The Sunflower Conversations
Welcome to the Sunflower Conversations, the podcast where we explore the experiences of disabled people with non-visible disabilities through the lens of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower.
This is a space to hear authentic stories from disabled people navigating life with non-visible disabilities such as chronic illness, mental health conditions, neurodivergence, and more. While most episodes focus on lived experience, we also feature occasional insights from experts in healthcare, accessibility, and inclusion.
Whether you or someone you care about wears the Sunflower, our conversations aim to raise awareness, build understanding, and help create a more inclusive and compassionate world.
Empowering voices. Raising awareness. Challenging assumptions - one conversation at a time.
- Update frequency
- every 12 days
- Average duration
- 30 minutes
- Episodes
- 135
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
Autism and ADHD with Clare and Matilda Kemp
Clare and her daughter, Matilda, join us to discuss Matilda's school experiences. Matilda is nine years old and in year five at primary school; she is autistic and has ADHD.
Friendships can be challen…
Optic Nerve Glioma with Michelle Culbert and Karina Smith
Our guests are Karina Smith and Michelle Culbert, from South Florida, who both have Optic Nerve Glioma, a rare eye condition affecting sight that typically affects young children. It is a slow-growin…
Eating Disorders, Autism and ADHD with Adam Fare
CONTENT WARNING. The topic is eating disorders, and throughout the podcast, our guest will talk about their lived experiences, as well as signposting to charities for support. Please visit your healt…
Learning Disabilities with Dorothy Watson and Marcus Tanner, The Sunnybank Trust
Our guests are Marcus Tanner and Dorothy Watson, CEO of The Sunnybank Trust.
“The Sunnybank Trust supports adults with a learning disability across North East Surrey to have confidence, opportunities …
Eating Disorders with Zoe Summers, BEAT UK
CONTENT WARNING. The topic is eating disorders, and throughout the podcast, our guest will talk about their lived experiences, as well as signposting to charities for support. Please visit your healt…
Stroke with Jo Aurora, Different Strokes, and Hayette Wilkinson
Jo joined us from the charity Different Strokes to answer Sunflower wearers' questions and to explain what a stroke is, the signs to look out for, and what action to take, as well as advice about the…
Stroke and Hayette Wilkinson
This podcast was recorded as an Instagram Live.
Hayette is a mother, wife and stroke survivor. Aged 32 Hayette experienced a severe stroke called a subarachnoid haemorrhage, followed by an ischaemic …
Autism and the Sunflower with William Vanderpuye
William Vanderpuye is a social worker and is autistic. In this conversation, William shares what the Sunflower means to him and the confidence and support it has given him while in education at unive…
Perimenopause and Menopause with Dr Louise Newson
Dr Louise Newson is a GP & Menopause Specialist and joined us to share her knowledge and expertise. Dr Newson and her team at Newson Health are at the forefront of advocating for women to get the app…
Autism with Maddie White
This podcast was recorded as an Instagram Live.
Maddie shared her lived experience of being wrongly diagnosed with mixed anxiety, depression and panic disorder before eventually being diagnosed with a…
Perimenopause and Menopause with Fay Durrant
Fay Durrant is a Wellbeing and Menopause coach and joined us to discuss perimenopause and menopause as well as her own lived experience with perimenopause.
The conversation allows our hosts, Chantal a…
Rett Syndrome with Beth Johnsson
Beth Johnsson joins us to talk about Rett Syndrome. This rare genetic disorder affects brain development, resulting in severe mental and physical disability.
It's estimated to affect around 1 in 10,00…
Mental Health with Sandy Kaur, Sehhat
Sandy Kaur joins the Sunflower Conversations to discuss mental health and suicide prevention in Punjabi and South Asian communities and how her charity Sehhat is tackling the topic.
We discuss the bar…
Multiple Sclerosis with Lisa Nice
Lisa Nice has multiple sclerosis (MS). She joins Chantal and Paul to explain how the autoimmune and neurodegenerative condition affects her. We also discuss her employer, Comic Relief's approach to d…
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) with Bethany and Hannah Keime
Our guests are sisters Bethany and Hannah Keime, who have a condition called Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a disease of the heart muscle where the muscle wall of the heart becomes thickened.
Beth…
ADHD, Processing Disorder and Depression with Ginger Ragaishis
Ginger Ragaishis is Miss Vermont Teen 2023 and is currently a junior in high school. Ginger has ADHD and learning disabilities and uses her lived experience to deliver talks to younger students to gi…
Cerebral Palsy with Eva Abley
Eva Abley joined Paul and Chantal at Disability Expo to share her life experience of living with cerebral palsy.
Eva is 15 years old and a 2022 Britain’s Got Talent finalist who endeared the country w…
Fragile X Syndrome with Monique Mitchell and Liz Jewell, Fragile X Australia
Liz Jewell is the Family Support Counsellor at Fragile X Australia, and Monique Mitchell is the mum of two children with Fragile X Syndrome.
This conversation teaches us about Fragile X characterist…
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and ADHD with Solène Anglaret
Solène joined Ruth and Chantal at Disability Expo to share her life experiences of living with BPD and ADHD.
It was a deep and meaningful conversation where Solène revealed the highs and lows, includ…
Autism with Patrick Fopma
For our first-ever face-to-face Sunflower Conversations recording, Chantal was joined by Patrick Fopma, who is autistic and who describes himself as having Aspergers. In our conversation, we discusse…