Always Looking Up

In this week’s episode I sat down with Muroj Negha. Muroj is a fashion designer who is striving to redefine the boundaries of fashion and empower individuals of short stature to express themselves authentically. We discuss trying to fit into spaces and clothing that are not designed for our bodies, the inaccessibility of adaptive fashion for people of short stature, how she is building a brand for herself, the community, and ultimately for everyone, and much, much more.

Follow Muroj: Instagram: @muroj_negha Website: https://muroj.art/ , https://www.graduatefashionweek.com/search-portfolios/muroj-negha

Follow Muroj Negha Fashion: Instagram: @murojnegha.fashion

Body Measurements Google Doc HERE

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana 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 Syanne Centeno-Bloom. Syanne is a prominent civil/disability rights activist, content creator and signed model. She has worked with brands like Dove, Thistle and Spire and Victoria’s Secret and also currently serves as a council member for Courage for America, confronting extremist ideologies by far-right lawmakers head-on. We discuss diversity and trends in disability representation, the beauty of vulnerability, showing that being disabled is being human and much, much more.

Follow Syanne: Instagram @syannebloom

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana 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 Alex Barone. Alex is an actor who can be seen in The Luckiest Girl Alive, Dopesick, as well as the fifth season of Mayans M.C. where he played the character of Bottles. Alex is also an advocate for performers with disabilities and is a mentor to children with limb differences. We discuss wanting to see disabled characters that are sexy and have grit, disability as a brand in the entertainment industry, that disabled people are some of the toughest people you will ever meet, and much, much more.

Follow Alex: Instagram: @alexjbarone

Learn More About Camp No Limits: https://www.nolimitsfoundation.org/ 

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana 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 Joshua Castille and Caden Zane Marshall. Joshua is a Deaf performance artist who strives to form meaningful collaborations that explore the boundaries of art. He has worked on various projects in different roles including ASL master, director, actor, set designer, and more. Caden is a seasoned performer, American Sign Language interpreter, and influencer. Caden's 15+ years of experience in the theatre community has led him to focus on topics of queer activism and advocacy for inclusive spaces and works of art that highlight underrepresented communities. We discuss how shows like Deaf West’s Big River and Spring Awakening revolutionized how Broadway saw deaf people on stage, advocating for theater that incorporates rather than tokenizes, why we need to have deaf and disabled people in the rooms where decisions are made and much, much more.

Follow Joshua: Instagram: @castillejoshua Twitter: @CastilleJoshua Website: https://www.joshuacastille.com/

Watch Josh perform Satisfied from Hamilton HERE

Follow Caden: TikTok: @themusicaldealer Instagram: @whereiscaden YouTube: The Musical Dealer Website: https://cadenzane.com/

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana 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 Madison Tevlin. Madison is an award-winning model, host, content creator, actor and advocate. She shatters the expectations people have about Down syndrome, reminding everyone that it is the least interesting thing about her. We discuss the powerful “Assume That I Can” video and the impact of authentic storytelling, how fun it is to defy expectations when we are underestimated, what it means to her to be someone the next generation is looking up to and much, much more.

Follow Madison: Instagram: @madisontevlin TikTok: @madisontevlin YouTube: Madison Tevlin Website: https://www.madisontevlin.com/

Watch the "Assume That I Can" video HERE

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

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this special episode I sat down with Madison Ferris, Danny Gomez, and Laura Winters to talk about the play All of Me, opening Off-Broadway The Pershing Square Signature Center here in New York City on May 14, 2024. All of Me, written by Laura and starring Madison and Danny is a boldly humorous and candid love story exploring class and disability in America today. Let’s get into it.

All About All of Me

Website: https://thenewgroup.org/production/all-of-me/

Buy Tickets Here: https://thenewgroup.org/production/all-of-me/tickets/

Follow The New Group: Instagram: @thenewgroupnyc YouTube: TheNewGroupNYC Twitter: @TheNewGroupNYC Facebook: The New Group

Follow Madison: Instagram: @maddd.hatter

Follow Danny: Instagram: @dannyjgomezofficial Website: https://www.dannyjgomez.com/ 

Follow Laura: Instagram: @laurawinters12 Website: https://www.laura-winters.com/ 

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana 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 Dustin Giannelli. Dustin Giannelli is the CEO & Founder of HearsDustin LLC and a DEI and Accessibility focused public speaker and consultant. He shares his lived experiences as someone who is profoundly deaf and has worn hearing aids since the age of 5 as a way to highlight DEI best practices and the importance of accessibility and communication. We discuss the feeling of living in between two different worlds, the message he shares with brands across all industries, and, because it is the third anniversary of Always Looking Up, we highlight some of the incredible people in our community that we look up to, and much, much more.

Follow Dustin: Instagram: @dustingiannelli LinkedIn: Dustin Giannelli Twitter: @DustinGiannelli

Follow HearsDustin: @hearsdustin Website: https://www.hearsdustin.com/ 

Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana 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 Judge Soonhee “Sunny” Bailey. Judge Bailey sits on Nevada’s Eighth Judicial District Court. In 2018 she created the Detention Alternative for Autistic Youth (DAAY) Court, a diversionary court that focuses on providing services aimed to help youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) remain out of the criminal justice system. We discuss how the DAAY court works, how it differs from the traditional juvenile court system, what empowered her to establish the DAAY Court, the future she envisions for it and much, much more.

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

In this week’s episode I sat down with Medusa. Medusa is a non-binary revenge-pop artist based in New York. They aim to transform stories of queer joy and agony into song “by any means necessary,” and credit their visceral production style to the somatic-emotional crossover specific to autism. We discuss having to mask parts of who we are depending on the situation, the experience of having our identities understood within the disability community,  how music is another language to them how they use it to express emotions, the feelings and the power and the impact of seeing yourself represented in a space for the first time and much, much more.

Listen To Medusa's Music:

Apple Music

Spotify

Follow Medusa: Instagram: @adsume YouTube: Medusa TikTok: @adsume Website: https://medusa-adsume.com/

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

In this week’s episode I sat down with Lachi. Lachi is a globally touring singer and songwriter, award winning social entrepreneur, GRAMMYs Chapter Board Governor, founder of the UN-recognized organization RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities), and host of PBS’ American Masters series ‘Renegades’. Born legally blind, Lachi uses her platform in music, storytelling and fashion to amplify identity pride and Disability Culture. Named a USA Today Woman of the Year, a “new champion in advocacy” by Billboard, and "a foot soldier for Disability Pride'' by Forbes, her cultural activism has landed her spots on national ads and TEDx stages, discussions with the White House, BBC, Good Morning America and The New York Times, and her bejeweled glam canes have popped up everywhere from New York Fashion Week to major LA movie premieres. We discuss the power of community and the importance in recognizing other people’s journeys, the differences between accessibility and disability inclusion, how the music industry transformed her and how she is transforming the music industry and much, much more.

Listen To Lachi:

Spotify

Follow Lachi: Instagram: @lachimusic TikTok: @lachimusic YouTube: Lachi Website: https://www.lachimusic.com/index.html 

Follow RAMPD: Instagram: @rampd_up Website: https://rampd.org/ 

Shop Glam Canes HERE

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