Join hosts, Lauren Fenton and Rina Teslica, both mothers to daughters with special needs as they and their guests share unique parenting stories and chat about the things they've learnt and are still learning. Prepare to sometimes laugh, sometimes cry, but hopefully leave with a shot of optimism in your arm!
The goal of the F**king Normal podcast is to extend the conversation and build a supportive community for other parents. We don't have the answers but want to create a safe space to share stories as we venture through parenting disabled children together.
Note: The F**king normal podcast is a parents perspective. We are not talking on behalf of disabled children or adults. We can't and we would never presume to. That's not our experience. We want to learn to parent and advocate better and this show is about our experience as parents.
For more information and transcripts for each episode go to our website at www.fkingnormalpodcast.com
The F**king Normal Team
Hosts & Editing: Lauren Fenton, Rina Teslica
Production team: Genevieve Porritt, Victoria Wason
Artwork: Sharon King-Chai
Music: Æ Mak - Listen on Spotify
Wider creative team: Mary Forrest, Clare Wright, Gemma Sherlock, Helen Gamble-Shields, Kathleen Javalla, Caroline MacPake, Evangelia Vasiliadou.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join hosts, Lauren Fenton and Rina Teslica, both mothers to daughters with special needs as they and their guests share unique parenting stories and chat about the things they've learnt and are still learning. Prepare to sometimes laugh, sometimes cry, but hopefully leave with a shot of optimism in your arm!
The goal of the F**king Normal podcast is to extend the conversation and build a supportive community for other parents. We don't have the answers but want to create a safe space to share stories as we venture through parenting disabled children together.
Note: The F**king normal podcast is a parents perspective. We are not talking on behalf of disabled children or adults. We can't and we would never presume to. That's not our experience. We want to learn to parent and advocate better and this show is about our experience as parents.
For more information and transcripts for each episode go to our website at www.fkingnormalpodcast.com
The F**king Normal Team
Hosts & Editing: Lauren Fenton, Rina Teslica
Production team: Genevieve Porritt, Victoria Wason
Artwork: Sharon King-Chai
Music: Æ Mak - Listen on Spotify
Wider creative team: Mary Forrest, Clare Wright, Gemma Sherlock, Helen Gamble-Shields, Kathleen Javalla, Caroline MacPake, Evangelia Vasiliadou.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, Rina and Lauren talk with Sara Johnson about the birth and diagnosis of her now 19 year old son, who has 18p deletion syndrome. They discuss how this led to her career pivot, as after forging a successful career as a TV drama executive, Sara now focuses her efforts on advocating for and representing disabled talent in the industry. It is a sweary, candid and often emotional discussion, peppered with Sara’s wonderful nuggets of wisdom.
Content Warnings
Strong Language warning
Difficult pregnancy (Amnio and CVS procedures)
Traumatic Birth
Guest Biography
Sara Johnson is a TV drama executive with a career spanning 30 years. Sara began as a script Editor at EastEnders (BBC), before becoming Head of Drama at Sky aged 28, and 15 years later the Head of Fox drama for Europe and Africa. In between she brought the A Word to UK screens and worked at a high level across the industry, while navigating parenting and specifically as parent carer to her youngest son.
In 2021 in a terrifying career pivot, she founded Inclusion Consultancy Bridge06, ready to take her passion and commitment in her personal life - as disability advocate - to make real change in the industry. Sara is now an Access Consultant and Agent, having formed the Access team at Casarotto Ramsay and Associates talent agency.. They represent Access Coordinators, a role she helped to train and commercialise with partner Julie Fernandez, alongside other Access roles.
Sara is the author of book series The Treehouse At Number Nine and a lifelong trustee of Chromosome 18 Europe.
Further Resources
Jack Thorne MacTaggart Lecture 2021 - Jack Thorne’s MacTaggart Lecture - where Jack slammed the industry for its treatment of disabled people and delivered a call to action:
Unique | Understanding Rare Chromosome and Gene Disorders
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.