NEW PODCAST LAUNCHES: 'LET’S TAKE CARE' – A RAW, REAL VOICE FOR PARENT CARERS

A brand-new podcast called Let’s Take Care launched last week, offering an unfiltered, emotional, and empowering insight into the lives of parent carers.

Hosted by two mothers of grown physically disabled children, the show is an honest exploration of what it means to care – for life – and still find the strength to fight, love, laugh, and keep going.

With nearly three decades of lived experience each, hosts Jane and Melissa bring warmth, humour, frustration, pride, and truth to the mic – tackling topics too often left in the shadows.

From the physical toll of hands-on caring to the psychological exhaustion of constantly battling the system, Let’s Take Care is a rallying cry for carers who are too often unseen and unheard.

“This is for the parent carers – the ones who sacrifice everything and still don’t feel seen,” says co-host Jane Holmes and CEO of the charity behind the podcast, Building for the Future.

“We’re tired, we’re angry, we’re proud – and we’re ready to talk about the way we’ve been treated and how we’ve suffered under the strain,” says co-host Melissa Paulden.

“But ultimately, whilst highlighting the pressures parent carers are placed under we are honouring their plight by focusing on the amazing work they do and sharing how they have triumphed under such immense pressure. We are also urging them to take care of themselves more. Self care is important to help the entire family stay healthy and strong, especially when you are a life-long carer for a disabled child.”

🎧 A Podcast for Carers, by Carers

In each episode, Let’s Take Care aims to:

• Acknowledge and validate the experiences of carers

• Provide real, practical advice for surviving the emotional and mental weight of lifelong caring

• Challenge the narrative around disability, parenting, and support systems

• Build a community that reminds listeners: You are not alone

The tone is honest and occasionally explicit – the hosts don’t hold back, because neither does life as a carer.

📌 EPISODE ONE: "Here We Are"

The debut episode introduces Jane and Melissa’s personal stories, with the powerful theme: “We were shocked – but thankful – they survived. And they continue to amaze us every day.” It sets the stage for the podcast’s mission to uplift while telling the whole truth.

Future episodes include:

• The Invisible Load – how constant caring affects mind, body and relationships

• Things That Make Us Angry – from blue badge bay misuse to patronising stares

• Is It OK To Not Want To Be A Parent Carer Today?

• Working While Caring

• Has Inclusion Actually Worked?

ABOUT THE HOSTS:

Jane Holmes, CEO of Building for the Future: I am mum to Kitty who is 23 and has cerebral palsy at the severe end of the spectrum. She is non-verbal, a full-time wheelchair-user, tube-fed and reliant on others for all aspects of her care. She is bright, engaging and happy. Building for the Future was set up in 2007 by a group of us mums of disabled children with the aim of raising enough money to open a community centre for our children and others like them. Happily this dream was realised in 2014 when Our House was opened by the then Earl and Countess of Wessex, in Wokingham. Today, well over 500 local families access our numerous services for disabled children and others visit our centre from far and wide. We are now working hard to open a new, bigger and better centre to not only continue to serve our growing number of visitors but also from which to run our expanding service for young, disabled adults who have left full-time education. 

Melissa Paulden is a mum to two beautiful daughters and a proud Mémé to her spirited 4-year-old grandson. As a parent of a child with Cerebral Palsy, Melissa knows firsthand the joys and deep challenges of caring for someone with complex needs. For decades, she put her family first — and herself last — running on stress, little sleep, and survival-mode habits like smoking, drinking, and emotional eating.

Now in her 50s, Melissa is rewriting that story. After a breast cancer diagnosis in late 2023 — caught early and successfully treated — she realised just how urgently carers need to prioritise their own health and wellbeing.

She co-created Let's Take Care to open up real conversations with other parents of disabled children about what it means to care for ourselves, not just those we love. This podcast is part of her mission: to break the cycle of burnout, speak honestly about the toll caring can take, and remind carers everywhere — your health matters too.

Let's Take Care is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast platforms.