November 9, 2025 • 51 mins
Madison Heady is a vibrant young woman navigating her way through life and living with a disability. Madison was born with Cerebral Palsy and spent many years learning to walk and talk. After a devastating accident, she needed to learn how to walk all over again in 2020. She describes her greatest achievement being when she created her own public speaking and advocacy business. Her inspiration began as a high school student when she noticed a divide between her and her peers.
In this special episode we are joined by both Madison and her mum to discuss navigating disability, true inclusion, and Madison's sporting career (including her silver medal win at the 2020/2021 National Athletics Championships).
You can hear more of her story, and support her advocacy efforts by checking out www.madisonheady.com. Madison's dream is now that she has her voice, she wants others to see THEY CAN TOO, just by starting a conversation.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_05 (00:00):
Hi Rafters.
Before this episode begins, wejust want to share a content
morning with you.
This episode touches on somedifficult topics including
traumatic childbirth.
If this is triggering for you,catch us back up in the next
episode.
Otherwise, it's a really greatchat and we hope you'll get a
lot out of it.
As usual, this episode containsadult language and concepts.
SPEAKER_01 (00:40):
Female otters, bitches if you will, join hands
with each other to create raftsthat stop them from drifting
apart and losing each otherwhile they are asleep.
Thriving women have one thing incommon.
They have a tight-knit circle ofother women who help them get
there by providing informationand support.
Join us each episode as we shinea light on an amazing woman, or
women, and give her the platformto share her story, her passion,
(01:03):
and the raft of bitchessupporting her.
And welcome to another episodeof the Raft of Bitches podcast.
I'm here with my co-host today,Ricky Varnes.
And I have a fun fact aboutRicky.
Ricky has actually seen theAurora Borealis from a plane.
SPEAKER_05 (01:22):
Yeah, it was actually.
I was flying into Norway, intothe Arctic Circle, and the plane
was delayed by, I don't know,like four or five hours or
something like that.
Which at first made me reallyangry, but then turned out to be
a great idea because then theBorealis came out and it was
perfect.
Perfection.
I mean, that was the wholereason I was going to the Arctic
(01:44):
Circle was to try and see them.
So I was like, oh yes, I didn'teven make it yet, and I've
already seen them.
Done.
So good.
I'm here with my co-host Kate.
And a fun fact about Kate isthat she has gone skydiving
before, and there is a video onYouTube of her.
SPEAKER_01 (02:01):
I think the the phrase Kate used was balling.
Yeah, hysterically crying.
You can search my name onYouTube with the word skydiving
afterwards.
And uh, it's a time, it's atime.
The guy just kept shoving thecamera in my face when I was
clearly like on the verge oftears.
And when someone asks you, like,are you okay?
Are you okay?
Are you okay?
(02:22):
Are you having fun?
And you're like, leave me alone.
Um, anyway, it's quite anentertaining watch.
So highly recommend.
Maybe we'll drop it into theshow notes.
I'll watch that.
SPEAKER_05 (02:33):
If you want to see Kate cry.
SPEAKER_01 (02:36):
I mean, it's not hard, but I really I enjoyed it
once the once the parachute hadgone and you're just floating.
That is delightful.
And looking at the view, thatwas really nice.
It was the like getting out ofthe plane that was hard, which
is kind of key to the wholesituation.
But yeah, that was the bit thatum I just needed a lot of
(02:58):
information about what was goingon, and the guy wasn't giving me
all the information that Ineeded.
And then there's something aboutphysically stepping off the edge
of a plane that just does notfeel natural.
SPEAKER_05 (03:09):
Yeah.
Joining us today is MadisonHetty.
She is a vibrant young womannavigating her way through life
and living with a disability.
Madison was born with cerebralpalsy and spent many years
learning to walk and talk.
Madison's greatest achievementwas in 2016 when she created her
own public speaking and advocacybusiness.
Her inspiration began as a highschool student when she noticed
(03:32):
a divide between her and herpeers.
By educating them on herdisability and to see past her
disability, she is hoping togain true inclusion.
In addition to all of this, shewas the 2023 Young West
Australian of the Year, afinalist for Young Australian of
the Year in 2024, and hascompeted at a national level in
athletics, winning a silvermedal in the 1500 metres.
(03:55):
Madison, welcome.
SPEAKER_00 (03:56):
Thank you, and thank you for having me.
It's such an honor.
SPEAKER_01 (04:02):
We're so excited to have you here.
I believe that you have prepareda little icebreaker for us, your
favorite quote.
SPEAKER_00 (04:10):
Yeah.
So my favorite quote actually,it was said by Hu Jackman in one
of my all-time favorite movies,and it said, he said no one ever
(04:31):
made a difference by being likeeveryone else.
And I just think that's sobeautiful and true in every
aspect because we're alldifferent.
We're all unique.
(04:52):
Who wouldn't be you who wouldn'twant to be unique?
That's when we thrive together,putting all our different
strengths, unique talentstogether.
And yeah, that's my favoriteall-time quote.
(05:18):
I love that.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (05:19):
I actually don't have a favorite quote.
I'm always impressed when peoplecome in and they're like, oh
yeah, I've got this one.
And they're always great too.
I'm like, ugh.
SPEAKER_01 (05:27):
Maybe that's uh New Year's resolution for you, even
though we're nowhere near thebeginning of the year.
Find a favorite quote.
SPEAKER_05 (05:36):
So we're here on the Raft of Pictures podcast talking
about rafts.
Maddie, who is in your raft?
SPEAKER_00 (05:43):
My raft consists of a lot of people, and I'm very
grateful for my raft.
Obviously, my mum is my biggestsupporter, and I'm so, so
grateful for.
(06:53):
And like if she didn't spot thatwith inside of me, I wouldn't be
here today.
SPEAKER_05 (07:04):
That's amazing.
I love that.
And you're, I presume you'restill in contact with, or are
you just like us?
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (07:10):
We actually work together at the Active
Foundation developing inclusiveworkshops and inclusive content
to be able to share ourknowledge with other schools,
hopefully, so we can inspirethem to continue creating more
(07:38):
inclusive cultures within theircommunities.
Amazing.
SPEAKER_05 (07:45):
And we should probably mention as well,
speaking of your raft, weactually have your mum in here
with us today.
She's come along to support you.
Yes.
We might hear from her a littlebit later.
SPEAKER_01 (07:57):
Absolutely.
So, Madison, I'm really keen tohear uh a little bit more about
your journey.
You've had to teach yourself howto walk twice and are a
long-distance runner, whichcompletely blows my mind because
I don't think I can even run1500 meters, let alone win a
(08:18):
silver medal in it.
Can you talk us through a bitabout that journey?
SPEAKER_00 (08:23):
Yeah, so I was born with a form of cerebral posy
called ataxic cerebral posy, andwe didn't really know what that
meant.
When I was born, um there hadbeen no family members with a
(08:49):
disability before.
I was really lucky that myparents, especially my mum, was
so proactive and got me intoevery therapy that you could
(09:09):
imagine.
There was so much going on.
Um I'm very grateful for thatbecause that has helped me to
become as mobile as I am today.
Fast forward twenty three yearsand I've now I'm now in a middle
(09:37):
too long distance running team.
I've competed at a state andnational level and have achieved
some incredible honours that Inever thought I would be capable
(09:59):
of living with a disability, butit really just goes to show that
no matter the ability anything'spossible if you have the right
support, the right raft ofbitches around you supporting
(10:24):
you.
SPEAKER_01 (10:26):
I love that.
I feel like I want to hear fromAndrea now about like what her
side of that journey has beenlike.
SPEAKER_03 (10:34):
Thanks, Maddie.
Thanks for dobbing me in here.
SPEAKER_05 (10:39):
So can we ask you, Andrea, what was it like for you
when you, you know, got thisdiagnosis, I presume, when she
was still a baby?
Quite young.
Like when when did you find outabout this and then what was the
journey ahead for you?
SPEAKER_03 (10:55):
We had a really difficult birth.
So Madison was rushed to uh PMH,which is now PCH, and she was
put in an induced coma for twoweeks to flush out her lungs.
It's called um uh meconiumasphyxiation, which means that
(11:22):
basically um the sac that she'sin was uh contaminated with her
own bodily fluids and it coatedher lungs.
And then that stopped herbreathing as she was being born.
When she took her first breath,she couldn't obviously take
oxygen, so she started seizing,which then means that they have
(11:46):
to flush out their lungs.
So at that point, we weren'tsure if she was actually gonna
make it or not.
So I was separated from from herfor two weeks, and my husband
was going backwards and forwardsto see her, and so it was a very
traumatic time.
And then you get released.
(12:08):
Yeah.
So they say she's fine, she'snow breathing on her own, off
you go.
And two years later, I sort ofwas like, she's not talking,
she's not rolling over, she'snot crawling, and I was
persistent in going to the nurseall the time saying, I think we
(12:32):
need to try and figure this outbecause there's got to be
something else going on here.
After uh several months of goingthrough specialists, they and
lots of scans and physios andthings like that, they uh
eventually gave Madison adiagnosis of cerebral pausey.
(12:55):
That was uh a little bit of ashock again.
So we were taken aback thenagain and had to try and figure
out what that meant.
And you get a lot of doctorssaying, could you ask,
obviously, what does this mean?
What is her life going to looklike?
And they can't be specific.
So they can't say, you know, shewon't she'll be able to do this
(13:19):
and she'll be able to do that,because they don't really know.
So they give you a worst-casescenario most of the time.
Yeah.
And you sort of look at thatworst-case scenario and think,
okay, what does that mean forthe rest of her life?
What does that re mean for therest of my life?
And that grief that comes withlooking back on how did we get
(13:45):
to this point?
And because of the rest of herlife, what is she going to miss
out on?
And you have to process that atthe same time as still looking
after a baby that's not able totalk and not able to walk, and
you're trying to do signlanguage, and you're trying to
(14:08):
get them to walk in a walkingframe, and you're trying to do
all these things so that theycan be an active part of society
and included in all the normalthings that other children do.
So daycare probably was moreabout social interaction than it
was about me working.
(14:29):
Yeah.
Because it was more getting herused to how everyone else
sounded and the games that thechildren played, and getting
used to the children and handthe other children getting used
to her.
Because there's not that manychildren in play groups with
(14:52):
disabilities, like a walkingframe, because they're always
doing physio or um OT orhydrotherapy, like there's so
many therapies out there to beinvolved in.
So it's quite a lot to take inand engage with.
SPEAKER_05 (15:12):
So yeah, it has been a journey.
Do you mind my asking?
You don't have to answer this ifyou don't want to, but do you
mind my asking what was theworst-case scenario that was
painted for you?
SPEAKER_03 (15:22):
The worst case scenario is that was that she
would never walk or talk.
And that they didn't know whatintellectual damage that she
had.
They knew there was damage uhbecause of the lack of oxygen.
Yeah, but they couldn't exactlytell us.
I guess it's like a strokevictim with the lack of oxygen
(15:43):
that happens with a strokevictim.
They can't be a hundred percentspecific.
And because she was a child, thesooner you get on to doing the
therapies, and the moreadvancement that there is in
those therapies, the better offthey are.
So if you, for example, have astroke, it's you know, usually
(16:07):
later on in your life.
And so the capabilities of youare actually more diminished,
whereas she's going from theother way.
Yeah.
So she's working up the physicalstrength and doing weights to uh
and the flexibility and allthose things.
It doesn't always happen, butMadison was a very lucky girl
(16:29):
that she had.
Yeah.
Well, thank you, Maddie.
But she was also engaged indoing it all.
She wanted to do it all.
She has that strong personality,so a lot stronger than mine,
that's for sure.
SPEAKER_01 (16:46):
Given what you were told about, you know, the worst
case scenario that you might notbe able to walk, what was it
like seeing her win a silvermedal in running and compete
with ball?
SPEAKER_03 (17:00):
Yeah, I still my husband and I still cry a lot.
So every time he watches her runand he loves watching her, but
he doesn't like coming becausehe balls his eyes out.
See, I'm gonna cry now.
Um because he knows how mucheffort that she puts into it.
(17:20):
And most of the time she'srunning against able-bodied
athletes.
So you see her coming in last,but it's obviously against her
own time.
But you see the uh strengthwithin her, the output that she
has doing it, um, how much itexhausts her because having
(17:41):
cerebral pausy, you get fatigueda lot quicker.
And you see how much energy sheputs into absolutely everything
she does.
So, yes, sometimes it is veryoverwhelming, and we are like a
blubbering mess.
SPEAKER_01 (17:59):
I think that's that's uh one of the jobs of
parents, though, right?
Is to be a blubbering mess whenyou see your child succeed.
SPEAKER_03 (18:06):
Absolutely, definitely, because that's how
you know the joy of havingchildren, isn't it?
It's when they're messy andvomiting your hair and is that
the joy part?
SPEAKER_01 (18:19):
Um and who's in your raft, Andrea?
Who supported you on thejourney?
SPEAKER_03 (18:25):
My mum has been completely amazing.
And I've got a couple of friendswho have been with me the whole
way.
Um, one didn't have kids at thetime, and she would come over
and let me sleep in, and I stillhad the baby monitor in the
(18:47):
room, and I could hear hergoing, Oh my Lord, is that what
that looks like when she waschanging the nappy first thing
in the morning?
So, yes, I've got some reallygreat free female friends that
(19:08):
um have been with me and holdingmy hand the whole way.
SPEAKER_01 (19:13):
I also really love that Madison said that her mum
was in her raft and you'resaying that your mum is in your
raft.
I feel like there's so muchfamily resemblance going on
here.
SPEAKER_05 (19:23):
Intergenerational rafting.
SPEAKER_01 (19:24):
I know.
SPEAKER_03 (19:25):
I think strong women breed strong women.
And I think my mum taught methat I had to learn certain
things, not just about my body,but about standing up for
myself, and I'm trying to teachthem to medicine uh so that
(19:45):
hopefully she will be asindependent as what I think I
am.
Nice.
I love that.
SPEAKER_05 (19:54):
I just want to ask you, Maddie, about sport.
So you obviously are an eliteathlete at a high level.
Do you think that what you havelike where you've started, what
you've had to do is kind ofcontributing to that mindset?
You have to have a pretty toughmindset to be an athlete.
SPEAKER_00 (20:14):
Sport really does help.
I guess I've developed thosequalities like resilience and um
determination from a reallyyoung age of Leslie, but sport
(20:35):
just takes it to another level.
And it's I guess reminding me ofthose strong qualities that's
such a strong part of me, um,and kind of so sport allows me
(20:58):
to nurture that to be able torely on it in other areas and
that aspect of my life.
SPEAKER_05 (21:11):
I like that.
So you kind of take it fromsport then into your business,
which I want to talk a littlebit about as well, because I'm
so impressed that you're justlike, oh yeah, I'm I'm so young,
I've got my own business, I doall this amazing advocacy work.
SPEAKER_04 (21:27):
Like I'm like, what was I doing when I was that age?
Oh no, I'm still at uni.
All right.
SPEAKER_00 (21:33):
You know.
So I guess it's been a bit of ajourney.
I started the idea when I was inhigh school and I saw a massive
gap between me and my mainstreampeers.
(21:56):
Um I can remember coming from afantastic primary school and I
was with the same group of kidsyear after year.
So as I was learning about theworld, they were kind of
(22:17):
learning about me, mydisability, and learned that in
fact I'm not that different tothem.
I may walk and talk slightlydifferently, but at the end of
the day I still want to live mylife to the fullest.
(22:42):
When I got to high school, Iguess I sort of wanted that same
level of acceptance andunfortunately that wasn't my
reality.
I can remember this reallystrong memory of me going down
(23:09):
every day at lunchtime to wheremy age appropriate peers was
trying to catch their eye as tosay I'm listening to your
conversations, trying tointerget my opinion, my
(23:33):
thoughts, and it just was notworking and it was because being
different in high school throwsyou into the outcast pool and I
did that at lunchtime for aboutthree years and I went something
(23:59):
really need to change herebecause I'm not okay with not
feeling heard or seen and thenseeing just my disability and I
spoke to my friends who hadother disabilities at the
(24:24):
college I went to and I saidlook do you kind of feel the
same way?
And I was shocked at some oftheir responses.
One of my best friends who Ispoke to actually said she
(24:46):
stopped trying because what wasthe point?
Um and that broke my heart sodeeply.
So I figured being in a schoolsetting, why not try more
(25:07):
education?
So I went to my head of unit,um, who I now work with, with
Active, and I said, hey, isthere any chance?
This is the challenge that I'mhaving at the moment, and it's
(25:33):
not just me, it's others.
Is there any chance that I couldeducate a year group, just share
my story, create some generalability awareness?
And we went down to the big, bigboss, my principal.
(25:58):
And thankfully he agreed.
So we set out a time and a datein a class, and during that I
just shared my story, generaldisability awareness, and really
(26:18):
encouraged them to just be bravepeople, say hi, and start the
conversation.
Anyway, the next sort of timeframe was lunch and I saw the
(26:39):
most beautiful thing I saw acouple of students who was just
in my class go up to a few ofour kids with these abilities
and they literally just did whatI asked.
(27:02):
They went out and said hi andstarted the conversation.
I got goosebumps.
You could have seen the pure joymy peers with disabilities
faces.
That was the moment where Ithought, okay, my voice really
(27:30):
is powerful and can make adifference here.
SPEAKER_01 (27:35):
Yeah, how powerful are sharing stories, right?
I think I've got goosebumpsmyself.
Yeah, I do.
Oh, my hairs are standing up.
Yeah.
So, Maddie, you've won a coupleof different awards.
I met you through the Australianof the Year process, but you
also won a young West Australianof the Year and a few other
(27:56):
local hero and disabilityadvocate kind of awards.
What has that kind of been like?
SPEAKER_00 (28:03):
That's been amazing.
Um, particularly that thatbeauway young person of the year
award to get acknowledged forthat award was so special.
And I think that stems deeper ina sense that the people
(28:28):
confirmed that what I do,there's a need for it.
That my voice is really helpingothers, and that award meant
that to me.
Um, so yeah, unbelievablygrateful.
SPEAKER_01 (28:52):
And you wrote a really powerful acceptance
speech which you shared with usearlier.
Would you like to share some ofit with our listeners?
SPEAKER_00 (29:01):
So I basically talked about what it was like
for me as a child, feelingfrustrated, feeling unseen, not
being able to play on theplayground with my friends
(29:23):
because mobility was hard.
And I think I really wanted tomake the audience feel that for
a second and I guess connect whyI do what I do to my why and let
(29:49):
them feel that um and then Iwent on to say nobody should
feel this way.
Right.
And everyone deserves friendsand that sense of belonging and
that feeling of true inclusion.
(30:14):
I love that.
Everyone needs a raft.
SPEAKER_05 (30:16):
So I want to ask you then, what does on the back of
that, what does proper inclusionlook like to you?
Because that's obviouslysomething that you're really
passionate about as well.
And you've been using your voiceto, you know, like get people to
make the first step.
Because I think for a lot ofpeople, they just don't know
what to say.
So they'd rather, instead ofsaying the wrong thing, they'd
rather just say nothing at all.
SPEAKER_00 (30:37):
That's the whole thing, right?
Before I answer that question, Ijust want to delve into that a
little bit.
Because people are in myexperience too afraid to
(30:58):
approach the conversation.
They then make up their romanceof what it means and what it
looks like to have a disability.
Now this is where there's somany negative connotations
(31:21):
whether if you just start theseconversations and talk about it,
you'll nine times out of tenfind out that what you were
thinking and believing wasn'treally true.
(31:42):
It's like I've had stereotypesabout me before and someone's
talk slowly back to me becausethey thought that because of my
speech impediment, I'mintellectually impaired, which
(32:06):
is so frustrating.
Yeah.
So nine times out of ten, thosestereotypes made about
disability is not the individualtrying to be mean.
(32:28):
Yeah.
It's just that lack ofeducation.
SPEAKER_01 (32:33):
It probably comes from a place of like almost love
or care, but it's justmisdirected, right?
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Asking the question.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (32:44):
How do you want to, you know, how do you want to be
included or absolutely, andthat's why in all my speeches, I
just encourage learning aboutdisability.
I encourage them to talk tothose members of lived
(33:08):
experience because we learn mostfrom conversations from those
members of the community.
SPEAKER_01 (33:23):
Do you have a a story or a moment where
something clicked for someone inthe audience or feedback that
you've got from someone aboutthe work that you've done, where
there was like a half moment forthem?
SPEAKER_00 (33:38):
I've had just one the other day, actually.
I was talking at a school year12 retrade, actually, and I had
this one student in the audiencewho came up to me afterwards and
(34:02):
said, thank you genuinelybecause everything you said
connected with me because I'vejust found out I've got a heart
condition.
Um and it all made sense to meafter hearing what you had to
(34:28):
say.
And that just confirmed to methat I'm not only educating
about disability, but givinghope to those who need it.
I even said that thatpresentation, you know, your
(34:53):
raft of bitches, your friendscould come later on in life.
And you might not necessarilysee the good in your uniqueness
in that time period.
(35:15):
But if you're patient and youembrace your dear friends, it
will come with time.
SPEAKER_01 (35:26):
Those are goosebumps are back.
Yeah.
Just for for everyone playing athome.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (35:31):
I think that's so true for young people though,
isn't it?
That's a message that is notjust for, you know, people who
have a disability, but also foreveryone, really.
Like, I think, you know,especially during adolescence,
you kind of feel as thoughyou're the weird one, or you
might just be trying to pretendthat you're not the weird one.
But embracing your uniqueness, Ithink, is something that's
pivotal for all of us, really.
(35:52):
Is there a sort of ideal kind ofinclusion that you see?
And how far do you think we arefrom getting to that point?
SPEAKER_00 (36:01):
Well, we've come a really long way, but we've still
got a really long way to go, Iguess.
One of my favorite quotes thatmy high school teacher actually
said to me was inclusion onlyhappens when you don't have to
(36:27):
think about it.
And I think that's a reallypowerful quote.
Inclusion can look differentlyfor many people.
There's no certain way to dotrue inclusion.
(36:50):
But I think ultimately what itcomes down to is that individual
feeling a true sense ofbelonging in the environment and
with the people they aresurrounded by.
SPEAKER_05 (37:12):
Amazing.
Yeah, I think that's such a goodway of thinking about it because
that's when we'll know thatwe've really got to proper
inclusion, right?
Like you can have policies inplace that will help us get
there, but you want to get to astate where it just happens
naturally.
SPEAKER_00 (37:26):
Yeah.
So the thing I quite often sayis diversity and inclusion are
two very different things.
People think they're the same,but they're actually two very
different things.
(37:47):
Inclusion is different types ofpeople, different genders,
different race, differentdisability.
But as I said before, inclusionis how they're feeling.
(38:08):
And we want to create spaceswhere people are feeling
accepted and included for whothey are as individuals.
SPEAKER_01 (38:28):
Where do you think your strength and utter joy for
life comes from?
I feel like every single timeI've seen you, you're smiling.
And I know that sharing yourstory is really hard for anyone.
Where does that strength andthat joy come from?
SPEAKER_00 (38:48):
We're always a really happy family.
I guess life will be really dulland depressing if you didn't try
and find the joy in it.
And that's really what I try anddo.
(39:11):
I find those small moments thatmake me feel happy and joyful in
every day.
The moments like this that makeme grateful.
Like sharing my story that makesme feel grateful that I'm able
(39:37):
to spread my message.
SPEAKER_05 (39:43):
What is the best advice that you've ever
received?
SPEAKER_00 (39:47):
Be proud of who you are.
Your uniqueness.
Your uniqueness is yourstrength.
I know definitely there's beentimes in my life where I've been
told that, particularly by mum,where I didn't feel like I was
(40:14):
living that in a sense where Iwasn't accepting it and I just
wanted to fit in.
But now as I got older, I'maccepted myself and embraced it
(40:40):
fully.
When you do that, it opens up somany doors.
It allows you to achieve somuch.
It allows you to experienceevents, embrace challenges, meet
(41:00):
the most incredibly inspiringpeople.
So now I can officially say I'mproud to be a part of the
disability community and I'mproud to be uniquely me and I
(41:24):
hope that for anyone who'slistening and maybe as a little
maddy in high school with adisability or with a difference
that you try to find and embracethat part of yourself because it
(41:53):
really is a strength.
And you may not see that rightat the moment, but when you open
yourself up to that, there's awhole world of possibilities.
It opens up new doors.
SPEAKER_05 (42:17):
That's great advice in and of itself.
SPEAKER_01 (42:19):
Absolutely.
What's the next challenge foryou?
Where's next from here?
Oh.
SPEAKER_00 (42:28):
I have a couple goals.
I want to be able to live on myown.
SPEAKER_05 (42:38):
Was that kicking your brother out of the house
then?
Is this the next challenge?
Sure.
SPEAKER_00 (42:43):
Maybe.
Because I do love that house.
I have a goal to maybe somedaymake it to the Paralympics.
And I just want to hopefully getinto more schools.
(43:05):
Share my message to as manystudents as possible.
And hopefully I can not onlyhelp create a more inclusive
culture within our society, butto also inspire the next
(43:30):
generation and confirm thatthey're going to be okay more
than not okay.
Yeah.
That's my few challenges.
SPEAKER_05 (43:45):
Nice.
I like that.
And to do that, what do youneed?
Who would you need in your raft?
How can our raft of pictureshelp you?
SPEAKER_00 (43:55):
I just hope that people really listen to this
podcast and really take away theimportant key messages.
Um, and hopefully they can takethese messages in their stri
(44:24):
stride for themselves.
You know, be proud of who youare.
Live life to the fullest.
Don't be afraid of youruniqueness, um, because that's
the real beauty inside of you.
SPEAKER_01 (44:48):
Can we ask Andrea as well what our listeners can do
for you or something that youwant our listeners to take away?
SPEAKER_03 (44:56):
I would really like for parents actually of children
with disabilities to take awaythat having a disability doesn't
mean that your children can'tachieve.
That they have a really speciallife ahead of them.
And usually when people ask meabout this journey, it's
(45:23):
actually changed who I am.
I'm such a better person forhaving Madison because it's made
me think about what my valuesare, what my morals are, where I
sit in this world, what I wantout of my life, what makes me
(45:45):
happy.
And I could have been a verydifferent person.
I could have been a veryselfish, um had different goals
that were materialistic and notcentered on true happiness.
So I hope that other parentstake away that it's actually
(46:11):
really something beautiful thatyou can actually connect with
your child about it if youreally want to.
So you actually spend a lot oftime with them.
So this is really important forthose parents.
SPEAKER_01 (46:29):
Amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (46:29):
So good.
And I just add something thatcame to me.
SPEAKER_01 (46:34):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (46:35):
I feel like because this is a big part of what I
also speak about is being kindand creating that kindness
culture.
And I think we're okay at it asa society, but we could be a
(47:01):
whole lot better.
And you often hear people say bekind because you never know what
someone's going through, younever know their backstory, you
never know their day-to-daychallenges.
(47:23):
And I think if we treat peoplewith kindness, it will just be a
much better world.
And I think that's what we canstart with because when I was
back in high school goingthrough that dark, dark period,
(47:51):
if things were done differentlyand I would have been treated
better, then maybe I wouldn'thave gone through all those dark
times.
So for example, not being thegirl in the dance team saying
(48:18):
does she really need to be inher dance group?
Just for people to really thinkbefore they do or before they
speak really.
I am so grateful for thisjourney because if I wasn't
(48:44):
exposed to that, obviously it'snot nice and no one should have
to go through that, but I'vechosen to create it, build it
into a wonderful future formyself.
(49:05):
So it worked out perfectly okay.
But if I would choose one mainthing, it's to be kind.
Think before you do think beforeyou speak, it will go such a
(49:26):
long way.
SPEAKER_01 (49:27):
Madison, where can people find you, connect with
you, and hopefully get you tospeak at their events?
SPEAKER_00 (49:34):
So I'm at the moment just a small business.
I'm trying to grow it, so anycontacts would be much
appreciated.
I do have a website.
Um it's just madnessandy.com.
(49:57):
Go check it out, see what Ioffer.
I promise you you won't bedisappointed.
And I just love every singleopportunity to talk to an
audience to remind them of theirpower in the world, even if it's
(50:25):
something clear to it can make ahuge difference.
SPEAKER_01 (50:30):
Yeah, I love that.
And I do feel like you undersoldyourself a little bit at the
beginning there.
You're not just a smallbusiness, you are the youngest
Australian of the year and afinalist for the Australian of
the year and a silver medalist.
So go check out Madison'swebsite.
We will drop a link in the shownotes.
But unfortunately, once again,we are utterly out of time.
SPEAKER_05 (50:54):
That's right.
But if you are someone who has adisability, you live with
someone who has a disability, oryou're passionate about helping
people feel included andbelonging, we'd love to hear
from you.
And where can people reach us?
We're on Instagram at RaftPodcast, or you can email hello
at raftpodcast.com.
SPEAKER_01 (51:13):
And for previous episodes or to find out more,
don't forget to check out ourwebsite, raftpodcast.com.
SPEAKER_05 (51:20):
Thanks for listening, Rafters.
Catch you next time.
Hi Rafters.
Before this episode begins, wejust want to share a content
morning with you.
This episode touches on somedifficult topics including
traumatic childbirth.
If this is triggering for you,catch us back up in the next
episode.
Otherwise, it's a really greatchat and we hope you'll get a
lot out of it.
As usual, this episode containsadult language and concepts.
SPEAKER_01 (00:40):
Female otters, bitches if you will, join hands
with each other to create raftsthat stop them from drifting
apart and losing each otherwhile they are asleep.
Thriving women have one thing incommon.
They have a tight-knit circle ofother women who help them get
there by providing informationand support.
Join us each episode as we shinea light on an amazing woman, or
women, and give her the platformto share her story, her passion,
(01:03):
and the raft of bitchessupporting her.
And welcome to another episodeof the Raft of Bitches podcast.
I'm here with my co-host today,Ricky Varnes.
And I have a fun fact aboutRicky.
Ricky has actually seen theAurora Borealis from a plane.
SPEAKER_05 (01:22):
Yeah, it was actually.
I was flying into Norway, intothe Arctic Circle, and the plane
was delayed by, I don't know,like four or five hours or
something like that.
Which at first made me reallyangry, but then turned out to be
a great idea because then theBorealis came out and it was
perfect.
Perfection.
I mean, that was the wholereason I was going to the Arctic
(01:44):
Circle was to try and see them.
So I was like, oh yes, I didn'teven make it yet, and I've
already seen them.
Done.
So good.
I'm here with my co-host Kate.
And a fun fact about Kate isthat she has gone skydiving
before, and there is a video onYouTube of her.
SPEAKER_01 (02:01):
I think the the phrase Kate used was balling.
Yeah, hysterically crying.
You can search my name onYouTube with the word skydiving
afterwards.
And uh, it's a time, it's atime.
The guy just kept shoving thecamera in my face when I was
clearly like on the verge oftears.
And when someone asks you, like,are you okay?
Are you okay?
Are you okay?
(02:22):
Are you having fun?
And you're like, leave me alone.
Um, anyway, it's quite anentertaining watch.
So highly recommend.
Maybe we'll drop it into theshow notes.
I'll watch that.
SPEAKER_05 (02:33):
If you want to see Kate cry.
SPEAKER_01 (02:36):
I mean, it's not hard, but I really I enjoyed it
once the once the parachute hadgone and you're just floating.
That is delightful.
And looking at the view, thatwas really nice.
It was the like getting out ofthe plane that was hard, which
is kind of key to the wholesituation.
But yeah, that was the bit thatum I just needed a lot of
(02:58):
information about what was goingon, and the guy wasn't giving me
all the information that Ineeded.
And then there's something aboutphysically stepping off the edge
of a plane that just does notfeel natural.
SPEAKER_05 (03:09):
Yeah.
Joining us today is MadisonHetty.
She is a vibrant young womannavigating her way through life
and living with a disability.
Madison was born with cerebralpalsy and spent many years
learning to walk and talk.
Madison's greatest achievementwas in 2016 when she created her
own public speaking and advocacybusiness.
Her inspiration began as a highschool student when she noticed
(03:32):
a divide between her and herpeers.
By educating them on herdisability and to see past her
disability, she is hoping togain true inclusion.
In addition to all of this, shewas the 2023 Young West
Australian of the Year, afinalist for Young Australian of
the Year in 2024, and hascompeted at a national level in
athletics, winning a silvermedal in the 1500 metres.
(03:55):
Madison, welcome.
SPEAKER_00 (03:56):
Thank you, and thank you for having me.
It's such an honor.
SPEAKER_01 (04:02):
We're so excited to have you here.
I believe that you have prepareda little icebreaker for us, your
favorite quote.
SPEAKER_00 (04:10):
Yeah.
So my favorite quote actually,it was said by Hu Jackman in one
of my all-time favorite movies,and it said, he said no one ever
(04:31):
made a difference by being likeeveryone else.
And I just think that's sobeautiful and true in every
aspect because we're alldifferent.
We're all unique.
(04:52):
Who wouldn't be you who wouldn'twant to be unique?
That's when we thrive together,putting all our different
strengths, unique talentstogether.
And yeah, that's my favoriteall-time quote.
(05:18):
I love that.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (05:19):
I actually don't have a favorite quote.
I'm always impressed when peoplecome in and they're like, oh
yeah, I've got this one.
And they're always great too.
I'm like, ugh.
SPEAKER_01 (05:27):
Maybe that's uh New Year's resolution for you, even
though we're nowhere near thebeginning of the year.
Find a favorite quote.
SPEAKER_05 (05:36):
So we're here on the Raft of Pictures podcast talking
about rafts.
Maddie, who is in your raft?
SPEAKER_00 (05:43):
My raft consists of a lot of people, and I'm very
grateful for my raft.
Obviously, my mum is my biggestsupporter, and I'm so, so
grateful for.
(06:53):
And like if she didn't spot thatwith inside of me, I wouldn't be
here today.
SPEAKER_05 (07:04):
That's amazing.
I love that.
And you're, I presume you'restill in contact with, or are
you just like us?
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (07:10):
We actually work together at the Active
Foundation developing inclusiveworkshops and inclusive content
to be able to share ourknowledge with other schools,
hopefully, so we can inspirethem to continue creating more
(07:38):
inclusive cultures within theircommunities.
Amazing.
SPEAKER_05 (07:45):
And we should probably mention as well,
speaking of your raft, weactually have your mum in here
with us today.
She's come along to support you.
Yes.
We might hear from her a littlebit later.
SPEAKER_01 (07:57):
Absolutely.
So, Madison, I'm really keen tohear uh a little bit more about
your journey.
You've had to teach yourself howto walk twice and are a
long-distance runner, whichcompletely blows my mind because
I don't think I can even run1500 meters, let alone win a
(08:18):
silver medal in it.
Can you talk us through a bitabout that journey?
SPEAKER_00 (08:23):
Yeah, so I was born with a form of cerebral posy
called ataxic cerebral posy, andwe didn't really know what that
meant.
When I was born, um there hadbeen no family members with a
(08:49):
disability before.
I was really lucky that myparents, especially my mum, was
so proactive and got me intoevery therapy that you could
(09:09):
imagine.
There was so much going on.
Um I'm very grateful for thatbecause that has helped me to
become as mobile as I am today.
Fast forward twenty three yearsand I've now I'm now in a middle
(09:37):
too long distance running team.
I've competed at a state andnational level and have achieved
some incredible honours that Inever thought I would be capable
(09:59):
of living with a disability, butit really just goes to show that
no matter the ability anything'spossible if you have the right
support, the right raft ofbitches around you supporting
(10:24):
you.
SPEAKER_01 (10:26):
I love that.
I feel like I want to hear fromAndrea now about like what her
side of that journey has beenlike.
SPEAKER_03 (10:34):
Thanks, Maddie.
Thanks for dobbing me in here.
SPEAKER_05 (10:39):
So can we ask you, Andrea, what was it like for you
when you, you know, got thisdiagnosis, I presume, when she
was still a baby?
Quite young.
Like when when did you find outabout this and then what was the
journey ahead for you?
SPEAKER_03 (10:55):
We had a really difficult birth.
So Madison was rushed to uh PMH,which is now PCH, and she was
put in an induced coma for twoweeks to flush out her lungs.
It's called um uh meconiumasphyxiation, which means that
(11:22):
basically um the sac that she'sin was uh contaminated with her
own bodily fluids and it coatedher lungs.
And then that stopped herbreathing as she was being born.
When she took her first breath,she couldn't obviously take
oxygen, so she started seizing,which then means that they have
(11:46):
to flush out their lungs.
So at that point, we weren'tsure if she was actually gonna
make it or not.
So I was separated from from herfor two weeks, and my husband
was going backwards and forwardsto see her, and so it was a very
traumatic time.
And then you get released.
(12:08):
Yeah.
So they say she's fine, she'snow breathing on her own, off
you go.
And two years later, I sort ofwas like, she's not talking,
she's not rolling over, she'snot crawling, and I was
persistent in going to the nurseall the time saying, I think we
(12:32):
need to try and figure this outbecause there's got to be
something else going on here.
After uh several months of goingthrough specialists, they and
lots of scans and physios andthings like that, they uh
eventually gave Madison adiagnosis of cerebral pausey.
(12:55):
That was uh a little bit of ashock again.
So we were taken aback thenagain and had to try and figure
out what that meant.
And you get a lot of doctorssaying, could you ask,
obviously, what does this mean?
What is her life going to looklike?
And they can't be specific.
So they can't say, you know, shewon't she'll be able to do this
(13:19):
and she'll be able to do that,because they don't really know.
So they give you a worst-casescenario most of the time.
Yeah.
And you sort of look at thatworst-case scenario and think,
okay, what does that mean forthe rest of her life?
What does that re mean for therest of my life?
And that grief that comes withlooking back on how did we get
(13:45):
to this point?
And because of the rest of herlife, what is she going to miss
out on?
And you have to process that atthe same time as still looking
after a baby that's not able totalk and not able to walk, and
you're trying to do signlanguage, and you're trying to
(14:08):
get them to walk in a walkingframe, and you're trying to do
all these things so that theycan be an active part of society
and included in all the normalthings that other children do.
So daycare probably was moreabout social interaction than it
was about me working.
(14:29):
Yeah.
Because it was more getting herused to how everyone else
sounded and the games that thechildren played, and getting
used to the children and handthe other children getting used
to her.
Because there's not that manychildren in play groups with
(14:52):
disabilities, like a walkingframe, because they're always
doing physio or um OT orhydrotherapy, like there's so
many therapies out there to beinvolved in.
So it's quite a lot to take inand engage with.
SPEAKER_05 (15:12):
So yeah, it has been a journey.
Do you mind my asking?
You don't have to answer this ifyou don't want to, but do you
mind my asking what was theworst-case scenario that was
painted for you?
SPEAKER_03 (15:22):
The worst case scenario is that was that she
would never walk or talk.
And that they didn't know whatintellectual damage that she
had.
They knew there was damage uhbecause of the lack of oxygen.
Yeah, but they couldn't exactlytell us.
I guess it's like a strokevictim with the lack of oxygen
(15:43):
that happens with a strokevictim.
They can't be a hundred percentspecific.
And because she was a child, thesooner you get on to doing the
therapies, and the moreadvancement that there is in
those therapies, the better offthey are.
So if you, for example, have astroke, it's you know, usually
(16:07):
later on in your life.
And so the capabilities of youare actually more diminished,
whereas she's going from theother way.
Yeah.
So she's working up the physicalstrength and doing weights to uh
and the flexibility and allthose things.
It doesn't always happen, butMadison was a very lucky girl
(16:29):
that she had.
Yeah.
Well, thank you, Maddie.
But she was also engaged indoing it all.
She wanted to do it all.
She has that strong personality,so a lot stronger than mine,
that's for sure.
SPEAKER_01 (16:46):
Given what you were told about, you know, the worst
case scenario that you might notbe able to walk, what was it
like seeing her win a silvermedal in running and compete
with ball?
SPEAKER_03 (17:00):
Yeah, I still my husband and I still cry a lot.
So every time he watches her runand he loves watching her, but
he doesn't like coming becausehe balls his eyes out.
See, I'm gonna cry now.
Um because he knows how mucheffort that she puts into it.
(17:20):
And most of the time she'srunning against able-bodied
athletes.
So you see her coming in last,but it's obviously against her
own time.
But you see the uh strengthwithin her, the output that she
has doing it, um, how much itexhausts her because having
(17:41):
cerebral pausy, you get fatigueda lot quicker.
And you see how much energy sheputs into absolutely everything
she does.
So, yes, sometimes it is veryoverwhelming, and we are like a
blubbering mess.
SPEAKER_01 (17:59):
I think that's that's uh one of the jobs of
parents, though, right?
Is to be a blubbering mess whenyou see your child succeed.
SPEAKER_03 (18:06):
Absolutely, definitely, because that's how
you know the joy of havingchildren, isn't it?
It's when they're messy andvomiting your hair and is that
the joy part?
SPEAKER_01 (18:19):
Um and who's in your raft, Andrea?
Who supported you on thejourney?
SPEAKER_03 (18:25):
My mum has been completely amazing.
And I've got a couple of friendswho have been with me the whole
way.
Um, one didn't have kids at thetime, and she would come over
and let me sleep in, and I stillhad the baby monitor in the
(18:47):
room, and I could hear hergoing, Oh my Lord, is that what
that looks like when she waschanging the nappy first thing
in the morning?
So, yes, I've got some reallygreat free female friends that
(19:08):
um have been with me and holdingmy hand the whole way.
SPEAKER_01 (19:13):
I also really love that Madison said that her mum
was in her raft and you'resaying that your mum is in your
raft.
I feel like there's so muchfamily resemblance going on
here.
SPEAKER_05 (19:23):
Intergenerational rafting.
SPEAKER_01 (19:24):
I know.
SPEAKER_03 (19:25):
I think strong women breed strong women.
And I think my mum taught methat I had to learn certain
things, not just about my body,but about standing up for
myself, and I'm trying to teachthem to medicine uh so that
(19:45):
hopefully she will be asindependent as what I think I
am.
Nice.
I love that.
SPEAKER_05 (19:54):
I just want to ask you, Maddie, about sport.
So you obviously are an eliteathlete at a high level.
Do you think that what you havelike where you've started, what
you've had to do is kind ofcontributing to that mindset?
You have to have a pretty toughmindset to be an athlete.
SPEAKER_00 (20:14):
Sport really does help.
I guess I've developed thosequalities like resilience and um
determination from a reallyyoung age of Leslie, but sport
(20:35):
just takes it to another level.
And it's I guess reminding me ofthose strong qualities that's
such a strong part of me, um,and kind of so sport allows me
(20:58):
to nurture that to be able torely on it in other areas and
that aspect of my life.
SPEAKER_05 (21:11):
I like that.
So you kind of take it fromsport then into your business,
which I want to talk a littlebit about as well, because I'm
so impressed that you're justlike, oh yeah, I'm I'm so young,
I've got my own business, I doall this amazing advocacy work.
SPEAKER_04 (21:27):
Like I'm like, what was I doing when I was that age?
Oh no, I'm still at uni.
All right.
SPEAKER_00 (21:33):
You know.
So I guess it's been a bit of ajourney.
I started the idea when I was inhigh school and I saw a massive
gap between me and my mainstreampeers.
(21:56):
Um I can remember coming from afantastic primary school and I
was with the same group of kidsyear after year.
So as I was learning about theworld, they were kind of
(22:17):
learning about me, mydisability, and learned that in
fact I'm not that different tothem.
I may walk and talk slightlydifferently, but at the end of
the day I still want to live mylife to the fullest.
(22:42):
When I got to high school, Iguess I sort of wanted that same
level of acceptance andunfortunately that wasn't my
reality.
I can remember this reallystrong memory of me going down
(23:09):
every day at lunchtime to wheremy age appropriate peers was
trying to catch their eye as tosay I'm listening to your
conversations, trying tointerget my opinion, my
(23:33):
thoughts, and it just was notworking and it was because being
different in high school throwsyou into the outcast pool and I
did that at lunchtime for aboutthree years and I went something
(23:59):
really need to change herebecause I'm not okay with not
feeling heard or seen and thenseeing just my disability and I
spoke to my friends who hadother disabilities at the
(24:24):
college I went to and I saidlook do you kind of feel the
same way?
And I was shocked at some oftheir responses.
One of my best friends who Ispoke to actually said she
(24:46):
stopped trying because what wasthe point?
Um and that broke my heart sodeeply.
So I figured being in a schoolsetting, why not try more
(25:07):
education?
So I went to my head of unit,um, who I now work with, with
Active, and I said, hey, isthere any chance?
This is the challenge that I'mhaving at the moment, and it's
(25:33):
not just me, it's others.
Is there any chance that I couldeducate a year group, just share
my story, create some generalability awareness?
And we went down to the big, bigboss, my principal.
(25:58):
And thankfully he agreed.
So we set out a time and a datein a class, and during that I
just shared my story, generaldisability awareness, and really
(26:18):
encouraged them to just be bravepeople, say hi, and start the
conversation.
Anyway, the next sort of timeframe was lunch and I saw the
(26:39):
most beautiful thing I saw acouple of students who was just
in my class go up to a few ofour kids with these abilities
and they literally just did whatI asked.
(27:02):
They went out and said hi andstarted the conversation.
I got goosebumps.
You could have seen the pure joymy peers with disabilities
faces.
That was the moment where Ithought, okay, my voice really
(27:30):
is powerful and can make adifference here.
SPEAKER_01 (27:35):
Yeah, how powerful are sharing stories, right?
I think I've got goosebumpsmyself.
Yeah, I do.
Oh, my hairs are standing up.
Yeah.
So, Maddie, you've won a coupleof different awards.
I met you through the Australianof the Year process, but you
also won a young West Australianof the Year and a few other
(27:56):
local hero and disabilityadvocate kind of awards.
What has that kind of been like?
SPEAKER_00 (28:03):
That's been amazing.
Um, particularly that thatbeauway young person of the year
award to get acknowledged forthat award was so special.
And I think that stems deeper ina sense that the people
(28:28):
confirmed that what I do,there's a need for it.
That my voice is really helpingothers, and that award meant
that to me.
Um, so yeah, unbelievablygrateful.
SPEAKER_01 (28:52):
And you wrote a really powerful acceptance
speech which you shared with usearlier.
Would you like to share some ofit with our listeners?
SPEAKER_00 (29:01):
So I basically talked about what it was like
for me as a child, feelingfrustrated, feeling unseen, not
being able to play on theplayground with my friends
(29:23):
because mobility was hard.
And I think I really wanted tomake the audience feel that for
a second and I guess connect whyI do what I do to my why and let
(29:49):
them feel that um and then Iwent on to say nobody should
feel this way.
Right.
And everyone deserves friendsand that sense of belonging and
that feeling of true inclusion.
(30:14):
I love that.
Everyone needs a raft.
SPEAKER_05 (30:16):
So I want to ask you then, what does on the back of
that, what does proper inclusionlook like to you?
Because that's obviouslysomething that you're really
passionate about as well.
And you've been using your voiceto, you know, like get people to
make the first step.
Because I think for a lot ofpeople, they just don't know
what to say.
So they'd rather, instead ofsaying the wrong thing, they'd
rather just say nothing at all.
SPEAKER_00 (30:37):
That's the whole thing, right?
Before I answer that question, Ijust want to delve into that a
little bit.
Because people are in myexperience too afraid to
(30:58):
approach the conversation.
They then make up their romanceof what it means and what it
looks like to have a disability.
Now this is where there's somany negative connotations
(31:21):
whether if you just start theseconversations and talk about it,
you'll nine times out of tenfind out that what you were
thinking and believing wasn'treally true.
(31:42):
It's like I've had stereotypesabout me before and someone's
talk slowly back to me becausethey thought that because of my
speech impediment, I'mintellectually impaired, which
(32:06):
is so frustrating.
Yeah.
So nine times out of ten, thosestereotypes made about
disability is not the individualtrying to be mean.
(32:28):
Yeah.
It's just that lack ofeducation.
SPEAKER_01 (32:33):
It probably comes from a place of like almost love
or care, but it's justmisdirected, right?
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Asking the question.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (32:44):
How do you want to, you know, how do you want to be
included or absolutely, andthat's why in all my speeches, I
just encourage learning aboutdisability.
I encourage them to talk tothose members of lived
(33:08):
experience because we learn mostfrom conversations from those
members of the community.
SPEAKER_01 (33:23):
Do you have a a story or a moment where
something clicked for someone inthe audience or feedback that
you've got from someone aboutthe work that you've done, where
there was like a half moment forthem?
SPEAKER_00 (33:38):
I've had just one the other day, actually.
I was talking at a school year12 retrade, actually, and I had
this one student in the audiencewho came up to me afterwards and
(34:02):
said, thank you genuinelybecause everything you said
connected with me because I'vejust found out I've got a heart
condition.
Um and it all made sense to meafter hearing what you had to
(34:28):
say.
And that just confirmed to methat I'm not only educating
about disability, but givinghope to those who need it.
I even said that thatpresentation, you know, your
(34:53):
raft of bitches, your friendscould come later on in life.
And you might not necessarilysee the good in your uniqueness
in that time period.
(35:15):
But if you're patient and youembrace your dear friends, it
will come with time.
SPEAKER_01 (35:26):
Those are goosebumps are back.
Yeah.
Just for for everyone playing athome.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (35:31):
I think that's so true for young people though,
isn't it?
That's a message that is notjust for, you know, people who
have a disability, but also foreveryone, really.
Like, I think, you know,especially during adolescence,
you kind of feel as thoughyou're the weird one, or you
might just be trying to pretendthat you're not the weird one.
But embracing your uniqueness, Ithink, is something that's
pivotal for all of us, really.
(35:52):
Is there a sort of ideal kind ofinclusion that you see?
And how far do you think we arefrom getting to that point?
SPEAKER_00 (36:01):
Well, we've come a really long way, but we've still
got a really long way to go, Iguess.
One of my favorite quotes thatmy high school teacher actually
said to me was inclusion onlyhappens when you don't have to
(36:27):
think about it.
And I think that's a reallypowerful quote.
Inclusion can look differentlyfor many people.
There's no certain way to dotrue inclusion.
(36:50):
But I think ultimately what itcomes down to is that individual
feeling a true sense ofbelonging in the environment and
with the people they aresurrounded by.
SPEAKER_05 (37:12):
Amazing.
Yeah, I think that's such a goodway of thinking about it because
that's when we'll know thatwe've really got to proper
inclusion, right?
Like you can have policies inplace that will help us get
there, but you want to get to astate where it just happens
naturally.
SPEAKER_00 (37:26):
Yeah.
So the thing I quite often sayis diversity and inclusion are
two very different things.
People think they're the same,but they're actually two very
different things.
(37:47):
Inclusion is different types ofpeople, different genders,
different race, differentdisability.
But as I said before, inclusionis how they're feeling.
(38:08):
And we want to create spaceswhere people are feeling
accepted and included for whothey are as individuals.
SPEAKER_01 (38:28):
Where do you think your strength and utter joy for
life comes from?
I feel like every single timeI've seen you, you're smiling.
And I know that sharing yourstory is really hard for anyone.
Where does that strength andthat joy come from?
SPEAKER_00 (38:48):
We're always a really happy family.
I guess life will be really dulland depressing if you didn't try
and find the joy in it.
And that's really what I try anddo.
(39:11):
I find those small moments thatmake me feel happy and joyful in
every day.
The moments like this that makeme grateful.
Like sharing my story that makesme feel grateful that I'm able
(39:37):
to spread my message.
SPEAKER_05 (39:43):
What is the best advice that you've ever
received?
SPEAKER_00 (39:47):
Be proud of who you are.
Your uniqueness.
Your uniqueness is yourstrength.
I know definitely there's beentimes in my life where I've been
told that, particularly by mum,where I didn't feel like I was
(40:14):
living that in a sense where Iwasn't accepting it and I just
wanted to fit in.
But now as I got older, I'maccepted myself and embraced it
(40:40):
fully.
When you do that, it opens up somany doors.
It allows you to achieve somuch.
It allows you to experienceevents, embrace challenges, meet
(41:00):
the most incredibly inspiringpeople.
So now I can officially say I'mproud to be a part of the
disability community and I'mproud to be uniquely me and I
(41:24):
hope that for anyone who'slistening and maybe as a little
maddy in high school with adisability or with a difference
that you try to find and embracethat part of yourself because it
(41:53):
really is a strength.
And you may not see that rightat the moment, but when you open
yourself up to that, there's awhole world of possibilities.
It opens up new doors.
SPEAKER_05 (42:17):
That's great advice in and of itself.
SPEAKER_01 (42:19):
Absolutely.
What's the next challenge foryou?
Where's next from here?
Oh.
SPEAKER_00 (42:28):
I have a couple goals.
I want to be able to live on myown.
SPEAKER_05 (42:38):
Was that kicking your brother out of the house
then?
Is this the next challenge?
Sure.
SPEAKER_00 (42:43):
Maybe.
Because I do love that house.
I have a goal to maybe somedaymake it to the Paralympics.
And I just want to hopefully getinto more schools.
(43:05):
Share my message to as manystudents as possible.
And hopefully I can not onlyhelp create a more inclusive
culture within our society, butto also inspire the next
(43:30):
generation and confirm thatthey're going to be okay more
than not okay.
Yeah.
That's my few challenges.
SPEAKER_05 (43:45):
Nice.
I like that.
And to do that, what do youneed?
Who would you need in your raft?
How can our raft of pictureshelp you?
SPEAKER_00 (43:55):
I just hope that people really listen to this
podcast and really take away theimportant key messages.
Um, and hopefully they can takethese messages in their stri
(44:24):
stride for themselves.
You know, be proud of who youare.
Live life to the fullest.
Don't be afraid of youruniqueness, um, because that's
the real beauty inside of you.
SPEAKER_01 (44:48):
Can we ask Andrea as well what our listeners can do
for you or something that youwant our listeners to take away?
SPEAKER_03 (44:56):
I would really like for parents actually of children
with disabilities to take awaythat having a disability doesn't
mean that your children can'tachieve.
That they have a really speciallife ahead of them.
And usually when people ask meabout this journey, it's
(45:23):
actually changed who I am.
I'm such a better person forhaving Madison because it's made
me think about what my valuesare, what my morals are, where I
sit in this world, what I wantout of my life, what makes me
(45:45):
happy.
And I could have been a verydifferent person.
I could have been a veryselfish, um had different goals
that were materialistic and notcentered on true happiness.
So I hope that other parentstake away that it's actually
(46:11):
really something beautiful thatyou can actually connect with
your child about it if youreally want to.
So you actually spend a lot oftime with them.
So this is really important forthose parents.
SPEAKER_01 (46:29):
Amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (46:29):
So good.
And I just add something thatcame to me.
SPEAKER_01 (46:34):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (46:35):
I feel like because this is a big part of what I
also speak about is being kindand creating that kindness
culture.
And I think we're okay at it asa society, but we could be a
(47:01):
whole lot better.
And you often hear people say bekind because you never know what
someone's going through, younever know their backstory, you
never know their day-to-daychallenges.
(47:23):
And I think if we treat peoplewith kindness, it will just be a
much better world.
And I think that's what we canstart with because when I was
back in high school goingthrough that dark, dark period,
(47:51):
if things were done differentlyand I would have been treated
better, then maybe I wouldn'thave gone through all those dark
times.
So for example, not being thegirl in the dance team saying
(48:18):
does she really need to be inher dance group?
Just for people to really thinkbefore they do or before they
speak really.
I am so grateful for thisjourney because if I wasn't
(48:44):
exposed to that, obviously it'snot nice and no one should have
to go through that, but I'vechosen to create it, build it
into a wonderful future formyself.
(49:05):
So it worked out perfectly okay.
But if I would choose one mainthing, it's to be kind.
Think before you do think beforeyou speak, it will go such a
(49:26):
long way.
SPEAKER_01 (49:27):
Madison, where can people find you, connect with
you, and hopefully get you tospeak at their events?
SPEAKER_00 (49:34):
So I'm at the moment just a small business.
I'm trying to grow it, so anycontacts would be much
appreciated.
I do have a website.
Um it's just madnessandy.com.
(49:57):
Go check it out, see what Ioffer.
I promise you you won't bedisappointed.
And I just love every singleopportunity to talk to an
audience to remind them of theirpower in the world, even if it's
(50:25):
something clear to it can make ahuge difference.
SPEAKER_01 (50:30):
Yeah, I love that.
And I do feel like you undersoldyourself a little bit at the
beginning there.
You're not just a smallbusiness, you are the youngest
Australian of the year and afinalist for the Australian of
the year and a silver medalist.
So go check out Madison'swebsite.
We will drop a link in the shownotes.
But unfortunately, once again,we are utterly out of time.
SPEAKER_05 (50:54):
That's right.
But if you are someone who has adisability, you live with
someone who has a disability, oryou're passionate about helping
people feel included andbelonging, we'd love to hear
from you.
And where can people reach us?
We're on Instagram at RaftPodcast, or you can email hello
at raftpodcast.com.
SPEAKER_01 (51:13):
And for previous episodes or to find out more,
don't forget to check out ourwebsite, raftpodcast.com.
SPEAKER_05 (51:20):
Thanks for listening, Rafters.
Catch you next time.
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