Born Into Labor

Kimberly was born in the 1970s in the industrial Midwest, in the RV manufacturing capitol of the world. Factories and hard work were woven into the fabric of daily life, even as income inequality was rising across the country.

Her family grew their own vegetables to sell at a roadside stand, teaching her early that work feeds both body and spirit. Surrounded by neighbors who were proud of their factory labor and took joy in what it provided their families, she learned that our work shapes not just our living, but our lives.

Teacher and Learner

In college, Kimberly worked nights on a circuit board assembly line to pay tuition. Older women at the factory brought her food and encouragement, telling her she was destined to be a teacher. They were right.

At 22, Kimberly began teaching. She quickly discovered the responsive classroom model—an approach that allowed students to lead their own learning. Though it was unconventional, she embraced it. “The students could run the classroom,” she recalls. “And it was beautiful.” From her students, she learned the power of honesty, openness, and trust.

Corporate Detour

For a season, Kimberly entered the corporate world. Pharmaceutical sales came with good money, benefits, even a free car—but little soul. “It didn’t make people smarter or better,” she remembers. “It just rewarded those who played the game.” The experience confirmed that her path would not be defined by appearances or profit, but by meaning.

Building Santa Lucia

Seeking a life connected to community, Kimberly co-founded Santa Lucia, a caregiving agency. She loved the work—supporting people with disabilities, listening deeply, seeing others fully, cultivating curiosity.

But as the agency grew, state contracts imposed rigid rules and hierarchies. “It was like we were in an abusive marriage with the Department of Health,” Kimberly says. The system traumatized staff and stripped away worker agency. The work they’d all loved, supporting adults with disabilities and their families to live lives with meaning and connection, became an endless list of boxes to check. 

Creating Biscochito

With longtime colleagues, Kimberly set out to build something new. From the lessons of Santa Lucia, they created Biscochito—a nonprofit, caregiver-led organization. Here, the people closest to the work are given agency and autonomy, transparency replaces fear, and connection is the central value.

Biscochito is not just about caregiving. It is a model for how work itself can be reimagined—where those who do the work guide the work, and where labor is honored as sacred.

When individuals have agency in their daily work and communities have autonomy to shape the larger system, both flourish. Agency and autonomy together create not just better jobs, but healthier organizations and more resilient communities.