From barely known to tv host

Since the start, Wishful Working has centered around my personal experience as a freelance writer, aspiring author, and creative person existing in a productivity-obsessed world. I have a lot to say, obviously — this is the 108th edition of Wishful Working. But I’m increasingly aware that I’m just one person with one way of living and working, and there are billions of other people and perspectives out there. 

So, I’m inviting some guests to paint us a picture of how they work and live. They’ll share their career journeys and tell us how they feel about their work and work in general. 

This is Work/Life. My first guest is Freelance Journalist John Loeppky. 

John lives and works in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, which is basically just down the street from me! It’s where I go to load up on Costco treats to take back to my tiny rural town. He wrote a great guest post for Wishful Working last year.

John was born in the UK. His first career aspiration came from the British children’s tv show Postman Pat. After his family moved to Canada in 2004, he found a new dream: NHL hockey goalie.

“I had a history, as a child, of aiming for jobs that I would have been hilariously inept at,” John told me. “I’m an ambulatory wheelchair user, and while I’m sure there are mail carriers who use chairs, it was not the most accessible career path.” As for his NHL dream? “Nevermind that I can’t stand on skates.”

The first gig he actively pursued was teaching, a path that came with its own accessibility challenges.

“I have, as my main disability, spastic cerebral palsy with a hint of ataxia,” John explained. “Which I’ve always thought sounded more like a fancy dish at a restaurant than a diagnosis.” He did three years of an education degree before deciding that the K-12 school system was somehow more ableist as a teacher than it was as a student — quite the feat, according to John. 

He pivoted from education to English and earned two degrees from the University of Regina: an English degree and a Master of Fine Arts degree focusing on solo performance, disability culture, and disability-led theatre in Canada/the prairies. 

“I didn’t go to journalism school, and I don’t think you need to,” he said, describing his path to journalism as the “chaotic student media route.” He went from contributor, to sports writer, to sports editor, to editor-in-chief of the student newspaper at the University of Regina.

After graduating, he worked with Listen to Dis’ Community Arts Organization in Regina for a number of years before deciding to become a full-time freelancer. 

As a freelance journalist, John is a generalist, but he said he tends to pitch disability-focused stories first with a new client because that’s what he’s strongest at. From there, he transitions into other coverage.

“I also actively work in multiple spaces to improve accessibility for disabled journalists,” John added. “Whether it’s my work with the Disabled Journalists Association or my elected role as part of the Canadian Media Guild.”

“I think I’ve always known that disability was going to shape my career,” John said when I asked if his disability has influenced the kind of work he’s pursued. “Who I am shapes the work I do, and I’m fine with that,” he said. “My Bluesky bio says ‘crippled and creative.’ I am one of those out and loud disabled people.”

Although he describes himself as a “barely known” journalist, a recent opportunity has given John a new title: tv host. His show, History in 60, is currently airing for Accessible Media Inc. and can be viewed on tv and on their free streaming service, amiplus.ca.

“We’ve had some incredible funders and collaborators from across the country, which has meant that I’ve gotten to dive deep into something I love: learning more about disability history and finding a way to present it in a way that people can make actionable in their own lives,” John shared.

I watched the first episode, where John looks at the history of Murderball, a.k.a. Wheelchair Rugby. It was excellent and very entertaining, and I learned a lot about an interesting topic I previously knew nothing about.

“The goal is to focus on disability history in an engaging and fun way,” John explained. His argument regarding the importance of disability history is compelling: “How can we talk about an accessible future if we can’t talk about what happened — for good and for bad — in the past?”

I asked John about his future plans and whether he has a dream job. He said he’s happy with how his career is going and he doesn’t have a dream gig. He does have some goals, though.

“I’d love to continue taking on more on-camera opportunities and just dive into whatever people want to collaborate with me on,” John said. 

He also described a dream interview opportunity: Hank and John Green. “I just find the ways they talk about the world, and about things like mental health, are just so valuable as a disabled journalist.” (I agree with this! I love John and Hank!)

If money were no object, John (Loeppky, not Green) would focus more time and energy writing his book about disability and productivity. He would also love to someday fund educational opportunities for disabled media workers and put money towards running his own outlet in a way that allows more people the chance to do the work he’s gotten to do in his career.

I asked John to share his most unhinged career-related opinion, and I loved his responses. 

First of all: “Journalism isn’t a calling, it’s a job,” John said. With some professions, including journalism, teaching, nursing, the arts, and non-profit work, people often use this language of “calling,” but that’s tricky territory.

“We open ourselves up to poorer working conditions because we set the expectation within our own body-minds that we will sacrifice for the greater good or for the soul of the industry.” 

His second mic drop: “If you’re a freelancer, you’re a business owner. You don’t have to like the business development aspects, but your expectations have to shift from those of a salaried employee.”

Finally, he quoted content creator Amanda Nelson (and many before her): Do no harm, but take no shit.

You can connect with John (or hire him!) via his website or on Bluesky or LinkedIn. You can watch his show, History in 60, for free online! 

A BIG thank you to John for being my first Work/Life guest. Let me know if you liked this format and what types of guests (or specific guests) you’d like to hear from!

More exciting things to come for Wishful Working. Stay tuned. 👀

See you next week,

Kara

John Loeppky is a disabled freelance journalist who lives and works on Treaty 6 territory in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. His work has appeared for CBC, FiveThirtyEight, Healthline, VeryWell Mind, Defector, and a host of others. His goal in life is to have an entertaining obituary to read.

Kara Detwiller is a writer and creative based in small-town Saskatchewan. She specializes in long-form content writing for enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity, and manufacturing clients. She is also working on her first novel, among other creative pursuits. To connect, reply to this email or find Kara on LinkedIn.

Why Wishful Working? I want to help people thrive in a world obsessed with work and productivity. Together, we’re expanding the definition of productivity, rediscovering life balance, and exploring the many kinds of work that make life possible.