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What does it truly mean to live a “normal life”? In this episode of The Quest for the GoodLife, Dr. Mike Strouse and Ivo Ivanov explore how technology, shifting expectations, and the lessons of the pandemic are transforming care. From “place killers” like Netflix and Amazon to the enduring vision of the Final Rule, they reimagine what’s possible for people with disabilities, seniors, and communities everywhere.

Join us as we uncover how care must evolve beyond old models—like Blockbuster and group homes—toward a future where people have home-field advantage, time for what matters most, and support that fits seamlessly into everyday life.

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What happens when MacGyver meets Wonder Woman in the world of human services? In this episode, Dr. Mike Strouse and Ivo Ivanov sit down with Veronica St. Cyr, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Navigating Life. Together, they explore how private social platforms can foster connection, build trust, and transform care for individuals, families, and communities. From GoodLife’s award-winning Neighborhood Network to the bold vision of creating new “blue zones,” this conversation is all about redefining what’s possible with creativity, technology, and heart.

Episode Links:

• Who is MacGyver?
• Watch our Video Episode: Noel's Quest for Independence
• Explore the Navigating Life app
• Explore GoodLife's Expanded Neighborhood Network for Aging Adults
• Explore the active "Blue Zones" and learn about the history of the concept.

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What happens when you combine the wisdom of the world’s healthiest communities with a vision to reinvent how we age?

In this episode, Dr. Mike Strouse and co-host Ivo Ivanov take listeners from stories of synchronicity and small-town magic to a bold plan for creating America’s first “Blue Zone” without walls. Learn how logistics, technology, and purpose-driven living could help people age in place, stay connected, and live longer, healthier, more meaningful lives.

Episode Links:

• The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
• Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle

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Watch this Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jG4M1him8Hk?si=4qKdXTWneqaS5y3o

Watch this Episode on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/goodlifeu/quest13?share=copy

About this Episode:

In this special video episode of The Quest for the GoodLife Podcast, Dr. Mike Strouse travels to Arkansas to meet Noel—an insightful, passionate young man with cerebral palsy—and Whitney Garrison, Director of Regional Services for GoodLife.

What unfolds is a deeply personal, eye-opening conversation that lays bare the realities of support systems for people with disabilities. Noel shares his experiences navigating Arkansas’s fragmented care landscape, his struggle to remain independent, and the emotional toll of unreliable staffing, limited transportation, and bureaucratic complexity.

With humor, grace, and wisdom beyond his years, Noel reminds us what it truly means to live a “good life”—not just with support, but with friendship, dignity, and the freedom to contribute meaningfully to one's community.

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In this episode of The Quest for the GoodLife, Dr. Mike Strouse and co-host Ivo Ivanov welcome Todd Lewis, VP at IMA and a passionate advocate for those who care for others. Together, they unpack the complex world of ICHRAs—Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements—and why these innovative benefits are gaining traction across the caregiving industry.

With over 400% growth in recent years, ICHRAs empower employers to offer flexible, individualized, and portable healthcare options for employees—especially critical for the hourly caregiving workforce. Todd and Mike discuss how these plans can break the one-size-fits-all model, ease the financial burden on staff, and stabilize a workforce under strain.

If you’re a CEO, HR leader, or policymaker navigating rising insurance costs and caregiver retention challenges, this episode offers a fresh perspective—and a path forward.

👉 Learn how to customize benefits, contain costs, and truly “take care of the people who take care of people.”

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Is your workforce strategy stuck in the past? In this episode, Dr. Mike Strouse and co-host Ivo Ivanov dig into the hidden traps of traditional scheduling in the care industry. Through powerful analogies and data-driven insights, they explore how rigid five-day workweeks, fragmented part-time roles, and outdated scheduling models are driving workforce instability—and what you can do to fix it.

Listeners will learn:

• Why your “stayers” might be hurting your hiring pipeline
• The measurable impact of schedule design on recruitment and retention
• How to transform scheduling from a liability into an incentive
• Why a 3-day workweek might be your secret weapon for workforce sustainability

Whether you're a leader in healthcare, disability services, or just curious about human-centered operations, this episode offers fresh perspectives and practical frameworks to help you pivot with purpose.

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In this episode, Dr. Mike Strouse and Ivo Ivanov sit down with Lewis Walton—attorney, tech innovator, longtime board member, and one of the most respected professional family teachers in GoodLife’s history. Together, they revisit the pivotal years between 1999 and 2002, when the seeds of remote support, professional family living, and the three-day work week were planted—years before the rest of the field caught on.

Lewis shares his unique path from philosophy student to tech leader to extended family caregiver. You’ll hear behind-the-scenes stories of GoodLife’s first analog-to-digital transition, the birth of the extended family model, and the invisible infrastructure that has supported some of the nation’s most innovative care models. The trio also dives into professional wrestling, podcasting, neighborhood networks, and why some lives—and careers—just don’t punch in and out.

🎧 Tune in to explore what happens when care becomes a lifestyle, not a shift—and how technology, relationships, and purpose are transforming what’s possible.

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This week on The Quest for the GoodLife podcast, Mike & Ivo honor the legacy of Diane Bannermen Juracek, the first employee of GoodLife, and explore how her pioneering spirit still fuels innovation today. Dr. Mike Strouse, Ivo Ivanov, and newly-appointed Executive Director Megan McKinney Todd reflect on the roots and future of GoodLife U—a bold, evidence-based initiative tackling workforce stability and technology-driven service models.

You’ll discover how the “coaching tree” of behavioral science mentors continues to inspire transformative leadership, how teaching family models evolved from KU to Boys Town and beyond, and why implementation science and mentorship remain at the heart of building lasting systems change.

This is more than a podcast—it’s a call to pioneers in healthcare, disability services, and human services to forge forward and “wrestle dragons” together.

Episode Links:

• Diane Bannerman Juracek Obituary
• All About Gregg Popovitch
• Who is Phog Allen?
• Boys Town
• Make a Meaningful Difference