Whether you’re a mitopatient, a busy parent‑caregiver, or a friend who wants to help but isn’t sure how, this episode is packed with practical tools, hard‑won wisdom, and a reminder that tending to your own heart is the first step in showing up for the people you love.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Host Marcy Young sits down with Cristol Barrett O’Loughlin—founder and CEO of RareGivers—for an honest, uplifting conversation about what it really takes to care for someone who is living with a lifelong, often‑progressive illness. Cristol shares her extraordinary back‑story as the youngest of five children, three of whom passed away from Hunter syndrome, and explains how that experience (plus her own battle with breast cancer) inspired her to create RareGivers, a global platform devoted to the emotional well‑being of patients and caregivers. She walks us through the six‑stage RareGivers Emotional Journey Map, why “sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell” matter for daily self‑care, and how partnerships with Microsoft and other tech leaders are translating the program into hundreds of languages. Marcy and Cristol also tackle social‑media burnout, caregiver guilt, and the power of faith, before Cristol reveals the “Hollywood ending” of her parents’ remarriage—60 years after their first wedding. Whether you’re a mitopatient, a busy parent‑caregiver, or a friend who wants to help but isn’t sure how, this episode is packed with practical tools, hard‑won wisdom, and a reminder that tending to your own heart is the first step in showing up for the people you love.
Resources & Ways to Connect
Explore RareGivers
- Visit the website – https://raregivers.global
- Download the Emotional Journey Map & Guidebook – https://raregivers.global/resources
- Watch Cristol’s TEDx Talk – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJNLIlkrwTw&t=11s
- Follow Raregivers on:
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/raregivers.global
• X (Twitter) – https://twitter.com/Raregivers
• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/raregivers.global
• LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/raregivers
• YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@RareGivers
