ListenABLE

In 1988, Mark Dorrity went for a run on a 35-degree day in regional New South Wales. He was leading the race when severe heat stroke caused his body to shut down. Mark spent 70 days unconscious in intensive care. He lost most of the muscle in his body, underwent a high-level leg amputation and was given little certainty about what life after hospital could look like. But this is not simply a story...

Spencer West returns to ListenABLE for an honest and powerful conversation about disability, accessibility and what it really means to be seen. Four years after his first appearance on the podcast, Spencer joins Angus O’Loughlin in person to talk about Melbourne’s accessibility, able-bodied assumptions, language around disability, social media advocacy and the moments from his life that people oft...

Australia’s winter Paralympic star Ben Tudhope joins ListenABLE for one of the most honest and emotionally grounded conversations of the series. From becoming Australia’s youngest ever Winter Paralympian at just 14 years old, to returning home from the 2026 Winter Paralympics with two medals, Ben opens up about pressure, identity, confidence, loneliness, disability, and the mindset that helped him...

What happens when two best mates decide not to let disability stop them from seeing the world? In this episode of ListenABLE, Dylan Alcott and Angus O’Loughlin sit down with Fletcher and Lachie, the duo behind the viral social account “Two Mates One Chair”. After a mountain biking accident left Fletch paraplegic, the pair turned friendship, humour and pure determination into a global adventure tha...

What happens when someone refuses to accept the limits placed on them? This week on ListenABLE, Angus O’Loughlin and Dylan Alcott sit down with Brodie Taylor, the first person in Australia to become a qualified wheelchair netball umpire. Diagnosed with transverse myelitis at just seven months old, Brodie has spent his life navigating disability, accessibility and assumptions. But instead of accept...

What happens when a single moment changes your life forever? In this powerful episode of ListenABLE , Larissa Camp shares the harrowing story of surviving a domestic violence attack that left her with a partial hand amputation and a completely different path in life. At just 23 years old, Larissa’s relationship turned violent when her partner pulled a shotgun on her during an argument. What follow...

Filipino-Australian singer-songwriter daine joins Dylan Alcott and Angus O'Loughlin for a conversation that is equal parts funny, raw, and genuinely important. daine lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), POTS, and autism and did not know she was disabled until she was 18. By that point she had already been dismissed by multiple neurologists and cardiologists who told her the chronic pain stoppi...

In this episode of ListenABLE , Angus sits down with Spencer Connelly for a conversation that is confronting, inspiring and incredibly human. Spencer shares his lived experience after surviving a traumatic fire as a child, spending months in hospital, and learning to navigate the world with visible scars and amputations. He reflects on memory, trauma, recovery, self-image, the complexity of forgiv...

When Joshua Ruff’s heart stopped for three minutes , everything changed. Living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) since childhood, Joshua had already navigated a lifetime of disability, adaptation, and resilience. But in 2020, a sudden cardiac arrest during the early days of COVID forced him into a profound reckoning with mortality, fear, and what actually matters. Unable to speak and communi...

Colin Judge was born with one arm and no legs, and today he is a Paralympic table tennis player, speaker, and analyst living in Dublin. In this episode of ListenABLE, Colin opens up about dating with a disability, rejection, and why you do not need to prove your worth to the wrong people. He shares the moment a short video about dating stopped the scroll online, and how learning to value the peopl...

What happens when you finally get the diagnosis that explains your whole life… and what doesn’t it change at all? In this powerful episode of ListenABLE , Angus sits down with disability advocate and podcaster Kelly Berger , who shares her journey living with an ultra-rare form of congenital muscular dystrophy, Collagen 6. After years of misdiagnosis, Kelly received her genetic confirmation as an...

Episode out Tuesday!

In this episode, Elizabeth Wright shares her journey from being a Paralympic swimmer to becoming a sports journalist. She discusses the challenges and triumphs of her career, the importance of representation in media, and her personal experiences with disability. Elizabeth emphasises the need for more coverage of Paralympic sports and the significance of embracing one's identity and pride in the f...

In this episode of  ListenABLE , Dylan and Angus sit down with Storm and Holly, the founder and brand ambassador of ByStorm Beauty , a trailblazing inclusive beauty brand designed for people with disabilities. They explore the challenges of inaccessible makeup, the importance of representation in beauty, and how ByStorm is creating products that empower the disability community while building...

Australian Senator  Jordon Steele-John joins Dylan Alcott and Angus O’Loughlin to share what life is really like inside Parliament as a wheelchair user and one of the few disabled politicians in Australia. From rushing to Senate votes without extra time allowances to reshaping accessibility in politics, Jordon gives a candid and inspiring look at how inclusion, policy, and representatio...

In this episode of the ListenABLE with Karni Liddell she opens up about her incredible journey from being diagnosed with a neuromuscular condition at birth to becoming a world class Paralympian, advocate, and mother. Karni reflects on her experiences in elite sport, the evolution of disability representation, and the personal challenges that shaped her strength and perspective. She speaks candidly...

In this episode of Listenable , hosts Angus O'Loughlin and Dylan Alcott sit down with Sean Pollard , a para snowboarder and shark attack survivor whose story embodies resilience, courage, and reinvention. Sean opens up about the life-changing moment in 2014 when he lost both arms to a shark attack, and how he transformed that trauma into motivation—becoming an elite athlete with his sights s...

In this episode of ListenABLE , hosts Dylan Alcott and Angus O’Loughlin sit down with Carly Salmon – athlete, teacher, and captain of the Para Matildas. Carly opens up about her journey with cerebral palsy , how sport shaped her identity, and why representation in disability sport matters now more than ever. From her early years in athletics to leading Australia’s Para Matildas,...

In this episode of ListenABLe , we explore the complex and often overlooked connection between disability and sexuality with guest Oliver Morton Evans , a leading disability and sexuality advocate . Oliver shares his personal story of growing up with cerebral palsy , the unique challenges of navigating intimacy, dating, and relationships , and how accessibility barriers continue to shape the lives...

In this episode of the ListenABLE podcast, hosts Angus and Dylan sit down with Sara Shams — a pharmacist, model, and disability advocate — to share her inspiring journey as a bilateral above-knee amputee living with the rare genetic condition tibial hemimelia . Sara opens up about her early life and multiple surgeries, how advances in prosthetics technology have shaped her independence...

In today's episode of ListenABLE, we’re joined by  Jessica Horner , a neurodivergent journalist and policy advisor living with autism, ADHD, and multiple medical disabilities. Jessica offers a powerful and deeply personal conversation about what it means to navigate life and work through the lens of disability and neurodivergence. Together, we explore the dynamic nature of disability an...

In this episode of ListenABLE, registered psychologist Kellie Forrest shares her experiences living with cerebral palsy and working in mental health. As both a parent and a professional, Kellie provides insight into how internalised ableism, societal attitudes, and systemic gaps impact people with disability in day-to-day life. Kellie speaks candidly about parenting with a disability , navigating...

In this episode of ListenABLE , Angus O'Loughlin and Dylan Alcott are  joined by Rita Havea, a model, content creator and disability advocate living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), a progressive genetic neuromuscular condition, "Went and saw a genetic counsellor, linked myself to CMT support groups, did as much research as possible,'cause I felt that made me feel stronger in myself"....

In this episode of ListenABLE , hosts Dylan Alcott and Angus O’Loughlin speak with Cherie Clonan — autistic business leader, digital marketing expert, and founder of The Digital Picnic. Diagnosed with Autism later in life, Cherie shares her lived experience as a neurodivergent woman, parent of autistic children, and CEO of one of Australia’s most human-centric digital agencies. "...

In this episode of the ListenABLE Podcast , your hosts Dylan and Angus are joined by John Mckenna , a renowned disability advocate, podcaster, and expert with over 60 years of lived experience navigating life with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita. John is a passionate advocate for disability rights, independence, and the importance of community support for people with disabilities. John's journe...