The Sunflower Conversations

“My brain is having to put in a lot of coping mechanisms to be able to just be in that space or in that place.” Peta Hooke interviews Isabella about intersectionality in youth, disability and mental health. Isabella (Belle) identifies as a neurodivergent (autistic & ADHD) Greek (CALD) queer/asexual empath with binge eating disorder (BED), learning and psychosocial (permanent & ongoing anxi...

Language warning: Strong language used in this podcast. Content Warning: Please be advised that this episode contains strong language and discusses suicide. Tourette Syndrome (Tourette's) is a neurological condition that causes individuals to make involuntary vocal noises and movements called tics. Swearing or saying inappropriate things only affects 10% of people with Tourette's. For mo...

This month, our Sunflower Conversations Podcaster in Australia and New Zealand, Peta Hooke, interviews Alana talking about schizoaffective disorder, a combination of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Alana discusses her experience with hallucinations and multi-sensory delusion, and how the Sunflower can help in employment and education environments. Schizoaffective disorder is a combination of t...

Martin Cornally shares his experience of the rare pituitary disease called acromegaly. Hear firsthand how a pituitary tumour led to excessive production of growth hormone, causing severe physical changes, including osteoarthritis. Despite undergoing two surgeries, Martin continues to fight this chronic and life-long condition, shedding light on the crucial need for early diagnosis and increased aw...

Our guest is Rachel Bilski from the charity PTSD UK. PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is typically associated with veterans. However, it isn't only veterans who can develop it – And Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, CPTSD, is less well known and, therefore, can take longer to diagnose. Rachel's lived experiences of CPTSD contribute to her work as a lecturer and su...

This month, our Sunflower Conversations Podcaster, Peta Hooke, interviews Althea, talking about ADHD and Autism. The Sunflower Conversations is a Podcast where we explore the experiences of people living with hidden disabilities and what the Sunflower means to them. It’s a space to share your experience and to empower and encourage more people to support invisible disabilities. If you are experien...

Our guest is Amy Kelly, Head of Communications and Fundraising at Crohn's & Colitis Ireland. Amy was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease when she was 27 and shares her lived experiences and the impacts and adjustments she has made to her life. Amy explained that inflammatory bowel disease is an autoimmune disease and how it differs from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Amy walks us through...

This podcast was recorded as an Instagram Live. CONTENT WARNING. The terms suicide and eating disorders are referenced.  Please visit your healthcare provider if you are concerned about any issues relating to this topic.  Anna Cooper, co-founder of the Menstrual Health Project, and Dr Rebeccah Tomlinson joined us to answer questions from the Sunflower community about Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorde...

CONTENT WARNING. We touch upon suicide, eating disorders and self-harm. Our guest will talk about her lived experiences, and signposting to charities for support. Please visit your healthcare provider if you are concerned about any issues relating to this topic.  This podcast was recorded as an Instagram Live. For years, Amani battled with anxiety, rage, suicidal thoughts and attempts, which she a...

Eve Jensch is 37 and was diagnosed with Parkinson's two years ago. Eve lives in Ireland with her three children and her husband and joins us to talk about her lived experience with Parkinson's. Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition, which means that it causes problems in the brain as the cells stop working correctly and, over time, stop producing dopamine. Eve is passi...

Clare and her daughter, Matilda, join us to discuss Matilda's school experiences. Matilda is nine years old and in year five at primary school; she is autistic and has ADHD. Friendships can be challenging because Matilda is autistic and doesn't always pick up on social cues. Having ADHD means she needs to be active. Matilda tells us about the adjustments her school has made to support he...

Our guests are Karina Smith and Michelle Culbert, from South Florida, who both have Optic Nerve Glioma, a rare eye condition affecting sight that typically affects young children. It is a slow-growing brain tumour in or around the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain. As the tumour progresses, it presses on the optic nerve. Karina and Michelle believe they are the only two adults in Fl...

CONTENT WARNING. The topic is eating disorders, and throughout the podcast, our guest will talk about their lived experiences, as well as signposting to charities for support. Please visit your healthcare provider if you are concerned about any issues relating to this topic. Undiagnosed autism and ADHD have played a part in Adam developing an eating disorder at secondary school. He battled through...

Our guests are Marcus Tanner and Dorothy Watson, CEO of The Sunnybank Trust. “The Sunnybank Trust supports adults with a learning disability across North East Surrey to have confidence, opportunities and control over their own lives and to be able to live without prejudice and discrimination.” In our conversation, we tackle the myths and stigma attached to learning disabilities (LD) and what actio...

CONTENT WARNING. The topic is eating disorders, and throughout the podcast, our guest will talk about their lived experiences, as well as signposting to charities for support. Please visit your healthcare provider if you are concerned about any issues relating to this topic. Our guest, Zoe Summers, joins us to talk about eating disorders (ED), which remain a taboo subject and can be lethal. Throug...

Jo joined us from the charity Different Strokes to answer Sunflower wearers' questions and to explain what a stroke is, the signs to look out for, and what action to take, as well as advice about the support available to patients. Hayette had a stroke at age 32 and has been on a long journey of rehabilitation and recovery; she talks us through the surgeries she had and the everyday things tha...

This podcast was recorded as an Instagram Live. Hayette is a mother, wife and stroke survivor.  Aged 32 Hayette experienced a severe stroke called a s ubarachnoid haemorrhage, followed by an ischaemic stroke a few days later. A subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is a life-threatening type of stroke, caused by bleeding into the space surrounding the brain. Our conversation covers the journey Hayette ha...

William Vanderpuye is a social worker and is autistic. In this conversation, William shares what the Sunflower means to him and the confidence and support it has given him while in education at university and now in employment. William's employer, Sutton Council, is supportive and offers understanding and kindness so that he can succeed and excel in supporting families with learning disabilit...

Dr Louise Newson is a GP & Menopause Specialist and joined us to share her knowledge and expertise. Dr Newson and her team at Newson Health are at the forefront of advocating for women to get the appropriate treatment to support their hormone health. As well as investing in research and training to help healthcare practitioners make the best decisions for their patients. We cover a wide range...

This podcast was recorded as an Instagram Live. Maddie shared her lived experience of being wrongly diagnosed with mixed anxiety, depression and panic disorder before eventually being diagnosed with autism when at university aged 21. In our chat, we talked about her life as she tried to navigate the neurotypical world and her newfound approach to life since being diagnosed with ASD. Maddie explain...

Fay Durrant is a Wellbeing and Menopause coach and joined us to discuss perimenopause and menopause as well as her own lived experience with perimenopause. The conversation allows our hosts, Chantal and Paul, to speak about their experiences with having and living through perimenopause. Also discussed is the impact of this phase of life on relationships and work, as well as some of the hundreds of...

Beth Johnsson joins us to talk about Rett Syndrome. This rare genetic disorder affects brain development, resulting in severe mental and physical disability. It's estimated to affect around 1 in 10,000 girls born yearly and is rarely seen in boys. Beth talks about her personal experience with her daughter, Hannah, who was diagnosed with the condition when she was very young. Hannah now has a...

Sandy Kaur joins the Sunflower Conversations to discuss mental health and suicide prevention in Punjabi and South Asian communities and how her charity Sehhat is tackling the topic. We discuss the barriers to seeking support, including the obvious one, which is language and the cultural fear of judgment from the community. Whether talking about mental health or processing grief after suicide, Sand...

Lisa Nice has multiple sclerosis (MS). She joins Chantal and Paul to explain how the autoimmune and neurodegenerative condition affects her. We also discuss her employer, Comic Relief's approach to diversity, equity and inclusion. Diagnosed late in life, it came as a shock, and it took a while for Lisa to accept her diagnosis, which is relapsing-remitting. There are many symptoms of MS, and L...

Our guests are sisters Bethany and Hannah Keime, who have a condition called Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a disease of the heart muscle where the muscle wall of the heart becomes thickened. Bethany and Hannah received a diagnosis in high school and have had to make significant changes to their lives and sporting passions. They have both been fitted with an implantable defibrillator, which sa...