Divergent Minds

Keren MacLennan

Join Dr Keren MacLennan to hear incredible stories and perspectives from neurodivergent folk and people who work in the realm of neurodiversity.  Follow us on Instagram: @divergentminds.podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. 4 days ago

    Catherine Anne Davies - The Anchoress

    In this episode, Hayleigh and Keren are joined by Welsh producer and multi-instrumentalist The Anchoress (aka Catherine Anne Davies). She has released two acclaimed studio albums which have amassed an army of celebrity fans including The Cure’s Robert Smith, Caitlin Moran, and Elton John, as well as selling over 20,000 physical units in an age of streaming. Her trademark literate baroque songwriting mixes epic melancholic guitar anthems alongside “swaggering synth-pop” (UNCUT) and “shining alt-pop from the artisan of darkness” (RECORD COLLECTOR). Her second album The Art of Losing successfully transformed wall-to-wall critical plaudits into a Top 40 position in the UK charts. It was also named an album of the year by The Sunday Times, The Line of Best Fit, Mail on Sunday, Prog, and The Sun. She has been twice nominated for the Welsh Music Prize and has repeatedly collaborated with Manic Street Preachers and released a duo album with Bernard Butler. Catherine was previously part of the line-up of Simple Minds, appearing on the albums Big Music (2015) and Walk Between Worlds (2018) before departing in 2019. Versions, her 2023 collection of imaginative re-workings of indie anthems was named an album of the year by the Mail on Sunday and heralded by The Sunday Times as “beguiling and insightful”. This covers collection of tracks by Radiohead, REM, Depeche Mode, Nirvana, the Cure was hailed as “spine tingling” by BBC 6Music’s Chris Hawkins and described as “a thrill for teenage goth girls everywhere” by MOJO.  You can order the Anchoress' new album here: found.ee/AsWeOnceWere Visit her website: www.theanchoress.co.uk Find her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theanchoressofficial/?hl=en You can find project LIVEND on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/livend Take part in our research study sharing your experiences of nightlife: https://redcap.link/plzfegst Follow Divergent Minds on Instagram and send us your questions, comments, and requests for episodes: www.instagram.com/divergentminds.podcast Please like, review, and subscribe! Follow us on Instagram: [@divergentminds.podcast](https://www.instagram.com/divergentminds.podcast?igsh=YmhoczVwMDVxaGVm&utm_source=qr) Divergent Minds is hosted and produced by [Dr Keren MacLennan](https://www.instagram.com/kerenmaclennan/) Please like, subscribe, or leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. 7 Jun

    Ali Wagner - Dancefloor Intimacy

    In this episode, Hayleigh and Keren are joined by Ali Wagner (she/her), who is a nightlife researcher and cultural producer based in London. She is the founder of Dancefloor Intimacy, a consultancy focused on making nightclubs and music venues more accessible and inclusive for Disabled, Neurodivergent, Deaf, Blind, and chronically ill people. Her work is community-led, with focus groups at its core. Recent collaborators include fabric, Joy, in Birkenhead, Horst, and the Cause. She is also ⅓ of WORMHOLE, a DIY Sunday event in London, and ½ of Uhaul Dyke Rescue, London's hottest FLINTA club night and festival pop-up with recent takeovers at Field Manuevers, WHOLE, Glastonbury, +more. In this episode, we talk about Ali's work and how nightlife spaces can be made to be more inclusive with some excellent tips for venues, event organisers, and promoters for how to do this. Links for Dancefloor Intimacy: Website: https://dancefloorintimacy.org/ Instagram: @dancefloor.intimacy You can find project LIVEND on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/livend Take part in our research study sharing your experiences of nightlife: https://redcap.link/plzfegst Follow Divergent Minds on Instagram and send us your questions, comments, and requests for episodes: www.instagram.com/divergentminds.podcast Please like, review, and subscribe! Follow us on Instagram: [@divergentminds.podcast](https://www.instagram.com/divergentminds.podcast?igsh=YmhoczVwMDVxaGVm&utm_source=qr) Divergent Minds is hosted and produced by [Dr Keren MacLennan](https://www.instagram.com/kerenmaclennan/) Please like, subscribe, or leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. 8 Apr

    Neuro-inclusive live music

    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/10.1177/25739581251375879 Hayleigh's links: www.brunel.ac.uk/people/hayleigh-bosher www.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.podcast Please like and subscribe! Follow us on Instagram: [@divergentminds.podcast](https://www.instagram.com/divergentminds.podcast?igsh=YmhoczVwMDVxaGVm&utm_source=qr) Divergent Minds is hosted and produced by [Dr Keren MacLennan](https://www.instagram.com/kerenmaclennan/) Please like, subscribe, or leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. 31/10/2023

    Emily @21andsensory

    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** Follow us on Instagram: [@divergentminds.podcast](https://www.instagram.com/divergentminds.podcast?igsh=YmhoczVwMDVxaGVm&utm_source=qr) Divergent Minds is hosted and produced by [Dr Keren MacLennan](https://www.instagram.com/kerenmaclennan/) Please like, subscribe, or leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About

Join Dr Keren MacLennan to hear incredible stories and perspectives from neurodivergent folk and people who work in the realm of neurodiversity.  Follow us on Instagram: @divergentminds.podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.