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]

In this week’s episode I sat down with Isabel Mavrides-Calderón. Isabel is a disability justice activist and organizer. Her work focuses on advocating for policy change, accessibility, and anti-ableism. She has hosted numerous campaigns and protests for disability rights bills with the ACLU, Patients Rising and the Center for Disability Rights and, in 2022, she was celebrated as one of Teen Vogue’s 21 under 21, a list of changemakers, influencers, activists, and artists who have made a substantial impact in both their communities and the world. We discuss the fragility and importance of the ADA, how the ways in which people view us impacts policy, creating a legacy for the next generation and much, much more.

Follow Isabel: Instagam: @powerfullyisa TikTok: @powerfullyisa 

Teen Vogue's 2022 21 under 21

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

This podcast was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

To start I would like to issue a trigger warning. In this conversation we do discuss harassment, assault, and trauma. If these are triggers for you, please feel free to skip this episode.

In this week’s episode I sat down with Colin Buckingham. Colin Buckingham is a Writer, Actor, Model, and Producer based in Brooklyn, NY. His goal as a storyteller is to make projects that reflect the intersectional nature of disability and create opportunities for historically excluded and disenfranchised persons. We have a raw and honest conversation about the beliefs and behaviors we confront as little people living in an average-height world, how the world does not know and understand its image of dwarfism, what it takes to challenge these perceptions and much, much more.

Follow Colin: Instagram: @cocobucks Website: https://www.colin-buckingham.com

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

This podcast was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this special episode I sat down with Emily Ladau. Emily is a disability rights activist, storyteller, digital communications consultant, author of the book Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally and editor of Able News at The Viscardi Center, a monthly print periodical and digital news outlet that serves as a resource for and amplifies the perspectives of New York’s diverse, vibrant disability community. In this conversation, we take a deep dive into the timeline and media firestorm surrounding Catherine, the Princess of Wales leading up to and in the days following her medical disclosure and examine what happened through a disability lens.

Follow Emily: Instagram: @emilyladau Twitter/X: @emily_ladau Website: https://emilyladau.com

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

This podcast was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Amanda Leduc. Amanda is a disabled writer and author of the non-fiction book Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space and the novel The Centaur’s Wife. She is also an essayist and public speaker where she talks about accessibility and the role of disability in storytelling. We discuss the aspects of disability that are often ignored by those who write and tell stories, seeing disability as a marker of change and creativity, what it means to be a part of a community where the stories can be painful but are so rich and so full of love and much, much more.

Follow Amanda: Instagram: @amanda.leduc Website: https://amandaleduc.com

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

This podcast was edited and produced by Ben Curwin 

In this week’s episode I sat down with Alycia Anderson. Alycia is a TEDx motivational speaker, corporate Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility consultant, advocate, founder & CEO of The Alycia Anderson Company, and host of the podcast Pushing Forward with Alycia. We discuss making the decision to either lead or follow, disability inclusion in DEI efforts, daring to be bold and asking for what you want, what can happen when a brand actually listens to disabled people and much, much more.

Listen To Pushing Forward With Alycia:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Listen To My Episode of Pushing Forward With Alycia:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Follow Alycia: Instagram: @alyciaspeaking TikTok @alyciaspeaking LinkedIn: Alycia Anderson Website:  https://alyciaanderson.com/ 

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

This podcast was edited and produced by Ben Curwin