What does it look like to turn a solo caregiving struggle into a lasting support community for busy women?
In this episode of Designing for Dignity, Erin Young speaks with Kathleen Korpela, founder of Living Goldenwell and creator of Caregiving from the Middle, a virtual community for sandwich generation women balancing elder care and careers.
Kathleen shares how caring for her father through Alzheimer's in her mid-30s revealed a painful gap in support. The conversation covers the transition of parenting for a parent and why she built a community instead of a program.
She emphasizes that transformation takes real time and cannot be rushed into a fixed program length. She also offers advice for founders doing early customer validation work and shares what comes next for Living Goldenwell.
What you’ll learn
How caring for her father through Alzheimer's disease led Kathleen to found Living GoldenWell
Why a twelve-week program fell short and what women actually needed instead
How parenting your own parent creates a dual identity most caregivers navigate alone
Why women search for support alone at midnight instead of on social media apps
What shifted when Kathleen turned her program into an ongoing membership community for women
Key themes
Family Caregiving • Alzheimer's Disease • Sandwich Generation • Caregiver Community • User Research • Elder Care • AgeTech • Care Coordination • Dignity • Designing for Dignity
About the Designing for Dignity podcast
Designing for Dignity is a podcast from Slide UX that explores how thoughtful design can enhance autonomy, connection, and quality of life for people navigating aging or brain change. Each conversation spotlights innovators, caregivers, researchers, and individuals with lived experience, offering insights that bridge technology, empathy, and impact.