A Side of Hope

Cara Yar Khan uses a power wheelchair and can no longer raise her arms. She says everything she does is hard, even touching up her lip gloss. She also crossed the Grand Canyon on a wild mustang. In this conversation, Melanie and Cara get into the difference between struggling and suffering, and what that difference asks of anyone who provides support. About Cara Cara Yar Khan is an international d...

About This Episode What does leadership look like when you're not the CEO? When you don't own the organization, don't get the final say, and technically don't have your name on the building, yet you find yourself lying awake at night thinking about the culture, the people, the decisions, and what comes next? Melanie explores a leadership seat that doesn't get talked about nearl...

About Ginger Johnson Known as a "Chief Connecting Officer," Ginger Johnson has built a career around one core belief: everything we want in life is powered by connection. From firefighter to teacher to executive, Ginger's journey has shaped a deep understanding of what it takes to help people feel seen, valued, and part of something bigger. She's the author of Connectivity Canon:...

What Expectation Bias Costs Us in Human Services A Side of Hope with Melanie Bazile In this episode, Melanie Bazile explores expectation bias, the tendency to perceive, interpret, and remember information in ways that confirm what we already expect to be true. Drawing on more than 30 years in human services, she unpacks how this shows up not just in daily life, but in the field itself, in referral...

Human services has spent decades trying to build inclusion from our side. Lisa Drennan's 40 years in the field taught her the opposite: inclusion can only be built by the side of the bridge that isn't there yet, the YMCAs, the camps, the faith communities. Her work is teaching that side how to build it. Lisa Drennan is a nationally recognized speaker and inclusion advocate who has spent ov...

There's a word that makes a lot of people in human services flinch. Not burnout, not funding cuts. Sales. Melanie says it out loud in this episode, and she doesn't apologize for it. But the real tension she's sitting with is bigger than one word: how did 'corporate' become an insult in a field where the stakes are this high? And what tools have we walked away from because they...

Most people, when they get a cancer diagnosis, think about survival. Lauren Huffmaster did too, until she realized that surviving and living are two very different things. Lauren Huffmaster is a metastatic breast cancer survivor and the founder of Adventure Therapy Foundation, where she's working to reimagine what the cancer experience can look like. Through her work as a speaker, author, and...

There are people in human services who have been showing up for years, not because it's easy, not because the system cooperates, not because anyone is watching. This episode is about what actually keeps them there. Melanie Basil is the Director of Innovation and Expansion at Compass and the host of A Side of Hope. With over 30 years in the human services field, she brings hard-won experience i...

If you lead in human services, your day probably started with a plan. And then reality showed up. This episode is about building leadership structures that can hold up inside that reality, not in spite of it. Sunil Bhaskaran is a global community builder and the founder of Global Business Mastermind, where he helps entrepreneurs grow their reach and impact. With a network of over 200,000 business...

Episode Overview Most people in human services have a complicated relationship with the word "accountability." It tends to land like a warning, like someone's about to get in trouble. In this episode, Melanie revisits her conversation with leadership coach Sunil Bhaskaran and unpacks what accountability actually is. It's not punishment. It's how trust survives in environments...

What if leadership wasn’t about keeping up with the chaos, but about creating a future your team can actually move toward? Sunil Bhaskaran is a global community builder and the founder of Global Business Mastermind, where he helps entrepreneurs grow their reach and impact. With a network of over 200,000 business owners across the world, Sunil is passionate about creating spaces where collaboration...

What makes someone choose a life of caring for others, even when it costs them something? Some people don’t run from the fire… they run toward it. In this episode, we step into the heart behind human services and the people who choose this work every day. Through a personal story of finding a path in recreation therapy, we explore what draws someone into a life of caring for others. But this work...

Exploring how the five languages of appreciation can be used not just in the workplace, but in personal lives and caregiving relationships, featuring real stories and practical tips for building connection and trust. Dr. Paul White is a psychologist, author, and leadership expert known for helping organizations build healthier, more effective workplace relationships. He is the co-author of The 5 L...

A deep dive with Dr. Paul White into the difference between recognition and authentic appreciation, and how these concepts can radically improve engagement, retention, and well-being for both caregivers and those they serve. Dr. Paul White is a psychologist, author, and leadership expert known for helping organizations build healthier, more effective workplace relationships. He is the coauthor of...

In human services, trust isn’t optional—it’s everything. In this solo episode of A Side of Hope, Melanie explores Stephen M.R. Covey’s The Speed of Trust through the lens of human service leadership. Drawing on real-world stories and years of experience, she unpacks why trust may be the most important factor in organizational success—more vital than funding, staffing, or even strategy. From frontl...

In this episode of A Side of Hope, Melanie sits down with Beth Gallagher, CEO of Life Works in San Diego County. Beth leads an organization committed to providing customized supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities—helping them live in their own homes, shape their own futures, and thrive in community. Beth shares her journey into leadership, the values that guide her wo...

We’ve all heard the phrase person-centered thinking—maybe in trainings, maybe on forms, maybe in passing. But what if it’s more than a professional concept? In this solo episode of A Side of Hope, Melanie reflects on her journey in human services and why person-centered thinking is about more than paperwork or compliance. It’s a mindset, a way of honoring people’s stories, and a practice that keep...

Melanie sits down with Joe, co-founder of Choices, to talk about supported living, mentoring new agencies, and his journey from provider to parent. Together, they explore partnership with families, self-determination, and what it means to build a legacy of hope.

Gratitude isn’t just a feel-good idea—it may be one of the most powerful tools we have for resilience. In this solo episode of A Side of Hope, Melanie reflects on how gratitude has profoundly shaped her life, both personally and professionally. Drawing from positive psychology research and lived experience, she explores how gratitude impacts mental health, reduces stress, and even changes the brai...

In this episode of A Side of Hope, Melanie reconnects with longtime colleague and keynote speaker Al Condeluci, whose work has inspired the human services field for decades. Together, they explore a bold idea: that social capital—the relationships, trust, and community that surround us—may matter even more than a formal service plan. Drawing from nearly 25 years of shared experience, they reflect...

When Melanie first entered the world of human services, she was fueled by passion and a deep desire to help—but she also found herself learning on the fly, making mistakes, and navigating the messiness of working with people. Over time, the work taught her something unexpected: the very people she served became some of her greatest teachers. In this episode, Melanie explores the idea of “invisible...

Melanie Bazile is joined by Zach Anner—writer, comedian, disability advocate, and storyteller—who shares his journey with humor, heart, and deep insight. From the mountain hike where friends carried him on their backs, to the quiet guilt and later clarity that followed, Zach’s reflections remind us that presence is powerful—and sometimes, just showing up is enough. The conversation explores the te...

In this solo episode, host Melanie Bazile gets personal about her early days in human services—where passion met inexperience, and leadership was full of stumbles, growth, and grit. With honesty and heart, Melanie shares the messy, meaningful journey that led her to this work, and why  A Side of Hope  was created in the first place. If you're navigating the human services field—whether you&#39...

With decades of experience in leadership development, Danny has empowered countless leaders to build cultures of trust, accountability, and connection. As a renowned speaker, author, and consultant, Danny’s unique approach has helped leaders around the world create lasting, transformative change for their teams and communities. https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Your-Love-Connection-Communication/dp/1942...

Melanie Bazile is a longtime leader in the human services field, known for blending honesty, grit, and hope. With decades of experience navigating the messiness of people work, she brings sharp insight into leadership, resilience, and systemic change. On A Side of Hope , Melanie explores the real impact of the pandemic on the human services workforce—from burnout to innovation—and invites others t...