On the Couch with Sally Allen

In this episode of On the Couch with Biscoes, Alison is joined by trainee solicitor Sally Allen to share her powerful and personal journey of living with an invisible disability while building a career in law.

Sally opens up about being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in her early twenties after a period of serious illness and delayed diagnosis. She discusses undergoing life‑changing surgery, including the removal of her large bowel and adapting to life with a stoma, all while continuing her studies and completing her law degree.

The conversation explores the challenges of recognising symptoms, speaking up in healthcare settings, and the importance of persistence when advocating for your own health. Sally also highlights how stigma around conditions like bowel disease can delay vital conversations and why breaking that silence is so important.

Together, they discuss disability awareness in the workplace, including the importance of disclosing invisible disabilities, accessing reasonable adjustments, and creating open, supportive environments. Sally shares her advocacy work with charities and her passion for helping others navigate both diagnosis and professional life.

From running half marathons to starting her legal career, Sally’s story is one of resilience, determination, and redefining what’s possible after a life‑changing diagnosis.

An inspiring and honest episode for anyone navigating health challenges, disability in the workplace, or pursuing their career against the odds.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:38

So grab a couple and come and join us on the couch. Hi, I'm Alison, and on my couch today is actually one of my lovely employees, a trainee solicitor with uh Bisco, Sally Allen. Hello Sally.

SPEAKER_01 1:00

Hello, good morning.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Hi, so Sally, I'm I have invited you to come and do this podcast with me because you have a particular story which I think uh listeners to the podcast would find interesting, and some lessons and some advice uh that flow from that. So um can you just tell us a little bit about um what happened to you? You were in your early 20s.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Yeah, so um at the time I was at university studying law uh in my second year uh of university, just about to start my studies, and I unfortunately started to have a lot of health issues that I'd never had before. Um I think anyone who's had experience with IBD survowal disease would completely sympathise that a lot of uh symptoms can cross over, so it's things you might not notice. So I lost a lot of weight. I'm always been into fitness, so that unfortunately wasn't an alarm bell for me. Um I was unfortunately passing a lot of blood and things that you wouldn't really raise straight away. And then when as soon as I did, and unfortunately I didn't get the response from the hospitals at the time that you would have hoped, uh, we're in about 2021 at this point, so still sort of post-COVID. Post-COVID, but very much still feeling like COVID, um, not allowed to have any visitors with me in the A and E room. So I think part of it was me, of course, being very ill, and then of course you have the kind of scare of speaking up at the hospitals, and unfortunately led to a very late diagnosis of um alterated colitis, which is a form of bowel disease, um affecting mainly the large bowel. Um, I would say predominantly the process for that is you you struggle for a few years and then you can opt for surgery if medications don't work. Unfortunately, things were left a little bit too late with my condition in one of those kind of rare, unfortunate cases, and it was left a little too late, and I actually had to have my surgery done on my first flare-up. So I had to have my large bowel removed, and I was left with at the time a temporary iliostomy bag, and then due to other health conditions, I had to make that permanent recently, so had my second surgery. Um, however, after my first surgery, I returned back to university, I transferred back to Portsmouth closer to home, finished my university degree in law, which I'm really proud of, really yeah, excelled in that, so I was happy with that, and at the same time started my disability advocacy. Um, so I've paired up with a few charities and companies that like to spread awareness for invisible disabilities as well as Crohn's and colitis itself. So that's something I like to take forward and really strive forward and show that you can go through all of this and still kind of get into your career.

SPEAKER_00 3:34

Absolutely. So um just just unpicking that a little bit, um, obviously you're you're in your early twenties, um, start to have these symptoms and they're not symptoms that people want to talk about a lot. So I can imagine, um I can only imagine, um, that that was really difficult for you as a young 20-year-old on your own in a hospital, um, and being told that these things weren't perhaps what you were worried that they were, um, and uh kind of being sent away um uh to deal with it, go and take a paracetamol and get a hot water bottle and the standard women's um women's advice. Um and um unfortunately, obviously your your situation was one where um you know you say it was first flare up that might not happen for everybody with these sorts of uh conditions, but um was there on reflection when you look back at it now, was there a time where you thought if I'd have if I'd have said that at that point, things might have been different?

SPEAKER_01 4:37

Uh yeah, it's a really good question because I think when you go through things you always think, oh what could I have done differently? Um I'd actually say I think I kept pretty consistent with my um hospital visits because I actually have alterative colitis in my family. Um so I at the time it was it's funny coincidence, probably the wrong word, but um my mum actually was diagnosed and lives with now alterative colitis, um, and we for some reason didn't correlate the symptoms because you can have hives and things like that, and I'm like my skin can be sensitive because you're thinking of something else, so it's always important to really raise if anything is in your family, uh, which I did so at the time. Unfortunately, just yeah, that that case it wasn't picked up. Um, as you said, yeah, it's it's kind of a taboo subject to talk about, especially when it comes to bowel disease as well. Um and I know this will correlate for people with bowel cancer or any sign of cancers as well. Um it is taboo, but it not and then it sounds dramatic, but it is a case of life or death because if I didn't call my GP doctor at the time and ask for a sick note because I couldn't go to work, my part-time job at the time, I unfortunately probably wouldn't be here.

SPEAKER_00 5:40

Yeah, because I was yeah, it's about getting over that. This is about getting embarrassing. Exactly. And and if it had any of those sorts of symptoms, is is go and get it checked and and be persistent about making sure that you've asked the questions around could this be this, could this be uh an instance of this particular um illness, or might it be cancer, might it be you know I think both uh the way that uh our our NHS is under a huge amount of pressure, um it's really important that we um you know people are if they they they know their own bodies so exactly that don't don't be fobbed off, don't don't go away with second opinions.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

It wasn't until I spoke to a third, fourth person that they then took me seriously, which is a very unfortunate in the in the circumstance. But if I didn't do that, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:27

Yeah, I think that I think that's a very important message. Um the next kind of important message that you that I think you kind of rattled through with with complete um lack of any uh self-grandioseness there was that you got a fantastic degree uh when you took your law degree back up from the University of Portsmouth. Um we we met at a at a business um expo event at um the village hotel where you were working at the time. Um, had a bit of a chat over the coffee bar. Yeah. And uh I think you were gonna come in for some work experience at the time. Uh and you came for some work experience, we never let you leave, I think. Um because actually um you've you've you know you've now started your training contract and you are you know gonna be a fantastic sister. But that disabilities representation is something that you're really passionate about. Um so the charities that you work with, can you tell us a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_01 7:21

Yeah, of course. So I um I work a lot with um it's a charity called OSTEC, so they uh support a lot of people with stomas, whether that be temporary or permanent. I think they've now moved into um another company now, but I've done podcasts and blogs with them, and that was really to raise awareness for young people in both university and school going through either diagnosis or the life with the stoma and just showing that you can still go back to your old life, you just need to adapt it. So I found it hard to start with, of course, like any, especially being a young girl would. I think it's more the medications on the side of it, dealing with the stoma at first is really hard. But if anything, it's the medications at the time that was the that were the hardest. I lost my hair, I mean she gained a lot of weight, so especially being quite a girly girl was quite hard at the time. So I really thought it was important to spread the awareness to others that it's gonna be hard, but you're you're gonna find a way and you can kind of adapt your life to get back to yourself or in a way that's slightly different, but you still do feel like you. Um, so yeah, that was kind of my start-off point. And then, of course, as I went more into my law degree and I got more passions for a degree in law and a career in law, I realised that you can people unfortunately do face discrimination due to their disabilities at work, and of course, I can only have my experience as someone with an invisible disability. Um, and I just thought it was part of my path to really spread that awareness of when you're at a an employment, whether that be part-time or full-time, it doesn't matter where what kind of point in your career you are, it's really important for you to raise any queries that you have, so then you're getting those reasonable adjustments at work. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

And that's what we're talking about, is it? Because anybody with a disability in in a workplace or or outside of their workplace is entitled to ask for a reasonable adjustment. Exactly. Um, and if if they're not getting that, yeah, if they're being told, Oh no, we can't do that for you, yeah. Um there are there are actions that they can take.

SPEAKER_01 9:18

Exactly that, yeah. So I think I would have assumed at any kind of onboarding of any of any job role you have the option to tick if you have a disability, whether that be invisible or not. Um and I would personally advise I would always tick that because it always just starts the conversation off.

SPEAKER_00 9:34

Yeah. Um because so that's the first thing, isn't it? Is that actually making your employer aware uh that you do have a disability because it may not be apparently that, yeah, you would never know that you have um and that's the that's the kick-off point for saying, and I might need uh this, this, and this to be put in place for me, or I will need this. Um it depends on the disability. So maybe people with a neurodivergent uh disability um or or um makeup might might need certain breaks, they might need certain things. Uh but it's about making sure that that's known when you start in that place of employment.

SPEAKER_01 10:09

Or when something starts if you're already in if you're in employment and something comes on to make your employer aware, um, because I think from that awareness you can see if you're at a good workplace and see where those things are being taken seriously, which of course I can say at this goes always has been absolutely great.

SPEAKER_00 10:26

Yeah, we're very keen to make sure that we're you know inclusive in our in our workforce. So um and having um you know spent I'm a you're a total inspiration, somebody of your age who's who's you know willing to talk very, very openly about your own experiences, um, I think opens that that conversation for other people who might might be struggling with things alone and not feeling that that's something they really want to talk about with their boss.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

Yeah, and that's why I like that's why I like to to be so open, um, because I can like some sympathise with people that aren't, and I think it's always when you see someone that's open with their struggles, whether that be the same disability or not, whether that just makes you feel better with yourself or you can then go confide in that person or someone else to to think that it would help someone live a better life or have a better career, that's yeah, definitely my aim for that.

SPEAKER_00 11:17

Yeah. So if somebody were to um have start to have those conversations, their employer and they were finding that they were just hitting a brick wall, yeah. What would your advice to them be?

SPEAKER_01 11:26

Um yes, I mean of course, coming from not a legal advice at this point, um, but I think your employer when you join an onboarding process, that like I said before, that should be a tick box that's there. If that isn't a conversation that's been addressed, um I would definitely advise going through to your HR department because I know they're there should be trained in that in that way and what reasonable justice are available at your work. Um yes, I think it is depending again on what you're requesting. I know it's everything is reasonable, what is to your disability. So it's all it's all about being open and and kind of going through the pathways, whether that be HR, and of course, if your HR department and other bosses aren't kind of um being open to that process, then yeah, then of course you've got the employment tribunals and things that you may unfortunately start.

SPEAKER_00 12:13

Yeah, yeah, definitely legal advice on the um and you've you've uh fairly recently you've indicated you've had a you've had another procedure, but but actually when you you say about going back and living your life to the full, you're a keen runner. Yeah, I am. You're not running at the moment because you're you're not providing uh you've you've done that you've done quite a lot of uh quite big races, haven't you?

SPEAKER_01 12:35

I have, yeah. I mean I started maybe like two years after I had my first surgery, um just some 5Ks, nothing too strenuous. And then I met the Elizabeth Foundation that I know Bisco's also are partnered with and work with as well. Um and that was also at the business expo that I also met Visco's out. So it was all nice full cycle moment. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:55

Elizabeth Foundation are uh are a charity that that we um regularly support who um teach um deaf babies and children to listen and talk through their uh hearing technology, and they're based in the grounds of um QA Hospital, um, but they're not funded by the hospitals. They have to raise all the funds, and it's the most amazing organisation of when you when you go there um and you see these children who are you know would otherwise have very life-limiting um experiences of school, etc. Uh being able to to to progress into mainstream school, etc., and and and just use their hearing technology is it's just fantastic.

SPEAKER_01 13:34

Yeah, being there for the day, of course, yeah, it was so inspiring, it was lovely. Um so yeah, I met the Elizabeth Foundation and of course being an advocate for all disabilities, whether that be visible or not, I was keen to get involved and they offered me to run for their um the half marathon, so it was the Portsmouth Coastal Half Marathon, middle of December, freezing, raining, any weather you could have on that day, you had. Um it was a slow one, but yeah, we got it done, which was nice. Um and then I've done a few races since, but yeah, as I said, surgeries um slowed me down a bit, but I'm looking to really get involved in some more again in the next year or so.

SPEAKER_00 14:08

So an absolute inspiration, but but also a testament to the fact that you you know you can carry on and have the life that you had um planned for yourself. Exactly, yeah. You just have to make the career in law, yeah, running crazy long places for therapy.

SPEAKER_01 14:24

Yeah, exactly, yeah. It's just about making those those changes and those amendments because I don't want anyone to feel like because they have such a surgery they can't be themselves. It can very easily, and as it should be at the initial stages of it, take over and consume you, which it does, and it should, because it's a a crazy life-altering condition that you have to deal with every day. I have to think about how I'm getting somewhere every day, the the bathrooms around, like it does affect every part of my day, but it as soon as that becomes the norm to you, I think it's really important if you can to really get back to your core values of what you once wanted to do and your once plans because it's it if anything, it it treat teaches you the resilience to do even better in those plans and teaches you so many problem solving skills that you would never have learned otherwise, and I think it makes you a better person.

SPEAKER_00 15:13

Yeah. Um well, we're we're very proud and uh honoured that you've uh decided to stay with us at Bisco's, and I'm sure um you will form part of a future leadership team at some point. Um so thank you, Sally, for coming and being so open and honest about all of those things. Uh hopefully that will inspire um anybody who sadly it might be going through the same thing or something similar to to know that there is there is light at the other side.

SPEAKER_01 15:39

Exactly that, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

That's the message. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

Thank you.