Always Looking Up

In this week’s episode I sat down with Jim LeBrecht. Jim, along with Nicole Newnham, is the co-director and co-producer of the Oscar nominated documentary Crip Camp. We discuss his time at Camp Jened, what it was like seeing the footage and putting the documentary together, the impact of the film, and why it is so important to know our past in order to change our future. Follow Jim: Instagram: @ji...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Jenna Bainbridge. Jenna is an actor, singer, disability rights advocate, and ambulatory wheelchair user. She most recently appeared as Harry T. Burn and others in the Off-Broadway production of Suffs at The Public Theatre. We discuss the concept of accidental accessibility, why conversations around authentic representation can no longer exclude disability, th...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Dr. William Mackenzie. Dr. Mackenzie is a world-renowned pediatric orthopedics expert. He currently serves as chairman, Medical Advisory Board of Little People of America. In addition, he is someone who has known me my whole life and has helped my parents and I navigate being a little person in an average-sized world. We discuss the medical definition of bein...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Sarah Galli. Sarah is host of the Bravo podcast Andy’s Girls where she focuses on the psychology behind the Real Housewives franchise. We discuss Bravo’s current efforts to be more inclusive and diverse, the lack of disability representation on the network, and what it could mean to have a disabled housewife in the Bravo universe.  Listen to Andy's Girls...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Cara Reedy. Cara is currently serving as the Director of the Disabled Journalists Association. Prior to that she was the program manager at the Disability Media Alliance Project and a contributing writer at CNN. We discuss being disabled in a newsroom, the fact that disabled stories need to be told by disabled voices, and why it is about time that disability...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Sid Marcos. Sid is a disabled writer, producer, and business developer who I met last summer while she was working on her documentary film about this generation of disability rights activists. We discuss the disability hierarchy, cultural differences and barriers between those who were born disabled and those who acquired their disability later in life, and h...

This week marks a year of Always Looking Up, and what a year it has been. Over the past 365 days I have been able to talk to the most amazing people who empower me on a daily basis and for that I am forever grateful to those who came on to share their story. To celebrate this milestone I invited back someone I have always looked up to, one of my first ever guests, Rebecca Cokley. Rebecca is curren...

To start I would like to issue a trigger warning. In this episode myself and my guests talk about sexual harassment and sexual assault. If these are triggers for you, please feel free to skip this episode.  This episode was recorded less than 24 hours after Justice Alito’s draft opinion indicating the Court was going to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked by Politico. I sat down with Rebecca Cokl...

In this week’s episode I sat down with my cousin Sara Curwin. Sara is a teacher, teaching students with learning differences. We discuss her path to becoming a teacher, her approach to teaching, and the impact her students have made on her. We also talk about what it’s like being a part of the Curwin Cousin’s club. Follow Sara: Instagram: @saracurwin Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslook...

In this week’s episode, as we celebrate the 45th anniversary of the 504 Sit Ins, I was honored to speak to Judy Heumann. Judy is a lifelong disability rights activist and is recognized internationally as a leader in the disability community. We discuss the current state of accessibility, how to incorporate the history of the disability civil rights movement into education and advocacy, and what it...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Paula Carozzo. Paula is an inclusion advocate and disabled content creator based in Miami. We discuss: her journey from PR to content creator, how Miami is much more accessible than New York, and why disability does not necessarily have to be cured. Follow Paula: Instagram: @pauuzzo   TikTok: @pauuzzoo   Read Paula's Refinery29 article: Paula Carozz...

Trigger warning: This conversation does include offensive language. Shelby and I do not condone the language that we use but felt it was necessary to say in order to provide context and to make a larger point.   In this week’s episode I welcomed back Shelby Holloway. Shelby is a content creator on TikTok and one of my best friends. I invited her back because a TikTok video,that has since been...

In this week’s episode, I sat down with Imani Barbarin. Imani is a content creator, disability blogger and activist. We discuss how she got her start in advocacy, #MyDisabledLifeIsWorthy, and why it is so important to listen to disabled people. Follow Imani: Twitter: @Imani_Barbarin Instagram: @crutches_and_spice TikTok: @crutches_and_spice Website: www.crutchesandspice.com   Follow Me: Insta...

In this week’s episode, I sat down with Kaylee Perron. The Asheburn to my Mullins, she has been my best friend since we were three years old. We discuss when we realized she and I were different, how our views on the world have evolved in regards to disability and accessibility, and share some embarrassing stories along the way. Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website:...

In this week’s episode, I sat down with Clinton Brown. Clint is a member of the LPA community and founder of the DAAA team, the New York Towers. We discuss the the Dwarf Athletic Association of America, aka DAAA, how the New York Towers came to be, and why it is so important that little people get to participate in athletics.  Follow Clint: Instagram: @thinklikeclint Twitter: @CB3inNYC  ...

In this week’s episode, I sat down with 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 differences between little person, person with dwarfism, and dwarf, the m-word, and inspiration porn.  Follow Dr. Pritchard: Twi...

In this week’s episode, I sat down with Emily Voorde. Emily currently works in The White House as an Associate Director in the Office of Public Engagement. Prior to joining the Biden administration she worked on the Pete for America campaign as a body woman for Chasten Buttigieg. We discuss our learning of what it means to be a little person and to be disabled, why representation matters, especial...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with the person who knows me best and has certainly known me the longest, my mom Audrey Curwin. We discuss how I got diagnosed, what it meant to her to become an average-height parent of a little person child, and how we both learned how to advocate for accessibility in an inaccessible world. Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Webs...

To start, I would like to issue a trigger warning. This week's episode talks about disordered eating, eating disorders, and body image. If these are triggers for you, please feel free to skip this episode.  With this week being National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, I am sharing a part of my story I have hinted at but have never fully told and that is my battle with disordered eating and re...

In this week's episode I am sitting down with Sean Eberle.  Sean is a short stature athlete who competes in adaptive CrossFit. We connected over our mutual interest in Peloton. We discuss how he got into adaptive CrossFit, finding our place on the Peloton leaderboard, and wh y adaptive fitness matters so much to the little person and disabled communities. Follow Sean: @sreberle Peloton: TheSh...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with my brother Ben to talk about the controversy surrounding Disney’s live action remake of Snow White. We discuss Peter Dinklage’s public reaction, as well as other prominent members of the little person community, Disney’s response to what Mr. Dinklage had to say, and how this instance exemplifies a long lasting struggle for the accurate representation o...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with Lucy Trieshmann. Lucy is currently a law student at NYU and a disability justice activist. We discuss how many public spaces are still inaccessible, the various injustices the disabled community is continuing to face, and her work with The Breaking Point Project.  Follow Lucy: Instagram: @disabledinjustice  Twitter: @lucy_treishmann Website:...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with Alexis Barber. Alexis is a content creator here in New York City and is someone I have been following for quite some time, and am continually inspired and empowered by the work she does. We discuss ableism in diet culture, why disability needs greater representation in the health and wellness spaces and what it truly means to live in and love a disable...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with Angela Singletary, the founder and owner of A Little Perspective and Purpose by Ang. We discuss finding her place and purpose in LPA, our thoughts on the proposed "cure" for dwarfism, and how A Little Perspective came to be. Follow Angela: Instagram: @purposebyang Facebook: Purpose by Ang YouTube: Coach Ang Website: https://www.purposebyang.com Follow...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with Rance Nix. Rance is a New York based actor who can be seen in the upcoming series Kings of Napa on the Oprah Winfrey Network. We discuss how he came to be Dana King, the changes we are seeing in the entertainment industry, and tell the story of how we met at a party in Atlanta. Follow Rance: Instagram: @rancenix Twitter: @RanceNix Website: https://www....