The Shining Beautiful Series Podcast The Shining Beautiful Series

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 Mikelle came along. Listen for some practical ideas on working with educators and other teams to create winning outcomes for everyone.  And, please share!

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 a person dedicate their time to in-home care, and what sweet memories the ladies at the Shining Beautiful community will treasure for years to come.

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 independently, working with other moms with family members with disabilities all around the same ages. Two other topics for discussion are managing the flood, which coincided with Mikelle's Affordable Housing house inspection, and the notion of a second podcast titled Shining Beautiful, too! This podcast is for caregivers and systems navigators. Like Mikelle gives voice to the often voiceless, this podcast would give attention to the often overlooked role of caregivers and the challenges of navigating a rehabilitation system going through significant change.  
Your thoughts on these topics are welcomed. Please reach out to Katherine at tangoresults@gmail.com.