Always Looking Up

In this week’s episode I sat down with Milette Millington. Milette is a disability advocate and reporter at Caribbean Life News where she covers disability, as well as local and world news, politics, sports, and entertainment from a Caribbean American perspective. We discuss her research on the impact of COVID on the disabled community in regards to employment, questions we would like to ask emplo...

To start, I’m issuing a trigger warning. This episode talks about sexual harassment and sexual assault. If these are triggers for you, please feel free to skip this episode. In this week’s episode I welcomed back Shelby Holloway. Shelby is a content creator on TikTok, dwarfism advocate, and one of my best friends. This conversation, ignited by a recent TikTok Shelby posted where she called out tho...

In this week's episode, I sat down with Amanda Duberman. Amanda is the senior director of news and activism at Betches Media, and is the editorial director of the Betches Sup, the News and Politics brand of Betches. We discussed why certain disabled stories will go viral on social media, and yet be ignored by traditional news outlets, the fact that the disabled community is often either dehumanize...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Elizabeth Jameson. Elizabeth is an artist and writer who explores what it means to live in an imperfect body as part of the universal human experience. Her essays have been published by The New York Times, British Medical Journal, WIRED magazine, and MIT’s Leonardo Journal and she was included in The New York Times book About Us. We reflect on our own past ig...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Sami Sage. Sami is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Betches Media - a female-founded and led media and entertainment brand that provides a space for all women to get real about life and is funny, honest, and unfiltered. We discuss how Governor Ron Desantis’s efforts to eliminate DEI initiatives will impact the disabled and other marginalized commu...

This week's episode is a solo episode, a casual and candid conversation with you, my listeners and readers. As my 28th year draws to a close I wanted to take the time to reflect on the past 365 days, shine a light on issues I want to amplify in the coming year on my platforms, and answer a few listener questions. Read the transcription HERE Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podc...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Alice Sheppard. Alice is the Founder and Artistic Director of Kinetic Light, as well as a choreographer and dancer in the company. Kinetic Light is an internationally-recognized disability arts ensemble that, working in the disciplines of art, technology, design, and dance, creates, performs, and teaches at the nexus of access, queerness, disability, dance, a...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Gabriella Amaya. Gabriella is a disability advocate and host of The Re-Define Podcast, where she and her guests share their experiences about living with a disability and how they re-define what disability means to them. We discuss the fact that disability can be messy, the importance of allowing ourselves to be mad at our disability, seeing our scars as beau...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Becky Leifman, one of the founders of CO/LAB Theater Group, Marina, a first-year CO/LAB Leader, and Sylvia, a third-year CO/LAB leader. CO/LAB Theater Group is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing Creative Opportunities without Limits And Boundaries. CO/LAB offers individuals with developmental disabilities a creative and social outlet through the...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Laurel Lawson. Laurel is a choreographic collaborator, dancer, designer, and engineer with Kinetic Light - an internationally-recognized disability arts ensemble. Working in the disciplines of art, technology, design, and dance, Kinetic Light creates, performs, and teaches at the nexus of access, queerness, disability, dance, and race. We discuss the founding...

In this week’s episode I welcomed back Dr. Erin Pritchard. Dr. Pritchard is a Lecturer in Disability Studies at Liverpool Hope University, author of the book Dwarfism, Spatiality and Disabling Experiences, and activist in the little person community. We discuss the roots of the stereotypes towards people with dwarfism, the need to teach the social model of disability, examine how the disabled comm...

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...