PODCAST · government
Sometimes a Great Podcast
by Oregon Department of Human Services
Catch up on this week's news from Discover and listen to interviews of staff from around the state.
Episodes
-
SAGPodcast: Vocational Rehabilitation and the Story Behind the Story
Season 2, Episode 29 — Oct. 14, 2026 Length: 23:44 This week, The Big Picture hops into the wayback machine to bring you an interview we did a year ago. It’s story focused on National Disability Employment Awareness Month, where we sat down with Diane Navarrete, an ODHS communications officer…
more -
Eureka! We’re strikin’ Pod!
Season 2, Episode 28 — Oct. 12, 2026 Length: 9:57 This week’s episode goes prospecting through Discover for updates on annual required trainings, public charge resources, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2027 health plan recordings, employee store passes, Pride ERG’s Queer Identity Series and...
-
The Big Picture of Transformation: Stories about process, Answers from Leadership in D2
Season 2, Episode 27 — Oct. 5, 2026 Length: 34:50 This week’s episode of The Big Picture comes from District 2 and features a conversation about refugee support, Child Welfare, Self-Sufficiency and the ODHS Transformation. Bethany talks with Kosrat Meman, a Human Services Manager who works with...
-
Saying “Yes!” to Pod-kin Spice Lattes!
Season 2, Episode 26 — Oct. 5, 2026 Length: 9:54 This week’s episode rakes through a full pile of fall updates, including hazard forecasting, Pride’s National Coming Out Day gathering, Explore Health Oregon, safety and well-being forums, federal change resources, Microsoft 365 updates, in-person...
-
SAGPodcast: The Big Picture of Transformation: Diapers and Deep Connections
Season 2, Episode 25: Sep. 30, 2026 Length: 26:30 This week we’re back in Washington County where we’re talking Transformation and diapers, We again join Sean Sturr, District 16 business expert, and Nancy Byce, District 16 supervisor. And in the middle, we’ll hear once again from Maya Cipriano,...
-
The Pod is Falling into Autumn with an Org Chart
Season 2, Episode 23 — Sept. 28, 2026 Length: 9:21 This week’s episode welcomes fall with updates on eligibility leadership, Orange Shirt Day, Mi Gente’s Latin heritage celebration, the Gallup survey, responsible AI, community inclusion, online benefit options, Workday changes and the Heart of...
-
SAGPodcast: The Big Picture of Transformation: Big Places and Big Connections
Season 2, Episode 23: Sept. 23, 2026 Length: 28:47 This week, The Big Picture returns to Washington County, where we sit down with Sean Sturr, District 16 business expert, and Nancy Byce, District 16 supervisor, to talk about the operational work that shapes the experience of staff and the people...
-
Raggy! It's a Scooby-Pod Mystery!
Season 2, Episode 22 — Sept. 21, 2026 Length: 9:47 This week’s episode pulls the Mystery Machine up to ODHS for updates on immigration-related staff guidance, ReportConnect office hours, 2027 health plan options, Oregon Health Plan notices, Latin American independence celebrations and OEP records...
-
SAGPodcast: The Big Picture of Transformation: Big Places and Big Connections
Season 2, Episode 21: Sept. 16, 2026 Length: 18:47 This week, The Big Picture comes from Hillsboro, where we sit down outside with Maya Cipriano, Child Welfare resource developer for Washington County, and Ana Hernandez-Garcia, engagement manager in District 16, to talk about collaboration,...
-
ODHS is Pod-ding Nemo!
Season 2, Episode 20 — Sept. 14, 2026 Length: 9:59 This week’s episode heads into open water with updates on the 2027–29 agency request budget, suicide prevention walks, the Veterans ERG, the Employee Engagement Survey, OHP notices, Child Welfare resource families and Medford service locations....
-
SAGPodcast: The Big Picture of Transformation: PDX & ICWA
Season 2, Episode 19: Sep. 9, 2026 Length: 22:27 This week, The Big Picture comes from Portland, where we sit down with Nicomi Levine, ICWA permanency supervisor in District 2, and Angela Mellison, family coach for the ICWA team, to talk about tribal relationships, collaboration and what it means...
-
ODHS and the Coat of Many Updates: A Tribute to Dolly Parton
Season 2, Episode 18: Sept. 8, 2026 Length: 9:51 This week’s episode remembers Dolly Parton’s legacy of storytelling, care and connection while covering the biennium budget, crisis support, community resource events, the Employee Engagement Survey, SNAP exemptions, inclusive books, and workplace...
-
SAGPodcast: Libraries, Parades, Food Markets and the Work of Showing Up
Season 2, Episode 17: Sept. 2, 2026 Length: 8:05 This week, The Big Picture looks across Oregon at ODHS staff, Employee Resource Groups and community partners who build connection by showing up where people already are — in offices, libraries, parades, festivals, food markets, parks and...
-
Discover’s Goin’ Pod to the Future!
Season 2, Episode 16: Aug. 31, 2026 Length: 9:53 This week’s episode climbs into the Discover DeLorean for updates on public charge and temporary protected status, election season rules, Tribal ICWA Conference volunteers and a major I-5 closure through Portland. With no new 4Minutes4U and nothing...
-
SAGPodcast: The Big Picture of Transformation: Dallas, Recovery Court, and the Parking Lot Miracle
NOTE: This episode AUDIO ONLY Season 2, Episode 15: August 26, 2026 Length: 30:11 This week, The Big Picture returns to the Dallas ODHS office for the second half of our conversation about what collaboration looks like when it moves from concept into daily practice. We continue with staff from...
-
This is what we call The Podcast Show!
Season 2, Episode 12: Aug. 24, 2026Length: 8:35 This week’s episode gets things started with grant request training, substance use awareness, disability employment, SNAP changes, queer identity learning and host homes supporting youth experiencing homelessness. With no new 4Minutes4U this week…
more -
SAGPodcast: Dallas, Transformation via Collaboration in Dallas: Part I
Season 2, Episode 13: August 19, 2026 Length: 27:18 This week, The Big Picture comes from the Dallas ODHS office for the first half of a two-part conversation about collaboration, transformation, and what it looks like when Self-Sufficiency Programs and Child Welfare work together around the same...
-
We Celebrate 100 Episodes! (And other ODHS News)
We Celebrate 100 Episodes! (And other ODHS News) Season 2, Episode 12 — Aug. 17, 2026 Length: 9:11 This week’s episode celebrates 100 trips through the OWL - starting with no new 4Minutes4U or Fact of the Week this week. So, the episode actually begins in Deadline: ODHS with the Veteran Employee...
-
SAGPodcast: The Big Picture: Getting out of the way of Collaborating in Medford: Part II
Season 2, Episode 11: Aug. 12, 2026 Length: 26:25 This week, The Big Picture returns to Medford for the second half of our conversation at the Collaborative with Emily Blessie, community outreach manager with ODHS Self-Sufficiency, and Lisa Robbins and Jill Shermett, peer support specialists with...
-
A Celebration of All Things Podcast
Season 2, Episode 10 — Aug. 10, 2026 Length: 9:57 This week’s episode celebrates all things podcast, with mentoring, free food markets, sleep support, ableism, TANF information and privacy, summer photos and resiliency skills all taking their turn at the microphone. 4Minutes4U: Nothing this week...
-
SAGPodcast: The Big Picture: Getting out of the way of Collaborating in Medford: Part I
Season 2, Episode 09: Aug. 5, 2026 Length: 24:30 This week, The Big Picture comes from The Collaborative in Medford, where ODHS staff work alongside the Pathfinder Network and parole and probation to support women who are returning to the community after incarceration. In a conversation with…
more -
Sometimes a Great Inspector Pod-get
Season 2, Episode 08: Aug. 3, 2026 Length: 9:59 This week’s episode goes full gadget mode, with plain language, Medicaid work requirements, scam awareness and contract administration standards all tucked into the trench coat of useful ODHS updates. We begin with Deadline: ODHS with a plain…
more -
The Big Picture: Beaver-Duck Ideas and the People Who Brought Them Forward
Season 1, Episode 97 — July 29, 2026 Length: 29:04 This week, The Big Picture does something a little different as Bethany and Shenika recap the inaugural Beaver-Duck Innovation Classic, where ODHS staff presented ideas for improving the way the agency works. The conversation looks at seven...
-
ODHS: Survivor: The podcast hosts have spoken!
Season 2, Episode 6 — July 27, 2026 Length: 9:59 This week’s episode heads to Survivor ODHS, where the buffs are color-coded, the deadlines are specific and every update is trying to make it through tribal council with its paperwork intact. With no new 4Minutes4U this week, the episode begins in...
-
Little POD-HS on the Prairie
Season 1, Episode 94 — July 20, 2026 Length: 9:40 This week’s episode heads out onto the prairie with updates on STEP, support for immigrant and refugee staff and communities, writing style guide changes and expanded direct care through Klamath Tribal Health and Family Services. With no new...
-
The Big Picture: Lakeview, Long Roads and the Resourcefulness of Frontier Work
Season 1, Episode 93: July 15, 2026 Length: 27:43 This week, The Big Picture returns to Lakeview for a conversation with Kendra Holderman, a permanency caseworker serving families across a vast frontier county where distance, weather and limited resources shape almost every part of the work.…
more -
Poddy Wonka and the OD-late Factory
Season 1, Episode 92 — July 13, 2026Length: 9:59 This week’s episode opens the factory gates on passwords, deadlines, nutrition benefits, summer snapshots and a new Mi Gente newsletter, where every golden ticket comes with a registration link and every mysterious door probably requires…
more -
The Big Picture: Salem, Sticky Notes and Seeing the Whole System
Season 1, Episode 91: July 8, 2026 Length: 26:57 This week, The Big Picture comes from South Salem, where we sit down with Kylie Pedraza, a lead worker at the South Salem branch, and Rodrigo Rodriguez, branch operations manager for District 2, to talk about a rapid process improvement event…
more -
Everything, Everywhere All in a Pod!
Season 1, Episode 90 July 6, 2026 Length: 9:53 This week’s episode jumps across the ODHS multiverse, where time entry, SNAP accuracy, Transformation, First Contact and retirement planning all have their own portal, deadline and very specific set of instructions. The episode begins with a payroll...
-
The Big Picture: Showing Up Where People Are
Season 1, Episode 89 — July 1, 2026 Length: 9:23 In Discover, there are the stories that tell you what’s changing—deadlines, programs, policies—and then there are the stories that show you what the work actually looks like. This week, as we will from time-to-time, we’re going to tell you more…
more -
ODHS: Podly Going on the Human Frontier
Season 1, Episode 88 — June 29, 2026 Length: 9:59 This week’s episode boldly goes where Teams meetings have gone before, with updates on in-person work expectations, inclusive hiring, workplace collaboration and a few reminders from the ODHS calendar. The episode begins with Director Liesl…
more -
A Return to Grant County, 62 Days, and the Stories That Keep Going
Season 1, Episode 87 — June 24, 2026 Length: 17:36 This week, The Big Picture returns to Grant County for a follow-up conversation with Krista Qual, a family coach with ODHS and Self-Sufficiency Programs, and Kristina Krieger, a case manager with Aging and People with Disabilities. A few months...
-
ODHS and the Great Wooly Pod Gathering
Season 1, Episode 86 — June 22, 2026 Length: 9:59 This week’s episode follows the thread through a full flock of ODHS updates, from courage and access to hiring, technology, community, preparedness, safety, belonging and remembrance. With no new 4Minutes4U this week, the episode begins in…
more -
SAGPodcast: Coos Bay, Family Ties, and the Work That Comes Home
Season 1, Episode 85, June 17, 2026Length: 26:29 This week, The Big Picture comes from Mingus Park in Coos Bay, where we sit down with Shara Arnejo, a public benefits specialist with the Virtual Eligibility Center, and Dylan Bessey, a rotational supervisor with the Oregon Eligibility Partnership…
more -
ODHS and the Podcast of Very Specific Things
Season 1, Episode 84 — June 15, 2026 Length: 9:57 This week’s episode enters the Chamber of Very Specific Things, where every update has a label, a purpose and at least one instruction staff may want to read twice. The episode begins with Governor Tina Kotek’s June 30 employee town hall…
more -
SAGPodcast: A Business Analyst in Astoria: Old Buildings and New Problems
Season 1, Episode 83: June 10, 2026 Length: 24:51 This week, The Big Picture is in Astoria, where we sit down with Tracy Sahlberg, business analyst - and expert - for District 1. We’re talking about the work behind ODHS’ move into a new building downtown and what it takes to turn an old, empty...
-
The Pods Are Alive with the Sound of Updates
Season 1, Episode 82 — June 8, 2026 Length: 9:58 This week’s episode climbs through a lighter set of ODHS updates, with agency progress, health coverage changes, summer wellbeing resources and mindful pauses all finding their place in the chorus. The episode begins with Director Liesl Wendt’s…
more -
Small Offices and Big Responsibilities: An OS2 in Oregon Outback
Season 1, Episode 81 Length: (21:51) This week, we’re in Lakeview, talking with Stephanie Angelozzi, an OS2 for Child Welfare in one of Oregon’s frontier communities, where the office is small, the county is huge and the work rarely fits neatly into a single job description. Stephanie shares what...
-
Summer’s Here and the Updates Are Poddin’ in Hot!
Season 1, Episode 80 — June 1, 2026Length: 9:24 This week’s episode kicks off summer at ODHS with clear language, grocery support, and one very useful OWL page all packed into the cooler. With no new 4Minutes4U, no Fact of the Week, and no brand-new Deadline items, the focus shifts to reminders…
more -
SAGPodcast: The Big Picture of Grants Pass, Attack Geese, and the Work Behind the Myth
Season 1, Episode 78 — May 27, 2026 Length: 23:28 This week, The Big Picture comes from Grants Pass in Josephine County, where we sit down with Tanner Moss, achild welfare coaching and training specialist, and Brynn Orr, an intake worker in District 8, to talk about child welfare work in Southern...
-
Lewis, Clark, and the Podcast West
Season 1, Episode 78 — May 26, 2026 Length: 9:46 This week’s episode charts a fresh course through ODHS, with leadership development, public comment opportunities, workplace accessibility, and sustainability tools all lined up like trail markers on the map. The throughline is planning…
more -
SAGPodcast: An AS2, GenAI, and the Tool that Talks Back
Season 1, Episode 77 — May 20, 2026 Length: 24:22 This week, The Big Picture comes from District 7, where we sit down with Hayley Roe, an administrative specialist in the North Bend office, to talk about artificial intelligence, everyday problem solving, and what happens when a new tool starts...
-
Casters Podding, Ducks Flying, and Beavers Building
Season 1, Episode 76 — May 18, 2026 Length: 9:35 This week’s episode brings a full calendar and a little friendly rivalry, with the launch of the first Beaver Duck Innovation Classic leading the way. The focus is on practical ideas from ODHS staff—ways to reduce red tape, cut duplication, improve...
-
SAGPodcast: Knowing Where to Look in Klamath Falls
Season 1, Episode75 — May 13, 2026Length: 25:18 This week, The Big Picture comesfrom Klamath Falls, where we sit down with Bethany Pillow, a public benefits specialist in District 11, to talk about eligibility work in a rural community. The conversation explores how the same job description can...
-
Podding for the Most ODHS People in the World
Season 1, Episode 74 — May 11, 2026Length: 9:04 This week’s episode leans into the quiet consistency that keeps everything moving—planning ahead, checking twice, and building systems that work not just once, but over time. With no major disruptions on the horizon, the focus turns to the habits…
more -
The Big Picture Pod: The Many Roles of Michelle Sumner in D6 and Douglas County
Season 1, Episode 73: May 6, 2026 Length: 29:22 This week, we’re in Roseburg in Douglas County’s District 6 with Michelle Sumner, a resource developer in Child Welfare—and the mayor of nearby Sutherlin. Her work sits at the intersection of formal systems and informal networks, where relationships...
-
Sweet-work (and rolls) on the Pod!
Season 1, Episode 72 — May 4, 2026Length: 9:58 This week’s episode settles into the rhythm of steady progress—the kind that doesn’t always make noise but keeps everything moving forward. With no major agency-wide updates, the focus shifts to the smaller, meaningful moments: quick learning...
-
ODHS in Grant County, Part V: Helping Hands
The Roads of Jebediah Clark: When systems meet the frontier Season 1, Episode 71 — April 29, 2026 Length: 15:03 This week is the final episode of our trip through Grant County, one focusing on how responsibility shifts when systems fall short. What might be handled by formal infrastructure...
-
Service delivery: Designed, and a bit surreal as delivered
The Roads of Jebediah Clark: When systems meet the frontier Season 1, Episode 69 — April 22, 2026 Length: 13:54 This week’s episode continues the journey through Grant County by moving past observation and into the mechanics of what makes frontier work fundamentally different. Through…
more -
Plans, Pieces, and a Little Over-podded
Season 1, Episode 68 — April 20, 2026 Length: 9:52 This week’s episode focuses on what it looks like when the work shows up both organized and still in motion—where trainings, events, policy updates, and program tools all connect across a shared purpose. From building individual resilience to...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Catch up on this week's news from Discover and listen to interviews of staff from around the state.
HOSTED BY
Oregon Department of Human Services
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Sometimes a Great Podcast have?
Sometimes a Great Podcast currently has 133 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Sometimes a Great Podcast about?
Catch up on this week's news from Discover and listen to interviews of staff from around the state.
How often does Sometimes a Great Podcast release new episodes?
Sometimes a Great Podcast publishes regularly with 133 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Sometimes a Great Podcast?
You can listen to Sometimes a Great Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Sometimes a Great Podcast?
Sometimes a Great Podcast is created and hosted by Oregon Department of Human Services.
URL copied to clipboard!