The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast

Cesilee Coulson, Executive Director of the Washington Initiative on Supported Employment(WISE) is one of the foremost leaders in the country regarding employment for people with disabilities. She leads a progressive training and technical assistance organization in Washington.  Katherine had the opportunity to interview Cesilee right before the Community Summit, a yearly conference with over 1,000...

How does a woman who can't walk or talk run a small business?  With technology supported employment, Mikelle has been working steadily for 20 years. Listen to Mikelle discuss her needs for communicating with customers to get the all-important sale. Gretchen Storm shares how to build appropriate speech for working adults with disabilities and Katherine gives you the back story on Mikelle's success....

Listen to two veteran mom's discuss the importance of having a clear vision for our children with disabilities starting when they are in young.  Learn effective strategies for getting the best from school systems, planning for adulthood including employment and creating a home of their own. Katherine and Anne discuss different models and their challenges for supporting their family members to live...

Inspiration fires us up. It helps us see ourselves beyond our current vision. Mikelle inspired Win to become an author and speaker. Win inspired and coached Mikelle and Katherine on the intricacies of podcasting.   Trust us.  This is a great podcast where extraordinary women are shining beautifully.

In our last podcast, Saying Goodbye to Liz, we mentioned how we have been fortunate to have some great ladies working for Mikelle. In this podcast, Katherine reveals her secrets to pre-screen quality candidates for Mikelle to interview. It is all in the wording of the ad. Here is a link to the ad.  http://www.theshiningbeautifulseries.com/writing-an-ad-that-works/

In few days, longtime team member Liz Lichty leaves for the Oregon coast to join her family. Saying goodbye to a beloved team member is difficult. As many of you know, finding the right support is tough enough, but when a great team member leaves everyone feels the separation.    Join Mikelle and Liz as they chat about their three years together as they walk and roll down memory lane.   Listen for...

Every day each of us text our friends, reach out to loved ones and even do business via texting. Except if you are non-verbal and have limited motor skills.  What then?   In today's episode, we will demonstrate why and how the ability to text is a health and safety issue and an important life management tool. Check out our video demonstrating how it works.   https://youtu.be/kKfIKnHnFsU

For people with communication and mobility challenges and other disabilities developing enduring friendships can be difficult.  Mikelle is fortunate to have several amazing friends who have shared her journey into her 30's. Discover how Mikelle and Ian met over coffee, became friends through a sport Mikelle had never played before and how Ian helped to sculpt Mikelle's future by being part of her...

Revolutions start with a single idea and a passionate leader. Disability Cocoon is igniting a technology movement where people with disabilities can have easy, understandable access to technology. Join us as Mikelle and I interview, Dusting Wright, Founder of Disability Cocoon. It's a treat to talk with a visionary embracing the genius of people with disabilities expressed more potently with the u...

The Shining Beautiful Podcast Series is thrilled to have Corry Robinson Rosenberg from the University of Colorado School of Medicine and JFK Partners and Angela Samson ,Programme Manager at SENSE International, Tanzania, an NGO that supports individuals with deafblindness.   Corry and Angela came to our studios at the kitchen table to both see how Mikelle uses technology to support her business an...

Hello Listeners. Apparently, we had a glitch in our recently uploaded episode of Mikelle interviewing her brother. The last three minutes are sweet. Take a listen.

Welcome to the Shining Beautiful Series podcast where we celebrate the brilliance of community in the lives of people with disabilities.  Today, we highlight the importance of siblings in the life of a person with a disability.  Mikelle Learned, experiences cerebral palsy and is now thirty-five, interviews her brother, Kasey, thirty-nine. Mikelle is using an iPad and the TouchChat application to a...

Today's episode is focused on how technology enhances self-determination , teamwork and how it lets everyone know who is the boss!

Mikelle Learned interviews Taylor Mason, former roommate, and current support team leader.  Taylor worked for Mikelle for over six years.  Discover Taylor's Tips for Teamwork and creating lasting relationships.

Let's face it.  Technology is overwhelming for families and individuals with disabilities and the folks that support them.  So many devices, virtually unlimited apps.  Mikelle Learned, Gretchen Storm and Katherine Carol share a strategy for getting started.  Be sure not to miss our BONUS SECTION at the end as Gretchen and Katherine talk about Indiviudual Technology Plans. 

Last week, we talked about the importance of access to technology for people with disabilities.  This week, Mikelle interviews her mom, Katherine, to get their backstory and define the purpose of this podcast. 

Technology Matters !  Especially if you have a disability! The problem?  Many people don't have access either to needed technology and the support they need to use it. Join Gretchen Storm, Mikelle's assistive technology guru and resident genius and Katherine Carol, Mikelle's mom discuss strategies to assist individual's with disabilities, and their families launch their technology plan.