ListenABLE

Filipino-Australian singer-songwriter daine joins Dylan Alcott and Angus O'Loughlin for a conversation that is equal parts funny, raw, and genuinely important. daine lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), POTS, and autism and did not know she was disabled until she was 18. By that point she had already been dismissed by multiple neurologists and cardiologists who told her the chronic pain stopping her from climbing the stairs at school was "just anxiety."
She is now preparing to drop her debut album and performing at Ability Fest for the second time. This episode covers late diagnosis, medical gaslighting, spoon theory, invisible illness, the suicide statistics for autistic women that daine thinks about every day, and why she believes being deeply, intensely autistic makes her a better songwriter.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please reach out to Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Ability Fest and what it actually means to be inclusivedaine has attended and performed at Ability Fest before and is back on the lineup for 2026. Dylan explains what the festival really is: not a festival for disabled people, but a fully accessible event where everyone can party together. Platforms, pathways, Auslan interpreters, sensory rooms, live captioning, and 100% of proceeds going to the Dylan Alcott Foundation. As Angus puts it, the real point is giving six able-bodied friends the chance to finally share a night out with the one person who could never get through the door before.
Get your tickets here: https://megatix.com.au/events/ability-fest-2026

daine is a Filipino-Australian singer, songwriter, and producer living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, POTS, and autism. She is currently finishing her debut album and performing at Ability Fest 2026.
Follow daine: https://www.instagram.com/d4ine/

00:00 Cold open: doctors, stairs, and the diagnosis nobody saw coming
02:39 Ability Fest: what it is, why it matters, and daine returning to the lineup
04:24 A month in LA and the debut album
07:09 Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: what it is and why it takes ten years to diagnose
09:25 The hosepipe analogy: EDS, POTS, and circulation explained
10:38 Growing up without a diagnosis and medical gaslighting
12:31 Dynamic disability and passing as non-disabled
14:27 Good days vs survival days: spoon theory explained
16:52 How disability affects the creative process and studio sessions
18:13 Why autism is daine's creative superpower
19:54 Getting the autism diagnosis at 18 and what it meant
21:08 Social battery, sensory overload, and the right kind of socialising
23:12 Navigating the music industry with an invisible disability
24:34 What a sustainable career looks like
25:04 Autistic suicide risk and why visibility matters
27:16 Making shows more accessible as an independent artist
29:07 Best gig stories: first LA headline and Laneway 2019 in the rain with Charli XCX
31:25 Spicy listener questions

disability podcast Australia, ListenABLE podcast, daine musician, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome EDS podcast, autism and chronic illness, invisible disability, dynamic disability, spoon theory chronic illness, POTS dysautonomia, autistic artist Australia, Ability Fest Melbourne 2026, neurodiversity and music, medical gaslighting women, late autism diagnosis, autistic women mental health suicide risk, disability representation music industry, Dylan Alcott Foundation, Filipino-Australian artist
autism | Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome | EDS | POTS | invisible disability | dynamic disability | spoon theory | medical gaslighting | late diagnosis | Ability Fest 2026 | neurodiversity | mental health | chronic illness | disability representation | Australian podcast | daine | Dylan Alcott | ListenABLE

In this episode of ListenABLE, Angus sits down with Spencer Connelly for a conversation that is confronting, inspiring and incredibly human.
Spencer shares his lived experience after surviving a traumatic fire as a child, spending months in hospital, and learning to navigate the world with visible scars and amputations. He reflects on memory, trauma, recovery, self-image, the complexity of forgiveness, and why he now sees his scars as signs of strength rather than weakness.
The conversation also explores disability identity, facial difference, confidence in public, representation in film, and Spencer’s growing dream of building a career in acting. That dream has already taken shape, with Spencer landing a speaking role in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and he has publicly credited the KIDS Foundation with helping build his confidence after his injuries.
If this episode resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear a story of resilience, perspective and hope.

Key Topics:
surviving severe childhood burns

trauma and memory

hospital recovery and rehabilitation

living with facial difference

disability identity

scars and self-acceptance

therapy and healing

public perception and staring

confidence and resilience

acting, representation and Furiosa

The Story:
00:00 Childhood trauma and the memory that stayed
01:00 Spencer’s story and entering the disability community
05:45 Living with disability and visible difference
07:20 Recovery, surgeries and life after hospital
11:10 Returning to school after trauma
14:50 The truth about what happened
17:40 Differently abled, disability and identity
19:00 Staring, confidence and moving through the world
20:40 Looking in the mirror after trauma
23:15 Forgiveness, healing and moving forward
27:20 Acting dreams and losing one career path
28:20 Meeting Sean Millis and working on Furiosa
35:30 Facial difference and representation in film
37:50 Halloween, scars and public perception
40:10 The bowl of uncomfortable
44:25 Life from here and what’s next

When Joshua Ruff’s heart stopped for three minutes, everything changed.
Living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) since childhood, Joshua had already navigated a lifetime of disability, adaptation, and resilience. But in 2020, a sudden cardiac arrest during the early days of COVID forced him into a profound reckoning with mortality, fear, and what actually matters.
Unable to speak and communicating only through his eyes, Joshua was told he might never return home. Instead, that moment became the catalyst for a new way of living. One centred on human connection, creative purpose, and letting go of fear.
In this powerful conversation, Joshua shares how surviving cardiac arrest reshaped his outlook on life, relationships, and ambition. He opens up about growing up with DMD, the emotional toll of teenage years, and the quiet pressure to always appear positive as a wheelchair user. We explore how gardening became both therapy and vocation, leading to the creation of Henle Gardens, a lavender farm producing oil, products, and community experiences.
This episode is about disability, yes. But more than that, it is about meaning, independence, love, and choosing to live fully without apology.
Key Topics Covered
Surviving a cardiac arrest and communicating only through eye movement

Living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and challenging early life expectancy narratives

Letting go of fear after facing death

Gardening as purpose, therapy, and business

Building an accessible lavender farm and producing lavender oil

Independence, support systems, and redefining success

Why people with disability are elite problem solvers

Relationships, self-worth, and rejecting the idea of being a burden

Positivity, grief, and the danger of masking emotions

Notable Moments

“The most important thing is human connection. Everything else doesn’t matter.”

“My heart stopped for three minutes, and somehow that freed me.”

“I didn’t believe I deserved a relationship. That belief almost cost me one.”

“People with disability are the best problem solvers because life never gives us the easy path.”

“Independence for me is choice, not doing everything alone.”

About Joshua Ruff
Joshua Ruff is a gardener, lavender producer, and founder of Henle Gardens in regional Victoria. Living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Joshua has transformed personal adversity into creative expression, community connection, and entrepreneurship.
After surviving cardiac arrest in 2020, he committed to building a life driven by purpose rather than fear. Today, his lavender farm produces oil, dried lavender products, and hosts garden visits, festivals, and community groups, proving that accessibility and beauty are not mutually exclusive.

Colin Judge was born with one arm and no legs, and today he is a Paralympic table tennis player, speaker, and analyst living in Dublin.
In this episode of ListenABLE, Colin opens up about dating with a disability, rejection, and why you do not need to prove your worth to the wrong people. He shares the moment a short video about dating stopped the scroll online, and how learning to value the people who choose you changed the way he sees relationships and confidence.
Colin also takes us through his journey to the Paralympics, the hidden grind of elite sport, and what people do not see behind the scenes of Paralympic competition. From being excluded as a teenager, to finding his sport, to navigating reclassification and identity, this conversation explores resilience, adaptability, and self-belief in a way that goes far beyond disability.
We also talk about fear of rejection, finding your voice on social media, taking initiative when it feels uncomfortable, and why accessibility is often more about mindset than infrastructure.
This is a powerful, honest conversation about confidence, self-worth, and becoming more than the labels placed on you.
Follow Colin Judge on Instagram: @colinjudge100

What happens when you finally get the diagnosis that explains your whole life… and what doesn’t it change at all?
In this powerful episode of ListenABLE, Angus sits down with disability advocate and podcaster Kelly Berger, who shares her journey living with an ultra-rare form of congenital muscular dystrophy, Collagen 6. After years of misdiagnosis, Kelly received her genetic confirmation as an adult, a moment that brought clarity, community and a new sense of direction, without changing who she fundamentally is.
Kelly speaks candidly about the emotional weight of diagnosis, navigating healthcare systems, building community, and what real accessibility actually looks like in daily life. From the realities of infrastructure in the US to the gaps between performative inclusion and genuine integration, this conversation goes well beyond awareness and into what meaningful change requires.
We also dive into Kelly’s podcast 'Wheel Talk', her advocacy work, and how she’s helping reshape how disability, rare disease and identity are spoken about in public spaces.
This is a conversation about resilience, identity, leadership and how visibility changes everything.
Living with Collagen 6 congenital muscular dystrophy

The emotional impact of finally receiving a genetic diagnosis

Rare disease advocacy and disability representation

Accessibility in infrastructure and public spaces

Navigating healthcare systems and misdiagnosis

Disability identity and pride

Building community with and without disability

Language, inclusion and allyship

Performative vs meaningful disability representation

Creating podcasts within the disability community

Why visibility matters

Kelly Berger is a disability advocate, podcaster and rare disease community leader living with Collagen 6 congenital muscular dystrophy. She is the co-host of Wheel Talk, a podcast exploring disability, identity and lived experience through honest, accessible conversations. Kelly works actively in advocacy, accessibility awareness and rare disease representation.

ListenABLE is a podcast created to amplify disability voices, challenge stereotypes and explore what inclusion actually looks like in practice. Hosted by Angus O’Loughlin alongside Dylan Alcott, the show brings real stories, lived experience and meaningful conversations into the mainstream.

Podcast: Wheel Talk with Kelly and Averyhttps://www.instagram.com/thewheeltalkpodcast/