The Adventure Didn't End - It Just Looks Different with Clare Reilly
Today’s interview is with Clare Reilly - she’s an adventurer, podcast host, disability advocate, and likes doing things that people say she shouldn't be able to do.
Clare lives with multiple sclerosis (MS), but she refuses to let that define the limits of her life. Instead, she’s encouraging others to embrace micro adventures and sharing the realities of living with MS with honesty, humour, and hope.
Listen to the episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1oQyvFuGsu2hUv25Po0sfP?si=pTzd7hpfQCWG28KPXwv3QA
In this conversation, we explore Clare's journey from receiving her MS diagnosis to becoming the first person to traverse the Munda Biddi Trail, the world's longest off-road cycling route in Western Australia, using a wheelchair.
We also chat about:
Clare's life before multiple sclerosis and how big adventures were a core part of her identity
Why she kept her diagnosis private early on
Why she started her podcast, MS Understood, and how listening to others expanded her understanding of how differently MS affects each person.
What gradual acceptance looked like as her mobility declined
Why she's passionate about encouraging people to embrace micro-adventures
The inspiration behind tackling the 1,000km Munda Biddi Trail
What 18 months of preparation looked like for such an enormous challenge
The conversations she hopes her journey sparks around accessibility, inclusion, and reimagining what's possible
About Clare
Clare is an adventurer, storyteller, and passionate advocate for people living with multiple sclerosis. Originally from Portarlington, Victoria, she loves proving that the things people say are impossible are often worth attempting anyway.
Whether she's hunting for roadside honey stalls, hiding away in native cottage gardens, recording her podcast, writing her memoir, or tackling ambitious outdoor adventures, Clare brings humour, curiosity, and determination to everything she does.
Through her advocacy, podcast MS Understood, and her incredible Munda Biddi Trail expedition, which is also raising funds for medical research, Clare hopes to inspire people to think differently about adventure, disability, and what's possible.
You can learn more about Clare and support her fundraising journey at wheelchairmeetswilderness.org.
Follow Clare on IG: https://www.instagram.com/clare.reilly/
