All across Texas, people are showing that you don’t have to wait for change from the top down — you can build it from the ground up. And when local efforts succeed, they don’t just transform a workplace, a neighborhood, a classroom — they offer a template for reimagining the system itself.

In this episode Larissa Minner, an expert on disability research and universal design, joins us for an exploration of how small-scale changes to everyday practice can catalyze deeper change not only to lives, but to systems.

Related Links:

• Designing for Mental Health
• Shared Inquiry: A Better Way to Learn
• Community-Based Participatory Research

Every system of care — whether it’s education, health, or justice — is built on trust. Trust that when we reach out for help, we’ll be treated with respect and fairness. But for too many Texans, that hasn’t always been the case.

People with disabilities and those living in poverty have too often been left out or let down by systems that were meant to support them. Just as obviously, there are people working to change that — to repair relationships, rebuild credibility, and make care systems worthy of the people they serve. Andrew Hairston, Education Justice Director at Texas Appleseed, and Yulissa Chavez, Public Policy Specialist Fellow with the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, join us to take a hard look at what it means to confront inadequacies and repair harm within the very systems designed to help us.

Related Links:

• Building Access with Intention: Reflecting on National Disability Employment Awareness Month

• Public Policy for Building a Resilient Future

• Mind of Texas: Mental Health in Texas Public Schools

Today’s episode was recorded as part of the Robert Lee Sutherland Seminar, an event the Hogg Foundation hosts every two years to explore urgent issues in mental health and well-being. This year’s seminar included a screening of Humanly Possible, a new documentary produced with support from the Hogg Foundation. The film shares deeply personal stories of substance use recovery. In this episode, we go behind the scenes of the film and talk about why recovery stories matter—for individuals, for families, and for the systems that shape our communities. Our two guests are Jason Howell, CEO of RecoveryPeople, and John McIver, editor of Humanly Possible.

Related Links:

• From Struggle to Strength: Exploring Journeys to Recovery
• Rhythms of Resilience: An Early Look at the Robert Lee Sutherland Seminar