Othering Podcast: When Community Is Needed More Than Ever

Author: Michael and Dory Morris
Published: 2025/12/22 - Updated: 2025/12/27
Publication Type: Submitted Article
Category Topic: Podcasts - Related Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates

Synopsis: This article introduces the Othering Podcast, a community-driven audio platform created by hosts Michael and Dory Morris to amplify marginalized voices, particularly within the disabled and LGBTQ+ communities. The piece is useful and engaging because it addresses a genuine gap in accessibility and representation - it documents how those navigating complex medical systems, invisible disabilities, and societal dismissal can find validation and solidarity through shared storytelling.

The article directly tackles the isolation many disabled individuals experience when facing systemic barriers, medical gaslighting, and social stigma, while demonstrating a practical solution through podcast media that reaches people across all major audio platforms. For disabled listeners, seniors managing chronic conditions, and anyone feeling unheard by healthcare providers and society, this platform offers both community connection and the reassurance that their experiences matter and resonate with others facing similar challenges - Disabled World (DW).

Introduction

Community, Stories, and Disabled Voices

Today being disabled in the USA is tougher than ever. Not only is our government working against us, but we do not have support from the system - health insurance is broken, doctors are rushed and uneducated, and the financial burden left hovering over us is astronomical. Medical care has become a true nightmare causing disability to feel lonely, isolated, and outright scary. In your head, you think they are right. It will go away. I'm just overreacting. People give you sideways glances as you step out of your car in the handicap reserved space with no wheelchair; unbeknownst to them you have a colostomy bag under your shirt, your joints subluxate due to your hypermobile Ehlers Danos, and you faint daily because of POTS. Embarrassed, you continue your trip and try to duck away and hide as soon as you can. Alone.

Main Content

Feeling heard is a struggle, by society and doctors alike. People tell you to walk it off, it's just in your head, have you tried yoga?, you don't look sick. These phrases play on repeat in our heads every minute of every day. The bullies eat away at your desire to call for help or to ask the doctor about the unusual rash under your arm. You begin to lose yourself in the time you need to stand up the most. "I became a voice in my care, and I became a strong voice in my care," Taylor Coffman, author of the viral Huff Post article I Spent Weeks Near Death In The ICU. Asking My Doctors To Do This 1 Thing May Have Saved My Life, explained her near-death experience. "It made a huge difference."

In these turbulent political times, it is necessary for all of us to share our stories, stand up, and fight for what we need. We are important too - every single one of us. Although it doesn't always feel like your single voice matters, it does! Every single voice culminates into an amazing community of people who look out for each other, who care about each other's well-being. The importance of community is vital in the prevention of repeating history, providing each other support and a force stronger than any foe.

Michael Morris is seated at a microphone in a recording studio setting, wearing blue over-ear headphones and a blue t-shirt. He has dark hair with some gray, a light beard, and is looking directly at the camera with a slight, warm smile. The professional studio microphone in front of him has a pop filter and shock mount, indicating an active recording setup. The background shows neutral indoor walls, suggesting a home or small studio recording space. His relaxed posture and direct gaze convey a friendly, approachable demeanor consistent with someone engaged in podcast hosting or voice recording work.

Community is easier to build than ever in today's world of social media, television, radio, and podcasts. Similar interests and a common goal can be enough to bring people together and that is why we started the Othering Podcast. The podcast advocates for the marginalized, focusing on disabled and LGBTQ+, by providing a platform for our guests to share their story. Together we share things that changes the minds of others, reminds them they are not alone, and provides comfort in how they feel.

Dr. Dory Morris, one of the hosts of the Othering Podcast, has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome resulting in ambulatory wheelchair use with a doctor ordered 250-step limit. She struggled for several years questioning her pain and the reality of it all. As the political scene became increasingly frightening, she became angry – with herself and those around her. She sought social media for people like her, people that felt similar fear or distaste and had disabilities. As she started to build the community she needed, she knew she needed to help others. Initially, she thought that meant going back to school and becoming a nurse, or a mental health clinician, but she realized logistically those weren't possible.

Dr. Dory Morris is seated at a professional studio microphone, wearing blue over-ear headphones and black-framed glasses. She has short, textured dark hair and is smiling warmly at the camera with a genuine, engaging expression. She's wearing a black v-neck top and has visible tattoos on her arms, including colorful floral designs. Her right hand is positioned near the microphone's pop filter, and she wears bracelets and rings. Behind her, a blurred whiteboard or chart is visible on the wall, suggesting an active workspace. Her posture is relaxed and confident, and her direct eye contact and bright smile convey an approachable, personable presence well-suited to podcast hosting and community engagement work.

The best ideas come at the strangest times: in the car driving to McDonalds for a lazy dinner. "We should start a podcast!" she said, almost instantly sparking a flood of ideas and thoughts ultimately culminating into the Othering Podcast. From there Mike and Dory began talking to the disabled and LGBTQ+ community, forming new friendships and allies, talking to actors, chronically ill, advocates, and everything in between.

The Othering Podcast can be heard on all major platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart podcasts, etc., new 1-hour episodes every Monday and every other Thursday, and we are broadcast on PEP Radio, AltQ Radio, and GaySA Radio. We have been featured on Medium and Substack; and we have been guests on several popular disability podcasts.

Our Links

OtheringPodcast.com

paequality.com (PEP Radio)

Spotify

Social Media: @OtheringPodcast (Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, Facebook, Threads, Substack)

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note: The Othering Podcast represents more than entertainment or information sharing - it reflects a broader cultural shift where marginalized communities are reclaiming narrative authority and building their own infrastructure of support outside traditional institutional channels. In an era of deepening political polarization and systemic neglect of vulnerable populations, the simple act of amplifying authentic voices becomes a radical act of resistance and care. The podcast's success suggests that people are hungry for connection rooted in shared struggle and mutual recognition, and that technology, when wielded intentionally, can bridge the distances that isolation imposes - Disabled World (DW).