Navigating Disability

Kate Read and Jenn Abbott

Welcome to the Navigating Disability Podcast Show!! Your hosts, Kate Read and Jenn Abbott are committed to changing the narrative around 'normal' and 'ability' and look so forward to sharing our weekly guests with you! Get ready to be inspired, empowered and enlivened as we dive into education, lived experiences, expert advice, behind the scenes on political movements and how YOU, our listeners can THRIVE within your community! So this means, if you, your family, client or loved one are impacted by disability, you've landed on the right channel. We know how daunting the future can seem from time to time, and when you know you can lean into expert advice and interviews to get your questions answered or your faith renewed, the journey can feel more achievable. Be sure to subscribe and hit the alerts so you never miss an episode of NAVIGATING DISABILITY with your resident support experts and researchers, Kate Read and Jenn Abbott.

  1. 3 HRS AGO

    When Caring Becomes a Calling: Cassie Day on Love, Loss & Leading Change

    Cassie Day never expected her life to unfold this way. At 23, she was thrown into the deep end when her newborn son was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. What followed was a rollercoaster of medical trauma, emotional resilience, and a relentless fight to give her son a chance at life. In this episode, Cassie shares the raw, unfiltered story behind founding The Carer's Place, winning South Australia’s Carer Achievement Award, and how her darkest moments became a catalyst for change. From fractured relationships to small wins that felt like miracles, Cassie speaks with radical honesty about the hidden realities of being a full-time carer. If you’ve ever felt unseen in your caregiving role or struggled to hold onto hope, this conversation will meet you where you are. Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of medical trauma, mental health struggles, and domestic violence. Please take care while listening. Need support? Call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Tune in, share, and subscribe to help us amplify carer voices that too often go unheard. Connect with Cassie: https://www.cassieday.com/ https://www.instagram.com/thecarersplace/ https://www.facebook.com/cassiedayofficial https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassieleeday/

    55 min

  2. 27 OCT

    Defying the Diagnosis: Dr. Azi Jankovic on Whole‑Person Healing and Hope

    Trigger warning: This episode discusses psychiatric hospitalization and suicidal thoughts. If you need support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (Australia) or your local crisis line. At 17, Dr. Azi Jankovic was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and told she’d be medicated for life. For over two decades, she lived within a system that prioritised sedation over root-cause healing. But Azi chose a different path, and now she’s helping others do the same. In this episode, Kate and Jenn sit down with Dr. Azi to discuss her new book, Defying the Diagnosis: Reclaim Your Mental Health and Thrive, a groundbreaking guide that fuses lived experience with research and the wisdom of healing beyond the label. Azi introduces us to her signature Four Pillars of Mental Health:  🧠 Physiology  🧘‍♀️ Psychology  🎯 Purpose  👥 People We explore how she moved from surviving to thriving, and how you can too. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking real hope and whole-person healing. 💚 Dr. Azi’s links: Website: azijankovic.com Order book: Amazon Insight Timer: Dr. Azi Jankovic Instagram: @defyingthediagnosis LinkedIn: Dr. Azi Jankovic 🎧 Listen now and share with someone who needs to know: You are not your diagnosis.

    39 min

  3. 20 OCT

    Beyond the Voice: Carer, Advocate & Lived Experience with Lisa Grech

    In this episode of Navigating Disability, Kate and Jenn speak with Lisa Grech, living with multiple sclerosis while caring full time for her adult daughter, Hannah, who experiences a severe intellectual disability and is non-verbal. Lisa gives us raw, courageous insight into what it means to be both a person with disability and a carer, and why amplifying the voices of those who can’t be heard is vital. Lisa walks us through the challenges of diagnosis, the emotional weight of grief and guilt, and how she found pathways toward acceptance. She also lifts up the practical strategies that have sustained her, how she and Hannah’s father, Tim, collaborate, how they’ve built a support team over decades, and how they’re planning a specialised home (SDA) to better secure Hannah’s future. We also dig into the tensions within the disability sector: how carers’ perspectives are often undervalued, how inclusion still falls short, and how listening and respect must be foundational. If you’ve ever felt stuck between roles, or questioned whose voice counts, this conversation offers powerful validation, solidarity, and direction. Trigger Warning: This episode discusses grief, guilt, and mental health in the context of caring.  Lifeline (Australia): 13 11 14 See more from Lisa: https://www.thetalkshop.com.au/dr-lisa-grech-psychologist-bp/   → Please remember: you are not alone. Share this with others and let’s keep widening the space for all voices in disability.

    36 min

  4. 13 OCT

    Finding Strength in the Chaos: A Carer’s Story of Grit, Grief & Growth

    Natalie Terry Bedwell never planned for a life filled with diagnoses, advocacy, and navigating complex care systems, but it’s the life she’s embraced with courage and clarity. In this moving episode, Natalie shares what it's like to raise seven children, four of whom live with disabilities, while also managing her own diagnoses of ADHD and autism. From unexpected grief to unexpected joy, Natalie walks us through the hard-won lessons of parenting, caring, and choosing to create inclusive spaces through her business, Honoured Social Enterprise Gym, and her charity, Infinitely Valued. We dig into the emotional labour of carers, the small moments that fuel resilience, and how laughter and love show up even in chaos. This is not just an episode about disability or care, it’s about what happens when we stop pretending everything’s fine and start building the communities we actually need. 🔔 Trigger warning: Discussion includes mental and emotional exhaustion, systemic challenges, and medical trauma.  📞 Lifeline (Australia): 13 11 14 🎙️ Listen in and discover how Natalie turned overwhelm into impact. Check out more from Natalie: https://honouredgym.com.au/https://www.infinitelyvalued.org/

    26 min

  5. 6 OCT

    Living Your Truth Out Loud: Disability, Queer Pride & Power with William Ward-Boas

    In this moving episode of Navigating Disability, we sit down with William Ward-Boas, an Autistic, First Nations, gay self-advocate and deputy chair of VALID. Diagnosed as non-verbal with intellectual disability and written off by professionals as a child, William's story is one of incredible resilience, transformation, and purpose. William opens up about the harsh realities of growing up in a segregated education system, surviving stigma, internalised ableism and homophobia, and the trauma of being underestimated. He shares how community, therapy, and fierce advocacy helped him reclaim his identity and find pride in every part of who he is. From non-verbal beginnings to speaking at the United Nations, William's journey will leave you inspired to rethink what’s possible when people are given love, support, and the right tools to thrive. This episode is a must-listen for families, educators, and allies who believe in potential over prediction. ⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode discusses self-harm, trauma, and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know needs support, please contact Lifeline at 13 11 14. 🎧 Listen now and share this story of courage and change.

    32 min

  6. 29 SEPT

    From Vision Loss to Victory: How Sport Helped Aaron Fowler Reclaim His Life

    In this powerful episode of Navigating Disability, Kate and Jenn sit down with Aaron Fowler. He’s a senior physiotherapist, sports journalist, and vision-sports advocate living with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Diagnosed at age five, Aaron shares the reality of his condition: tunnel vision, night blindness, and a future of unpredictable sight loss. He opens up about how he learned to navigate school, university, sport, and mental health through courage, community, and a deep sense of purpose. You’ll hear: what retinitis pigmentosa is, and how Aaron has adapted from childhood to nowhow sport, especially blind cricket, vision‑impaired rugby, and the Disability Sports Podcast, became not just an outlet, but a lifelinethe hard truth about mental health, isolation, burnout, and how Aaron found hope againadvice for anyone who feels stuck, without support, or unsure how to move forward Trigger warning: this episode mentions depression, anxiety, thoughts of self‑harm. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to a trusted person, or a mental health service. Lifeline (Australia): 13 11 14. If Aaron’s story inspires you, share this with someone who might need to hear it. Subscribe to Navigating Disability for more honest stories and real insights, and leave us a review if this episode spoke to you.

    39 min

  7. 22 SEPT

    We All Have Unique Needs: Mel James on Motherhood & Advocacy

    Mel James is a force of lived experience, resilience, and truth-telling. In this powerful episode, she shares her journey as a mother of children with "unique needs," her advocacy within the disability and education systems, and her personal healing from complex trauma.  Mel dives deep into what it means to raise children in a world that often misunderstands difference, the grief and grace of diagnosis, and why connection, community, and compassion must lead the way. With fierce vulnerability, Mel calls out systemic failures while offering hard-earned wisdom on self-preservation, acceptance, and advocacy. Whether you're a parent, educator, or ally, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone passionate about shifting the narrative around disability, trauma, and motherhood. Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of trauma, sexual abuse, and complex PTSD. Please take care while listening. If you need support, call Lifeline at 13 11 14 (Australia). 🔊 Hit play. Be inspired. Share the truth.

    56 min

  8. 16 SEPT

    Everything Changed in 7 Seconds: What Came After the Fall

    When 19-year-old Jonathan Sigworth fell off a 70-foot cliff in the Himalayas, his life changed forever. But what followed wasn’t just recovery, it was revolution. In this episode, Jonathan shares how a spinal cord injury transformed his path, igniting a mission to uplift and empower others living with SCI (Spinal Cord Injury) across the globe. From starting India’s first wheelchair rugby team, to creating the award-winning film More Than Walking, and co-founding a non-profit with his wife Jessica, Jonathan’s story is one of raw grief, spiritual grounding, resilience, and bold activism. He opens up about confronting depression and isolation, navigating the U.S. and Indian health care systems, and the urgent global need for accessible rehab tools. We explore the emotional cost of invisibility, the power of peer mentorship, and how online education is revolutionising SCI independence. 🎧 Listen in for one of the most powerful conversations we’ve had, about grief, growth, and global change. Connect with Jonathan: Email: jsigworth@morethanwalking.com  More than walking: www.morethanwalking.com www.youtube.com/c/morethanwalking  www.facebook.com/morethanwalking www.twitter.com/morethanwalking www.instagram.com/morethanwalking www.linkedin.com/company/more-than-walking Trigger warning: This episode discusses depression, isolation, and suicidal ideation. If you need support, please contact Lifeline at 13 11 14 (AU) or your local mental health line.

    44 min
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About

Welcome to the Navigating Disability Podcast Show!! Your hosts, Kate Read and Jenn Abbott are committed to changing the narrative around 'normal' and 'ability' and look so forward to sharing our weekly guests with you! Get ready to be inspired, empowered and enlivened as we dive into education, lived experiences, expert advice, behind the scenes on political movements and how YOU, our listeners can THRIVE within your community! So this means, if you, your family, client or loved one are impacted by disability, you've landed on the right channel. We know how daunting the future can seem from time to time, and when you know you can lean into expert advice and interviews to get your questions answered or your faith renewed, the journey can feel more achievable. Be sure to subscribe and hit the alerts so you never miss an episode of NAVIGATING DISABILITY with your resident support experts and researchers, Kate Read and Jenn Abbott.

Information

  • Creator
    Kate Read and Jenn Abbott
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    49
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Navigating Disability
  • Show Website
    Navigating Disability