In this episode, I’m joined by Stephanie Garrett — a gamer, creative, and longtime chronic illness warrior — for a powerful conversation about non-apparent disabilities and the intersection with grief.

Diagnosed with hypothyroidism at 14 and later with hypopituitarism and adrenal insufficiency at 16, Stephanie has been navigating autoimmune and endocrine conditions since her teens. Now 35, she brings honesty, insight, and deep empathy to what it means to live in a body that doesn’t follow non-disabled rules.

Together, we explore the emotional weight of being unseen, the grief that can accompany shifting identity and capacity, and the resilience and self-advocacy required to move through the world with a non-apparent disability. This episode offers a nuanced and compassionate look at living — and grieving — in the spaces others often overlook.

Music Credit:

"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, we’re going Beyond the Capacity Myth — the harmful belief that a person’s worth is tied to productivity, independence, or output.

I’m joined by Preston Burger, a neurodivergent self-advocate and multi-hyphenate leader whose work spans higher education, the arts, nonprofit leadership, and disability advocacy. Preston previously served as a CUNY LEADS Advisor at Bronx Community College, where he coached hundreds of students with disabilities and helped advance digital accessibility practices. He currently works with Café Joyeux, a nonprofit café creating meaningful employment for people with disabilities, and Actionplay, an organization providing accessible theater experiences for autistic and neurodivergent teens and adults.

Together, we explore:

• How the “capacity myth” shows up in education, employment, and relationships
• The tension between independence and interdependence
• How neurodivergent and disabled people are redefining value on their own terms

This conversation challenges us to imagine communities where dignity isn’t earned through productivity — and where access, care, and humanity come first.

If you’ve ever felt pressured to prove your worth through output, this episode is for you.

Purchase the exclusive Valentine's Day Digital Reaction Sticker Pack.

Music Credit

"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

What does it mean to belong when you’re constantly navigating multiple cultures, identities, and expectations?

In Beyond Culture, I’m joined by Urmi Hossain—author, speaker, podcast host, and finance professional—for a rich conversation about identity, third-culture experiences, and the quiet labor of self-definition. Drawing from her book Discovering Your Identity: A Rebirth from Interracial Struggle and her podcast Stories Beyond Borders, Urmi shares what it means to grow up between cultures, languages, and worlds—and how that shapes self-worth, leadership, and resilience.

Together, we explore culture through a disability justice–informed lens, unpacking how systems, norms, and expectations impact whose identities are affirmed and whose are questioned. This episode invites listeners to reflect on migration, belonging, and the courage it takes to define yourself on your own terms.

If you’ve ever felt “too much” of one thing, “not enough” of another, or caught between worlds, this conversation is for you.

Buy Urmi's Book

Stories Beyond Borders Podcast

Music Credit:

"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Beyond Employment challenges traditional narratives about work and disability. In this episode, host Mandi is joined by disability employment advocate and employment specialist Steven Robles to explore what meaningful, accessible employment truly looks like for disabled people. Together, they unpack harmful myths about productivity, examine systemic barriers in hiring and retention, and reimagine workplaces built on dignity, access, and equity—rather than compliance alone.

Check out Steven's notebooks and journals via his Amazon Author Page.

Power the Podcast!

Stay connected by joining the Beyond Beautiful Collective.

Attribution Code

"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In Beyond Boundaries, Mandi sits down with Jasmine “Jazzy” Ramos—an advocate, community builder, and social work student whose work is rooted in the belief that liberation begins with sincere belonging. Living with a genetic progressive condition, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Jasmine brings a powerful perspective on what it means to honor disability rather than frame it as something to overcome. Beyond Boundaries invites listeners to rethink access, community care, and the radical power of loving ourselves and each other exactly as we are.

Join the Beyond Beautiful Collective

Music Credit:

Attribution Code

"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In Beyond Parenthood, I sit down with Charlianne Alexander, a disabled mother of two, for an honest and deeply human conversation about parenting through a disability justice lens. Charlianne shares the unique challenges she has faced—and continues to navigate—as a disabled mom, from societal assumptions and access barriers to the emotional labor of protecting her family while advocating for herself.

Together, we explore what it means to raise children while living with a disability, how motherhood reshaped Charlianne’s sense of self, and the lessons she hopes her children carry with them about empathy, resilience, and love. This episode centers disabled parenting not as something to be overcome, but as a powerful, intentional, and meaningful way of being.

Beyond Parenthood invites listeners to rethink who is seen as a “fit” parent, challenge ableist narratives around caregiving, and honor the wisdom disabled parents bring to their families and communities.

Join the Beyond Beautiful Collective!

Music Credit:

Attribution Code

"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Season 2 of Beyond Beautiful: Disability, Liberation, Love begins with a powerful conversation between host Mandi and guest Amar Sharif,a disabled social worker who served as Ms. Wheelchair New York 2024, and works at the intersection of disability, sexuality, and justice.

Together, Mandi and Amar explore disabled people as sexual beings, the systemic barriers that limit access to affirming sexual and reproductive healthcare, the importance of pleasure and bodily autonomy, and how intersecting identities shape experiences of intimacy and desire. This conversation also names the disproportionate rates of sexual trauma and abuse experienced by disabled people and centers the need for trauma-informed, consent-based care.

Beyond the Silence invites listeners to move past discomfort, challenge ableist narratives, and imagine a world where disabled bodies are respected, desired, and fully human.

Join the Beyond Beautiful Collective on Facebook to dive deeper into the conversation!

Music Credit:

Attribution Code

"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

As Season 1 of Beyond Beautiful comes to a close, Mandi invites listeners to rethink everything we’ve been taught about New Year’s resolutions.

In this reflective season finale, Mandi explores what it means to approach resolutions through a disability justice lens—one that prioritizes care, access, and sustainability over hustle and self-erasure. She shares personal reflections on body image, weight, anxiety, internalized ableism, and the pressure to overperform in order to belong, offering an honest look at how these forces shape disabled lives.

The episode also includes heartfelt gratitude for the community that made Season 1 possible, a sneak peek at Season 2’s upcoming interview-based format, and an invitation to a special virtual vision boarding event rooted in rest, imagination,and collective care.

Rather than pushing listeners toward “new year, new you,” Beyond Resolution offers something more grounding: permission to choose self-compassion, to release ableist expectations, and to move into the new year with intention instead of pressure.

Music Credit:

"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In Episode 12 of Beyond Beautiful: Disability, Liberation, Love, Mandi reflects on faith, disability, and liberation as Christmas approaches. Drawing from her own journey as a queer, Christian, disabled woman, she explores disabled theology, the distinction between healing and curing, and how encountering The Disabled God reshaped her understanding of Christ. This episode invites listeners to consider a Jesus whose resurrected body still bore scars—and what that means for disabled people as sacred image bearers. Beyond the Pew is a gentle, powerful invitation to find liberation, belonging, and holy love beyond performance and doctrine.

Music Credit:

"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In Episode 11 of Beyond Beautiful: Disability, Liberation, Love, Mandi explores the power of our collective voice beyond election season. Reflecting on her policy work and the impact of harmful rhetoric from our leaders, she reminds us how language shapes culture, access, and our futures—and why public participation still matters.

Music Credit:

"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/