For Laurie James, giving birth to four daughters in five years called for necessary life changes. Leaving her career as a recruiter, she took on the role of a full-time mom. “My third pregnancy were a set of identical twin girls,” she says, “so that was a pretty big shock to the system.” An even bigger shock came when her mother developed dementia. This meant Laurie now found herself raising four children while also managing her mother’s care. “I became one of the first people in my friend group to enter into the Sandwich Generation.” The Sandwich Generation, Laurie says, is described as having at least one child you are supporting and at least one parent that’s over the age of 65. Her attention diverted, Laurie also found her marriage struggling. Turning to therapy and yoga for support, she was inspired when an acquaintance suggested she write a book. Laurie James talks to CoveyClub founder, Lesley Jane Seymour about how she poured her struggles, her accomplishments, and her lessons along the way into Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go. The book chronicles her personal journey through the sandwich generation while also revealing many of the dangerous flaws within the caregiving industry. As a result of writing the book, Laurie found new strength in the power of writing and reflection. “Find that time to reflect,” Laurie advises us, “because that’s where our growth happens.”
FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”
#164: Reinventing Your Sleep During Menopause: Solutions! (Hasti Nazem)
#163: Investing Your Life’s Savings in Your Career Reinvention (Janet Gurwitch)
#162 When a Pandemic Trashes Your Business (Paula Floyd)
#161 When a Literal Explosion Forces You to Rethink Your Professional Identity (Christine Bader)
#160 Science as a Platform for Reinvention (Ariel Garten)
#159: When Career Transformation Leads to Personal Reinvention (Kristine Deer)
#157 Running Her Side Hustle on One Hour a Day (Nicole Malcolm-Manyara)
#156 Graduating from Smith College at Age 67 (Ann Dowsett Johnston)
#155 Growth is in the Struggle (Jennifer Pate)
#154 Don’t Think of it as a Reinvention, But as a Next Step (Marlene Wallach)
#153 Pay Attention to Your Intuition (Sandy Weiner)
#152 How a City Inspired a Reinvention (Debra Shriver)
#151 When Your Parents Expected a Doctor But You Do Everything Else (Catherine Balsam-Schwaber)
#150 What I’ve Learned from 150 Reinvention Interviews + Celebrating 100,000 Downloads
#149 From PR to Flight Attendant to Literary Publicist (Lynda Bouchard)
#148 Using Two Cancer Scares to Redirect a Career (Kristen Carbone)
#147 Using a Fragrance Business to Fund New Treatments for Depression (Audrey Gruss)
#146 Embracing the Humility of Starting Something New (Kristin van Ogtrop)
#145 Finding a Way to Marry Life-Coaching and Interior Design (Carrie Leskowitz)
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