Hear how one man is solving loneliness among men, one forgotten caregiver at a time
Kyle is the founder and CEO of Jack's Caregiver Coalition and among the most compelling voices on male isolation. Not because he studied it, but because he lived it, climbed out of it, lived it again, and climbed out of it again. His stories about surviving isolation as a non-professional male caregiver, turn into talks your audience will never forget.
What organizers get:
- A story with a business case: personal narrative backed by data on the hidden cost of isolation and unsupported caregivers
- Built for skeptical rooms: a speaker who spent a career in construction, Kyle easily connects with audiences who would never self-identify as lonely or as caregivers
- A real call to action: audiences leave with something to do, not just something to feel
“Kyle Woody is an amazing speaker who uses his powerful story to help bring support to the millions of men like him who are often unseen by themselves or others as caregivers. He combines emotion, data and a compelling call to action that enlightens and inspires audiences. I highly recommend him to organizations, conferences, and media outlets looking for a speaker on a family caregiving topic that needs more attention.”
About Kyle Woody
Kyle speaks with a combination of raw emotion and genuine humor that comes from surviving something extraordinary. Losing the caregiver identity he'd spent four years constructing was the most isolating experience of his life. What saved him was the thing he'd built for other men, a nonprofit that gave him somewhere to still be useful, still be seen, still be the man he had become.
Read Kyle's full story
When Kyle's wife Sarah was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer, she asked him to move their family to Minnesota where he didn't know a single person. He said yes.
For four years, he built an identity around being her caregiver. He learned the language of hospitals and palliative care, of side effects and second opinions, of showing up when there's nothing to say. He found the version of himself he was proud of. That chapter is also where Jack's Caregiver Coalition was born — named after a stranger named Jack, whose advice to him during the hardest stretch of that season is the reason this organization exists.
Then Sarah asked him for a divorce.
In a moment, the identity he'd spent years building completely vanished. Nobody hands you a caregiver badge, and nobody takes it away officially either, but he'd felt this feeling before. Just like when Sarah was diagnosed, he no longer knew who he was.
Kyle stayed on Sarah's care team through the end of her life in 2020. And today, he co-parents their kids with Sarah's boyfriend, Doug. The detail of his story that is often the most surprising to audiences. Kyle believes that detail is just one example of what becomes possible when men stop performing strength and start practicing it.
Before Jack's, Kyle spent his entire career in construction. A world that didn't have any language for what he was going through. Which is why he is uniquely energized by speaking to audiences that also lack language for caregiving.
No Man Should Care Alone
America is in the midst of a caregiving crisis – but one group remains almost entirely invisible in the conversation: men. Although there are over 20 million male caregivers in America, few identify themselves that way. 78% of men caring for a spouse report having no help from others. 75% of male caregivers have full time jobs. Men are also less socialized for caregiving, having grown up in a culture that praises stoicism and productivity over vulnerability and community. As a result, millions of men shoulder the same emotional and logistical burdens of caregiving that women do, but do it alone, quietly, and without essential support others rely on.
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Loneliness Is The Absence of Ourselves
Many men don’t realize they are caregivers. Without that recognition, the role quietly impacts nearly every aspect of their lives. Many men juggle the demands of work while caring for someone, often without acknowledgment or workplace supports. Kyle's talks help the world clearly see these men, and they help caregiving men see clearly themselves. Armed with an identity these men begin advocating for themselves in their jobs, their relationships, and their communities.
Community, Not Just Support
The heart of Kyle's message is relevant to any audience coping with isolation/loneliness. He believes in transforming self-reliance into shared resilience, and private burdens into a sense of belonging. Kyle inspires people to put down the weight of isolation. And when they do, their journeys are transformed from acts of surviving isolation, into acts of thriving through courageous connection.