No Spoons to Give

This conversation with Matt Brown—a Spoony user all the way from Canada—left us feeling all the feels. Matt shared what it was like to be diagnosed with cancer just before the first major COVID lockdown, and how he got through it.

A passionate gamer, Matt now works in the adaptive gaming space, helping make games more accessible for people with diverse access needs. He also runs charitable livestreams and leads an organisation that delivers care packages to people newly diagnosed with cancer—offering comfort during one of the hardest moments of their lives.

AI—it’s the buzzword on everyone’s lips. Is it going to blow up the planet? Take all our jobs? Or could it actually do something good—like improve healthcare for the people who need it most?

That’s exactly what Elise is on a mission to do. She’s using AI to drive better health outcomes for underserved communities—and she also happens to be one of our brilliant Spoony advisors, out there fighting the good fight.

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All the way from the UK, the lovely Zara Beth joined us for a chat about growing up disabled, navigating friendships, and finding her people through online communities. We talked about disability advocacy, Tourette’s camp, life with tics—and so much more.

We could’ve chatted with Zara for hours, and we think you’ll feel the same way. 💜

There’s a lot of misinformation, confusion, and unclear research when it comes to chronic and invisible illnesses. So we sat down with someone who lives and breathes this work every day to help cut through the noise.

Jennifer Smallridge is an Exercise Physiologist who specialises in chronic, complex, and invisible illnesses. She provides patient-centred, individualised care to people navigating these conditions—and brings deep knowledge and compassion to every conversation. Jen was an absolute ray of sunshine to chat with, and we know you’ll love this episode!

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‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ on Netflix

In this episode, we’re joined by Carter—creator of the Touched Out podcast—for an honest, funny, and deeply relatable chat about parenting (and also just *life*)  while neurodivergent.

We dive into the messy realities of raising kids, managing overstimulation, and navigating mental health as parents who don’t always fit the mould. Whether you’re juggling meltdowns (yours or theirs), feeling all the feels, or just need a reminder that you’re not alone—this one’s for you.

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A little takeover episode, if you will. This week on the pod, we sat down together to have a bit of a deeper chat and connect over our shared lived-experience with neurodivergence, chronic illness and disability. 

We touch on things like the social isolation we’ve both experienced, finding your people, masking, and even dating! We really enjoyed this honest, open and vulnerable chat, and we hope you guys do too. 💜

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To all the ADHD’ers in our Spoony community — we see you, we hear you, and we know there are a lot of you! You asked for an expert who *gets* ADHD, and we’ve delivered. 🎧

This week, we’re joined by the incredible Janelle Booker — a psychologist who not only works with ADHD’ers, but is one herself. We chatted with Janelle about what ADHD actually is, how it shows up differently for different people, the Highly Sensitive Person trait, and more.

Plus, we answered your questions from the community! Strap in, Spoonies. This one’s a goodie.

Travel is meant to open up the world—but for millions of disabled and chronically ill people, it too often remains out of reach.

That’s something Jen Clark is determined to change. In this episode, we chat with Jen about Heartful—her new platform that's shaking up the travel industry by putting accessibility and social impact at the centre of the experience.

Heartful is a socially conscious accommodation booking site designed to make travel more inclusive, more ethical, and more sustainable. Whether it's wheelchair-friendly stays, sensory-sensitive spaces, or eco-conscious getaways, Jen is building a future where travel works for everyone. Tune in to learn more!

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School is hard enough — now imagine navigating it with only 30% vision, in an environment that wasn’t built for you, all while trying to hide it from your peers. That was Chanelle Morris’s reality growing up. In this episode, Chanelle shares how those early experiences shaped her self-belief, how a trip to New Zealand helped her reclaim her identity as a proud disabled woman, and how she became a public speaker (and Spoony ambassador!). It’s an inspiring, heartfelt, and powerful conversation you won’t want to miss.

In this episode, we were thrilled to chat with the amazing Eliza Hull — a talented musician, proud disabled woman, passionate disability advocate, and all-round brilliant human. We talked about the barriers disabled artists face in the music industry, what it was like for Eliza to begin identifying as disabled later in life, and how powerful it is to find community with other disabled folks. ✨

In this episode, we sit down with Spoony’s founder, Nicholas Carlton, to hear the story behind Spoony. From his own experience with chronic illness to building one of the world’s largest communities for neurodivergent, chronically ill, and disabled people—Nicholas shares what inspired him to start Spoony, the highs and lows along the way, and his hopes for the future of the platform. A little BTS of Spoony, if you will! ✨

When Jane was diagnosed with cancer, she quickly discovered how limited clothing options were for people undergoing treatment and living with a chronic illness. Each day brought countless decisions—and choosing what to wear shouldn’t have to be one of them. She needed clothes that were comfortable, treatment-friendly, and still made her feel like herself.

So, she set out to change that, and Brighter Day was born: adaptive clothing that offers choice, autonomy, and a way to reclaim dignity—one  bright outfit at a time.

When Claire Jensz was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) at just 28, it was a life-changing moment she never saw coming—let alone something she'd one day turn into a hit Netflix film.

This week, we sat down with Claire to talk about her MS journey, from the early days of diagnosis to navigating friendships, rediscovering love, and channelling it all into her powerful film Take My Hand.

Claire opened up about the reality of living with a chronic illness, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people, and what it was like to reflect on her experience through the lens of filmmaking—and so much more.

This week on the pod, we had the absolute pleasure of chatting with the lovely Carly Findlay. Carly is an appearance activist, writer, speaker, disability advocate, Spoony ambassador and all ‘round wonderful human (with the most wonderful and colourful wardrobe!). Carly shared her experiences of growing up disabled in a small country town, the importance of finding community, navigating a recent cancer diagnosis, and all things authenticity and advocacy.

Ever wondered how Spoony transformed from just an idea into the brand it is today? Meet Anja & Emma from Shadowboxer—the powerhouse duo who helped shape our early thoughts and concepts into the vibrant identity you see now.

From day one, they’ve been behind the scenes, co-building Spoony alongside our community—listening, documenting feedback, ensuring accessibility needs are considered, and leaning into what people truly love.

If you’ve been part of this journey, this episode is for you. And if you’re new here, it’s the perfect introduction to the ‘why’ behind our brand and platform, plus all the small but meaningful details that make Spoony so special.

This week on the pod, we’re joined by Hayley and Kate—the dynamic duo from Melba Support—who are leading the charge in person-led disability support services across regional Victoria.

We dive into Melba’s human-rights framework, the importance of disability-led services, and the crucial role of intimacy and connection. Hayley and Kate also share how Melba stays at the forefront of innovation and what still needs to change in the disability support space.

It’s a conversation you won’t want to miss!

Growing up as a neurodivergent child comes with challenges. So does raising one and advocating for their needs. But what if it didn’t have to be so overwhelming?

Tired of adaptive clothing that feels medical, boring, or outdated? So were Emma and Molly - founders of JAM The Label, an adaptive fashion brand redefining accessibility with on-trend designs for the disabled, neurodivergent, and chronically ill community.

We chat with them about how they saw the need for JAM, who benefits from adaptive fashion, and how their clothing is making a real difference in people’s daily lives. It’s a goodie, so tune in!

You may have seen our faces around the Spoony community - but we thought we should sit down and share our story! In this episode, Larissa and Maddy from the Spoony community team chat all things lived-experience, employment, and life as a Spoony.