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Jillian Curwin With A Little Life Update

Always Looking Up

Release Date: 09/27/2024

Allison E. Lang On The Beauty Of Disabled Bodies show art Allison E. Lang On The Beauty Of Disabled Bodies

Always Looking Up

In this week’s episode I sat down with Allison Lang. Allison is a content creator, speaker, model, and a medal-winning Paralympian, having just competed in the 2024 Paralympics on Team Canada’s seated volleyball team. Her advocacy focuses on self love and body acceptance with the hope of helping others who may be on a similar journey. We discuss connecting with authentic stories, what can happen when you feel seen and heard by a brand, being inspired by our accomplishments, not our existence, and much, much more. Learn more about and support the Mascots Matter Campaign using the link here:...

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Chuck Aoki On Wheelchair Rugby And Changing How The World Watches Para Sports show art Chuck Aoki On Wheelchair Rugby And Changing How The World Watches Para Sports

Always Looking Up

In this week’s episode I sat down with Chuck Aoki. Chuck is an American wheelchair rugby, aka “murder ball” player, a 4-time Paralympic medalist and one of the most recognized and decorated athletes in the sport both on the court and off. He is also one of the co-founders of Culxtured, a media collective that is changing the ways in which the world views para sport. We discuss the evolution of wheelchair rugby and how he found the sport, the timelines it takes to become a Paralympian compared to an Olympian, how the Paralympics have evolved in regards to media coverage, brand development...

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Violet On The Weight Of Words When Said Behind A Podium Or A Desk show art Violet On The Weight Of Words When Said Behind A Podium Or A Desk

Always Looking Up

In this episode I sat down with Violet aka hi its vi. Violet is a disability advocate, filmmaker, and content creator with almost 100 thousand followers on TikTok. Violet’s advocacy focuses on the representation of people with dwarfism in the media. For context, we recorded this episode on February 3rd following remarks made by the President and the media about people with dwarfism. This is a conversation unpacking how society perceives, acts toward, and talks about people with dwarfism as well as the relationship between disability organizations and politics. Trigger warning for harmful...

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Adam Ayers On The Wins That Happen On A Level Playing Field show art Adam Ayers On The Wins That Happen On A Level Playing Field

Always Looking Up

In this week’s episode I sat down with Adam Ayers. Adam is the current president of the Dwarf Athletic Association of America, also known as DAAA. DAAA is a non-profit organization that provides athletic opportunities for people of short stature. The organization consists of a core Board of Directors who are supported by volunteers and philanthropic contributors. We discuss how DAAA has evolved since its founding in 1985, what happens behind the scenes to make the games accessible and successful, the magic of DAAA and much, much more. Learn more about and support the Mascots Matter Campaign...

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Keely Cat-Wells On Making Investments And Making Space For Disability show art Keely Cat-Wells On Making Investments And Making Space For Disability

Always Looking Up

In this week’s episode I sat down with Keely Cat-Wells. Keely, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and Presidential Leadership Scholar, has been a dedicated advocate for disability rights since becoming Disabled in her teens. She is the CEO of Making Space, a talent acquisition and learning platform and co-founded Making Space Media, producing content that centers Disabled voices. We discuss investing in disability, the success of creating pipelines to companies such as NBC, Indeed, and Hello Sunshine, making outer space accessible and much, much more. This episode was recorded before the LA fires....

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Julia Métraux On Media Literacy And Disability show art Julia Métraux On Media Literacy And Disability

Always Looking Up

In this week’s episode I sat down with Julia Métraux. Julia is Mother Jones' disability reporter, where she covers disability, chronic illness and mental health as it relates to politics. Her experience is influenced by her lived experience with vasculitis, a TBI, ME/CFS and hearing loss. We discuss what it means to be a disability reporter, how reporting on disability has evolved over time, issues and stories she is looking out for in the upcoming administration and much, much more. Follow Julia: Instagram:  BlueSky: Newsletter: Website: Mother Jones: Mentioned Articles: Relief...

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Jillian Curwin On What It Means To Be Healing show art Jillian Curwin On What It Means To Be Healing

Always Looking Up

In this week's episode it is just me and the microphone. After my most recent doctor's appointment last week (week of 1/6/2025) I wanted to sit down and update you all on how I'm doing, how I'm feeling, my frustrations, my hopes, my growth, my pain...all of it. Relief For Disabled People Impacted By The Los Angeles Fires: Richard Devylder Disaster Relief Fund: United Spinal Disaster Relief Grant: Inevitable Foundation Emergency Relief Fund: Follow Me: Instagram:  ,  TikTok:  Website:  Email:  Read With Me: This episode was edited and produced...

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Marissa Bode On Nessarose, Making History, And The Magical, Accessible World Of Wicked show art Marissa Bode On Nessarose, Making History, And The Magical, Accessible World Of Wicked

Always Looking Up

In this week’s episode I sat down with Marissa Bode. Marissa is an artist and actor who made history in her feature-film debut as Nessarose in the film Wicked, being the first actor that is also a wheelchair user to play the part. We discuss her audition process, what Nessa means to her, the importance of seeing disabled characters authentically portrayed on screen and stage and much, much more. And yes, there will be spoilers. Follow Marissa: Instagram: TikTok: YouTube:    Relief For Disabled People Impacted By The Los Angeles Fires: Richard Devylder Disaster Relief Fund: ...

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Jillian Curwin On My Surgery Recovery Journey So Far show art Jillian Curwin On My Surgery Recovery Journey So Far

Always Looking Up

I'm back! After a brief hiatus I am back on the microphone to catch you all up on what has happened in the too many minutes that we've been apart. I share how my recovery has been going, talking about the ups, the downs, the moments of joy, of frustration, and everything in between, before sharing what my plans are for the future of Always Looking Up as we head into the new year. Follow Me: Instagram:  ,  TikTok:  Website:  Email:  Read With Me: This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

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Ariella Elm On The Disabled Vote show art Ariella Elm On The Disabled Vote

Always Looking Up

In this special episode Jillian sat down with Ariella Elm. Ariella is a content creator on TikTok who covers politics, local and global news. With Election Day just around the corner we discuss voting and accessibility and making sure that disabled voices are heard and disabled votes are counted. Election Resources: Follow Ariella: TikTok:  Instagram: Threads: Twitter/X: YouTube:  Substack:   Follow Me: Instagram:  ,  TikTok:  Website:  Email:  Read With Me: This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

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In this special episode it is just me and the microphone as I share a little life update as I will be having surgery in the matter of days which means the podcast will be on a bit of hiatus. I then discuss what it has been like to live and exist in my body during this time, the impact it has had on my physical, mental, emotional, and social health before looking ahead to the future, talking about what I'm looking forward to and working towards.

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com

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This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin