21andsensory Podcast

On this month's 21andsensory Podcast episode I have the lovely Eliza Fricker on as my special guest. Eliza is an author & illustrator, and an advocate & consultant for PDA, autism and learning. She is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Family Experience of PDA and Can't Not Won't. Eliza has published several books, including A Different Kind of Parenting and the acclaim...

On this month's 21andsensory Podcast* I have Nathan Dunne as my special guest. Nathan was born in Brisbane, Australia and grew up in India. After graduating from the University of Sydney with the University Medal, he studied art history at Cambridge University and received a PhD from Birkbeck College, University of London. He has lectured at Harvard and Yale, and also worked for several years at T...

On this month's 21andsensory Podcast I have Dr Claire Bates as my special guest. Claire is an active academic researcher holding honorary research associate positions at the both the University of Kent and Manchester Metropolitan University.  Claire is the Founder and Leader of Supported Loving which she founded in 2017 (having joined Choice Support in 2002) as a response to her PhD exploring...

On this month's 21andsensory Podcast episode I have the wonderful special guest Keira Edwards. Keira is an autistic journalist who is one of four BBC Sounds Audiolab Creators for 2025. BBC Sounds Audio Lab is an accelerator programme with one big ambition – to amplify next-generation storytellers and audio creatives. With a focus on under-represented UK voices and experiences, we help to trans...

On this month's 21andsensory Podcast I have special guest Cath on the show. Cath is a graduate from the University of York and the University of Oxford and their background is in student voice, with 5 years of experience across two universities.  Cath is also the host and founder of the HE Enabled Podcast. HE Enabled is a show dedicated to sharing the experiences of disabled, neurodivergent, and t...

On today's episode I have special guest Lauren Melissa Ellzey also known as Autienelle. Lauren Melissa is an autistic self-advocate and author of three young adult novels, BOY AT THE WINDOW, STREAMLINE, and GIMMICKS AND GLAMOUR, which explore belonging for queer, neurodivergent youth of colour.  Her advocacy work has crossed paths with New York University, Reframing Autism, Cripple Media, NeuroCla...

*Content warning* we chat about potentially triggering topics such as eating disorders, drugs and alcohol, listener discretion is advised. On today’s show I have the wonderful special guest Claire. Claire is houseplant-obsessed and has a fab YouTube channel called The Jungle Haven. She started her YouTube channel to make videos about the things she has learnt (and continues to learn) on her indoor...

On today’s show I have special guest David Holmes who is the founder of Big Life Adventure.  Big Life Adventure is a fun, safe, and supportive online platform designed especially for people with learning disabilities and autism. It helps you explore your interests, set goals, connect with others, and express yourself – all in one place.  David made headline news a few weeks ago when he warned that...

On today’s show I have the wonderful special guest Anna Zoe Quirke. Anna is a queer and autistic author, librarian, and freelance writer from the North of England. They’ve written books, scripts, poetry (and much more). Their novel ‘Something to be Proud of’ won the Northern Writers’ Award for Debut YA Fiction in 2022, was shortlisted for the PFD Queer Fiction Prize, was published with Little Tige...

IT'S EPISODE 100! WOOP! Thanks for listening and subscribing to the 21andsensory podcast over the years - it really does mean a lot and I hope you have enjoyed all the guests I've had on so far...more exciting guests to come too! On today's episode I have a very special guest to celebrate the 100th episode...but you'll have to click play to find out who it is! My 21andsensory links...

On this month's 21andsensory Podcast I have the wonderful special guest Lucy Powrie. Lucy is a neurodivergent author whose dream is to fill bookshelves with as many books featuring proudly autistic and ADHD characters as possible – just like her. She makes bookish videos as lucythereader on YouTube to an audience of over 40,000 subscribers, and enjoys passionately sharing her love for old books, t...

Very excited to announce that on this months 21andsensory Podcast episode I have special guest Rachel Morgan-Trimmer Rachel is (and does) many things including being: • An International keynote and TEDx speaker • A neurodiversity consultant and trainer • An entrepreneur • …and an author! Rachel founded Sparkle Class in 2019 which has since rebranded to Firebird which is a company that delivers tra...

On today's episode I have special guest Hannah. Hannah is an illustrator who created SadSnailAdventures after discovering she is neurodivergent and being diagnosed with autism. Hannah wanted to build a creative space to share the highs, lows, and everything in between about living as a neurodivergent person, hoping it helps others feel less alone. Hannah loves bringing her illustrations and pr...

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...

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...

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 a...

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 fir...

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...

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...

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...

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 an...

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...

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.neurod...

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 t...

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 disabil...