29: Brave Together Podcast - Jessica Patay, Susanna Peace Lovell and Dr. Zoe Shaw - Episode 2929: Brave Together Podcast - Jessica Patay, Susanna Peace Lovell and Dr. Zoe Shaw - Episode 29
UK Health Radio Podcast
Cam Calkoen shares how his parents’ brave mindset and focus on possibility shaped his life with cerebral palsy into one of sport, speaking and service. The conversation offers encouragement and practical ideas for caregiving parents to help their children dream big and build resilience.
43:51•12 Aug 2026
Dream Big, Focus on What You Can Do: Cam Calkoen on Brave Parenting
Episode Overview
- Stay true to the dreams that inspired you to become a parent, even when life looks different from what you expected.
- Focus on what your child can do rather than what they cannot, and look for creative ways to turn challenges into opportunities.
- Choose schools and environments based on leadership attitudes to inclusion and excellence, not just on available services.
- Build a strong team around your family and be willing to push past the first hurdle or refusal when seeking support or adaptations.
- Encourage both yourself and your child to dream in terms of what you want to do in life, and take small daily actions that bring joy.
“Focus on what you can do, not what you can't do.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey and the wider journey of parenting with extra challenges? This conversation on UK Health Radio’s Brave Together Podcast centres on Cam Calkoen, a New Zealand speaker whose life with cerebral palsy has been shaped by ambition, service, and an unshakeable focus on possibility. The chat, hosted by Jessica Patay, is aimed at parents of children with disabilities, neurodivergence and complex needs, especially mums who carry a heavy caregiving load.
You’ll hear Cam describe how his parents responded to his diagnosis by “staying true to the dreams that inspired them to be parents” and focusing on what he *could* do rather than what he couldn’t. From tree houses on cliffs and quad bikes on beaches to speech and physio sessions after school, his childhood story shows how everyday choices can build resilience.
Cam talks about teenage years, dark thoughts and how a letter from TV personality Jeremy Wells helped him see that “difference is a good thing”. He shares how this mindset led him into sport, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with friends, and eventually into a career as a professional inspirational speaker travelling the world.
For caregiving parents, there’s plenty of practical encouragement: choosing inclusive schools based on leadership, building a strong team around your child, pushing past the first “no”, and helping kids dream in terms of what they want to *do* as well as who they want to be. Cam also reflects on self-kindness, community, and the importance of doing at least one thing you enjoy every day, whether that’s a simple phone call or a walk outside.
With its mix of humour, honesty and very concrete examples, this episode offers hope, fresh language for talking about disability, and an invitation to sit down as a family and ask, “What does our dream life look like?”
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