Care Work with Alida Miranda-Wolff

How do we dismantle the disability stigma? This latest arc on the Care Work podcast explores the concept of disability justice from the perspectives of three people—Tim Villegas, María Emilia Lasso de la Vega, and Lauren Schrero Levy—who are working to change our social approach to accessibility and inclusivity.

In this episode, Alida Miranda-Wolff reflects on the ways stigma and a repurposed definition of “normal” have i...

From elementary school classrooms to adult care homes, so many of our care structures for disabled people are designed without their participation, often in direct opposition to their stated desires. But why? 

When we pose the question of why people with disabilities are so often excluded from general society, the best answer is often “that’s just how it’s always been.” However, research and the lived experiences of these individual...

How can we design inclusive spaces—physically and virtually—that support neurodiversity?

The Disability Justice movement is increasing the recognition and adoption of inclusive spaces and accessible interaction for people who are neurodivergent and on the autism spectrum. It continues, however, to rely largely on individuals to disclose their diagnoses in spaces where they may initially be uncertain of support. 

In this episode, Marí...

How can we show everyone the benefits of inclusive educational spaces?

Tim Villegas is the Director of Communications at the Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education. His work centers around helping school systems build support for more inclusive classroom environments, and he sees firsthand the value of spaces where children with different learning styles learn together. These classrooms benefit not only children with disabilitie...

In the most recent episode arc, the Care Work podcast explores educational equity with guests who are experts in impactful social education for teens, supportive higher education spaces, and inclusive literacy. In this reflective episode, Alida Miranda-Wolff investigates the parallel themes that emerged throughout these episodes to reveal a multi-faceted definition of educational equity and how its integration could create safer sp...

When you think of literacy, what comes to mind? Is it reading, writing, or something else?  Our definition of literacy is often oversimplified, much like the limits often placed on the question of who is and who is not “literate”. In this episode, Alida discusses literacy equity with Ken Bigger, the Director of Thought Leadership at the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. 

A vital figure in the movement to improve and facil...

How can educators create unifying classroom spaces where resistance skills can be safely practiced and cultivated?

This is the “freedom dreaming” Johnnie Campbell and Alida Miranda-Wolff do together in this episode of Care Work. As a resistance scholar, educator, and PhD candidate, Johnnie Campbell is putting in the work to build danger-free, liberatory spaces and explore the way Black young adults experience college. He doesn’t str...

What supports would have helped ease your transition to adulthood?

Growing up is hard, and young people are repeatedly faced with circumstances they are expected to understand despite their lack of life experience. Then, in these tedious and confusing scenarios, the choices they make follow them throughout their early academic years.

Debra Giunta is the founder of Prismatic, a youth career development program with...

How do we even start to tackle the challenges of caring for underserved youth? When you consider the sheer number of young people who are entangled in poor home environments, gang initiations, judiciary systems, and more, it’s easy to feel like the situation is verging on hopeless. 

In this episode, Alida Miranda-Wolff asks listeners to remember the benefits of smaller steps. You might not be able to shut down all the youth detentio...

How do we care for people trapped in a broken system and still take care of ourselves? This is the question Alida poses to Jennifer Soble, a former public defender, lawyer, and the founder of the Illinois Prison Project. Jennifer’s organization is striving to update the outdated and oppressive laws that govern the U.S. prison system, helping prisoners serving long-term sentences who deserve freedom. 

Jennifer shares how care work fo...

Why are we so good at finding problems, but so poor at solving them? This is the question Alida Miranda-Wolff puts to Chicago Deputy Mayor of Community Safety Garien Gatewood and the conversation that spans juvenile justice reform and implementation disconnects to real-life examples from the world of cannabis legalization. 

You’ll be inspired by Garien’s insights, gleaned from years of working on the frontlines of marginalized commu...

How does loneliness affect your ability to care for others? Loneliness and burnout are endemic in American society these days, and their impact on care workers and, by extension, the people they care for, is significant. 

In this episode, Alida Miranda-Wolff questions the widespread belief that creators, specifically, are unable to form meaningful relationships. She expands this concept to explore the detrimental effects of loneline...

How would the professional world change if it were truly equitable? And what would this mean for women-identifying people, specifically? In this episode, Alida talks with Minal Bopaiah, the founder of a groundbreaking DEI-focused design and strategy firm and the author of Equity: How to Design Organizations Where Everyone Thrives.

They explore the idea of a future where the system prioritizes the care of its citizens inste...

When gathering a community together, how do you make sure every experience is celebrated and every voice is heard?

On this episode of the Care Work podcast, join your host Alida Miranda-Wolff as she talks with Kim Hunt, an activist and community initiative facilitator, about ensuring every citizen is heard and valued in the effort to enact social change. Together they explore the winding road that brought Kim to this impor...

What’s the last digital product you wish you hadn’t bought? From paid newsletter subscriptions to full-fledged how-to guides on making your first million, too few online offerings these days are created with enough care to be helpful to those who consume them.

In this episode of Care Work, Tara McMullin—host of the What Works podcast, author of the book of the same name, speaker, and business strategist—discusses her exploration of ...

Caring for patients, clients, or family members keeps care workers incredibly busy—but where does that time go? Our society and economy are so focused on win-lose scenarios, it’s easy to forget that when we give freely of our time and care, we don’t come out at a loss. Instead, we—not to mention our community—get so much more in return.

In the second minisode of the Care Work Podcast, host Alida Miranda-Wolff discusses how care work...

How do you strike a balance between committing to your work and honoring your own personhood? The simple answer is by setting boundaries. What’s more complicated, though, is that these boundaries are hugely individual and can be difficult to set and to maintain, especially for people in care work. In this interview, Karyn Oates, the consulting director for Ethos and a former nonprofit leader, shares her thoughts on the importance o...

Think of the people in your life. What makes them who they are? And, how can you honor their unique preferences, experiences, and needs while still holding space for yourself? In this episode of Care Work, Karen Thomas, the content facilitation manager at Ethos, a former K-12 teacher, and an adult educator of parents with transracially adopted children, talks about how her own life experiences and direct work with kids and parents ...

How do you discover and define your purpose? To understand who you are as you create the conditions for others to heal, you must spend time exploring and uncovering your identity and how it affects your interactions with the world. Miriame Cherbib, the founder of Speaking Justice and member of the Ethos team, shares her story of finding belonging and purpose on her own care work journey. As a first and second-generation immigrant, ...