiving: Forgiving Illness
Blood is thicker than water—and family also has the unique power to push all of our buttons. In this episode two guest share candidly about a beast rarely spoken of: resentment against ourselves or loved ones going through illness.
Karen Krebs is still working to forgive herself and her body through multiple rounds of cancer treatment and graciously accepts on-the-spot coaching from Fred and Eileen.
Barbara Hunt was finally able to overcome her stiff upper lip and emotional denial and recognize underlying resentment at caring for her aging mother. This set her on a path of becoming a forgiveness specialist herself.
This very special episode is inspiration for anyone in the middle of a forgiveness process, and in the end finding the beauty and balance between self-love and being a caretaker.
Karen Krebs
Karen Krebs is a healthcare executive with more than 30 years of experience in behavioral health and medicine, committed to helping individuals and families access treatment, begin recovery, and rebuild their lives. She brings a compassionate, informed perspective to navigating today’s complex healthcare system. With roots in New York and Massachusetts, Karen now resides in West Seattle, where she is a devoted caregiver to her 94-year-old father, who lives with her.
Barbara J Hunt
Barbara J Hunt is a forgiveness specialist and advocate, speaker, workshop leader, global peace visionary, award-winning and bestselling author of “Forgiveness Made Easy: The Revolutionary Guide to Moving Beyond Your Past and Truly Letting Go.” She has over 30 years experience in personal and spiritual development as a mentor, coach and group facilitator. She works in private practice internationally, and is also a musician and singer-songwriter. Connect with Barbara at forgivenessmadeeasy.co.uk and her YouTube channel.
Dr. Fred Luskin
Dr. Fred Luskin is the director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects. He’s also the author of the bestselling books, Forgive for Good and Forgive for Love. Forgive for Good is the best-selling self-help book published on the topic of forgiveness. Fred has been interviewed hundreds of times in worldwide media, including The New York Times, O Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine, Huffington Post, and he has been featured on the Today Show and CBS Morning News. Learn more at fredluskin.com.
Dr. Eileen Borris
Dr. Eileen Borris is a clinical and political psychologist who has pioneered the concept of political forgiveness on the individual, community and national level. She has addressed the United Nations and has worked for over 30 years to build peace in areas of conflict around the world, including Rwanda, South Africa, Liberia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and the Middle East. Eileen is the author of Finding Forgiveness: A 7 Step Program for Letting Go of Anger and Bitterness and the creator of Healing the Divide, a program that trains leaders and other individuals interested in applying the principles of political forgiveness to transform their lives and create social change.
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Eileen’s book: Finding Forgiveness: A 7 Step Program for Letting Go of Anger and Bitterness
Timestamps
00:00 Emotional Shutdown
00:15 Season Two Welcome
00:55 Caregiving and Illness
01:25 Meet Karen and Barbara
02:52 Karen Cancer Wakeup Call
06:05 Caregiver Stress and Resentment
06:56 Self Forgiveness Struggle
09:32 Barbara Young Caregiver Story
11:06 Resentment and Forgiveness Path
12:29 Host Reflections on Caregiving
17:10 Choosing Caregiving
20:30 Tools for Self Forgiveness
21:53 Culture Duty and Boundaries
23:41 Resentment as a Signal
25:23 Freedom and Choice Reframing
27:38 Final Messages and Takeaways
32:46 Closing Thanks and Resources
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