<![CDATA[The Caregiver's Spirit]]>4a0e4450-32ef-5f91-b241-4e31f4fe1093Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:46:39 +0000Captivate.fmMaria Aleandrahttps://artwork.captivate.fm/8daf905c-d007-4870-8707-d0454de61634/u6fqaOnwHzT-hEg8A5DePHXd.pngThe Caregiver's SpiritMaria AleandraMaria AleandraA podcast that blends meaningful insights with lighthearted fun, offering a mix of emotional, mental, and spiritual support to caregivers navigating their journeys. Through personal stories, insights, and and uplifting discussions, each episode explores the challenges caregivers face—balancing selflessness with self-care, managing stress, and rediscovering their inner strength. Expect a space for relaxation, real-talk, and inspiring conversations that remind caregivers to nurture themselves while caring for others. The Caregiver's Spirit is a soft place to land after a hard day, it's your connection back to yourself and your reminder that while caregiving is tough, it’s also full of light.https://thecaregiversspirit.captivate.fmfalseepisodicnopodcastEpisode 6: Holding Love, Living GriefEpisode 6: Holding Love, Living GriefThere are forms of grief that don’t begin with an ending.

They arrive quietly, while love is still here.

In this conversation, I sit with Allie Brunner—an artist, caregiver, and storyteller whose life shifted after her husband’s ALS diagnosis.

Together, we explore what it means to love someone while also grieving the changes unfolding in real time.

We talk about identity, the tension between hope and reality, and the quiet, often invisible weight of caregiving. We also reflect on the ways grief lives in the body, how it shows up in family life, and what it means to keep going—one day at a time.

This is a conversation about presence.

About love that adapts.

About learning how to hold what was never meant to be held.

Connect with Allie:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alliecbrunner

Website: https://www.illuminatingals.com

If you’re looking for a place to sit with all of this a little longer, you can find me here: ☕ www.mariaaleandra.com

And if something in this conversation stirred and you want a space to put it down, my caregiver journal is here: ✍️ https://amzn.to/4cvrTKB

]]>There are forms of grief that don’t begin with an ending.

They arrive quietly, while love is still here.

In this conversation, I sit with Allie Brunner—an artist, caregiver, and storyteller whose life shifted after her husband’s ALS diagnosis.

Together, we explore what it means to love someone while also grieving the changes unfolding in real time.

We talk about identity, the tension between hope and reality, and the quiet, often invisible weight of caregiving. We also reflect on the ways grief lives in the body, how it shows up in family life, and what it means to keep going—one day at a time.

This is a conversation about presence.

About love that adapts.

About learning how to hold what was never meant to be held.

Connect with Allie:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alliecbrunner

Website: https://www.illuminatingals.com

If you’re looking for a place to sit with all of this a little longer, you can find me here: ☕ www.mariaaleandra.com

And if something in this conversation stirred and you want a space to put it down, my caregiver journal is here: ✍️ https://amzn.to/4cvrTKB

]]>9687056d-300c-4627-9b1e-d5a93450eabdWed, 15 Apr 2026 11:30:00 -040001:03:54falsefull1771Episode 5: InspirareEpisode 5: InspirareInspirare means to breathe life into.

In this reflection, I explore the quiet impulse to create from pain—to write, speak, make, and notice beauty even when life feels heavy.

Inspired by ancient wisdom and lived experience, this episode is about staying present with what hurts, without hardening. About letting breath, tenderness, and attention become a form of resistance.

Not to escape the world, but to meet it with an open heart.

]]>Inspirare means to breathe life into.

In this reflection, I explore the quiet impulse to create from pain—to write, speak, make, and notice beauty even when life feels heavy.

Inspired by ancient wisdom and lived experience, this episode is about staying present with what hurts, without hardening. About letting breath, tenderness, and attention become a form of resistance.

Not to escape the world, but to meet it with an open heart.

]]>f924f437-c895-49f3-87e6-aff0399dc7eeWed, 28 Jan 2026 18:00:00 -040010:00falsefull1551Episode 4: Lucid JoyEpisode 4: Lucid JoyToday’s episode is a quiet meditation inspired by Albert Camus, exploring how to stay awake to life as it is—without giving in to despair or false hope.

Camus believed we are still responsible for how we live and love, even in an unjust world—not because it fixes anything, but because it keeps us intact.

This reflection invites you to pause, listen inward, and consider what it means to let love stay awake.

]]>Today’s episode is a quiet meditation inspired by Albert Camus, exploring how to stay awake to life as it is—without giving in to despair or false hope.

Camus believed we are still responsible for how we live and love, even in an unjust world—not because it fixes anything, but because it keeps us intact.

This reflection invites you to pause, listen inward, and consider what it means to let love stay awake.

]]>bea17999-35d9-497b-9f3f-f6cadea94ce0Wed, 21 Jan 2026 18:00:00 -040009:21falsefull1441Episode 3: FragmentedEpisode 3: FragmentedThis was not the podcast I had in mind today. The fragments of my day had something else in mind...

]]>This was not the podcast I had in mind today. The fragments of my day had something else in mind...

]]>20707db6-88c3-4339-bb41-de3c4c1d4f3aWed, 14 Jan 2026 18:00:00 -040006:48falsefull1331Episode 2: SettleEpisode 2: SettlePull up a chair. An episode about the itch to keep going and what happens when you don’t.

]]>Pull up a chair. An episode about the itch to keep going and what happens when you don’t.

]]>786fc23e-ef1d-4f50-afdb-429655a42098Wed, 07 Jan 2026 15:00:00 -040009:44falsefull1221Episode 1: TimeEpisode 1: TimeIn this episode, we sit with Time.

Happy end of 2025!

The Caregiver’s Spirit is a reflective podcast about living through seasons that change you.

These episodes are shaped by what I’ve learned through caregiving—and by all the unexpected places that learning spills into: time, identity, love, resilience, and the quiet recalibrations no one really prepares you for.

I’m not here to fix anything or hand out answers. I’m sharing what life has taught me so far, in case some of it helps you name what you’re already feeling.

This is a space for anyone moving through change—slowly, imperfectly, and with heart.

]]>In this episode, we sit with Time.

Happy end of 2025!

The Caregiver’s Spirit is a reflective podcast about living through seasons that change you.

These episodes are shaped by what I’ve learned through caregiving—and by all the unexpected places that learning spills into: time, identity, love, resilience, and the quiet recalibrations no one really prepares you for.

I’m not here to fix anything or hand out answers. I’m sharing what life has taught me so far, in case some of it helps you name what you’re already feeling.

This is a space for anyone moving through change—slowly, imperfectly, and with heart.

]]>24ff40f4-b0b1-4d1e-8091-341ab657d05bWed, 31 Dec 2025 13:30:00 -040010:25falsefull1111