Interview with Estelle Stevens: Estellosaurus ~ An Honest Youtuber, Blogger & Cat Whisperer
A few days ago I has the honour of interviewing Estelle Stevens who is a vibrant, honest and creative Youtuber and blogger. Oh - and her Instagram has a very impressive following too! Estelle posts weekly content on her channel, which features her life, cats and living with her disability. What first struck me about Estelle was her upbeat personality, colourful clothing and sheer love of Disney! If you like either cats or Disney - that's a good enough reason to stop by her platform! However Estelle also very honestly recounts what it's like to live with Sacral Agenesis - a condition which affects her mobility, spine, bowels and bladder. Before visiting Estelle's channel I have never heard of this condition, but it's interesting to see both what it is and how Estelle goes about her daily life, whilst living with this condition.
Hi Estelle Thanks for being kind enough to take part in the interview!
So your YouTube channel has been up and running since 2011! That's a long time to be a content creator! What first inspired you to become a Vlogger?
I wanted to try and help people understand my disability and talk about the procedures I have had done, also to give advice - that kind of thing. Whenever I had a look for a video on a procedure or surgery I was having, I could only find scary negative Vlogs and I wanted to change that, raise awareness and help people cope better with a disability than I did!
So your channel features several different types of vlog - including How Your Disability / Chronic Illness affects you, your Book Haul's and Disney related content. How do you decide what content you would like to make / post?
I already had a blog and I noticed that any disability related content got a really good response, it felt like there was a gap for that on YouTube. My disability is quite rare so for new parents it can be a scary diagnosis, I wanted to show as an adult that actually, it wasn’t that terrifying! I only did disability related content for a long time but decided to expand more into lifestyle but with a good focus on disability and chronic illness still.
Your channel has been established for 3 years! How do you ensure your vlogs connect to your viewers?
I’m not sure! I think partly, I'm very honest about everything, people see that and think, ‘oh, it’s not just me’ and they can relate to that.
So for those who are unfamiliar with your weekly vlogs what does your content consist of?
So it’s made up of disability related content, I explain various procedures I’ve had, I talk about surgeries, my life, Disney. I give advice and do reviews of things. I also like to spotlight small businesses. One of my cats usually features as well!
Do you identify as disabled / chronically ill? If so how does the affect your daily life?
I have a disability and chronic illnesses. I was born with Sacral Agenesis - this effects my feet, legs, spine, bowel and bladder. I’m basically missing the end of my spine and all the nerve endings that make those things work! I also have spinal stenosis, arthritis, bowel and bladder incontinence and kidney reflux. I have a few chronic illnesses - chronic migraine, chronic headache, chronic nausea to name a few. I’m also a coeliac and suffer from anxiety and medical C-PTSD. The disability is what effects me most - I’ve had lots of surgeries to improve my mobility and incontinence issues but it is a degenerative condition. The chronic conditions come second really and just make everything so much harder. Every day of my life is hard in some way but no two days are the same. I try to react to it all as it happens. It’s taken me a long, long time to not punish myself for being disabled.
Are there any aids / equipment you use to make sure you remain independent?
I’m fairly independent anyway (mostly through stubbornness) but I have just ordered myself my first wheelchair, I’ve used mobility aids in the past, but I’ve always preferred to fight my way through regardless. I realised that it wasn’t a weakness to need help and I’m hoping the wheelchair will enable me to get out and about more!
Which of your videos received the highest amount of views and why do you think that was?
It’s a vlog where I explain the PIP Telephone Assessment process! I made the video because I was sick of reading the negative horror stories around PIP! Not everyone has a terrible experience and all it does it terrify people and stress them out. I talked through the process, the questions asked etc. And offered tips on how to get through yours. It’s had a great response with so many people saying it really helped them!
Do you think your diagnosis has impacted on anyone else close to you?
I was diagnosed at birth. I’ve always been disabled and have never known any difference. It was scary for my parents, it’s a rare disability and back in the 1980s you couldn’t just head to Google. They were told I’d never walk and would have so many limitations in life.
Every new diagnosis over my life has been frustrating more than anything. I used to get so angry at my body for letting me down and a lot of my life has just been me angry. I cope a lot better now and see a diagnosis as a way forward.
If you could go back to your younger self and talk - what would you say?
I actually did a vlog about this! I think mostly I’d tell myself that it isn’t my fault.
How do you spend your free time?
I read a lot and I watch a lot of what my husband says is terrible television. I pick up craft projects every so often as well. I’ll go on the PlayStation sometimes or pick up my Switch.
What is your most memorable holiday?
Florida! We went to Orlando in 2019 and it was amazing. We were due to go back in 2020 but are now hoping to get there next year! We holiday in the UK a lot - my brother lives in Blackpool and that’s always a fun holiday!
Who is your favourite YouTuber and why?
We watch a lot of Disney vloggers - one of my favourites is Molly at All Ears, so much Disney magic and information.
Looking back on your Vlog journey is there anything you would do differently?
I don’t think so. I sometimes get caught up in the views - I’m a small, niche channel so I don’t get huge views and that upsets me sometimes. I think if I did it again I’d let that go more!
Where do you see your channel going over the next 12 months?
Hopefully it will grow, I’ve had some time off recently due to a major bladder and bowel surgery that I’m still recovering from. I’m going to be talking about that a lot, I want to raise awareness of incontinence - it isn’t just affecting people of a certain age and there is a lot of stigma around that, I want to help people see they aren’t alone with these issues.
We’re also having a few days out to Theme Parks, I’m going to focus on disability access to parks and how easy it is to navigate them and get on rides!
Describe yourself in 3 words
Colourful, annoying, childlike !
How many subscribers do you have?
Almost 500! It’s not many but I never thought I’d get anywhere so I’m pleased with that!
As an experienced YouTuber - What advice would you give to someone starting out on YouTube?
Don’t get bogged down by the ‘numbers’ if your content reaches just one person and helps them then it’s totally worth it!
Do you see social media being a positive or a negative influence?
I think sometimes it’s a great thing. Like I said earlier, when I was born there was nowhere for my parents to get support or even find out more about my disability, nowadays you can join support groups online, ask advice, research and that’s great. Sadly, social media can be a really toxic place as well.
Are there any bad things about social media?
People are bolder behind a screen. They say things they’d never say to someone’s face and they can be really nasty. You need a thick skin to put yourself out there!
Are there any particular resources you use that you can recommend to others or equipment you need to use?
Good lighting! Sitting in the light of a window is enough. I don’t think you need anything special. I have a camera but I also vlog on my phone a lot - I don’t think you need kit to do it! Just have fun and have passion for what you want to do!
Where do you enjoy shopping and why?
I love a small business, I buy a lot of Disney inspired stuff. I like buying colourful, cute clothes. A lot of my tees come from Truffle Shuffle who are great for nostalgic stuff.
What are your hobbies?
Reading, I’m a big reader and I read really quickly! I LOVE books! I also pick up and never finish craft projects... I’ve got a diamond painting on the go, that I need to finish and I’ve recently been trying scrapbooking. I knit really badly too and when it’s colder I knit blankets for my cats!
What is your favourite movie and why?
I don’t think I have a favourite! I’m a big Wes Anderson fan though.
Do your family and friends mind featuring in your Vlogs?
My husbands voice often features - he doesn’t like being on the camera so I don’t make him. He puts up with a lot from me, I often worry that I’m too much for him and that I’m too much work. He’s incredible! I talk about my brother a lot - he actually joined me in a vlog (see below). My family are great - I’m a lot like my dad, I have his bad temper and sense of humour. My mum is amazing and they’ve always made sure that I achieved as much or as little as I wanted too. My mum fought hard with doctors and hospitals to ensure I always got what I needed and I’m so grateful for that.
One of my cats usually features in a vlog too. Mostly their bums to be fair!
Do you have any questions for me?
What do you think are the biggest challenges in terms of raising awareness of disability and chronic illness are?
I think there is often the issue of being taken seriously as a person with a chronic illness, by both society and the Health Care System. For instance it's getting a decent G.P who will listen to your symptoms and differentiate that the pain you are experiencing one day has nothing to do with your chronic illness pain - it's different and unusual.
That's all folks - thanks for taking part Estelle!
Find out more about Estelle and her colourful life, cats and Disney escapades at her YouTube channel and Blog. Oh and be sure to check out her Instagram too!
Collaborative post with Estelle Stevens - Estellosaurus.
If you liked this, be sure to check back regularly for other collaborative interviews! Thanks for stopping by!
