The I Can't Stand Podcast

Nas Campanella is the National Disability Affairs Reporter at the ABC and one of the most recognisable disabled voices in Australian media. In this episode, she reflects on the responsibility of reporting on disability in Australia and the issues shaping the lives of disabled people today, from the NDIS to employment and education. We also talk about representation in journalism, living with blindness and Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy, and navigating motherhood as a disabled woman. This episode marks the final conversation of season five of The I Can’t Stand Podcast. Season six will return later in 2026. Connect with Nas: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nascampanella/ Read or watch Nas' work: https://www.abc.net.au/news/nas-campanella/8869846 Connect with Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Transcript: https://www.icantstandpodcast.com/episodesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it mean to live with the constant background noise of ableism? Actor Kiruna Stamell shares her experiences of disability representation, discrimination and building a career in the acting industry. Connect with Kiruna Stamell: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirunastamell/?hl=en Agent website: https://libertyartistmgt.com.au/actor/kiruna-stamell/ Connect with Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Transcript: https://www.icantstandpodcast.com/episodesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Caroline Bowditch is a performance artist and arts leader who has spent more than two decades shaping disabled culture in Australia and the UK. A recipient of the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship for 2025 to 2026, she continues to influence how disability is understood in dance and the wider arts sector. We explore her pivotal work Falling in Love with Frida, and how reclaiming Frida Kahlo through a disabled lens transformed her artistic voice. Caroline also shares her move from freelance performer to leading Arts Access Victoria, why disabled people need to be inside institutions to create real change, and what disabled dance looks and feels like in practice. Grace Spence Green Book: https://www.booktopia.com.au/ Connect with Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Transcript: https://www.icantstandpodcast.com/episodes  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The I Can’t Stand Podcast, I speak with author and performer Pam Joy Wood about psychosocial disability, long term mental health recovery, and the power of self advocacy. Pam lives with ADHD, complex PTSD, and a history of acute and chronic major depression. Through her solo show DYS-ORDER-ED and her memoir Five Fat Sausages, she shares what it means to survive systemic failure within healthcare, misdiagnosis, medication side effects, and institutional harm and how she rebuilt her life through creativity and radical joy. As mentioned in the episode, DYS-ORDER-ED is available to download and watch for free here:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eCxwVCc4Qb0 You can find Pam’s memoir Five Fat Sausages here:https://pavlovapress.co.nz/pam-wood-author-page/Mental Health Free resources:https://www.dropbox.com Connect with Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Peta speaks with Jane Wardlaw about mentorship, mobility, and the deeply personal decision of when to start using a wheelchair. Jane shares her lived experience of growing up with muscular dystrophy, navigating changing mobility, and how a wheelchair became a tool for safety, freedom, and possibility rather than loss. Together, they explore why mentorship matters for disabled people, especially when navigating identity, independence, and systems like the NDIS.   Connect with Jane: https://substack.com/@janewardlaw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-wardlaw Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janedisabilitylobbyist Connect with Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Linh Uendo joins The I Can’t Stand Podcast for an honest conversation about disability, drag, and growing up in a medicalised body. Born with Prune Belly Syndrome, Linh shares what it was like navigating childhood, body image, and visibility, and how drag became a space where she did not need to hide. Connect with Linh Uendo: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@littlelinhuendoInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlelinhuendo Connect with Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are disabled people still missing from mainstream media? In this episode of The I Can’t Stand Podcast, host Peta Hooke speaks with Susan Wood, Senior Content Manager at Spinal Cord Injuries Australia and host of Have the Nerve, about disability, media exclusion, and representation in Australia. Susan shares her lived experience of wanting a career in news media and being repeatedly locked out of work because of inaccessibility rather than ability. Together, they explore how systemic barriers limit disabled people’s participation in media, the long-term impact on confidence and mental health, and why ambition alone is often not enough in an inaccessible world. This conversation looks at disability through the lens of employment, storytelling, and power, and asks what needs to change so disabled voices are no longer the exception in Australian media. Content warning: this episode includes discussion of self harm and suicidal thoughts. Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support Lifeline: https://www.lifeline.org.au Connect with Susan: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-g-wood/?originalSubdomain=au Have the Nerve Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5xxKaf3n2mupbS6zPplacy Connect with Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com   Episode Transcript:www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Storm Menzies is the founder of ByStorm Beauty, a brand on a mission to make beauty more accessible, without sacrificing style or dignity. After injuring her dominant hand at the gym, Storm realised how much dexterity is assumed in everyday makeup tools, and how often disabled people are excluded from the beauty conversation altogether. In this episode, Storm shares how she went from DIY clay prototypes to launching a national collaboration with Celeste Barber’s beauty brand, BOOIE. We talk about co-designing with disabled users, her frustrations with investors who say “disability is too niche,” and why she believes accessible design should never feel like charity. Connect with Storm:  Instagram: @bystorm.beauty Website: https://bystormbeauty.com Tiktok: @bystorm.beauty   Connect with Peta HookeInstagram: @petahookeWebsite: www.icantstandpodcast.comEmail: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Episode Transcript:www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this short episode, Peta shares a personal reflection on 2025, a year defined more by endurance than spark. She talks about living through ongoing illness and injury, the role of work and conversation in keeping her grounded, and the relationships that carried her through a difficult year. Peta also explains a brief pause to the podcast as she undergoes gallbladder surgery, and shares her hopes for 2026, choosing the word steady over spark. Thank you for listening, for your patience, and for being part of this community. The podcast will return soon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a short Christmas message to say thank you for listening to The I Can’t Stand Podcast this year. The show will be taking a brief break over the holidays and will return on Tuesday the sixth of January. If you’d like to give the podcast a little Christmas present, a rating or review would mean so much. It helps new listeners find the show and supports the work that goes into each episode. To rate and review:• Open the podcast in Apple Podcasts• Scroll down to the Ratings and Reviews section• Tap the stars to leave a rating• Tap “Write a Review” if you’d like to share a few words Thank you again for your support. Merry Christmas and happy holidays.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lucy Edwards is a broadcaster, journalist, and one of the most recognisable blind content creators in the world. In this episode, she opens up about losing her sight at 17, building a career online, and why she proudly says, “I love being blind now.” We talk about the grief of going blind, how she found confidence through storytelling, and her latest venture: launching the accessible beauty brand Etia London. Lucy also shares her IVF journey and the decision to screen for the gene that caused her blindness—a deeply personal and nuanced choice. This is a powerful conversation about disability, identity, and what it means to take control of your narrative. Connect with Lucy Edwards Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lucyedwards Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucyedwardsofficial/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucyedwardsofficial Website: https://www.lucyedwards.com/about Book: https://blindnotbroken.cmpgn.page/LGZ6f6 Makeup brand: https://etialondon.com   Connect with Peta HookeInstagram: @petahookeWebsite: www.icantstandpodcast.comEmail: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Episode Transcript:www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Peta speaks with model, actor and advocate Amelia Tang about what life looks like when illness reshapes everything. Amelia shares their experience of becoming disabled as a teenager, the long periods they spent bedbound, and how community kept them connected when they could barely tolerate light or sound. They talk about modelling with a feeding tube, navigating friendships through chronic illness, and the daily realities of fatigue management. Amelia also speaks about their work supporting disabled people in group homes through the Young People in Nursing Homes National Alliance, and why accessible housing is essential for independence. A thoughtful and generous conversation about identity, energy, and rebuilding a life at a different pace. Connect with Amelia Book Amelia: https://www.zbdtalent.com Tenant Voice project for NDIS participants living in SDA/SIL: https://ypinh.org.au/tenantvoice/ Kit’s fundraiser: https://ko-fi.com/mutualaidkit Connect with Peta HookeInstagram: @petahookeWebsite: www.icantstandpodcast.comEmail: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Episode Transcript:www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ed Roberts is often called the father of the independent living movement, but many people have never heard his story. This week, I’m joined by Professor Scot Danforth, author of An Independent Man, to explore Ed’s life, from contracting polio at fourteen and living in an iron lung, to becoming a key figure in disability rights. We talk about the moments that shaped his activism, the power of the Rolling Quads, the curb cut revolution, and why Ed’s ideas on independence and attitudes still matter today. If you want to understand where disability pride and modern disability culture began, this conversation is a meaningful place to start. Connect with ScotUniversity website: https://www.chapman.edu/our-faculty/scot-danforth.aspx Buy the book: www.booktopia.com.au/an-independent-man-scot-edward-danforth Connect with Peta HookeInstagram: @petahookeWebsite: www.icantstandpodcast.comEmail: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Episode Transcript:www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grace Spence Green was a medical student when a man jumped from a height in a shopping centre and landed on her, causing a spinal cord injury that left her paralysed from the chest down. In this conversation, Grace speaks openly about the moment her life changed, the long road through hospital and rehabilitation, and what it was like to suddenly become the patient after training to care for others. We talk about the ideas behind her book To Exist As I Am, including radical acceptance, the difference between the medical and social models of disability, and how she rebuilt a sense of identity after injury. Grace shares how her lived experience now shapes her work as a doctor, what helped her feel at home in her wheelchair, and why she challenges the tired cultural narratives of tragedy or inspiration. Connect with Grace Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracesg/?hl=en Buy her book: https://www.waterstones.com/book/to-exist-as-i-am/grace-spence-green/ Connect with Peta HookeInstagram: @petahookeWebsite: www.icantstandpodcast.comEmail: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Episode Transcript:www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Clare Reilly was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2017, she thought her days of outdoor adventure might be behind her. But the lifelong outdoors lover, podcaster, and mum is preparing to take on something extraordinary; a 1,072-kilometre ride along Western Australia’s Munda Biddi Trail using her off-road wheelchair. In this episode, Clare joins Peta to talk about the quiet courage it takes to attempt something you’re not sure you can do. She shares how Wheelchair Meets Wilderness began as an idea on a vision board, the logistics of tackling the world’s longest off-road cycling route, and the emotional side of living with MS; from daily grief and fatigue to moments of pride and possibility. This conversation isn’t about proving what’s possible. It’s about trying anyway. Connect with Clare ReillyTikTok: @clarereillyInstagram: @clare.reillyWheelchair Meets Wilderness: @wheelchairmeetswildernessLearn more: wheelchairmeetswilderness.org/the-munda-biddi-trail Connect with Peta HookeInstagram: @petahookeWebsite: www.icantstandpodcast.comEmail: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Episode Transcript:www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Paralympian, author, and advocate Don Elgin joins Peta to explore what true connection means within the NDIS and beyond. After representing Australia at three Paralympic Games and winning four medals, Don turned his focus to advocacy. As Head of Events at One Community, he now leads more than 120 networking events each year, connecting participants, carers, and providers to improve outcomes across the sector. Peta and Don discuss how tools like Kismet’s Care Index are exposing service gaps, why transparency matters for a fairer NDIS, and how regional communities can become more inclusive. They also look ahead to the Australian Disability Service Awards, presented by One Community and Kismet, held on Thursday 13 November at The Pullman Albert Park in Melbourne. Connect: One Community:Website: onecommunity.net.auInstagram: @onecommunityaus Kismet Care Index:Explore the data: kismet.healthcare/care-index Australian Disability Service Awards:Website: onecommunity.net.au/adsa Peta Hooke:Instagram: @petahookeWebsite: www.icantstandpodcast.comEmail: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Episode Transcript:www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Pete Horsley, Founder of Remarkable, the disability-tech accelerator powered by Cerebral Palsy Alliance, joins Peta to explore how technology, innovation, and lived experience are reshaping the future of accessibility. Over the past decade, Pete and his team have supported more than 160 startups developing technologies that change disabled people’s everyday lives. Through Remarkable’s partnership with Toyota Australia, the program now contributes over 2,000 hours of engineering and design expertise each year; proving what’s possible when big business and disability innovation truly collaborate. Pete and Peta discuss how inclusive design benefits everyone, and why disability should never be seen as a niche market. They also unpack how government policy could help stimulate demand for disability-led products and share what to expect from the upcoming Disability Tech Summit 2025. Connect: Remarkable: Disability Tech Summit 2025:  https://www.remarkable.org/disability-tech-summit-2025Website: remarkable.orgInstagram: @remarkable_tech https://www.toyota.com.au Peta Hooke:Instagram: @petahookeWebsite: www.icantstandpodcast.comEmail: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Episode Transcript:www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disability advocate and self-advocate Cameron Bloomfield shares what it’s like to be a gay man with an intellectual disability. He talks about self-advocacy, pride, and challenging the misconception that people with disability aren’t sexual or part of the LGBTIQ+ community. Connect:Peta HookeInstagram: @petahookeWebsite: www.icantstandpodcast.comEmail: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Episode Transcript: www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Clare Stewart, CEO of Youngcare and former Mayor of Noosa, joins Peta to share her powerful story of resilience, disability, and purpose. At just 23 years old, Clare was struck by a garbage truck while out for a morning run. She spent six months in hospital and underwent 37 surgeries to save her legs. Twenty-five years on, she’s leading one of Australia’s most respected disability organisations, advocating for accessible housing, dignity, and choice for young people with high care needs. Clare and Peta discuss how lived experience shapes authentic leadership, the reality of accessibility in everyday life, and the urgent need to rethink how Australia houses and supports disabled people. Connect:Youngcare:Website: youngcare.com.auInstagram: @youngcareozLinkedIn: Youngcare AustraliaYouTube: YoungcareOz Peta Hooke:Instagram: @petahookeWebsite: www.icantstandpodcast.comEmail: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Episode Transcript: www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, neurodivergent advocate, educator, and founder of My Spirited Child and the National PEKE Centre, Rebecca Challoner, joins Peta to explore what it really means to live and parent, with ADHD. Rebecca shares her journey from discovering her own diagnosis after her children’s, to founding two groundbreaking organisations built on neurodivergent-affirming principles. She unpacks the myths surrounding ADHD, how stigma still shapes everyday experiences, and why traditional “discipline” doesn’t work for neurodivergent kids. Connect: Rebecca Challoner: Facebook: facebook.com/rebeccalchalloner Instagram: instagram.com/rebeccalchalloner Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Episode Transcript: https://www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.