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
161 episodes
Mental Health with Kelly Winstanley, Mental Heath Matters
Content warning: In this episode, we are talking about the topic of mental health and refer to self-harm and suicide. If any of the conversation causes you distress and you need to speak to someone, please consider contacting a family member or...
Autism with Nicole - Australia and New Zealand
In this episode, Flic Manning chats with inclusion strategist Nicole Marshall on late autism diagnosis, unmasking, and the simple changes that make work humane and effective. • Self-discovery through adult autism diagnosis and ident...
Living with an Ostomy, with Keely Cat-Wells and Nate Hadlock, UOAA
Nate Hadlock and Keely Cat-Wells, advocates from the United Ostomy Associations of America, join us to address common questions and dispel myths and the stigma about living with an ostomy.Millions of people worldwide have a stoma, yet th...
Hearing Loss with Lidia Best, European Federation of Hard of Hearing People
Lydia Best, President of the European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH), shares her personal journey with hearing loss and explains the barriers faced by the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. We discuss the emotional impact of hear...
Dementia with Paul Hoskins and Tim Wilkins, Alzheimer's Society
Tim Wilkins from the Alzheimer's Society and Paul Hoskins join us to discuss dementia. The stigma and misconceptions around dementia often paint a bleak picture of life after diagnosis. Paul has a different story to tell as he is living wit...
Post-Concussion Syndrome with Catherine - Australia and New Zealand
In this episode, Flic Manning chats with Catherine Hanna, a proud Sunflower and road safety advocate. Catherine shares her journey with post-concussion syndrome, the misconceptions surrounding an invisible brain injury, and how writing poetry h...
ME / CFS with Hollie Christian Brookes, Yawn
This episode was recorded on Instagram Live.Hollie Christian Brooks joined us to discuss her new play "Yawn: A Chronically Fatigued Play", which draws from her personal experience with ME/CFS to educate audiences about non-visible disabi...
Chronic illness with with Tasha Sorhaindo, Chronically Marvellous
Tasha Sorhaindo shares her journey living with multiple chronic health conditions and founding her charity, Chronically Marvellous, that supports individuals with non-visible disabilities.Tasha is autistic and lives with systemic lupus,...
ADHD and Hearing Loss with Ant - Australia and New Zealand
Ant Raje shares his journey of living with ADHD and deafness in one ear, exploring how they impact focus, communication, and identity. He challenges common misconceptions, reflects on the power of empathy, and shares why creating spaces where p...
PIP with Murray Goulder
Murray Golder shares his experience with epilepsy and Personal Independence Payment (PIP), highlighting how this support enables him to continue working full-time while managing his condition safely.Murray explains that his absence seizu...
Cerebral Palsy and BPD with Laura - Australia and New Zealand
Laura Pedernuzzo shares her experiences living with multiple disabilities and provides invaluable insights into disability advocacy. She explains how both visible and invisible disabilities shape her daily interactions with the world, highlight...
Advocating for the Sunflower with Andrea Cartensen
Andrea Carstensen, a double Master's student at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Sunflower Friend.Andrea discovered the Sunflower at Gatwick Airport after moving from the US to the UK for university. As a yo...
Stargardt Disease with Erin - Australia and New Zealand
Erin Philpott shares her journey with Stargardt disease, revealing how she navigated diagnosis as a teenager and now balances motherhood while advocating for invisible disabilities in the workplace and beyond.• Erin faces significant daily ...
Ankylosing Spondylitis with Sean Ewert and Manny Caro, Spondylitis Association of America
We welcome Sean Ewart and Manny Caro from the Spondylitis Association of America to provide an overview of Spondyloarthritis (SpA), a family of closely related inflammatory diseases that affect millions worldwide yet remain significantly under-...
Multiple Sclerosis with Terri Louise Brown, Talks With MS
Terri Louise Brown has Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS), experiencing frequent relapses and daily pain. In this conversation, Terri shares her journey from MS diagnosis at 27 to founding the charity Talks With MS. The charity provide...
Stroke with Saran - Australia and New Zealand
Saran Chamberlain shares her journey as a young stroke survivor, from experiencing a life-changing event at 38 to becoming a national advocate for the stroke community. • Initially misdiagnosed as a migraine, the stroke left her entire ...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
