The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast

Welcome to The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast, where we're diving into the enchanting spirit of the season in our latest episode, "Season's Sparkle: A Festive Journey Through Winter Wishes." Join us as we unwrap heartwarming tales, share cherished traditions, and explore the magic that makes this time of year truly special. In this episode, we'll be your festive guides, taking you on a delightfu...

In this inspiring episode, join us for a heartfelt conversation with two remarkable women, Win Charles and our co-host, Mikelle Learned, who are not just breaking barriers but shattering stereotypes while living with cerebral palsy. Their stories are a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of the human spirit. 🌟 Meet Win Charles, a trailblazer in the podcast profession, whose jour...

Dorothy, we are not in Kansas anymore. Mikelle and I realize that our previous experience with the strength and beauty of person-centered planning services and supports differs from what it used to be. We ask ourselves: What will we  find at the end of the yellow brick road? Over the last few months, we felt the impact of system lead services throwing us into the wicked crystal ball as we have to...

On this show we dive deep into inspiring stories and conversations that matter. Today, we are incredibly honored to have a special guest with us. She's a passionate advocate for accessibility and inclusion in the gaming world, significantly impacting the lives of gamers with disabilities. Cheryl Mitchell, the Director of User Research at AbleGamers.  AbleGamers is a nonprofit organization dedicate...

In this episode, Mikelle and Katherine continue exploring the ever-changing special education landscape with Gretchen Storm of Storm Speech Therapy and a Shining Beautiful team member. While schools move towards greater inclusion and person-centered practices on a policy level, staffing shortages make implementing these practices challenging. Gretchen shares the challenges and the creativity of th...

Summer flew by so quickly this year.  For  Katherine and Mikelle, the passing of Katherine's mother triggered an urgency to make plans for Mikelle's future. Critical to those plans are maintaining Mikelle's history and future of full inclusion into her community honoring her lifestyle and wishes. There is a plan in motion. Come check it out on this episode of The Shininig Beautiful Series. Here is...

We are delighted to introduce Hanni Raley, the Executive Director of the Arc of Aurora, Colorado. In a conversation with Mikelle and Katherine, Hanni discusses various topics such as diversity, technology, and new learning technologies. The Arc of Colorado has expanded its traditional advocacy support to the 21st-century version of advocacy, using microlearning, vlogs, podcasts, and traditional tr...

In this episode, Katherine recounts how she managed to balance taking care of her daughter, Mikelle, with her responsibilities as a co-executor of her late mother's estate. She details the difficulties she faced during this period and how it prompted her to reassess her estate planning for herself and Mikelle.

New Tech!  Yay!  Mikelle, Katherine, and Kaitlyn, one of Mikelle's support team, discuss the often long process of obtaining new technology for Mikelle. This episode focuses on the arrival and set up of Mikelle's new iPad. The bonus segment highlights a new device for folks who experience low vision and/or dyslexia--something Kaitlyn has recently discovered about herself.  Kaitlyn is checking out...

No one can deny schools are in transition. From school safety to staff shortages, students with disabilities often lack the support for a robust education. In this episode, Gretchen Storm, speech and language therapist for a local school district, Mikelle and Katherine examine the good, the ugly, and the unknown schools to create a better future for all.

Some people change the course of our lives. In this episode, we pay tribute to the quiet pioneer in special education who changed the lives of Katherine and Mikelle forever. This pioneer is Katheine's mom, who passed away on her birthday just days ago. Katherine's mom's legacy and gifts stoically changed the world in ways she will never know. 

The more we think about advocacy, it seems to us that we are in a time of NextGen Advocacy as schools undergo some dramatic changes.  Still, some old-school strategies may play well in this new world.  In this episode, Katherine Carol shares her unique approach to working with the schools at the inception of full inclusion in public education. In fact, inclusion wasn't happening at all until Mikel...

From 21 to 29 years old, Liz has been a mainstay at the Shining Beautiful household.  It is a bittersweet moment of celebration of friendship, loyalty, and sisterhood. One of the most difficult experiences Mikelle and Katherine go through is the inevitable leaving of trusted caregivers and friends. In this episode, Liz, Mikelle, Katherine, and Lex look at the reciprocity of caregiving, what makes...

When the controls no longer work, the batteries won't charge, and the seat just isn't comfortable enough, it could be time for a new wheelchair.  In this episode, Mikelle, Maryann, and Katherine share their often frustrating and sometimes rewarding journey in getting Mikelle a new wheelchair.  Katherine also shares how to get some unexpected extras by leveraging resources.    

What do friends, floods, and futures have in common?  February! While these events all happened during the month of love, they are not exclusive to a time period.  Although most of the floods we have had...there have been three so far happened in February.  In this episode, Katherine updates listeners on her continued journey to help Mikelle plan for a future where Mikelle can manage her life more...

This small woman is doing big things in the Colorado sports world. As a sports media producer for ##AltitudeSports. In her job, she works with the #DenverBroncos, the #ColoradoAvalanche, and the #DenverNuggets. Jenny is shaping the modern workplace as a woman in a wheelchair working in a predominately male-oriented business. Join us for this engaging conversation with Jenny Seigle as we discuss he...

Happy New Year! Let's face it. Mikelle turns forty this year, and Katherine had her major milestone senior citizen birthday last year. As successful as our partnership has been, it does have an expiration date. We have been wrestling with this noticeable change for years now. This year is the year to discover our plan and implement it. Why now? A key person, namely Liz, is leaving us after eight y...

From our hearts to yours, we wish you the happiest of holiday seasons.  Peace, love, and shining beautiful always and in all ways! See you next year!    

Succession planning is on our minds daily.  In this follow-up episode, Katherine details her lunch meeting with several other mothers who share her concerns.  It was a meeting of the moms minds. Everyone came to the meeting wondering about the next step in life's progression.  And, just like that, these moms are stepping into their familiar lane of pioneering the future with their family members w...

A Quick Mom Moment! This Saturday, the coffee will brew, and the moms who met when our children were in elementary school will gather not to discuss school strategies or setting up our children for entrance into adulthood but to discuss how we replace ourselves as we grow older.  Collectively we have over 300 years of experience.   We have been pioneers in inclusion from the time our children were...

Double the fun...triple the work?  The holidays for a family with a differently abled family member can be full of love and stairs, staff taking vacation time, extra work and shopping, etc.  Mikelle, Katherine, and Liz share their plans to make the holiday accessible for everyone.  After years of doing too much and trying to meet everyone's needs, the ladies are chillin' this holiday season.  Come...

Listeners, thank you for listening to Katherine's rather raw thoughts on today's election.   Katherine articulates one family's concerns about the future and her ideas on negotiating the changing landscape, no matter which party wins.  Hint: One person at a time.

Happy Halloween! It is October, and the realities of teacher shortages are frightening.  The hard work and best intentions of providing a good education might fall short due to staffing shortages.  Is this a time for innovation?  If so, what might the future hold in education?  Join us for a candid discussion of the topic with Gretchen Storm, who is currently working for a local school system and...

Meet Shaun Woods from WISE (GoWise,org) in Washington State.  Shaun and his organization are dynamic innovators.  During COVID, WISE pivoted faster than most organizations using this chaotic time to fuel innovation through technology, learning systems, organizational capacity, and investments in stabilizing provider networks and discovering new methods to support individuals experiencing a differe...

We always wonder if our passion for advocacy will live on past us. In this episode, you will meet Jackson Learned, a young filmmaker.  Jack is Katherine's grandson and Mikelle's nephew and as will hear, our legacy lives on in the next generation.  Even more important is how Mikelle has become a role model for negotiating adversity for Jack.   Thank you for listening to our proud family moment. Thi...