Cuts, Freezes and the Importance of Advocacy Update.
The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast
Release Date: 01/29/2025
Building Employment From the Inside Out
The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast
Dr. Peter Smith on Family Discovery and Customized Employment In this warm and thoughtful episode of The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast, Mikelle and Katherine sit down with longtime friend and customized employment leader Peter Smith from the Centre for Disability Employment Research and Practice in Australia for a casual conversation about families, Discovery, and the importance of truly getting to know a person before trying to build employment opportunities around them. Rather than focusing on assessments and paperwork alone, Peter shares insights from his evolving work around the Family...
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Encore Episode: Building a Life Before Building a Job Person-Centered Planning and Employment Success in Uncertain Times
The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast
In this encore episode of The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast, Mikelle and Katherine revisit an important conversation with Debra McLean and Emily Harris from Washington Initiative on Supported Employment on how person-centered planning can create a pathway — and even a prophecy — for employment success. As families, educators, providers, and systems across the country navigate workforce shortages, Medicaid pressures, and growing uncertainty, this conversation feels more relevant than ever. Debra and Emily explore how truly listening to a person’s interests, gifts, relationships,...
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Storm Clouds Over Care: Medicaid Cuts and the Lives They Touch
The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast
Join co-host Katherine Carol for a powerful mid-month update on Colorado Medicaid cuts—and what they mean for families, care teams, and the future of support. The sky feels different these days. Here in Colorado, we’re watching another kind of storm roll in—not one you can see building over the mountains, but one you can feel in policy decisions, budget sheets, and quiet conversations around kitchen tables. Through lived experience, we explore what it takes to build and sustain a care team over time, what families risk losing, and what communities across Colorado are quietly navigating...
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From Memoir to Imagination: Brittany Gilbert Begins Her Fiction Journey
The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast
In this return conversation, Brittany “Lenny” Gilbert joins us again—this time stepping into an exciting new chapter as she begins work on her first fiction book. Many of you will remember Brittany from our earlier conversation around Ruby and Me. Now, her storytelling is stretching in new directions, shaped by imagination, lived experience, and a deep desire to reach the next generation. Together, we explore what it means to move from telling your own story… to creating stories for others. Brittany shares how her experiences as a writer and as a person with cerebral palsy are...
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Caring Through the Squeeze: What Sustains Us When Everything Costs More and Government Budgets Tighten
The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast
As grocery bills climb, gas prices rise, and budgets tighten, caregivers are feeling the pressure in real and immediate ways. In this mid-month reflection from The Shining Beautiful Series, Katherine shares a deeply personal story that reaches back through generations—from a rustic mountain cabin in Colorado to the pioneers who endured hardship on the plains, cutting lumber, and in coal mines. At a time when families are navigating increasing costs and uncertain systems, this episode explores a powerful truth: while systems may shift, it is community, resilience, and the strength we inherit...
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Discovery Begins at Home: Peter Smith on Customized Employment and the Family Discovery Model
The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast
What happens when we begin the employment journey not with a system—but with the people who know someone best? In this episode of The Shining Beautiful Series, Katherine and Mikelle welcome Peter Smith, a long-time leader in the customized employment movement in Australia, for a thoughtful conversation about his emerging work on the Family Discovery Model. Discovery has long been a cornerstone of Customized Employment, helping people with disabilities identify their strengths, interests, and ideal conditions for work. But Peter’s recent work asks an important question: What role do...
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When Love Organizes Itself
The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast
In this mid-month reflection, Katherine shares a deeply personal experience from a friend’s celebration of life — a gathering that revealed what real community looks like when it has been intentionally nurtured over decades. Drawing from the work of Peter Block and his book Community: The Structure of Belonging, this episode explores how belonging is built through invitation, small gatherings, shared ownership, and love. This was not just a memorial. It was a living ecosystem. Women from college days. Women from work life. Neighbors. Mothers. Children who will now grow up together because...
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And, Still We Love. Love, Laughter, and a Little Bit of Nerves.
The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast
In this special Valentine’s Day episode of The Shining Beautiful Series, Katherine, Mikelle, and Maryann gather for a heartfelt conversation about what they truly love and appreciate — in their lives, in each other, and in the communities they’re building together. This isn’t a sugary sweet Valentine’s episode. It’s honest. It’s grounded. It’s real. Together, they reflect on: The friendships that have lasted decades The caregivers, colleagues, and quiet leaders who show up every day The small rituals — coffee time, creative work, shared laughter — that sustain them ...
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The Quiet Leadership of Care: Honoring a Legacy That Lives On
The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast
In this solo episode of Shining Beautiful, Katherine reflects on the legacy of nurse, mentor and caregiver Alex Pretti--and the profound, often unseen impact caregivers have on our lives, families, workplaces and communities. Through personal insight and gentle storytelling, Katherine explores the quiet leadership of caregiving: the small acts of kindness, presence, and compassion that shape human connection and create lasting change. From hosptial rooms to grocery store liens, this episode is a reminder that caregive is not only what we do--it is who we are. A thoughtful pause, an...
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Still Working: Customized Employment in a Time of Change with Cary Griffin
The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast
There’s a particular kind of laughter that shows up when people have lived through enough systems change to know two things at once: that the work matters deeply—and that taking ourselves too seriously won’t get us very far. That spirit framed our recent conversation with Cary Griffin, a longtime leader and truth-teller in the field of customized employment. We came together to talk about what’s shifting at the federal level, what those changes mean on the ground, and how individuals with disabilities and families can continue shaping meaningful employment journeys in an...
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We’ll explore the details behind the Medicaid freeze, how it has been affecting individuals and families, and the potential long-term effects of these policy decisions. Plus, we’ll discuss the role of advocacy in ensuring that voices are heard and that Medicaid remains a resource for those who need it the most. Whether you're someone directly impacted by Medicaid or simply want to learn more about this crucial issue, this episode provides the clarity and insights you need.
Key Topics Covered:
- Recent statewide Medicaid changes and their implications
- The White House Medicaid freeze: what it means for beneficiaries
- The importance of advocacy in health policy reform
- How you can get involved and make a difference
Join us for a crucial conversation about how Medicaid is evolving and why your voice matters in this ongoing fight.
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