In this week’s episode I sat down with Milette Millington. Milette is a disability advocate and reporter at Caribbean Life News where she covers disability, as well as local and world news, politics, sports, and entertainment from a Caribbean American perspective. We discuss her research on the impact of COVID on the disabled community in regards to employment, questions we would like to ask employers about the hiring process, the success rate of ableism, and how it cannot just be on the disabled community to fight disability discrimination.

Read Milette's Capstone: Working in New York City With a Disability: Nowhere Near Easy

Read Milette's articticles published in Caribbean Life HERE

Follow Milette On Social Media HERE

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Twitter: @jillx3456 Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin 

To start, I’m issuing a trigger warning. This episode talks about sexual harassment and sexual assault. If these are triggers for you, please feel free to skip this episode.

In this week’s episode I welcomed back Shelby Holloway. Shelby is a content creator on TikTok, dwarfism advocate, and one of my best friends. This conversation, ignited by a recent TikTok Shelby posted where she called out those who on social media who disrespect little person bodies, was a raw and real discussion about the fact that our bodies are often infantilized, dehumanized, and objectified online and in person, the fact that people think it’s okay to do so, and why it’s important to us that we use our platforms to raise awareness and call this behavior out.

Watch Shelby's TikTok HERE

Follow Shelby: Instagram: @shelbyhollowayy TikTok: shelby_holloway)

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Twitter: @jillx3456 Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin 

In this week's episode, I sat down with Amanda Duberman. Amanda is the senior director of news and activism at Betches Media, and is the editorial director of the Betches Sup, the News and Politics brand of Betches. We discussed why certain disabled stories will go viral on social media, and yet be ignored by traditional news outlets, the fact that the disabled community is often either dehumanized or infantilized by the media, what it means to approach the news from an activism lens, and highlight some recent disability stories that you may not have heard your favorite news anchor cover.

Read the transcription HERE

Follow Amanda: Instagram: @amandaduberman Twitter: @AmandaDuberman

Follow The Betches Sup: Instagram: @betchessup Twitter: @Betches_Sup

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Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Twitter: @jillx3456 Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin 

In this week’s episode I sat down with Elizabeth Jameson. Elizabeth is an artist and writer who explores what it means to live in an imperfect body as part of the universal human experience. Her essays have been published by The New York Times, British Medical Journal, WIRED magazine, and MIT’s Leonardo Journal and she was included in The New York Times book About Us. We reflect on our own past ignorance regarding what disability is, define what it means for us to be always looking up, and discuss seeing disability as and turning it into something beautiful.

In this week’s episode I sat down with Sami Sage. Sami is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Betches Media - a female-founded and led media and entertainment brand that provides a space for all women to get real about life and is funny, honest, and unfiltered. We discuss how Governor Ron Desantis’s efforts to eliminate DEI initiatives will impact the disabled and other marginalized communities, why disabled stories, or the impact political decisions have on the disabled community aren’t often covered in the media landscape, how mental health fits into the disability rights movement and conversations, disability representation in scripted and reality-based content, and much, much more.

Follow Sami: Instagram: @sami TikTok: @samisagesays Twitter: @samisagesays

Listen to the Morning Announcements:

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Listen to the Betches Sup (@betchessup)

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Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Twitter: @jillx3456 Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin 

This week's episode is a solo episode, a casual and candid conversation with you, my listeners and readers. As my 28th year draws to a close I wanted to take the time to reflect on the past 365 days, shine a light on issues I want to amplify in the coming year on my platforms, and answer a few listener questions.

Read the transcription HERE

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Twitter: @jillx3456 Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Alice Sheppard. Alice is the Founder and Artistic Director of Kinetic Light, as well as a choreographer and dancer in the company. Kinetic Light is an internationally-recognized disability arts ensemble that, working in the disciplines of art, technology, design, and dance, creates, performs, and teaches at the nexus of access, queerness, disability, dance, and race. We discuss her journey to becoming a dancer, the relationship and history between disability and dance, and her experience with flying across the stage.

Read the transcription HERE

See Under The Mountain at Lincoln Center
Follow Kinetic Light: Website: https://kineticlight.org Instagram: @kineticlightdance Facebook: Kinetic Light
Follow Alice: Instagram: @wheelchairdancr
Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Twitter: @jillx3456 Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Gabriella Amaya. Gabriella is a disability advocate and host of The Re-Define Podcast, where she and her guests share their experiences about living with a disability and how they re-define what disability means to them. We discuss the fact that disability can be messy, the importance of allowing ourselves to be mad at our disability, seeing our scars as beautiful, and much, much more.

Read the transcription HERE

Follow Gabriella: Instagram: @gabriellamaya

Listen to The Re-Define Podcast:

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Follow The Re-Define Podcast: Instagram: @redefinepod Website: https://redefinepodcast.weebly.com

Follow Elizabeth Jameson: Instagram: @_elizabethjameson_ YouTube: @elizabethjameson4678 Website: http://www.jamesonfineart.com

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Twitter: @jillx3456 Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Becky Leifman, one of the founders of CO/LAB Theater Group, Marina, a first-year CO/LAB Leader, and Sylvia, a third-year CO/LAB leader. CO/LAB Theater Group is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing Creative Opportunities without Limits And Boundaries. CO/LAB offers individuals with developmental disabilities a creative and social outlet through theater arts. We discuss what being a part of CO/LAB means to them, what they’ve learned from their fellow community members, teachers, and supporting artists, and what they hope the entertainment industry learns from seeing and experiencing their incredible work.

Follow CO/LAB:Website: https://www.colabtheatergroup.com Facebook: CO/LAB Theater Group Twitter: @colabtheater Instagram: @colabtheatergroup YouTube: @COLABTheaterGroup

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Twitter: @jillx3456 Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Laurel Lawson. Laurel is a choreographic collaborator, dancer, designer, and engineer with Kinetic Light - an internationally-recognized disability arts ensemble. Working in the disciplines of art, technology, design, and dance, Kinetic Light creates, performs, and teaches at the nexus of access, queerness, disability, dance, and race. We discuss the founding and creation of Kinetic Light, the importance of designing an accessible artistic space for the artists and performers, and what it feels like to truly fly.

Read the transcription HERE

See Under The Mountain at Lincoln Center

Follow Kinetic Light: Website: https://kineticlight.org Instagram: @kineticlightdance Facebook: Kinetic Light

Follow Laurel: Instagram: @worldsoflaurel

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Twitter: @jillx3456 Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: [email protected]

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin