Club Sandwich

If you’re caring for ageing parents and quietly thinking “I cannot keep going like this”, you’re not imagining it. Sometimes burnout is not a mindset. It’s your body calling in the debt.
Ageing Parents? You've got them, we've got you.
JOIN THE CLUB: Visit clubsandwich.community to join the tribe, access resources, and find our private Facebook community.
SEND US YOUR QUESTION: [email protected]

In this episode:
The Conversation: Sarah Macdonald and Dr Ginni Mansberg (GP and women’s health advocate) get brutally practical about what “real self-care” looks like in the sandwich years, and why midlife bodies hit a tipping point.
🔧 This Week's Hack: The minimum viable self-care reset:
1) Book a GP check-up and rule out the basics (iron, thyroid, sleep apnea, anything fixable).
2) Reset your sleep expectations and take snoring seriously (it can be a health issue, not just annoying).
3) Build one steady routine and a doable nutrition baseline (protein, fibre, calcium) without becoming a full-time meal-prep influencer.
💌 Listener Letter: Sharon asks how to spot burnout when her body has started rebelling after years of 10-hour days and caring for everyone else.
🔥 Hot Mess Moment: Sleep in your 50s, teeth grinding, snoring orchestras, and the myth that “good sleep” means eight perfect uninterrupted hours.

Meet the regular Clubbers:
Melissa Reader - CEO of Vera and expert on Australia's ageing crisis.
Jo Lamble - Clinical psychologist specializing in guilt and family dynamics.
Dr. Ginni Mansberg - GP and women's health advocate who tells it straight.
Dr. Stephanie Ward - Geriatrician helping you understand how we age.
Kerry Milligan - Gogglebox star bringing humour and honesty to the sandwich generation.

Topics covered in this episode:
- Carer burnout and the “body tantrum” warning signs
- Menopause, inflammation, and why midlife health can suddenly slide
- Cortisol myths, chronic stress, and what burnout can look like physically
- Sleep in your 50s: what’s normal, what’s not, and when to investigate sleep apnea
- Hypervigilance and insomnia (and why your brain won’t switch off at 3am)
- Real self-care basics: check-ups, routines, food, movement, and asking for medical help
- Brain health: routine plus novelty (learning new things without blowing up your life)
- A gentle nudge to rethink alcohol as “the only off switch”

Episode sponsor:
Altina Drinks - non-alcoholic craft wines for the end-of-day ritual. 15% off with code CLUBSANDWICH at altinadrinks.com

Credits
Club Sandwich is brought to you by Vera, helping families caring for ageing parents navigate this stage of life, so you don't have to do it alone.
Sarah Macdonald - Host + Executive Producer
Melissa Reader - Commissioning Editor, Executive Producer + Clubber
Rachel Fountain - Executive Producer
Audio + video edits by Fountain Media Group
Thanks and kudos to Sean Wayland for our awesome theme music Club Sandwich - hear more from Sean at seanwayland.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ageing in an ageist society can feel confronting, especially when you are caring for older parents while navigating your own changing body, identity and future.
In this episode of Club Sandwich, Sarah Macdonald and Clubber Kerry Milligan (Gogglebox) explore how to age in an ageist culture, why invisibility can feel painful but also freeing, how body image and confidence shift over time, and how lived experience can become a source of strength. They also talk about age discrimination, mortality, proactive health, and the freedom that can come with getting older.
Kerry brings humour, honesty and hard-won perspective to a conversation that will resonate with women in midlife, carers, and anyone trying to age well without buying into fear, shame or impossible beauty standards. It is candid, warm and deeply relatable, with plenty of laughs, including Kerry’s very real “whisker watch” moment.
Ageing parents? You’ve got them. We’ve got you.
Join the Club at clubsandwich.community
Send us your question: [email protected]
This episode of Club Sandwich is sponsored by Altina Drinks.
If you’ve been quietly reassessing your relationship with alcohol — not quitting, not announcing anything — just noticing… you’re not alone.
So many of us in midlife are realising it’s not even the alcohol we love — it’s the ritual. The glass at the end of a long caregiving day. Something that feels grown-up. A marker between chaos and rest.
Altina creates complex, layered, non-alcoholic drinks designed for adult palates. They feel special. They feel intentional. They feel like a proper pour.
You can explore Altina’s range at altinadrinks.com.
Topics include ageism, ageing women, ageing naturally, menopause, body image, visibility and invisibility, confidence in midlife, caring for ageing parents, mortality, proactive ageing and ageing well.
Club Sandwich is brought to you by Vera, helping families caring for ageing parents navigate this stage of life so you do not have to do it alone.
Sarah Macdonald is Host and Executive Producer.
Melissa Reader is Commissioning Editor, Executive Producer and Clubber.
Rachel Fountain is Executive Producer.
Audio and video edits by Fountain Media Group.
Theme music by Sean Wayland.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’re the sibling holding the whole system in your head and everyone else is “right behind you”… this episode is your permission slip and your playbook.
Sarah Macdonald and clinical psychologist Jo Lamble unpack sibling dynamics when you’re caring for ageing parents, including why one person becomes the default carer (and why it stays that way).
Ageing parents? You’ve got them. We’ve got you.
JOIN THE CLUB: Visit clubsandwich.community to join the tribe, access resources, and find our private Facebook community.

SEND US YOUR QUESTION: [email protected]
🔧 This Week’s Hack:
Stop the vague “I need help” plea. Use the specific ask script:
“I’m feeling overwhelmed and alone. Can you do [one clear task] on [day/time]?”
Then follow up with: “What can you realistically take on?”
💌 Listener Letter:
“The seating chart that broke me” - a listener plans a dementia-friendly family lunch, a sibling rearranges everything, Dad gets confused, and then she gets blamed. How do you manage family gatherings when some people live the daily reality and others only drop in?
Meet the regular Clubbers:
Melissa Reader - CEO of Vera and expert on Australia’s ageing crisis.
Jo Lamble - Clinical psychologist specialising in guilt and family dynamics.
Dr. Ginni Mansberg - GP and women’s health advocate who tells it straight.
Dr. Stephanie Ward - Geriatrician helping you understand when “old” becomes a crisis.
Kerry Silbury (Gogglebox) - bringing humour and honesty to the sandwich generation.
Topics covered in this episode:
Sibling conflict, finding an ally, delegation that actually works, the “capable one” trap, the critic sibling, the busy sibling, emotional overwhelm, dementia and family gatherings, unpaid labour, money conflict, carer burnout, self-care that isn’t a vanilla candle.
Credits
Club Sandwich is brought to you by Vera, helping families caring for ageing parents navigate this stage of life so you don’t have to do it alone.
Sarah Macdonald: Host + Executive Producer
Melissa Reader: Commissioning Editor, Executive Producer + Clubber
Rachel Fountain: Executive Producer
Audio + video edits by Fountain Media Group
Thanks and kudos to Sean Wayland for our awesome theme music Club Sandwich - hear more from Sean at seanwayland.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ageing parents? You’ve got them. We’ve got you.
One minute you’re living your life, and the next, you look at your parents and realise everything has changed. Whether it’s a sudden health event or a slow "crumble," navigating the aged care system while holding down everything else - work, kids, grandkids, or just your own sanity - is the hardest job you’ll ever do.
In this debut episode, host Sarah Macdonald is joined by geriatrician Dr. Stephanie Ward (Old People’s Home for 4-Year-Olds). They dive into the visceral reality of being "squashed" in the middle, the physiological changes our parents face, and why the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers present unique challenges for the Gen X carers looking after them.
JOIN THE CLUB: Visit clubsandwich.community to join the tribe, access resources, and find our private Facebook community.
SEND US YOUR QUESTION: [email protected]
In this episode, we discuss:
The "Squishy" Middle: Transitioning from the mosh pit to the layers of responsibility.

Why Geriatrics? Dr. Stephanie explains the holistic "safe port" for older Australians.

The Rumble: Understanding biological ageing and why it feels like it happens overnight.

Ageism as Prejudice: Why we need to stop being patronising to our elders.

Parenting in Reverse: Navigating the grief of shifting roles.

Self-Care Corner: Sarah’s "funnel web" hospital trip and Dr. Stephanie’s double bass.

Meet the regular Clubbers:
Melissa Reader - CEO of Vera and expert on Australia's ageing crisis.
Jo Lamble - Clinical psychologist specializing in guilt and family dynamics.
Dr. Ginni Mansberg - GP and women's health advocate who tells it straight.
Dr. Stephanie Ward - Geriatrician helping you understand when "old" becomes a crisis.
Kerry Milligan - Gogglebox star bringing humor and honesty to the sandwich generation.
Credits
Club Sandwich is brought to you by Vera, helping families caring for ageing parents navigate this stage of life — so you don't have to do it alone.
Sarah Macdonald - Host + Executive Producer
Melissa Reader - Commissioning Editor, Executive Producer + Clubber
Rachel Fountain - Executive Producer
Audio + video edits by Fountain Media Group
Thanks and kudos to Sean Wayland for our awesome theme music Club Sandwich - hear more from Sean at seanwayland.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Caring for ageing parents and quietly thinking “Something’s gotta give”? Welcome.
Because you’ve got them - and we’ve got you.
The Sandwich Generation is finally getting the conversation we deserve.
Club Sandwich is the community for those caring for ageing parents while juggling work, kids, relationships, and sanity. This is your tribe when family doesn't get it - or just isn't enough.
Hosted by veteran broadcaster Sarah Macdonald, Club Sandwich features clinical psychologists instead of life coaches, GPs instead of gratitude journals, and honest conversations about the relief-guilt paradox nobody else will touch.
Follow Club Sandwich on Apple and Spotify. Subscribe on YouTube. And send us your questions via email to [email protected]
Episodes include:
🔧 This Week's Hack - Actionable strategy you can use today
💌 Listener Letter - Real questions from Clubbers like you
🔥 Hot Mess Moments - Stories that make you feel less alone
🛠️ What We're Using - Resources and tools that actually help
Meet the regular Clubbers:
Melissa Reader - CEO of Vera aged care platform (vera.guide) and expert on Australia's ageing crisis and system failures.
Jo Lamble - Clinical psychologist specializing in guilt, family dynamics, and the impossible decisions when every option has a cost.
Dr. Ginny Mansberg - GP and women's health advocate who tells it straight about what caregiving does to your body.
Dr. Stephanie Ward - Geriatrician and consulting expert for ABC's Old People's Home for 4 Year Olds, helping you understand when "old" becomes a crisis—and when it doesn't.
Kerry Milligan - Gogglebox Australia star bringing humor, honesty, and hard-won perspective to impossible family situations.
No bubble baths. No bullshit. Just expert-led, community-first support for people who don't need another thing to feel bad about not doing.
Club Sandwich is more than a podcast - it's a movement. Join our private Facebook community, attend live events across Australia, and access free downloadable resources with every episode.
New episodes every Thursday.
Visit clubsandwich.community to join the tribe.
Topics covered: Caregiver guilt, sibling conflict, dementia care, financial planning, legal issues, family boundaries, burnout prevention, end-of-life decisions, self-care that actually works, navigating aged care systems, and the emotional toll of caring for ageing parents.
Credits
Club Sandwich is brought to you by Vera, helping families caring for ageing parents navigate this stage of life — so you don't have to do it alone.
Sarah Macdonald | Host + Executive Producer
Melissa Reader | Commissioning Editor, Executive Producer + Clubber
Rachel Fountain | Executive Producer
Audio + video edits by Fountain Media Group
Thanks and kudos to Sean Wayland for our awesome theme music Club Sandwich - hear more from Sean at seanwayland.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.