The Hidden Workforce Weekly Update

This Week's Show, Episode 229!

We are a Radio Show that airs on Groovy 105.7FM every Saturday at 9:00am and Sunday at 4:00pm. After it airs live on the radio, we release the full show onto our Podcast platforms at the beginning of every week. We’re currently on Spotify, Apple, and iHeart Radio Podcasts!

“The Hidden Workforce” is about the positive impact that people who live with different abilities make to the workforce and the world around them.

On our show, you will hear:

  • Stories from people who live with a massive variety of different abilities who are breaking stigmas and shattering the glass ceilings placed over them. We have had CEOs, business owners, actors, actresses, authors, community contributors, survivors, and more who live with disabilities of all types and severities on our show sharing their stories and how they are where they are today.

  • Leaders from nonprofits all over the state of Oklahoma, Nationwide, and Worldwide who are serving people who live with disabilities.

  • Representatives from State agencies such as DRS, DDS, and more on the programs and services they offer to serve people with disabilities.

  • Service Providers and Provider Agencies.

  • Inclusive Employers and Employees Ready to Work for Inclusive Employers

  • and so much more!

What Did We Hear Last Week?

Last week we continued our series of shows from the NABIS Live collaborative podcast series hearing from Dr. Johnny Lifshitz again as he shared with us about a difficult yet important topic to address in the field of Brain Injury- Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence related Traumatic Brain Injury.

“Jonathan Lifshitz, PhD, leads the Neurotrauma & Social Impact research team as a joint venture between the University of Michigan Concussion Center, Michigan Medicine Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. He is appointed as a Michigan Impact Professor, a tenured Professor, and VA Research Health Scientist. Research projects focus on investigative, restorative, and regenerative treatments for traumatic brain injury as it develops into chronic neurodegenerative disease. We investigate domestic violence, child abuse, gender imbalance, marital norms, and Veteran mental health, with focus on inflammation and circuit reorganization to detect and intervene. The goal is to train generations of investigators to apply rigorous data to work for social impact, including health and medical outcomes. He leads local, state, and federal funded projects, including ones on cognitive rehabilitation, cardiovascular risk factors, vital imaging, neuroinflammation, and TBI during pregnancy. Currently, he is the scientific director for regional and national consortia to understand TBI arising from domestic violence…” (https://experts.umich.edu/13576-jonny-lifshitz)

Check out this episode on Spotify, Apple, or iHeart Radio to listen to it anytime you need a podcast fix!

What is Slated for This Week’s Show?

This week, we’re continuing our series of shows from the NABIS Live collaborative podcast series on Episode 229 of The Hidden Workforce! 

Let’s welcome Dr. Lisa Brenner! In this episode, Dr. Brenner shares with us about the many components to mental and behavioral health related to brain injury and traumatic brain injury.

“Lisa A. Brenner, Ph.D., is a Board-Certified Rehabilitation Psychologist, and a Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Psychiatry, and Neurology at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. Brenner is a Senior Clinical Investigator at the Department of Veterans Affairs Rocky Mountain Regional Medical Center. She co-leads the VA Brain Health Coordinating Center (BHCC) and the Military and Veteran Microbiome Consortium for Research and Education (MVM CoRE). She is the past Chair of the International Brain Injury Association and a past President of Division 22 (Rehabilitation Psychology) of the American Psychological Association (APA), as well as an APA Fellow. She serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. Dr. Brenner is a leading expert in the field of traumatic brain injury and comorbid psychiatric disorders. She has over 250 peer-reviewed publications, participates on national advisory boards, and has co-authored a book titled: Suicide Prevention After Neurodisability: An Evidence-Informed Approach. She is also a Co-Editor of the APA Handbook of Rehabilitation Psychology (3rd Edition) and is the current Editor of the Oxford University Press Academy of Rehabilitation Psychology Series.” (https://braininjurysummit2026.org/speaker/lisa-a-brenner/)

You do not want to miss this show!

Tune in this weekend on Groovy 105.7 Saturday at 9:00am or Sunday at 4:00pm, or tune in to hear the show on Spotify, Apple, or iHeart Radio.

Open Ears Open Opportunities, Inc.

Open Ears Open Opportunities, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit offering a customized approach to giving people with disabilities a voice and skill-building opportunity through various disciplines of media education training, enabling and empowering them to learn how to manage their social media, create content, and share their stories through radio, video, social media, professional production experiences, podcasting, and more. 

Open Ears Open Opportunities, Inc.’s Mission is to transform perceptions of people with different abilities through media representation.

OEOO’s Vision is to see a community and world where people with different abilities’ stories are heard, equitable opportunity and access are given to them in media and the workforce, and for inclusion to be a first response, not a last resort.

The Hidden Workforce is produced by members of OEOO, so we are advocating for inclusion in the workforce while an inclusive workforce makes our radio show and podcast happen!

To learn more about OEOO’s programs visit: https://openearsopenopportunities.org/

If you or someone you know would like to get involved with OEOO, please email [email protected].

If you would like to donate, click the button below!

Our Podcast is a Resource!

If you are searching for answers on a resource to help serve you, your child, or loved one who lives with a different ability- if you are a parent or caregiver- if you are a service provider or provider agency- if you need community… Chances are, there is an answer in one of our shows!!