Mandy and Kate talk to super Pea Jacqueline Fearnley, the mother of Kurt Fearnley AO, three-time Paralympic gold medalist and two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist. Kurt also joins Jacqui in the podbar for this special chat with a magical Australian Pea family.

A trailblazer for Peas everywhere, Jacqui shares her story of bringing up her fifth baby Kurt, who was born with congenital disorder lumbar sacral agenisis. Following his birth and early hospitalisation, when it wasn’t clear whether he’d even survive, Jacqui and her husband were delighted to bring Kurt home to meet his older siblings and begin life in his small country hometown in New South Wales.

Jacqui talks about adjusting to life with a baby with special needs, including dealing with rectum comments, therapy appointments, equipment, early intervention and hospital visits. Jacqui defied the advice she was given at the time to keep Kurt clean and cared for inside, watching the world at the window, and ensured that he enjoyed the active and outdoorsy childhood he deserved to have - out in the paddocks with his brothers, chasing rabbits and riding horses, definitely not clean and getting up to mischief! Jacqui found the classic Australian book I Can Jump Puddles the perfect inspiration for enabling an inclusive and active childhood for Kurt.

Jacqui, Kurt, Mandy and Kate share a lot of laughs, stories and a couple of tears about Kurt’s adolescence and his growing involvement in sports, where he found confidence, community, incredible success and the opportunity to travel the world.