Reclaiming Identity, Dismantling Ableism, and Showing Up Whole - Looks Like Work, Season 3, Ep 11
What if the parts of you the world taught you to hide… were the key to your power?
In this episode, I talk with Tiffany Yu—founder of Diversability and author of The Anti-Ableist Manifesto—about what it means to live, lead, and love in a world not designed with all bodies (or minds) in mind.
Tiffany doesn’t just talk about disability—she reclaims it. As identity. As culture. As a lens through which to see the world and remake it with more care, nuance, and agency.
We talk about what it means to move from shame to ownership. From the exhausting labor of disclosure to the freedom of naming. From “being inspiring” to being seen as fully human—even (especially) in our complexities.
Inside this conversation:
The "second origin story" of becoming disabled—and claiming it
The invisible labor of showing up in inaccessible spaces
Why being called “inspiring” isn’t always a compliment
From Wall Street to advocacy: rewriting success on your own terms
The role of joy, rage, and community in the work of activism
How disability intersects with identity, grief, and curiosity
The power of naming your experience and building access into everything—even rest
What it means to go from “me” to “we” to “us”
Tiffany’s powerful question is simple and soul-stretching:
👉 “What’s something that brought you joy recently?”
Because sometimes the bravest thing isn’t fighting the system.
Sometimes it’s feeling joy anyway.
This episode is a call-in for anyone who has felt like they had to explain themselves in order to belong. And a call-out to the systems that still make that the norm.
“I had to unlearn that I was broken. And learn that I get to take up space.”
Resources & Mentions:
Stella Young’s TED Talk: “I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much”
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