Grace Spence Green was a medical student when a man jumped from a height in a shopping centre and landed on her, causing a spinal cord injury that left her paralysed from the chest down.

In this conversation, Grace speaks openly about the moment her life changed, the long road through hospital and rehabilitation, and what it was like to suddenly become the patient after training to care for others.

We talk about the ideas behind her book To Exist As I Am, including radical acceptance, the difference between the medical and social models of disability, and how she rebuilt a sense of identity after injury. Grace shares how her lived experience now shapes her work as a doctor, what helped her feel at home in her wheelchair, and why she challenges the tired cultural narratives of tragedy or inspiration.

Connect with Grace

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracesg/?hl=en

Buy her book: https://www.waterstones.com/book/to-exist-as-i-am/grace-spence-green/

Connect with Peta Hooke
Instagram: @petahooke
Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com
Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com

Episode Transcript:
www.icantstandpodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Clare Reilly was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2017, she thought her days of outdoor adventure might be behind her. But the lifelong outdoors lover, podcaster, and mum is preparing to take on something extraordinary; a 1,072-kilometre ride along Western Australia’s Munda Biddi Trail using her off-road wheelchair.

In this episode, Clare joins Peta to talk about the quiet courage it takes to attempt something you’re not sure you can do. She shares how Wheelchair Meets Wilderness began as an idea on a vision board, the logistics of tackling the world’s longest off-road cycling route, and the emotional side of living with MS; from daily grief and fatigue to moments of pride and possibility.

This conversation isn’t about proving what’s possible. It’s about trying anyway.

Connect with Clare Reilly
TikTok: @clarereilly
Instagram: @clare.reilly
Wheelchair Meets Wilderness: @wheelchairmeetswilderness
Learn more: wheelchairmeetswilderness.org/the-munda-biddi-trail

Connect with Peta Hooke
Instagram: @petahooke
Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com
Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com

Episode Transcript:
www.icantstandpodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Paralympian, author, and advocate Don Elgin joins Peta to explore what true connection means within the NDIS and beyond.

After representing Australia at three Paralympic Games and winning four medals, Don turned his focus to advocacy. As Head of Events at One Community, he now leads more than 120 networking events each year, connecting participants, carers, and providers to improve outcomes across the sector.

Peta and Don discuss how tools like Kismet’s Care Index are exposing service gaps, why transparency matters for a fairer NDIS, and how regional communities can become more inclusive. They also look ahead to the Australian Disability Service Awards, presented by One Community and Kismet, held on Thursday 13 November at The Pullman Albert Park in Melbourne.

Connect:

One Community:
Website: onecommunity.net.au
Instagram: @onecommunityaus

Kismet Care Index:
Explore the data: kismet.healthcare/care-index

Australian Disability Service Awards:
Website: onecommunity.net.au/adsa

Peta Hooke:
Instagram: @petahooke
Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com
Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com

Episode Transcript:
www.icantstandpodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Pete Horsley, Founder of Remarkable, the disability-tech accelerator powered by Cerebral Palsy Alliance, joins Peta to explore how technology, innovation, and lived experience are reshaping the future of accessibility.

Over the past decade, Pete and his team have supported more than 160 startups developing technologies that change disabled people’s everyday lives. Through Remarkable’s partnership with Toyota Australia, the program now contributes over 2,000 hours of engineering and design expertise each year; proving what’s possible when big business and disability innovation truly collaborate.

Pete and Peta discuss how inclusive design benefits everyone, and why disability should never be seen as a niche market. They also unpack how government policy could help stimulate demand for disability-led products and share what to expect from the upcoming Disability Tech Summit 2025.

Connect:

Remarkable:

Disability Tech Summit 2025: https://www.remarkable.org/disability-tech-summit-2025
Website: remarkable.org
Instagram: @remarkable_tech

https://www.toyota.com.au

Peta Hooke:
Instagram: @petahooke
Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com
Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com

Episode Transcript:
www.icantstandpodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disability advocate and self-advocate Cameron Bloomfield shares what it’s like to be a gay man with an intellectual disability. He talks about self-advocacy, pride, and challenging the misconception that people with disability aren’t sexual or part of the LGBTIQ+ community.

Connect:
Peta Hooke
Instagram: @petahooke
Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com
Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com

Episode Transcript: www.icantstandpodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Clare Stewart, CEO of Youngcare and former Mayor of Noosa, joins Peta to share her powerful story of resilience, disability, and purpose.

At just 23 years old, Clare was struck by a garbage truck while out for a morning run. She spent six months in hospital and underwent 37 surgeries to save her legs. Twenty-five years on, she’s leading one of Australia’s most respected disability organisations, advocating for accessible housing, dignity, and choice for young people with high care needs.

Clare and Peta discuss how lived experience shapes authentic leadership, the reality of accessibility in everyday life, and the urgent need to rethink how Australia houses and supports disabled people.

Connect:
Youngcare:
Website: youngcare.com.au
Instagram: @youngcareoz
LinkedIn: Youngcare Australia
YouTube: YoungcareOz

Peta Hooke:
Instagram: @petahooke
Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com
Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com

Episode Transcript: www.icantstandpodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, neurodivergent advocate, educator, and founder of My Spirited Child and the National PEKE Centre, Rebecca Challoner, joins Peta to explore what it really means to live and parent, with ADHD.

Rebecca shares her journey from discovering her own diagnosis after her children’s, to founding two groundbreaking organisations built on neurodivergent-affirming principles. She unpacks the myths surrounding ADHD, how stigma still shapes everyday experiences, and why traditional “discipline” doesn’t work for neurodivergent kids.

Connect:

Rebecca Challoner:

Facebook: facebook.com/rebeccalchalloner

Instagram: instagram.com/rebeccalchalloner

Peta Hooke:

Instagram: @petahooke

Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com

Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com

Episode Transcript: https://www.icantstandpodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trans artist Oliver Ayres and his partner, producer Kaite Head, join Peta Hooke to discuss their new Melbourne Fringe show No Seasons. The performance explores Oliver’s experience freezing his eggs at nineteen, living with disability and chronic illness, and the couple’s ongoing conversations about parenthood, love, and choice.

Together, they share how turning such a personal story into theatre has helped them reflect on identity, access, and inclusion. Peta connects with their journey through her own experience of IVF, as they discuss what it means to make art that’s emotionally honest, authentic, and accessible.

No Seasons runs at the Melbourne Fringe Festival from 7–18 October.

Find out more and book tickets:

https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/no-seasons

Connect with Ollie and Kaite:

Website: https://www.skintproducing.com/no-seasons

Instagram: @ogcayres @skint.producing

Connect with Peta:

Instagram: @petahooke

Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com

Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com

Episode Transcript:https://www.icantstandpodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.