America’s Caregiving Crisis: A Conversation with Ai-jen Poo

Everything Happens with Kate Bowler

Everything Happens Studios

Health & Fitness, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

4.8 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 30 September 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What happens when love isn’t enough to hold up a broken system?

Ai-jen Poo—award-winning organizer and executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance—joins Kate Bowler to talk about caregiving in America. Who provides it. Who’s left out. And why we need a system that treats care as the sacred, shared labor that it is.

Together they explore:

Why more than 100 million Americans are caregiving right now
What it costs to support a loved one—and why the math doesn’t add up
The long shadow of slavery in how we treat domestic workers today
Why dignity and agency are essential in every stage of life
What it would look like to build a policy solution that works for everyone

If you’re carrying the care of someone else—or fearing the moment when you will—this conversation is for you.

Show Notes

Caring Across Generations – A movement co-led by Ai-jen Poo to transform the way we care in America.
National Domestic Workers Alliance – Advocating for the dignity and rights of the people who care for our homes and loved ones.
The Age of Dignity by Ai-jen Poo – A powerful read on what the “elder boom” means for all of us.
Find your elected officials – Contact Congress to protect Medicaid and support caregiving policies.
State-by-state Medicaid info – Learn what Medicaid is called in your state and how it supports care.
Congressional Budget Office – For context on recent Medicaid budget cuts and projections for coverage loss.
Aspen Ideas Festival
Share your caregiving story on Substack – Join the conversation with others who are navigating care.
A Blessing for Care-Givers and Care-Receivers – A gentle word for those in the trenches of giving or needing care.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by KiwiCo. Do you remember those crafts you put together as kids?
0:04.6	It always made you feel like the world opened up for you just a little bit more. That's what I love about
0:09.8	KiwiCo. They're hands-on projects delivering exciting discoveries that challenge young minds,
0:15.6	encourage creativity, and make learning an adventure. KiwiCo has five unique topics to choose from.
0:21.7	You can pick science,
0:28.4	technology, engineering, art, and math, also known as Steam. With KiwiCo, kids learn the fundamentals through hands-on projects and progressively build their skills with each new project they work on.
0:33.7	My son is working on his tinker crate, and now he's already got his eye on the hydraulic claw.
0:39.1	Look, it can be hard to find a creative gift to keep your kid engaged.
0:42.5	KiwiCo does the legwork for you.
0:44.8	Tinker, create, and innovate with Kiwiko.
0:47.3	Get up to 50% off your first crate at Kiwico.com.
0:50.6	Promo, everything happens.
0:52.0	It's up to 50% off your first crate at k iw ico dot com promo code everything happens
0:59.7	this episode is brought to you by policy genius did you know that 72% of americans overestimate
1:05.8	the actual cost of life insurance and it's no surprise we're all juggling so much right now. It can just make
1:11.5	sense that life insurance may not be on your radar. PolicyGenius makes finding and buying life
1:16.3	insurance simple, ensuring that your loved ones have a financial safety net. You can compare quotes
1:21.6	from top insurers and find coverage that fits your needs and your budget. See if policy genius can
1:27.0	help you find 20-year life
1:28.4	insurance policies starting at just $276 a year for $1 million in coverage. Policy Genius helps
1:35.5	you compare your options by getting quotes from America's top insurers in just a few clicks to
1:40.1	find your lowest price. Talk to a team of licensed agents who will walk you through the process
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Everything Happens Studios, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Everything Happens Studios and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.