Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Miller.
Hi Elizabeth, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In a family of six kids, I am the middle daughter. There are three boys and three girls. Family has always been important to me. My dad used to tell us, ‘no one will love you like your family.’ One of my three older brothers was born with a developmental disability. Family caregiving has always been a part of my life. I’m originally from Pennsylvania. When I was 13 my dad accepted a job in Atlanta. Since then, metro Atlanta has been my home (other than my college years at Penn State University where I studied Broadcast Journalism).
I met my husband, Jason, at North Springs High School. We’ve been married 26 years. We dated on and off throughout college and then steadily after graduation. Our biggest challenge (we thought!) was that we would have to navigate our interfaith marriage. Jason is Jewish, and I am Christian. Little did we know we’d have several other unforeseen hurdles. Our most challenging years have been the years we were in the ‘sandwich generation’ – raising our two adolescent children while working full-time and caring for our aging parents.
Having firsthand experience caring for aging parents with chronic/terminal illnesses and for a sibling with developmental disabilities, I understood how much was involved in caregiving and how vital – but lacking – are places for caregivers to turn to for support and information. I felt overwhelmed and lost! My thought was that others probably felt similarly so in 2015, I started Happy Healthy Caregiver. The website, podcast, and community offer, via resources and shared discussion, how best to manage family and work responsibilities while juggling caring for a family member in need.
Today, I am a caregiver advocate, speaker, author, podcast host, and Certified Caregiving Consultant. My husband and I are almost full-time empty nesters living in Marietta with our two dogs – Sunny and Shadow.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I believed Happy Healthy Caregiver could be a viable business, but I struggled with figuring out the monetization strategy. I threw a lot of spaghetti at the wall to see what would stick! I naively thought I could create a website and write an impactful ebook, and the pieces would fall into place so I could quit my day job and put more focus on my family. Entrepreneurship is challenging and not for everyone. I’d be lying if I didn’t think several times a month of throwing in the towel and just concentrating on my corporate career in IT and Strategy. I knew I’d have regrets if I quit Happy Healthy Caregiver, so I kept showing up and doing one little thing in my business daily to move it forward.
Surprisingly, the way I started to make real money was not how I ever intended. Through my Happy Healthy Caregiver community and content channels, I became an ‘accidental influencer’ for family caregivers. My first paying client was Depend. A few years back, they reached out to me to do a campaign for National Caregivers Day in February. I wrote a sponsored post for them, including a Caregiver Toolkit giveaway. This relationship blossomed into later an annual contract for additional content spotlighting the Depend partnership. I remember the pride I felt opening the check and taped the stub near my desk as a reminder that my hard work was paying off and making an impact. I wanted to share this win with my family, so we booked a trip to Disney World!
After this, I started thinking about my business as an octopus with all the arms representing different income streams. Primary monetization streams include speaking for companies and organizations about caregiving and content collaborations where I can help companies amplify their product or service. Other streams include book sales from my Just for You: a Daily Self-Care Journal, affiliate commissions, freelance writing, digital courses, and caregiver coaching.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
There are over 53 million family caregivers in the United States and yet so many of them are invisible. I believe that family caregivers are the experts in caregiving. I’m proud that the Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast features real family caregivers sharing their caregiving and self-care tips. It’s important to me that these invisible caregivers have space to share their stories. In 2023, the Happy Healthy Caregiver received 40K downloads. I’m grateful these stories are getting out into the public and that those listening will feel like they are being heard and validated.
I’m known for sharing pragmatic tips for family caregivers to enable them to prioritize their health and happiness. I believe we can be terrific family caregivers to our care recipients AND have happy and healthy lives. Living this way doesn’t just happen it takes intention. I wanted Happy Healthy Caregiver to be the place caregivers go to be truly seen and fast-tracked to the resources which would allow them to but to find ways to infuse more peace and joy into their days.
I do want to urge family caregivers to seek support way before they are in a crisis mode. A sustainable caregiving journey is one where caregivers proactively set up systems and seek support from a team of people – a ‘care team for the care team.’ With this structure, not only is it possible but encouraged for you to take frequent breaks from caregiving to feed your need for alone time, nurture other relationships, or tend to your wellness visits.
I also want to urge family caregivers to locate and participate in a support group for caregivers. Even if you have a strong network of people you can lean on, it’s not always easy to share what you’re feeling or for them to truly understand what you’re going through as you navigate your caregiving role. And, what if someone at that support group needs your affirmation and advice? Search in your browser for ‘family caregiver support in [your town]’ to find a group near you. I lead an in-person group in the Marietta area called the Northwest Atlanta Daughterhood Circle. There are also virtual support groups, like the Happy Healthy Caregiver Virtual Café and the private Self Care for Caregiver Facebook group.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
For anyone with or newly taking on this role of caregiver, it is vital to start by approaching how you think about caregiving first. The natural inclination is to want to do it all yourself to manage care and quality of life. The problem is your new caregiving responsibilities plus your obligations and personal needs quickly show this to be an untenable approach. Assuming all the caregiving tasks onto your likely already overflowing plate is a recipe for caregiver burnout.
Being a caregiver is stressful and isolating. Taking time to connect with family and friends regularly by phone or in person may not seem top of mind, but we all need social self-care for the normality, and outside interaction and distraction everyone needs.
One tip to adapt early on – accept all offers for help, even if it shows up differently than what you expected. Let people mow a lawn, cook a meal, or pick up the groceries versus the caregiving tasks to help you create more time and peace in your day.
Reward yourself regularly to maintain your mental and physical health and build resiliency – you deserve to be handled with care, too. With your care team in place (friends, family, and professional caregivers) you can take regular breaks so you can recharge either in the home (i.e. escape to a quiet corner with a fiction novel, take a nap, catch up with a friend) or out (self-care treatment, walk around the neighborhood, enjoy some local nature).
Pricing:
- Just for You: a Daily Self-Care Journal = $20
- Caregiver Coaching $40/30 min
- Speaking & Partnership Collaborations – Contact Elizabeth for pricing
Contact Info:
- Website: https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happyhealthycaregiver/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happyhealthycaregiver
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethbmiller/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HHCaregiver
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAcYkpMK6I3Y0ep-kyvrZaQ
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@happyhealthycaregiver
