My special guest on this episode of the 21andsensory Podcast is the wonderful Georgia De Gidlow. Georgia is an actor who is based both in Belfast and in London. She made her on-screen debut in a lead role in the BBC’s 'A Kind of Spark', which was nominated for a number of awards, including an Emmy nomination for casting. It won “Best Children’s Programme” at the 2024 Broadcast Awards. Georgia has also played Wendy in the Watford Palace Theatre’s production of Peter Pan, proving her strong abilit...
Jun 27, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 96
I am really excited to chat to today's special guest Kay Wilson. Kay is a Nottingham-based illustrator, most well known for her cover of the best-selling book A Kind of Spark, as well as Keedie, Like a Charm and Like a Curse by Elle McNicoll. Kay has worked on a wide range of projects, from editorial illustration to podcast art. I hope you enjoy listening to our chat! Things Kay mentioned and recommended (with notes below provided by Kay!): Gabe Dunn Article - Get Rich or Die Vlogging (the origi...
Apr 25, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 95
I am really excited to chat to today's special guest Dr Emma Cernis. Emma is a clinical psychologist and researcher with expertise in complex mental health difficulties. She is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Birmingham and works within the School of Psychology and the Institute for Mental Health. Through her research, Emma aims to improve the understanding and treatment of dissociative difficulties. Clinically, Emma has expertise in working with young adults e...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 94
I am really excited to chat to today's special guest which is the lovely Chloe Tear. Chloe is an award winning disability blogger and freelance writer with 10 years experience. On her blog she documents her lived experiences as a disabled young woman and she currently works as a senior content designer for GOV.UK. Chloe has had Cerebral Palsy from birth, but became visually impaired during her first year of university. Chloe's sight-loss continues to deteriorate and she has been registered as se...
Feb 28, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 59
Dr Alex Smalley is a researcher and communicator aiming to understand more about how experiences in nature can impact people’s wellbeing. Alex is based at the University of Exeter's European Centre for Environment and Human Health and holds a PhD in environmental psychology. Since 2017 he has been investigating the cognitive and emotional impacts of virtual encounters with the natural world. Most recently, he partnered with the BBC Natural History Unit and Audible to create the Healing Power of ...
Jan 31, 2025•57 min•Ep. 92
Grab a hot drink and a snack because it's time for a huge 2024 catch-up episode with Emily! (who only realised as she was recording that it’s been an entire YEAR since she did a solo episode?!) Things I cover (with timestamps): 0:00 Intro + Spotify Wrapped Stats 5:00 A wrap up of 2024’s podcast guests 23:20 Life Update and Instagram Questions 40:34 Portal App! 52:45 Books I've read this year (open link!) Things I mentioned: Emily’s Lego: https://amzn.to/3ZQZmJb Portal app link: Access a f...
Dec 28, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 91
I am super excited for today's episode as I have special guest Dr Harriet Axbey on the show. Harriet Axbey is an autistic early career researcher at Swansea University. She is a research assistant on the “Autism from Menstruation to Menopause” Wellcome Trust Funded project within the Faculty of Medicine, Health, and Life Science. This project aims to look at the reproductive health experiences of autistic people with wombs across the lifespan. Harriets areas of expertise include: Autism Neurod...
Nov 29, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 90
On today’s show I have the lovely Esme Jay, who is also known by the nickname Pixie. Esme is a queer autistic writer-turned-content creator living with PTSD and anxiety. They run @pixiesbigwhy over on Instagram which has almost 18,000 followers at time of recording (now over 19k as the podcast goes live!). Esme shares their life including content around lifestyle, fashion, autism, mental health and chronic illness. Trigger warning: mention of domestic violence, homelessness and abuse Things ment...
Oct 31, 2024•57 min•Ep. 102
I am super excited for today's episode as I have the wonderful special guest Elle McNicoll on the show. Elle is a bestselling and award-winning novelist and screenwriter. She is an advocate for better representation of neurodiversity in publishing, as an autistic and dyspraxic novelist. Her debut, A Kind of Spark, won the Overall Waterstones Children's Book Prize in 2021. It was also voted number 75 in The 100 Greatest Children's Books of All Time in 2023. She is a three-time Carnegie-nominated ...
Oct 03, 2024•58 min•Ep. 88
On today’s show I have the lovely Jess Chandler. Jess is an advocator and activist in the Neurodivergent and Disabled Community. Jess also spreads awareness about Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and educates others on the impact that invisible illnesses can carry. Now you might know Jess from her fab instagram and TikTok accounts @thejesschandler (where she has almost 34,000 followers and @the.neurodivergent.witch which has almost 13,000 followers! So I’m very excited for this chat! Links to find J...
Sep 20, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 114
Today I have special guest Professor Janet Harbord on the show. Janet is a professor of film studies at Queen Mary, University of London. Recently she has worked as a principle investigator (alongside Steven Eastwood) on a five year Wellcome Trust funded project called ‘Autism through Cinema’ . Autism Through Cinema was a collaborative investigation into the relationships between neurodivergent thinking and cinematic creation. Janet is on todays episode to chat about her work directing a video e...
Aug 16, 2024•58 min•Ep. 86
On today’s episode I have the lovely Zara Beth as my special guest, she's back on the podcast for a catch-up episode! Zara is an 18 year old content creator, writer, musician and disability advocate from the UK. She shares her experiences as a neurodivergent, queer adult navigating life with neurological disabilities and chronic illness. Zara dedicates her time to raising awareness for disabilities and mental health, creating a safe space for neurodivergent people, disabled people, and also for ...
Jun 30, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 85
On todays show I have the lovely Louise and Fiona. Both Louise and Fiona work for the Wilf Ward Family Trust - they are part of a wider team of 900 people that support almost 300 individuals with learning disabilities across Yorkshire. It was founded in 1986 by Wilf and Phyllis Ward to give relief to carers through the provision of residential respite units and day facilities. Since then they have grown providing more than 70 residential and supported living services for adults with profound lea...
May 31, 2024•40 min•Ep. 84
On today's episode I have the lovely Charli Clement as my special guest. Charli is an activist, speaker, writer, creator and lived experience expert. They are proudly autistic, ADHD, dyspraxic, and chronically ill, and particularly passionate about discussing the intersections of these conditions. Charli works with the NHS and other organisations around psychiatric inpatient care, human rights and autism. Charli’s first non-fiction book around autism and chronic illness was published by Jessica ...
Apr 30, 2024•59 min•Ep. 83
On today's episode I have the lovely Emily Katy on as my special guest, who you might know from social media as @itsemilykaty. Emily was previously on episode 51 of the 21andsensory podcast but I shall of course reintroduce her... Emily is an autistic woman with ADHD and OCD. She is a blogger, author and advocate, and works with neurodivergent children and young people. Emily is a Trustee for the Autistic Girls Network and Former youth participation council member and Former Public Governor for ...
Mar 29, 2024•45 min•Ep. 82
On todays episode my special guest is the lovely Rachel Charlton-Dailey. Rachel is an is an award-winning disabled editor, journalist, activist and more recently author! Rachel is a disability rights columnist for The Daily Mirror where she guest edited the series Disabled Britain. Rachel writes mainly about disability and women’s rights and her work has featured in publications such as HuffPost, The Guardian, Glamour and The Big Issue . Her specialisms are political issues affecting disabled pe...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 81
We last had a chat (a recorded chat - I speak to her outside the pod!) on Episode 35 in April 2021...but she’s back again for a catch-up…it’s my sister! Our previous chat here in case you missed it! We chat about: - Her life since 2021 and her career moves - The training and studying she has already done and what she hasn’t had the opportunity to do… - The education system in the UK and working in both mainstream and specialist schools - Children-centred learning and how important this is - Stud...
Jan 31, 2024•57 min•Ep. 80
Grab a hot drink and a snack because it's time for a huge 2023 catch-up episode with Emily! Things I cover: Podcast guests I've had on this year - a recap My podcaster Spotify wrapped stats! Q&A segment - answered questions from my Instagram stories A life update Books I've read this year Things I mentioned: Lego succulent: https://www.lego.com/en-gb/product/succulents-10309 Lego succulent light kit: https://www.lightmybricks.co.uk/products/lego-succulents-10309-light-kit My Tangle video: (G...
Dec 28, 2023•54 min•Ep. 79
Today I have the wonderful Courn Ahn on as my special guest. Courn is a Queer Autistic Korean-American Illustrator and Designer. Their work depicts social justice, antiracism, and all things activism and they have over 5 years experience in the creative industry. You may know Courn through @candy.courn on TikTok and Instagram with their wonderful series of videos all about navigating life as an autistic asian ace with video topics including their special interests, home interior design and all t...
Nov 30, 2023•59 min•Ep. 78
On today's episode my special guest is the lovely Georgia Holliday. Georgia describes herself as an ADHD & autistic writer, poet and lifelong student of words. Her work explores feminism, neurodivergence, chronic illness and the glorious messiness of life. Georgia is also an English Lit & Creative Writing student, a wife, dog mum, content creator and obsessive reader. You may know Georgia from her social media prescence where she has 63k followers on TikTok and over 15k followers on Inst...
Oct 27, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 77
Grab a hot drink and a snack because it's time for a catch-up episode with Emily! Links to things I mentioned: Durham University research project: https://sensorystreet.uk/2023/08/25/new-durham-university-impact-funding/ Keren's podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NjpJ34V6WLb4hUhQgwXqy?si=3d619eac11b34e77 Neurospicey Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neurospicy.podcast/ My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/21andsensory Books I mentioned: 'Strong Female Character' By Fern Brady 'The...
Sep 29, 2023•44 min•Ep. 76
On today's episode I have special guest, Alice. Alice is 25, autistic and studying speech and language therapy. I've known Alice for quite a while now - we both knew each other growing up and we were both late-diagnosed as Autistic so this should be an interesting chat! Links to things Alice mentioned: Purple Ella's Discord: https://direct.me/purpleella Right to choose: psychiatry-uk.com/right-to-choose-asd/ More about being a Speech & Language Therapist: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/exp...
Aug 31, 2023•58 min•Ep. 75
On today's episode I have the super lovely Ella Maisy Purvis. Ella is a classically trained ballet dancer who went on to retrain as an actor at LAMDA. Ella was a finalist at Theatre Royal Stratford Easts SLAMbition 2022, a monologue slam for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people. TV and Film credits include Blueprint, a BFI short, Heartstopper on Netflix, Malpractice for ITV and A Kind Of Spark for BBC. *Episode contains swearing. Ella's social links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ella...
Jul 28, 2023•33 min•Ep. 74
On todays episode I have the awesome Jordan Ellis. Jordan describes himself as a T-shaped visual designer specialising in all things creative in FinTech (which is short for financial technology). He is currently working at Anna Money and working to better life as a neurodivergent in the creative industry. He has done it all, from working in huge creative teams in fin-tech unicorns, to an army of one in a start up! Jordan's Links: Linkedin Website Medium My 21andsensory links @21andsensory on Ins...
Jun 30, 2023•57 min•Ep. 73
Hello! It's time for an episode with just me* - grab a drink and snack and let's have a catch-up! This episode will cover all things life, job and mental health related as well as some books I have been reading, dog-sitting and I answer some listener questions! *TW: Discussion includes mental health issues such as dissociation, anxiety, medication. Links mentioned: Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/dissociation-and-dissociative-disorders/about-diss...
May 31, 2023•53 min•Ep. 72
On todays episode I have the lovely Marianne Eloise. Marianne is a writer and journalist who lives in Brighton in the UK. She writes about things such as TV, wellness, disability, film, business, digital culture, sex and alt music for outlets including The Cut, The New York Times, Courier, Dazed, Vulture, i-D and the Guardian to name a few both in print and online. Marianne also writes copy, branded and native content and newsletters for brands, artists and companies including Paramount, Univers...
Apr 28, 2023•48 min•Ep. 71
Sophie Broadgate is an Autistic Writer, Director and Filmmaker based in Cumbria and Manchester. Sophie's work spans across Narrative, Documentary and Art Film. She started her career in production, working as a Production Assistant and independent Producer. As a Producer she has seen her work screen at BFI Flare, Queer Lisboa and Palace International film festival and soon at the BIFA Manchester film festival. Over time Sophie has transitioned to work more as a Writer / Director, focusing on per...
Mar 31, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 70
On todays episode I have the lovely Allie Mason. Now you may remember I’ve had Allie on before (see episode 23) but if you didn’t listen to that episode here is a quick intro to Allie. Allie studied for an undergraduate degree in Christian Theology and has a masters degree in Education Research from the University of Oxford. Allie has always been an avid reader and now as an adult, writes books that neurodivergent kids and teens, like she once was, can see themselves in. Her non-fiction debut, T...
Feb 28, 2023•51 min•Ep. 69
On todays episode I have the lovely Ashleigh Thompson. Ashleigh is 24 and works full-time as a project manager remotely. Ashleigh is Autistic and lives with her boyfriend Charlie who is also Autistic. Now you might know Ashleigh from her fab Tiktok videos @ashleighfare where she has over 35,000 followers. She also has a blog where she talks a lot about her experiences realising she is autistic and has lots of helpful advice (which I'll link below!) Ashleigh's Links: Blog: www.ashleighthompson.co...
Feb 10, 2023•59 min•Ep. 68
On todays episode I have the lovely Rosemary Richings. Rosemary is a Dyspraxic Pro writer, editor, author, and neurodiversity advocate. Currently Rosemary is serving on the board of trustees of Dyspraxic Me, a UK-based charity providing peer support for dyspraxics ages 16-25. She is also a founding member of Dyspraxic Alliance, along with a Dyspraxia Magazine Panel member. Rosemary is originally from Toronto, Canada, but moved to Marrakech (which is in Morocco) in 2021. Rosemary is on the podcas...
Jan 27, 2023•46 min
