Sometimes a Great Podcast

About Sometimes a Great Podcast

Catch up on this week's news from Discover and listen to interviews of staff from around the state.

Publisher

Oregon Department of Human Services

Category

government

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

17 Sept 2025

Latest episode

26 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

140 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Oct 2026

   Pod-Trappers Discover on the Frontier!

   Season 2, Episode 27 — Oct. 26, 2026Length: 9:58 This week’s episode heads into La Pine’s fur-trapping past with updates on accessible documents, employee mentoring, holiday stress, leadership graduates, records management, retirement planning and Mi Gente’s Cultura Corner. With no new 4Minutes4U or Fact of the Week, the episode begins in Deadline: ODHS with accessible Word document workshops, ERG mentoring orientation and a webinar on handling holiday stress. From there, Dateline celebrates 36 Metro Leadership Class graduates, reviews records retention guidance, highlights Oregon Savings Growth Plan learning resources and shares Mi Gente’s latest newsletter. 4Minutes4U: Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS: Oct. 26: Accessible Word Document Workshop series begins Nov. 3: ERG Mentoring Program orientation Nov. 4: Revive webinar on handling holiday stress Fact of the Week: Nothing this week Dateline: ODHS: 36 Metro Leadership Class graduates Records retention and destruction guidance Oregon Savings Growth Plan training videos Mi Gente’s October Cultura Corner Writer’s Round-Up: “The Journal of Dr. B: French Fur Trapper”

2. 

   26 Oct 2026

   SAGPodcast: OREM, Resilience Hubs and the People Who Show Up

   Season 2, Episode 33: Oct. 28, 2026 Length: 30:27 This week, The Big Picture comes from Sunriver, where we catch up with three members of the ODHS Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM) following the Oregon Resilience Summit: Jeff Gilbert, regional emergency coordinator, and Marleen Munden and Sylvia Ceron, both social service emergency liaisons. The conversation explores how Oregon's resilience hubs have grown from an idea into community-driven networks of people, organizations and resources. From food pantries and fairgrounds to livestock evacuation support and emergency supplies, Jeff, Marlene and Sylvia explain why a resilience hub isn't necessarily a building. It's whatever helps a community prepare for disruption and support its neighbors when disaster strikes. Six years after the 2020 wildfires, OREM has developed emergency contracts, sheltering and feeding capabilities, and relationships that can make future responses faster and more coordinated. You'll hear about a Silverton Lions Club member who turned an emergency feeding operation into an ongoing resilience resource, and communities building their own solutions with support from state partners. The conversation also turns personal. Marlene recalls helping flood survivors find shelter and dry clothing in the middle of the night. Sylvia shares how years of phone conversations built enough trust that an elderly wildfire survivor agreed to relocate. And Jeff describes an unusual, middle-of-the-night food delivery to a community that needed help but didn't want it visibly coming from the state. In the end, this episode is about the relationships behind emergency preparedness. From food banks and fairgrounds to late-night deliveries and neighbors helping neighbors, OREM's work shows that resilience isn't something the state simply delivers. It's something communities build, strengthened by people who listen, connect and show up when they're needed in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsGuests: Jeff Gilbert, Marlene Munden and Sylvia Cerrone, ODHS Office of Resilience and Emergency ManagementProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

3. 

   21 Oct 2026

   SAGPodcast: Liesl Wendt,and The Big Picture of One ODHS and Putting the Human in Human Services

   Season 2, Episode 31 Length: 20:07 This week, The Big Picture sits down with ODHS Director Liesl Wendt for a conversation about leadership, transformation and what it means to put the human back in human services. Fresh from a visit to Burns, Liesl talks about the resilience of rural communities, the pride ODHS staff take in their work and her vision of One ODHS: an agency where people come before acronyms, bureaucracy supports rather than obstructs service, and leadership is something employees practice at every level. The conversation also explores the changes facing ODHS and why Liesl believes the agency needs to become more comfortable trying new ideas, learning from what doesn't work and building on what does. From budget challenges and frontline experiences to the importance of giving staff the tools and freedom to solve problems, she describes a culture where change is an ongoing process rather than a single destination. You'll also hear what excites Liesl about the agency's future, including the staff-driven ideas from the Beaver-Duck Innovation Classic and the emergency response work that has earned ODHS national attention. For Liesl, both demonstrate what happens when employees closest to the work help shape the solutions. In the end, this episode is about curiosity, teamwork and recognizing the leadership already happening throughout ODHS. From rural offices to agency headquarters, Liesl makes the case that putting people first means listening to staff, trusting their expertise and finding better ways to serve Oregonians together in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsGuest: Liesl Wendt, Director, Oregon Department of Human ServicesProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

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Apple Podcasts (US)

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.