Divergent Minds

We are back with a new name, new branding and a new season! In season 2 we will be deep diving into neurodiversity in the music industry and we have some fantastic guests lined up! We will also be joined by a fabulous co-host for the season, Dr Hayleigh Bosher. Hayleigh is not only my best friend but is also creative industries law and policy expert. She is a Reader in Intellectual Property Law at Brunel, University of London, consultant and board member in the creative industries. She is currently a research fellow at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, funded by the British Academy Researcher-led Innovation Fellowship. Hayleigh is the author of Copyright in the Music Industry (Edward Elgar, 2026), the host of the Whose Song is it Anyway? Podcast. In this first episode of the season, Hayleigh and I chat about our project LIVEND and the research and work we have done to make live music venues and events more inclusive for Neurodivergent people. The episode also includes a recording of a panel discussion we hosted at our event as part of this project at the Royal Albert Hall in July 2024, alongside our reflections of this event. On the panel, we hear from Flo Schroeder, former Senior Engagement Manager at the Royal Albert Hall, Esta Rae, Senior Events Manager at AIM (Association of Independent music) and founder of Life with Dyslexia, and Georgia Harper, former policy manager at Autistica.You can find project LIVEND on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/livend The research paper on Autistic people's experiences of live music venues and events: https://doi.org/10.1177/25739581251375879Hayleigh's links:www.brunel.ac.uk/people/hayleigh-bosherwww.linkedin.com/in/hayleigh-bosher/ www.instagram.com/hayleigh.bosher/Follow Divergent Minds on Instagram and send us your questions, comments, and requests for episodes: www.instagram.com/divergentminds.podcastPlease like and subscribe!

In this episode, I chat to Zoe-Jane Littlewood, who is a dynamic and inspiring mixed race dyslexic woman on a mission to revolutionise the way people view dyslexia. As an advocate and content creator, she utilises her personal experiences and expertise to raise awareness and create a more inclusive society for individuals with dyslexia. We chat all about the misconceptions of dyslexia and Zoe's experiences of education, employment, and her various incredible projects.Make sure you follow Zoe on her socials:Instagram: @the_dyslexic_movementLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-jane-littlewood/?originalSubdomain=uk

In this episode, I chat to Lydia Wilkins, who is an award winning freelance journalist who specialises in disability and social inequality issues. She also is the current editor of Disability Review Magazine; her other work has been published in places such as The Metro, Refinery 29, Insider, the Brighton Seagull, PossAbility Magazine, The Simple Things and others. At AccessAble, who she is also an ambassador for, Lydia also edits their in-house newsletters. Her work as an ambassador has included speaking, video editing, consultancy and more. She is represented by Impacting The Young for speaking commitments. Lydia is also the author of The Autism Friendly Cookbook, which won 2 awards at the Gourmand awards in 2023. This has since been adapted into a pilot course in East Sussex, a first of its kind approach, with more to be developed.She is currently working on her second book. Lydia's website: https://lydiawilkins.co.uk/ Instagram, X: @journo_lydiaCooking Beyond the Spectrum course: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cooking-beyond-the-spectrum-tickets-765623690067?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Jemma Freese is a composer, arranger, keyboardist, synth player, pianist, vocalist and spoken word artist based in the north of England.In this fantastic episode, we talk all about Jemma's music, her music career, and her experiences of being late diagnosed autistic and being a neurodivergent person working in the music industry.You can follow Jemma on her socials and check out her incredible music!Instagram: jemma freese (@jemma_freese) • Instagram photos and videosSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5YC0Dzt8J9MzVC2PzyVr6M?si=c1deEIzbSXuHtPsMtR9OvwBandcamp: Music | Jemma Freese (bandcamp.com)Twitter: Jemma Freese (@jemma_freese) / X (twitter.com)Youtube: (175) Jemma Freese - YouTube

Dr Jane Gregory is a clinical psychologist, misophonia researcher and author of the book Sounds Like Misophonia: How to stop small noises from causing extreme reactions.In this truly fascinating episode, we deep dive into the topic of misophonia - why some people have a strong emotional reaction to certain sounds like people chewing and clicking pens. Jane talks all about her understanding of the topic from her research, clinical experience, and her own personal experience as someone who has misophonia.You can follow Jane on her socials and check out her amazing book!Instagram and X/Twitter: @drjanegregory @soundslikemiso

Emily, known as @21andsensory, is an Illustrator, Graphic Designer, and Podcaster who communicates her experiences of being autistic (diagnosed November 2019, aged 25), dyslexic, and having Sensory Processing Disorder also known and referred to as SPD. She originally started blogging about her sensory experiences in 2015 when I was 21 years old (hence the name 21andsensory). Emily's aim with @21andsensory is to bring people together and raise awareness that sensory problems aren’t something children necessarily grow out of but learn to live with and adapt to for the rest of their lives.In this episode, Emily speaks very candidly about her experiences of being an neurodivergent person, including the origins and drivers of @21andsensory, her diagnostic journey, challenges with employment and diagnosis disclosure, and some amazing projects she's worked on.You can follow Emily on all socials through her handle @21andsensory, and check out her amazing podcast! All links can be found here: https://linktr.ee/21andsensory**Apologies for Keren's sound quality on this episode - her mic decided to fail at time of recording**