BONUS Episode: Is Your Cup Leaking? A 5-Minute Pep Talk to Refill and Recharge

Your cup isn’t empty—it’s just leaking. 💛

In this short 5-minute pep talk, Cathy shares a personal story about her famous pink Yeti cup (yes, the one that keeps disappearing and always finds its way back!) and how it became the perfect reminder for caregivers: sometimes, our energy doesn’t run out—it simply leaks away.

Tune in for a quick burst of encouragement to help you spot where your energy might be slipping and take one small step this week to refill your cup. Because you can’t pour from an empty cup—and you shouldn’t have to. ☕️

Chapters

• 0:00 A Short Pep Talk Promise
• 0:36 The Pink Yeti Story
• 2:38 Your Cup Isn’t Broken—It’s Leaking
• 4:18 One Small Refill, This Week

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Well, hello, my friend, and welcome to another episode of the Caregiver Cup podcast. This episode is special. It's called a pep talk bonus episode, which I thought with my seasons, I would go ahead and break every two episodes and just do something short but impactful. And this is a quick five-minute pep pep talk. Don't quote me on the exact time, but it's about five minutes to refocus, refill, and remind yourself that your cup isn't empty, it's just leaking. It's a different concept to think about. So let me start out with a story that makes me smile and laugh at myself every time I hear it. If you followed me, you know I like coffee. And I have this pink Yeti that I got probably eight or nine years ago from my oldest son. And it's it's really my coffee cup that I carry. It's been with me through eight years of caregiving. Think of all of the countless visits that it's been on, the scans, the overnight hospital stays, the ER visits, and early morning appointments, especially because it's filled with coffee. Sometimes I fill it with water too, just because it's just my go-to coffee cup. It's part of my caregiver toolkit. I fill it up each morning with my hot coffee when we have to go on the road. It's always super hot. And as a matter of fact, I take it in the microwave and be I actually take another cup in the microwave, heat it super hot, pour it in the yeti, and it's just steaming hours later. And I I but what happens is I end up leaving it somewhere. I always do on a waiting room table in the exam room next to the chemo chair, you name it. It's my husband and Dennis and my inside joke because here's Kathy forgetting her coffee cup again. But it the cup always finds its way back. We've had nurses chase us down in the hallway. I had a nurse come into the parking lot as we were walking out. Here's your cup, don't forget your cup. And other times I get a call, or Dennis gets a call, and it's it's sitting behind by the reception desk waiting for me. I swear this Yeti has just as many lives as a cat. It has nine lives. Now, here's the thing: the pink cup is me. It's you, it's every caregiver. We pour ourselves out day in and day out, showing up with love and patience and strength. And along the way, we spring leaks like cracks of exhaustion or frustration or guilt that quickly drain us. But here's the good news: I want you to think about it. Your cup isn't broken, it's not empty, it's just leaking. And once you see where those leaks are, you can start to do something about it. Maybe your leak looks like skipping sleep to get one more thing done. How many times have I stayed up late at night to try to get caught up with my full-time job when I was working because I knew I had an appointment the following day? Maybe it's saying yes when your heart just says, No, I can't do anymore. But you say yes and you're draining or leaking from your cup. Maybe it's pushing your emotions aside because there's no time to feel them. We know that when things are tough, we sweep things underneath the rug and we don't address our emotions. Whatever it is, I want you to think about awareness is your superpower. Because once you spot the leaks, you can patch them even in small ways. Think about maybe if that means asking for help this week because your cup is leaking and you just need to figure it out. Or blocking 15 minutes just for you, or saying no without the guilt. You don't need to rebuild the whole cup, you just need to refill it while you patch the leaks. So here's the reminder today: you are not running unempty, my friend. You are human doing something extraordinary. And just like me and my pink Yeti, you might get forgotten for a moment, misplaced, or knocked around, but you always find your way back. Your job isn't to stay perfectly full, it's to stay aware, stay kind to yourself, and keep refilling as you go. Because you can't pour from an empty cup, and you shouldn't have to. So let me give you a small task before you move on for your day and move on to either your next podcast or shut that car door and move into your appointment or go back to whatever you have. I want you to take just a few minutes this week to refill your cup in one small way. Maybe that means stepping outside for five quick quiet minutes. Maybe it's taking an extra long shower and actually doing some breath work while you're taking your shower. Maybe it's saying no to one thing so you can say yes to the rest. Whatever it looks like, promise yourself that you do one thing, just one thing this week to start patching those leaks and refilling your energy. You know what season you're in. So you know what you can handle and what you can't handle. So don't add something big onto your plate this week if you're in this chaotic season. Because small steps add up. And this week you deserve a moment, just a moment of peace. And so if you found this pep talk helpful, send me, hit that text message and tell me what you're gonna do this week. Or tell me about the version of your pink cup. I would love to hear it. That's one thing that's been, you know, think of one thing that's been through it all. I love to hear from you. And so until next week, my friend, keep refilling that beautiful cup of yours because you are doing the best you possibly can and you deserve a little gift from yourself this week. Bye for now, my friend, and we'll talk to you soon.