The Purple Orange Podcast

When Nicole Edmunds first became unwell, doctors told her it was stress, anxiety, or poor sleep. But she knew her body — and she knew something wasn’t right.

After months of medical gaslighting and self-doubt, Nicole was diagnosed with POTS: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome — a form of dysautonomia that affects the autonomic nervous system and is often invisible to others.

In this honest and moving episod...

What happens when the world refuses to see who you really are?

When Khadija Gbla was diagnosed as autistic in their 30s, it brought relief — and grief for all the years spent masking, misunderstood. In this powerful episode, they reflect on cultural stigma, disability, racism, and how becoming a parent helped them begin to heal and rewrite the story.

Born in Sierra Leone and resettled in Australia as a teenager, Khadija&rsquo...

For Trudy and Chris, love wasn’t about grand gestures. It was in the little things - train rides to nowhere, shared jokes, holding hands, or quietly sitting side by side in the sun.

In this moving episode of the Purple Orange Podcast, we share the story of a relationship shaped by love, disability...

Have you ever tried to support someone but ended up making them uncomfortable instead? 😬

Join Belle Owen and Dr. Ellen Fraser-Barbour, two proud disabled women, as they share powerful stories and insights about:

• The difference between performing allyship vs living it
• Why listening is more powerful than fixing
• How curiosity and humility open up space for real inclusion
• The invisible impact of everyday actions

This episod...

"My psychologist said go for a walk every day. So I did!" - Terra Roam

What does it take to truly find yourself? For Terra, it began with a walk—and turned into a 17,200 km journey that changed their life.

Along the way, Terra, who is neurodivergent, found freedom, recovery, and authenticity after years of masking and overcoming challenges like domestic violence and self-doubt.

Listen in as Terra shares:

• The healing po...

Have you ever wondered what we lose when stories are simply framed as 'inspiration' pieces? 🤔

In this episode of the Purple Orange Podcast, Jessie opens up about her journey to becoming a champion equestrian while navigating loss and life with a disability—and how her beloved horse and best friend, Storm, was by her side to see her through her darkest moments.

Tune in to hear Jessie’s reflections on grief, resilience, ...

Have you ever wondered how changing a single word can change someone's experience? 🤔

In this episode of The Purple Orange Podcast, Belle Owen and Dr. Ellen Fraser-Barbour dive deep into why language matters. Language is more than just words—it's a tool that shapes identity, influences perceptions, and can either empower or marginalise.

From rejecting outdated terms to embracing identity-first language, Ellen and Belle shar...

Dating can be challenging. Especially in today’s brave new world of dating apps.

How much of yourself do you put in your profile for all to see? How much do you leave for a later conversation?

Daniella shares insights into her dating experiences, her thought process on whether or not to disclose her differences and the layers and complexities built around why and why not as she walks through some of her raw reflections on her...

To kick off season 2, we have a powerful story centred on home.   Imagine living in a home that feels more like a prison.   You live without any choice or control over what your day looks like.   How would you feel? How would you act?   Find out in Episode one Season 2 of the Purple Orange Podcast, which takes us on an incredible journey of darkness to light, in which Tim leaves his group home, and regains...

Years ago, Andrew Gibson embarked on a journey of learning to drive after experiencing brain injury. This led to regained confidence, independence, and access to social and employment opportunities. In short, it was life-changing.

Today, Andrew is the Project Leader for SKILL, an individual capacity building project, and in this special edition podcast episode, he talks to Brad Williams, from Williams OT, about turning your dream o...

Have you thought about how other countries and cultures view disability?

Esther takes us through her journey of battling cultural stigma around disability in Sudan, Uganda and Australia and the challenges of migrating to a new country and forging her path as a woman with disability from a linguistically diverse background!

Click here to download and read the transcript of The burden of low expectations: Challenging disability stig...

Join Lily as she talks about internalised ableism, how it's affected Lily throughout different stages of her life, and the challenge of forever trying to shape society to fit you, when it isn't designed for you.

Find out more about Lily's journey through school and motherhood and the constant, everyday battle against her own internal thoughts.

Click here to download and read the transcript of Maybe I’ll just miss out: Chang...

Join Gavin as he takes listeners through his employment journey and what that has looked like at various stages of his career. Things could have turned out very differently for him, but he knew the universe was telling him to take a chance...   Find out how he carved out his own path and created new opportunities for himself.

Click here to download and read the transcript of Underrepresented, undervalued and underpaid: Bre...

It is great that we are starting to hear more businesses, organisations and government talk about engaging the disability community. But, if they are only doing tokenistic, tick and flick engagement, it's not going to make much difference. 

In this episode you will hear 6 key tips for good engagement. These tips come from the collective wisdom of the Local Government Disability Inclusion Advisory Group. It is made up of a gr...