Syanne Bloom And Jillian Mercado On Bad Bunny, The Fashion Industry And What True Inclusion Can And Should Be
Always Looking Up
02/18/26
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In this week’s episode I sat down with Syanne Bloom and Jillian Mercado. Syanne is an Afro-Indigenous disabled activist and political commentator who examines the intersection of politics, media, and representation. Her work exposes how industries like fashion often reflect the same systemic inequities seen in government and society. Jillian is an actress, model, and activist who has become a prominent figure in the fashion world, challenging beauty ideals, and re-defining traditional norms in the fashion industry. We discuss Bad Bunny’s halftime concert and the power of representation and storytelling, the fashion industry and its current lack of disability inclusion and much, much more.
This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.
All proceeds from purchasing this episode will be split between City Harvest and Food Bank For NYC.
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Previous Episode
In this week’s episode I sat down with Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan. Cara is a visionary international disability rights advocate whose career has spanned humanitarian action, diplomacy, entrepreneurship, and storytelling. She is also a filmmaker and a passionate force for inclusion in the arts and media, most recently participating, owning and producing the short documentary film, Facing the Falls.
We discuss her incredible career as an activist, the power and impact in seeing disabled people doing humanitarian work, why representation truly matters and much, much more.
This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.
All proceeds from purchasing this episode will be split between City Harvest and Food Bank For NYC.
Join Always Looking Up on Substack: https://jilliancurwin645746.substack.com
Join The Patreon: https://patreon.com/AlwaysLookingUp
Follow Cara: Instagram: @cara_yarkhan LinkedIn: Cara Yar Khan Website: https://carayarkhan.com
Watch "Facing The Falls": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMa86VBidKE&t=1s
Watch Cara's TED Talk, "The beautiful balance between courage and fear": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHgfcA6Vy24
Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com
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Stand With Minnesota: https://www.standwithminnesota.com
MN NOICE: https://mnnoice.com
Community Aid Network MN: https://www.canmn.org
Support Those Impacted By The Cutting Of SNAP Benefits:
Feeding America: https://www.feedingamerica.org
World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org
No Kid Hungry: https://www.nokidhungry.org
List Of NYC Food Pantries: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dycd/services/food_pantries.page
Support Immigrant Communities (all links came from @chnge):
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (@chirla_org):
Next Episode
Andrea Dalzell On Redefining Inclusive Healthcare
February 24
•66m
In this week’s episode I sat down with Andrea Dalzell. Andrea, known as “The Seated Nurse”—is a New York City nurse leader, disability advocate, and wheelchair user redefining what inclusive healthcare looks like. Through storytelling, consulting, and keynote speaking, she equips institutions to move from empathy to action in disability inclusion. We discuss her journey towards becoming a nurse, what it means to truly listen to your patients and much, much more.
This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.
All proceeds from purchasing this episode will be split between City Harvest and Food Bank For NYC.
Join Always Looking Up on Substack: https://jilliancurwin645746.substack.com
Join The Patreon: https://patreon.com/AlwaysLookingUp
Follow Andrea: Instagram: @theseatednurse TikTok: @andreadalzell Website: https://www.theseatednurse.com
Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com
Read With Me:
Support Minneapolis:
Stand With Minnesota: https://www.standwithminnesota.com
MN NOICE: https://mnnoice.com
Community Aid Network MN: https://www.canmn.org
Support Those Impacted By The Cutting Of SNAP Benefits:
Feeding America: https://www.feedingamerica.org
World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org
No Kid Hungry: https://www.nokidhungry.org
List Of NYC Food Pantries: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dycd/services/food_pantries.page
Support Immigrant Communities (all links came from @chnge):
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (@chirla_org): https://www.chirla.org/donatenow/
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