Feasts & Freedom (Hour 2)

You're listening to Civic Media.

You can tune into any of our live shows on any radio station across the state with the Civic Media app.

Find us in your phone's app store and listen anytime, anywhere.

Coming to Northeast Wisconsin live from the Civic Media Studios, this is Mino and the Mayor.

And here are your hosts, John Minow

and Jim Schmidt.

Hey, thank you very much.

Welcome back.

Hour number two, Minow the Mayor, 97.9 FMWGVW, 98.396.5 FMW ISS.

And of course, the Civic Media app.

It is perfect weather out there right now.

A little bit cool this morning, but it's going to be so nice.

It is.

This is the July is going to be a phenomenal month.

And of course, we get the fourth of July coming up and we've been talking all morning.

This was almost like a cooking show all morning.

We've had here today and we want to talk to somebody who's an expert on the ultimate fourth of July and summer menu.

Shaughnessy Ireland.

Good morning, Shaughnessy.

Good morning.

How are you today?

Phenomenal.

Hungry.

Yes, because we've already been talking about this stuff.

I got to tell you something just going through all your background and all the different things you like to talk about.

You had me.

Hang on here because I could live on Shikudori boards, but the barbecue Shikudori board is over

and above

I just think it's the easiest way to do things, especially if you have everything lined up, even for hot dogs and hamburgers as a DIY.

That way people can just kind of go down the line, prepare how they want it.

They want chili on it, if they want cheese on it, if they want onions, you know, that way it doesn't have the host making all these things and preparing it.

So kind of having the board, I know that it sounds, you know, cliche and there's so many charcuterie boards for everything, but it just makes sense.

I

agree, I

love them.

And it's nice to entertain and not have to work.

Have it all set up ahead of time so you can enjoy the party.

I mean, that's the goal, right?

Right.

I love, I love the, you know, prepping ahead of time.

Now is the time to check the grill, make sure it works, make sure you have everything you need.

You can go ahead and start preparing some of those side dishes even, you know, the macaroni and cheese casserole.

You can go ahead and freeze that.

You can, anything that you can

prepare ahead of time.

Even the dips, some of the dips you can make way ahead of time.

Go ahead and prepare that now.

That way you're not super stressed the day out.

Of course, the night before we want to make sure that we're marinating everything, having our meat ready to go, and that way nobody is running out to the store last minute.

And also guys, don't be afraid to ask your guests to bring something.

They can bring a side dish.

They can bring a bag of chips.

They can bring a six pack, whatever it may be.

Invite people to

experience the party with you as the host and bring something.

And this also helps out if people have dietary needs or if they have allergies, they could bring something that they know that they can eat on the 4th of July.

So we kind of, in this neck of the woods, have the hot dogs and brats down.

Tell me about the ribs.

What would you, if you want to serve ribs, you know, sometimes it takes a long time and sometimes, you know, tell me how you would

Prepare and serve ribs if you're having a picnic barbecue at one o'clock in the afternoon.

Yeah, so I think you know pre-cut the ribs definitely before serving to just kind of make sure that everything is put together really well.

You want to keep them warm, but you of course don't want to dry them out.

So you can actually put a bit of warm barbecue sauce and a splash of apple juice to keep them really moist.

Cover them with foil.

Make sure that they are in a warm oven or on the cool side of the grill.

You do not want to keep cooking these things, so that way everything's ready to go.

And then of course,

you know, make sense, serve them with wet wipes because they're going to get dirty.

People are going to get dirty.

And, you know, it's always just best taste not to wear white to barbecue anyway.

Go ahead, Todd.

Todd was going to jump in on something right here.

I was just

going

to say, Sean, honestly, Jim would never have wet wipes because they're disposable.

The man loves linens, so he would have special linens.

Would you discourage linens at a rib

party?

I mean, you guys said the Bump the Stratutory board was extra.

A linens?

Yeah.

I know it's not the best for the environment this year.

It's once a year, right?

Well, yeah, okay.

Well, we'll see.

But when would you cook the ribs though?

When would you cook them?

You would cook them the day before, would you?

When would you?

No, no, no.

She's

just warning up the morning.

You're just gonna want to slow slow cook them You know, you don't want to rush anything slow is is the name of the game with barbecue Absolutely, but the day of for sure.

I think that if you do have ahead of time, they're just gonna be nasty

Can you

do

it in a gas grill or does it have to be charcoal or wood?

You know, this is an often very heated debate.

I think that charcoal and wood just tastes better I think most people would agree with that

If you don't have the option to have that, you can even put wood chips in foil and put them on your grill.

That kind of gives it a little bit of that smoky taste.

But I think that if you want to go with ultimate ribs, you got to have the charcoal or you got to have the wood chips for sure.

Or at a coffee can too, you can throw some wood chips in there.

Yeah.

That doesn't sound too... One of the things in the

information you sent along, Shanice, was some of the stores that you can find some of the products that you're talking about this morning.

And one of the, it was a dollar store, which by the way, John Minow, okay, loves the dollar stores.

Yes.

Jim Schmidt, not so much.

There's, you could actually get good stuff there,

right?

I love the Dollar Tree.

You guys, I buy so much stuff at Dollar Tree.

Thank you.

I have five kids.

So things get broken and destroyed very, very quickly in my house.

So the Dollar Tree is the way to go.

That's because they're from the

Dollar

Tree.

Quiet you.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And the product I think you're talking about is the Rayburn sandwiches.

They have these pulled pork sandwiches that you can find at the Dollar General.

And you can pop them in the microwave for 90 seconds.

You can pop them on the grill.

And they're just fresh and ready to go for your guests when they arrive for your party.

I

know exactly what you

were talking about.

He's drooling.

Yeah.

But how about Hi-V?

You have that listed too.

Yeah, you can also purchase them there as well.

I don't know if you admire.

Oh, yeah, we love them too.

Yeah.

OK, yeah.

You can also find Rayburns at Myer or you can just go to Rayburns.com.

to look at the different variety of the flavors they have, the Philly cheesesteak, the chicken sandwich, as I mentioned, the pulled pork sandwich, and then you can find out where they are locally there.

But you know, another thing, just going back to the ribs and cooking stuff like that, do people, when they go to something like that, like if it's all family, it's no big deal, you know, you get stuff all over your face and you're sweating and your food and whatever and everything.

But if you're at a little bit more of a formal type party, what would you suggest you kind of stay away from?

Because sometimes people want to be a little bit hoity-toity with what they serve, but

You know what I mean?

You don't want to be that guy with a big splotch on his shirt, which I've been at

times.

You

know what I'm saying?

I mean, I know exactly what you're saying.

I mean, I guess you would have to stay away from the wings and the ribs and anything that's really super juicy.

But I don't know.

Maybe you need to take a bib with you or have your linen napkins on your chest.

But I think that would

be... I think, you know, my father-in-law would slap a bib on.

We had some pretty...

I

was like, really?

But he did.

Hey, do you have to?

What are some of the things, Shonesty, right now that, you know, every year something might be a little bit trendy or something cool that if you wanted to like go, I don't want to say over the top, but you want to really impress some people at where it's like, oh, it wasn't just brats in the, you know, pasta salad.

It was, oh, what could somebody do without like breaking the bank, you know, going to these stores that you and I like to frequent and whatever.

What could you really impress people

with?

a dessert.

You know, you g a good dessert.

And you guys, it sounds but just having those slice blueberries and make the amer a sheet cake dessert w some vanilla pudding and a little at the bottom of it.

I actually for that over on my I'm even having the angel

the little toothpicks with anything red, white and think it really elevates t can really make a boring something super stiff.

So with the theme and the amer even have some books out th those are always a fan you don't have to get super

But at the same time, you can make everything look really nice.

Where can we find you?

I'm on Instagram.

It's just at Shanesty Ireland.

I also have a blog.

It's called She's Becoming Domestic.com, YouTube, TikTok, all the social media.

If you just Google my name, you can find me.

I

do think that American flag, and that's

kind of a little bit becoming, you know, the pumpkin pie of Thanksgiving.

I just think it's, but that's a little, that's kind of healthy because you do have the blueberries and you do have the strawberries.

What did you say about the cups for the kids?

What is that again?

So I just take little plastic cups and I put angel food cake in it with some cool with strawberries and blueberries Put one of those little American flag toothpicks on top and it's super festive and wonderful.

All right to

make it the red white and blue.

All right.

I

got it

I gotta go back to that one other thing though.

What would you not recommend people trying to serve especially if they haven't done it

before?

Lobster.

That's

pretty tricky.

Lobster is a good one.

Lobster is a good one.

I don't know if everyone's going to love lobster at the table.

It's a little tricky.

You don't want to be getting the live lobsters and trying to make them dail.

That could be really disastrous.

I think you just got to stick to the basis.

Brought hot dogs, burgers, ribs.

That's what people are going to expect and that's what they want.

That

would be weird to go to a Fourth of July party and see a lot of.

fish or lobster, people are like, okay, this is weird.

The only

thing I would think would be weirder than that, Jim, is going to a fourth of July party, let's say at your house, and the cake is a Panamanian flag.

We got a young guy here from Panama, wonderful gentleman.

I would have made a Panamanian flag.

I thought he was from Puerto Rico.

That was the difference.

It wasn't, I wouldn't have made.

If he would have come over, I was going to present him a Puerto Rican flag, which is an American, which they're from America.

So I'm glad he's not coming.

I know that would have been weird.

That would have been weird because they're not part of us.

Yeah.

Okay.

All right.

So thanks for bringing that up.

Yeah.

Throw that one out to

your people there, Shaughnessy.

Yeah.

Hey, this is a lot of fun.

I just have to ask you though, are you one of those people that, you know, then you have people expect you when you do have a backyard party or something, they expect you to have the coolest one in the block?

I mean, obviously, yeah.

I mean, the parties are seemed like they said I have five kids, so I have a built in circus in the backyard.

Lots of entertainment, lots of fun.

And yeah, it's a lot of fun.

I love to entertain.

I love having all the neighbors over.

Don't really love the cleanup.

would really like my husband to step up in that aspect, but that's okay.

We're learning.

Well, this has been fun, Shaughnessy.

Have you ever had any Wisconsin food?

Have you ever been up here for anything?

You know, I actually have not.

I need to make a trip, don't I?

Absolutely.

I will say about your Dollar General and Dollar Tree, those are good places to get like the balloons, the

decorations.

No, no, no, I'm talking about I know but I mean all those kind of little things that

you know, but the festive the things that you put on the table Yeah, you know, that's no question.

They don't

they don't have the cloth linens.

No, I don't know but

Jim's got several sets

Yeah, and I bought those candles the red white blue candles.

Yeah, that's what I mean

Yeah,

that's stuff.

Sorry, but anything why

not go there instead of paying twice as much as someplace else?

Firm believer in that and with five kids like you said Shaughnessy

I took my granddaughters one day.

I told them, I said, you can each have $10 to buy anything you want.

They were in heaven.

That was the greatest $10 you could

possibly ever

spend.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, and let's be honest, guys, we're probably going to be throwing away all of that stuff after the fourth, after this weekend.

So it's best not to invest a ton of money in these decorations that are probably going to get ripped or stained with your barbecue sauce or whatever it could

be.

Right.

OK, one last time, tell us where everybody can find you.

You've got a phenomenal personality.

I'd love to watch some of your things.

Right.

Thank you.

I'm on Instagram.

It's just at Shanice the Ireland YouTube TikTok blog all of it.

So I think there's only one of me out there.

So if you Google me, you're bound to find me.

S-H-A-N-I-S-T-Y Ireland like the country.

Yes, that's it.

Outstanding.

You've been fun.

Thank you.

You bet.

It was fun.

Happy 4th of July.

Same deal.

Enjoy your linen.

And,

um, I

hope I make

it

back again

soon!

You're listening to Civic Media.

Stay up to date on the latest news and information for your local community and Wisconsin by signing up for our free email newsletter.

Visit civicmedia.us slash email to get started.

Can I have you guys just look at the camera real quick in front of you and just see how you're sitting?

Well Jim you should be over that way a little bit you should both be

see how

the TV

screens right

behind you Yep, see how that works got it perfect.

Thanks guys.

All right back to Mino in

the mayor now.

You see him being a wedding photographer two years.

Got it.

Yeah Tori

He says, in order to get back into welding, don't you first have to be a welder?

All right, Tori.

OK.

Very much.

I think he's right.

I think he's onto something.

I think you're right, Jim.

Shonesty was great.

She was fun.

You know, what's nice about what she said is, don't make it too difficult.

Yeah.

Just.

Make it kind of simple and get the decorations and spend too much money.

Well, like your hot dog bar, right?

Was that difficult?

That was awesome.

No, that was... Okay, can I just...

No one says about their own party.

It was awesome.

You can't know what's being said.

You're right.

Their own parties.

Okay, let me...

Todd, am I right or am I wrong?

All I'm saying, John, it was... Well, Jim would know if it was good or bad, and I think he would be honest with us about

that.

First of all, okay, I don't want to say rave reviews.

What was nice about that party was I really got...

to spend time with the guests because it was all set up and all I did was kind of visit people because it was it was easy.

They just got the hot dogs, get the lungs.

They could beer and wine and there's an open bar.

They could mix whatever they want.

People didn't drink very much that night.

Yeah, I and that's what she's telling you.

Don't do all the work.

Don't wait on people.

Set it up.

She could reward whatever you want to do and let them.

And I think people are OK with picnics.

It's a little bit different, you know.

dinners, but I like that.

And I think she made some good points on a dollar tree and going there to get the decorations and some of the stuff.

Absolutely.

About the food.

But yeah, no, it's great.

I mean, we're going to have parties every night.

What are you doing for the fourth?

We're going to be up at Elkhart Lake.

Oh, that's right.

What's going to be fun about that is I have three adult children with husbands and every night

A different family is in charge of the meal.

That's cool.

And they actually volunteered.

It wasn't my idea.

Like I was trying to delegate.

They are really doing that.

And then, um, like the, like the snacks and stuff, that's me, but it's, it's healthy.

They're not going to, I don't want them to get mad at me.

So like I said, it's going to be, um, healthier things.

Good.

That's

great.

Sounds like a good time.

It's going to be great.

And we have.

Different rooms because there's too many of us for a large room.

So yeah, that sounds fantastic.

So that'd be fun And then the it's got the beach and rented a pontoon boat and some other stuff Perfect.

Yeah, it's gonna be fun and we don't get together as often as I'd like so That's gonna be great.

How about

you?

What do you not sure yet?

Not sure yet might be a game time decision

Put your kids are in Madison, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah far away.

Yeah Um, Todd, how about you?

What do you like your family take ours was that we always had the same?

thing every single 4th of July for my entire lifetime would go to my Uncle Bill and Auntie Mary's camp that was on Little Shag Lake outside of Gwyn and everybody would be there and everybody would play horseshoes and

you have

firecrackers and it was always just everybody get together like that and then there'd be some boat rides and things at night bottle rockets and I mean

Just fun family type thing.

I think all the summer events at my, for my family were pretty much the same.

Yeah.

You know, you'd grill out, maybe it would be brats, maybe be chicken or something like that.

Everybody would have a salad or whatever.

So it was pretty standard.

This year I'm going to, um, Oshkosh Menominee Park for the fireworks on Friday.

Cool.

Enjoying that.

A little bit of food truck action down

there.

Very nice.

Very nice.

How's your food truck buddy doing?

Good.

He's going to be Reggie.

Yep.

Reggie's doing well.

Excellent.

Yep.

Excellent big fan of his trying to absolutely actually where's he from?

He's from Haiti.

Hey, could you have him make a flag for Jim's?

Yeah, but I just you know what it's one of those things that you when you look back, you know, it seems like nowadays there's

a lot more holidays and a lot more get-togethers and a lot more whatever.

But back then, that was like your one big day of the summer.

Wasn't it?

I mean, there

weren't festivals at every little town, every weekend, everything here, everything there.

That was your one shot.

And then did you drink red, white, and blue beer?

My dad used to buy that sometimes.

For that

day, right?

Well, I probably, no, I was cheap.

My dad

bought it because it was cheap.

It was that papst, old style, or Blatz.

Well, we only had

that

on the fourth.

Really?

Yeah.

But we didn't have that Michigan, I don't think.

Cause like I said, we used to come down to shop co liquor and that's where we'd get those

beers.

But yeah, that was red, white and blue beer apps.

I still remember the cans, the whole thing.

Yeah.

I still say Blats is the worst beer I've ever tasted.

No, um, it's not good.

Worst ever.

I've got a picture of him.

I was just a baby.

He's holding me and he's giving me some schlitz.

Yeah, that

was up

there

too.

That

was

big.

That was popular.

But Pam's was my dad's go-to.

Pam's.

But the other thing I'm doing, because my three daughters and their husbands, I'm picking up my mom and bringing her there for a day.

Nice.

Because it's too crazy.

to go to her place because she's bring everybody and other people are there.

And so

we're doing that.

She's going to go and I'm going to take her out in the pontoon.

But we just visit and that'd be good.

But that is a fun day because the weather's good.

It's chill and there's no gifts.

You know what I mean?

It's like a little bit of a Thanksgiving.

Absolutely.

I think that sounds great.

That's awesome.

Yeah.

So somebody let us know three Texas people.

What are you like a family tradition?

that you guys always did that maybe you can't do anymore, that

you don't do anymore.

This is kind of getting up as one of the favorites, because like I said, there's not a lot of pressure, right?

Right.

They put on the fireworks.

The fireworks are done by the community, so you don't have to really do that.

You eat, and like I said, I'd like the fact that there's not this pressure of gifts, and you kind of don't have to go to church.

I agree.

Wow.

No, not bad.

Some people I

know I agree.

I agree.

I

agree.

You know what?

I'm not as big of a church goer as I used to be Simply because I

Had to go so much back when I was an altar boy and that just feel like I've got a grace period.

Yeah,

you know what I mean

for the rest of your life

Well, yeah, because if everybody out if other people go like one day a week, okay,

you're there

and I was there like three months every day I got like years

you do have a

built-up.

Yep.

Mm-hmm.

Okay, so I'm gonna I didn't realize you could stockpile I have to read up on that.

I'm not sure that's in the Bible in the

Old Testament Look it up

It was carved in stone.

It wouldn't be in the old.

They found it!

An archaeologist found it in, like,

some place.

The third tablet.

He

just read

some place.

He found it.

Didn't that guy drop?

Yes.

Good break.

And when the mayor on the go with the Civic Media app, live, local, and always streaming, download the app, choose WISS or WGBW, and tune in anywhere, anytime.

Now, back to Mino and the Mayor.

Here's John Mino and Jim Schmidt.

Hey, thank you

very much.

Welcome back.

Mino and the Mayor.

You're in a beautiful morning.

And do we have Marla?

We've got Marla.

Marla Capecchi, Penny.

Empower freedom, focus on freedom.

Just a little background.

We had you in the studio in Oshkosh a month or so ago, and we were so impressed.

Jim and I were both talking about this.

We were so impressed with people like yourself and others do.

And again, I came from my mother because a serious stroke was disabled for

No, man, 42 years of her life.

Um, I've dealt with so many, you know, wounded people and, and different types of things and amputees and that, and there's a special brand of people that say, I'm going to wake up every single morning and I give these people a bit of a lift and to help them out in certain ways.

And you've devoted your life to that.

So Jim and I were talking during the break and how much we admire you and what you do.

Well, thank you so much.

And I'm so excited to be back.

Oh, it's great to have you back.

That is, um, well, it's

Kind to do that is tough work.

I you know, really just to cut to the chase.

It's just It's a special type of really it just does it's not come

from the heart.

It's just not a here's my you know my thing and boom

So tell us why you're doing this and just the special person that takes

That's a great question.

Why am I doing this?

I fell into it.

I think I shared that the last

And I just love looking at all the possibilities of what everyone is able to do and able to contribute.

And I believe everyone wants to live a life of purpose.

And it is so rewarding and it fills your heart so much when you see clients or students or your children or your parent be able to do something that they haven't been able to do and to fulfill a purpose.

They feel so excited about themselves and knowing that you've helped and you've supported them along that journey also fills your heart because you feel that excitement as well.

I'm just going to recap or restart who you are here.

Founder Marla Capecchi-Penny has spent the last 20 years working with children and adults with disabilities as an in-

in-home therapist, respite care provider, special education teacher, evaluator, and so much more.

Marlon, her Empower Freedom team are focusing on helping folks of all abilities reach their goals through proven resources, guides, checklists, and more.

And to see that advancement, maybe something that we may not notice, but you being that close to it, maybe a small thing, but something that would be

huge to them.

And that's I should have read that part too.

Yeah, you're empowering individuals with disabilities, families and caretakers to live more independent lives and have more freedom to dream again and do what they love to do.

Yeah, it's the first time I remember feeling that moment was I had been working with a client and he had sensory issues was my first client and had significant needs and sensory issues were

or one of them touching different textures, being willing to do that.

And we worked for months on different activities.

And at that time, you know, 20 plus years ago, 25, actually, when I sit down and think about it.

And all I did was one step at a time, just like, you know, get your hand closer to the bowl to touch the shaving cream, because we were working on the shaving cream texture.

And

when he finally touched the shaving cream and then he started playing in the shaving cream.

Like it was such a rewarding experience.

That was the first moment I felt it and I felt it so many times since just that feeling of their excitement when they do it, their pride when they do it, when they achieve it.

I just had one of my lean trainers send me a picture of a client of mine who's just learned to tie a shoe.

You know, it's things we take for granted so often times because so many people just can do those things and can experience those things that when you take the moment to appreciate every little small step, that's where it really lies.

I could

not agree

more with you because I've lived through that too and I know exactly what you're mean.

And we have to give communities credit for advancing

I think disabilities, we sometimes think about, you know, the wheelchairs walking, but that sensory, even here in Green Bay, and I'm sure Oshkosh Appleton has addressed this as well, but, you know, we all worked the booth, the civic media booth at the county fair, and they did a lot more with sensory issues a couple years ago.

And we have Bay Beach is one of our amusement parks here in Green Bay, and they put it in like a sensory...

smaller area.

And I think that's just great that people are realizing that it is a disability like you talked about the kid with the shaving cream.

I mean, those are just things that people need to feel the touch.

And yeah.

So when you guys are always looking for new employees, aren't you?

We are always looking for new employees.

I actually just had one of my employees because we're starting to work on our file schedule.

And she messaged me last night.

She goes, hey, here's what I'm looking at for fall.

And one of my friends is going to apply.

And she's doing this currently and all excited.

And I said, that's great.

We always have a wait list.

And she goes, wait, a wait list for employees?

I go, no, no, no.

I go, we have a wait list for clients.

Who need an employees.

Exactly.

Tell everybody the type of person it takes.

Again, it's not just punch a time clock type of job.

Not at all.

So as far as employees, it's really, my leads and my trainers can teach you how to do the job.

You have to have passion.

You have to want to be there.

You have to engage and just have that heart.

It's just, it's the person that when you walk into the room, you feel loved, right?

Like you feel good being in their presence.

Those are who we're looking for.

person where you, they make you laugh.

It's really looking at that personality because we can teach you how to do the work.

The impact that person can have on somebody's life is immeasurable and they might not really realize it.

Wouldn't you agree?

Oh, 100%.

And it's not just on the individual, it's on the family, you know, and we're really starting to branch out into

that as well because as we've just alluded to the wait list, that's everywhere.

Everyone's on wait lists.

So we're not only now branching out into supporting the clients, which we've done for six years with Focus on Freedom.

We're now building out and supporting the caregivers, offering different seminars, offering different coaching and person classes to help empower them as well along in the journey.

So if you're ready and when you're ready,

We're here wherever you're at in that journey to take that nugget and apply it is really, really what we do.

So we've started to look at it as a whole family approach because we all impact each other.

So tell me the, the client, how they get connected with and power freedom.

And I know you have a waiting list, but still I want listeners to know how to

get on

the list.

So Focus on Freedom is the company that has the waitlist.

So in Power of Freedom, I have two sister companies.

So we'll...

We'll clarify that.

So Empower Freedom is a subscription-based model that you can access anywhere.

So all those people who are on waitlist, they can check out empower-readom.org and they can go on and I have all the blogs that I've created, which are quick how-to reads, one to three minutes.

So you're not having to spend a ton of time or I have now videos that I'm uploading to give you nuggets of information.

Then I have third-party resources to help you implement the strategy, as well as whatever visual supports.

So I'm not sure if you're familiar with a visual schedule, but think of it as a to-do list, a checklist.

Those types of tools are extremely beneficial when we are talking about children and adults with diverse abilities.

It helps them to structure up what we call executive functioning.

I don't know if you've ever heard of that term before, but it's really being able to organize and put things in order and break them down.

That's really where those pieces and parts come into play.

So in that subscription-based model, they can go in.

Become a member you can pay monthly or yearly and all the tools are there So you don't have to spend the hours the months Researching and trying to figure out how to implement reading these big long books reading all these different resource It's there for you because people don't have the time so that's empower freedom and then focus on freedom is the one I started six years ago that is Based within the counties that I serve

And so the reason that Empower Freedom started was because I was getting calls from all over.

So Madison, Racine, North Carolina, Canada, I mean, all over for help because they found me online.

And I said, I need to start helping these people too.

If they don't have support there, how can we get it to them?

So if they're willing to do it and read it and work through implementing it and connect with me,

that resource is there for them.

And then it focused on freedom is the company that really works here in northeast Wisconsin in the Winnebago, Audigamey, um, finally like counties and, and slightly beyond, we're starting to, to branch out a little bit, um, where we're really working with the clients in the home and doing those wraparound coaching one-to-one in-person classes.

So those are the the two different companies.

Are you to get funding from the state?

Are you funded through school system?

Okay, good.

So focus on freedom is is purely funded through what we call the CLTS waiver program.

I'm not sure.

Are you familiar at all with the CLTS waiver

program?

But I you don't have to get into that.

I just I'm just I'm glad to hear that because, you know, there's

But that would be the avenue with which we're funded.

There's a TV station up in the UP that I somehow get on Spectrum Cable here.

And I swear half their newscasts are sponsored by one of the groups up there looking for people, exactly the type of people that you find and train and employ and everything.

But the lady talked, I saw one of the specialists says, you have no idea how many services we've had to cut back.

that would be helping these people.

We just can't do it.

We don't have, I mean, it's breaking their hearts that they don't have people to help out.

That's really why I started diving into the caregiver piece.

I really started diving in about a little over two years ago, I think, where I started my foundations and caregiving course, which is an on-demand course for parents and caregivers.

It's kind of like a one-on-one style of course.

And then this past year actually I've launched two programs within the last three months that have kind of started taking off and it's all about helping parents and caregivers.

right one to one.

So my personalized family support plan, we create a personalized plan where we're working with them.

If you know anything about special education and school districts, it's called the individual education plan and IEP.

We walk through that, we walk through 504s, all of those tools, but we also do and show them how to implement strategies in the home.

So then I'm in working with them.

So for example, the client I'm working with right now, we're working on it.

We did their IEP.

first and now we're working on an emotional regulation strategy in the home using visuals to help them implement and calm during those frustrations.

Marla Kopecki, Penny, phenomenal and power freedom.

Tell everybody a one stop shop where they can find you and get any information they need.

So for focus on freedom, it's at focusonfreedom.org.

So that's if you're Winnebago, Audigamey, Fond de la Counties, check us out there.

And for our subscription, it's at empower-freedom.org.

Thanks for what you do.

I mean, you really, you truly help make people's lives better who wouldn't have that if it wasn't for people like you and all the people that you employ and take care of these people.

So seriously, from my heart, thank you for what you do.

Thank you.

You bet.

We gotta set our quick break.

Sean in the house, Sean cats back in the house.

Did he perhaps didn't see a little box of treats?

What's up with that?

Thank you for doing that Sean.

You're listening to Civic Media.

Find the latest news, information, and archives of all your favorite shows on the Civic Media website, civicmedia.us.

festival coming up had a nice drive down didn't have a chance of course to get you know those little kind of those fruity little things you brought over so delicious those raspberry ones are unbelievable.

Did you have the raspberry?

I did.

Raspberry is my favorite of all the different

fruits.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Good stuff.

Good stuff.

Well like I said I was going to buy you breakfast sandwiches too.

Right.

You pulled off the oldest minor line in

history.

I forgot about it.

Yeah.

Yeah, I didn't forget it.

I realized where it was.

I was like, I traveled all the way from Marinette without my wallet.

You're doing all right gas mileage to get back home?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, could you give me a 20?

Yeah, like I got a 20 in my pocket.

Um, what we got here, Blats was great.

No one wanted to drink our beer in college when we had it.

Shunt,

Brian.

We were talking about back in the day

with the family.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

your dad threw a barbecue or whatever you did.

Do you remember the kind of beer that you had?

We had Stroze.

I forgot about Stroze.

Huge Michigan beer.

Yeah,

and being a good Chicagoan old style.

Old style.

Yeah, old style was.

Was there a kind of a, did it kind of go?

by nationalities.

I think so.

I think so too.

Yeah, I do.

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

I mean, you know, growing up, that was my grandfather's beer.

He was German.

That's

what I was going to say.

That seems like a real

German beer.

Yeah.

But the 4th of July was not a hard liquor day.

No, it was beer.

It was beer.

It was beer.

Yeah, totally.

Because my dad...

Didn't drink beer, but I think he did on that day,

you know, it's interesting my wife and I were talking about this out

back in the

day that yeah that you know the amount of hard liquor that our parents drink though I mean it was it was I've got these beautiful Tom Collins glasses that hardly ever come out that were my grandfather's that you know I mean because everything was a mixed drink,

you know, and I like when they travel and they had those little

My

dad would carry a flask to every game, every packer game, every high school football game.

They would always carry a

flask.

You

know what I'm talking about?

Those little things, yeah.

You had the jiggers and just to make the stuff.

Yeah, I had one.

Once again, for my grandfather.

I'd like to find that.

Both my grandfathers were German, but my mom's father was on the, well, I mean, he just, I mean, he had his own bar set up.

I mean, it was the coolest thing.

But I mean, at Packer

Games, when the Packers of Skr touched on him, he

passed it around.

He would take out the flask and have a shot.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You don't see that anymore.

But, you know, they don't, I come to think of that.

They didn't really have a lot of diversity in their drinks.

I mean, it was pretty much Manhattan's and Martini's at our house.

I didn't know how to make those when I was a little kid, and I mean a little kid.

No, I'm only laughing because I would often joke around that my grandfather would yell out to my uncle.

My uncle actually worked for a distributor, so he'd get all these different types of liquors all the time.

They'd just yell, Bob!

Fixed me a highball.

So

in our house, it was a

highball.

I mean, it just was what it was.

But yeah, I mean, you knew how to make them there.

Yeah.

And you knew how to drink

them at a

fairly age.

Yeah.

Todd, I imagine you did too.

Dad was always brandy old fashioned.

So here's, and I got to tell this story, because my dad worked for the railroad for 35 years, never, ever missed a day of work.

Wow.

OK,

except once.

OK.

It was his birthday.

the night before and he had a few too many brandy old fashions.

So I was getting up and get ready for work and I realized I didn't have any work socks.

So I thought, well, I'll just borrow a pair of dads, right?

So I walked in and my dad's laying in the bed.

And I'm like, oh my God, he's dead because my

dad was

never in bed

at seven o'clock in the morning.

Just hung over never had a brandy old-fashioned again.

Okay, that yeah until I moved to Wisconsin I had never heard or I didn't know what an old-fashioned or a Manhattan were I those are not other parts of the state or other parts of the country I should say I didn't know what either one of those were Manhattan's aren't everywhere

I had never seen

one before.

Really?

Oh.

I mean, maybe they are.

I mean, Brandy, old fashions, I know are kind of us.

Yeah, and I

never knew what an old fashion was.

I didn't know what a

Manhattan was.

Okay.

But I never, I never, like, heard anybody getting one.

You

know what I

mean?

But an old fashion, yeah.

Never until I got here, then I tried

it.

And

then, it's like, I didn't...

But for those martinis in Indiana, if you put in too much of that...

Driver moves.

It's like a dad.

Why even buy this stuff?

You know, you put it on like a hat.

What is that for?

What is for booth for?

Well in the Manhattan, it's sweet for mousse, right?

And so it's just a little bit or

I

don't get for mousse.

Well, there's driver moves and sweet for mousse, right?

Once are they

out.

Do they have alcohol?

Yeah, a little bit.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, they do have a little bit.

But you know, I think sometimes I think if I forget, he wouldn't even know.

But, you know, but it's just a

little sometimes you just just splash.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I just never knew exactly what the purpose

was.

Oh, the only thing he would change up once in a while was the garnishment on mushrooms or something.

But

I'll tell you, first time I had a thing with pickled

mushrooms.

Right.

It's like, whoa.

Or even the pickled

green beans and stuff.