Always Looking Up

In this week’s episode I sat down with Dr. Akilah Cadet. Dr. Cadet is a Black disabled woman who is founder and CEO of Change Cadet, a company that provides individuals and companies with services that support embedding anti-racism, diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging into overall organizational identity & strategy. In addition, she is an author, columnist and public speaker and was named...

In this week’s episode I sat down with father and filmmaker Olivier Bernier. Olivier is the director of the new documentary Forget Me Not which follows his and his wife Hilda’s personal journey as their son Emilio, who has down syndrome, prepares to start school. We discuss the ongoing segregation of children with intellectual disabilities in schools, the societal and systemic barriers his family...

In honor of Saturday having been International Day of Persons With Disability I sat down with Logan Aldridge. Exactly a year ago Peloton announced that Logan was joining the team as one of its newest strength instructors and adaptive training specialist. After sharing his story we discuss his mentality of “it’s just an arm”, the importance of creating accessible fitness solutions for all abilities...

In this week’s episode I welcomed back Dave Duminuco. Dave is a personal trainer at Equinox. We discussed the actual and perceived inaccessibility of gyms and fitness spaces, the importance of seeing different body types in fitness marketing, and question what a personal trainer should look like. Read the transcription HERE Follow Dave: Instagram: @daveduminuco Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana ,...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Briauna Mariah. Briauna is the Founder and CEO of We Speak Model Management, a non-traditional model management that gives a voice to models who deserve to be celebrated. We discuss the founding of We Speak, the difference between authentic and inauthentic disability representation, and the need to stop being afraid of disability, both inside the fashion indu...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with German fashion designer Sema Gedik. Sema is the founder and CEO of AUF AUGENHOEHE. Launched in 2017, after conducting years of research and community building, AUF AUGENHOEHE is a fashion label for little people. We discuss the creation and growth of her fashion label, explain the differences between adaptive, accessible, and inclusive fashion, and why...

To start I would like to issue a trigger warning. This episode talks about death, grieving, and mourning. If these are triggers for you, please feel free to skip this episode. In this week’s episode I welcomed back Zane Landin. Zane is a mental health and disability advocate, queer rights activist, entrepreneur, and positive change maker who identifies as Hispanic, Queer, and Disbaled. He is the f...

This week’s episode is a little different. I sat down with my brother to celebrate our father who we lost on Halloween 2015. We discuss the man he was, his legacy, and share just a few of our favorite memories with him. Read the transcription HERE Follow Jillian: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Twitter: @jillx3456 Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gm...

In this week’s episode, in honor of October being Dwarfism Awareness Month and tomorrow being International Dwarfism Awareness Day I welcomed back Shelby Holloway. Shelby is a content creator on TikTok and one of my best friends, practically a big sister, in the little person community. We discuss how the disabled and non-disabled communities see the little person community, the difference between...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Dr. Ben Barry. Ben is the Dean of Fashion at Parsons School of Design, a disability fashion activist, and researcher. He is currently leading the project Crippling Masculinity that explores how D/deaf, disabled, and nondivergent men and masculine people experience the world and make new worlds through fashion. We discuss the different approaches towards makin...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Maria Rabaino. Maria is a wheelchair user, certified fitness trainer and founding member of the Rollettes, a wheelchair dance team that empowers women with disabilities to live boundlessly and shift perspectives globally. We discuss why disability belongs in fitness, the impact social media has to make a space more accessible, and the positive force for chang...

In this week’s episode I welcomed back Bri Scalesse. Bri is a wheelchair user, model, influencer, and advocate. This episode was recorded right after New York Fashion Week ended where Bri wheeled the runways in three shows and absolutely slayed like the true queen she is. We discuss the disability hierarchy and what it means to have the wheelchair user be the icon for the disabled community, what...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Sofia Blasco. Sofia is a dancer, Pure Barre instructor, and co-founder and executive director of The Dancer Movement, an organization that is dedicated to reimagining the experience of dance for people with disabilities. We discuss the origins of The Dancer Movement and developing a teaching style for students with disabilities, the importance of collaboratio...

In this week’s episode, in honor of September being Hydrocephalus Awareness Month, I welcomed back Michaela Healy. Michaela is one of my best friends, practically my little sister, and has been living with hydrocephalus, water on the brain, since being diagnosed when she was one year old. We discuss what hydrocephalus awareness month means to her, why she does or does not see herself as an inspira...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Nic Novicki. Nic is a comedian, actor, and founder of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. This conversation was sparked by and recorded shortly after it was announced that James Franco would be playing Fidel Castro in an upcoming biopic and actor John Leguizamo’s reaction. We discuss the ongoing struggle for authentic representation in Hollywood, the p...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Haben Girma. Haben is a disability rights advocate and the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School. She is the author of the memoir Haben, The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law . President Barack Obama named her a White House Champion of Change and she has been honored by President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chancellor Ange...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Julian Gavino. Known as The Disabled Hippie, Julian is a model and activist in the disability and transgender communities. We discuss the intersectionality of these two marginalized communities, what it takes to create a brand for ourselves, the importance of working with companies that will protect our brand and identities. Read the transcription HERE Follow...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Steve Serio. Steve is a Team USA wheelchair basketball player, 3 time Paralympian, and 2x gold medal winner. We discuss the role sports has played in our lives, what it means to him to be an inspirational athlete, and the importance of seeing disability representation both on and off the court. Read the transcription HERE Follow Steve: Instagram: @steveserio1...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Carly Ruhnke. Carly is a little person with Morquio A syndrome and founder of the Little Carly Foundation. We discuss the moment when we realized we were a little person in an average-sized world, what it is like to attend an LPA national convention, and what it means to us to be with our community whether it is for a weekend or a week. Follow Carly: Instagra...

In this week’s episode, I sat down with Lisa Cox. Lisa is a multi-awarded writer, presenter and consultant based in Australia. She has written for numerous media outlets including HuffPost, The Sydney Morning Herald, and Sky News Australia. We discuss the guilt we sometimes feel with being disabled, the fact that there is more than one right way to be a disability rights advocate, and what disabil...

To start I would like to issue a warning. This episode does use offensive language in context of recent events that took place prior to recording. Myself and my guest do not condone the language used nor do we use it in our every day life. In today's episode I sat down with Samantha Rayburn-Trubyk. Samantha is the newly elected advocacy director of LPA, Little People of America. This episode was r...

In this week’s episode, in honor of disability pride month, it is just me and the microphone. I discuss what it was like being the only little person in my family, at school, in my town, feeling like I’m balancing between three different worlds - the nondisabled, little person, and disabled, and where I think my place is within the disabled community. Read the transcript HERE Follow Me: Instagram:...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Zane Landin. Zane is a mental health and disability advocate, queer rights activist, entrepreneur, and positive change maker who identifies as Hispanic, Queer, and Disbaled. He is the founder of Positive Vibes Magazine, which is a digital magazine dedicated to telling authentic stories about mental health, wellness, and inspiration. We discuss the intersectio...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Emily Ladau. Emily is a disability rights activist and author of the book Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally. We discuss finding our disabled identities, ableism in the media across both sides of the aisle, and what it means to say we are proud to be disabled in 2022. Read the transcript of this episode HERE Follow Emily...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Nicole Newnham. Nicole, along with Jim LeBrecht, is the co-director and co-producer of the Oscar nominated documentary Crip Camp. We discuss how the idea for the film came to be, what it was like for her, a non-disabled person, to see the footage, the importance of telling the story of the disability rights movement, and how that movement is a blueprint for a...