Lights, Camera, Caregiving: FTD, Midlife and the Power of Telling Our Story with Katie Prentiss, Actor & Filmmaker

What if the hardest moments in our lives were also the ones that woke us up the most? What if loss, caregiving, and midlife unraveling weren't just things to endure but were actually invitations to live more fully? Today, we're having one of those conversations—the kind that's raw, real, and full of heart.

My guest is Katie Prentiss, an actress, filmmaker, and storyteller who found herself at a crossroads after losing her mother to frontotemporal dementia. That loss sent her into a deep reevaluation of life, leading her to embrace risk, creativity, and the kind of aliveness that only comes from facing the hard stuff head-on.

Katie's journey is one so many of us will recognize—caring for someone we love, navigating grief, and wrestling with the unknown. She talks about the contraction and expansion of life, the fear of genetic illness, and how caregiving shifts our perspective—much like becoming a parent does. Through it all, she's chosen to create. Her upcoming film, Wake Up, Maggie, is a love letter to caregivers, midlife transformations, and the moments that shake us awake. It's an honest look at what it means to let go, rebuild, and embrace the messiness of our lives.

Today, we talk about what it means to step into the unknown, why telling these stories matters, and how we can support one another in making them heard. Katie's reflections on fear, creativity, and resilience are deeply moving, and I have no doubt you'll walk away feeling a little more alive yourself. Thank you, Katie!

To learn more visit:

www.katieprentiss.com

www.wakeupmaggiemovie.com

https://www.instagram.com/katieprentiss/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10018602/

https://www.tiktok.com/@katieprentiss

https://www.instagram.com/wakeupmaggiemovie/

Thank you to our sponsor, Zinnia TV, a therapeutic dementia care platform to support caregivers. We invite you to use the code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription HERE.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

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