Expectation vs Reality – The Everyday Admin Nobody Sees

Self-acceptance with hearing loss is rarely a straight line. In this episode, Georgia opens up about her own journey from hiding her hearing aids to wearing them with pride, and Yovina shares what she sees in clinic every day. Together they talk about: • Disability or identity? Why Georgia is proud to use the word "disability", how the Equality Act 2010 made hearing loss a protected characteristic, and why many of the barriers come from society rather than the person. • "My granddad has those." Why hearing loss is still seen as an older person's problem, how hearing care marketing feeds that, and why young people with hearing loss can feel so alone. • The cure question. If you could take a tablet to cure your hearing loss, would you? After a poll on Yovina's Instagram and a DM about an overseas clinic, Georgia explains why her answer is no. • The cycle of acceptance. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Yovina explains the stages, why she sees patients at every one of them, and why you can't rush anyone through. • The "messy middle". Georgia talks about internalised audism, the belief that hearing people are somehow superior, and feeling "not deaf enough" for the deaf community. And how she made her own path instead. • Why some people stop wearing hearing aids. Being pushed into it by family, the six to eight weeks it takes to adjust, and why booking a hearing test is often the hardest step. Plus Georgia's post-appointment chocolate bar ritual. • Finding the right clinic for you. Why it's worth doing your research, and why it's OK if the first place doesn't feel right. • Deaf gains. How the brain adapts to hearing loss, from sharper peripheral vision to reading body language and greater empathy. And why Tasha Ghouri calls her hearing loss her superpower. • The perks nobody tells you about. A third off rail travel, theatre and museum discounts, free companion tickets, Access to Work and the Nimbus Access Card. • The Truth Edit. Georgia is put to the test on deaf families, age and hearing loss, and why many people prefer "hard of hearing" to "hearing impaired". Timestamps 00:00 Welcome back to The Hearing Edit 00:43 Disability or identity? 02:04 Why hearing loss still feels like an older person's thing 04:47 Owning the word "disability" 07:57 The Equality Act and the barriers society creates 10:08 The cure question 13:17 The cycle of acceptance 16:33 Internalised audism and the "messy middle" 19:52 How long does acceptance take? 24:43 A word from Nuance Audio 26:01 What helped Georgia turn a corner 27:00 Why some people stop wearing hearing aids 29:29 Taking the first step 31:09 Finding the right clinic for you 32:59 The spectrum problem 34:28 Deaf gains 38:00 Railcards, discounts and Access to Work 44:01 The Truth Edit 46:32 Our takeaways Mentioned in this episode • The cycle of acceptance, based on Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's model • The Equality Act 2010 • Tasha Ghouri • Disabled Persons Railcard • Access to Work • Nimbus Access Card • RNID for information on benefits and financial support • Dr Yovina's blog: Hearing aids built into glasses: Nuance Audio Sponsored by Nuance Audio Nuance Audio is the invisible hearing solution built into glasses. It's designed for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, and makes speech clearer while leaving your ears free and comfortable. Find out more at nuanceaudio.com. Meet your hosts • Dr Yovina is an audiologist and the founder of Dr Yovina Audiology. Find Dr Yovina at @dryovina on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. • Georgia Meacham is an actor, model and deaf advocate. Find her at @georgiameacham. If this episode got you thinking, follow The Hearing Edit, leave us a review, and send it to someone who needs to hear it. New episodes every week.

Episode 2: Filling in the Gaps – The Hidden Challenges of Hearing Loss Living with hearing loss means thinking about lots of small things that hearing people never have to. They're little things, but they add up. In this episode, Georgia shares the everyday challenges most people don't see, and Yovina explains what's going on and how to make life easier. Together they talk about: • The safe list. Before every night out, Georgia runs through a mental tick list: where are the speakers, how's the lighting, where's the quietest corner, and are there any babies? Why that "pre-social stress" is real, and why it's OK to ask to change tables. • Friendships and being misunderstood. Some friends make adjustments without being asked. Others assume that if your hearing aids are in, you're fine. Georgia also explains why she has to be introverted to be extroverted. • Why Georgia never picks up the phone. Calls have to be planned, in a quiet room, on loudspeaker. We also talk about Bluetooth and music, and why even the best hearing aids are designed for speech, not music. • "Never mind, it doesn't matter." Why missing one part of a conversation can mean missing the whole evening, and the domino effect that follows. • When your hearing aids get misread. A hearing aid affected by the heat, a voice that came out louder than Georgia realised, and a misunderstanding that followed. Yovina explains why heat and condensation can change how you hear your own voice. • Dating with hearing loss. When do you tell someone? Georgia shares the time a boyfriend already knew and didn't think it was a big deal. Yovina explains why partners should come along to audiology appointments, and why calling from upstairs or chatting at the sink is not a realistic expectation. • Listening fatigue. It's one of the biggest hidden challenges, and one of the least understood. Imagine reading a book where every third word is missing, and your brain filling in the gaps all day. Yovina explains why hearing aids help but can't get rid of it completely. Georgia shares how she manages her energy. • Holidays. Pools, sun, beach bars and noisy clubs are some of the hardest places for hearing aids. Georgia talks about sitting out a pool day on a hen do, why holidays with her mum feel easier, and what she always packs. • The Truth Edit. How many people wouldn't date someone who wears hearing aids? The answer comes from RNID. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome back to The Hearing Edit 00:54 The safe list for nights out 04:29 Deaf-aware friends and being misunderstood 06:30 Introvert, extrovert, or both? 07:13 Why Georgia never picks up the phone 08:45 Bluetooth, music and hearing aids 10:52 Telling new people about your hearing loss 14:07 "Never mind, it doesn't matter" 15:33 When your hearing aids get misread 17:43 A word from Nuance Audio 18:36 Dating with hearing loss 26:01 Listening fatigue 34:00 Holidays with hearing aids 41:17 The Truth Edit 43:11 Our takeaways Mentioned in this episode • RNID • Dinner table syndrome • Listening fatigue • Dr Yovina's blog: Hearing aids built into glasses: Nuance Audio Sponsored by Nuance Audio Nuance Audio is the invisible hearing solution built into glasses. It's designed for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, and makes speech clearer while leaving your ears free and comfortable. Find out more at nuanceaudio.com. Meet your hosts • Dr Yovina is an audiologist and the founder of Dr Yovina Audiology. Find Dr Yovina at @dryovina on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. • Georgia Meacham is an actor, model and deaf advocate. Find her at @georgiameacham. If this episode got you thinking, follow The Hearing Edit, leave us a review, and send it to someone who needs to hear it. New episodes every week.

Welcome to The Hearing Edit, the podcast that opens up new conversations about hearing loss. In our first episode, we look at how deafness and hearing loss are shown on TV and in fashion, and why representation matters so much. Yovina brings the clinical side as an audiologist. Georgia has worn hearing aids since she was 18 months old, so she brings lived experience. Together they talk about: Peppa Pig. George's new hearing aid storyline gets lots of things right: a moderate hearing loss in one ear, an accurate hearing test, and nursery friends who shout at him to help (please don't!). We also discuss why it matters that a main character, not a one-episode token, has hearing loss. Love Island. Was Sam really "too quiet", or was the villa just one of the hardest listening environments imaginable? We talk about echoey open-plan rooms, group chats, whispering and darkness, and why hearing aids work best within about 1.5 metres. Georgia also reveals she was approached to go on the show three years running. Strictly. Rose Ayling-Ellis's historic win, and the BAFTA-winning silent dance that showed audiences want to see something different. Fashion and modelling. Georgia talks about hiding her hearing aids as a 16-year-old model. She also talks about her PETA campaign, where her hearing aids were on full view for the first time, and why that no longer made her uncomfortable. "Deaf model" or "model who wears hearing aids"? An honest conversation about labels, pride, and not wanting hearing loss to become your whole story. Lip reading. It's a puzzle, not a superpower. We also cover how tiring it is to fill in the gaps all day, and give a shout-out to lip-reading queen Jackie. The Truth Edit. Our new myth-or-fact segment. This week: which celebrities have hearing loss? Some of the answers might surprise you. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome to The Hearing Edit 03:07 Peppa Pig and George's hearing aid 14:50 Love Island: what went wrong for Sam? 25:19 Strictly and Rose's silent dance 28:46 Modelling with hearing aids 32:43 The truth about lip reading 37:49 "Deaf model" or "model who wears hearing aids"? 44:32 The Truth Edit 48:28 Our takeaways Mentioned in this episode Georgia's PETA campaign, which you can watch on PETA's Instagram Jackie, the lip-reading creator: @tismejackieg The National Deaf Children's Society Zebedee Management Ménière's disease Sponsored by Nuance Audio Nuance Audio is the invisible hearing solution built into glasses. It's designed for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, and makes speech clearer while leaving your ears free and comfortable. Find out more at nuanceaudio.com. Meet your hosts Dr Yovina is an audiologist and the founder of Dr Yovina Audiology. Find her at @dryovina and www.dryovina.co.uk. Georgia Meacham is an actor, model and deaf advocate. Find her at @georgiameacham. If this episode got you thinking, follow The Hearing Edit, leave us a review, and send it to someone who needs to hear it. New episodes every week.