In this week’s episode I sat down with Katharine Quinn. Katherine is a multi-hypenated theatre creative and content creator. She served as the writing associate on Shucked and is currently working on The Great Gatsby at the Papermill Playhouse and How To Dance in Ohio, which is now in previews and opens on Broadway December 10th. We discuss how Broadway has both changed and remained the same since the pandemic, the ways Broadway could be more accessible through technology, the importance of a show like How To Dance In Ohio and authentic disability representation and much, much more. Follow Katherine: TikTok: @itskatharinequinn Instagram: @itskatharinequinn YouTube: Katharine Quinn - Broadway and Beyond Website: https://www.katharinequinn.com  Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

In this week’s episode I sat down with Wildine Aumoithe. Wildine is a content creator in the fashion and beauty space and holds the Guinness World Record for World’s Shortest Non-Mobile Woman. We discuss the importance of dwarfism representation in the fashion and beauty spaces, blocking out the negativity, how the unique type of dwarfism shapes the dwarfism experience and much, much more. Follow Wildine: Instagram: @wavy.wildine TikTok: @wildinetok YouTube: Life Of Wildine  Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

To start I would like to issue a trigger warning. In this conversation we do discuss sexual assault and violent crime. If these are triggers for you please feel free to skip this episode. I sat down with Katherine Yoder and Leigha Shoup, the executive and deputy director of the Adult Advocacy Centers.  The Adult Advocacy Centers (AACs) work within the disability, victim services, and criminal justice systems to improve access and equity for adult crime victims with disabilities and to educate and train professionals within these systems on the unique needs of survivors with disabilities. We discuss the work of the Adult Advocacy Centers, the ways in which the criminal justice system is inaccessible for adult disabled victims of crime, the importance of having individualized victim services and much more. Follow The Adult Advocacy Centers: Website: https://www.adultadvocacycenters.org Facebook: Adult Advocacy Centers Twitter/X: @AdultAdvocacyOH Instagram: @adultadvocacycenters  Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

In this week’s episode I sat down with Emily Voorde. Emily is the Founder and CEO of INTO Strategies, a disability-led inclusion consultancy committed to bringing people with disabilities into campaigns, moments, and movements. Prior to starting INTO Strategies Emily was an Associate Director with NEWCO Strategies, a majority-women, majority-LGBTQ progressive consulting firm, served in the White House as the Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement under President Biden, and worked on Mayor Pete’s 2020 Presidential campaign. We discuss our shared experiences with the Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) Foundation and Little People of America respectively, who these organizations are actually for and serve, the role advocacy does and should play within these types of organizations and much, much more. Follow Emily: Instagram: @shortyvoorde LinkedIn: Emily Voorde Follow INTO Strategies: @intostrategies LinkedIn: INTO Strategies Website: https://www.intostrategies.com Email: emily@intostrategies.com Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

In this week’s episode I sat down with Bekah Bailey. Bekah, along with being one of my best friends, is a queer and disabled activist and organizer from Minneapolis. As Dwarfism Awareness Month draws to a close we discuss what it means having to accommodate our identity, the accessibility to advocacy within our own community, the differences in advocating for dwarfism vs. disability awareness, who and what Dwarfism Awareness Month is actually for and much, much more. Follow Bekah: Instagram: @_poopatraitor_ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/bekahb  Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

In this week’s episode I sat down with Brandon Farbstein. Brandon is a 24-year-old renowned speaker, Gen Z activist and author. He inspires millions of people across the globe with his universal message of living life on your own terms and building the framework for self-acceptance. With Dwarfism Awareness Day this week, October 25, we discuss the realities of being a little person in an average-height world when it comes to school, dating, work, etc., the cost, the power, and the influence in sharing our stories, in building a platform, what it means to allow ourselves to be all of who we are, and much, much more. TRIGGER WARNING: In this conversation we do talk about bullying and some of the darker aspects of mental health. If these are triggers for you please feel free to skip this episode. Follow Brandon: Instagram: @farbstein FaceBook: Brandon Farbstein LinkedIn: Brandon Farbstein Website: https://brandonfarbstein.com Watch Brandon's TED Talk  Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

In this week’s episode I sat down with Sofiya Cheyenne. Sofiya is an actor, teaching artist, community organizer and disability advocate. The theme of this episode is understanding what it means to be a little person along with this fear of understanding what it means to be a little person that exists in Hollywood, the pharmaceutical industries, within our own little person community and much, much more. Follow Sofiya: Instagram: @sofiyacheyenne Youtube: @Sofiya Cheyenne Facebook: Sofiya Cheyenne Website: https://www.sofiyacheyenne.com Listen to Dwarfism History: Spotify Apple Podcasts Instagram: @dwarfismhistory Website: https://www.dwarfismhistory.com/about Follow Aubrey Smalls: Instagram: @aubreysmalls TikTok: @aubreysmalls  Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

In this week’s episode I sat down with Sam Graham. Sam is a clinical psychologist working on her doctorate currently, she has a masters in clinical mental health. She has started a series discussing the sociology of dwarfism and the mental health impacts. M.A. LMHC MHP. She is also someone I have been friends with for 15 years. With tomorrow, October 10, being World Mental Health Day we have a raw, honest, and open conversation about what it is really like to be a little person in an average-height world focusing on the impact it has on our mental health. TRIGGER WARNING: In this episode we discuss depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse, body image and disordered eating. If these are triggers for you please feel free to skip this episode. Listen To Cerebro Therapy: Small Talk: Spotify Apple Podcasts Follow Sam: Instagram: @sa5m_instagraham Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

In this week’s episode I sat down with Eileen Norman. Eileen is the current President of Little People of America. We discuss what LPA exists for, the evolution of LPA’s disability identity, the change that can happen when different disability organizations come together, what Dwarfism Awareness Month really means and much more. Follow Eileen: @eileenannsf Facebook: Eileen Norman Email: eileen.norman@lpaonline.org Follow Little People of America: Facebook: Little People of America Instagram: @littlepeopleofamerica Website: https://www.lpaonline.org Email: info@lpaonline.org    Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

In this week’s episode of Always Looking Up I sat down with Danielle Frank. Danielle is an academic advisor and student disability services coordinator at Peirce College and is currently serving as Little People of America’s Programs Director. We unpack some of the internatlized ableism that comes with being a person with dwarfism, discuss how the experience with being a dwarf, with being disabled, is unique to the individual, the importance in making sure that Little People of America is accessible and what that really means, where we see LPA at present and in the future and much, much more. Follow Danielle: Instagram: @daniellestar LinkedIn: Danielle Frank Email: danielle.frank@lpaonline.org   Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

In this week’s episode of Always Looking Up I welcomed back Lillie Heigl. Lillie is an education policy analyst working for New America – Education Policy Program, focusing on disability, at New America. She is also one of my best friends with whom I share the love of reading. We discuss examples of disability representation, specifically in works written by Sarah J. Maas and Jodi Picoult, compare and contrast the portrayal of disability in contemporary fiction vs. fantasy, the impact disability representation in literature has in the real world and much, much more. This is the first of many spoiler alerts ahead. Follow Lillie: Instagram: @lheigl LinkedIn: Lillie Heigl Follow New America: Twitter: @NewAmerica LinkedIn: New America Website: https://www.newamerica.org   Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

In this week’s episode I sat down with Ryan Haddad. Ryan is an actor and playwright. His autobiographical plays include Dark Disabled Stories, Hi, Are You Single?, Good Time Charlie, and Hold Me in the Water. Ryan received the Drama Desk’s 2023 Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award, Vineyard Theatre’s 2021 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, and a 2020 Disability Futures Fellowship. We discuss how Dark, Disabled, Stories came to life on stage, the impact in seeing disabled people tell their own stories, the power in creating a theatrical experience that is accessible for the audience and actors, the lack of accessible bathrooms on Broadway and much, much more. Follow Ryan: @ryanjhaddad Twitter/X: @RyanJHaddad Website: http://www.ryanjhaddad.com Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Twitter: @jillx3456 Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Chamiah Dewey. Chamiah is a UK-based fashion designer and founder of the label Chamiah Dewey Fashion, the UK’s first-ever clothing brand dedicated to catering to the fashion needs of individuals under 4’11”. As New York Fashion Week is just around the corner we discuss what motivated her to design clothing for little people, how she is expanding her brand to include all people of short stature, not just those in dwarfism, how the conversation around adaptive fashion often does not include people with dwarfism and how that needs to change and much, much more. Follow Chamiah: Instagram: @chamiahdeweyfashion Facebook: Chamiah Dewey Fashion Website: https://chamiahdeweyfashion.com  Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Twitter: @jillx3456 Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Rachel Charlton-Dailey. Rachel is an award-winning disabled editor, journalist, and activist. She is a disability rights columnist for The Daily Mirror where she guest edited the series Disabled Britain: Doing it for Ourselves and is the  founding editor of The Unwritten, a publication for disabled people to share their authentic experiences. We discuss why disabled people are often not listened to when it comes to their own bodies and lived experiences, ableism in the news media, the importance and power of having disabled voices in newsrooms and much, much more. Read Rachel's Column in The Mirror: https://www.mirror.co.uk/authors/Rachel_Charlton-Dailey/  Follow Rachel: Instagram: @rachelcdailey Twitter: @RachelCDailey Website: https://rachelcharltondailey.com  Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Twitter: @jillx3456 Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I welcomed back Aubrey Smalls. Aubrey is an actor and filmmaker with dwarfism. We discuss the importance in learning and understanding dwarfism history, how the representation of dwarfism in media influences and perpetuates society’s treatment of people with dwarfism in the real world, question how the non-disabled and disabled communities see people with dwarfism, his upcoming documentary Dear Average Height People and much, much more. Listen To Dwarfism History Spotify Apple Podcasts  Follow Aubrey: Instagram: @theaubreysmalls , @dwarfismhistory TikTok: @aubreysmalls Website: https://www.dearaverageheightpeople.com Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

In this week’s episode I welcomed back Jenna Bainbridge. Jenna is an actor, singer, and disability rights activist. She is the co-founder of ConsultAbility, a consulting firm that provides advice and expertise on accessibility in theatre, focusing on creating a safe and inclusive environment for disabled actors and technicians. We discuss the disability representation in the Barbie movie (or lack thereof), yes, there may be spoilers, how the treatment of disability in the film and the Barbie properties as a whole reflects how society treats and thinks about disability in the real world, the role wheelchair Barbie could have and should have played in the film, and much more.  Follow Jenna: Instagram: @bainbridgejenna TikTok @bainbridgejenna Website: https://www.jennabainbridge.com/home Follow ConsultAbility: Instagram: @consultability Facebook: ConsultAbility Website: https://www.consultability.org Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Twitter: @jillx3456 Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Sophie Morgan. Sophie is an award-winning TV presenter, one of the first female TV presenters in the world with a physical disability, producer, writer, disability rights advocate and artist. At present, she is currently spearheading the global disability rights campaign Rights On Flights and embarking on a ride across America which we’ll discuss later on in the episode. We compare and contrast what accessibility and inclusion looks like in the US vs. the UK, the Rights On Flights Campaign, the power in having a platform and using it to speak up and speak out and much, much more. Follow Sophie: Instagram: @sophlmorg TikTok: @sophlmorg Facebook: Sophie Morgan Twitter: @sophmorgTV Website: https://www.sophiemorgan.com Follow and Support Rights On Flights: Instagram: @rightsonflights Website: https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/rights-flights  Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

In this week’s episode I sat down with George Kashap. George is a little person and someone I have been friends with for nearly a decade if not longer. We examine the requirement, as little people, to constantly adapt, what it meant to say we were a little person in our childhood and teenage years vs. now as adults, the help and harm labels can cause and much, much more. Follow George: Instagram: @littlegeorgey Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

In this episode I sat down with Emily Hanks. Emily is a content creator and host of the podcasts She Speaks Bravo, where she talks about all things Bravo from Housewives to Vanderpump Rules and everything in between, and She Speaks It All, where she talks about great television from other networks. This conversation was a fun one centered around one of our favorite shows Project Runway, now in its All Star Season. We discuss the evolution of the show from Season one to now, our thoughts on Season 20 so far, how the show has progressed in regards to diversity of models and clientele, and the fact that it still has quite a ways to go in regards to disability representation and advocate for change. And we tried our best, but there will be spoilers. Follow Emily: Instagram: @shespeaksbravo, @shespeaksitallpod Support Emily on Patreon HERE Listen to She Speaks Bravo YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts Listen to She Speaks It All Spotify Apple Podcasts Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

In this week's episode I sat down with V Spehar. V is a TikToker, podcast host, and political advocate. On their TikTok channel, Under The Desk News, V gives a brief, in-depth recap of each day’s most notable headlines. On their podcast V Interesting with V Spehar they highlight the most interesting part of stories that often get lost in the news cycle and explore the complex Big Issues that matter most. We discuss how they started their account and their approach to reporting the news, why it is so necessary to amplify voices and stories that are not often heard in the mainstream news media, the importance in understanding the lesser known ways in which current events such as the recent Supreme Court decisions and newly passed legislation are impacting marginalized communities, and much, much more. Follow V: Tiktok: @underthedesknews Instagram: @underthedesknews Website: https://underthedesk.news Support V on Patreon HERE Listen to V Interesting with V Spehar: Spotify Apple Podcasts Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.