Christina Canters from Podcast Services Australia and producer and host of 'Stand Out Get Noticed' podcast joined me to talk about "Supporting those who are missing out on podcasts"

Christina's insights into understanding the podcast audience enriched our conversation which focused on people who are not listening to podcasts and why.

Christina and I shared different strategies for podcast listeners who are interested in helping others connect with podcasts.

Existing barriers include accessible formats for the Deaf community, and senior members of our community missing out due to not having a good understanding of technology.

In the spirit of staying connected during these times, the following 12 recordings are from individuals who live with disabilities such as, Schizoaffective disorder, Deaf Blindness, Cerebral palsy, Oculocutaneous Albinism, physical and intellectual disabilities and want to share their own personal message to the world.

What's evident for me after listening to these insights, is that people with disabilities already live everyday with skills around being adaptable and robust.

As the community navigates through these changing times there needs to be a mind shift, so that people with disabilities are seen as a valuable resource, who, on a daily basis are resilient and creative whist remaining positive when it comes to living in the broader community.

I sincerely thank the people who left recorded messages using their mobile phone, my support team Xinxin & Jian who were fantastic when it comes to making this technology work.

Also I must acknowledge the continuing support from OutScribe Transcription Services who transcribed all of my episodes so that they are accessible to all.

Samantha Lovrich is the co-founder of Legal Tech Helper and legal operations coach.

In this interview we talk about the importance of lawyers stepping into the shoes of their clients, the role of open questions and deep listening to build empathy, and the role of coaching and mentoring to create better culture in legal teams.

We also discuss the role that technology can play to address unmet legal needs. We hear about online guided client interviews that allow ordinary people to get legal information targeted to their circumstances - without giving away personal information.

Tom Valcanis is a copywriter and journalist that sells words.

He writes words for businesses, not-for-profit, and more so they can get their point across as effectively as possible.

In this intriguing interview we touch on how making writing simple means more people can understand. That, and anyone can be a writer!

We covered topics such as how if you can talk you can write; subtle mistakes that can cost your business; why being concise is king; some rules aren't what they used to be; and how to cultivate a practice of writing.

You can also contact Tom for his course on better business writing; more at the end of the episode.

Brent Phillips is a proud third generation deaf Australian.

He identifies himself as Culturally and linguistically Deaf. Brent is also an Executive Director - Language, Partnerships & Innovation at Expression Australia.

It was an insightful interview that focused on Brent's views of the Deaf culture in Australia, ranging from myths to misassumptions.

These include information such as

· 95% of people who are Deaf are born to hearing parents

· Acceptance of the Cochlear implant from the Deaf community

· Medical intervention and how parents aren't always given the opportunity to make an informed decision

· How Deaf people are not all the same, when it comes to their hearing loss

Annie Whitlocke is a Death Elder and Palliative care liaison coordinator at Buddhist Council of Victoria.

To be honest, I went into this interview with a sense of discomfort and also a mix of excitement.

My favourite part of our chat was hearing about the Tonglen meditation practice.

Tonglen Meditation is Tibetan meditation style which means giving and taking and visualizing the suffering of others via your breath.

I do hope that there are some interesting takeaway messages for you, as Annie & I discuss many other topics around dying from Voluntary Assisted Dying to her own perfect death.

One of Bruce Bromley's (from Equal Access Group) favourite phrases is

"Everyone, Everywhere, Everytime" especially when it comes to addressing accessibility for people with disabilities in Australia.

This fascinating interview touches on the many aspects of what physical access to the built environment is all about.

It's definitely not just about replacing a step with a ramp.

Here are some of the topics that we covered:

· Being aware of accessibilities in open spaces such as parks

· What does universal access mean?

· How different disability types have specific accessibility requirements

· The Changing Places project

· Evacuation from public buildings for infants & adults

· Building codes & Heritage buildings in Australia

· Liveable Housing Australia

You can never over emphasize the importance of compassion and humanity, especially when it's a not for profit organisation, where outcomes are measured by the quality of people's lives.

Yes, organisations should have a Vision and Mission that feeds a strategic plan, but it shouldn't override the purpose of fairness and human rights.

Dorothy, Geoff and Graeme give their unique perspective on how important it is to weave Human Values into Good Governance

Dorothy Graff

Dorothy Graff's consultancy, Career Futures, provides career coaching for people seeking to make a significant job move either voluntarily or through retrenchment. Specialties: coaching at any organisational level for both for-profit and not-for profit organisations

See Dorothy's LinkedIn profile for more details. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorothy-graff-oam-64429728/

Geoff Donovan

Throughout my legal career I came to appreciate that when you have purpose, you can achieve. I believed in collaboration not competition and the joint creation of economic and social value with my clients through shared purpose. I was the Founder and Director of Purpose Law, a commercial law firm that was client focused and purpose driven.

See Geoff's LinkedIn profile for more details. https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffdonovan/

Graeme Kelly

An experienced, successful C-Suite executive, governance leader and consultant with organisations that make an important social impact. The organisations include major health and emergency services as well as significant "for purpose" organisations in the disability, mental health and education sectors.

See Graeme's LinkedIn profile for more details. https://www.linkedin.com/in/graeme-kelly-8609a120/

The holiday bug will definitely bite you after Kerry Willliams from Accessible Accommodation explains how her business continues to develop a great resource that provides information for people with physical disabilities looking for suitable holiday accommodation.

Kerry also shared with me how her Facebook page is being used as a great communication tool for travelers with physical disabilities wanting to inquire or share their own accessible accommodation experiences.

*Transcript of this interview is also available*

Eliza Tipping talks with me about her book she is writing on the different aspects of divorce, from a personal perspective and her findings after 12 months of research in Australia.

Eliza shared how her journey about the support she had and how writing played an important role in having a amicable divorce outcome.