The Sunflower Conversations
Welcome to the Sunflower Conversations, the podcast where we explore the experiences of disabled people with non-visible disabilities through the lens of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower.
This is a space to hear authentic stories from disabled people navigating life with non-visible disabilities such as chronic illness, mental health conditions, neurodivergence, and more. While most episodes focus on lived experience, we also feature occasional insights from experts in healthcare, accessibility, and inclusion.
Whether you or someone you care about wears the Sunflower, our conversations aim to raise awareness, build understanding, and help create a more inclusive and compassionate world.
Empowering voices. Raising awareness. Challenging assumptions - one conversation at a time.
Episodes
124 episodes
Short Bowel Syndrome, feeding tubes and ostomy bag with Shaylee Raye Hunter
Join us as we welcome Shaylee Raye Hunter, Miss Petite Utah, who shares her journey as an advocate for women's rights and disability visibility. Shaylee opens up about her personal lived experiences with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (C...
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42:59
Autoimmune Diseases and Neurodivergence with Téa - Australia and New Zealand
Téa Runback shares her personal journey living with multiple invisible disabilities, including autism, ADHD, and a collection of autoimmune conditions, while highlighting the barriers faced in healthcare and employment settings.
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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14:55
Autoimmune Diseases with Kate Middleton, The Wren Project - Podcasthon episode
Kate Middleton, CEO of The Wren Project, joins us for a special edition as part of the Podcasthon, which seeks to spotlight thousands of charities.In this episode, Kate shares her personal journey w...
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35:31
The Empowerment Awards and Multiple Sclerosis with Elisha Samuels
In this episode, we chat with Elisha Samuels, who recently won Hidden Disability Personality of the Year at The Empowerment Awards by Talks with MS. The award was sponsored by Hidden Disabilities Sunflower and presented by our podcast host, Cha...
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19:06
Multiple invisible disabilities with Zoe Simmons - Australia and New Zealand
“...we really need more representation of this so we can smash these attitudes for all disabilities.”Peta Hooke interviews Zoe, a disabled journalist, copyright, author and public speaker. Zoe is a passionate advocate fig...
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12:05
Epidermolysis Bullosa with Karen Thackray, DEBRA UK and Lisa Irvine
Karen Thackray from DEBRA UK and Lisa Irvine joined us to discuss the rare skin condition epidermolysis bullosa (EB), sometimes known as butterfly skin.Lisa and her daughter live with EB and offer first-hand insights into the genetic ski...
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52:41
Leprosy with Chris Stratta, The Leprosy Mission
Chris Stratta from The Leprosy Missions is our guest this week on the podcast to educate us about how Leprosy, a curable disease often associated with stigma, affects thousands globally today. This episode explores its symptoms, the challenges ...
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24:47
Autism with Amelia Wright - Australia and New Zealand
“I think it's important for people to realise that disabled people can be successful.”Peta Hooke interviews Amelia, a queer, autistic and very opinionated social justice advocate (her words). Amelia combines t...
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11:16
The LEGO Group collaboration with Lauren von Stackelberg
Join us as we welcome Lauren von Stackelberg, the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at the LEGO Group, to the podcast to learn more about the new Sunflower customisable minifigures and LEGO sets featuring the official Sunflower.La...
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27:54
Airport Travel with Michael Connolly, Skywise Solutions
This episode was recorded at Rise4Disability.Experience the world of accessible travel in aviation with Michael Connolly as we welcome him to the Sunflower Conversations podcast at the Rise4Disability event in Milton Keynes. Michael sha...
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37:34
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) with Fran White - Australia and New Zealand
“…the mental, challenges are as great as perhaps the physical ones.“ Peta Hooke interviews Fran, an ambassador for MS Australia. Fran chats about confronting her late diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and some of ...
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14:54
Cerebral Palsy and Mental Health with Eva Abley
This podcast was recorded as an Instagram Live.Meet Eva Abley, the unstoppable force behind the memoir "The Good, The Bad and The Wobbly." At only 16 years old, Eva takes us on a journey through her life, from managing her symptoms of c...
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44:11
Functional Neurological Disorder and Fibromyalgia with Gabrielle Hine
Gabrielle Hine shares her life-altering journey with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) and fibromyalgia. Gabby experiences symptoms such as paralysis, non-epileptic seizures and blindness daily. Gabby paints a vivid picture of how these mi...
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31:41
Autism with Ashlee Law - Australia and New Zealand
“People say to me things like, oh, you can't be autistic. That's not right. You make eye contact, or you do public speaking for your job… I didn't disclose it until I was forced to due to work issues.”Peta Hooke interview...
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10:14
Cerebral Palsy with Richard Luke, Scope and Karen Watson, Cerebral Palsy Adult Services UK
Richard Luke from Scope and Karen Watson from Cerebral Palsy (CP) Adult Advice Service UK joined the podcast to answer questions from the Sunflower community about CP. Cerebral Palsy develops before, during or soon after birth, an...
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53:45
Tourette's Syndrome and Mental Health with Joshua Fletcher - Australia and New Zealand
“You have mental health challenges, but you are still who you are.”Peta Hooke interviews Joshua about Mental Health and Tourette’s Syndrome. Joshua discusses challenges in public places that cause severe anxiety, and how ...
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9:24
Employment - Empowering Disabled Freelancers with Lydia Wilkins
Unlock the secrets to thriving as a self-employed individual with disabilities in our latest episode featuring Lydia Wilkins, a freelance journalist and editor at Disability Review magazine. Hear Lydia's compelling personal journey as she navig...
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39:06
Pompe Disease with Hele Borup - Australia and New Zealand
“People judge before they stand back and think, you know, there might be another reason for, for a person behaving the way that they do.”Peta Hooke interviews Helle about Pome disease and some of the everyday challenges H...
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13:00
Cushing's Syndrome with Gretchen Jordan
Discover the vital role of the pituitary gland and its impact on our health with Gretchen Jordan, Associate Director of the Cushing Support and Research Foundation. Gretchen shares her compelling personal journey with Cushing's disease from dia...
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40:55
Autism and ADHD with Isabella Fantastia - Australia and New Zealand
“My brain is having to put in a lot of coping mechanisms to be able to just be in that space or in that place.”Peta Hooke interviews Isabella about intersectionality in youth, disability and mental health. Isabella (Belle...
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10:36
Tourette's Syndrome with Leighton, Uncle Tics - Australia and New Zealand
Language warning: Strong language used in this podcast.Content Warning: Please be advised that this episode contains strong language and discusses suicide. Tourette Syndrome (Tourette's) is a neurological conditi...
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17:58
Schizoaffective disorder with Alana - Australia and New Zealand
This month, our Sunflower Conversations Podcaster in Australia and New Zealand, Peta Hooke, interviews Alana talking about schizoaffective disorder, a combination of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Alana discusses her experience with halluc...
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12:26
Acromegaly with Martin Cornally
Martin Cornally shares his experience of the rare pituitary disease called acromegaly. Hear firsthand how a pituitary tumour led to excessive production of growth hormone, causing severe physical changes, including osteoarthritis. Despite under...
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38:44
PTSD and CPTSD with Rachel Bilksi, PTSD UK
Our guest is Rachel Bilski from the charity PTSD UK. PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is typically associated with veterans. However, it isn't only veterans who can develop it – And Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, CPTS...
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56:25
ADHD and Autism with Althea Rice - Australia and New Zealand
This month, our Sunflower Conversations Podcaster, Peta Hooke, interviews Althea, talking about ADHD and Autism.The Sunflower Conversations is a Podcast where we explore the experiences of people living with hidden disabilities and what...
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