Breaking Free and Caring Well: Stories of Hope with Christine Trimpe

What happens when a personal health transformation becomes the unexpected preparation for a life-altering caregiving journey? Christine Trimpe's story powerfully demonstrates how God works ahead of our awareness to equip us for challenges we can't yet imagine.

Christine candidly shares the moment that changed everything - standing breathless on a Rocky Mountain trail, unable to complete a half-mile hike due to being over 100 pounds overweight. That humbling experience led to a simple prayer: "God, I just want to feel better." Little did she know how perfectly timed her subsequent health transformation would be. After ditching sugar completely and losing over 100 pounds, Christine found herself spiritually, emotionally, and physically strengthened just months before her son suffered a traumatic brain injury in a catastrophic car accident.

Now as her son's caregiver, Christine navigates the unique challenges of supporting someone with an invisible disability. Though outwardly appearing unaffected, her son's TBI impacts his mental health and requires ongoing advocacy, oversight, and support. Christine reveals the surprising isolation of caregiving and how her morning ritual of time in God's Word sustains her through difficult seasons. Her focus on cultivating joy and more recently, peace replacing hypervigilance, demonstrates the evolving nature of spiritual growth throughout the caregiving journey.

For caregivers at any stage, Christine offers wisdom gleaned from experience: true self-care means nurturing your spiritual and emotional health first. Her personal philosophy—"when we feel better, we serve better"—encapsulates the importance of maintaining our own well-being to effectively care for others. Whether you're facing health challenges, unexpected caregiving responsibilities, or both, Christine's story reminds us that God often prepares the path before us, equipping us for seasons we never anticipated.

Chapters

• 0:04 Introduction to Christine Trim
• 1:03 Breaking Free From Sugar Shackles
• 4:17 Unexpected Caregiving After Son's Accident
• 7:35 Isolation and Challenges of Caregiving
• 9:23 Finding Joy Amid Difficult Seasons
• 17:07 Prioritizing Self-Care as a Caregiver

Transcript

Rayna Neises: Hi, this is Rayna Neises, your host of A Season of Caring podcast, where we share stories of hope with family caregivers pushing past the busyness and loneliness of caregiving to see God. Today I'm excited to introduce you to Christine Trimpe. Christine is a multi award-winning author, speaker, and health coach. After breaking free from sugar shackles and losing over a hundred pounds, God instilled in her a passion for inspiring and motivating women to live healthy and well in body and soul.

She invites women everywhere to experience the transformative power of living sugar-free. Welcome, Christine. I'm so glad to have you here today.

Christine Trimpe: Thank you so much for having me. I'm delighted to be here with you.

Rayna Neises: Just start out by sharing with with us what your caregiving season look like.

Christine Trimpe: Wow. About 10 years ago, if you would've told me I was going to be stepping into a caregiving season, I would not have believed you. I'll share about my personal [00:01:00] story 'cause it actually does, set up the caregiving season years ago, in the fall of 2015, my husband and I went on an anniversary trip to the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, and I was so excited to go to Colorado.

It's beautiful. And it was the first time my husband was visiting there, so I was excited to show him around. He planned some hikes. And one of the hikes he planned was to go to Nymph Lake. If anybody's listening, that has been to Rocky Mountain National Park, you know, that is at the popular Bear Lake stop. So I went over to the trail marker and it said a half a mile to Nymph Lake. And I thought, oh, I can do a half a mile. Right. That doesn't sound like a lot. So we started up the trail. And I only got up about halfway up that trail and I ended up gasping for air and begging off, telling my husband I could not go another step further. I told him to go on without me and assured him it would be okay. And he did. And I sat [00:02:00] on the side of that path. On a stump and really just had a moment, because at that moment the reason I couldn't climb is because I was a little more than a hundred pounds overweight. I was classified as morbidly obese, which I hate when doctors said that. I never wanted to go to the doctor, 'cause I never wanted to hear that. the fact that I couldn't breathe, that my knees were aching, it really brought me to a turning point in that moment, and I remember just saying a simple prayer like, God, I just want to feel better and praise God, even though I had been wandering in this weary weight loss battle for 30 years, He did hear that prayer. Even though I was living very casually with him all of those years, I give him all the credit for meeting me in that moment because that was the setup for me taking ownership of my health. I came home and began a health journey, eventually ended up ditching sugar, in entirety, and that really changed my life.

And by ditching sugar, I mean the sweet [00:03:00] stuff and the refined carbohydrates and my favorite things like potato chips. And bread and all the stuff that, because I was insulin resistant and had, pre-diabetes, those types of foods were not doing my health any good. They were, in fact, they were driving my disease.

I was able to change my diet to what I call, I now eat from God's good smorgasbord, went on to lose a little over a hundred pounds and have been able to maintain a healthy weight for nearly eight years now.

But the reason I set up this story for a caregiver is because I was going step by step through this journey and I had given up to quit the sugar and I lost a little bit of weight, but when I discovered, the low carb way of eating and I began implementing intermittent fasting as well, that was January of 2017. It took me a little while, again, step by step, I was trying to improve my health. But in January, 2017. I made, I jumped all in and that's when the dramatic weight loss happened. Six months later, my son [00:04:00] was in a catastrophic car accident and unfortunately he was in a vehicle on the expressway at a standstill because there was dogs on the freeway and a young lady was not paying attention and rear-ended his vehicle at 70 miles per hour. And he was in an older vehicle, did not have airbags. Unfortunately, he ended up with a traumatic brain injury that we didn't know about at the time. We just thought he had a closed head injury. We were so grateful that he had all his limbs. He wasn't in emergency surgery. He was alive

I saw the vehicle. It was amazing that he was alive. But six months later, my caregiving season was about to begin and I didn't know it, but I fully believe that God had put me on a path to healing and feeling better, not just physically, but the way that my emotional health healed and the way that my spiritual health improved and I just became much more spiritually mature, has really helped me, and this set me up for that season of [00:05:00] caregiving.

Rayna Neises: Today, what does it look like in taking care of your son?

Christine Trimpe: You would never know that my son has, extra needs if you would meet him on the street. So because he has a traumatic brain injury, it does impact his mental health and so he just needs extra oversight. My biggest job for supporting him is advocacy. Arranging all of the things like health insurance and making sure that his state benefits are intact, all of that, and that can be overwhelming but he also lives with us full-time. We wanna give him a home that, we can keep an eye on him and we can help move him forward in a healthy direction. So really that's what we're doing. The car accident was in 2017. We've been doing it since then. And just hoping and praying that year by year that goes by, there will be a little bit more independence, a little bit more brain healing,

Rayna Neises: I think one of the things that can be really challenging in caring for somebody that looks the same as they did before life changed. It can be so [00:06:00] difficult for number one, the outside to know that you aren't. I mean, I, there were times that I can remember taking my mom out to eat and at that point she couldn't really talk much. She could chatter a little bit. She was socially appropriate with smiles and interaction

Christine Trimpe: Yes.

Rayna Neises: that way, but. You know, having to read the menu and actually try to see what she would like to eat and honor that. But then when the waitress would come around and be like, can I get you to drink and stare her down because she doesn't answer. It was just so awkward because it was like, yes, she looks normal to you.

Christine Trimpe: Right.

Rayna Neises: But she can't do what you're asking her to do.

Christine Trimpe: Yeah.

Rayna Neises: On the other hand, then also I think emotionally looking at your mom who looks like the same person who's always taking care of you and done those things for you, it can be really emotionally difficult.

Have you found that challenging?

Christine Trimpe: Yes. And that makes me think of experiencing the ambiguous grief that we've been through as a family. This was obviously not [00:07:00] something we ever expected to happen and not the hopes and dreams that we had, for our child. But also. We're just very grateful that he has a family that cares for him and can support him because some of the times that he's had to have healthcare intervention, medical intervention, I've heard from a lot of medical staff that a lot of people don't have that kind of support.

So, I'm grateful for the little blessings in this journey as well

Rayna Neises: so tell me what would be most surprising to you about this caregiving journey that you've been on?

Christine Trimpe: How isolating it can be. Yeah. It, and I never would've expected that. And how sometimes you just wanna talk about the situation, but you don't want to overburden people. Maybe closer family, extended family. But also I know as a believer, it's there has certain times in my life where it's well, we're meant to. Bear one another's burdens. [00:08:00] But I don't ever want it to this is my life. This is only my life. Right. So there's being isolated and trying to find a balance in staying connected with people, maybe you experience the same thing your mom having Alzheimer's and my son having a TBI with mood disorders. If you don't experience that,

Rayna Neises: Mm.

Christine Trimpe: it's really hard to connect with people,

Rayna Neises: Mm-hmm.

Christine Trimpe: because people want to know how you're doing, but they don't know exactly what to ask. 

Rayna Neises: For me, I was so young, I didn't know anybody else who had a loved one, especially parents who had Alzheimer's. Right. So it definitely was they couldn't get what the everyday life looked like. And as a caregiver, sometimes we can allow our caregiving to become our life. And that's what I hear you saying is talking with friends and family.

It's this isn't the only thing I wanna talk about.

Christine Trimpe: Right.

Rayna Neises: But sometimes it's overwhelming and you need that outlet. So it can be really isolating and definitely that's where faith comes in too. I think, for [00:09:00] me, thank the Lord, we were really tight whenever I was a teenager, and so when the diagnosis came, he was the one that I turned to. He became my best friend and so I knew he could understand when nobody else could, but it can be such a challenge to figure out how to make that work for you.

Christine Trimpe: yes, for sure. Yeah.

Rayna Neises: So share with us a time, when God really showed up for you and your caregiving.

Christine Trimpe: If I had not gotten healthy before all of this, and if I was not grounded in the word every single morning, that was one of the things that changed in my life before my caregiving season was as God was taking me through this journey.

Very early on in my health journey, I started waking up refreshed in the morning, because I got A-C-P-A-P machine, really helped with my sleep. But I started picking up the word every single morning and I just have this hunger and this thirst for God's word now and every morning, without fail. That is the, that's how I set the tone of my day. So it's a tremendous blessing that God helped me [00:10:00] heal before I had to go and do this caretaking season as well too. Because honestly, if I look at my old patterns of behavior, I, call her old Christine. Old Christine would've been curled up in bed with the covers, pulled over her head, having to experience some of the things that I have to experience right now. Praise God for the way that He guides our path and he can direct us down the right path.

And so that's my big praise. That has been the blessing. And it's another reason why too, I want to maintain my health and why I am so dedicated and determined to doing that, is because when I take care of myself. I can pour out and help others. And now I'm facing a caretaking season as my parents are elderly now, too.

They're aging, they're 79 and 81. They have some health issues. So I know what's coming. So I just wanna be, my healthiest self, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually so that I can, take care of them to the best of my ability.

Rayna Neises: And it really [00:11:00] is key, no matter where we're starting. Finding that rhythm and those patterns that work for us in our relationship with the Lord will make all the difference. As life changes and as we find ourselves. I had to be on the road in order to take care of my dad. Some rhythms had to change, but because it was already that longing was there for me to have the word every day and for me to be with the Lord every day in those ways, then I found ways to do that in my new rhythm,

exercises looked a little bit different, but it was still something that had to be, I knew I needed it. And so I think it's so important no matter where you're starting to find that rhythm, to find what feeds you, whether it be, just within recent years I started listening to the word versus reading it, and I really enjoy that. I'm finding that I'm getting through the scripture in a different way and it's teaching me new things. So trying new things are really important, but finding what fits what works for you in this season. So important.

Christine Trimpe: right, [00:12:00] exactly. Let God lead you and any way that you can get into hearing, listening, reading, writing out his word, just keep it fresh and foremost in your mind, and that's gonna help set you up for the day.

Rayna Neises: Definitely, and that's probably what you would say when I ask this question about one thing that helps you to live content, love well, and care without regrets.

Christine Trimpe: Oh yeah, definitely. The word of God is in my heart. And, one thing that developed in me, through the fruit of the spirit, the love and the joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. If I looked back 10 years ago, I was not, you might not believe this, Rayna, but I was not a very nice person.

Rayna Neises: Oh.

Christine Trimpe: was not a very kind person. I was crabby and exhausted because I didn't feel well. So developing all of these, you know, the characteristics of the fruit of the spirit, especially joy, I really clinging to joy and I like joy is my jam. And when you have [00:13:00] the joy of the Lord in your heart.

Rayna Neises: Mm-hmm.

Christine Trimpe: You can't keep joy to yourself. It overflows. And so that really helps caretakers, I believe too, we just show up and we have this joy and we have a positive attitude and we don't let things drag us down. And one of my favorite verses from scripture is Psalm 4:7 where David writes. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when they're graining a new wine abound.

And I I think of that verse all the time. Especially if I'm facing a difficult circumstance. I have to remind myself, choose joy, choose joy. Choose joy. If we are in God's word every day and allowing him to take us on this sanctification journey, that joy is gonna grow, or whatever characteristic of the fruit of the spirit that you need to grow and develop and mature in your life is available there for you.

Rayna Neises: Yeah, and I love how he works in that way of helping us to understand those fruit in different seasons,

Christine Trimpe: Yeah.

Rayna Neises: there are. Challenges in different seasons of our lives from [00:14:00] grief

Christine Trimpe: Mm-hmm.

Rayna Neises: Excitement. You know, you said, some of those things that you looked at your life doesn't look like what you expected it to look like. So being able to find what those fruits look like even in this different season compared to what your anticipation of what it was gonna look like for me.

Christine Trimpe: Yeah, exactly. I've been walking through a very difficult 2025 so far, and I hadn't been so focused on peace, and now I really, I'm leaning into what does that look like? What does it mean to have peace when all of these events in my life have happened that have caused great sorrow and great suffering, and I have to really be very diligent and dedicated to not living in a state of hyper vigilance because that's where that piece is disrupted. I'm concerned. I don't like to say worry, but I'm concerned about my loved ones. I'm concerned when they have a medical crisis. I'm concerned, about my parents' health, these things that I'm concerned about. [00:15:00] just really leaning in and relying and trusting God is really key to being able to navigate, our caretaking season, it is gonna be fluctuating. There will be seasons of, wow, this is like, everything's really calm

Rayna Neises: Yep.

Christine Trimpe: gonna explode.

Rayna Neises: Yep.

Christine Trimpe: So are we prepared for the fluctuations in those seasons?

Rayna Neises: And it's hard to prepare. I think the thing that you said earlier was that just being consistent in the word and letting God show it to you in a new way is that best preparation we can make. Because that joy that he's blessed you with is still there, but it's probably a little hard to juggle the joy and the sorrow

Christine Trimpe: Yes.

Rayna Neises: so, but it's something that he is given you that you know. You can hold onto and you can look back at, and as you said then peace is becoming a new thing, a new treasure, to a different level than what it was before.

Christine Trimpe: I didn't have a whole lot disrupting my piece

Rayna Neises: Right?

Christine Trimpe: Very long seasons. But when it does get disrupted, it's, the peace of [00:16:00] God. I need that. all need that. Right.

Rayna Neises: Definitely. Yeah. So important and, and I think we can have a tendency to always want things to look in our faith, like they did before, and I always, I go back to college years. I went to a Christian college and I had so many friends around and what that faith looked like was so different then, after that and even later in life of trying to find those connections and have those friends again, if we're always comparing and expecting it to be the same or it's not good, labeling it not good, then we end up getting ourselves into trouble. The flexibility to understand that God's doing new things. His faithfulness can be seen in the old things that he did, but there's always new things to, walk with him through.

Christine Trimpe: Yeah. That makes me think of the verse in Isaiah where it says, see, I'm doing a new thing. Can you not perceive it?

Rayna Neises: Yeah.

Christine Trimpe: Lord, I don't need another new thing in my life right now.

Rayna Neises: Every now and then, I've been known to say I [00:17:00] could handle boring for a while.

Christine Trimpe: Give me back my boring life for a season, please.

Rayna Neises: Exactly.

Christine Trimpe: Yes. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Rayna Neises: So share with our listeners one thing that you would like them to walk away with as far as if they're in the beginning of their caregiving season or even halfway through. What would be a piece of wisdom?

Christine Trimpe: Yeah, I would, and I know as believers, we don't talk about self-care as the way that the world thinks about it. When I talk about self-care, I mean paying attention to our spiritual health, our emotional health as far as, having our thoughts and our emotions fixed on the things of God. And again, if I had 10 years ago, had to have been called into a caregiving season, I would've been a hot mess for sure. So self-care first and foremost, I really encourage women to always be connected with the Lord in some manner. Reading your Bible every day, listening to your Bible, when you're on your commute, whatever it takes to just hear the word of God.

Because when we hear, we see, we do, and that's [00:18:00] what's gonna flow out from us. If I had not been on this health and healing journey myself, I can't emphasize enough how much better it is just knowing that I can wake up every day and have the energy, have the mindset, have the tenacity, the resiliency to show up, when I am called into a caretaking role. We need to make sure that we are healthy so that we can help. I always tell my coaching clients, when we feel better, we serve better. So let's feel better because, our people need us to serve better.

Rayna Neises: So true. So share with us, Christine, how can they get in touch with you and learn more about all the services that you offer?

Christine Trimpe: I have a website under my name, Christine spelled the normal way, and then I'll spell my last name 'cause it's a little different. It's T as in Tom, RI, M as in Mary, P as in Paul, e.com, www.christinetrimpe.com. If you visit my website, you can connect. To me there. You can find information about the books that I've written.

I wrote an [00:19:00] Advent devotional and I just released My, my Baby. I call it My Baby, about My Health Journey. It is a nonfiction book to help Christian women, stop losing the weight loss battle and start gaining the victory. It is called Sugar-Free, and you'll find out all about that on my website and also all about my coaching services. You can connect with me on my website. That's the best way.

Rayna Neises: Well, thank you so much for sharing your story with us today.

Christine Trimpe: Thank you for having me.

Rayna Neises: thank you for joining us today for Stories of Hope with Christine at A Season of Caring podcast, I wanna encourage you to live content, love well, and care without regrets. If you have financial, medical, or legal questions, be sure to consult your local professionals and take heart in your season of caring.