Two years before Julie Fisher fell pregnant with her third child, the universe set her up. She'd just become friends with a woman named Tina, whose daughter Amy had Down syndrome. Julie had never met anyone with Down syndrome before. She watched Amy in the playground. She asked questions. And one of the answers — about how hard a postnatal diagnosis can be when nobody warned you — quietly rewrote what Julie would do if it ever happened to her family. It did. At 12 weeks pregnant, an ultrasound flagged a marker. At 15 weeks, an amniocentesis confirmed it. Then came five appointments with two different doctors pushing termination — until Julie yelled at them at 25 weeks that she wasn't going anywhere. In Episode 2 of Golden Threads, host Dan Dougherty sits down with Julie — author of five books, weekly radio host, motivational speaker, founder of an annual disability expo, and mum to 19-year-old Darcy — to talk about advocacy that starts before a baby is born, the fear-based stares that turned out not to be stares at all, and the signature line she takes everywhere: "Give people a chance and watch them shine." This is a conversation about motherhood, disability, inclusion, the slow work of changing minds, and the kind of family glue you don't see coming. KEY TAKEAWAYS - Advocacy that started before birth. How a friendship with another mum and a single conversation about postnatal diagnosis prepared Julie to say "we want to know" — and to push back hard against five appointments of termination pressure. - "He came into the world like a rock star." Born five weeks early with a roomful of doctors and students waiting to see how he'd cope, Darcy entered screaming. He's been entering the world that way ever since. - The Darcy effect on a family. Two older brothers, a busy house, and the third child who became the glue. Why Julie's other boys argue with him, stir him up, and treat him exactly like a brother — and why that's the win. - From defence mode to smiling back. Julie's honest account of being in mama-bear mode at every stare in the supermarket — and how learning to smile first changed her, her son, and a lot of strangers. - "Give people a chance and watch them shine." Julie's signature quote, plus the five books, the radio show, and the annual expo it now powers. GUEST BIO Julie Fisher is an Australian author, motivational speaker, weekly radio host, community organiser, advocate, and mum of three. She lives in Victoria with her family and her son Darcy, 19, who has Down syndrome. Julie is the author of five books, including "The Unexpected Journey", "The Magic of Inclusion", "From the Hearts of Mums" (gold award winner), the children's book "Big School", and her latest, "The Adolescent Journey". She hosts a weekly disability-focused radio show (now over 100 episodes deep) and founded her local disability expo. Her signature quote — "Give people a chance and watch them shine" — has become a small movement in itself. RESOURCES MENTIONED - "The Unexpected Journey" — Julie's first book about Darcy's birth and early years - "The Magic of Inclusion" — Julie's second book on community and acceptance - "From the Hearts of Mums" — anthology of 13 mothers of children with Down syndrome (gold award winner) - "Big School" — Julie's children's book - "The Adolescent Journey" — Julie's latest, on the teenage years and the practical side (Centrelink, NDIS, functional capacity assessments, tax file numbers) - Down Syndrome Victoria — dsav.asn.au - Carers Victoria — carersvictoria.org.au - Carers Australia — carersaustralia.com.au - NDIS — ndis.gov.au TIMESTAMPS - 00:00 Cold open + welcome to Golden Threads - 00:32 Meeting Julie Fisher — author, advocate, mum - 01:28 The friendship that set everything up — meeting Tina and her daughter Amy - 02:59 Pregnant with Darcy: the ultrasound, the nuchal fold, the question - 04:03 Walking into the obstetrician already knowing - 04:34 The amniocentesis result — and what it actually felt like - 05:13 Five appointments, two doctors, and the 25-week yelling match - 05:50 The mixed reactions of family and friends - 06:40 Tina's support group: 10 mums, every fortnight - 08:23 Where mother-bear advocacy actually comes from - 09:51 Mapping out a primary school life before he was born - 11:21 Darcy enters the world like a rock star - 12:33 Family life with three boys — and a baby in special care - 13:53 The brothers' protective instinct, and why she'd just sit back and watch - 15:34 Dual schooling: four days specialist, one day mainstream ("Darcy Day") - 16:41 Why high school had to be specialist — and why Darcy thrived - 18:01 Life after school: performing arts and the working farm - 19:05 The one thing she sometimes wonders about - 21:25 Worry, vulnerability, and the world getting better - 23:01 Going out in the community — stares, smiles, and learning to smile first - 26:15 Why "if you want to ask, ask" is part of the message - 27:41 The fear that drives a lot of awkward reactions - 28:35 Why "we are all different anyway" matters - 29:34 What Darcy has taught the whole family - 31:18 Conquering escalators, hand dryers, and the barber - 33:33 The five books — how it started, and why each one exists - 35:24 The first taste of being asked to speak - 36:33 "From the Hearts of Mums" and meeting other mums in lockdown - 37:52 "The Adolescent Journey" — and the practical guide for parents - 38:44 Watching Darcy nod along on stage - 41:14 What inclusion actually looks like at street level - 44:01 Heavy doors, change tables for adults, and the things you only notice from the inside - 47:07 Julie's favourite mode of advocacy - 48:40 The radio show, the expo, and the providers nobody hears about - 53:38 The signature quote: "Give people a chance and watch them shine" - 56:18 Final reflections: the disability world is scary, and there are good people in it - 57:01 We're all in this together — outro If this conversation moved you, here's how to help us share more like it: - Subscribe to Golden Threads and the Kintsugi Heroes podcast wherever you listen - Leave a rating or review — it's the single biggest thing you can do to help us reach more listeners - Share this episode with one person who needs to hear it today - Donate to support our storytelling: kintsugiheroes.com.au — all donations are tax-deductible - Partner with us if your organisation works in disability, inclusion, or community: hello@kintsugiheroes.com.au THE KINTSUGI CONNECTION Watch the full conversation on YouTube: youtube.com/@KintsugiHeroes You might also love these episodes: - Golden Threads Episode 1 — Leanne Watson — for another story of disability, family and Australian advocacy ABOUT KINTSUGI HEROES Kintsugi Heroes is a not-for-profit storytelling platform sharing real stories of resilience, disability, and transformation — inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold and the cracks become part of its beauty. We believe the people who've been broken and rebuilt have something the rest of us need to hear. Partner with us: hello@kintsugiheroes.com.au Donate (tax-deductible): kintsugiheroes.com.au/donate Connect: - Website: kintsugiheroes.com.au - Instagram: @kintsugi.heroes - Facebook: facebook.com/kintsugiheroes - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/kintsugiheroes - YouTube: youtube.com/@KintsugiHeroes Remember — we're all in this together.
