From Expelled Schoolgirl to OBE: Anne Bates on Disability, Change & Speaking Up

In this episode of the Online Entrepreneur Academy podcast, I’m joined by the brilliant and wonderfully frank Anne Bates OBE – a woman who has reinvented her life more than once, not by choice, but through sheer determination, humour, and a refusal to stay quiet.Anne shares how she went from being expelled from school and working as a secretary, to becoming a nursery nurse, a college lecturer, and eventually Chair of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, advising the UK government on accessible transport. Along the way, she was awarded an OBE – which she wryly rebrands as “Other Buggers’ Efforts.”We talk about:How serious illness and disability forced a career change she never asked forThe realities of life as a wheelchair user in a world designed for everyone elseWhy language, assumptions, and “special assistance” can help – or completely miss the pointThe difference between the medical model and the social model of disabilityHow humour, stubbornness, and a sharp eye for injustice can drive real changeThis is a conversation about access, dignity, and unexpected career pivots. It’s honest, funny, and quietly fierce – especially if you’ve ever felt like a square peg being shoved into a round hole.You can find Ann on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-bates-obe-5bb84227/Do message us, suggestions, feedback guests you'd like to have in a conversation here? Thank you for you support and interest. ApprecaitedMy podcast is advert-free and jingle-free, simply put together, and hopefully demonstrates you can be working alone, keep the tech simple, and still share fabulous information.Keeping business simple is my motto! ...Although I will at some point have some music and a jingle!! Thank you for joining us, you'll find us here:https://calendly.com/susanmaghrabi/coffee-chat   Book your Complimentary AppointmentThe Rest :  https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lancaster-maghrabi/ 👉http://bit.ly/OLEAGroup  My free FB Group,  https://www.facebook.com/susanlancastermaghrabi/  https://www.facebook.com/SusanMaghrabi101 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpIKPhe3_SD1qNytfILNXQ  The Charity we support:https://www.facebook.com/StKizitoPrimarySchool see the page for details