Holding onto Memory: a life shaped by intuition, reinvention, caregiving, and forgetting

About this episode

Constance “Connie” Gross reflects on her life experiences shaped by intuition, caregiving, and the challenges of memory loss.

In this moving episode of In the Telling (Season 5, Episode 41), Constance “Connie” Gross—born in Harlem in 1937 and now approaching 89—reflects on a life shaped by intuition, reinvention, caregiving, and community. With warmth, candor, and humor, she recalls growing up in Harlem during the 1940s, where Black families built rich and meaningful lives despite the realities of segregation. Her memories of strong parenting, neighborhood care, and community accountability reveal the foundations of her independent spirit. Connie also shares the deeply personal story of her move to Rochester, New York, in 1982. Following what she describes as an undeniable inner knowing that her life was about to change, she left New York City and began a new chapter as an entrepreneur, creating businesses that served local residents and small businesses during Rochester’s industrial era. At the heart of the conversation is Connie’s experience caring for her mother through Alzheimer’s disease and, years later, confronting memory changes of her own. She reflects on the challenges of caregiving, the grief of losing her mother long before her death, and the realities of adapting to changes in her own…

People in this episode

Guest: Constance “Connie” Gross

Topics covered

• memory
• caregiving
• community
• resilience
• entrepreneurship
• Alzheimer's disease

Keywords

• intuition
• reinvention
• community accountability
• Alzheimer's
• memory changes
• entrepreneur
• segregation
• caregiving challenges

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Harlem, Rochester, New York

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