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Inspire-Ability
Inspire-Ability is back! We have rebooted the format and are proud and excited to bring you a brand new series of revealing, fascinating, honest and above all inspiring interviews with amazing individuals from across the aviation world. Each week, an inspirational guest will share stories from their life, and discuss the obstacles they met along the way.
Join our host, airline Captain Harriett Pound, as we discover the sources of resilience and willpower that have led our guests to succeed despite some pretty daunting odds.
Episodes released every Friday afternoon. Available as a subtitled video format on our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcolE-AfelXHlfWWw-KR74A
Aerobility is a UK Charity which changes lives by allowing anyone, with any disability, to experience the magic and wonder of flight.
Aerobility provides access to modified aircraft and equipment, giving every disabled person the chance to spread their wings - both literally and figuratively and is the representative body for disabled aviation within the UK. Aerobility also works to advocate for disabled people within the aviation industry and beyond.
Remember, you have control!
To find out more and get involved, please visit www.aerobility.com
Episodes
49 episodes
#52 Katherine Moloney LIVE - One Percent More
In a special one-off live episode of Inspire-Ability, recorded out in the elements at Blackbushe during our fantastic Aerobility Live event, Harriett is joined on stage by Katherine Moloney. Katherine is a successful businesswoman, and recen...
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Season 2
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Episode 28
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35:47
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#51 Chrissie Miller - A Privilege and a Challenge
For the final episode of this year’s studio recordings of Inspire-Ability, Chrissie Miller takes us through her journey from graduating staff college through to taking the role she dreamed of when first starting out within the RAF. Although ...
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Season 2
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Episode 27
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31:09
#50 Chrissie Miller - A Day At A Time
In the second part of our conversation with Chrissie, she discusses the challenges she faced during the training for her role in the RAF. To help her overcome this, she shares with Harriett how she found “another little family” within the Air...
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Season 2
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Episode 26
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28:33
#49 Chrissie Miller - The Making of Me
The first episode with our final studio guest of the series sees Chrissie Miller catch up with Harriett. The current RAF Group Captain discusses her childhood and military upbringing, with both parents serving in the Navy, and how she left u...
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Season 2
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Episode 25
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28:50
#48 Allister Bridger - Take A Moment
For our final episode in conversation with Al, he and Harriett discuss the importance of role models while reflecting on his speaking visit to a school, where he was inspired by the childrens’ interest in aviation; conversation also covers t...
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26:24
#47 Allister Bridger - Level Best
In the second part of our conversation with Allister Bridger, he discusses his role as Director of Flight Operations with British Airways during the coronavirus pandemic, and the challenges that he faced during the greatest period of uncerta...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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31:13
#46 Allister Bridger - A New Dimension
The first part of our interview with our next guest, Allister Bridger. From a typical childhood in Tunbridge Wells, to a career in the Royal Air Force, and subsequently rising to such positions as Director of Flight Operations at British Air...
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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28:45
#45 Katy Lee MBE - Aviation in Reach
We close our conversation with Katy Lee MBE, with a discussion around the importance of mental health and the importance of support across all industries and working environments. Katy was responsible for establishing Pilots Together, a text...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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29:05
#44 Katy Lee MBE - No Perfect Answer
In the second part of our conversation with Katy, she discusses with Harriett what she learned during her time as a teacher. She describes how some of the skills she applied to her teaching are applicable to everyday life, especially in her ...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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29:36
#43 Katy Lee - Line in the Sand
Our next guest is Katy Lee MBE: a First Officer on the 737-800, RAF Air Training Corps officer, and Chair of Trustees for the charity Aviation in Reach. Such a passion for flying is unsurprising given Katy’s upbringing by her flight crew par...
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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28:24
#42 Dr Catherine Ruddick - Never Too Late
In the final part of our conversation with Dr Catherine Ruddick, she discusses with Harriett how therapy and communication has helped her to confront the well-intentioned but unhelpful coping strategies she had developed in childhood. These ...
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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28:55
#41 Dr Catherine Ruddick - Trust the Process
For the third part of our conversation with Dr Catherine Ruddick, we learn about how opening up about mental health struggles can have a transformative effect on quality of life. Catherine describes to Harriett how her first experience of ve...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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29:31
#40 Dr Catherine Ruddick - Keeping My Passion
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, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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27:00
#39 Dr Catherine Ruddick - Switching Focus
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 Universit...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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30:37
#38 Brian Wheeler - Invite the Challenge
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 ha...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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27:51
#37 Brian Wheeler - Cantankerous Patient
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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31:07
#36 Brian Wheeler - “We’ll See”
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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29:41
#35 Brian Wheeler - Fail to Succeed
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...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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30:53
#31 Harvey Matthewson - Embracing Opportunities
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,...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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30:08
#30 Harvey Matthewson - One Foot In Front Of The Other
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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30:27
#29 Harvey Matthewson - Facing Fears
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 Servi...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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29:29
#28 Emma Henderson - Tea and Empathy
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 chang...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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29:58
#27 Emma Henderson - Behind the Bulletproof Door
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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29:46
#26 Emma Henderson - Capacity Bucket
In the second episode of series 2, Emma shares how her love of flying first began at the age of 18, and how a series of coincidences led to her joining a University Air Squadron; having also met her husband on UAS, and moving to New Zealand ...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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30:41
#25 Emma Henderson - I’ll Do It
Inspire-Ability is 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. ...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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30:40