In human services, trust isn’t optional—it’s everything.
In this solo episode of A Side of Hope, Melanie explores Stephen M.R. Covey’s The Speed of Trust through the lens of human service leadership. Drawing on real-world stories and years of experience, she unpacks why trust may be the most important factor in organizational success—more vital than funding, staffing, or even strategy.
From frontline staff to families to interdepartmental teams, trust shapes every outcome. This episode is a reminder that hope grows where trust is cultivated.

In this episode of A Side of Hope, Melanie sits down with Beth Gallagher, CEO of Life Works in San Diego County. Beth leads an organization committed to providing customized supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities—helping them live in their own homes, shape their own futures, and thrive in community.
Beth shares her journey into leadership, the values that guide her work, and the everyday stories of resilience and possibility that keep her inspired. From navigating challenges to celebrating small victories, this conversation is a reminder that true leadership is about empowering choice and honoring dignity.

Beth Gallagher is the founder and CEO of Life Works, an organization she launched in 2004 to serve people with developmental disabilities who have often been overlooked by traditional systems. Since beginning her career in 1986, Beth has spent more than three decades designing innovative support strategies that highlight individual gifts and create meaningful opportunities for contribution.
Her approach centers on curiosity—asking *“what more is possible?”*—and on collaboration, ensuring that both individuals and communities benefit from inclusion. She co-created the **Liberty Plan**, a facilitation tool for personalized planning, and co-authored *Intentional Teaming: Shifting Organizational Culture*, which explores how to value the unique strengths of direct support professionals.
At the heart of Beth’s mission is a commitment to crafting **customized, fully realized lives—one person at a time**—through partnership, creativity, and respect for every individual’s story.

We’ve all heard the phrase person-centered thinking—maybe in trainings, maybe on forms, maybe in passing. But what if it’s more than a professional concept?
In this solo episode of A Side of Hope, Melanie reflects on her journey in human services and why person-centered thinking is about more than paperwork or compliance. It’s a mindset, a way of honoring people’s stories, and a practice that keeps dignity, choice, and humanity at the center of our work.
For human service professionals, social workers, or anyone entering the field, this episode is both a challenge and an invitation: to make person-centered thinking part of who you are, not just what you do.

Melanie sits down with Joe, co-founder of Choices, to talk about supported living, mentoring new agencies, and his journey from provider to parent. Together, they explore partnership with families, self-determination, and what it means to build a legacy of hope.

Gratitude isn’t just a feel-good idea—it may be one of the most powerful tools we have for resilience. In this solo episode of A Side of Hope, Melanie reflects on how gratitude has profoundly shaped her life, both personally and professionally.
Drawing from positive psychology research and lived experience, she explores how gratitude impacts mental health, reduces stress, and even changes the brain. From regulating cortisol to releasing dopamine and serotonin, gratitude literally rewires us toward greater happiness and strength.
This episode is a reminder that resilience isn’t about pushing through—it’s about pausing, noticing, and choosing thankfulness, even in hard places.

In this episode of A Side of Hope, Melanie reconnects with longtime colleague and keynote speaker Al Condeluci, whose work has inspired the human services field for decades.
Together, they explore a bold idea: that social capital—the relationships, trust, and community that surround us—may matter even more than a formal service plan. Drawing from nearly 25 years of shared experience, they reflect on what truly sustains people: connection, dignity, and belonging.

Bio: Al Condeluci, PhD, is a renowned consultant, public speaker, and thought leader specializing in social capital and community engagement. With over four decades of experience, Dr. Condeluci has dedicated his career to fostering inclusion and strengthening community ties through the power of social capital. He is well-known for his dynamic presentations and workshops that inspire individuals and organizations to build meaningful connections and inclusive communities.
As a seasoned facilitator, Dr. Condeluci has led numerous Retreats and World Café sessions, a conversational process that encourages collaborative dialogue and the sharing of knowledge in large group settings. His expertise in this area has helped countless organizations harness the collective wisdom of their members to drive positive change. Through his consulting practice, Dr. Condeluci continues to guide communities and businesses in creating environments where all people can thrive and contribute. He is associated with the University of Pittsburgh and in 2018 was awarded the “Key to the City of Pittsburgh,” the highest civilian honor given to community leaders.
He can be reached at www.alcondeluci.com

When Melanie first entered the world of human services, she was fueled by passion and a deep desire to help—but she also found herself learning on the fly, making mistakes, and navigating the messiness of working with people. Over time, the work taught her something unexpected: the very people she served became some of her greatest teachers. In this episode, Melanie explores the idea of “invisible privilege”—those everyday freedoms and choices we often don’t notice until we walk beside someone who doesn’t have them. Through touching personal experiences and powerful stories from colleagues, she invites us to shift from “I have to” to “I get to,” embracing a perspective rooted in gratitude, purpose, and the belief that service changes us as much as it changes others.

Melanie Bazile is joined by Zach Anner—writer, comedian, disability advocate, and storyteller—who shares his journey with humor, heart, and deep insight. From the mountain hike where friends carried him on their backs, to the quiet guilt and later clarity that followed, Zach’s reflections remind us that presence is powerful—and sometimes, just showing up is enough.

The conversation explores the tension between labels and humanity, the often-overlooked wisdom of asking someone what kind of life they want to live, and the urgency of authentic disability representation in media. Zach doesn’t just talk about inclusion—he lives it. His message is clear: if we want better stories, we need to stop hosting panels and start hiring disabled people to tell them.

This episode is a call to action and a quiet celebration of what it means to be fully seen.

Show Notes

Zach Anner is a comedian, author, television writer, public speaker, and YouTube personality. He grew up in Buffalo, NY, and somehow remained an optimist despite enduring seven-month winters and watching the Buffalo Bills lose four straight Super Bowls. Zach's YouTube videos have amassed over 100 million views and have helped change the conversation around disability. He is an ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and has worked with United Cerebral Palsy’s Wheels for Humanity program to distribute wheelchairs to disadvantaged communities in Nicaragua. He published his memoir If At Birth You Don’t Succeed in 2016, and his work writing for television has been honored with 2017 and 2023 Sentinel Awards for outstanding depictions of people with disabilities on screen. Zach spends most of his spare time in his underwear, thinking about how he can change the world.

https://www.zachanner.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Birth-You-Dont-Succeed-Adventures/dp/1250116546/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1U20DOZO2LG2Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vqSGtNqeqeKCeYP16oDhSYUFfSC_MRBslZmYbkSCxjexb65fl8ziazDgwsVIOtAair9kpf57zqtqYctXmr7DN8pYxIN7cd0Mrb8Z6FzlKtw.hyX43nWnHnUaT0dypuIHw-v8UTrsuNbC2qq-yJ2icdY&dib_tag=se&keywords=zach+anner&qid=1749075644&sprefix=zach+anner%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-1 

1. In this solo episode, host Melanie Bazile gets personal about her early days in human services—where passion met inexperience, and leadership was full of stumbles, growth, and grit.With honesty and heart, Melanie shares the messy, meaningful journey that led her to this work, and why A Side of Hope was created in the first place. If you're navigating the human services field—whether you're seasoned, new, or somewhere in between—this episode is for you.Because real leadership takes vulnerability. And growth? That’s where grit meets hope.🎧 Listen now and let’s get gritty—together.

   
   

   "Emotional Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman

https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Intelligence-10th-Anniversary-Reissue/dp/055338371X

1. "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni

https://www.amazon.com/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Leadership-Fable/dp/0787960756

1. "Leaders Eat Last" by Simon Sinek

https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/1591845327

1. "No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention" by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer

https://www.amazon.com/No-Rules-Netflix-Culture-Reinvention/dp/1984877860

1. "Keep Your Love On" by Danny Silk

https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Your-Love-Danny-Silk/dp/0986381802

With decades of experience in leadership development, Danny has empowered countless leaders to build cultures of trust, accountability, and connection.

As a renowned speaker, author, and consultant, Danny’s unique approach has helped leaders around the world create lasting, transformative change for their teams and communities.

https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Your-Love-Connection-Communication/dp/1942306067/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2XJUQL70DMSEN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OshgBxgnmLEXXJvEAD69K78HGMmu5cGPfV4Fk6z3GMO27t-r39fxR-sRn26M9i2MyiyyCRnKBOcrd_LIp6o6Xg5Th0KCwttKo946fpRstBKa9clKBF_JQWDlAOgdEMw72CFnemGBMRcSEN8j3JvhjYiIPzko7d6fF-8YCjB2Iv8QPlzRF0Ih1038gm7d_h9x9oQTn2w5i7iaU2no5WiKXBJeDZ-hzSUQ7aZcEPkRz8vQW83IM9OpVzOjv9hiBLr-JbVL7rYF_Bl8xvl4zQaFOH1lXrXYFLOcMxkNbhTK68I.Gkqoh8KQ9ijroic62BxZeUcu3KxvEqIUzoCms2XLcnY&dib_tag=se&keywords=danny+silk&qid=1749067604&sprefix=danny+silk%2Caps%2C272&sr=8-2