Hi friends. It is January, which I’m pretty sure was invented by Big Pharma to sell antidepressants. 😅

This episode is a proper life catch-up. Winter pain and the January blues, a relationship update (yes, a real one), applying for a job I really want, disability admin chaos, and a formal complaint era I did not ask to be in.

Also, a wee teaser: my first ever podcast collaboration is coming next (8th Feb 10am) and I’m genuinely so proud of it.

chapters

00:00 January blues and a life reset
03:10 Winter pain, energy limits, and how I’m coping
04:45 Relationship status, nervous system chaos, and not begging anymore
10:10 Job application update and grieving the nursing version of me
18:40 Disability admin and complaints (prosthetic + OT kitchen)
22:05 Simba’s health scare and anxious cat mum mode
28:30 Wrap-up, validation, and what’s coming next

what’s next

My first collaboration episode drops 8th February and I’m so excited for you to hear it. After that I’ve got two more episodes planned, one on disability adjustment and one on self-regulation and coping, the practical version, not the fluffy “everything is fine” version.

music attribution

Intro and outro music: Angelz by ZiMPL
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB1laV2yy_k

Background music used:

I’m Giving Up
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4_dJrDFBMo

Wrangle The Crazy - Everett Almond

Once upon a time - The Grey Room / Density & Time

Long Goodbyes to Longer Friends - Randy Schwartz

Thank you for being here, thank you for listening to me yap through the chaos, and I’ll speak to you in the next episode.

Hi friends, welcome back to The Cripple Chronicles.

This is a shorter, reflective episode that was originally recorded as the final section of my Cripple Wrapped episode, but it deserved its own space.

I’m six years into being disabled after my car accident, and instead of focusing on stats or “look how far I’ve come” productivity vibes, I wanted to answer the questions that actually tell the truth: what changed in my relationship with my body, how my identity shifted after losing nursing, how my support network transformed, what still hurts (spoiler: systems), and what I’m hopeful about going into 2026.

If you’ve had a big life change, you can absolutely steal these questions and use them as a check-in with your future self.

Content note: disability, trauma, family estrangement, grief, medical systems, mental health.

If this one hits home, leave a comment or send me your thoughts.

Chapters

00:00 - Welcome and why this is a separate episode
01:51 - The “six year check-in” questions (setup)
02:25 - Q1: How has my relationship with my body changed?
05:20 - Q2: How has my sense of self changed?
09:30 - Q3: How has my support network changed?
12:17 - Q4: What am I proud of this year that has nothing to do with productivity?
14:37 - Q5: What still hurts the most?
18:11 - Q6: What am I hopeful about for the next year?
21:18 - Closing, happy new year, gentle winter reminder

GET IN TOUCH

Email: cripplechroniclespod@gmail.com
Socials: @cripplechroniclespod

MUSIC USED

Reflection” by Filo Starquez
used with permission.

outro music:
“Angelz” by ZiMPL
artist: ZiMPL / zimplmusic
license: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)

please check out and support the artists who make this show sound nice.

SEO TAGS
cripple chronicles, disabled podcast, amputee podcast, disability advocacy, life after amputation, prosthetic journey, wheelchair user, chronic illness, trauma recovery, grief and disability, chosen family, family estrangement, mental health podcast, nurse identity, identity after trauma, uk disability, accessibility, disabled creator, NHS waiting times, disability rights UK, spoon theory, medical gaslighting, disability community, resilience (the real kind), boundaries, healing journey

in this episode of cripple chronicles, i am doing my own version of “wrapped” for 2025 and six years since my accident. instead of just spotify and youtube stats, we are looking at what a full year of disabled life actually looks like in numbers.

i talk about:
why my birthday + accident anniversary week always feels heavy and weird
82k minutes of music, 331 genres and my parasocial relationship with two hot takes
what it really takes to make this podcast exist in the background of my life
months spent waiting for prosthetics vs the days i actually get to walk
garmin stats for wheelchair pushes, sleep and body battery that finally proved i am not “just lazy”
how much time i lose every year to pain, advocacy and planning around inaccessibility
what my benefits, bills, debt and motability numbers actually look like
why my car is not a luxury but an access tool that keeps me from being trapped at home
it is part numbers, part rant, part love letter to everyone trying to survive life in a disabled body inside systems that were not built for us.

CHAPTERS

00:00 intro, birthday week and accident anniversary
03:03 why birthdays always felt strange for me
05:12 deciding to do a “cripple wrapped” instead of just spotify wrapped
07:25 music wrapped 2025
12:20 cripple chronicles wrapped episodes, editing time, research days, views and watch time
18:26 mobility wrapped ilizarov frame, becoming an amputee, waiting lists and the kitchen saga
25:41 garmin wrapped wheelchair pushes, miles, sleep score and body battery reality check
29:45 pain, medication, advocacy time and planning around inaccessibility
30:30 benefits wrapped income, bills, groceries, debt and the activity trap
37:30 car and driving wrapped motability, 10,400 miles and why public transport is not an option
41:30 closing thoughts on 2025, six years since the accident and a message to anyone in their own “year one”

CONNECT WITH ME

instagram: @cripplechroniclespod
tiktok: @cripplechroniclespod (if you want it there)
email: cripplechroniclespod@gmail.com

you can send episode ideas, questions, collab requests or your own “disabled wrapped” stats there.

MUSIC CREDITS

intro music:
“Reflection” by Filo Starquez
used with permission.

outro music:
“Angelz” by ZiMPL
artist: ZiMPL / zimplmusic
license: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)

please check out and support the artists who make this show sound nice.

SEO TAG WORDS

disability podcast, cripple chronicles, cripple chronicles podcast, above knee amputee, amputee life, wheelchair user, disabled creator, disabled women, chronic pain, chronic illness, mental health podcast, trauma recovery, spotify wrapped, year in review, disability wrapped, disabled life stats, prosthetics, nhs waiting times, uk disability benefits, pip, adp, universal credit, motability scheme, accessible housing, inaccessibility, advocacy, disability rights, mental health nurse, amputation recovery, garmin wheelchair, body battery, scottish podcast, uk podcast, disabled influencer, disabled content creator