In the final episode of season two, Mel chats with tech entrepreneur, brand expert and NDIS participant Steve Ralph. At the end of 2017, Steve misjudged a jump into a swimming pool and sustained a spinal cord injury that saw him become a quadriplegic. Steve now needs significant support to go about his day and he’s got some very cool assistive tech to help him get out adventuring, like modified bikes and kayaks and an all-terrain wheelchair. He shares how he manages his NDIS funds with the...

This is the second part of Mel's conversation with Lisa Grech, a researcher, psychologist and mum to Hannah, who has a rare genetic condition and intellectual disability. If you missed part one, where Lisa shares how she fiercely advocates for her daughter, who is an NDIS participant, skip on back and check it out.  In this episode Lisa talks about the issue of inequality in relation to the NDIS – a topic she’s particularly passionate about, having come from a disadvantaged background...

This episode is part one of Mel's chat with Lisa Grech, a researcher, psychologist and proud mum to Hannah, her 20-year-old daughter who has a rare genetic condition and intellectual disability. Lisa herself has multiple sclerosis (MS) and chronic mental health issues. She co-parents and cares for Hannah with her ex-husband, Tim.   Lisa uses what she calls an “aggressive” strategy when it comes to Hannah’s NDIS plan reviews – and she advocates more broadly around inequality issues within the...

In this episode Mel chats with Bernard Namok Jr, host of Yarning Disability, the first podcast dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability. Bernard has a long history in radio broadcasting and, since experiencing disability first hand and in his family, he's now working as a community advocate for the First Peoples Disability Network in Cairns.  In this conversation Bernard shares his experience of navigating the NDIS on behalf of his brother, who is a...

In this episode Mel chats with Jo Abi, a journalist, media commentator, author and autism advocate who has three children - two sons, Philip, 18, Giovanni, 15, and her daughter Kitty, 13.  Philip and Giovanni both have autism and are on the NDIS - and it looks like Kitty will soon be joining them, as she’s currently being assessed for an autism diagnosis.  Jo has a lovely new partner who also has autism - and who she met at an Autism Awareness Australia event - but for the past five years,...

In this episode Mel chats with Stacey Phillips of Tubie Fun, a business that makes products to support families and people who tube-feed. Tubie Fun was inspired by Stacey's son, Callum, who’s been tube-fed for pretty much his whole life. Callum is now six, and is one of three boys being raised by Stacey and her husband, Anthony, in Brisbane. Both Callum and his brother Harry, 8, have NDIS plans supporting various diagnoses including level-two autism, ADHD and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS),...

In this episode Mel chats with Benison O'Reilly and Seana Smith - co-authors of what’s known as “the essential guide” for parents of children with autism - about their new, fully updated edition of The Australian Autism Handbook. Benison and Seana both have sons with autism and this conversation covers some of what’s changed in the years since they launched the first edition of The Australian Autism Handbook back in 2008. The NDIS, of course, has majorly shaken up the disability space - and...

In this episode Mel chats with Hayley Thiele, a fellow parent of a child on the NDIS. Hayley is the director of Alee Disability Support Services, an organisation that helps families on the NDIS, primarily through support coordination. Hayley and her husband, Dave, live in regional South Australia. They have four daughters, the youngest of which is Pippa, who is four. Pippa has Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome and needs significant support to go about her days. In this chat, Hayley breaks down...

NDIS Know-how is coming back strong after the holiday break with the woman who got Beyoncé and Lizzo to change ableist lyrics in their songs. Hannah Diviney is a disability advocate, writer, actor and creator of an incredible media company called Missing Perspectives. You might have seen her on the pages of Marie Claire magazine, which crowned her The Voice of Now, on ABC’s Q+A panel, or starring in her breakout acting role in the new SBS series, Latecomers. Hannah lives with her parents,...

In this episode Mel chats with Alexandra - or Alex - Browne, a senior support coordinator and recovery coach in the NDIS space. Having started out in occupational therapy, Alex has been working in the disability sector for a decade and her own son, Ethan, is on the NDIS.  Alex is an expert on evidence - the reports, assessments, letters and information we need to provide the NDIS in order to paint a picture of who our family is and what we need to live an ordinary life.  Part two of Alex...

In this episode Mel chats with Alexandra - or Alex - Browne, a senior support coordinator and recovery coach in the NDIS space. Having started out in occupational therapy, Alex has been working in the disability sector for a decade and her own son, Ethan, is on the NDIS.  Alex is an expert on evidence - the reports, assessments, letters and information we need to provide the NDIS in order to paint a picture of who our family is and what we need to live an ordinary life.  Part one of Alex...

In this episode Mel chats with Sarah-Ann Taylor, a Sydney-based brand communication expert who works in PR and is a mother of two boys, two-year-old Roman and Franklin, who’s five, and has cerebral palsy.  When it comes to navigating the NDIS, Sarah-Ann does her research and she doesn’t take no for an answer. This chat covers how she makes sure that Franklin isn’t waiting months - or years - for the supports he needs and how new changes to the NDIS can help us to do the same for our...

In this episode Mel chats with Brisbane-based Sarah Thomas, founder of an incredible blended tube-feeding product called Wholesome Blends. Sarah is a single mum of twin, 14-year-old boys, Cohan and Lewis. When the boys were three, Lewis had a stroke that led to several diagnoses including cerebral palsy and epilepsy.  Sarah knows the NDIS from both the participant and provider perspective. She shares advice around advocating for our kids, and making sure we secure funding for every...

In this episode Mel chats with Ingerlise Svaleng, the founder of "kindness project" 21 Gifts, about how we can advocate for our child’s strengths and passions in a system that's geared toward their so-called deficits.Ingerlise is from Norway and now lives in the Sutherland Shire of NSW with her husband and two daughters, four-year-old Lola and Maia, who is seven and has Down syndrome. Through partnerships with 120+ hospitals across Australia and New Zealand, 21 Gifts delivers beautiful...

In this episode Mel chats with Lisa Duffy who is, hands down, one of the loveliest people working in Australia's disability sector. Lisa started out as a physiotherapist before finding her true calling in complex case management and working with people with disability to navigate their support options in the 10 years prior to the NDIS rollout.  Since the NDIS came along, Lisa’s been helping people gain access to the scheme and plan for NDIS reviews. You can currently find her at Disability...

In this episode Mel chats with one half of the phenomenal podcast due that is the Too Peas - Mandy Hose. Alongside Kate Jones, Mandy hosts Too Peas in a Podcast, a weekly audio offering exploring the ups and downs of life as parents to kids with disabilities.  Mel speaks with Mandy about her experience of navigating the NDIS on behalf of her 17-year-old twin daughters, both of whom have hemiplegia, a form of cerebral palsy. Their conversation covers why Mandy chose to be plan managed with...

In this episode Mel chats with her friend and Hireup colleague Briana Blackett. Bri is the sole parent of her two sons, Max, who is 15, and thirteen-year-old Freddy, both of whom have autism. Bri is also a senior journalist and seasoned advocate. This conversation covers how to advocate for our kids - especially those with autism - at an NDIS planning meeting, the liberating benefits of being plan managed, and what changes to our government and the NDIS could mean for our community. See...

In this episode, Mel chats with a bonafide NDIS expert. Carl Thompson is a former NDIS Local Area Coordinator (LAC) and the founder and director of NDIS service provider Sort Your Support. Carl's also an NDIS participant, so he knows this scheme inside-out and back to front. Carl and Mel's conversation takes a deep dive into NDIS plan reviews - what they are, how to ask for them and what the process looks like - from internal reviews to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Notepads at the...

In this episode Mel chats with Tara Thompson, the mother behind the wildly popular Willow’s CP Journey instagram account. Here Tara shares snapshots of her day-to-day life as a mum of three girls - Ava, who’s nine, four-year-old Indie, and Willow, who’s seven, and has cerebral palsy and autism.   This conversation covers the power of our community - something that is front of mind for Tara in her new role at Kindship, an app that connects parents in the disability space. Mel also gets Tara’s...

In this episode Mel chats with Stacey Touma and Bree Pennie, both of whom have kids on the NDIS, and both of whom work for a wonderful organisation called Kindred that supports families raising kids with disabilities.  Stacey lives in Brisbane with her husband, Mark, and their three children, including Alex, 10, who has a rare genetic condition called Williams Syndrome. Bree lives on the south coast of NSW with her partner, Mitch, her daughter Dylan, 9, and her seven-year-old son Dax, who...

Aussies will soon go to the polls - so NDIS participants and their families want to know, how can we make our vote count toward a better scheme? My guest for this special federal election episode is disability rights campaigner Elly Desmarchelier, who is a spokesperson for Every Australian Counts and their Defend Our NDIS campaign.   Elly has been all over the media, hosting numerous campaign events and, as she says, finding new and exciting ways to get the NDIS on to the election agenda. In...

In this episode Mel chats with Heather Cox, a Sydney-based marketing professional and mother of two daughters. Heather's youngest, six-year-old Arianna, has Sotos syndrome, a rare genetic condition characterised by overgrowth and delayed development. Heather is a gun at NDIS goal-setting and shares how she's made Arianna's NDIS plan work for their family. Spoiler alert: sometimes this means choosing the playground over therapy sessions.  Links to family support...

In this episode, Mel chats with Sabikah Rizvi, a Newcastle-based mother of four boys. Here middle two, Abid and Taha, who are 10 and 8, both have cerebellar hypoplasia and ataxic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, among other diagnoses. Sabikah shares how she manages the colossal amount of admin and organisation that comes with having two kids on the NDIS, how she’s fought for better plans - all the way to tribunals - and how she’s made time for her own mental health in amongst it all. See...

In this episode, Mel chats with Paul Pozzobon, a father of three whose youngest, 11-year-old Max, has a condition called cerebellar ataxia. Paul is the managing director of a large paediatric therapy centre in Sydney, and has helped many parents undertake the tricky, time-consuming art of building a team of top-notch therapists around their kid. In this chat, Paul shares his advice on what makes a great therapist, how to find them, and how to break up with not-so-great ones. He also explores...