Always Looking Up

In this week’s episode I sat down with Lillian Carrier. Lillian is an autistic actress and advocate from Los Angeles, best known for her breakout role in Freeform’s Everything’s Gonna Be Okay. In 2025, Lillian starred in her first leading film role in HorseGirls, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Directed by Lauren Meyering and co-starring Tony Hale and Gretchen Mol, the film follows M...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Carrie Gillispie. Carrie is the Early Development & Disability Project Director in New America’s Education Policy program, where she focuses on equity in education for young children and students with disabilities. Before joining New America, she led early childhood and disability equity work at The Education Trust and held roles in education policy, rese...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Jameisha Prescod FRSA. Jameisha is a multidisciplinary artist and writer from South London. With work grounded in a research-based practice, Jameisha explores how culture, identity, black history and colonialism influence the way illnesses are experienced. By combining multiple art forms their work reimagines how disabled stories can be archived in more exper...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Emily Gerhardstein. Emily is the CEO and Co-Founder of  LS Adaptive™, a mission-driven minority and female owned company utilizing proprietary magnetic technology, Hana Fasteners™, to restore independence and dignity to those with limited mobility, aging, or disabilities. As an FIT graduate, retail veteran, and former caregiver, Emily combined her personal jo...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Belle Bakst. Belle, is a stylist, fashion editor, content creator and disability advocate. Also known as “Little Fashion Stylist”, her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, InStyle, Harper's Bazaar, Brides, and more. We discuss who is driving the conversations around representation and inclusivity, especially in this new era, the permanence of fashion a...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Sonia Vera. Sonia is a Venezuelan-born model who is seeking to transform how the disability community is represented and celebrated within the fashion industry. She is a passionate advocate for radical, long-overdue change, using fashion as a platform to normalize inclusion and disability, and to shine a light on the significant and largely overlooked spendin...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Kate Robinson. Kate built a career spanning retail management and the nonprofit sector, most recently working at Nike, Inc. Now, in an exciting career transition, she is an enthusiastic advocate for creative expression and the power of amplifying individual voices. We discuss her career working at the intersection of sport and fashion, finding community that...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Julie Forrest Wyman. Julie is a filmmaker, writer, and Associate Professor of Cinema and Digital Media at UC Davis. Her work engages issues of embodiment, body image, and the possibilities and problematics of media spectatorship. We discuss her most recent film “The Tallest Dwarf”,  the ways in which the bodies of people with dwarfism have been seen and perce...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Maegan Blau. Maegan is the founder and principal designer of Blue Copper Design, an Arizona based studio recognized for its accessibility forward approach and for pushing the industry beyond minimum standards to create spaces that truly support how people live. We discuss the differences between adaptive and accessible, the importance of blending access and d...

In this week’s episode of Always Looking Up I welcomed back Melanie Waldman. An advocate for disability rights and overall inclusion, Melanie's history & career include sharing her professional connection(s) with a wide range of audiences. In 2025, she launched her platform "Disability Reality Media", which she’s taken to Sundance, Tribeca, and SXSW.  Through her platform, she ha...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Isaac Zablocki. Isaac is the Co-Founder and CEO of the ReelAbilities Film Festival, a disability film festival that has developed into a leading independent nonprofit and the premiere global exhibitor of disability-focused cinema. We discuss the beginnings of ReelAbilities and its continued, evolving success, the importance of building community through the w...

In this week’s episode of Always Looking Up I sat down with Zach Miller. Zach is a 2x World Champion, 2x Paralympian and 2023 ESPY winner for Best Athlete with a Disability. When he isn’t snowboarding, you can find him riding his motorcycle, driving his Supra, or hopping online for some gaming with friends. We discuss how he discovered para snowboarding, the road to Milan and competing at the 2026...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Anna Johannes. Anna is a 2012 Paralympic bronze medalist and a seasoned strategist dedicated to redefining the intersection of sport and disability. After transitioning from elite swimming to the corporate world for the past decade, she has now launched her own consultancy, On the One Hand, and currently serves as a Partner and Co-founder at Culxtured, a medi...

In this week’s episode I welcomed back Syanne Bloom and Jillian Mercado. Syanne is an Afro-Indigenous disabled activist and political commentator who examines the intersection of politics, media, and representation. Her work exposes how industries like fashion often reflect the same systemic inequities seen in government and society. Jillian is an actress, model, and activist who has become a prom...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Christopher Griffin better known as Plant Kween. Christopher is a Brooklyn based black, queer, non-binary lifestyle creator with a focus on all things inspirational, fashion, design, and nature. Their work helps people reconnect with nature, live more sustainably, and inspires curiosity about the world around them. We discuss the never ending conversations ar...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Andrea Dalzell. Andrea, known as “The Seated Nurse”—is a New York City nurse leader, disability advocate, and wheelchair user redefining what inclusive healthcare looks like. Through storytelling, consulting, and keynote speaking, she equips institutions to move from empathy to action in disability inclusion. We discuss her journey towards becoming a nurse, w...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Syanne Bloom and Jillian Mercado. Syanne  is an Afro-Indigenous disabled activist and political commentator who examines the intersection of politics, media, and representation. Her work exposes how industries like fashion often reflect the same systemic inequities seen in government and society. Jillian is an actress, model, and activist who has become a pro...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan. Cara is a visionary international disability rights advocate whose career has spanned humanitarian action, diplomacy, entrepreneurship, and storytelling. She is also a filmmaker and a passionate force for inclusion in the arts and media, most recently participating, owning and producing the short documentary film, Facing the Falls. We...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Cara Reedy and Rebecca Cokley. Cara is a journalist, filmmaker and a sometimes actor/comedian. She is the founder and Executive Director of the Disabled Journalists Association where we are working to make a more equitable industry for Disabled Journalists. Rebecca Cokley is a second generation civil rights activist raising a third. She is a political consult...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Lachi. Lachi is a world touring recording artist, award winning music executive, Disability Culture champion, host of PBS series Renegades, Recording Academy National Trustee, and producer of a GRAMMY-Nominated album. Born legally blind, Lachi created the U.N.-recognized organization RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities), a consu...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart. Daniel is a Deaf actor on stage and screen. He is best known for his starring role as Leo Rossi in CODA, a film that garnered three Oscar Awards, including the top prize of Best Picture. He also starred in Deaf West’s productions of Spring Awakening and Green Day’s American Idiot and made it to the semifinals of Dancing With T...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Austin Halls. Austin is a singer, storyteller, and motivational figure born with Moebius Syndrome, using music, fashion, and psychology to redefine self-expression and visibility. He’s the first person with Moebius Syndrome to walk New York Fashion Week and creates empowering dance-pop that turns disability into celebration. We discuss the healing and express...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Ezra Frech. Ezra is a 20 year-old 2x Paralympian from Los Angeles who competes in the T63 100M, Long Jump, and High Jump. He recently won gold in both the 100M and High Jump, and placed 5th in Long Jump at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. He is an accomplished athlete, advocate, model, motivational speaker, and 2024 and 2025 ESPY Nominee whose goal is to norm...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Niamh Ni Hoireabhaird. Niamh is a disability journalist from Ireland. Having been featured in publications like the Guardian, HuffPost, the Journal, the Irish Independent and the Women's Media Center, Niamh’s work seeks to highlight and raise awareness of national and international disability issues.. We discuss disability as a practice, society not wanti...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Tori Calamito. Tori, Oz historian and content creator, is a life-long Oz fan who has been collecting Oz memorabilia for 28 years and has been posting about Oz online for 20 years. Tori is a multi-platform content creator and a trusted source for all things Oz. “The Oz Vlog” has helped connect fans and collectors around the world through the wonders of social...