S2 Ep. 22 | Creating Meaningful Work and Inclusive Communities with Amie Schindler - The Rise2Shine Podcast with Noelle Kustas

Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome to the Rise to Shine podcast with Noel Custis where
we ignite the spark to discover your favorite self.
It is time to get real ladies. Hello, hello and welcome to the
Rise to Shine podcast. I'm your host, Noel Custis, and

(00:20):
today's guest is someone who truly sparkles from the inside
out. She is a friend of mine from the
sparkle days and I feel like we're, you know, we're all still
in it, but it is so much fun because she is truly just one of
the most radiant, joy filled souls that I know.

(00:41):
And it is Amy Schindler, and I'mso excited that you're here.
She is a wife. She is a mom of three and a
woman on a mission to create a more inclusive, love driven
world. And I love that so much.
Her middle son, Brayden has autism.
And when he entered adulthood and suddenly fell off of the

(01:04):
Cliff of services, Amy didn't stay stuck in frustration.
She followed the nudge from God and stepped into purpose.
And she and Brayden partnered with this incredible company
called Wiggle Wow. And it is a business that
creates meaningful employment for adults with special needs by
making gourmet dog treats. So together they've been working

(01:27):
side by side for over 2 years. And now they're helping expand
the mission to impact even more families nationwide.
So this episode is really going to be about motherhood.
It's going to be about mission and what it looks like to rise
with love, faith and purpose. So whether you are a mom, maybe

(01:49):
you are someone just craving meaningful work in the world.
This conversation, I promise, isgoing to bless you.
So I want to welcome the beautiful and bold.
I always say my bold friend Amy Schindler to the podcast.
Hi, friend. Thanks for having me.
What an intro. I know.
Well, you know, there's so much to say about you and we can go

(02:13):
in all different directions because I know that you wear a
lot of different hats, right? Yeah.
But I would love to just, you know, jump in because I know
there is so much to cover and you and I can truly just like go
on and on. I know.
But I absolutely was so touched by this mission that you are on

(02:38):
and I have followed your story for, gosh, I think I met you
about five years ago, which is wild through the jewelry
business and. I've just.
Watched this whole like expansion of you and your family
and what your mission is and howyou're stepping into this

(02:59):
purpose, this beautiful journey.And I was like, I have to have
her on the podcast. It's so.
Something I'm very passionate about, that's for sure.
Yes, I love it. And you know, I would love to
just, you know, let the audiencekind of get to know you a little
bit before we dive into all the things when it comes to Brayden

(03:21):
and Wiggle. Wow and all of the things.
But I'd love to know just, you know, for someone meeting you
for the first time, how would you describe who you are at the
core? Oh goodness.
I honestly, I think family centered, I hear people often
say, I just talked about this the other day.

(03:42):
When your kids went to high school, you disappeared.
And it's true because with my kids being very close in age,
they were only in a school together three times
specifically because of Brayden.And so when they went to high
school, I really wanted to make the most of that opportunity one

(04:02):
with my kids, but also to be able to really support Brayden
in every possible way that I could.
And nobody's going to fight harder than a parent.
So I think a lot of it really comes to that and just being
able to know who they're around,what they're doing, how they're
involved. And I really think a lot of our

(04:22):
story really unfolded in high school, really even for all of
us. Yeah.
So, you know, I would love to hear more about that because I
know that, you know, you have three kids, beautiful children,
and they're all growing up so quickly.
I'm I'm in that space with you where it's like, you know, I've

(04:43):
got my last one going into his junior year this year.
So we're in it and watching them, you know, blossom and go
into adulthood and all of the things.
But back in the earlier chaptersof mommyhood and your journey,
then what did life look like foryou guys?

(05:03):
So. Prior to high school.
Yeah. So it was.
It was busy. I was running a business which
gave me flexibility to do a lot of the things that I really
wanted to do. I think once I finally really
understood how the business worked and how I could utilize
it to be able to be there and really take and be there for my

(05:26):
kids, but also be Brayden's advocate and what happened over
that time and probably opened a door that I didn't know was
opening at that time. I wasn't just Brayden's mom in
the special needs classroom. I was the special needs mom.
I mean, that's just what I did. You know, it was like here.
And so it was busy. We did all the activities like

(05:50):
normal. But then we're also working
through a lot of things with him.
You know, there were lots of meltdowns and things like that
explaining to my kids once the time came, but they really
started to maybe either whether I beat it to explain that there
was something different, right? They didn't really know that

(06:10):
anything was different with Brayden because it's how they
grew up. And I remember this conversation
specifically with Bryce because one year we decided that the
kids would go to school together.
So that's the very first time. And they went all rather special
needs bus together. They would let them and what an
opportunity for any child. But kids love like they don't

(06:38):
see color, they don't see differences, they just love.
That's just what they do. And so it was really, and me, it
was an inclusive moment. So really throughout Braden's
life and my kids lives, there were different inclusive
moments. And I've actually have spoke on
this quite often to some leadership groups in our area.
And it's funny when you think back, because I didn't write

(06:59):
notes. I probably should have, you
know, that just on things that you wish that you would have
written down that you sometimes forget until people ask you
questions. Yeah.
So it was busy, but it was it was fun.
And I would tell anyone that I have learned way more than I've
taught Brighton. But he stopped.

(07:20):
He has taught me way more. Right.
Right. Just keeping up with the grind,
I think was really, I loved it, but it was it was busy.
Yeah. And I know that, you know, I
know that part of your story wasthat, you know, here you were,
you were like the mom you were at school, You know, you were
fully involved with all of that.So what was it like, I guess you

(07:43):
would say emotionally and mentally when Brayden
transitioned into adulthood and you realized how limiting the
services were for him at that point.
Because when they're in school, it's so different.
And then all of a sudden you step out and, and I, I watched
this with my aunt and uncle and their daughter.

(08:05):
She has Down syndrome. And, you know, it's one of those
things that we've watched this transition where it's like in
school there was all of these things, there were services, and
then it was making these big decisions of what comes next for
her. So I'm just curious, you know,
how was that for you when you realized that?
So something that happened kind of during high school, maybe

(08:29):
again, I didn't even know why I was saying yes or why I took it.
I want to bring to really, he was so excited about going to
high school. You know, he was like, I'm going
to, I want to be with my friends, which really were
Bryce's friends. And I was thankful that he was
kind of bookend with a brother that was close in age and a
sister that was close in age. And there were benefits to both

(08:50):
of those. So the benefit work for that
was, is that Brayden had friendsand so he was transitioning from
being only in a class for special needs and he was having
opportunities to come out, whether that be in special
classes on the bus and watching him grow and how much he loved
that. But then it also gave people the

(09:10):
opportunity to even more people to learn who he was.
And then I started to see like what his gift was.
And his gift was that he didn't see evil and that people, even
the kids who like probably wouldhave made fun of him, loved him.
And it was neat to watch that happen.

(09:33):
So another another pivotal moment that I think happened
during school. Bryce is definitely our typical
independent driven book smart oldest child comes Brayden.
Brayden in middle school. I followed him to school because
I would go volunteer once a week.

(09:54):
And I thought middle school so hard.
And I'm walking and he's walkingso far in front of me that he's
like high 5. I'm hearing Brayden give me hey,
Brayden, give me a hug. And I was like, I feel like I'm
walking down the hall with a rock star.
What's going on? Right.
And so Kendall, I think, was still trying to figure out who
she was. And of course, you're the

(10:14):
younger of multiple siblings andyou are trying to find your
place because either your teachers are like, oh, you're so
and so's little sister or you'reBrady sister.
And I'm not sure why they didn'tknow that.
Again, they weren't really in school all together, you know,
often. So maybe that was part of it.
So I started to see like he started to develop some things.

(10:38):
And so what's neat is, is you'restarting to see that this is the
inclusions filtering into our family.
So Brayden got to be involved inunified track and they went to
state his 9th grade year. And that was such a fun
experience to be a part of. And I believe it was the next
year, if not the year after. I think maybe it was 2 years.

(11:01):
We started a unified flag football team at the school and
Bryce had always kind of wanted to take part.
But track happens at the same time baseball does and he was a
baseball player so he couldn't participate.
So when the football came around, he was all in and he
loved every single minute. And so did Brayden for that

(11:21):
matter. You know, he got to play a sport
for his high school. You know they're partnered and
with their peer athlete friends and they get it's a varsity
sport. And so it's.
Just such a cool. Experience.
So. Kendall also then started to
step into track and then she began to really get involved and
almost kind of took like the manager perspective and she

(11:44):
really helped with behind the scenes things.
Then what happened is I was introduced to an organization
called Best Buddies, which we are still highly involved in
today and we haven't, which was all about, you know, I always
tell people that the best way toexplain it is Big Brother, Big
sister, but it's with your students with special needs,
partnered with peer students andit's so incredible.

(12:06):
And the very first year we did, it was the largest club in the
high school. And Kendall was a large part of
helping me start that. And the reason we started it was
because the the teams were growing, not because we had more
students with special needs, butbecause more of our students
wanted to be involved. And as a mom, the last thing I
wanted to hear was you were turning people away.

(12:29):
And I knew that they were eventually going to have to
because you have to be safe at the same time, right?
And I was like. I have to go to the school.
And I need to talk to them aboutthis club and I will run it.
And so that got me more involved.
So I from the PTO president to after prom to being involved in
the special needs classroom, helping with the unified sports,
Now I'm going to start a best ladies club.

(12:50):
I love it. And it changed our life, our
whole family's life. I think we all have grown from
it. And what's neat is to see now
that Kendall and Bryce now have their big people jobs and they
are now assistant coaching that same high school unified team

(13:12):
and Kendall is now taking over the Best Buddies club where I
was running it. And so that we now are where
Brandon and I are now. So we've all kind of divided and
conquered and found our place that we all truly have a passion
for this community. And it's neat to see when your
kids also, whether it's what youare doing or finding something

(13:34):
that they're passionate about and volunteering their time.
Totally so. It let me to now here we are at
the end of high school and I was, I was feeling like I was
preparing myself for this momentand I decided that Brayden and
Kendall would well, my husband and I have really thought, let's
let Brayden stay in high school.He could, he technically could

(13:56):
have stayed even longer than he did, but let it, let's let him
graduate with Kendall. And so he we did that and took a
little convincing, but we did that and it was a good move.
Brayden was able to do a lot of things.
He went to prom twice. He.
Yeah. He did, yeah.
He he was, he was in a musical with his girlfriend.

(14:17):
I mean, we really had made so many memories and made use of
all the time that we had there. And part of that was because we
knew it was limited, right? Yeah.
So you often hear people say, you know, they'll turn 21 or 22
and it feels like they fall off the Cliff because a lot of
things have ended. I just had the conversation

(14:38):
today with someone and we were kind of just reflecting on high
school and why we think some of the things, some of the
behaviors are happening now or why is this happening.
And honestly, they were to me atthe peak of their life, they
were at high school, they weren't with us every day.
They got to be involved in stuff.

(14:58):
They were around friends. They were getting asked to go do
things, right. They were living life and life
changes because there's a lot ofpeople who have to quit their
jobs after that point to stay athome.
Somebody's going to stay at home, right?
Right. And so I was, I was thinking,
what are we going to do? And during that period of time,

(15:20):
it was laid on my heart at a conference that I didn't know I
was going to during high school,really, one of the teachers had
sent me a video for the second time about a place that was
employing adults with special needs and said if anybody would
ever do it, I think it would be you.
And I thought, wow, I don't knowabout that.

(15:42):
But it sat and I stood and I watched the video a lot and I'd
showed it to people. And as usual, I'm the big dream
girl and most of the people around me are like, you are
crazy. And so it just kept sitting.
And so after coming from home from this conference, I know for
a fact that I felt God say the last 15 years of all the things

(16:05):
that you've done from your business to in school to these
moments, to the things you've said yes to, that maybe you
weren't supposed to say yes to, or maybe like you weren't
supposed to say yes to. We're all things to equip you to
do this. And maybe not just you.
I really feel like it's still a family affair, even though the

(16:26):
family still needs to do some oftheir own exploring of their own
life. So.
Yeah, no, I, I love that. And you know, and that's helping
me because that was one of the questions, you know, that I
wanted to ask and you can certainly expand on that.
It's like, what do you wish morepeople understood about autism,
especially when it comes to adulthood and independence and

(16:50):
how that shifts later on? Because I feel like, you know, I
honestly feel like it's one thing for people to maybe
understand it a little bit more when kids are little and, you
know, maybe they've had experiences of their own
children, you know, in school and some of the inclusion things

(17:11):
that are happening now. But I feel like there is just
this massive shift that happens.And that's where I don't want to
say that special needs, the community is somewhat forgotten,
but I feel like just in my own experience, I feel like in my
own experience, because I do have cousins with different

(17:33):
special needs and I feel like I've watched our family kind of
feel like they were forgotten a little bit, you know, and, and
parents and families have had tostep in in such a big way.
So, you know, that's where, you know, I definitely feel like
it's such an important conversation and I don't know

(17:53):
how you feel about this. So it's kind of like a double
question of like when it comes to adulthood and independence.
But then also, someone had mentioned to me, I was telling
them that I was going to be interviewing you.
And someone goes, OK, I'd be so curious what her take is.
And you probably get this a lot these days, like what your take
is on shows like Love on the Spectrum, where it's

(18:17):
representing, you know, this community in a different way.
And it's like heightening it, you know, in adulthood, like
really looking at it from an adult perspective.
So I'm just so curious, like, what your thoughts went around
all of that. You have a lot.
There was a lot. I know.
So I would say going back, you know, one of the things that's

(18:40):
interesting because typically, you know, if if it's two parents
in the household, you know, my husband was worried, you know,
when all of this was coming was like, is he going to live on his
own? Is he going to, you know, get
married? You know, all the things, right,
that we want for parents. And as parents like you, you
immediately like as soon as you find out you're pregnant, right?

(19:00):
Like you're already thinking about all these things.
Yeah. So I was like, let's just worry
about today. Like what can we do today?
What can we learn today? And so we would celebrate
successes, but we wouldn't get so overly celebratory that we
didn't say, OK, what's next, right.
And so that was that was kind ofthe thing as it was early on.

(19:21):
What I would say as time goes onis get often when you get a
diagnosis and anytime you feel like you are deserted on an
island, you are the only one. Nobody understands.
And there are people who don't understand.
That's true. But there are a lot of people
out there who do and who are willing to talk and be

(19:43):
vulnerable and to share and share what they know to help
you. And so one of the things that I
didn't know I was doing, I started to film Brayden and put
him on Facebook and asking questions and things like that.
And I remember my mom specifically saying, Amy, he
didn't answer the question right?
And I went. That's our life.
But if if a mom who just got a diagnosis at 2 has a child who

(20:07):
does not speak, that was us. Can see a 14 year old on here
answering my question. Maybe not exactly the exact way
I might have to reword it gives her hope that there is more.
OK. And So what happened in high
school? Part of the reason that I got
involved in some of the things that I did was to learn who the

(20:30):
people were in the building so that they could help me, right?
I could, I could ask questions, I could get him involved in
more, I could get him mainstreamed out into other
classes. He could communicate more,
things like that. And so then I became the PTO
president. And it was never, that was never
necessarily on my things to do. But what I, one of the things

(20:52):
that I did is I thought, and I started that's when I really
started to get a voice to be able to help other people
understand and put in perspective what it's like as a
parent or to help them kind of get what where we're at.
And I said that one of the reasons that I also did it was
to show the other parents. And I said, you guys don't

(21:14):
understand that parents of a special needs child feel like a
red headed stepchild in the school because, and I said, it's
not even your fault. They don't know if they get the
letter for the school dance. Is their kid included?
Should I be ash? Because I don't even know if
they're supposed to go the dance.

(21:34):
And I'm here to tell you, yes, they are.
They're a student in this school.
They are involved. And so some things that I
started to do was like saying, let us come in 30 minutes before
prom so that that massive amountof kids are coming in and
meeting them where they are and it's not as overwhelming.
And I said, I'm not here to tellyou right now the party's going

(21:55):
to get started earlier because they're going to dance on
something. There's no awkward hour of no
one dancing at prom. It's happening.
And so it, it was, it was such, it was so moving.
So I, I didn't know I was gaining a voice of being able to
kind of help connect people in different ways.
And so that's why I say reach out to parents because other

(22:18):
parents have helped me too. We all have different strong
students. We're all able to help equip
each other. But also sometimes you're just
how many times do you have things happen in your life and
you think I'm going to share this vulnerable moment And all
of a sudden the parent, somebodyelse is going, Oh my gosh, I
totally understand. And it feels so good that

(22:39):
somebody else is going through what I am.
I promise you that a special needs parent needs to hear it.
They just need to. And I think that's a huge, I
think that's a huge part of whatto do.
And just don't, don't seclude yourself because we need people

(23:00):
and there's power in words, being there, being able to be
vulnerable even when it's hard like today's hard.
I had a conversation with a parent today and it was, we're
talking about hard moments, but we need it.
You know when you're thanking each other to say thank you for
being vulnerable enough to share?

(23:21):
That with me, yeah, we need it. So, so, so true.
And you know what, this brings me back and I'm like, gosh, I
wasn't even thinking about this because it's been a little over
a year now. But the impact this is what is,
you know, is wild about this. And this is where I feel like
they're such beauty and conversations.

(23:42):
And This is why, you know, I love podcasts.
I love, you know, I know social media can get a bad rap, but
there are so many blessings through it.
And I saw those Proms that you were posting about and oh gosh,
girl, I literally like, I can't tell you how many times I would
like blubber and watch them and share them and like just the

(24:03):
experiences. And, and that was something that
in our own community, because, you know, we live in different
States and it was something thatin our own community.
Fast forward, an opportunity came up for me last year.
I was in a leadership class thatI, I was taking and we had to

(24:24):
come up with a project of, you know, what could we do for, for
this project? And we had a teacher in our
community that was wanting to build this special needs prom
because she had, again, she was like a, she was an advocate for

(24:48):
the special needs community within her school.
And she had been an ASB advisor in high school and then went
into middle school. And she with a lot of
conversations with parents, theywere saying same thing that you
were just sharing like we would love for our kids to be a part
of prom. And when we hear about it, we're

(25:09):
like, are we included? Are we not?
And the school tells us we're included.
However, they were also finding that there were circumstances
where like for some of the kids,the music is too loud or the
strobe lights. And, you know, so there's lots
of there were lots of different components.
And she was like, OK, So what ifwe make sure that they are
invited to the prom and those that, you know, want to attend

(25:31):
and all of those things. But what if across the valley
with all of the different high schools, we have a special needs
prom? And let me tell you, I was like,
I am totally on board for this. Let's do it.
And I was so inspired by your story and watching what you and
your family had gotten involved with it, your high school and

(25:53):
what you guys were doing there. And Brayden, you know, in
particular, his story like just touched me so much.
And we have this special needs prom and it is now a thing that
it's so cool because we kind of like help to launch this and get
all of these great sponsors. And for anyone that's familiar,

(26:14):
the, you know, we have, I live in Southern California where the
Coachella festival happens and Stagecoach.
These are like big music festivals and Golden Voice who
runs all of these big music festivals festivals.
They are a major sponsor in thisspecial needs prom and it was
the most, I will say like in thetop five most impactful things I

(26:41):
have ever been a part of. And to witness it, I'm like, I
feel like everyone needs to, I do too have eyeballs on this
situation and like just pee in the presence of these kids and
adults. Like, you know, because that was
the thing too, because a lot of parents were like, OK, our, our
kiddo is like 22. Like what's the age range of

(27:05):
this like? How do they go when they're a
junior or do they go when they're they're a junior?
That was something that came up and again, as like, if you're
not in it, you don't even and like you're like, oh, I never
even thought about that. I never, I never knew that was a
thing. And so it just opened all of our
eyes that were in this leadership group.

(27:26):
There was like 50 of us that puton, you know, helped to put this
on. And I just remember like, gosh,
did we learn so much And did we?We learned so much from parents.
We learned so much from the kids, Like, Oh my gosh.
But truly one of the most joyousthings.
And and then when I, you know, asked about like the love on the

(27:46):
Spectrum show, it's like for me,I'm just grateful.
And again, there's nothing that's perfect, you know, I know
that there's always the things like, OK, it's still television.
It's still, you know, all the things.
But I do feel like it's, you know, it has been something that
has been more on, you know, the forefront of people's minds.

(28:09):
So, you know, and, and maybe even just wanting to be educated
more with special needs or volunteering.
I mean, I just feel like if we can just be a voice in our
communities with the people around us, I, I feel like it
would all be helpful. But again, would love to know
your perspective because you have been living it first hand.

(28:31):
So obviously I don't have a showof love on the spectrum, but I
do kind of live that because Britain does have a girlfriend
and they've been with girlfriend.
You're the OG in all of this. You have cameras.
You would be the OG in all of this.
It's. Interesting that you say that
because this is probably part ofit too.
You know, our family and I are very close and we talk, you

(28:56):
know, we share a lot. A lot of people really enjoy it.
They stop us in the community. It might be people we know.
It might be people that we don'tknow because again, we are open
and part of that is to share. Sometimes I wonder if we're a
little too positive in our sharing because sometimes

(29:18):
there's some, I don't want to say I set limits, but I also
have to be realistic. And so some people will say, do
you think they'll get married? Probably not.
That doesn't mean that they can't love.
They want to be loved. They actually, they love very
hard. And I think that's, but I think

(29:41):
it's really neat for people to see that because when I grew up
in high school, the students with special needs were
segregated. They were not.
So you really didn't see them. So I think that a lot of people
it's, you know, sometimes you'llsay people don't get it, but
they sometimes don't get it because they aren't around it.

(30:02):
And so this is an opportunity tobe able to share and to show.
And it is eye opening. And but sometimes I guess I
should probably share some of the harder things because there
are hard things like I'm not living over here in unicorns.
And like life is we have hard moments, but we also have we try

(30:27):
to not take for granted the things that we do learn.
And we often say, I mean, we learn more, you know, we think
that we're the ones who are teaching, but the reality is, is
we're learning more. And now, now being in a a, a
totally different space, I, I feel like I'm learning at a
rapid pace right now. Yeah, which then it brings us to

(30:49):
because, you know, I definitely wanted, I wanted our listeners
to like know who you were to understand like kind of, you
know, you as a mom and just having, having that awareness
of, you know, and even just the,you know, advocacy of autism.
But I absolutely we have to talkabout Wiggle Wow and we have to

(31:14):
talk about purpose in action andwhat that means.
And so I'd love for you to just share with us what Wiggle Wow
is. I know we briefly said it in the
intro, but like, really what it is and what drew you into this?
Oh goodness, the. Short version, you know you I I

(31:34):
know there's a long version. So I knew that it was laid on my
heart that I would, that I thought for sure that I was
supposed to employ adults with special needs.
And so I really am a person of being very visual.
You know, I, I heard, you know, I saw a video, I reached out to
the person. I threw my kids in a car, drove

(31:56):
4 1/2 hours, spent five hours with strangers, drove 4 1/2
hours at back, all in one day. And I really didn't even tell
them so that I could get their true thoughts on it.
And we loved every minute of it.I mean, my oldest said, oh,
yeah, I can see us doing something like this for sure.
Yeah. So, you know, that kind of sat

(32:16):
with us and during this period of time.
And then I was connected througha podcast.
Hello. We're on a podcast with because
I had shared really kind of whatwas on my heart and that was not
what I was on the podcast specifically to talk about.

(32:37):
And this person mentioned WiggleWow and said, well, have you
heard of it? And I said no.
And during that time, I did not have a dog.
So they are a company about 30 minutes for me in Louisville,
KY. And the whole mission of the
business is to create careers for adults with special needs,
making gourmet dog treats. So I kind of put it in the back

(33:00):
pocket as I normally do, and things arise.
Probably not on purpose, I wouldsay maybe not necessarily on
purpose. I definitely had a purpose and I
got a dog and knew exactly whereI was going to get my dog treats
because it stood for everything that I did.
Live shared and so I got my treats and about a year later my

(33:25):
daughter came home and said you're never going to believe
who's set up at a festival really like in our area.
And I said, you're right, I don't know.
And went down and met the owner and just wanted to really see it
in person. So again, few months past we
went over to see it just really to learn more about it.
I wanted to share it with peoplejust so that they understood.

(33:47):
I shared when I went to the one in Tennessee so that people
would understand that it was even out there.
Yeah, go. Support it please.
And things definitely happened on on purpose for sure.
But Braden had a job at the timeat our Country Club.
I was very grateful. They reached out to me not once,

(34:08):
not twice, not three times, but four times.
And I thought, OK, they're genuinely wanting him to come
work there and he worked there. So we weren't really looking for
a job. I just wanted to see more about
this company. And God had a different plan and
he he put several. I kept kind of putting.
I was trying to be very diligentnot to over commit myself after

(34:29):
coming out of the high school and having committed so much
time there, even though I loved every minute of that.
And it was like, I'm gonna, I'm gonna prop the door open a
little bit. Is she gonna go through it?
No, she didn't. OK, I'm gonna open it up a
little bit more. Is she gonna go through?
She's No, no, no. So the day that we connected

(34:51):
about a post that I had made, that's when Brayden's job was
outsourced at his current job and he no longer had a job.
And I thought, OK, open your eyes because you got something
here. So we started with working twice
a week and we what was nice is we actually were not working in
the same room together, so we were at the same place.

(35:12):
That was really fun. I think he probably enjoyed that
again after you're out of high school.
We're now with our children 90% of our day.
And imagine you as a 22 year oldspending your day with your mom.
90% of it. Are you going to be annoyed?
I know you love your mom face reality, right?

(35:36):
Totally. And so that's where we are.
And I thought I had even prepared myself for this moment.
And it hit harder even than I thought because I was preparing
and trying to figure it out. But I also knew that I didn't
want to just make an impact on Brayden.
I wanted to make a larger impact.
And so I had said for the last six years that with my business

(35:58):
sharing really my wife's story, that I wanted to create a
workspace for Brayden, but to open up to other special needs
people in our area because it's we don't have that right.
So I've learned a lot since I'vebeen there.
First, the trees are great. The owner put a lot of work into
the treats, he said. You know, we can have a great

(36:20):
mission, but we have to make sure that the dog treats are
loved by dogs and they are. The second main ingredient in
our treats is bacon, so. Oh, there you go.
Bacon always is the, you know, problem solver.
Or, and I like Baconite. Thing, right?
Yeah. So they're all made with
ingredients that you and I can eat.
A lot of people really care about what they're actually.

(36:42):
I found that people care more about what they feed their dog
than they do themselves. Times.
Yes, this is true. And we have tasted the dog
treats just in case you guys were wanting to know, because we
can. And, but we also make gourmet
dog cookies as well. And then so that's a lot of fun.
A lot of people are really drawnto a lot of our very clever

(37:05):
designs and things that we have to offer, which is is really
fun. Brayden has really soared
through this experience. He has gained a community.
I have gained a larger community.
Again, you can never really haveenough community when you have

(37:25):
something that sets you aside. I always say you don't know what
you don't know unless you have to know it.
So again, I've had a parent thatI had to take care of that was
dying of cancer. People try to understand they,
there's, but there's always a missing component if you've not
walked through those shoes. And so having this community,
even though we have vast differences, there is something

(37:47):
about and that's why I say get connected in whatever way that
you can, like find another parent.
You know you need it. You just need the fellowship.
Totally true. And so I would love for you to
just tell us because I mean, I know I watch it and we will
definitely have it in all of ourshow notes because you have to
be not only following Amy and Brayden and her beautiful

(38:09):
family, but like wiggle Wow really is special.
And I'm like, we need a wiggle Wow.
We need one in California. We need one everywhere and not
just for I mean, yes, of course it's great dog treats and we're
so excited about that. But it's got to deeper, bigger
mission. Yes, it is a bigger mission that

(38:30):
is so needed. And I would love for you to just
share because I know that you guys are on a mission and you
have a decision right now and itwas just like officially
announced not too long ago. So I would love, now that this
mission is expanding, what's happening with Wiggle Block,
what's going? On Wiggle Block has just

(38:53):
recently celebrated their fifth year.
So it's been around for a while as a for profit company.
But as of June 8th, officially on the Internet on the IRS
website, we are now a nonprofit organization.
And what's really cool is we actually are both.
So the manufacturing component of the business is our nonprofit

(39:16):
and here's why the owner really wanted to make sure a lot of
people might not know this. So this is another eye opening
thing for you to learn is that people with special needs in the
workforce could be paid as low as a dollar an hour.
So I'll use an example that he shared with me.
If I worked at the grocery storeand I could bag 10 bags to

(39:39):
someone else's one bag and they got paid $10.00 an hour, they
could legally pay them $1.00 an hour.
And he wanted to create something that would pay above
minimum wage. Wow.
And we do that. So that was really important.
And so again, we have, we have an epic chef, that's what we

(40:03):
call them. They have a really awesome title
that can make the dog treats in the kitchen on his own if you
needed to. And what's neat about that is
that we have all abilities there.
We have some that work by themselves.
Or some parents will work maybe in the facility sometimes side

(40:26):
by side depending on what the ability is.
So we have a vast opportunity for really everyone to be there.
So we talked about all abilitiesand we are very passionate about
saying we hear often, especiallyparents, what our kids cannot do
right. We just talked about school and
that's what's implanted in parents mind there is my kid

(40:48):
included. Are they involved because we're
always told what they can't do and we're on the mission to show
the world what they can do. We often get asked, do they
really make the dog treats? You know, they really make the
dog treats and they're awesome. That's what's really cool.
So the videos on our I try to really do as much as I can on
social media to really show whatgoes on then at the doghouse.

(41:10):
But you'll understand why I say come visit in person because you
just get so much more just the pride that you see from our epic
chefs on what they can do. And you might imagine that
someone might come in at the beginning and not even be able
to put on their own glove. And the triumph of one day when

(41:31):
they're like, did it. And I mean, we celebrate all of
it. Like it doesn't matter.
And it's so moving. And they cheer for everybody and
everything and it's so neat. But we have an employee that
will share with you to this day who tried to get a job for 20
years and was turned down for 20years.

(41:52):
That'll break your heart. And we want to change that.
So our nonprofits helping us nowthat we've kind of got this
business model and we figured out all the good things is to
now get the opportunity for either other special needs
families all across the country won't even go out of the
country. And or, you know, people who

(42:14):
support adults with special needs to be able to wholesale
and or franchise their own and start their own wiggle out so
that Noel can have one in her area too.
So we're ready and we're on fire.
We're just so excited to see theimpact that we can make this
weekend. We just came off of something

(42:35):
and so we're all about Kingdom impact and we're just excited to
see all the different doors thatare opening.
And we're excited to see what doors will open and which ones
we we get to walk through and how many people.
It's all about how many people and families can we impact and

(42:55):
and connect and our big goals are really.
Big yes. It's all I can say, oh, it's so
crazy. I'm so excited.
So we just launched a fundraiser, which is why we
wanted to, we wanted to wait until we the nonprofit had
happened for people who who wanted to say, how can I help?

(43:18):
Right. If you know families that have
special needs adults and they'relooking for something now
they're looking for something more connect us with them.
We want to talk to them. We want to reach out to them.
It this may, maybe it might not end up being for them, but they
might know someone else in the community who may say, hey, I'll
be the driving force, you know, and but it bring it to the their

(43:43):
community. You might, you might want to be
able to donate every 5 dollars, $10.25 dollars, $50, whatever is
going to go toward helping us expand and make a larger impact
in not only our community, but really in any community that's

(44:03):
willing to have us. And we're also looking for
Kingdom impact donations for sure.
If someone's really looking to say, I don't want to just impact
one person or I don't want to just put my money here.
I really want to make a difference.
This is we're really, I don't know if I want to say we're

(44:24):
cutting edge, but we're doing, we don't have a model to follow.
We are, we are making a model really of our own so that we can
break the stigma and they want to work.
I promise you have never met people who want to show up for
work even when they're sick. They're bad when they can't
come. Right.

(44:47):
I mean, you can tell. I mean, there is no doubt.
And I can say this just from afar, just watching and hearing
and not just not just videos, you know, 'cause people go, OK,
yeah, you can put reels togetherand everybody looks happy and
great and all the things. But I will tell you, like just
watching through your social media, watching Brayden,

(45:09):
watching his friends, I mean thepride that you like, it
literally screams out. And when Brayden talks about
wiggle, wow, it's like his eyes just light up.
There is this energy that comes out.
And when you watch these amazinghumans, like just take such

(45:32):
pride in their work and and the fun and I've even, you know, the
gentleman who is the, you know, head of it, you know who started
it, the pride that he has. And just, you know, all of you
are in this for such big impact.And there is no doubt in my mind
that these are going to flourishall over.

(45:55):
We need them, we want them. We this is, it's just so
important. It's just so important.
And this is one of those things that I just feel like I don't
know, I, every time I, every time I come across it, I feel
like I get emotional just because I feel like I think
maybe too, it's the teacher in me, it's also the mom and then

(46:18):
also having family members with special needs.
I I just feel like it's all so close to home.
And this is one thing for sure. I just feel so strongly about
that. It is going to have a major
impact. And, and what you guys are doing
is so unique. It's just different and it's
fun. You bring the fun into it.

(46:39):
You also bring the I, I it's treating everyone the way that
they deserve to be treated. Like you said, I mean, yeah, you
can pay them a dollar. And he has chosen to not go that
direction and to like they are worthy of this, you know, they
work hard. I, I am sure you know, And so I

(47:04):
just love it so much, Amy. I really do.
And I am so excited for the wordto get out there and really, you
know, be out there. And lastly, before we of course,
get into our quick rapid fire, Iwould love to just ask you what
encouragement would you give to another mom who's listening, who
maybe feels the stirring in her heart that she wants to step

(47:27):
into something bigger and, you know, be able to support,
whether it be with Wiggle. Wow, maybe that's something or
maybe it's just something of herown that she's feeling like I
want to do it, but I'm scared orunsure where to begin.
What encouragement would you give her?
I would say the first 3 words that come to mind are you are
enough, right? I mean, there are definitely

(47:49):
some things that we are doing and I think I don't really know
if I'm equipped for this. How do I either equipped you or
he will bring you people who are.
So you just have to really be brave enough to say yes, I'm
going to do something and share it.
What we are learning is that we're stronger together, right?

(48:13):
Just like any team, right? When you can take people's
strengths and utilize those and makes the team stronger, yes.
And that's really what we're trying to do.
So don't be scared. I mean, how many times have we
told ourselves no because we're scared?
We're afraid to fail, right? No one's going to fight harder

(48:33):
than a parent for their child. And if you want it to work, it's
going to work because you're going to keep going.
You're going to do it one more time.
You're going to say yes, you're going to, you know, you're going
to do those things that sometimes people just walk away
from. But again, by saying yes to a
best buddies club or saying yes to, to this kind of opportunity,

(48:54):
what you see every day will drive you to the again, there's
times where we'll hit a roadblock.
And I think what are we supposedto be doing here?
Or what are we supposed to be seeing that we're missing?
It doesn't stop us, right? Because you see that, you see
the reward every single day whenwe're at work and it will
continue to keep driving you. It's only going to make you

(49:16):
stronger. And we that's what this
community needs. They need people fighting for
them. Yeah, absolutely.
I love that you are enough and just just know that and I love
that you also said that if you are not fully equipped, someone
else will be and come alongside of you.
And that is truly I, I believe that so much, but I love this so

(49:39):
much. And like I said, we will make
sure that all of this is in the show notes.
Please, please make sure that you are following the all of the
links and, you know, really kindof just take a peek, take a peek
at this and you know, and, and share it with others because
that you just never know who could be praying for this, who
could be, you know, praying for something that they don't even

(49:59):
know is in existence that is outthere.
And there are always people thatare wanting to give and to
donate and, and again, don't know what, what is out there.
And I just feel like these are those times that we can, we can
make a difference. So I love it so much.
And of course, before we close, because like I said, I know we

(50:20):
could be out. We could have a Part 2, a part
3A part, you know, we could go to China.
And who knows, we may, we may actually, you know, I'm already
thinking like there might be ways that we continue to have
this conversation, but it is time for one of my favorite
parts of the show. And it's called our spark and
spill. So this is all all about like we
we kind of ditch the really deepstuff and we go and have some

(50:42):
fun. And it's the very important
details of like, you know for sure your coffee order.
I mean, it's things that really matter too.
So Are you ready, my friend? I'm ready.
All right. OK, so Speaking of coffee, here
is the first question. Coffee order or your go to drink

(51:02):
order? Oh my coffee order is
complicated so I like a hot latte made with oat milk with an
extra shot of espresso and sugarfree flavoring depending on
where I'm at. See, I love it.
See we this is how we get to really know you.
They know you. So what is one word that Braden

(51:23):
would use to describe you loud? I'm sorry, I just get degraded
right now in my mind. All right now, here's another
one. And I ask this only because I
know that you are an expert in it and you know when people

(51:44):
start to follow you, you still dip into this occasionally.
But what is your favorite M&M flavor?
OK, so I love M&M's and we definitely do lots of taste
reviews. It might be just something fun.
Everybody thinks that it's my favorite candy.
Secretly, it's not. I do.

(52:05):
Love it. Good to know.
See, I'm learning that about you.
I'm learning this about you. However, my favorite M&M flavor
is no longer on the market, so if anybody has any connections
to M&M, you need to tell them tobring it back.
And it is candy corn, so it doesn't.
Out I remember when you when you.
I had no idea that would have been your favorite hands.

(52:28):
Down my favorite. Oh my gosh, I love it.
Oh my gosh, I really had no ideabecause I do remember you
tasting that and I was like, that's an interesting flavor.
So OK, good to know, good to know.
So if anybody has, you know any access.
If you find any, you can ship them to me.
There you go. There you go, There you go.

(52:50):
All right, so the next couple questions.
If you were a dog breed, which one would you be?
Oh, I'm pretty prone to my own dog, and I think it fits my
personality. Have you ever heard people say
that their dogs sometimes look like them or whatever?
I don't know, like my dog looks like me, but he acts like me.
I have a goldendoodle. I'm hyper.
You know, I've got. Yeah.

(53:11):
OK, that totally makes sense. That totally makes sense.
And then last but not least, what is a book or a quote that
has left a mark on you so? Shockingly, this is something
that I'm hoping will change. I'm not a huge reader.

(53:31):
I hate to read, but I listen to audio books and I'm trying to do
better in that area. I honestly, I'm going to right
now because of where I am, what we're talking about and thinking
of Brayden, it's actually on hisEpic Chef label.
So we didn't talk that much about this, but on the back of
our blue bags, we have Epic Cheflabels.

(53:54):
All of our Epic chefs got to create their own label and they
get to share a little bit more about who they are with their
customers. You get to learn a little bit
more about who you're helping create a job for.
And when you meet them in person, they actually give you
free autographs. Those currently are not.
They don't charge for those. So on Brayden's, it has a quote
from Doctor Seuss and it says, Ibelieve it's something like,

(54:19):
why? Now you got me on the spot.
Oh, sorry, I know because I I did not warn you of this.
Question. I know it was like, why fit in
when you could stand out? Something along that line and it
it's true. No matter who you are, you have
gifts to bring. You have something to share with

(54:42):
someone who might need to hear it, and it's true.
I love it. Well, Amy, thank you so much for
sharing your heart and this journey and your purpose with us
today. You are truly just a walking
example of what it looks like tolive with such intention and to
love big. And I know this that you know,

(55:04):
God is leading the way for you and it really is beautiful to
watch. I know that our listeners felt
your spirit because it does. There's something about you, Amy
and I, you know, I knew this from the moment we met.
Like you just are like you, justyour energy exudes and like
comes off the screen. It like comes out.
And I just feel like you help other people to really believe

(55:29):
that anything is possible when love and purpose as part of that
mission. So I just want to say thank you
genuinely so much for that. And to everyone listening, if
this episode touched your heart as much as it did me, please
share it with someone who needs it.
And again, follow Amy's journey and support this incredible non
profit and the massive mission that they are on right now.

(55:51):
And all the links will be in theshow.
And as always, keep rising, keepshining and know that your best
day is right here waiting for you.
Thank you, Amy, so much. Thank you for having me, I
appreciate it. Absolutely.
All right friends, have a great day.
Thanks for joining me here today.
Your presence means the world tome.
If you enjoyed what you heard, please consider leaving a rating

(56:14):
and review and don't forget to follow or subscribe so you never
miss an episode. Head to the show notes and let's
connect. Rise to Shine Co is ready to
support you in coaching, collaboration, light tips, or
even a coffee chat. Until next time, keep shining,
my friends, yeah?

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S2 Ep. 22 | Creating Meaningful Work and Inclusive Communities with Amie Schindler

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}S2 Ep. 22 | Creating Meaningful Work and Inclusive Communities with Amie Schindler