Let’s Remove the Barriers of Disability Together!

My Lived Experience with Disability

I acquired my disability 13 years ago, and it profoundly changed my way of living and working. My life’s motto has always been to dream big and work hard to achieve it. In the past, I played hard and tried absolutely everything—travel to it, climb it, jump out of it, swim in or under it, and dance as much as I could too!

Then, all of a sudden, the health privilege I hadn’t really considered in my day-to-day life was gone. I acquired a medical condition due to an undiagnosed virus that permanently damaged my autonomic nervous system. This meant I now struggled to stand, and I even needed to crawl up the stairs at home for around two years. Suddenly, every decision became a careful calculation to conserve energy and stamina. What I wanted to do became irrelevant, as I struggled to survive in a world no longer built for me—a new world of barriers.

I am open about my conditions because I believe this helps to raise awareness. I have Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Chronic Vestibular Migraines, and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Oh, and I also faced Stage 3 Breast Cancer in my early 30s too. Thankfully, I have been in remission for the past 8 years.

The Disability Paradox

I share my story so you can see how someone can have a heady mix of medical conditions and still craft a business and career that is meaningful and rewarding. This aligns with the evidence-based concept of the “Disability Paradox.” Non-disabled people often assume that life for a disabled person is all about limitations and suffering, when actually disabled people report similar levels of happiness and life satisfaction as the non-disabled population.

Sure, there can be a period of adjustment to new barriers when becoming disabled, but once we understand them and work to overcome them, we are just as talented, resourceful, resilient (and happy) as the next person!

What I Did Before I Became a Coach:

Before I retrained as a coach, I worked in the media industry. I started as a News & Current Affairs Radio Producer in Australia and then moved to London to work as a Picture Editor at the Financial Times.

These roles helped me develop experience working accurately and creatively in fast-paced and dynamic environments. They also gave me a strong understanding of commercial and organisational structures, knowledge I now use to help businesses create disability-inclusive workplaces.

Onwards and Upwards!

If my story resonates with you, whether as an individual looking for support or as an organisation aiming to build a more inclusive culture, I’d love to connect and talk about working together. I also love networking, so feel free to drop by LinkedIn and sent me a connection request even if you are not yet in a position for us to work together.

At the moment The Disability Force is just me, but my goal is to scale to a team as soon as I can. I want us to be for disabled people, and also run by people with lived experiences of disability.