Invisible Barriers Podcast

Emily Milne
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  • Personal Journals
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Each episode will be a deep dive into someone's lived experience with invisible barriers - giving us an opportunity to understand the challenges different people face and hopefully learn practical ways to help dismantle them! Keep up to date on all new episodes via or Instagram or Facebook page, or subscribe on your favourite podcast platform. This podcast is recorded on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

Episodes

  1. 12/24/2025

    Ep 6: Coffee & 9 Decades of Life

    In today’s episode I’m sitting down with my 89 year old Pop, Brian - for a conversation about how lived experience shapes the way we see the world.Brian grew up in country Victoria during the 1940s, in the shadow of World War II. His early life was shaped by rations, clearly defined gender roles, national service, and becoming the man of his family at just 15 years old. The values he learned during that time — around responsibility, discipline, marriage, work, and education stayed with him across a lifetime.As the world changed, those values didn’t disappear. Through this conversation, I came to better understand his strong preference for tradition and for systems that once served the social norms of the time, which provided structure, certainty, and survival. It also highlighted the idea of frame of reference — the lens formed by our upbringing, culture, and life experiences that shapes how we interpret the world and make sense of different perspectives.When people grow up in very different times, their frames of reference can differ significantly. These differences can become invisible barriers between generations — not because one view is right or wrong, but because each person is responding from a different context. This episode isn’t about debating or challenging those perspectives; it’s about listening, understanding, and recognising where beliefs come from.🎧 If you’re curious about how life experience shapes values — or want to better understand perspectives different from a different generation — I invite you to listen in.You can find this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. If it resonates, please like, share, and help keep these conversations going.

    58 min

  2. 12/16/2025

    Ep 5: Sleepy Tea & CP advocacy in California USA

    Today’s episode features JJ — known online as @jjproduced this — someone I connected with through the Cerebral Palsy Foundation @yourcp and had the privilege of speaking with from opposite sides of the world: the Gold Coast and California. JJ shares his lived experience growing up with cerebral palsy, including two invisible barriers that shaped much of his early life: being unable to communicate verbally and relying on a feeding tube until he was five years old. He talks about how these early challenges often led people to make assumptions — that he couldn’t understand, couldn’t participate, or couldn’t engage in everyday activities in the ways they expected. In our conversation, JJ reflects on how assumptions have impacted him, how he navigates a world that often underestimates people with disabilities, and what it means to define your own path despite those barriers. This episode is a powerful reminder that communication, intelligence, and capability are not defined by speech or physical presentation, and that every person deserves to be seen beyond the assumptions made about them. I’m grateful to JJ for sharing his perspective and insight with such clarity and openness.

    42 min

  3. 12/09/2025

    Ep 4: McGuigan Shiraz & Youth Mental Health

    Today’s episode features Laura, who shares her lived experience navigating significant mental health challenges as a teenager. Before we begin, please be aware that this conversation includes references to drug and alcohol use, suicidal ideation, and occasional adult language. Please listen with care and prioritise your wellbeing. Laura speaks about the cycle she found herself in during high school — hiding her mental health struggles due to shame and stigma, and relying on unhealthy ways of coping as things became increasingly overwhelming. At 17, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a diagnosis she later discovered was shaped by a misunderstanding of how trauma can present in adolescents. She also reflects on the period she spent in the psychiatric ward at Robina Hospital during Grade 12, describing the pressures and confusion she experienced at the time and how it shaped her understanding of her own mental health journey. Throughout our conversation, Laura outlines the strategies that supported her during difficult periods, the people who managed to reach her when she needed it most, and her belief that mental health is an ongoing part of life — something that shifts over time and requires learning new, healthier ways to respond to challenges. I’m grateful to Laura for sharing her experiences with honesty and clarity. Please subscribe, like and share!

    54 min

  4. 12/03/2025

    Ep 3: Sapporo & Japan/Aussie Culture

    This week, I sit down with Ryu, who shares what it felt like to be an outsider twice — first as an Asian immigrant in Australia, and later in his own home country of Japan after years abroad. In our conversation, Ryu shares thoughtful, honest reflections on how to navigate cultural difference without taking it as a personal attack, key things to understand about Japan’s tight cultural norms and tip on how bystanders witnessing discrimination help can dissolve invisible barriers on both sides. If you're travelling or living in Japan and want to hear more about Ryu's international psytrance events give him a follow or a DM on @kagura_psy !

    53 min

  5. 11/25/2025

    Ep 2: Espresso Martini's & Falling Below Self-Expectations

    What happens when the life you’ve built with your own two hands suddenly falls apart? In this episode, I sit down with David — a dedicated electrician, business owner, and proud family man — whose world was upended by a devastating workplace injury. Overnight, he went from running a thriving business to facing the unimaginable: physical recovery, financial loss, and the heavy emotional toll of feeling he had “failed” the people who depended on him. David opens up about his battle with mental health, the silence and shame that often surround men’s mental wellbeing, and what it really looks like to rebuild your identity when everything familiar has been stripped away. His honesty is powerful, raw, and deeply human. This conversation is a reminder that vulnerability is courage, that setbacks are not failures, and that healing doesn’t happen in a straight line. If you’ve ever questioned your worth during tough seasons, or know someone navigating a life-changing injury, this episode will stay with you long after it ends. Theme song and transitions: Circular Quay by No Hands The audio quality on this episode is average due to technical issues - despite the warning to sound check at the beginning I.. did not. I apologise for the echo. Em x

    1h 7m

  6. 11/19/2025

    Ep 1: Coca-cola & Matildaonaroll

    The first episode of Invisible Barriers is with Matilda, a recently graduated woman who is already huge in the disability advocate space. She shares her experience with Cerebral Palsy and discusses a range of barriers she has faced in school, communities and social interactions. If you want to follow her journey or would like to know how she can get involved in speaking within your community, follow the links below! Matilda's Personal Website Matilda's Instagram Page If you like what you hear - please swing us a follow on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube and share with your community to help dismantle Invisible Barriers. Invisible Barriers Instagram

    23 min

  7. Trailer

    Invisible Barriers Podcast Trailer

    A sneak preview of some of the themes and guests that will be featuring on this podcast. Peaked your interest? Give us a follow!

    7 min

Trailer

About

Each episode will be a deep dive into someone's lived experience with invisible barriers - giving us an opportunity to understand the challenges different people face and hopefully learn practical ways to help dismantle them! Keep up to date on all new episodes via or Instagram or Facebook page, or subscribe on your favourite podcast platform. This podcast is recorded on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

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