Imagine you are a veteran of the military.

You are the epitome of an Aussie bloke. You love the outdoors and camping, but you ignore your mental health and drink to cope. 

Then one night you are so drunk you fall off a cliff, a real one. You fall 10 metres or 30 feet. You survive. 

This week Ben Aldridge talks to Peta about his life after the accident and his life now as a disabled man. 

Find out more about Ben: 

Website

Instagram

Facebook 

Youtube

 

Connect with Peta:

Instagram @petahooke

The website: www.icantstandpodcast.com

Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com

Episode Transcript

Imagine you are a veteran of the military.
You are the epitome of an Aussie bloke. You love the outdoors and camping, but you ignore your mental health and drink to cope.&nbsp;
Then one night you are so drunk you fall off a cliff, a real one. You fall 10 metres or 30 feet. You survive.&nbsp;
This week Ben Aldridge talks to Peta about his life after the accident and his life now as a disabled man.&nbsp;
Find out more about Ben:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.30footdrop.com.au">Website</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/30footdrop/">Instagram</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/30footdrop">Facebook&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOZoxZI6tC8k6-xK8xjk2MA">Youtube</a>
&nbsp;
Connect with Peta:
Instagram&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/petahooke/">@petahooke</a>
The website:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.icantstandpodcast.com/">www.icantstandpodcast.com</a>
Email:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:icantstandpodcast@gmail.com">icantstandpodcast@gmail.com</a>
<a href="https://www.icantstandpodcast.com/post/ben-aldridge-the-military-mental-health-and-living-with-my-disability">Episode Transcript</a>

Have you ever wondered what it is like to live with a disability? The I Can't Stand Podcast is for everyone who has a question or just wondered about disability. No questions are off-limits any question you have is allowed.

Every week Peta will answer any question you have, based on her experiences as a single, 30- something woman who has Cerebral Palsy. Have a question?

Ask Peta on Instagram, contact her via the website or send her an email via icantstandpodcast@gmail.com 

 

Have you ever wondered what it is like to live with a disability? The I Can't Stand Podcast is for everyone who has a question or just wondered about disability. No questions are off-limits any question you have is allowed.
Every week Peta will answer any question you have, based on her experiences as a single, 30- something woman who has Cerebral Palsy.&nbsp;Have a question?
Ask Peta on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/petahooke/">Instagram</a>, contact her via the <a href="https://www.icantstandpodcast.com">website </a>or send her an email via <a href="mailto:icantstandpodcast@gmail.com">icantstandpodcast@gmail.com</a>&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Have you ever wondered what it is like to live with a disability? The I Can't Stand Podcast is for everyone who has a question or just wondered about disability.

The I Can't Stand Podcast

Have you ever wondered what it is like to live with a disability? The I Can't Stand Podcast is for everyone who has a question or just wondered about disability. No questions are off-limits any question you have is allowed.

Every week Peta will answer any question you have, based on her experiences as a single, 30- something woman who has Cerebral Palsy. Have a question?

Ask Peta on Instagram, contact her via the website or send her an email via icantstandpodcast@gmail.com

Ben Aldridge: The Military, Mental Health and Living With My Disability 🪖🩺🧑‍🦽

In this episode of The I Can’t Stand Podcast, I speak with author and performer Pam Joy Wood about psychosocial disability, long term mental health recovery, and the power of self advocacy.

Pam lives with ADHD, complex PTSD, and a history of acute and chronic major depression. Through her solo show DYS-ORDER-ED and her memoir Five Fat Sausages, she shares what it means to survive systemic failure within healthcare, misdiagnosis, medication side effects, and institutional harm and how she rebuilt her life through creativity and radical joy.

As mentioned in the episode, DYS-ORDER-ED is available to download and watch for free here:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eCxwVCc4Qb0

You can find Pam’s memoir Five Fat Sausages here:
https://pavlovapress.co.nz/pam-wood-author-page/

Mental Health Free resources:
https://www.dropbox.com



Connect with Peta Hooke:

Instagram: @petahooke

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke

Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com

Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com

 

In this episode of The I Can&rsquo;t Stand Podcast, I speak with author and performer Pam Joy Wood about psychosocial disability, long term mental health recovery, and the power of self advocacy.
Pam lives with ADHD, complex PTSD, and a history of acute and chronic major depression. Through her solo show DYS-ORDER-ED and her memoir Five Fat Sausages, she shares what it means to survive systemic failure within healthcare, misdiagnosis, medication side effects, and institutional harm and how she rebuilt her life through creativity and radical joy.
As mentioned in the episode,&nbsp;DYS-ORDER-ED is available to download and watch for free here: <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eCxwVCc4Qb0">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eCxwVCc4Qb0</a>
You can find Pam&rsquo;s memoir Five Fat Sausages here: <a href="https://pavlovapress.co.nz/pam-wood-author-page/">https://pavlovapress.co.nz/pam-wood-author-page/</a> Mental Health Free resources: <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/oqfe234zwc338cw9dgy86/Dys-Order-Ed-Our-Mental-Health-Gift-for-You.pdf?rlkey=uskt7fraiwimwo5ozl1iyy9x4&amp;e=50&amp;st=5qfinkxm&amp;dl=0">https://www.dropbox.com</a> 
Connect with Peta Hooke:
Instagram:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/petahooke" data-start="1672" data-end="1721">@petahooke</a>
Tiktok: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke">https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke</a>
Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.icantstandpodcast.com/" data-start="1733" data-end="1795">www.icantstandpodcast.com</a>
Email:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:icantstandpodcast@gmail.com">icantstandpodcast@gmail.com</a>
&nbsp;

Psychosocial Disability, Self Advocacy and Creative Recovery with Pam Joy Wood

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/d9d8a2a9-aaf4-4c28-a5e7-b3f30015f943/transcript

In this episode, Peta speaks with Jane Wardlaw about mentorship, mobility, and the deeply personal decision of when to start using a wheelchair. Jane shares her lived experience of growing up with muscular dystrophy, navigating changing mobility, and how a wheelchair became a tool for safety, freedom, and possibility rather than loss.

Together, they explore why mentorship matters for disabled people, especially when navigating identity, independence, and systems like the NDIS.

 

Connect with Jane:

https://substack.com/@janewardlaw

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-wardlaw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janedisabilitylobbyist

Connect with Peta Hooke:

Instagram: @petahooke

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke

Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com

Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, Peta speaks with Jane Wardlaw about mentorship, mobility, and the deeply personal decision of when to start using a wheelchair. Jane shares her lived experience of growing up with muscular dystrophy, navigating changing mobility, and how a wheelchair became a tool for safety, freedom, and possibility rather than loss.
Together, they explore why mentorship matters for disabled people, especially when navigating identity, independence, and systems like the NDIS.
&nbsp;
Connect with Jane:
<a href="https://substack.com/@janewardlaw?">https://substack.com/@janewardlaw</a>
LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-wardlaw-94b95a44/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-wardlaw</a>
Facebook:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/janedisabilitylobbyist">https://www.facebook.com/janedisabilitylobbyist</a>
Connect with Peta Hooke:
Instagram:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/petahooke" data-start="1672" data-end="1721">@petahooke</a>
Tiktok: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke">https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke</a>
Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.icantstandpodcast.com/" data-start="1733" data-end="1795">www.icantstandpodcast.com</a>
Email:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:icantstandpodcast@gmail.com">icantstandpodcast@gmail.com</a>

Mentorship, Mobility and Knowing When to Use a Wheelchair: With Jane Wardlaw

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/b3d69582-5ada-4cfb-a4c4-b3e9002cf42f/transcript

Linh Uendo joins The I Can’t Stand Podcast for an honest conversation about disability, drag, and growing up in a medicalised body. Born with Prune Belly Syndrome, Linh shares what it was like navigating childhood, body image, and visibility, and how drag became a space where she did not need to hide.



Connect with Linh Uendo:

Tiktok:https://www.tiktok.com/@littlelinhuendo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlelinhuendo

Connect with Peta Hooke:

Instagram: @petahooke

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke

Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com

Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com

Linh Uendo joins The I Can&rsquo;t Stand Podcast for an honest conversation about disability, drag, and growing up in a medicalised body. Born with Prune Belly Syndrome, Linh shares what it was like navigating childhood, body image, and visibility, and how drag became a space where she did not need to hide. 
Connect with Linh Uendo:
Tiktok:<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@littlelinhuendo?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc"> </a><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@littlelinhuendo">https://www.tiktok.com/@littlelinhuendo</a> Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/littlelinhuendo/?hl=en">https://www.instagram.com/littlelinhuendo</a>
Connect with Peta Hooke:
Instagram:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/petahooke" data-start="1672" data-end="1721">@petahooke</a>
Tiktok: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke">https://www.tiktok.com/@petahooke</a>
Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.icantstandpodcast.com/" data-start="1733" data-end="1795">www.icantstandpodcast.com</a>
Email:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:icantstandpodcast@gmail.com">icantstandpodcast@gmail.com</a>

Disability and Drag: Living with Prune Belly Syndrome with Linh Uendo

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/5945afba-1e2f-4ced-a720-b3e9001ce1a0/transcript

Ben Aldridge: The Military, Mental Health and Living With My Disability 🪖🩺🧑‍🦽

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