Have The Nerve: A Podcast About Disability
Do you have the nerve to talk about disability? Have The Nerve is a podcast brought to you by Spinal Cord Injuries Australia and funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services. Join host, Susan Wood, as she talks you through everything to do with disability.
Episodes
For this episode, Susan speaks to Alexa Locke, Director with the Australian Society of Rehabilitation Counsellors (ASORC) as she shares her story of growing up as a young carer caring for her father after he sustained a traumatic brain injury after a rock slide on a family holiday, how that experience shaped her career choice.
In addition, you will hear from Alexa about she sustaining a spinal cord injury durin...
Royal Rehab Group are proud to celebrate the 10th anniversary of World SCI Day, held each year on September 5th.
This podcast is in collaboration with Spinal Cord Injuries Australia’s Resource Hub, alongside Royal Rehab Lifeworks, NeuroMoves, SCIA’s Peer and Family Support and Sargood on Collaroy.
Please be aware that this episode comes with a trigger warning for medical trauma and mental health stru...
On this episode, Susan is joined by former Australian Disability Discrimination Commissioner, and disability advocate, Professor Alastair McEwin AM.
He shares his story of lived experience growing up with a disability, his work as a Royal Commissioner with the Disability Royal Commission, helping form the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), Professor at Universit...
What would you do if your car broke down on the side of the road and there were no available options for transport assistance to get you somewhere safe? To get you home?
This year, Sarah-Jane (SJ) Staszak was stranded on the side of the M4 in New South Wales for four hours after her car broke down, because there wasn't an alternative option for her to be transported safely in her wheelchair when the tow truck a...
In this episode meet Luke Spencer and Kat Yee. At age 12, Luke was diagnosed with Fredrich’s Ataxia, and in May 2024, after a series of complications at the age of 25, he had a pacemaker put in that both Kat and Luke lovingly refer to C-3PO.
This is the story of how Luke wanted to snorkelling in Fiji after his pacemaker was put in at the age of 25, and how Kat supported Luke as an Exercise Physiologist at Neuro...
In this episode, meet 20-year-old Nioka Bush who lives with Cerebral Palsy and is on the autistic spectrum.
Nioka shares her experience growing up with her disability, going through the schooling system, the women who have helped shaped her and her advice for the next generation of women growing up with disabilities.
This episode has been made in celebration of International Womens Day, which celebrates th...
Meet Melbourne-based podcaster and disability advocate Peta Hooke. She is the host of 'The I Can’t Stand Podcast', and in 2025, she released a short podcast series called 'Eggs', where she chronicles her real-life experience navigating IVF and fertility with a Cerebral Palsy.
On Have the Nerve, Susan and Peta talk a bit more about that podcast and the reception, medical equity and they discuss how our lif...
In the final episode for Have the Nerve for 2025, meet Susan's mother, Alma.
Alma came from Kabankalan, Negros Occidental in the Philippines to Australia in 1981. She shares her perspective of raising Susan, observations as she got older, advice for parents of children who have disabilities, and the switch from being the caretaker to being cared for by Susan at the age of 85.
This podcast would not be possible w...
Today is International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD)!
On this episode, Forrest, Declan and Maz from our EmployAbility team come on the podcast to discuss equity, the importance of lived-experience led training and social progress.
This year's theme for IDPwD is 'Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress'. At SCIA, all of our services strive to empower people with disabi...
On this episode Dan Holt, Ash Treseder and Rob Wynn come on the podcast to share their experiences of fatherhood at their respective stages.
Whether that's a father to be, a new father or a with grown children, they share their learnings, some of the fears and how the importance of being open and honest about their disabilities to everyone is essential.
Information in this episode
From what accessible means and even down to how thick carpet is, on this episode Susan Wood, Liberty Smith and Hayley Dean come on Have The Nerve to have a chat about what we're learnt since working at Spinal Cord Injuries Australia and how nothing compares to working alongside people with disabilities, or others who have a similar disability to open up your eyes to the disabled experience, or learn life lessons - w...
Have the Nerve is back on for 2025!
This is Have The Nerve Shorts - the short episodes between the long ones where we talk about things From The Internet, you can Get To Know Your Body and there might be even Something To Think About.
On this episode Laura Burling, Heidz Haydon and Susan Wood talk about about TikToker Claire Sisk (@canseecantsee), a woman who has a visual impairment. She shares her experiences as a pe...
You're listening to episode FIFTY and the final episode of Have The Nerve for 2024.
On this episode we’re going to talk about equity. Are the opportunities for people, specifically students with disabilities, fairer in 2024 than they were in, let's say, 2000?
16 year old high school student Lara Grimson comes on the podcast to share her story about trying to find work experience as a person wit...
This is Have The Nerve Shorts - the short episodes between the long ones where we talk about things From The Internet, you can Get To Know Your Body and there might be even Something To Think About.
In this episode, Physiotherapist Colbey Van Leeuwen comes on to explain the three types of electrical stimulation that can aid in mobility and pain management for individuals living with disabilities.
Neuro...
In October this year Professor Shane Clifton wrote a piece for The Conversation titled, 'When even fringe festival venues exclude people with disability, cities need to act on access' after a series of accessibility issues to attend events at one of Sydney's biggest festivals on the calendar.
Shane is the Associate Professor of Practice, School of Health Sciences and the Centre for Disability Research and Pol...
Have The Nerve Not-So-Short this episode!
You will hear the stories of three people who explain what sport means to them, because when it comes to disability and sport society may focus on physical strength or the medals, but it's so much more than that.
On this episode you hear from:
Tamsin Colley is an international athlete in para-athletics and cerebral palsy football studying Exercise Physi...
This is Have The Nerve Shorts - the short episodes between the long ones where we talk about things From The Internet, you can Get To Know Your Body and there might be even Something To Think About.
In this episode Exercise Physiologist Alicia Payne answers the question "Why should I exercise in the water?". If you've ever considered getting into a pool, but don't know where to start Alicia will talk you thro...
This is Have The Nerve Shorts - the short episodes between the long ones where we talk about things From The Internet, you can Get To Know Your Body and there might be even Something To Think About.
In this episode Laura Burling, Heidi Haydon and Susan Wood discuss @uksecrettravel_'s TikTok where they recall an anonymous post made by someone on the Ultimate World Cruise forum sharing their experience waiting ...
Getting research off the ground is probably more complex than you'd expect.
Doctor Claire Boswell-Ruys is a physiotherapist and senior research fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and has worked in the area of spinal cord injuries for the past 20 years.
We talk about all things research, we discuss what it takes to set up a research trial, how it's funded, why it can't be everywhere and...
This is Have The Nerve Shorts - The short episodes between the longer ones. However, today isn't short at all #SorryNotSorry.
Duncan Wallace, Executive Director of SpinalCure Australia is on to chat about why you should consider investing in medical research for spinal cord injury and why you should consider the next generation of medical researchers.
Having a spinal cord injury himself just over 40 ...
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