Beyond Beautiful: Disability, Liberation, Love

As Season 2 of Beyond Beautiful: Disability, Liberation, Love comes to a close, this episode offers a moment to pause, reflect, and connect the threads woven throughout this season.Over the past several episodes, we've explored a wide range of topics - including parenthood, employment, culture, sexual health and access, the law, communication, capacity, and boundaries - all through a disability justice lens.In this solo reflection, Mandi revisits these conversations and explores how they're are all deeply connected through key disability justice principles, including intersectionality, interdependence, and sustainability. This episode is both a look back and an invitation forward - asking you to reflect on what resonated most and to share feedback on types of episodes you'd like to see in the future.Check out my WebsiteGet your Movie TicketTry Buoy Hydration Drops

In this deeply personal episode of Beyond Beautiful, Mandi is joined by her sons, Xavier and Ezra, for an honest and heartfelt conversation about family, identity, and love.Together, they explore what it’s like growing up with a queer, disabled parent and being part of a blended family with three parents. Through their perspectives, this episode centers brotherhood, interdependence, and the many ways family can be defined.This conversation is grounded in care and consent—focusing on resilience, connection, and joy, while honoring each child’s voice and communication style.Links mentioned in this episode:Life After Virtual Screening TicketsAccess is Sexy Mini Script GuideMusic Credit:"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This special episode is part of Podcasthon, a global movement where podcasters dedicate an episode to uplifting a nonprofit organization they care about.Mandi highlights KEEN New York (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now) - a nonprofit that provides free recreational programs for disabled youth. Through sports, movement, and community-building activities, KEEN creates inclusive spaces where disabled youth can build confidence, form relationships, and simply enjoy being kids.Mandi has a personal connection to KEEN, having worked with the organization for eight years and now serving as Secretary of the Board of Directors. In this episode, she's joined by the Rivera family, who share their experiences with KEEN and the impact the organization has had on their lives.Ways to Support KEEN New YorkVolunteer with KEEN programs if you are local to NYCDonate to support free programming for athletesCheck out the Podcasthon Page for this episode and links to KEEN New York's website.Music Credit:"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, Mandi talks with Bryanna Copeland — a mom, Master of Social Work student, participant in the 2026 Miss Wheelchair New York competition, disability advocate navigating motherhood, higher education, and public spaces as a wheelchair user.Bryanna shares her experience as a Black disabled single mom, including the barriers she faced with a local transportation company that led her to pursue legal action. But this conversation goes beyond litigation. Together, we explore intersectionality, advocacy, parenting, and how society often misunderstands independence when it comes to disabled people.Released on International Women’s Day, this episode highlights why disabled women — especially disabled women of color — deserve recognition for their leadership, resilience, and advocacy.Follow me on Instagram: Intersectional_AccessJoin the Beyond Beautiful Collective Get up to 60% off your first Buoy subscription using my Referral LinkMusic Credit:"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

What does it mean to truly listen beyond the pace and patterns we’re used to?In this episode, I sit down with Ceslie Martinico, a 30-year-old blogger living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type I, diagnosed at just six months old. Ceslie shares her life, her advocacy, and her deep love for all things Disney — especially Disney Princesses — while offering us a powerful lesson in communication, patience, and presence.Ceslie uses a Tobi Dynavox communication device, and this conversation required us both to approach the interview differently. As an accommodation, Ceslie requested the exact interview questions in advance so she could thoughtfully prepare her responses in her device. Even with preparation, our conversation required more time — sometimes 30 seconds to a full minute between responses.And that space?It matters.This episode invites you to slow down. To notice how quickly we expect communication to happen. To recognize how much depth we miss when we rush.Get updates and announcements on Instagram: Intersectional_AccessJoin the Beyond Beautiful Collective on Facebook.Music Credit:"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, Mandi is 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 Licensehttp://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 relationshipsThe tension between independence and interdependenceHow neurodivergent and disabled people are redefining value on their own termsThis 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 Licensehttp://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 BookStories Beyond Borders PodcastMusic Credit:"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://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 Licensehttp://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 CollectiveMusic Credit:Attribution Code"Basic Implosion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In Beyond Parenthood, Mandi sits 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 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/