Get Fired Up's Podcast

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