IDD Leader

Nate Beers
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

For IDD Providers: Tired of the revolving door of staff? Join host Nate Beers as he and other industry leaders share loads of actionable advice on how you can retain and grow your DSP workforce. Just because there's a nationwide DSP workforce crisis doesn't mean that your organization has to churn through staff. Listen to innovative solutions to increase your staff retention and give your organization a competitive advantage so that at the end of the day you provide the best quality care for those you serve.More effective supervisors. Stronger workforce. Lower turnover.

  1. 3d ago

    Ep. 93 - How One Provider Cut Reports From 2 Weeks to 1 Hour w/ Daniel Caridi

    One organization used to spend three staff members and two full weeks writing their quarterly reports. Now it takes one person about an hour. That's the kind of number Daniel Caridi, co-founder of Kibu, mentions almost casually — and it's just one of several moments in this conversation that reframe what's actually possible inside a disability services organization. Daniel talks candidly about building trust as a VC-backed outsider in an industry that has every reason to be skeptical of tech companies, a mistake he's made more than once by growing faster than his product could support, and a leadership habit he's had to unlearn as his company scaled past thirty employees. He also lays out, in plain language, where AI is actually headed inside compliance work — and shares two statistics about the health outcomes of people with IDD that he believes deserve far more attention than they're getting. If you've ever felt like you personally have to touch every decision for things to go right, or if your team is buried in reporting that doesn't need to exist, this one's worth the time. 🔗 Kibu — https://kibu.com/ 📥 Free resource — 7 Warning Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Staff: iddleader.com/burnout Timestamps 00:00 – The line Daniel wants every executive in America to hear 02:27 – How do you earn trust as an outsider in this industry? 03:16 – Why staying profitable mattered more than raising another round 04:59 – The mistake Daniel admits Kibu made more than once 06:35 – The lesson in choosing to "grow better, not bigger" 09:08 – The three types of organizations that adopt Kibu 12:06 – The report that used to take two weeks, now takes one hour 13:51 – What it means to give your team real permission to speak up 21:43 – What Daniel's had to unlearn as a leader 22:28 – The moment he realized he'd become the bottleneck 24:20 – What's coming next for Kibu 26:19 – A plain-language walkthrough of agentic AI 30:55 – Two statistics about IDD health outcomes most people haven't heard --------- 🎵 Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: LFMLKJE1CAKMAIL3 Send us Fan Mail Quick Question: Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

  2. Jul 6

    Ep. 92 - How Dodgeball Launched an IDD Tech Startup w/ Daniel Caridi

    A volunteer dodgeball class for five people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. That's where Daniel Caridi's company started — and somehow it turned into an EHR platform now used by over 400 disability service providers across the country. Daniel isn't a DSP. He doesn't have a family member with IDD. He stumbled into this world by accident, and that outsider's perspective is exactly what let him see something the rest of the industry had missed: if you design software around making things easier for the person actually entering the data — not the administrator pulling the report — everything downstream gets better. In this conversation, Daniel walks through how a Zoom dance class during COVID turned into a full compliance and content platform, why he thinks compliance culture has quietly pulled the sector's focus away from the people it serves, and the surprisingly simple feedback mechanics — including a running joke about confetti — that helped staff satisfaction with their own documentation jump from 18% to 81%. If you've ever wondered whether there's a better way to get your team to actually want to do their paperwork, this one's for you. 🔗 Daniel Caridi & Kibu — https://kibu.com/  📥 Free resource — 7 Warning Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Staff: iddleader.com/burnout Timestamps 00:00 – The stat that made Daniel rethink everything about EHR design 01:00 – Meet Daniel Caridi, the founder who never planned to work in this sector 02:39 – How a volunteer dodgeball class turned into a tech company 04:07 – The first provider partnership that changed everything 05:48 – The real estate major with zero software background 07:11 – The insight most of the industry never saw 08:56 – Why Daniel says the whole platform is built on listening 09:46 – "Nobody gets into this job to make Uncle Sam happy" 12:15 – Turning 30 minutes of paperwork into a few minutes of talking 16:53 – Why generic AI tools miss the mark in this sector 18:23 – Inside the dashboard that shows exactly who's behind 20:06 – The police car analogy that explains why visibility works 21:18 – The gift card habit most providers never hear about 22:48 – The stat: satisfaction jumps from 18% to 81% Send us Fan Mail Quick Question: Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

  3. Jun 29

    Ep. 91 - Why the Best IDD Organizations Ask Questions Nobody Else Thinks To (w/ CQL)

    There was a woman in her 80s. Her one goal was to get her driver's license. When someone finally asked where she'd go first, she said the grocery store. Then: "I'd go see my sister." They didn't know she had a sister. They'd been supporting her for years. That's what happens when someone asks the right question. Most leaders in IDD services are asking plenty of questions. Satisfaction surveys. Engagement pulse checks. Annual reviews. But there's a category of question that almost never makes it onto the form — and it turns out to be the one that changes everything: what do you actually want? Not what the checklist covers. Not what the role requires. What do the people you support envision when they dream of a good life? What do your frontline staff want out of their career, their growth, maybe even their life?  That gap — between what organizations assume and what staff would say if someone genuinely asked — is one of the most underestimated drivers of turnover in the field. And this episode is about how to close it. Mary Kay Rizzolo, Katherine Dunbar, and Courtney Kelly Chapman from the Council on Quality and Leadership share what the research shows about the link between how you treat your staff and what happens to the people they support, what genuinely high-retention organizations do on the ground that others don't, and how a tool called Personal Outcome Measures has been uncovering things organizations never knew — about people they'd been supporting for years. If you're a leader who's been asking questions but not quite hearing the answers, this one is worth your full attention. 🔗 Learn more about CQL: c-q-l.org 📥 Free resource — 7 Warning Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Staff: iddleader.com/burnout ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – "No dream snuffing" — and the woman in her 80s who wanted a driver's license 00:55 – Do you know what your DSPs actually want? 02:27 – The connection between quality and workforce stability 02:57 – When you treat staff with dignity, here's what the data shows 04:34 – Why CQL's focus groups with DSPs are the favorite part of accreditation 05:54 – What DSPs say they want most — and the research outcomes behind it 08:59 – Who absorbs the most when an organization struggles with quality 11:22 – What high-retention organizations actually do differently 11:59 – Why closing the feedback loop matters more than running the survey 15:28 – "No dream snuffing" — the philosophy behind personal outcome measures 17:48 – The performance punishment trap nobody talks about 20:08 – What surprises organizations when CQL holds up the mirror 21:07 – The woman with two daughters nobody knew about 21:38 – The woman in her 80s who wanted a driver's license (full story) 24:32 – Person-centered planning applied to staff — the most innovative thing in the episode 29:03 – "People don't want a good plan. They want a good life." Send us Fan Mail Quick Question: Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

  4. Jun 22

    Ep. 90 - How a Compliance Process Became a Culture Shift w/ CQL

    What if the thing you've been dreading is actually the thing that could transform your organization? For the past year, Nate kept noticing a pattern: a disproportionate number of the highest-performing organizations he interviewed were CQL accredited. When he asked them about it — off the record, almost as an aside — they didn't talk about compliance. They used words like transformational. So in Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Nate sits down with three leaders from the Council on Quality and Leadership — President & CEO Mary Kay Rizzolo, VP of Services and Systems Excellence Katherine Dunbar, and VP of Training and Special Projects Courtney Kelly Chapman — to find out why. This isn't an audit. It's not a checklist exercise, and it's definitely not the DMV. What gets uncovered here is a model built on appreciative inquiry, real partnership, and a relentless focus on the why behind every policy and procedure — and the story of one organization whose frontline staff went from dreading accreditation to wearing buttons that said "ask me about outcomes." If you've ever associated accreditation with dread, this conversation might just change your mind. 🔗 Learn more about CQL: c-q-l.org 📥 Free resource — 7 Warning Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Staff: iddleader.com/burnout ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – "When's the last time a compliance process energized you?" 02:26 – Why CQL kept showing up in Nate's interviews 03:19 – The real culture shift accreditation creates 05:10 – Why "the why" matters more than the checklist 07:28 – Meet Mary Kay Rizzolo — and the buttons that said "ask me about outcomes" 09:26 – Meet Katherine Dunbar — from DSP to accreditation lead 11:10 – Meet Courtney Chapman — drafted into CQL on a Tuesday 13:26 – Why this "feels nothing like an audit" 15:19 – What true partnership looks like on the ground 18:26 – Can you actually fail accreditation? 21:20 – The different levels of CQL accreditation, explained 23:49 – What "basic assurances" and "personal outcome measures" actually mean 25:24 – How most organizations find their way to CQL Send us Fan Mail Quick Question: Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

  5. Jun 15

    Ep. 89 - Beyond DSP Appreciation Week - From Recognition to Retention w/ UMN's Kris Foss

    Most IDD organizations genuinely care about their staff. You celebrate DSP Appreciation Week, recognize milestones, and try to say “thank you” in meaningful ways—and yet, people still leave. Not because recognition doesn’t matter, but because much of it isn’t tied to what actually drives retention. Well-intentioned efforts can feel good in the moment without building long-term commitment, and supervisors often miss the everyday moments that matter most. This episode is the REPLAY of a live, interactive session between Kris Foss (UMN’s Institute on Community Integration) and Nate Beers (IDD Leader). It explores: --Why recognition efforts fall flat—and how to make them stick. --What staff actually experience as recognition --Where gaps may exist in current approaches --Simple, practical ways to embed meaningful recognition into everyday leadership If you’ve ever thought, “We’re doing a lot… so why isn’t it making a bigger difference?”—this conversation will likely hit close to home. Join us LIVE for the next session on August 6 at 4:00 ET: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/6KIXpayWTkisPlhVau0qnQ RESOURCES: Contact Kris Foss: foss0395@umn.edu "Building a Culture of Recognition" training - https://z.umn.edu/bcvu The Seven Danger Signs assessment - https://tally.so/r/ZjZ4aV Send us Fan Mail Quick Question: Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

  6. Jun 8

    Ep. 88 - Every Disability Nonprofit Said No. He Built It Anyway. (w/ Steve Gonyea)

    Most leaders already know they should be listening more. This episode is about what actually happens when someone does. Steve Gonyea is a parent, foster parent to 178 kids, and one of the most relentlessly solution-oriented advocates in the IDD space. In Part 2 of this conversation, he shares how he went from barely getting five minutes with politicians to one assemblyman clearing his entire afternoon — because Steve was the only person who walked in with solutions instead of complaints. He also shares how he built a fully operational complex care center in Utica, New York — six days a week, free to the community, built without a single waiver dollar — after every disability nonprofit in the region turned him down. And how he convinced New York State's OPWDD Commissioner to drive across the state at night and sit in a library, listening to eight families she'd never met, until she cried. The through-line in every story is the same: get out of your office, bring solutions, and listen to the people nobody else is asking. It sounds simple. Steve is proof that it works. 📬 Connect with Steve: steve_gonyea@yahoo.com 🔗 Finding Common Ground Podcast & Projects: fcgadvocacy.org 🔗 Special Needs Resource Directory: specialneeds.help 📥 Free resource — 7 Warning Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Staff: iddleader.com/burnout TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – "You came in with solutions. I want to hear them." 02:20 – How Steve changed his approach to advocacy 05:33 – One-on-one meetings vs. bus trips to Albany 07:40 – Inside the 4-hour meeting with an assemblyman 08:20 – Building the complex care center (when everyone said no) 11:26 – The veterans said yes the next day 14:32 – If you have 70% turnover, the problem isn't the DSPs 18:40 – What Steve would say to a CEO with 5 minutes 22:43 – The OPWDD listening tour — and the commissioner who showed up 29:39 – Get out of your office. Here's what you'll find. 35:09 – Introducing specialneeds.help — a free national directory Send us Fan Mail Quick Question: Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

  7. Jun 1

    Ep. 87 - What DSPs Know That Most Leaders Don't (w/ Steve Gonyea)

    What if the people most likely to solve your retention problem are already on your payroll — and nobody's asking them? Steve Gonyea has been inside more human services systems than almost anyone: IDD, foster care, juvenile justice, mental health. He's a parent, a foster parent to 178 kids, and a former DSP who went on to become one of the most tenacious advocates in New York State. He's not an executive. He doesn't run a provider organization. And that's exactly what makes this conversation so valuable. In this episode, Steve breaks down what actually happens to a family when a DSP walks out the door, why DSPs stop speaking up even when they have exactly the answers you need, and the story of how he turned a failing Xerox manufacturing line around — not with a new system or a new strategy, but by asking every single person on the floor one question: how can we do your job better? The answer that came back almost every time? Nobody had ever asked them before. 📬 Connect with Steve: steve_gonyea@yahoo.com 🔗 Special Needs Resource Directory: specialneeds.help TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – What happens when a DSP leaves a family's life 02:24 – Steve's intro: 178 foster kids and counting 05:08 – From aerospace to advocacy — how Steve got here 09:06 – Why Steve became a DSP (and what he learned) 10:54 – What IDD leaders miss when they only see one corner 13:34 – What "a seat at the table" actually has to look like 15:32 – Taking wheelchair users sledding (and what happened next) 17:00 – The Christmas dinner no one planned — and the report that followed 20:43 – "It's telling that I was unsure if I was making the right call" 22:09 – Why your 98% satisfaction survey might mean nothing 25:57 – The Xerox plant story: from 67% to 107% efficiency 36:43 – DSPs leaving not for money — but because nobody listened Send us Fan Mail Quick Question: Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

  8. May 25

    Ep. 86 - The AI System One IDD CEO Is Already Using w/ G.N. Janes

    Most conversations about AI in human services stop at "it's coming." This one is about what's already here. G.N. Janes, CEO of Valley Community Services, has spent a decade building a data-driven retention system for frontline supervisors and DSPs. We go deep on what happens when artificial intelligence enters that system — how agentic AI works, what it actually looks like when a model flags a struggling supervisor, and critically, what a human does next. G.N. also gets honest about what he'd do differently: starting with data governance, eliminating data silos, and making sure the right people have access to the right information before you build anything else. And he closes with something worth writing down — the difference between managing by vibes and managing by data, and why the IDD sector can't afford to keep doing the former. Whether you're AI-curious or AI-skeptical, this episode will change how you think about what's possible at the frontline supervisor level. 🔗 Learn more about Valley Community Services: valleycommunityservices.org TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – When the machine says you're going to struggle 01:17 – What Part 2 is about (and why you can start here) 02:45 – How AI is plugging into the existing dashboard 04:33 – Agentic AI vs. ChatGPT: what's the difference? 08:35 – What actually happens when the AI flags a supervisor 11:22 – Could other IDD orgs access this system someday? 12:47 – Why the IDD sector is still collaborative (and what could end that) 15:02 – The honest first conversation: start with data governance 17:13 – The data siloing problem nobody talks about 19:37 – Billboard question: "But did it help a DSP?" 22:18 – What G.N. would tell his younger self Send us Fan Mail Quick Question: Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

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About

For IDD Providers: Tired of the revolving door of staff? Join host Nate Beers as he and other industry leaders share loads of actionable advice on how you can retain and grow your DSP workforce. Just because there's a nationwide DSP workforce crisis doesn't mean that your organization has to churn through staff. Listen to innovative solutions to increase your staff retention and give your organization a competitive advantage so that at the end of the day you provide the best quality care for those you serve.More effective supervisors. Stronger workforce. Lower turnover.

Information

  • Creator
    Nate Beers
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    91
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 IDD Leader
  • Show Website
    IDD Leader