When Caregiving Finds You with Dr. Shruti Roy & Nicole àBeckett

Natalie Elliott Handy confessions of a reluctant caregiver

When Caregiving Finds You with Dr. Shruti Roy & Nicole àBeckett, Founders of HeroGeneration

What happens when the people who raised us, cared for us, and shaped our lives suddenly need us to step in and care for them? For many, caregiving doesn’t arrive as a sudden, clear-cut role—it sneaks in gradually. At first, it's just helping with a few things here and there. Then, one day, you look up and realize you’ve become a caregiver. Today, we’re talking about what it means to step into this role as well as balancing our own lives while ensuring our loved ones receive the care they need.

Joining me are two women who know this journey firsthand. Nicole àBeckett spent over eight years as a caregiver for both of her parents—supporting her father through cancer and serving as the primary caregiver for her mother, who battled a debilitating lung disease. She admits that, at the time, she didn’t even recognize herself as a caregiver. It was just what she did for family. Alongside her personal caregiving experience, Nicole is a seasoned tech entrepreneur with two decades of experience in scaling startups. She’s turning that same energy toward solving challenges in caregiving.

Dr. Shruti Roy is a mom of three and a pediatrician who has spent years supporting families in emergency and urgent care settings. But when the care of her parents became part of her reality—her father diagnosed with Parkinson’s and her mother managing an autoimmune condition—she quickly realized how broken and unsupported the system is for family caregivers. Like many, she was thrown into the role without a roadmap, and that experience fuels her determination to help others.

Today, we’ll talk all about the lessons they’ve learned, the gaps they’re working to fill, and the ways we can all be better prepared for the caregiving road ahead. Caregiving often arrives unnoticed. Nicole àBeckett & Dr. Shruti Roy share personal stories, challenges, and solutions for navigating the caregiver journey. Don't miss this episode and learn how you can find the support you need.

Learn more about HeroGeneration HERE.

Listen to our episode HERE.

Thank you to our Sponsors

HeroGeneration empowers family caregivers and older adults with resources, education, and support to navigate aging and caregiving with confidence.

HeroGeneration empowers caregivers and families by providing innovative resources, education, and support to navigate the challenges of aging and caregiving with confidence and connection. It's free to start. Join now HERE.

Zinnia TV provides engaging, person-centered videos designed to support individuals living with dementia by reducing anxiety and enhancing connection.

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers. creates engaging, dementia-friendly video content to reduce anxiety, spark memories, and provide meaningful moments of connection for individuals living with cognitive challenges and their caregivers. We invite you to use the code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription HERE.

About HeroGeneration

Nicole was a caregiver to both of her parents for over eight years and experienced firsthand the complexity, stress and lonliness caregivers face in this process. She supported her father during his battle with cancer and was the primary caregiver to her mother during her journey with a debilitating lung disease. Nicole is a seasoned tech entrepreneur with deep experience in growth, operations and international markets. Starting as a VC analyst for BV Capital, she moved to the portfolio side and has been scaling start-ups for 20 years, including the world’s first direct-to-consumer marketplace, myfab.com, based in Shanghai. Most recently she built SameSide, an events marketplace with backing from Higher Ground Labs, an Obama backed accelerator. SameSide achieved 110% YoY revenue growth. Nicole holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson where she was named the John Wooden Global Leadership fellow, the school’s most prestigious award.

Shruti is a mom of three and a pediatrician with many years of experience working with families in the urgent care and emergency room setting. She has coordinated the care of numerous children but when she was faced with the care of her own aging parents, she quickly recognized the profound lack of resources and support available to her. As she continues caring for her children as well as her dad with Parkinson’s Disease and her mom with an autoimmune condition that leaves her prone to fractures, she is determined and passionate about helping others in the same situation. Dr. Shruti Roy Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer Shruti received her degrees in Biology, Psychology and Asian Studies from Loyola University. She then attended Medical School at Midwestern University in Arizona and completed her Pediatric Residency at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, an urban academic tertiary care center that excels in advocacy and community involvement.

LISTEN NOW: Apple Podcasts, Spotify & on your favorite podcast platform.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.