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The Sandwich Generation Survival Guide

Reclaiming Yourself When Everyone Needs You: Kerry Docherty on Guilt, Honest Conversations, and Choosing Yourself

November 3, 2026

By Candace Dellacona

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When was the last time you were called selfish, or worried you might be, just for putting yourself on your own list? For those of us in the middle, putting our needs last can feel like the only way to keep everything running, and the guilt of choosing ourselves can be heavy.

In this episode, Candace is joined by Kerry Docherty, co-founder of beloved sustainable lifestyle brand Faherty, poet, social activist, children's book author, and author of the memoir Selfish: Unlearning, Reclaiming, and Telling the Truth.

Kerry explains why she chose a title that's so activating for women, and describes the moment in therapy when a simple question showed her she wasn't the victim: she had agency. She talks about finding her voice through a writing collective and about telling the truth in print about her marriage, her family business, and herself, including the fallout with loved ones and her husband Alex's response in the final chapter. She also shares the small daily choices that help her reclaim herself, the guilt of leaving home to write, and the honest conversations she and Alex have with their kids.

As Kerry puts it, being "selfish" can be "the biggest act of service that we can give other people."

Learn more about Kerry Docherty at https://kerrydocherty.co/

Follow Kerry on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kerrydocherty/

Subscribe to Kerry’s poetry Substack at https://substack.com/@kerrydocherty1

Purchase Selfish: Unlearning, Reclaiming, and Telling the Truth at https://bookshop.org/p/books/selfish-unlearning-reclaiming-and-telling-the-truth-kerry-docherty/355b282d003ee8e0

Purchase Somewhere, Right Now at https://fahertybrand.com/products/somewhere-right-now-book-somewhere-right-now

Shop Faherty at https://fahertybrand.com/

Follow and subscribe to The Sandwich Generation Survival Guide wherever you listen to podcasts. New conversations are released on the first and third Tuesdays of every month. If this episode resonates with you, leave a five-star rating or review and share it with another sandwich generation caregiver!


 

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