A message from Jason Todd · CNA · Lifelong Caregiver · Wellness Advocate
You Can't Pour From
an Empty Cup
I didn't learn that lesson in a book. I learned it over a lifetime of caring for others — and nearly losing myself in the process.
If you're a caregiver,
this page is for you.
A Lifetime of Caring for Others
I didn't become a caregiver when I got my CNA license. I became one as a child, helping care for my mother through significant health challenges. That was where it started — learning early that when someone you love needs you, you show up. You figure it out. You put them first.
Years later, my grandmother passed away. Within weeks, I had quit my job in Washington state and moved to San Diego to be with my grandfather — 90 years old, married 64 years, suddenly alone. I knew the statistics. Men who lose a spouse after that long together often don't last long. I couldn't let that happen. What I didn't know was that he was in the early stages of Alzheimer's. I learned that alongside him.
After those three years with my grandfather, I moved to another state and almost immediately opened my home to Randy — a man with Down's syndrome who became my roommate, my buddy, and honestly one of the most inspiring people I've ever known. Randy never complained. He showed up every day, gave everything he had, and never stopped trying. I thought I was taking care of him. Looking back, he was teaching me something I desperately needed to learn. I also opened my home to two intensive foster boys at different times during those 17 years with Randy.
Toward the end of that season, I began helping elderly neighbors and community members as well. That work grew organically — and one of those clients believed in me enough to offer to pay for my CNA certification. That's how it became official. Someone I was caring for turned around and invested in me. The professional caregiving didn't create the calling. The calling had been there my whole life.
Somewhere in the middle of all of that, I stopped taking care of myself. It wasn't dramatic. It was gradual. Meals that were convenient instead of nourishing. Sleep that was never quite enough. A body that was slowly falling apart while I focused on everyone else's. By the time I was in my early 50s, I was 130 pounds overweight — and I didn't even fully recognize how I'd gotten there.
You know that safety announcement on airplanes? "Put your own oxygen mask on before assisting others." I had heard it a hundred times. I had never once applied it to my own life.
At 55, I finally did. I lost 130 pounds in about 12 months — without GLP-1 medications, without surgery, without a prescription. I did it through nutrition, natural support, and finally learning to treat myself with the same care I had always given to others.
The Transformation
Before · 330 lbs
After · 200 lbs
Taking care of myself made me a better caregiver — not a less devoted one. But before I tell you what I did, I want to make sure you understand why this is so hard in the first place.
The Hidden Problem
The Caregiver Trap: Why Stress Makes You Reach for Food — and Why That Makes Everything Worse
When you're caring for someone else, stress doesn't come and go — it becomes your baseline. Your nervous system is always slightly on alert. You're always anticipating the next need, the next crisis, the next moment someone requires something from you.
And when stress becomes your baseline, your body starts looking for relief. For most caregivers, that relief comes from food — not because you're weak or undisciplined, but because ultra-processed food (UPF) is engineered to work that way. It's designed to hijack the same brain pathways as stress hormones. It gives you a moment of calm. A moment of reward. And then it quietly takes something from you — your energy, your sleep, your health — without you even noticing it's happening.
The cruel irony is this: the very thing you're reaching for to cope with the stress of caregiving is making you less capable of giving care. Ultra-processed foods are calorie-dense but nutritionally hollow. Your body is running on stress hormones and empty calories — gaining weight, losing energy, sleeping poorly, and reaching for food again. The cycle tightens.
And nobody talks about it — because caregivers don't talk about themselves. You talk about the person you're caring for. I know, because I did the same thing for 17 years.
Expert Validation
Why Ultra-Processed Food Is So Hard to Stop Eating
Dr. Chris van Tulleken — NHS doctor and scientist — explains exactly why ultra-processed foods (UPF) are engineered to override your brain's natural fullness signals and create compulsive eating. This isn't about willpower. It's about how the food is designed.
Watch the Video (opens in new tab)Does this sound familiar?
- I eat when I finally get a moment to myself — not because I'm hungry, but because I need a break.
- I know I should eat better, but I'm too exhausted to cook something healthy.
- I've gained weight over the years and I can't quite explain how it happened.
- I put everyone else's needs first — my own health is always the last thing on the list.
- I've tried to change my eating habits before, but stress always pulls me back.
If you nodded at even one of these — you're in the right place.
The Science — In Plain English
How Stress Affects Your Body
This 4-minute animated TED-Ed lesson by Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist explains exactly what chronic stress does to your body — your heart, your immune system, your digestion, and your weight. No jargon. Just clear, visual science that explains why caregivers so often feel physically depleted.
Watch the Video (opens in new tab)The good news?
Once you understand that this is a biological cycle — not a character flaw — it becomes something you can actually address. That's exactly what I did at 55. And it's what I want to help you do too.
For the Active Caregiver
Still in it — and running on empty
If you're a CNA, a home health aide, a nurse, a foster parent, or someone caring for a family member — you already know what it feels like to give everything you have and still feel like it's not enough. The people you care for need you at your best. But somewhere along the way, "your best" started meaning "whatever's left after everyone else."
Here's what I want you to hear: taking care of yourself is not selfish. It is the most important thing you can do for the people who depend on you.
You don't have to choose between caring for others and caring for yourself. I'm living proof that you can do both — and that doing both makes you better at everything.
Your next steps:
- 1Take the 1-minute health survey — your first baby step toward putting yourself on the list
- 2Watch the free 3-minute video that stopped me in my tracks — Why It Matters
- 3Register free — Ancient Wisdom Meets the Modern Crisis
- 4Learn what actually changed for me — Start Here
Where I Started — And Where I Recommend You Start
The Foundational Wellness Bundle
Before Bright Line Eating. Before anything else. I started with the doTERRA Foundational Wellness Bundle — three targeted supplements that addressed what years of caregiving stress and poor nutrition had depleted in my body: my gut health, my brain chemistry, and my foundational nutrient levels. This is the single most important thing I did, and it's where I point everyone who asks me where to begin.
See the Foundational Wellness BundleOr learn more about how it works before you decide.
Personalized Health Surveys
Not sure where to start? Start with what's hurting.
These short surveys help identify which natural wellness tools may help most with what you're dealing with right now — whether it's sleep, stress, pain, or energy. Each one takes about a minute.
Overall Health Assessment
Identify your biggest wellness priorities.
Stress & Emotional Wellness
Natural tools for anxiety, stress, and emotional balance.
Sleep & Relaxation
Discover natural tools for deeper, more restorative sleep.
Pain & Discomfort
Find natural options for managing chronic pain and inflammation.
Metabolic Health
Support healthy weight, energy, and metabolic function naturally.
For the Caregiver Who's Transitioning
Your experience is an asset — not a chapter that's closing
Maybe you're getting older. Maybe your body or your emotional bandwidth isn't what it used to be. Maybe the person you were caring for has passed, or moved on, or no longer needs you in the same way. Maybe you're simply ready for a different kind of contribution.
I understand that feeling. As I've gotten older, I've had to be honest with myself about what I can give — and what I need to protect. But the desire to help people doesn't go away just because the form it takes has to change.
That's exactly why I do what I do now. I found a way to keep helping people — sharing what I've learned about health and wellness — in a form that works with where I am physically and emotionally, not against it. And it generates income that doesn't require me to be "on" 24 hours a day.
If you've spent years caring for others and you're wondering what's next — I'd love to talk to you about what this looks like.
Work With Me
I'm building a community of wellness advocates through doTERRA — people who share what they've learned about natural health and help others do the same. Many of them are former or current caregivers who found that this work honors exactly where they are in life.
It's not a second career. It's a way to keep serving people — on your schedule, at your pace — while building residual income that grows over time. You don't need a background in health or sales. You need a story, a genuine desire to help, and a willingness to learn.
You already have what matters most: a deep understanding of what it means to care for someone. That doesn't go away when the caregiving role changes. If you're curious about what this could look like for you, I'd love to have an honest conversation to see if working together would be a good fit for both of us.
Free Guide for Caregivers
Before You Begin: 5 Ways to Prepare Yourself for Real, Lasting Change
I send occasional notes to caregivers who are ready to start taking care of themselves. No spam, just real talk. Enter your name and email below and I'll send you this free guide — written from my own experience.
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You've Given So Much to Others
It's time to give a little to yourself. Whether you're still in the thick of caregiving or wondering what comes next — you belong here.
Take the Free Health Survey →