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For IDD Providers: Tired of the revolving door of staff? Join host Nate Beers as he and other industry leaders share loads of actionable advice on how you can retain and grow your DSP workforce. Just because there's a nationwide DSP workforce crisis doesn't mean that your organization has to churn through staff. Listen to innovative solutions to increase your staff retention and give your organization a competitive advantage so that at the end of the day you provide the best quality care for those you serve.
More effective supervisors. Stronger workforce. Lower turnover.
77 Episodes
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Most organizations are promoting the wrong people. Not because they don’t care. Not because they’re careless. But because they’re using the wrong criteria. In this episode, Nate breaks down a simple but powerful rule: ➡️ Never promote an “ask twice” person. From there, he unpacks the two traits that actually predict supervisor success—and why being a great DSP doesn’t automatically translate into being a great leader. You’ll also learn how to move beyond the “accidental supervisor” t...
What if the thing your best DSPs want most… isn’t more pay? In Part 2 of this conversation with Scott and Craig De Fasselle from DSP Magnet, we shift from big-picture staffing challenges to something surprisingly simple—and incredibly powerful: ➡️ The small, human moments that make people stay. From 1-minute appreciation messages to better questions leaders can ask, this episode is packed with practical ways to strengthen connection, improve retention, and create a workplace people don’t want...
You hired 100 DSPs… so why are you still short-staffed? In this episode, Nate sits down with Scott De Fasselle and Craig De Fasselle from DSP Magnet to unpack one of the most frustrating realities in IDD services: 👉 You’re hiring… but you’re not actually getting ahead. We dig into the hidden reasons behind the “revolving door” — and why the problem may not be what you think. This conversation is packed with powerful reframes: --It’s not just a recruiting problem --It’s not just an HR pro...
Staff retention can feel incredibly frustrating. You try retention bonuses. Recognition programs. Hiring harder. Posting more jobs. Improving onboarding. And yet… the vacancies keep coming. For many leaders in human services, improving retention feels like trying to carry water in your hands—no matter how much effort you put in, it keeps slipping through your fingers. But the organizations that achieve consistently low turnover aren’t just getting lucky. They’re doing a few key things dif...
If your team is struggling with retention, the answer probably isn’t another pizza party. In Part 2 of this conversation, Nate sits down again with workforce strategist Holli Beth Clauser, founder of ABA C.A.R.E.S. Staffing and host of The People Contingency Podcast, to talk about the deeper systems that actually influence whether staff stay or leave. Together they unpack practical ways leaders can spot early warning signs of turnover, break down silos between departments, and use simple da...
When you're short-staffed, under pressure, and drowning in overtime… speed feels like the only thing that matters. But what if hiring fast is actually making your turnover worse? In this episode, Nate sits down with Holli Beth Clauser, founder of ABA C.A.R.E.S. and host of The People Contingency Podcast, to unpack what most human services leaders get wrong about recruitment. Holli has lived the high-pressure scenario—delivering nearly 90 net hires in four months with just two recruiters. B...
In this episode, Paige Raetz from Proof Positive explains why turnover is a lagging indicator — and what leaders should measure before staff ever think about leaving. You’ll learn how organizations are tracking wellbeing, spotting early warning signs of burnout, and improving culture through small daily practices instead of one-time events. This episode moves from philosophy to operations: what to measure, how to measure it, and how leaders can intervene earlier. Timestamps: 00:00 Why pizz...
Turnover is often blamed on wages — but what if that’s not the first lever leaders should pull? In Part 1 of this conversation, Paige Raetz from Proof Positive explains why staff wellbeing isn’t just a morale issue — it directly impacts safety, engagement, errors, and retention. More importantly, she shares practical, low-effort practices organizations are already using to improve workforce stability without adding cost. You’ll hear how positive psychology and behavior science intersect in ...
Advocacy often feels intimidating for provider leaders — time-consuming, political, or like something only professional lobbyists can do. In this episode, Nate continues his conversation with Libby Vinson, CEO of the New Jersey Association of Community Providers (NJACP), to break that myth apart. Libby shares what actually gets lawmakers to listen, why provider voices matter more than they realize, and how advocacy can be far simpler — and more relational — than most leaders expect. This co...
Workforce instability in disability services isn’t a mystery — but it is often misunderstood. In this episode, Nate sits down with Libby Vinson, CEO of the New Jersey Association of Community Providers (NJACP), to unpack why workforce stability doesn’t come from one-time fixes, short-term incentives, or chasing the next solution — and why leadership plays a bigger role than most people realize. Drawing from her background in advocacy and her first months leading a statewide provider associa...
What does your culture actually feel like to the people doing the work? In this follow-up conversation with John Dickerson of Quillo, we dig into the uncomfortable truth most leaders don’t see: DSPs often move through their day wondering whether a supervisor message or a quick “call me” means they’re in trouble. And that fear—small as it may seem—is one of the clearest signals that your culture isn’t creating psychological safety. In this episode, John shares real stories from the field that ...
Most IDD leaders don’t intend for their culture to drift into compliance mode… but it happens. High turnover, stretched-thin supervisors, endless documentation, and increasing regulation all push agencies toward control instead of connection. In this conversation, John Dickerson—founder of MyQuillo, longtime ARC leader, and master storyteller—joins Nate to unpack why compliance-heavy culture takes root… and how leaders can turn things around. This episode is packed with stories that will ma...
How does Melmark achieve only 11% annual turnover in a field where many providers face 40–60%? In this episode, host Nate Beers continues his conversation with Helena Maguire, digging into Melmark’s extended, behaviorally grounded onboarding model—one that prioritizes confidence before coverage. This is practical, field-tested onboarding that actually works: slower, more deliberate, and transformative for retention. If you want a real-world example of an onboarding system that stabilizes te...
Turnover doesn’t start with direct support professionals—it starts with supervision. In this episode, host Nate Beers sits down with Helena McGuire from Melmark to unpack why supervisors are the single biggest lever for retention—and how Melmark has intentionally built systems that help supervisors succeed instead of burn out. Rather than relying on motivation or charisma, Melmark invests in behaviorally grounded supervision systems that make expectations clear, feedback consistent, and perfo...
Turnover in human services can feel endless—but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode, Nate Beers shares what he learned in 2025 from conversations with providers across the country who are actually winning the turnover battle. These aren’t perfect organizations—and none of them found a magic fix. What they did do was make clear, intentional decisions about their workforce… and stick with them. You’ll hear real examples of what’s working right now, including: What thriving providers do diffe...
In this short holiday episode, host Nate Beers shares an unexpected moment at home that turned into a leadership wake-up call — the kind that sneaks up on you, disarms you, and ultimately makes you better. What begins as a normal, chaotic family dinner quickly turns into a powerful reminder about the difference between reacting and responding — not just as parents, but as leaders of teams, programs, and organizations. Nate pulls back the curtain on how even seasoned leaders can slip into str...
What does it really take to build services that last—not just through the next budget cycle, but for the next decade? In this conversation, host Nate Beers sits down with Tim Sohosky from RCPA to talk about the long game in disability services: how change actually happens, why efficiency alone isn’t enough, and what leaders need to pay attention to now if they want their organizations—and their people—to thrive long-term. This is Part 2 of their conversation. They explore: How advocacy move...
In today’s episode, podcast host, Nate Beers, sits down with Tim Sohosky, IDD Director at RCPA (Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association), to uncover one of the most overlooked advantages available to leaders in the IDD field: your provider association. If you’ve ever felt like you’re leading in isolation, drowning in vacancies, or constantly reacting to new regulations—you’re not alone. And you don’t have to keep going solo. Tim shares insider insights on how high-performing leader...
Supervisors rarely intend to burn out their teams—but the early warning signs are easy to miss until turnover, drama, and exhaustion take over. In today’s episode, Nate breaks down The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and what agency leaders can do to stop the cycle. These subtle patterns show up long before resignations do—and once you see them, you can’t unsee them. Most importantly: they are fixable with better coaching, clearer expectations, and healthier...
If you’ve ever felt trapped in the cycle of high vacancy and high turnover, this episode will feel like oxygen. In Part 2 of my interview with Joe Macbeth and Dan Hermreck of NADSP, we dig into the data, the myths, and the practical steps that are actually helping agencies go from 40% turnover to 10% turnover — with DSP credentialed staff. If you lead an IDD provider agency, this is essential listening. If you care about building a more stable, skilled, and respected DSP workforce… even mor...
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