The I Can't Stand Podcast

Nas Campanella is the National Disability Affairs Reporter at the ABC and one of the most recognisable disabled voices in Australian media. In this episode, she reflects on the responsibility of reporting on disability in Australia and the issues shaping the lives of disabled people today, from the NDIS to employment and education. We also talk about representation in journalism, living with blindness and Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy, and navigating motherhood as a disabled woman. This episode marks the final conversation of season five of The I Can’t Stand Podcast. Season six will return later in 2026. Connect with Nas: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nascampanella/ Read or watch Nas' work: https://www.abc.net.au/news/nas-campanella/8869846 Connect with Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Transcript: https://www.icantstandpodcast.com/episodesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it mean to live with the constant background noise of ableism? Actor Kiruna Stamell shares her experiences of disability representation, discrimination and building a career in the acting industry. Connect with Kiruna Stamell: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirunastamell/?hl=en Agent website: https://libertyartistmgt.com.au/actor/kiruna-stamell/ Connect with Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Transcript: https://www.icantstandpodcast.com/episodesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Caroline Bowditch is a performance artist and arts leader who has spent more than two decades shaping disabled culture in Australia and the UK. A recipient of the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship for 2025 to 2026, she continues to influence how disability is understood in dance and the wider arts sector. We explore her pivotal work Falling in Love with Frida, and how reclaiming Frida Kahlo through a disabled lens transformed her artistic voice. Caroline also shares her move from freelance performer to leading Arts Access Victoria, why disabled people need to be inside institutions to create real change, and what disabled dance looks and feels like in practice. Grace Spence Green Book: https://www.booktopia.com.au/ Connect with Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Transcript: https://www.icantstandpodcast.com/episodes  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The I Can’t Stand Podcast, I speak with author and performer Pam Joy Wood about psychosocial disability, long term mental health recovery, and the power of self advocacy. Pam lives with ADHD, complex PTSD, and a history of acute and chronic major depression. Through her solo show DYS-ORDER-ED and her memoir Five Fat Sausages, she shares what it means to survive systemic failure within healthcare, misdiagnosis, medication side effects, and institutional harm and how she rebuilt her life through creativity and radical joy. As mentioned in the episode, DYS-ORDER-ED is available to download and watch for free here:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eCxwVCc4Qb0 You can find Pam’s memoir Five Fat Sausages here:https://pavlovapress.co.nz/pam-wood-author-page/Mental Health Free resources:https://www.dropbox.com Connect with Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Peta speaks with Jane Wardlaw about mentorship, mobility, and the deeply personal decision of when to start using a wheelchair. Jane shares her lived experience of growing up with muscular dystrophy, navigating changing mobility, and how a wheelchair became a tool for safety, freedom, and possibility rather than loss. Together, they explore why mentorship matters for disabled people, especially when navigating identity, independence, and systems like the NDIS.   Connect with Jane: https://substack.com/@janewardlaw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-wardlaw Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janedisabilitylobbyist Connect with Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Linh Uendo joins The I Can’t Stand Podcast for an honest conversation about disability, drag, and growing up in a medicalised body. Born with Prune Belly Syndrome, Linh shares what it was like navigating childhood, body image, and visibility, and how drag became a space where she did not need to hide. Connect with Linh Uendo: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@littlelinhuendoInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlelinhuendo Connect with Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are disabled people still missing from mainstream media? In this episode of The I Can’t Stand Podcast, host Peta Hooke speaks with Susan Wood, Senior Content Manager at Spinal Cord Injuries Australia and host of Have the Nerve, about disability, media exclusion, and representation in Australia. Susan shares her lived experience of wanting a career in news media and being repeatedly locked out of work because of inaccessibility rather than ability. Together, they explore how systemic barriers limit disabled people’s participation in media, the long-term impact on confidence and mental health, and why ambition alone is often not enough in an inaccessible world. This conversation looks at disability through the lens of employment, storytelling, and power, and asks what needs to change so disabled voices are no longer the exception in Australian media. Content warning: this episode includes discussion of self harm and suicidal thoughts. Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support Lifeline: https://www.lifeline.org.au Connect with Susan: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-g-wood/?originalSubdomain=au Have the Nerve Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5xxKaf3n2mupbS6zPplacy Connect with Peta Hooke: Instagram: @petahooke Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com   Episode Transcript:www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Storm Menzies is the founder of ByStorm Beauty, a brand on a mission to make beauty more accessible, without sacrificing style or dignity. After injuring her dominant hand at the gym, Storm realised how much dexterity is assumed in everyday makeup tools, and how often disabled people are excluded from the beauty conversation altogether. In this episode, Storm shares how she went from DIY clay prototypes to launching a national collaboration with Celeste Barber’s beauty brand, BOOIE. We talk about co-designing with disabled users, her frustrations with investors who say “disability is too niche,” and why she believes accessible design should never feel like charity. Connect with Storm:  Instagram: @bystorm.beauty Website: https://bystormbeauty.com Tiktok: @bystorm.beauty   Connect with Peta HookeInstagram: @petahookeWebsite: www.icantstandpodcast.comEmail: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Episode Transcript:www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this short episode, Peta shares a personal reflection on 2025, a year defined more by endurance than spark. She talks about living through ongoing illness and injury, the role of work and conversation in keeping her grounded, and the relationships that carried her through a difficult year. Peta also explains a brief pause to the podcast as she undergoes gallbladder surgery, and shares her hopes for 2026, choosing the word steady over spark. Thank you for listening, for your patience, and for being part of this community. The podcast will return soon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a short Christmas message to say thank you for listening to The I Can’t Stand Podcast this year. The show will be taking a brief break over the holidays and will return on Tuesday the sixth of January. If you’d like to give the podcast a little Christmas present, a rating or review would mean so much. It helps new listeners find the show and supports the work that goes into each episode. To rate and review:• Open the podcast in Apple Podcasts• Scroll down to the Ratings and Reviews section• Tap the stars to leave a rating• Tap “Write a Review” if you’d like to share a few words Thank you again for your support. Merry Christmas and happy holidays.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.