Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 16

For the second part of our conversation with Dr Catherine Ruddick, she discusses how her foray into physiotherapy reawakened a medical passion, and coincided with an inexorable pull back to military life. Having joined the Territorial Army, Catherine was able to complete the training required to become a surgeon in the Armed Forces. However, despite these successes, she shares with Harriett how this still led to an identity crisis, and mental health struggles. In her recuperation time, Catherine embarked on a journey to “find me”, and discusses the things she learned: the importance of being assertive in saying no when struggling, the benefit of counselling and sharing her thoughts and feelings, and gaining a sense of perspective on the challenges she was facing.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 15

In the first of our episodes in conversation with Dr Catherine Ruddick, we hear how Catherine was fixated on flying from a young age, growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Moving quickly from the Air Cadets, through a University Air Squadron, Catherine was successful in her application to the RAF. Her career as a prospective Navigator was cut short by injury however, and she discusses with Harriett how her response to the setback of a medical discharge, and how her upbringing taught her to reframe these challenges, and believe that “you can do anything that you want to”.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 14

In the final part of our conversation with Brian Wheeler, attention turns to his recovery; having fought the odds by even walking again, he describes his journey back to running, culminating in a half marathon. In more recent years, Brian has also returned to flying, and even celebrated the 5th anniversary of being told he would never walk again, by walking the length of a marathon around New York City. Throughout, Brian is candid in describing the physical struggles he has faced, as well as challenging the perceptions around hidden disability. Other topics of discussion include the importance of empathy in leadership, and the future of disabled aviation.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 13

Having overcome the prognosis of never walking again, Brian describes how his recovery was further disrupted by more uncertainty around his health. Yet, these challenges were met by Brian’s indomitable stubbornness, and also the friendships made with fellow patients, such as Tariq. In refusing to be cowed by the adversity he faced, Brian became a self-described ‘cantankerous old git’, and there is perhaps no better example than when he refused to follow his hospital’s instructions to pick a wheelchair “for the rest of your life”.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 12

In part two of our chat with Brian Wheeler, he and Harriett discuss the role that confidence and perception play in perpetuating the gender gap. Brian reflects on a conversation with a colleague about the reversal of gender balance, and how this helped him to understand the barriers to diversity that remain. From there, Harriett and Brian discuss equity versus equality, leadership, and the toxic influence of technology and social media in the modern age: especially on children.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 11

Our next guest on Inspire-Ability is Aerobility COO, NATS Deputy General Manager, and disability advocate Brian Wheeler. In the first of four episodes in conversation with Brian, Harriett discusses the impact of his naval upbringing, and how his early dream to fly led to a single-minded pursuit of a British Airways cadetship during his latter schooling. Although this determination would lead to academic struggles, Brian’s passion for flight was little diminished, and an eventful month in the USA allowed him to gain his PPL.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 10

Our final episode with Kanchana explores the importance of pushing beyond your comfort zone, as she tells Harriett: “If you’re always comfortable… you’re not pushing yourself.” More than this, Kanchana’s unique approach to life is to regularly reflect: what will I do this week that’s a little scary? Other themes explored are the responses to imposter syndrome, the crucial differences between equity and equality, and becoming self-aware with regards to stress levels and overall health.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 9

In our second episode in conversation with Kanchana, she explains her approach to retirement from teaching at what was a relatively early age. Before forging a successful career as a lecturer and project founder, Kanchana describes how she had to change her relationship with pursuing achievement, and refocus on growing her resilience. Having received support during her own struggles, we also learn how she now espouses the importance of offering support to others - either as a mentor or a role model.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 8

Our third guest in this series of Inspire-Ability is Kanchana Gamage. Once a headteacher in the education sector, Kanchana is now a lecturer and founder of the Aviatrix Project, and in the first of her three episodes, she discusses with Harriett how her early life experiences led to her career path and its subsequent changes. Though Kanchana moved to the UK when she was 15, it was her early childhood in Sri Lanka that would go on to inspire an interest in aviation, and also inform her approaches to family and seizing opportunity.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 7

In our final episode with Harvey, he shares with Harriett how he overcame the challenges discussed in episode 6. In coping with this, and as a way of responding to failure, we learn how therapy has positively impacted on Harvey’s daily life, and offered a fresh perspective on other regular challenges. From coming off social media to reconnecting with family, these recent changes have been profound, and have enabled Harvey to focus on his work in managing important advocacy movements for Aerobility, and completing a secondment with NATS. Other themes explored include the difficulties of imposter syndrome, and the importance of diversity in all aspects of life, and aviation.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 6

In our second episode in conversation with Harvey, we learn how a trip to Africa as a teenager led to a change in his life approach. Being thrown in at the deep end as a shy child, Harvey shares how he spent weeks “making friends and making people laugh”, and he came away with a greater awareness of the importance of a support network. In his exit interview, Harvey joked that as a nervous flyer, he “might as well get a pilot’s license”; sure enough, through Aerobility he has found a passion and a community. What started as a hobby became a new way of life, and we learn how these changes encouraged Harvey to move away from medication, in order to meet certain PPL medical requirements.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 5

Our second guest on this new series of Inspire-Ability is Harvey Matthewson. Anyone that has visited Aerobility in recent years will likely recognise Harvey and his laugh, as he has gone from being a front-desk volunteer, to the Ground Services Manager for Aerobility as well as managing the charity’s Equal Skies Charter advocacy initiative. In the first of three episodes in conversation with Harvey, we learn how his early years were formative both for himself, but also his family. He shares with Harriett the barriers that he faced in primary school, as his cerebral palsy began to affect his speaking and writing, and marked him as the odd one out. Despite this, Harvey describes how his “character building” childhood was no different to most, and how no adaptations were made if they could be avoided.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 4

In the final part of our conversation with Captain Emma Henderson MBE, we learn how implementing the changes discussed in episode 3, meant that Emma “breezed” through her second Command Course, and she discusses with Harriett how these changes went on to make her a better airline Captain. It was not all plain sailing for Emma however, as we learn the shocking details of her brother-in-law’s kidnap in Colombia, and how she and her family learned to cope with their lack of control over such an ordeal.

More recently, we learn how the COVID pandemic led Emma into a change of careers, from her role as a Captain with easyJet, to the CEO of the NHS support charity ‘Project Wingman’. Emma explains how she recognised the difficulties approaching the health sector, and how she worked with industry colleagues to “put an arm around” NHS workers in their darkest days. This new role as a charity CEO has brought its own rewards and challenges however, and Emma opens up on her feelings of imposter syndrome, both as a CEO and as a public speaker, among her many ongoing roles and commitments.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 3

In the third offering from our conversation with Captain Emma Henderson, she expands on our previous episode’s ‘capacity bucket’ theory, and discusses the importance of accepting help when it is offered.

Having suffered from demyelinating neuropathies and being told she may spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair, Emma describes how she was “lucky to survive”, and yet felt a need to keep flying up until the point her ailments proved debilitating, in order not to “let the side down”. In an open and frank conversation, Emma opens up to Harriett about how she then failed “Command Course 1” by leaping back into the process too soon, and how she has since responded to these setbacks and her “second chance at life” by reevaluating her acceptance of support, and how she now approaches challenges in her many roles as a public speaker and charity CEO.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 2

In this episode, Emma shares with Harriett how her love of flying first began at the age of 18, and how a series of coincidences led to joining a University Air Squadron; having also met her husband on UAS, and moving to New Zealand to support his RAF career, she was able to resume her flying lessons - but under one condition: “if I start flying again, I’m not stopping.”

Emma discusses how this led to a career as a commercial pilot upon returning to the UK, and all of the challenges that had to be overcome in this time. A key topic in this episode is the importance of a support network in managing stressful situations, and how Zammo’s “Just Say No” attitude can be employed to manage your own ‘capacity bucket’.

Inspire-Ability Series 2 Episode 1

We are back for a second series! Our first guest is Captain Emma Henderson MBE who chats to our host Harriett about her life: from being a military spouse through to starring in ‘Inside the Cockpit’ while a Captain with easyJet.

In this first episode, Emma reflects on her childhood and the sources of inspiration that she drew on. We also learn how change can bring huge opportunities, after her husband’s RAF career took their family across the world to New Zealand. In what she describes as the “best years of our life”, Emma was able to reignite her passion for flying, as well as discovering new ways of life - including triathlon running!

Inspire-Ability Episode 24

In the final part of our chat with Tetyana, she and Harriett discuss women in aviation, from the lack of role models for girls to the dearth of aviation in education. Tetyana is a key proponent of the importance of airshows for inspiring young aviators, and she explains the challenges now that there are more pathways for girls into flying, but fewer airshows at which to inspire them. Role models is a key theme in this episode: Tetyana reflects on how she lacked her own when growing up, and is prompted to consider her own role now in inspiring young pilots.

We also hear how a film about a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician helped Tetyana to understand her own mental health condition, and how encouragement to be the best that you can be, can help you to take control of the situation. In setting these mental health goals, Tetyana is able to focus more on the pathway to getting there rather than the obstacles in her path.

Inspire-Ability Episode 23

In the third part of our conversation with Tetyana Shevchenko, we hear how she approached “fitting in”, after concerns were raised that her short stature would limit her ability to fly classic jets. In this particularly literal case, Tetyana adapted herself to her surroundings to achieve success, and she reflects on the importance of resilience - especially in the complex world of heritage aircraft operations.

The capacity of heritage aircraft to help re-establish “world-leading aviation” in Britain is also discussed, as well as as Tetyana’s role as a UK Aviation Ambassador for the Department for Transport.

Inspire-Ability Episode 22

In our second episode with Tetyana Shevchenko, the focus is on learning and managing stress levels in a learning environment. We hear about the importance of building a support network and working with other people, as well as the importance of mental health and how being aware of it helps minimise the pressures you might put on yourself. Tetyana prefers instead to “vegetate”, to de-stress and enjoy natural environments; these skills can then be applied to all areas - in Tetyana’s case to the world of heritage jet flying! Much like her discovery of the B-52, it was a chance encounter at North Weald that led to an interest in classic jet operations, and despite the challenges Tetyana has become a pillar of the community, and she is self-effacing in describing her route to flying the Vampire and Jet Provost.

Inspire-Ability Episode 21

Our next guest of the series, Tetyana Shevchenko is an experienced pilot, and the only female heritage jet pilot flying the Jet Provost. She discusses with Harriett how her behaviour has changed from childhood, when she had been a sickly child that struggled in social situations. Having grown up in Ukraine, Tetyana then moved to the UK to become a software engineer, and it was a chance encounter with a B-52 Stratofortress at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, that inspired an interest in learning to fly. Tetyana discusses the hurdles she faced in gaining her PPL, and how she went from being the longest-serving student at her school, to a well-respected aerobatic pilot with the respect of her peers.

Inspire-Ability Episode 20

This is the final part of our trilogy with Mike Miller-Smith, the “Accidental CEO” of Aerobility. Having discussed the past, Mike talks about the future with Harriett, and reflects on some of the challenges of integrating disabled people into aviation operations. He is drawn on subjects relating to leadership and people management, and we hear the importance of empathy and in understanding a diverse range of viewpoints when implementing a decision.

Despite his many successes, Mike is still susceptible to imposter syndrome, however he is clear in maintaining that a little self-doubt can make us better, and how he learned a “nothing is impossible” mentality at a young age, from some of his flying mentors. In all of this, Mike remains humble, and he shares with Harriett how he takes inspiration from the people around him, and how teamwork remains a core principle in his charity and his life, because “together we make such a difference”.

Inspire-Ability Episode 19

In the second part of our conversation with Aerobility CEO Mike Miller-Smith, we hear how Mike “recalibrated” to use his chair, and how it actually enabled him to get his previous lifestyle back. Along the way, we learn how a piece of lunar technology keeps Mike on the move, and how first-hand experience of the use of a hoist to keep flying reinforced the importance of a flying charity for “opening the door” to show what disabled people might achieve. From the early days with the ‘British Disabled Flying Club’ and their first aircraft, through to opening the London 2012 Paralympics with a pyrotechnic flyover, Mike has led the way in increasing the spectrum of output of disabled flying in the UK; he will also be actively involved in the future of disabled aviation, and we hear what his role is in ensuring “accessibility is built into the future of flight”.

Inspire-Ability Episode 18

In the first of three episodes in conversation with Aerobility CEO Mike Miller-Smith, we hear how a lifelong interest in aviation looked set to culminate in a career as an airline pilot, until a gradually developing health condition changed his course entirely. Mike reflects on his time at university, where despite having to respond to a failure in applying for an airline cadetship, he was still a successful member of the British Gliding Team and spent time abroad at competition events.

It was in the following few years however, that an increasing physical weakness was eventually diagnosed as muscular dystrophy, and Mike is extremely honest in describing the challenge of his transition to using a wheelchair. Despite this setback, we hear how Mike continued to fly, and began to build a career in the pharmaceutical industry that would give him the skills and experience to one day lead a major flying charity.

Inspire-Ability Episode 17

The final part of our conversation with retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Brian Penfold, in which he discusses the impact of health anxiety, and the importance of taking control before it changes your behaviour. Brian discusses the importance of charity, and his own motivations for beginning fundraising in the 1980s with his daughter’s diagnosis with leukaemia at the age of 3; being driven by a need to help in any way he can, Brian founded the Forces Children Support Group in the eighties, and has since earned the British Empire Medal for services to charity. We also hear Brian’s tips for success in leadership roles, and how to navigate the challenges of negotiation - and knowing when to walk away.

Inspire-Ability Episode 16

In the third of four episodes in conversation with Brian Penfold, Harriett discusses how life changed following his life-changing diagnosis with an incurable form of leukaemia. We then hear how Brian received a further setback with another “buy one get one free” diagnosis a few years later, when a routine blood check up indicated an unrelated cancer in his prostate.

Few of us will face these personal health difficulties, however Brian offers his coping mechanisms and discusses the importance of a pragmatic response when receiving these diagnoses. We also hear how important it is to be aware of your own body and its changes, and not to be embarrassed by any possible stigma around the prostate and sexual functions.

Brian is a passionate supporter of the Prostate Cancer UK charity, and if you have been affected by anything in this episode and are seeking advice or support, you can find it at prostatecanceruk.org

Inspire-Ability Episode 15

In the second part of our conversation with former Army Lieutenant Colonel Brian Penfold, we hear how he began his rehabilitation from a life-changing accident while on deployment. Never one to sit idle, Brian recalls that while recuperating he began his Masters in Aviation Safety Engineering alongside undertaking a 24/7 role with the Army’s Special Projects team.

During this busy period however, a routine blood test prior to further surgery led to a sudden diagnosis with a rare and incurable form of leukaemia. Brian is extremely forthright in reflecting on how his life was changed by the health anxiety prior to his diagnosis, and the importance of communicating with loved ones when the emotional turmoil has become too much to bear alone.

Inspire-Ability Episode 14

The first episode of our four-part interview with retired Lieutenant Colonel Brian Penfold, whose Army career spanned nearly four decades and saw him become one of the most “trained” officers in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). Brian talks us through his career, from joining the Army and learning the importance of teamwork and seizing opportunity, through to transferring to the Army Air Corps and applying to become a pilot. Along the way, Brian has overcome disappointment and failure, and we hear how he reflects on these setbacks and how to use these moments to succeed in the future.

Inspire-Ability Episode 13

In the final part of our conversation with Neil Tucker, we hear the positive mental impact that flying has had on his day-to-day life, and the significance of having a passion to immerse yourself in. Neil describes how he has been able to combine his passion with a sense of duty to give back to the “aviation community centre” that helped transform his recovery: from his current role as a Trustee of Aerobility, to bringing “Eileen’s Dog” back from Australia.

Inspire-Ability Episode 12

In this episode, Neil reflects on his recovery from a life-changing accident and the importance of focusing on incremental progress. With typical good humour, Neil describes how Aerobility gave his life its “sparkle” back, and how he overcame some of the challenges he faced when re-soloing. We also hear how a prescription for a “dose of PMA” was an unexpected success, and the subsequent role that mindfulness can play in managing chronic pain and disability.

Inspire-Ability Episode 11

The first part of our conversation with Neil Tucker, a trustee of Aerobility and a self-described “propeller-head”. A life-long lover of aviation, it took 35 ‘gap-years’ and a serious motorcycle accident before he re-gained his wings with Aerobility. In this episode, we hear about how Neil overcame the initial adversity of his life-changing accident and subsequent disability, as well as how his response to failure has led to a “lifelong commitment to optimism”.