I’ve always prided myself on taking strengths-based approaches (toward myself and others) and finding creative solutions that allow people to move forward. Strengths-based approaches focus on what a person can do, rather than what they cannot do, emphasising a shift away from deficit models. Yet, something I often hear in conversations with disabled and neurodivergent…
Author: Emilia C. Bell
Six things that sustain me in my PhD
I’m approaching the second milestone for my PhD, and buried in interviews and bibliometric data. I thought it was a good point to pause and reflect. Navigating many different spaces, it’s often needing to mask/camouflage that creates the most work. Thankfully, my PhD has been a space where showing up as myself has been completely…
Beyond provocation: Reimagining systems through care, critique, and community
Keynote at ANZREG Conference 11th June 2025 Slides | Recording Licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY-4.0), except for any content quoted from third-party sources or where otherwise noted. All images retain their original Creative Commons Licences and can only be re-used under their respective licences. Quoted material and recordings remains under…
Brains in motion: When to step forward and when to step back
Over the last year, the most popular blog post I’ve written has undoubtedly been Brains in motion: Navigating confidence and belonging. It felt like a massive risk at the time, even with an incredibly positive reception. Amusingly, the motivation for this second post is almost exactly the same as for the first post and follows…
Shelf & screen: Three things I’m reading/watching
Lately, working through my inboxes feels like it’s just bookmarking a lot of links with things I’d like to read/watch. Those emails then get added to a professional development folder. Realistically, I won’t get to go through it any time soon. Emails aside, one thing I do enjoy about having a few different projects on…


