Listen Now: Squeezed with Yvette Nicole Brown is Back for S2!

Summary

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Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: No One Is Coming to Save Us (Lemonada Media)

Episode: Listen Now: Squeezed with Yvette Nicole Brown is Back for S2!
Date: September 24, 2025
Featured Clip: Squeezed (Season 2), hosted by Yvette Nicole Brown

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Main Theme and Purpose

This special episode of No One Is Coming to Save Us highlights the return of the podcast Squeezed, hosted by Yvette Nicole Brown. The central focus is America’s caregiving crisis, told through deeply personal stories of family caregiving. This preview features poignant moments between Yvette, her guest Steph, and their fathers—both navigating the agonizing, bittersweet trajectory of end-of-life care due to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The conversation is honest, compassionate, and unflinching, offering a window into the heartbreak, exhaustion, resilience, and moments of fierce love that define caregiving in America.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Universality and Challenge of Caregiving (00:02 – 01:00)

• Yvette Nicole Brown introduces herself and her personal caregiving journey:

  "Caregiving in America is hard, and it touches all of us. At some point in our lives, every single one of us will either need care or provide it." (00:14)

• Yvette explains Squeezed is about talking with caregivers across all life stages, sharing unvarnished stories of struggle, adaptation, and unexpected joy.

2. The Pain of Not Being Recognized (01:01 – 02:05)

• The episode excerpt opens with a raw exchange between Steph and her father Ellison, as Steph asks if he recognizes her:

  Steph: "Do you not recognize me at all?" (01:04)
  Ellison: "No." (01:16)
  Steph: "You don't know my name?" (01:22)
  Ellison: "No. What is your name?" (01:24)
  Steph: "Stephanie." (01:24)

• Yvette narrates that this was the first time Ellison didn't know who Steph was—a milestone that signals a heartbreaking new stage in his illness.

3. Processing Grief and Disconnection (02:05 – 03:03)

• Steph reflects on Instagram, absorbed by the shock of losing recognition:

  "It's wild and very dissonant...when they lose their mind and they look at you like a stranger, you realize that the way they used to look at you was with love." (02:24)

4. Bittersweet Relief—Memory Returns (03:03 – 03:45)

• The following day, Ellison remembers Steph, leading to a moment of relief and tenderness:

  Ellison: "Well, you're very, very hard to forget." (03:16)
  Steph: "I know, but you did."
  Ellison: "I did."
  Steph: "I'm glad you remember me now. It was so sad." (03:26)

• Yvette describes the scene: Steph strokes her father’s cheek; they exchange “I love yous,” encapsulating the emotional rollercoaster of caregiving.

5. End-of-Life Reality for Caregivers (03:45 – 05:36)

• Yvette frames Season 2 as a return to caregiver narratives, especially focusing on the end-of-life process.
• Both she and Steph share updates—since their last conversation, both have watched their fathers pass or decline into hospice, underlining the inevitability and unpredictability of caregiver grief:

  Yvette: "No amount of planning can prepare you for the moment your loved one passes." (05:31)

6. Coping Through Daily Routine and Humor (05:36 – 07:18)

• Steph, newly bereaved, shares how tending to her children and daily tasks leaves little time for processing loss:

  "My kids started school this morning...you have to keep going in this way that doesn't allow you to stop and process, you know, the tremendous loss. So how am I doing today? I'm fine. Because I'm fine every day. Because I'm busy." (06:09–06:44)

• She’s making a quilt from her dad’s irreverent T-shirts—a tribute to his humor:

  Steph: "Put it in my base. I've been social distancing for years...In dog years, I’m dead." (07:07–07:10)

• Yvette and Steph laugh together, underscoring the role of dark humor in surviving difficult times.

7. The Cruelty of Cognitive and Physical Decline (07:18 – 09:28)

• Steph describes her father's gradual decline—his wit and wisdom dimmed by Parkinson’s:

  "He says so little, but he says so much...He’s so wise...towards the end, he just says less and less, and gets more disoriented." (07:54–08:33)

• Yvette highlights the “cruelty” when the mind or the body is taken, but never both, contrasting dementia and Parkinson’s as different faces of the same heartbreak:

  "The cruelty of it...is it takes the brilliance and the magic and the sparkle and the shine of our heroes and the body is still there, but the thing that made them, the thing, is just slowly diminishing in front of you." (08:43–09:20)

8. Shared Experience Across Different Diagnoses (09:28 – 10:57)

• Both women realize that, though their fathers’ diseases were different, their emotional journeys were the same:

  Steph: "Our journeys, though different, are the same. That’s what always blows my mind about all this, is how similar people's experiences are in these moments." (09:28–09:31)

• They discuss the lack of societal preparation for the deep void and vacant stares of advanced illness and memory loss:

  "It's merciless. It's inhumane...I wasn’t prepared." (10:06–10:15)

• Yvette expresses regret at not preparing Steph more, noting the compounded pain of a long, slow goodbye in dementia.

9. Final Reflections on the Brutality and Love of Long-Term Care (10:57 – 11:53)

• Yvette recounts over a decade of caregiving for her father:

  "He lived with me and I was his full time caregiver for about 11 and a half years as he slowly lost everything that made him him. He’s pretty much non-verbal now..." (11:08)

• The conversation closes with the promise of returning to tackle the hardest decisions in caregiving in future episodes.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the brutal newness of losing recognition:

  "This was the first time Steph’s dad, Ellison, didn’t recognize her." – Yvette Nicole Brown (01:27)

• On the paradox of love and loss:

  "When they lose their mind and they look at you like a stranger, you realize that the way they used to look at you was with love." – Steph (02:29)

• On the emotional whiplash of caregiving:

  "This relief after such profound sadness is a rollercoaster of emotions. Some good days, some bad days. And this up and down is just part of it." – Yvette Nicole Brown (03:45)

• On coping by necessity:

  "So how am I doing today? I’m fine. Because I’m fine every day. Because I’m busy." – Steph (06:40)

• On the devastation of cognitive decline:

  "The cruelty of it for me...the thing that made them...is just slowly diminishing in front of you." – Yvette Nicole Brown (08:43)

• On the universality of the caregiving experience:

  "Our journeys, though different, are the same." – Steph (09:30)

• On a lack of preparation for the hardest parts:

  "It's merciless. It's inhumane...I wasn’t prepared." – Steph (10:09)

• On the duration of devotion and loss:

  "He lived with me and I was his full time caregiver for about 11 and a half years as he slowly lost everything that made him him." – Yvette Nicole Brown (11:08)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:02 – Yvette’s introduction: caregiving’s universality
• 01:01–01:27 – Steph’s devastating exchange with Ellison
• 02:15–03:03 – Steph’s Instagram reflection on her father’s vacant gaze
• 03:03–03:45 – Ellison remembers Steph; shared relief
• 05:36–06:44 – Steph’s struggle to grieve while parenting and working
• 07:01–07:14 – Steph describes Ellison’s dark humor
• 08:03–08:33 – On the pain of witnessing a wise parent’s decline
• 08:43–09:20 – Yvette compares the cruelties of different diseases
• 09:28–09:46 – The universality of grief in caregiving
• 10:09 – Steph: “It's merciless. It's inhumane...I wasn’t prepared.”

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Tone and Language

True to the speakers, the episode balances poignant honesty and warmth. Yvette and Steph speak with candor, empathy, and occasional levity, using humor to cope with pain while expressing admiration and love for their fathers.

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Caregiving is a profoundly universal yet highly individual journey marked by emotional extremes.
• No amount of planning can fully prepare a person for end-of-life caregiving or bereavement.
• Shared stories and community—like those brought by Squeezed—provide critical solidarity and comfort.
• Even amidst pain and loss, moments of humor and love persist, sustaining both caregivers and those in their charge.

To hear the full story and ongoing interviews with caregivers across the country, listeners are encouraged to find Squeezed in their podcast app.

Transcript

[A]

Lemonada. Hello, friends. It's Yvette Nicole Brown here. You might know me from a little show called Community, but what you may not know is that I'm also a caregiver for my dad, Omar, who's living with Alzheimer's. He's a big part of the reason I'm back hosting season two of Squeezed, a podcast from lemonada Media and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Here's the thing. Caregiving in America is hard, and it touches all of us. At some point in our lives, every single one of us will either need care or provide it. Each week on Squeezed, I sit down with caregivers across the country who are in the thick of it at every stage of life to hear their stories, their struggles, and the surprising joys that come with this work. You're about to hear a clip from our first episode, and when you're done, go ahead and search Squeezed in your podcast app to hear the rest, or just click the link in this episode. Description.

[B]

Dad? Yeah? Do you. Do you. Do you. Do you not recognize me at all? Who's that? Me. Can you look at me? Do you not recognize me at all?

[A]

No.

[B]

No. You don't know my name?

[A]

No. What is your name?

[B]

Stephanie.

[A]

This was the first time Steph's dad, Ellison, didn't recognize her.

[B]

I'm your daughter. You're my daddy? Yep. And I love you very much.

[A]

By this point, Ellison had been in hospice for almost two months. He had Parkinson's, so while his body and physical movement had been declining for some time, Steph said he always had his mind. Forgetting who she was had not been part of the deal until that moment.

[B]

End of life is such a trip.

[A]

Steph talked about it on Instagram. The following day, she was home. So you can hear the dryer running in the background.

[B]

Yesterday, my dad literally looked at me and did not know who I was. Had no idea. It's like wild and very dissonant when someone usually looks at you a certain way, which is just the way that they look at you. And then when they lose their mind and they look at you like a stranger, you realize that the way they used to look at you was with love. Like, that's how your parents look at you. That's how you look at your children. With love. Seeing vacancy and a parent's eyes is so weird.

[A]

The next day, though, Ellison remembered again. He looked right at Steph and said her name. He knew she was his daughter now. You forgot me. Well, you're very, very hard to forget. I know, but you did I did. You did.

[B]

I'm glad you remember me now. It was so sad.

[A]

In this video, Steph is sitting on Ellison's bed, which is tilted up. They're face to face. She rubs his chest and pats it gently, then strokes his cheek.

[B]

I love you. I love you.

[A]

I love you too. This relief after such profound sadness is a rollercoaster of emotions. Some good days, some bad days. And this up and down is just part of it. This is what happens at the end. From Lemonada Media, this is Squeezed. I'm your host, Yvette Nicole Brown. Welcome to season two where I get to speak with caregivers across the country like me and you, or future you, about the powerful and also very normal moments we experience every day while caring for our loved ones. As some of you might remember, we opened the first season of Squeeze with a conversation between Steph and I talking about caregiving for our dads.

[B]

Parkinson's is a mother.

[A]

Same with dementia, baby. Same with dementia it is.

[B]

I hate it.

[A]

Steph co founded Lemonada Media and hosted the popular show Last Day about all the sad stuff that brings us together. She's currently working on her second book, that's all about the opioid crisis. When we last chatted, Steph's dad was in an assisted living facility so close to her home she could wave at it. And my dad, Omar, who has Alzheimer's, was living at home with me. Now, more than a year later, my dad is in hospice at a full time care facility and Steph's dad, Ellison, is gone. Sadly, that's how caregiving goes. So for this first episode of season two, we're coming back together, me and Steph, to talk about this very crucial part of caregiving, end of life. What it was like as she and her family watch Ellison slowly slip away. And how no amount of planning can prepare you for the moment your loved one passes.

[B]

Hi.

[A]

Hi, Steph.

[B]

Hi, sweetie pie. How are you?

[A]

Oh, girl. How are you? Is the question. Girl.

[B]

Oh, my God, you're gorgeous.

[A]

Listen, I don't look like what I've been through.

[B]

It's not.

[A]

Well, let's just say that. Let's say that.

[B]

What's the line from Stew Magnolias? Honey, I don't know how you're feeling on the inside, but your hair's holding up just fine.

[A]

Absolutely. Seeing Steph again felt like seeing an old friend. After a long time. You feel giddy and the conversation just flows. But a few moments later, we got right into it.

[B]

My kids started school this morning. Yvette I was packing the lunches and making the eggs and making sure the hair was okay and walking them to school. And you have to keep going in this way that doesn't allow you to stop and process, you know, the tremendous loss. And I think it's gonna probably be tough to talk to you because I haven't had a minute to sit and think and talk and.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know. So how am I doing today? I'm fine. Because I'm fine every day. Because I'm busy.

[A]

Cause you have to be, right?

[B]

And I got kids to raise, and I got a business to run.

[A]

Ellison died June 10. Steph and I talked remotely less than two months later, in early August. Behind her was a box of Ellison's old T shirts.

[B]

I'm gonna make a quilt.

[A]

Yes. Yes, ma'.

[B]

Am. Of all of his. It's all, like, antisocial T shirts.

[A]

I love it. Yes.

[B]

Put it in my base. I've been social distancing for years.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

In dog years, I'm dead. You know, things like that.

[A]

That was Ellison's type of humor. He was not one to shy away from the darkness.

[B]

My dad would joke about wanting to be taken out. For years, he would be like this, with his arms across his chest. And my mom would go, what are you doing? I'm practicing. Like, he was in a casket. I mean, he was so dark, and he was so funny.

[A]

Steph and her dad were tight. She went to him for advice, and they just talked and talked about everything for many years. Steph sometimes recorded him.

[B]

I have so much tape of him over the years and everyone and. And he was my favorite person ever to interview.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because he's so. His depth is, like, boundless. He says so little, but he says so much.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And he's so. He's so wise. And I think that's a lot of what was most difficult for me towards the end, that he just says less and less, and he gets more and more disoriented. And my dad had a physical decline that was really unforgiving and relentless. Parkinson's is. Yeah, I think I said last time. Is a mother.

[A]

It's a mother.

[B]

And I stand by it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But he always had his mind. So when his mind started going, that was when I think it got really painful.

[A]

There's so much about our journeys that mirror my dad because he has dementia. So his body was fine. I mean, the regular decline of, you know, late 70s, 80 year old person. His body was fine, but his brain was going. And you had the flip where the brain was There. So it's like the cruelty of it for me, because dementia is also a mother. The cruelty of it is it takes the brilliance and the magic and the sparkle and the shine of our heroes and the body is still there, but the thing that made them, the thing.

[B]

Oh my God.

[A]

Is just slowly diminishing in front of you. And it's just. Yeah.

[B]

And our journeys, though different, are the same.

[A]

Are the same.

[B]

That's what always blows my mind about all this, is how similar people's experiences are in these moments. And I mean, like when you were talking about your dad, I was recalling this vacant stare, the vacant scare.

[A]

And you know, they're not there.

[B]

It's chilling.

[A]

It is.

[B]

And no one told me about that. I didn't. Nobody was like, okay, here's what's gonna happen. Their eyes are gonna be empty and they're gonna be looking and they're not gonna be looking at you and not seeing you at all. And they're not gonna remember your kids names and they're not gonna remember where they are. And I mean, I just. It's merciless. It's inhumane.

[A]

It's inhumane.

[B]

And I just wasn't. I wasn't prepared.

[A]

Yvette, I wish I had prepared you more because I foolishly believed that because he had Parkinson's and not dementia that you would miss that part of it. Dementia. From the time they get the diagnosis, Steph, every day is that you have no nothing else you can do but prepare for it to go in that way. Because every day bits of their mind and their personality are slipping away. I didn't tell you because I didn't want it for you. You know what I mean? It's hard enough to watch a body decline. To watch a brilliant mind decline in front of you for years is devastating.

[B]

I mean, I only had to deal with that part for three months. And let me tell you, I can't imagine four years. I cannot. It is brutal.

[A]

Yeah, it is brutal. My dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's more than a decade ago. He lived with me and I was his full time caregiver for about 11 and a half years as he slowly lost everything that made him him. He's pretty much non verbal now. He'll say words, but they don't really make any sense. He very rarely recognizes me anymore. So I know deeply the pain Steph felt when she was met with a vacant stare. The only way I can explain that vacant stare is my dad is there, but he's no longer there. We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, Steph talks about one of the hardest decisions a caregiver can make.

[B]

He just lifelessly went flat on the ground. I mean, the cart came in. My mom was there. It was so scary.