We close season 3 with a powerful story of healing from Addiction/Substance Use Disorder . Kristen Johnson had a charmed life and childhood with a stable and loving family. Youthful tendencies and curiosities tempted her to experiment with drugs and alcohol that led her down a road of self-destruction. She spent 5 years in prison from DUI and gun related charges where she eventually cleaned up, healed and now works as Prison Reentry Coordinator in Graham County Arizona. Her story of addiction, recovery, and now thriving and helping others . Her newsletter The Light is now reaching and helping prisoners around the county. Let's end the year with hope, goals, and some inspiration. There's nothing like lived experience to help others. Thank you for sharing your time with us.

Dr. Sherman Gillums is a self-described Marine Mustang , father , and public policy expert. He shares his Marine journey, becoming paralyzed after a roll-over accident, becoming a father of 6 , and working several high level policy jobs in the Federal Government. He's served as Past President of The Paralyzed Veterans of America, FEMA to improve disaster preparedness for people with disabilities, National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) to advance the 988 suicide hotline number and restructure response to emergencies such as COVID 19, VA Advisory Committees. He's currently serving as the Senior Director of Public Policy & Advocacy for The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to advocate and provide support to anybody who is paralyzed from accidents, disease, strokes. He's also an Adjunct Professor at The University of Maryland while raising his youngest son, and enjoying life as a grandfather. Thank you for stoping by to listen and we hope you leave uplifted and inspired.

Beth Foraker joins us to discuss the groundbreaking UC Davis SEED Scholars Program for students with intellectual disabilities. This program is the first four year live on college experience in California for this demographic and flips the employment statistic for this group upside down. Less than 20% of this demographic ever live independently or gain paid employment, but after this program 80% of the students have paid employment and live independently. The goal is to improve life outcomes via the college immersion experience that includes core/foundational classes and elective classes. Students will choose and get to experience paid and unpaid internships in their areas of interest that often lead to paid employment . Did you know that Federal Law sill allows people with intellectual disabilities to be paid less than minimum wage ? It's outrageous. Thank you for stopping by to learn about this life-changing program.