Escaping the Rabbit Hole: Caregiving, Mental Health, and Finding Meaning with Antonio Perez

About this episode

What if caregiving doesn’t break you… but reveals who you really are?

In this episode of Brilliant Chaos, Tracy sits down with Antonio Perez, creator of Escaping the Rabbit Hole, to explore what happens when life hands you responsibility you never asked for—and you choose to meet it with honesty, humor, and heart.

Antonio shares his deeply personal journey of becoming an unexpected caregiver to a neighbor who eventually became family. Through dementia, grief, guilt, and love, this conversation shines a light on the realities of caregiving that rarely get spoken out loud—from wondering when someone will die, to grieving before they’re gone, to the relief that can coexist with loss.

Together, Tracy and Antonio unpack toxic positivity, the pressure to “stay strong,” and why being human—messy emotions and all—is not a failure. Drawing from Antonio’s background in NLP, hypnosis, IFS, and lived experience, this episode offers a grounded, compassionate reframe for navigating chaos without bypassing truth.

This episode is for caregivers, leaders, and anyone who has ever loved deeply while holding it all together behind the scenes.

If you’ve ever felt guilty for your thoughts, exhausted by positivity culture, or unsure how to honor both grief and joy… this conversation will meet you where you are.

You'll hear:

• How Antonio became an unexpected caregiver—and why he never saw it as a burden
• The unspoken guilt caregivers feel around death, relief, and grief
• Why it’s okay to grieve before someone is gone
• How humor and playfulness can preserve dignity in dementia care
• What toxic positivity gets wrong about healing and resilience
• Why “being positive” can actually shut people down emotionally
• How tools like NLP and IFS supported Antonio—not by fixing him, but by helping him stay human
• The difference between instant change and sustainable transformation
• Why curiosity, compassion, and neutrality matter more than perfection
• What caregiving taught Antonio about purpose, love, and identity

Guest Bio:

Antonio Perez is a mental health advocate, storyteller, and the creator of Escaping the Rabbit Hole. With a background in NLP, hypnosis, and inner work modalities such as Internal Family Systems (IFS), Antonio blends lived experience with deep compassion and humor. Known for his raw honesty and refusal to sugarcoat hard realities, he speaks openly about depression, caregiving, and the importance of protecting mental health without bypassing pain.