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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And, Still, We Begin. New Year's 2026
The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast
As a new year begins, Katherine reflects on the mixed emotions many of us are carrying—hope, fatigue, uncertainty, and cautious optimism. In this episode, she shares her honest thoughts about the changes ahead, including concerns about funding, policy shifts, and the stability of long-term supports for people with disabilities. Drawing on decades of lived experience as a parent, advocate, and community builder, Katherine reminds listeners that we are not entering this year unprepared. She explores how the skills developed over years—storytelling, resourcefulness, advocacy, and...
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Where Friendship Shines Bright
The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast
In this festive and heart-warming episode of The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast, Mikelle leads us into the spirit of the season as she celebrates Secret Santa with the Shining Beautiful team and hosts a joyful holiday brunch with longtime friends — including Ian, the former barista who helped inspire the very concept of Shining Beautiful by ensuring she was fully included as part of the Starbucks community over 20 years ago. We’re joined by team member Torie, who shares her perspective on finding belonging in a new role and discovering how inclusion is lived — not just talked about....
info_outlineIn this festive and heart-warming episode of The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast, Mikelle leads us into the spirit of the season as she celebrates Secret Santa with the Shining Beautiful team and hosts a joyful holiday brunch with longtime friends — including Ian, the former barista who helped inspire the very concept of Shining Beautiful by ensuring she was fully included as part of the Starbucks community over 20 years ago.
We’re joined by team member Torie, who shares her perspective on finding belonging in a new role and discovering how inclusion is lived — not just talked about. Together, we explore what makes friendships endure, how everyday acts of kindness shape a lifetime of connection, and the power of showing up for one another over time.
Filled with laughter, gratitude, and reminders that the smallest gestures can become the biggest gifts, this episode is a celebration of what truly matters during the holidays: the friendships that stay, the communities we build, and the love that continues to grow.
Happy holidays from all of us at Shining Beautiful — may your season shine bright with kindness and connection.