The sandwich years ask you to do it all, for everyone, at once.
đź“… The appointments, lifts and meds for one generation.
🎒 The exams, dinners and drama for the next.
đź’¬ The family WhatsApp where everyone has opinions and nobody has time.
đź’ The guilt that whatever you're doing, it isn't enough.
No wonder you're running on empty.
And the hardest part? The feeling that if you put any of it down, everything falls apart.
But you can care without carrying it all. It starts with seeing where you're at.
Your Sandwich Years Check-In covers five areas:
1
Your capacity
What you have room for, not just what you can do, including whether going part-time is the right call.
2
Your support
Who else could carry part of this, and the help you might not know is there.
3
The relationship
Being their daughter, and their mum, not just the person who sorts everything.
4
Care isn't happiness
You're responsible for their care, not their happiness. Stop pouring energy into what was never your job.
5
You
What you've stopped doing that kept you well, and one thing you'll do for you this week.
This isn't another to-do list.
It's a check-in: a moment to breathe and see where you're at. Two pages, fifteen questions, and a cup of tea.
Download your free copy now, and start caring without carrying it all.
Download now
Who am I, and why am I talking about the sandwich years?
Hi, I’m Alana Kirk - midlifer, brain untangler, and bullshit-cutter-through-er.
As a coach, author, and speaker, I’ve helped hundreds of women hit pause on the chaos, figure out what they really want, and go after it with calm, clarity, and courage.
I know the sandwich years because I've lived them. I wrote The Sandwich Years, an Irish Times bestseller, about the years I cared for my dying mum while raising three small daughters. I speak to companies about exactly this pressure, and I recently joined David McWilliams on EY's On The Money to talk about how longer lives are reshaping Irish families.
Women today lead multi-layered, multi-pressured, multi-roled lives. The only way to thrive is to clear away the external noise and tune into your internal voice and choices.
That's why I created the Sandwich Years Check-In: a short, honest guide to help you see where you're at, find the support you need, and look after yourself and your relationships through the care.
Because when you thrive, everyone in your life does better.
 As a coach, speaker and author, I love what I do. Talking about this work for warrior - sometimes wilting - women is my happy place. Here are a few recent conversations I’ve had:
Yes, please email me myÂ
The Balance Barometer Â
(please check the subscribe box to receive the email)