Thinking CAAP

Beck Moore
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Non-Profit

Welcome to the Thinking CAAP podcast! Community Action Association of Pennsylvania (CAAP) is the Pennsylvania State Association that represents the network of 42 Community Action Agencies. CAAP is the statewide voice for local agencies and low-income citizens. It's also the primary source of advocacy, education, technical assistance, news, and networking for Community Action in the Commonwealth. CEO Beck Moore and Amanda Hoprich created this podcast as a resource for community action professionals to listen to on the go. Listen for updates about CAAP and how they might affect you. Then dive into the "huggy heart" of the matter—where Beck and his co-hosts tackle a current topic that community action professionals like you are facing across Pennsylvania. You can submit questions about community action issues for us to answer in future episodes by emailing info@thecaap.org, subject line: Thinking CAAP.

  1. 6d ago

    EP. 48 Mission Possible: Your Inside Look at the 2026 CAAP Conference

    In this episode of Thinking CAAP, Beck Moore welcomes CAAP Chief Operating Officer Erika Carpin and Director of Strategic Initiatives Mel Luckenbaugh for a behind-the-scenes look at the 2026 CAAP Conference, Mission: Possible, taking place October 26–29 at the Eden Resort & Suites in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Beck, Erika, and Mel share how this year's conference came together, why the theme feels especially meaningful for Community Action, and how feedback from member agencies helped shape the agenda. From fiscal and weatherization training to organizational culture, leadership, AI, burnout, and economic mobility, the conversation highlights the practical learning opportunities designed to help attendees navigate change and bring new ideas back to their organizations. They also explore the experiences that make the conference memorable, including networking, CAAPy Hour, the CAAPtivating Excellence Awards, therapy dogs, professional headshots, and a few surprises you'll discover throughout the conference. Throughout the conversation, one message comes through clearly: Community Action professionals are carrying a lot, and this conference is an opportunity to feel appreciated, reconnect with colleagues, and remember why the work matters. Whether you're looking for new strategies, meaningful connections, or renewed energy, Mission: Possible is designed to help you return to your organization ready for what comes next. For more from Erika Carpin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-carpin-9b4b1394/ For more from Mel Luckenbaugh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mel-luckenbaugh-7a81b1a3/ Discover more about the Thinking CAAP podcast: https://www.thecaap.org/the-thinkingcaap-podcast-blog

  2. Oct 19

    EP. 47 Health Beyond Healthcare: The Power of Community Partnerships

    In this episode of Thinking CAAP, Beck Moore welcomes Dr. Craig Butler, Chief Medical Officer for PA Health and Wellness, for a conversation about long-term services and supports, health-related social needs, and the role community partnerships can play in helping people access the care and resources they need. PA Health and Wellness supports individuals who qualify for long-term services and supports, including many people who need help maintaining independence in their homes and communities. Dr. Butler explains services such as personal assistance, non-medical transportation, home-delivered meals, employment assistance, personal emergency response systems, and other supports that help people stay safe, healthy, and connected outside of a traditional medical setting. Beck and Dr. Butler also discuss the larger connection between healthcare, social drivers of health, and Community Action. From housing instability and transportation barriers to food access and care coordination, they unpack why a person's overall health is often shaped by factors far beyond medical care alone. The episode also highlights the growing partnership opportunity between PA Health and Wellness and Community Action Agencies across Pennsylvania. Dr. Butler emphasizes the value of hyperlocal knowledge, trusted community relationships, and local outreach, while Beck reflects on how Community Action's Community Needs Assessments, compliance structure, and deep community expertise make the network a strong partner for health plans seeking to better serve people across the Commonwealth. Together, the conversation points toward a shared opportunity: aligning healthcare resources with trusted community-based organizations so that people can better understand, access, and use the benefits available to them. For more from PA Health and Wellness: Website: pahealthwellness.com Email: phwcommunityoutreach@pahealthwellness.com Discover more about the Thinking CAAP podcast: https://www.thecaap.org/the-thinkingcaap-podcast-blog

  3. Oct 5

    EP. 46 Meet Marie Conley: Keynote Speaker for the 2026 CAAP Conference

    In this re-release episode of Thinking CAAP, Beck Moore reaches back into the archives for a timely conversation with Marie Conley, founder of M Conley Consulting and an upcoming keynote speaker at CAAP's 2026 Annual Conference, Mission Possible. Marie joins Beck Moore and Heather Holloway for a conversation about leadership, workplace culture, empathy, health advocacy, and what it means to live a "point-worthy" life. She shares how her nonlinear career path shaped her work as an HR anthropologist and HR archaeologist, giving her a unique lens for observing people, leadership, and the hidden dynamics that shape workplace culture. The conversation also explores what strong leaders do well, why administrative support and onboarding are often undervalued, and how small, intentional acts of kindness can create meaningful engagement across an organization. Marie also opens up about her rare disease diagnosis, her experience with Cushing's disease and adrenal insufficiency, and the way that journey changed how she understands energy, boundaries, purpose, and empathy. Her "point-worthy life" framework offers a powerful reminder for leaders, caregivers, and human service professionals: every decision, relationship, and responsibility uses energy, and we have to be intentional about where our points go. As CAAP prepares to welcome Marie to the main stage in Lancaster, this archived conversation offers a meaningful preview of the perspective, humanity, and wisdom she brings to conversations about leadership, connection, and showing up well for the people around us. For more from Marie Conley: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mconleyconsulting/ Website: https://www.mconleyconsulting.com/ Conley Cushing's Disease Fund: https://kickcushings.com/  Discover more about the Thinking CAAP podcast: https://www.thecaap.org/the-thinkingcaap-podcast-blog

  4. Sep 21

    EP. 45 Beyond Burnout: What Mission-Driven Leaders Need to Thrive

    In this episode of Thinking CAAP, Beck Moore and Heather Holloway welcome Rachel Barnard, founder and CEO of Creative Civility, for a conversation about burnout, resilience, and what it takes to build organizations where people can truly thrive. Rachel challenges the idea that burnout is a personal failing, especially for people in human services and mission-driven work. Instead, she frames burnout as a signal that the work, the environment, and the systems may need closer attention. Together, Beck, Heather, and Rachel explore the emotional weight of service, the gap between what should be and what is, and the way fatigue can affect integrity, creativity, decision-making, and organizational culture. The conversation also looks at capacity, asking for help, vicarious trauma, survivor syndrome, joy, self-care, and the importance of giving from a place of wholeness rather than depletion. Rachel shares how Creative Civility helps teams map their experience of burnout, reconnect with their humanity, and create joyful disruptions that make room for wellness, creativity, and possibility. This episode is a reminder that healthy organizations begin with healthy people, and that thriving isn't something we earn after the work is done. Thriving is the baseline we have to build into the way we lead, serve, and show up for the long haul. Substack: https://rachelgbarnard.substack.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-g-barnard-49335751/ Website: https://www.rachel-g-barnard.com/ Discover more about the Thinking CAAP podcast: https://www.thecaap.org/the-thinkingcaap-podcast-blog

  5. Sep 8

    EP. 44 Building Healthier Leaders: Creating Cultures That Don't Reward Burnout

    In this episode of Thinking CAAP, Beck Moore welcomes Kara Hardin for part 2 of a conversation about what happens after we recognize our patterns of striving, over-functioning, and self-protection. Beck shares a deeply personal story from the beginning of COVID, reflecting on fear, identity, transition, and the terrifying but life-changing work of becoming more congruent with himself. Kara builds on that story by exploring the difference between automatic striving and deliberate striving, and how leaders can begin to notice the many parts of themselves that show up in moments of pressure. Together, Beck and Kara discuss self-awareness, organizational culture, the limits of control, human services work, and the importance of creating space to pause, reflect, and gather better data about what we need. The conversation is honest, tender, and practical, inviting leaders to build healthier organizations without losing touch with their own humanity. We hope you listen to and share this deeply human, supportive, and inspiring conversation with your circle, and find ways to support each other today. Connect with Kara Hardin | LinkedIn Discover more about the Thinking CAAP podcast: https://www.thecaap.org/the-thinkingcaap-podcast-blog

  6. Aug 17

    EP. 43 When Success Stops Feeling Like Success: Breaking Free from Automatic Striving

    In this episode of Thinking CAAP, Beck Moore welcomes Kara Hardin, founder of The Practice Lab, for a conversation about achievement, identity, burnout, and the patterns that shape how we lead. Kara explores how the same strategies that help high achievers succeed can also lead them toward exhaustion, especially when they try to control themselves enough to control the world around them. Through stories about work, parenting, running, fishing, striving, and self-improvement, Beck and Kara unpack what it means to lead from purpose instead of protection. This episode invites listeners to reconsider success, pay attention to what makes them feel alive, and remember that there is no single rulebook for a life well lived. Connect with Kara Hardin | LinkedIn Discover more about the Thinking CAAP podcast: https://www.thecaap.org/the-thinkingcaap-podcast-blog

  7. Aug 3

    EP. 42 Holding Onto Hope

    In this episode of Thinking CAAP, Beck Moore and Heather Holloway welcome Brandi Fleming, Executive Director of Indiana County Community Action Program, for a conversation about leadership, service, responsibility, and what it means to keep holding hope for a community. Brandi shares what has kept her rooted in Indiana County and how Community Action helps create pathways to stability and opportunity for individuals and families. She reflects on the increasingly complex challenges people are facing, from housing and food insecurity to employment, rising costs, and the many connected barriers that can make it difficult for families to move forward. The conversation also explores Brandi's journey from accounting and finance into Community Action leadership. She talks about the shift from CFO to executive director, the challenge of balancing strategy, outcomes, and dollars, and the leadership value she calls "strong kindness," pairing compassion with accountability, boundaries, and strength. Throughout the episode, Brandi offers an honest look at the weight and beauty of Community Action work. She shares what gives her hope, including programs that feed children and seniors, the power of helping someone take the next step toward stability, and the strength of a statewide network that continues to gather, collaborate, and push for change. From client stories and leadership lessons to finding balance during heavy days, this episode is a reminder that Community Action is built by people who keep showing up, keep caring, and keep working toward a better future for the communities they call home. Connect with Brandi Fleming on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandi-fleming-a7866b359/ Follow Indiana County Community Action Program, Inc on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IccapofIndianapa or on their website here: https://iccap.net/ Discover more about the Thinking CAAP podcast: https://www.thecaap.org/the-thinkingcaap-podcast-blog

  8. Jul 20

    EP. 41 Why Work Should Feel More Human

    In this episode of Thinking CAAP, Beck Moore welcomes Bree Groff back to the podcast for a conversation about work, joy, humanity, leadership, and what it means to create organizations where people can feel more like themselves. Bree, author of Today Was Fun, shares the core idea behind her book: work does not have to be something we simply endure. Instead, work can be understood as something that creates value for others and for the world, with joy and humanity built into the way we lead, communicate, and show up together. Beck and Bree discuss one of Bree's favorite team exercises: the user manual. By answering simple questions about how people work, what they value, how they process stress, and how they prefer to be supported, teams can build trust, reduce assumptions, and create stronger working relationships. The conversation also explores how leaders can adapt their communication, understand different support styles, and make work feel more human without forcing people to disclose more than they are comfortable sharing. The episode also digs into fun, vulnerability, gratitude, and the small moments that can shift workplace culture. Bree encourages leaders to be "10 to 20% more human" than they think is safe, while Beck reflects on how CAAP's team has built a culture of care through thoughtful gestures, humor, and showing up for each other during difficult moments. From pajama meetings and turkey suits to micro-confessions and gratitude messages, this conversation is a reminder that workplace culture is not only shaped by policies and surveys. It is also shaped by the small, repeated moments where people feel seen, cared for, and allowed to be human. Discover more about Bree Groff: Website: https://www.breegroff.com/home Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bree_groff/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bree-groff/ Discover more about the Thinking CAAP podcast: https://www.thecaap.org/the-thinkingcaap-podcast-blog

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5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Thinking CAAP podcast! Community Action Association of Pennsylvania (CAAP) is the Pennsylvania State Association that represents the network of 42 Community Action Agencies. CAAP is the statewide voice for local agencies and low-income citizens. It's also the primary source of advocacy, education, technical assistance, news, and networking for Community Action in the Commonwealth. CEO Beck Moore and Amanda Hoprich created this podcast as a resource for community action professionals to listen to on the go. Listen for updates about CAAP and how they might affect you. Then dive into the "huggy heart" of the matter—where Beck and his co-hosts tackle a current topic that community action professionals like you are facing across Pennsylvania. You can submit questions about community action issues for us to answer in future episodes by emailing info@thecaap.org, subject line: Thinking CAAP.

Information

  • Creator
    Beck Moore
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    47
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    Thinking CAAP

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