About

🎙️ About the Podcast

Let’s Take Care is a new, unapologetically honest podcast hosted by two mothers who have spent nearly three decades caring for their physically disabled (and utterly brilliant) children. This is not just a podcast — it’s a lifeline, a release valve, and a rallying cry for the carer community.

Created by parent carers for parent carers, each episode is a raw, real, and compassionate look at what it means to carry the weight — physically, emotionally, and mentally — of lifelong caregiving. It's about survival, love, anger, pride, and the quiet resilience behind the scenes of families like ours.

🎧 Podcast Aims & Values

• Honesty – We talk about what it’s really like, warts and all. No sugar-coating.

• Support – We'll aim to make other carers feel seen, heard, and a little less alone.

• Change the narrative – Society doesn’t understand carers — we're on a mission to change that.

• Empowerment – Passing on real, practical advice to help carers to carry the load.

• Gratitude – We are tired and overwhelmed, but we are not ungrateful. Our kids are amazing. The system is what’s broken.

We believe the hard part is not our children — it’s the system. The endless battles with service providers, the lack of support, and the emotional toll that no one sees.

👭 Meet the Hosts

BFTF's CEO Jane Holmes and Head of PR Melissa Paulden will co-host Let's Take Care with occasional guests coming along to share their carer journey as well. 

Jane and Melissa are two mothers of grown disabled children, bonded by decades of shared struggle, laughter, grief, pride, advocacy, and love.
They’ve sacrificed health, careers, friendships, and their own identities to ensure their children survive — and thrive. Now they're here now to tell the truth and help other carers carry the load.

🎤 Episode Highlights

EPISODE 1: 'Here We Are'
We introduce ourselves, our stories, and why this podcast had to exist.
💬 Overarching message: We were traumatized initially — but now eternally thankful — that our children survived despite being born extremely ill. 28 and 23 years later they continue to amaze us every day and we are so proud! 

 

EPISODE 2: 'The Invisible Load'
Why a simple “How are you?” can feel impossible to answer. We unpack the weight carers carry — the mental, emotional, and physical toll — and why society rarely sees or acknowledges it.

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EPISODE 3: 'Handling Relationships When Your Child is Disabled'

Jane and Melissa discuss how strained relationships can be when you're under pressure - from marriages to friendships to work relationships - even the relationship with 'yourself' or a neighbour. They share their past mistakes and pass on some learned wisdom.

 

🔮 Upcoming Episodes

Planned topics include:

• “Things That Make Us Angry” (yes, blue badge bay misuse is on the list!)

• The grief of lost choices

• Public reactions: staring, “bless”, and unsolicited advice

• Carer exhaustion and how to keep going

• How our identity has changed forever

• Balancing work and care

• Real talk about inclusion — does it work in real life?

• Is it ok to not want to be a parent carer today? (Spoiler: Yes.)