In this week’s episode I sat down with Keah Brown. Keah is an award winning journalist, author, and screenwriter. Her work on disability, identity, and pop culture has appeared in Town & Country Magazine, Teen Vogue, Elle, The LA Times, Marie Claire UK, And The New York Times, among other publications. We discuss the connection between disability and celebrity, not having time for imposter syndrome, the pressure of writing an acknowledgements page and much, much more.

Join The Patreon: Click ⁠⁠Here⁠⁠

Follow Keah: Instagram: @keah_maria TikTok: @keah_maria Website: https://keahbrown.com

Follow Me: Instagram: ⁠⁠@jill_ilana⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠@alwayslookingup.podcast⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠@jillian_ilana⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠https://www.jillianilana.com⁠⁠ Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Read With Me:

⁠⁠Goodreads⁠⁠

⁠⁠The StoryGraph⁠⁠

Relief For Disabled People Impacted By The Los Angeles Fires:

The Partnership For Inclusive Disaster Strategies: https://disasterstrategies.org

Richard Devylder Disaster Relief Fund: ⁠⁠https://disabilitydisasteraccess.org/rd-relief-fund/⁠⁠

United Spinal Disaster Relief Grant: ⁠⁠https://unitedspinal.org/disaster-relief-grant/⁠⁠

Inevitable Foundation Emergency Relief Fund: ⁠⁠https://www.inevitable.foundation/erf⁠⁠

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this episode I sat down with Anna Pakman, Margo Gignac and James Ian, the writer/director and stars of Emergency Plan, a new short film for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. Emergency Plan stars Margo and James as a disabled couple forced to send their young son out alone after a catastrophic East Coast earthquake — when it becomes clear no one is coming to help them evacuate. Ali Stroker voices the radio anchor whose warnings grow increasingly urgent as the crisis unfolds. We discuss the making of the film, the real-world inspiration and reason for telling this story, how systems fail disabled people during disasters and much more.

Join The Patreon: Click ⁠⁠Here⁠⁠

Watch Emergency Plan: https://www.emergencyplanfilm.com

Follow Anna: Instagram: @annatated

Follow Margo: Instagram: @margo_gignac

Follow James: Instagram: @jamesianmusic

The Partnership For Inclusive Disaster Strategies: https://disasterstrategies.org

Learn More About The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge: Website: https://disabilityfilmchallenge.com YouTube: @TheDisabilityFilmChallengeInstagram: @disabilityfilmchallenge

Follow Me: Instagram: ⁠⁠@jill_ilana⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠@alwayslookingup.podcast⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠@jillian_ilana⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠https://www.jillianilana.com⁠⁠ Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Read With Me:

⁠⁠Goodreads⁠⁠

⁠⁠The StoryGraph⁠⁠

Relief For Disabled People Impacted By The Los Angeles Fires:

Richard Devylder Disaster Relief Fund: ⁠⁠https://disabilitydisasteraccess.org/rd-relief-fund/⁠⁠

United Spinal Disaster Relief Grant: ⁠⁠https://unitedspinal.org/disaster-relief-grant/⁠⁠

Inevitable Foundation Emergency Relief Fund: ⁠⁠https://www.inevitable.foundation/erf⁠⁠

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this episode I sat down with Rachel Handler. Rachel is a filmmaker and actor known for her stint as Peg Leg Doris on AMC’s “Interview With the Vampire” and her award-winning Slamdance films “Committed” and “HOW MUCH AM I WORTH?” We discuss the magic of theater and storytelling, her creative processes as both an actor and a writer, the importance of something like the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge for disabled artists and creatives and much, much more.

Join The Patreon: Click ⁠⁠Here⁠⁠

Follow Rachel: Instagram: @bionic.brunette YouTube: @RachelHandler Website: http://www.rachelahandler.com

Watch DON'T TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY: Click Here

Learn More About The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge: Website: https://disabilityfilmchallenge.com YouTube: @TheDisabilityFilmChallenge Instagram: @disabilityfilmchallenge

Follow Me: Instagram: ⁠⁠@jill_ilana⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠@alwayslookingup.podcast⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠@jillian_ilana⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠https://www.jillianilana.com⁠⁠ Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Read With Me:

⁠⁠Goodreads⁠⁠

⁠⁠The StoryGraph⁠⁠

Relief For Disabled People Impacted By The Los Angeles Fires:

Richard Devylder Disaster Relief Fund: ⁠⁠https://disabilitydisasteraccess.org/rd-relief-fund/⁠⁠

United Spinal Disaster Relief Grant: ⁠⁠https://unitedspinal.org/disaster-relief-grant/⁠⁠

Inevitable Foundation Emergency Relief Fund: ⁠⁠https://www.inevitable.foundation/erf⁠⁠

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Mariadeliz Santiago. Maria is a NYC-based disabled content creator, speaker, and advocate who uses her platform to champion authentic representation and accessibility in media. As a Latina with an upper limb difference and chronic conditions like Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and new daily persistent headache (NDPH), she creates impactful content that bridges beauty, lifestyle, and disability awareness. With a growing and engaged audience, Maria partners with inclusive brands to tell meaningful stories, and regularly speaks on the importance of disability visibility, intersectionality, and inclusive marketing. We discuss the rise and importance of adaptive beauty, how she uses make-up as a palette to show her creativity and express herself, beauty brands that are truly doing it right and much, much more.

Join The Patreon: Click ⁠Here⁠

Follow Maria: Instagram: @limbitlessmaria_ TikTok: @limbitlessmaria

Follow Me: Instagram: ⁠@jill_ilana⁠ , ⁠@alwayslookingup.podcast⁠ TikTok: ⁠@jillian_ilana⁠ Website: ⁠https://www.jillianilana.com⁠ Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Read With Me:

⁠Goodreads⁠

⁠The StoryGraph⁠

Relief For Disabled People Impacted By The Los Angeles Fires:

Richard Devylder Disaster Relief Fund: ⁠https://disabilitydisasteraccess.org/rd-relief-fund/⁠

United Spinal Disaster Relief Grant: ⁠https://unitedspinal.org/disaster-relief-grant/⁠

Inevitable Foundation Emergency Relief Fund: ⁠https://www.inevitable.foundation/erf⁠

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Makenzie Morgan Gomez. Makenzie is a Mexican-American, queer, dynamically disabled performer based in Brooklyn, NY. She is a member of Actors' Equity Association and recently made her Off-Broadway debut starring as Libby in Neil Simon's I Ought To Be In Pictures at Theatre Row, where she used both a cane and a manual wheelchair on stage. We discuss going against society’s expectations of disability, how disability representation should not be limited, question what it means to maintain the integrity of a piece of art and much more.

Join The Patreon: Click Here

Follow Makenzie: Instagram: @makenziemorgangomez TikTok: @makenziemorgangomez YouTube: Makenzie Gomez Website: https://www.makenziemorgangomez.com

Creative Adaptations: https://www.creativeadaptations.co

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

Read With Me:

Goodreads

The StoryGraph

Relief For Disabled People Impacted By The Los Angeles Fires:

Richard Devylder Disaster Relief Fund: https://disabilitydisasteraccess.org/rd-relief-fund/

United Spinal Disaster Relief Grant: https://unitedspinal.org/disaster-relief-grant/

Inevitable Foundation Emergency Relief Fund: https://www.inevitable.foundation/erf

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Mark Povinelli. Mark is an activist as well as an actor on stage and screen. He is currently portraying Benjamin Lay, shepherd, sailor, revolutionary, the British Empire's first revolutionary abolitionist, and someone whose story for too long has not been told, in the Off-Broadway production of The Return of Benjamin Lay. We discuss who Benjamin Lay was, how this show came to be, the importance of telling this story at this time, much more.

Join The Patreon: Click Here

Get your tickets to see The Return Of Benjamin Lay (Use the discount code"LPA"): Here

Follow The Return Of Benjamin Lay Play: Instagram: @benlayplay

Follow Mark: Instagram: @markpovinelli IMDb: Mark Povinelli

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

Read With Me:

Goodreads

The StoryGraph

Relief For Disabled People Impacted By The Los Angeles Fires:

Richard Devylder Disaster Relief Fund: https://disabilitydisasteraccess.org/rd-relief-fund/

United Spinal Disaster Relief Grant: https://unitedspinal.org/disaster-relief-grant/

Inevitable Foundation Emergency Relief Fund: https://www.inevitable.foundation/erf

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Rachel Wherley, Erin Elswood, and Shelby Holloway, the co-directors of the Mascots Matter campaign. Mascots Matter is an independent grassroots advocacy initiative calling for the retirement of offensive disability mascots. We discuss the origins of the “m” slur and its continued, harmful use through to present day, the founding of Mascots Matter and its advocacy efforts thus far, why discriminatory disability mascots are not just a local issue and much more.

For reference, this conversation was recorded on March 18, 2025. Also, the “m”-slur will be used in context when explaining it as a slur as well as referring to these mascots. It is important to note that neither myself nor my guests condone the use of this word nor is it a part of our vocabularies.

Follow And Support Mascots Matter:

Website: https://mascotsmatter.net Donate Here

Instagram: @mascotsmatter Facebook: Mascots Matter

Follow Rachel: Instagram: @thatlittlemom TikTok: @thatlittlemom

Follow Erin: Instagram: @erinkaseyhughes

Follow Shelby: Instagram: @shelbyhollowayy TikTok: @shelby_holloway

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

Read With Me:

Goodreads

The StoryGraph

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Felicia Gans Sobey. Felicia is a deputy editor of content strategy at The Philadelphia Inquirer. She is also a retired theater kid, an avid watcher of 90s/early 2000s TV, a Kindle obsessive, a dark chocolate lover, and a longtime friend of yours truly. As we are two Pisces girls turning 30, celebrating a friendship that has lasted half our lives thus far, I invited Felicia to ask and answer more audience questions about turning a decade older and much, much more.

TW: Mentions Of Pregnancy Loss

Relief For Disabled People Impacted By The Los Angeles Fires:

Richard Devylder Disaster Relief Fund: https://disabilitydisasteraccess.org/rd-relief-fund/

United Spinal Disaster Relief Grant: https://unitedspinal.org/disaster-relief-grant/

Inevitable Foundation Emergency Relief Fund: https://www.inevitable.foundation/erf

Follow Felicia: 

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

Read With Me:

Goodreads

The StoryGraph

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Melanie Waldman. Melanie is a multi-award-winning filmmaker with the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, a member of SAG-AFTRA, an on-air talent member at QVC, host of the Disability Reality Podcast (which, yours truly, will be making an appearance on very soon talking all things on Bravo), and she STILL somehow finds time to teach adaptive yoga to the disability community & beyond! We discuss disability as a collective and the healing power of connection within, turning adversity into joy, the opportunities that arise from authenticity and much, much more.

Relief For Disabled People Impacted By The Los Angeles Fires:

Richard Devylder Disaster Relief Fund: https://disabilitydisasteraccess.org/rd-relief-fund/

United Spinal Disaster Relief Grant: https://unitedspinal.org/disaster-relief-grant/

Inevitable Foundation Emergency Relief Fund: https://www.inevitable.foundation/erf

Follow Melanie: Instagram: @whereswaldman TikTok: @whereswaldman

Listen to Disability Reality Podcast:

Spotify

Apple Podcasts

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

Read With Me:

Goodreads

The StoryGraph

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

For context, this episode was recorded on February 19, 2025.

In this week’s episode I sat down with Eliza Orlins. Eliza Orlins is a career public defender who has represented close to 4000 people charged with crimes in Manhattan over the last 13+ years. She’s an outspoken advocate and can be found raging against injustice on her social media platforms. We discuss the misunderstandings and misrepresentations of the criminal legal system, the ways in which the system and how it is designed impacts those in marginalized communities including persons with disabilities, how she is pushing for change within the system as an advocate and as an activist, and much, much more.

Relief For Disabled People Impacted By The Los Angeles Fires:

Richard Devylder Disaster Relief Fund: https://disabilitydisasteraccess.org/rd-relief-fund/

United Spinal Disaster Relief Grant: https://unitedspinal.org/disaster-relief-grant/

Inevitable Foundation Emergency Relief Fund: https://www.inevitable.foundation/erf

Follow Eliza: Instagram: @eorlins TikTok: @eorlins Substack: Objection: Everything

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

Read With Me:

Goodreads

The StoryGraph

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin