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Uplifting conversations with people of different abilities, who are living healthy, socially connected and fulfilling lives.
The Grow Bold with Disability podcast by Feros Care is a place where we discuss the taboo, the uncomfortable and funny side of living with disability. You will hear uplifting stories of people overcoming adversity, along with educational and informative episodes about the disability sector.
Subscribe to the Grow Bold podcast on your podcast platform or the RSS feed for episode updates.
What is a podcast and how do I listen?
Podcasts are audio-recordings of discussions between people, where the host and interviewees talk about a specific topic in depth. Podcast episodes are usually free (ours sure are) and you can listen to them from any device through a free podcast app with internet connection. For iPhone users, this is commonly an app called Apple Podcasts, and Android users may use Google Podcasts. To listen on a computer, visit the podcast’s webpage and use any given option.
Hosted by
Pete Timbs
TV, radio and magazine journalist
Co-hosted by
Tristram Peters
Writer, editor and disability advocate
Growing Bold and parenting with a disability
with Nat Bartsch
In this episode we meet Nat Bartsch, an award winning musician, composer and neurodivergent parent. She talks about meeting her husband, Jeremy who is also both a musician and neuro-divergent, and their experience of becoming preganant, then parents to their now four-year old son.
Growing Bold with First Nations Leadership
with Renay Barker-Mullholland
In this episode we meet Renay Barker-Mullholland, a proud Birpi / Daingatti yinarr (woman) and leader in her community - or as she refers to herself 'Queen of the Outcasts'. Renay lives with both physical and psychosocial disability. Hear about what it's like growing up in a single parent household and how moving away from close-knit family was a game changer for Renay and helped her find her inner strength.
Debunking the statement that people with autism don't have social skills
with Cody, Anndi and Emily.
Spoiler: What we learned from this panel was that people with autism absolutely have social skills: quite often what happens is that people, organisations, communities don't always possess the means and understanding to effectively communicate and interact with neurodiverse people.
Growing Bold by fostering diversity and inclusion
with Rachel Hosking
"We don't want to be exceptional for having an accessible venue. We really want that to be the norm. Give people choice, let people come to us for what they want to come to"
Growing Bold and Visibility in Employment
with Charles Brice
“…every day that goes by is another day where we are closer to having absolutely everyone being accepting of people with a disability…”
Debunking the statement that people with disability don't make good employees
with Jo Lynam, Karene Gravener and Erica Hahn
“It’s not about tearing down buildings, it’s about tearing down mindsets." Our guests debunk the statement that people with disability don’t make good employees.
Growing Bold and Neurodiversity
with Chloe Hayden
“...I am an autistic person and I am who I am because I'm autistic. I'm not ashamed of being autistic. I love being autistic, and it's something that is incredibly important to me, and it is a huge part of my identity...”
Growing Bold and Carers
with Elly-May & Jimmy Barnes
“She was one of those kids who were just incredibly happy all the time and didn't let on that anything was wrong. And I think even in the in the early days, because we normalise things so much Elly didn't really know that things were that wrong.” - Jimmy Barnes
Growing Bold and living with Tourette Syndrome
with Mandy & Connor Maisy
“From my point of view, the best I can do is be as supportive as loving as I can as a parent. Do everything I can for them to make the world a better place for them with Tourettes and help them grow into the people that they need to be.”
Growing Bold and fighting mental health stigma
with Tim Daly
"The business that I was working for decided I was a liability for the business because of my mental health issue and decided after 16 years of working for that particular business I was no longer needed."
Growing Bold and dealing with bullying and exclusion
with Yarraka Bayles
"He's an Aboriginal boy with a disability trying to navigate through his world, also the disability sector and the western world. So, it can be very difficult."
Growing Bold as an amputee
with Mike Rolls
"I needed to stop telling myself all the things that I couldn't do and start focusing on some of the things that maybe I could."
Growing Bold with a love of music
with Rachael Leahcar
"I've always loved music and had a connection with it, it’s a place that I felt like a normal person."
Growing Bold and working to ensure equality and promote disability rights
with Natalie Wade
"I was routinely annoyed and surprised, and then also not surprised, at the lack of inclusion and representation of people with disabilities throughout our communities."
Growing Bold and Changing Social Attitudes
with Lisa Cox
"Every day to be able to advocate for people who perhaps can’t advocated for themselves is a bloody privilege. It really is."
Growing Bold and living with Chronic Pain
with Wil Anderson
"You know, the idea that we have this medicine that we have just decided to make a moral judgment on more than a medical judgment just seems absolutely outrageous to me."
Growing Bold and living with Autism Spectrum Disorder
with Chelseann & Peter Osbourne
“There is still that stigma in the community about intellectual disabilities and not being able to be like fully functioning people in society. I'm not ashamed of it, I do tell people, I just pick and choose who I tell.”
Growing Bold and Employment – having the courage to face your fears
with Dr Dinesh Palipana
“I didn't look in the mirror for probably a year or two. Before the accident, I really cared about what I looked like. I cared about what I wore, and I cared about how my hair looked and whatever else. And I never liked being vulnerable to the outside world.”
Growing Bold and Disability within the Aboriginal Community
with Uncle Kevin Coombs
“They knew that I got around in a wheelchair, but they didn’t see me as disabled because I could work, I could do whatever I wanted to do. I used to travel all over Australia by myself.”
Growing Bold and Inclusive Employment
with Tracey Corbin-Matchett & Audrey O'Connor
“I think it is important to show diversity in film and represent all people. I remember when I was at school, I felt that I was invisible because I was completely ignored...we need to be seen and heard.” - Audrey
Growing Bold and Caring for a sibling with a disability
with Cate Campbell
“When we talk about disability, there is so much courage and so much bravery surrounding disability, whether it's the person who's disabled, whether it's the carers, whether it's the physios who work with them or the hospital staff. And I think that the more people you can envelope in that little bubble the better.”
Growing Bold and Mental Wellbeing
with Patrice O'Brien & Danni Di Toro
"Right now what I'm exploring is being OK with making mistakes, being okay with learning stuff and not getting it right the first time and being okay, exploring the different parts of me and being open to what that might look like."
Growing Bold with Sexuality
with Andrew Gurza
“I really have crafted my career around telling stories about what it feels like to be disabled because most people don't really understand that part of it. They understand I need to put an elevator in, I need to put a ramp in, but they don't quite get the emotional side of it."
Growing Bold within the CALD Community
with Isabel Osuna-Gatty
“We need to think differently, we need to change the culture.” Isabel Osuna-Gatty grew up in Venezuela with blindness in one eye and has had to overcome cultural and linguistic differences upon moving to Australia.
Growing Bold and Entrepreneurship
with Jessie Sadler
“I made the assumption that an online store would be the best option, because people who are less mobile would find it harder to get out into bricks and mortar stores. And so that assumption was not entirely correct.” Hear how Jessie came up with the idea for Christina Stephens.
Growing Bold and Employment
with Nas Campanella
“There are not a lot of people in the media who have a disability. And I think lots of people were very worried about what that would look like.” Nas talks about growing up vision impaired and how she got to be a Disability Affairs reporter for the ABC.
Growing Bold and Technology
with Rohan O'Reilly
Hear how Rohan is thinking outside the box and using technologies, once only used by gamers, to help people with brain injuries, stroke & spinal cord injuries.
Growing Bold and Disability in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands Communities
with Dr Scott Avery
“It goes, right footprint, right footprint, right footprint. There's no corresponding left footprint and the Aboriginal Elders out at Lake Mongo said it's actually a one-legged man on a hunt.”
Growing Bold and Friendships through Motherhood
with Too Peas in a Podcast
“I just was sad. I was sad for my girls having to suffer.” Find out exactly how best friends Kate and Mandy of Too Peas in a Podcast came to host a hugely successful podcast and why people love to listen to them.
Growing Bold and the Carer Relationship
with Tristram Peters & Dan Conaghan
"Tris accidentally drives over the guys ankle." Co-host Tristram Peters and his carer Dan talk with Pete about the Carer Relationship and share some of their funniest stories.
Growing Bold and a Sporting Dream
with Adam Hills
"Tell us how a little Tweet changed everything for you!" Adam Hills talks about "that Tweet", his PD Rugby League team, his new doco "The Last Leg", and his dream to play for the Rabbitohs.
Growing Bold and Overcoming Adversity
with Professor Munjed Al Muderis
"It is creating what's very similar to Terminator or Robo Cop". Professor Al Muderis talks about his game changing Osseointegration surgery.
Growing Bold and Changing Attitudes
with Jodi Rodgers
"If you can't walk, obviously you're not sexual." Jodi talks about the struggles that people with disabilities face when it comes to sexuality and stereotypes.
Growing Bold with Multiple Sclerosis
with Tim Ferguson
"It’s nobody’s bloody business what’s wrong with me." Tim Ferguson talks about MS and how comedy helps change attitudes to disability.
Growing Bold and Gender and Disability Discrimination
with Sue Salthouse
"It’s really hard to get a job for some of us even though we’re super qualified." Sue talks about changing how society relates to disability.
Growing Bold and Sexual Relationships
with Alicia Melita
"I kind of fell into it." The conversations which led a sexual relationship education coordinator onto the path of helping people with disability achieve sexual satisfaction.
Growing Bold and Cystic Fibrosis
with Reggie Bird
"I'm just like, what the hell?" How a letter delivering a shock diagnosis for son, Lucas, rocked the world of former Big Brother favourite, Reggie Bird.
Growing Bold in a World of Domestic Violence
with Karni Liddell
"Why can't I be a social worker or a lawyer or a journo just because I'm missing some muscles." Karni talks about how we can become a more inclusive society.
Growing Bold and Autism
with Chloe Maxwell
"He wasn't hitting the regular milestones." How Chloe Maxwell started her charity 4 ASD Kids to help other parents who have children with Autism.
Photo credit: Women's Weekly
Growing Bold using Virtual Reality
with Angus McConnel
Growing Bold while Parenting with a Disability
with Eliza Hull
Growing Bold and Looking Different
with Carly Findlay
"I had to keep that really secret." Carly is a writer and appearance activist with a skin condition called Ichthyosis. In this episode she talks about her most exciting projects.
Photo credit: Rick Guidotti
Growing Bold and Finding Independence
with Perry Cross & Tom Ray
"You know, it's just life changing stuff." Perry Cross raises funds to find a cure for paralysis caused by spinal injuries. Discover more about his new life changing initiative with good mate Tom Ray.
Growing Bold with Art
with Priscilla Sutton
"We were honestly, the two happiest people ever in a funeral home." You won't believe where the inspiration for her world famous exhibition "Spare Parts" came from.
Photo credit: Martine Cotton
Growing Bold and Falling in Love
with Barney & Kada Miller
"I knew I just had to spend more time with this girl." Pete and Tristram talk with Barney and Kada about how a chance meeting at a bar led to a beautiful love story.
Growing Bold and Down Sydrome
with Rosanne Stuart
"It was like an epiphany. I thought, Oh My God.." Madeline Stuart is the world's most famous supermodel with Down Syndrome. Mom Rosanne talks about Madeline's rise to fame.
Photo credit: Wildflower Portraits
