Get Fired Up's Podcast

After experiencing burnout in the healthcare field, Alejandra was ready for something different. What she found was a career in self-direction that completely changed her life.In this conversation, Alejandra shares her journey from working on the front lines of healthcare to becoming a support broker, the challenges facing the industry, and why collaboration, trust, and asking for help are more important than ever.Sometimes finding the right career can change more than your workday. It can change your life.New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons

Cindy and Jaime sit down with Ryan of Fiscal Assistance, Inc. to pull back the curtain on the world of fiscal agents, self-directed care, Medicaid, caregiver onboarding, payroll, and all the moving pieces families have to navigate.Ryan explains why the process can sometimes take weeks, where the biggest bottlenecks happen, how paperwork can create barriers for families and caregivers, and what can be done to make the system faster and easier.The conversation also explores Fiscal Assistance, Inc.’s approach to simplifying the process, using technology to remove barriers, and helping families get the services and support they need.New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons

Part 2 of 2. Jaime and Cindy talk about the scams targeting people searching for housing, the ridiculous hoops disabled and elderly renters get put through, and why "no address" shouldn't mean no housing. They also share the story of a member who told them exactly how this would end and why it's part of why they're starting a nonprofit.New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons

In Part 2, hosts Cindy and Jaime continue their conversation with guest Casey, going deeper into what it actually takes to professionalize direct care work. They pick up discussing the $250/$250 retention and referral bonus structure, why employers are hesitant to adopt universal training, and the vision for one standardized training system across all Home and Community-Based Service settings in Wisconsin.From there, the conversation turns to self-direction, the onboarding delays that don't match the pace of other industries, natural supports vs. paid caregiving, and the emotional weight of stories like a member going over a year without a shower because no one could get them into their bathroom. Cindy, Jaime, and Casey talk about why lived stories move policymakers more than data ever will, and why fixing this has to be a collective, statewide effort—not something any one organization can do alone.Missed Part 1? Catch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvmN0hJzLVcLearn more about UW-Green Bay's CDCP Program: https://www.uwgb.edu/certified-direct-care-professional/New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons

Part 1 of a two-part conversation between Cindy and Jamie about what it's actually like to work in caregiving and disability services right now.They get into burnout, the systems that make their jobs harder than they need to be, and what keeps them showing up anyway. Some laughs, some venting, and a few ideas for how things could actually get better.This one's unfiltered. Part 2 continues the conversation soon.New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons

Cindy and Jamie of Community Horizons talk recruiting and retaining caregivers — from the decline of job boards to the surprising comeback of newspaper ads and TikTok, plus dress-code mishaps and spotting passion over polish in applicants.They're then joined by Casey from UW-Green Bay's CDCP (Certified Direct Care Professional) program, who explains how this free, self-paced certification grew out of ARPA funding to tackle Wisconsin's caregiver shortage. Topics include the program's 14 core competencies, its caregiver registry and job-matching tools for self-directed care employers, and efforts to use certification data to push for better wages and Medicaid reimbursement for direct care workers.You don’t want to miss this one! New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons

Another week, and more fired up than ever. This week, Jaime and Cindy dig into guardianship: the classes, the credit checks, and the court date that takes just ten minutes to decide someone's personhood and where good intentions can tip into infantilizing overreach.Then it's on to housing: the benefits cliff that punishes people for earning a raise, sketchy $25 application fees with zero accountability, and why housing without wraparound support sets people up to fail.As always: real talk, a few laughs, and a reminder that the people closest to these systems usually have the best fixes.New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons.

In this episode, Jaime and Cindy dig into the recent Olmstead opinion and what it could signal for the future of home and community-based care. Building on conversations from earlier episodes, they trace the history of deinstitutionalization, share stories from the field on caregiving and transportation barriers, and talk honestly about what's at risk if the pendulum swings back toward institutional care.Join the conversation and Get Fired Up with us! New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons

In this episode, hosts Jamie and Cindy talk with self-advocate Ethel Quisler to talk about her journey into self-direction. From the friend who helped her navigate the system to the barriers she's faced along the way. Ethel shares candid stories about waitlists, fraud scrutiny, restrictive care practices, and the fight to be treated as the expert in her own life, plus her hopes for a more flexible, dignity-centered system.This is a raw, honest look at self-direction from someone living it every day.New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons

Brett Everman moved out of his parents' home at 21 with 24-hour care needs and no roadmap. In this episode, Brett and his mom Kareen share their honest journey into self-direction: the failed care agencies, the grind of recruiting staff, the game-changing role of a support broker, and what life looks like five years later (spoiler: Monster Jam, a girlfriend of 8 years, and a very full social calendar). Whether you're a self-advocate, a guardian, or just curious about self-direction, this one's worth your time.New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons

In this episode, we sit down with Heidi Jo Hanson of Fox Valley Autism. This is an honest, heartfelt conversation about what it really means to raise children on the spectrum. From early diagnosis moments and fighting to be believed, to caregiver burnout, sibling challenges, and celebrating the unexpected wins. This one is for every parent who has ever felt alone in this journey. We also talk about the gaps in Wisconsin's support systems, why respite care is so desperately needed, and why the next generation gives us so much hope.Don't miss this one.New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons

In this episode, Cookie talks candidly about growing up blind, attending what she calls "Braille jail" (a residential school for the blind), and the decades of guide dogs, technology, and hard-won independence that followed.She opens up about losing most of her hearing later in life, getting a cochlear implant, and what it's like to navigate websites, devices, and apps that were never designed with blind or deaf-blind users in mind. We also dig into the recent changes to the IRIS waiver, the frustration of inaccessible fiscal agent systems, and why she refuses to let anyone else make choices for her.This is a conversation about disability, aging, advocacy, and what it really means to self-direct your own life, told by someone who's been doing it longer than most systems have existed to support her.New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons

Ever wonder where the long-term care journey actually starts? In this episode, Cindy and Jaime sit down with Linda from the Outagamie County Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) to break down what the ADRC does, who it serves, and why it's the first stop for anyone navigating services in Wisconsin. From options counseling to functional screenings, eligibility requirements, Medicaid enrollment, and the difference between IRIS, Family Care, and Partnership… this episode is packed with information that professionals and families need to hear. Plus, a candid conversation about the gaps, the terminology confusion, and why collaboration across systems matters more than ever.New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons

This week, self-direction participant Katie Napiwocki shares her lifelong journey with self-direction. From navigating agency-assigned caregivers as a college student to building her own care team as a graduate student and professional advocate. She opens up about the autonomy self-direction has given her, the very real challenges that remain, and why involving people with disabilities in policy decisions isn't optional; it's essential.New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons

Real talk this week — Medicaid funding uncertainty, the caregiver workforce shift that never recovered after COVID, and why so many families have never even seen their own self-direction budget.We also get into the language gap that blindsides families when kids age into adult long-term care, where HIPAA ends and confidentiality begins, and why self-determination might be the more important word nobody's using.Oh, and we found a job post that might be the best in the industry. Lego lovers, stay tuned.Whether you're a caregiver, guardian, support broker, or just trying to figure out the system… pull up a chair.New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.

If you've ever had to explain what a support broker is to someone at a doctor's appointment, you already know this episode.This week, we're talking about what we actually do and why "broker" is such a weird word for it. We get into the hiring process, what it looks like to help someone write a job post that sounds like them, the interviews that go great and the ones that absolutely do not, and why setting boundaries early saves everyone a headache later.We also talk about the changes coming to the IRIS program and why that conversation hit differently this week. If you're currently in IRIS, read your 2026 waiver manual and ask your consultant how this affects you.Plus, caregivers who show up high, members who accidentally almost let someone move in, a guy who asks every single candidate to help him bury a body, and why payroll is actually the most relaxing part of this job.This one's for anyone working in self-direction, thinking about it, or just trying to figure out why their caregiver situation keeps falling apart. Also for the care managers who've been wondering what we actually do all day.It's a full one.

We're Cindy and Jamie — both healthcare burnouts who somehow ended up building something better.In this episode, we're starting at the beginning: what self-direction actually is, why almost nobody understands it, and how we ended up here after years of 24/7 on-call chaos.We also get into the IRIS waiver changes coming in 2026 that could pull the safety net out from under thousands of Wisconsin participants (and nobody's talking about it yet).If you've never heard of self-direction, start here.New episodes weekly. Learn more at communityhorizonsllc.com.Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/communityhorizons