A Life in Three Acts with Muscular Dystrophy | Leanne Watson | Golden Threads | Kintsugi Heroes
In this moving episode of Golden Threads: Stories of Disability and Resilience, host Daniel Dougherty shares an intimate conversation with Leanne Watson, a remarkable woman living with limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD). Leanne opens up about her life journey, from a privileged upbringing in Melbourne to the gradual physical challenges posed by her diagnosis. This […]
Twenty years numb: Karl Germann on complex trauma, queerness, and finding himself at 46 | Pride I…
The 20-year fog Karl grew up in apartheid South Africa in a wealthy but emotionally distant Austrian-South African family, experiencing what he now understands as complex trauma rooted in his mother’s narcissism and his father’s clinical detachment. For decades he dissociated, unaware he was queer until his late twenties when he met a partner and […]
My sister’s disability changed everything I thought I wanted
Alyssa Chhim-Michelle grew up in a Cambodian Australian family shaped by her parents’ escape from genocide. When she learned her father carried a rare genetic condition, she faced an impossible choice about her own future. Now as her sister’s caregiver, she confronts the gap between family duty and the life she wants to build. Alyssa […]
Ian Harvey: Unlocking Experiences and Rewriting What’s Possible in Disability
SUMMARY A diving accident on a Boxing Day cricket trip changed everything — for an 18-year-old named Jason, and for Ian Harvey, the young rugby coach standing beside him. In this episode of Golden Threads, host Daniel Dougherty sits down with Ian — National Foundation Manager for the WhatAbility Foundation in Perth — to trace […]
Disability and Mental Health: How Daniel Searle Rebuilt His Life After Losing His Sight | Golden …
Daniel grew up sighted on an Australian farm, playing cricket and tennis, until his vision deteriorated over a few months at 16. Leber’s optic neuropathy-a genetic condition affecting the optic nerve-meant no cure and no driving license. The initial years were marked by denial and shame; he rejected mobility aids and pushed himself to impossible […]
One page, one person: Cathy Hockey on disability inclusion and what it really takes to lead
The one-page profile that changed everything ⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses grief, which some listeners may find distressing. If you need support, you’re not alone. Help is available: • Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au Eighteen years ago, Cathy took a job leading a small employment program for people with intellectual […]
Paul Jamieson: Nine Years After the Wakeboard, the Mango, and the Hand Squeeze That Said He Was S…
For almost two years after his brain injury, Paul Jamieson could not eat or drink anything. When his speech pathologist finally decided he was ready to try, she asked him what he wanted. He said mangoes. He still remembers exactly what it tasted like. Nearly nine years ago, Paul was wakeboarding on a lake in […]
Sally Pymer on Learning to See the Person
The person, not the disability ⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses addiction, grief, which some listeners may find distressing. If you need support, you’re not alone. Help is available: • Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au Raised in a family where her brother Jeffrey had severe disabilities, Sally learned early to see […]
The Signs We Missed: A Mother’s Fight to Save Our Boys
⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses grief & loss and suicide & self-harm prevention, which some listeners may find distressing. Losing a child to suicide is a grief that never truly heals. Mia Bannister shares her journey of turning pain into purpose. Mia Bannister lost her son Ollie in 2024 to suicide after a long […]
How Two Teenage Sons Saved Their Dad’s Life
A man who spent 27 years in banking felt like the most unhappy person his coach had ever assessed. His two sons sitting beside him on the bed saved his life. This is how Lawrence Atkinson rebuilt, and why he now runs free barbecues across Australia for men in crisis. ⚠️ Content advisory: this episode […]