What's the Difference Podcast

Thank you for watching and listening to season 1. We have our second season all planned out with many exciting topics, including battling chronic illness and addiction, gender identity and disability, how our ancestral cultures view disability and more! Meanwhile, check out our episodes from season 1, available on our website, on YouTube and wherever you find your podcasts!! [IMAGE DESCRIPTION: a pink background with text reading What’s the Difference Podcast will be dropping season 2 soon! Stay tuned!] #whatsthedifferencepodcast #chronichealthissues #invisibledisabilities #epilepsy #congenitalheartdefect #visionloss #chronicillness #healthanddiversity #genderidentity #disabilitypodcast #disabilityawareness

TO OUR AMERICAN FRIENDS: This is your moment. This is your right. There's still time to get out there and vote. Whether or not you identify as someone with a disability, your future depends on it. This is your one and only job for today. [IMAGE DESCRIPTION: The word "VOTE" in white on a pink background]... #yourvotematters #disabilityrights #vote2020 #uselection2020 #exerciseyourright #electionday #electionday2020 #disability #invisibledisabilities

Here it is - our final episode of our inaugural season! We want to thank Nikki Crowe for sharing her story and being so honest and real with our audience. You can also find the audio-only version wherever you listen to podcasts. Enjoy and we can't wait to see you back for season 2, kicking off at the end of November!

Just a little reminder about our brand new episode dropping tomorrow night on #YouTube and #anchorfm (or @spotify @applepodcasts or wherever else you download your podcasts from). Episode 10: Breast cancer, Motherhood and Toxic Positivity features the lovely @loliejane sharing the story of her two and a half year cancer journey while raising two young boys. This is the final episode of our first season! We would like to thank all our supporters for tuning in as we develop an...d grow, as well as all of our women (and men!) who have been on the panel this season. And a very special thank you to Cynthia for her commitment to co-hosting every single episode - and building our website from scratch! We're still itty-bitty fish in a rather large pond, but our voices continue to get louder....stay tuned for Episode 10, and an awesome Season 2 kicking off in late November!! [IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Our What's the Difference Podcast logo of four silhouette women wearing pink superhero capes on a light blue square. Text reads "catch up on all our season one episodes!"] #disabilitypodcast #podcastseason #thatsawrap #invisibledisability #invisibleillnessawareness #congenitalheartdisease #epilepsy #epilepsyawareness #neurofibromatosis #blindness #inheritedretinaldystrophies #achromatopsia #breastcancer #breastcancerawareness #anxietyanddepression #anxietydisorders #mentalhealth #pregnancychallenges #surrogacy #havingchildren #autoimmunedisease

REMINDER New episode drops on Friday night at 7 p.m. You can find the audio version wherever you listen to podcasts and you can watch the video version on our website or our YouTube channel! Links to be posted here immediately after the episode goes live! This is the final episode of season 1, so we really hope you enjoy it and learn something new. As always, we welcome your feedback! [IMAGE DESCRIPTION: YouTube screenshot for episode 10. Text reads "Episode 10: Breast Cancer, Motherhood and Toxic Positivity" on top of an image featuring a pink ribbon and our logo of four female superheroes in the bottom right corner. Below states the time of release on YouTube, 10/23/20 at 7:15 p.m.]

REMINDER New episode drops on Friday night at 7 p.m. You can find the audio version wherever you listen to podcasts and you can watch the video version on our website or our YouTube channel! Links to be posted here immediately after the episode goes live! This is the final episode of season 1, so we really hope you enjoy it and learn something new. As always, we welcome your feedback! [IMAGE DESCRIPTION: YouTube screenshot for episode 10. Text reads "Episode 10: Breast Cancer, Motherhood and Toxic Positivity" on top of an image featuring a pink ribbon and our logo of four female superheroes in the bottom right corner. Below states the time of release on YouTube, 10/23/20 at 7:15 p.m.]

Do you have any burning questions about what it's like to be pregnant while living with disabilities, or how surrogacy works in Canada? Tomorrow at 3 p.m., join Jackie Rosen Media (Jackie) and DelectablyChic (Cynthia) for a LIVE #askmeanything chat on Instagram about having kids when you live with physical and mental health challenges. We will talk about the many different ways to have children in 2020, and why there's still so much stigma surrounding parenting with disabili...ties. And of course, we want to hear from you!! What would you like to know but have always been afraid to ask? If you can't join us live, the chat will be available for 24 hours on #igtv so you'll have the opportunity to check it out. Jackie's Instagram: @toronto_nerd Cynthia's Instagram: @cynthiacmintz

SPOILER ALERT Have you had a chance to tune into the second part of our double episode "Yes, We Can Have Kids Too" yet? If not, don't read past here. We don't want to ruin the surprise... But if you did, you're now in the loop about our creator and host Jackie and her pregnancy journey, with her little one expected to arrive in late February 2021! ... Pregnancy is never easy - not for someone who is considered healthy and definitely not for someone with invisible or visible disabilities. But add in COVID-19 and it's a whole other challenge, especially as we enter that much dreaded second wave here in Toronto, out of where our podcast is based. Are you living with an invisible or visible disability and have experienced pregnancy, either in the past or right now? We would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below or e-mail us at [email protected] ... And of course, don't forget to catch our two-part series on having kids anywhere you find your podcasts and on our YouTube channel. And here's Jackie's pregnancy announcement again, just in case you missed it. It starts right at 0:30!

The second part of our episode on parenting while living with a disability went live last night (September 25)! In this episode, we discuss not only the lack of resources available for parents-to-be who have disabilities, but also challenges these parents might face after the baby is born and more. https://youtu.be/IPAoLA9dgQk (for part 1) https://youtu.be/JqSefhnKgnQ (for part 2)

We are now streaming!!! Check out our latest episode in our two part series on disabilities and having children. Jackie's cardiologist said she'd be listening tonight - so why not you too? Oh yeah, and there's kind of a big announcement that we've been teasing for a while....but no spoilers from us. You'll just have to listen! ... NOTE: Episode 9 Part 2 is comprised of two YouTube videos. As mentioned last week, we had some technical issues recording over Zoom so as a result, Part 2 is divided into two videos, just like Part 1.

Our discussion about having kids can't stop won't stop! Tune in Friday night at 7 p.m. for the second installment of Episode 9 - Yes, We Can Have Kids Too. This particular episode focuses on how invisible and visible disabilities impact pregnancy and fertility, and vice versa. Get ready for another exciting conversation with Jackie, Cynthia, Sarah and our guest Shaini, as well as a rather large announcement from one of our hosts. We'll leave that there ... any guesses as to ...what it might be? This is a do-not-miss episode! Tune in wherever you get your podcasts or to our YouTube channel starting Friday at 7 p.m. And don't forget to join the conversation - leave us a comment, connect with us here or over Instagram or send us a note at [email protected]!

And here is the second of four segments of our two-part episode, "Yes, We Can Have Kids Too" - continued from the video posted to the top of our page. Stay tuned for part two of our discussion on having and raising children as we get into the more technical aspects of having children, such as pregnancy and how to navigate parenthood with vision loss and/or mobility issues. Part two airs next Friday, September 25 at 7 p.m.!... #disabilityawareness #invisibledisabilities #disabledparent #surrogacy #adoption #eggdonation #embryodonation #raisingkids #pregnancyanddisability #disabledandpregnant #podcast #disabilitypodcast #advocacymatters #advocatelikeamother

We are thrilled to share our latest episode - "Yes, We Can Have Kids Too," all about why people living with both visible and invisible disabilities have just as much of a right to have children as those who are fully able-bodied. But for us, the road to parenthood is a bit more complicated than for the average person .... This episode is broken up into two parts and all together has four segments. The first two parts are streaming live as of tonight. Here's the first segment: #disabilityawareness #invisibledisabilities #disabledparent #surrogacy #adoption #eggdonation #embryodonation #raisingkids #pregnancyanddisability #disabledandpregnant #podcast #disabilitypodcast #advocacymatters #advocatelikeamother

You shouldn’t have children because of your disability. You should not be passing your genes onto the next generation. Isn’t your life good enough as it is?... If people living with both invisible and visible disabilities specifically, women could count the number of times we have heard these lines, we would quickly lose track. This is all too common for people like us. We hear it from our families, our friends, complete strangers and yes, medical professionals too. But for those of us living our best lives despite the challenges thrown at us, why are we any less qualified to be parents than the average person? Over the next two episodes, we will explore the myths and stigma surrounding pregnancy and child-rearing for people with disabilities. We’ll delve into why we will be or already are amazing parents when it comes to raising our kids. We will discuss why the inability for some of us to carry ourselves does not necessarily equal infertility, and at the same time, why adoption may not be the best option for us. But we’ll also discuss family, cultural and peer pressures when it comes to our reproductive health and why living up to those expectations is even harder for us. And we’ll hear from someone who is currently pregnant and left wondering why there isn’t more mainstream information and services geared to pregnant women with disabilities, especially at a time when we’re still coping with a global pandemic. Episode 9: Yes, we can have kids too, Part 1 with our brand new co-host Sarah and special guest Shaini drops September 18 at 7 pm anywhere you find your podcasts and on our YouTube channel. Part 2 will follow September 25 at 7 pm with a big announcement from one of our hosts. We cannot wait for you to tune in and share your thoughts! Do you have or want children? How has your family reacted? Your friends? Your doctors? What would you like others to better understand about your health condition when it comes to being a parent? [IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Mother and young daughter walking into the ocean at sunset] (Photo: Sasin Tipchai, Pixabay)

We are very excited to announce our brand new co-host Sarah Patel! Join us on our Instagram Friday at 7 p.m. for a live chat to learn more about her and why she joined the show. Sarah is taking over for Stacie and also filling Sam's shoes until she comes back at the beginning of season 2 towards the end of the year. You'll get to hear her on our panel for the very first time in Episode 9 - "Yes We Can Have Kids Too", which will be out wherever you find your podcasts starting September 18. Do you have any questions for Sarah? Leave them in the comments below!

When we look back on 2020 five years from now, we won't just remember it as the year a pandemic killed millions of people and kept us locked up in our homes for months on end. We'll also remember it as the year we had serious discussions about anti-Black racism following a number of horrifying news events that only helped to bring the topic to the surface after decades of struggles and oppression. But for POC with disabilities, the fight is even tougher. And there are many mi...nority groups who still aren't being heard and feel like they are misunderstood and don't belong anywhere. We are pleased to announce that What's the Difference Podcast will be kicking off season two with an episode focused on current events and how we can help those who are left out of these conversations. And we want to hear from you: how has the year's events impacted you on an emotional, spiritual and cultural level? What positive change may come out of this? Who is still being ignored? Season two will debut in November, but we still have two episodes left in season one: a two-part episode entitled "yes, we can have kids too" airing in September, and we wrap up the first season with an episode on breast cancer for Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. It's very important that those of us at What's the Difference Podcast tackle topics that are complicated and often challenging to talk about, simply because ... someone's gotta do it! [IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Text in a rainbow of colours reading "science is real, women's rights are human rights, Black lives matter, news isn't fake, no human is illegal, love is love, kindness is everything."]