<p>In this episode of <strong>ListenABLE</strong>, Angus sits down with <strong>Spencer Connelly</strong> for a conversation that is confronting, inspiring and incredibly human.</p><p>Spencer shares his lived experience after surviving a traumatic fire as a child, spending months in hospital, and learning to navigate the world with visible scars and amputations. He reflects on memory, trauma, recovery, self-image, the complexity of forgiveness, and why he now sees his scars as signs of strength rather than weakness.</p><p>The conversation also explores disability identity, facial difference, confidence in public, representation in film, and Spencer’s growing dream of building a career in acting. That dream has already taken shape, with Spencer landing a speaking role in <em>Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga</em>, and he has publicly credited the KIDS Foundation with helping build his confidence after his injuries. </p><p>If this episode resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear a story of resilience, perspective and hope.</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Key Topics:</strong></p><ul><li><p>surviving severe childhood burns</p></li><li><p>trauma and memory</p></li><li><p>hospital recovery and rehabilitation</p></li><li><p>living with facial difference</p></li><li><p>disability identity</p></li><li><p>scars and self-acceptance</p></li><li><p>therapy and healing</p></li><li><p>public perception and staring</p></li><li><p>confidence and resilience</p></li><li><p>acting, representation and <em>Furiosa</em></p><p><br /></p></li></ul><p>The Story:</p><p>00:00 Childhood trauma and the memory that stayed<br />01:00 Spencer’s story and entering the disability community<br />05:45 Living with disability and visible difference<br />07:20 Recovery, surgeries and life after hospital<br />11:10 Returning to school after trauma<br />14:50 The truth about what happened<br />17:40 Differently abled, disability and identity<br />19:00 Staring, confidence and moving through the world<br />20:40 Looking in the mirror after trauma<br />23:15 Forgiveness, healing and moving forward<br />27:20 Acting dreams and losing one career path<br />28:20 Meeting Sean Millis and working on <em>Furiosa</em><br />35:30 Facial difference and representation in film<br />37:50 Halloween, scars and public perception<br />40:10 The bowl of uncomfortable<br />44:25 Life from here and what’s next</p><p><br /></p>