Reclaiming Identity, Dismantling Ableism, and Showing Up Whole (with Tiffany Yu)

 In this deeply moving and wide-ranging conversation, Tiffany Yu — CEO and founder of Diversability and author of The Anti-Ableist Manifesto — joins Chedva to unpack what it means to live, lead, and love in a world not built with all bodies in mind. Tiffany shares her powerful journey from childhood trauma and societal shame to outspoken disability advocate, community builder, and proud disabled woman. Together, she and Chedva explore identity, grief, community, the labor of disclosure, and what it really takes to ask (and answer) better questions.

With humor, honesty, and vulnerability, they discuss how disability isn't something to fix, but something to understand — in ourselves and in each other. This episode also touches on the nuances of being perceived as “inspiring,” the cultural shift around visibility, and what happens when we stop hiding and start naming our truths out loud.

Key Topics:

• The “second origin story” of disability: from shame to self-acceptance to ownership
• What makes a question inclusive — and what doesn’t
• The hidden labor of showing up with visible or invisible disabilities
• From Wall Street to advocacy: how Tiffany built community in every chapter
• Inspiration vs. objectification: the danger of “inspiring by existing”
• What pride looks like after trauma, loss, and healing
• The evolving language of neurodivergence and identity
• The power (and politics) of naming — ourselves, our needs, our truths
• Building access into everything — including your own work and rest
• Joy as resistance, biking as healing, and naming your bike “Stanley”
• Me → We → Us: how transformative change begins at the personal level

Notable Quotes:

• “Community was always the through line. Before I was a disability advocate, I was a community builder.”
• “Disability is not something to fix. It’s an identity, a culture, a perspective — not a problem.”
• “I had to unlearn that I was broken. And learn that I get to take up space.”
• “Be curious — but respect boundaries.”
• “If you took disability out of the picture, would you still describe that person as inspiring?”
• “We need curiosity that connects, not curiosity that intrudes.”

Tiffany’s Powerful Question: “What’s something that brought you joy recently?”

Resources Mentioned:

• The Anti-Ableist Manifesto by Tiffany Yu
• Diversability
• Stella Young’s TED Talk: “I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much”
• Emily Ladau, disability advocate
• Dreamers & Doers Community
• Get access to CuriosityGPT — your strategic thinking partner in question form
• Join The Curiosity Lab to explore identity, values, and direction in the face of life’s fog