In this episode of Brave Conversations, Kirsty Gilchrist speaks with Charlie McMillan, Director of Human Rights Consortium Scotland, LGBTQI activist, and community developer, about courage, justice, and speaking up in turbulent times.

Charlie reflects on a lifetime of activism — from coming out in Thatcher’s Britain to challenging the erosion of human rights today — and shares why fear, disconnection, and misinformation are driving much of the current political and social crisis. The conversation explores human rights as a living, everyday framework, the power of community and solidarity, and the importance of reclaiming the narrative.

With honesty and warmth, Charlie also discusses anger, burnout, and the practices that sustain long-term activism, including mindfulness, boundaries, and compassion-based action. This episode is a call to reflect, to care for ourselves, and to choose brave — because, as Charlie reminds us, “If you can’t be brave, be quiet.”

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What does it take to look at a five-day-old baby fighting for his life in an incubator and choose a path you know will be profoundly difficult? For Kate Sainsbury, that 2am decision to embrace being mother to her son Louis—despite knowing he would face severe disabilities—was just the first of many brave choices.

Forty years later, Kate found herself facing another moment of reckoning. Louis, now in his thirties, was detained in a hospital hundreds of miles from home, being restrained, drugged, and increasingly traumatised. The care system had failed him. Kate realised she couldn't just go to "the door marked dentist" anymore—she would have to build the care herself. This is a conversation that weaves through love, devotion, faith and spirituality.

In this conversation, Kate shares:

The two pivotal moments that demanded courage—one as a new mother, one decades later when the system collapsed

Why she sees people with profound disabilities as leaders, not burdens, and how society needs to shift its lens

How she founded the Aiteal Trust and created an intentional community where Louis now lives in his own home

The reality of challenging professionals, local authorities, and national systems while maintaining relationships

What "wrestling with your soul" actually means when you're facing impossible choices

Her vision for ending systemic disabilism and why she believes small collaborative answers matter more than magic wands

Kate's bravery isn't loud or combative—it's rooted in deep knowing, persistent love, and a willingness to see what others can't or won't.

This is a conversation about what it means to step off the conventional path when someone you love depends on it, and how one mother's fight is reshaping how we think about care, community, and dignity.

Chapters

00:00 The moment Kate realised she had to step off the conventional path

05:21 Possibility versus risk and loss for Kate and Louis

07:28 Seeing Louis - Really seeing Louis

14:22 The importance of trauma informed care

17:08 Seeing another way

23:43 Assumptions about the status quo to unlearn

28:05 The practice of spirituality and community

36:16 What listeners could do differently tomorrow

41:53 What's next for Kate and Louis

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.