Neurodivergent writer.
Podcaster.
Entrepreneur.
Artist.
“We’re kinda like cosmic twins”
Dan Sullivan“A one in a million mentor”
Margaret Manning OBEI am working to shape UK education and health policy at the intersection of neurodiversity and mental health.
I also work to rewild nature.
1992. Dropped out of art school.
1995. Graduated from University of Manchester with 2:1 in American History & Society and a 1st for my dissertation (on the deregulation of US media).
1996. Solo backpacked around South America for 8 months. Started in the Caribbean, finished in the Antarctic. Taken to ruins no-one had been to before in the Peruvian cloud forest.
2001. Bootstrap built DKPM — a 7-figure brand agency — exited in 2009. Clients included BAFTA (set up the Video Games Awards and official brand partner), Sony PlayStation (first pan-European user generated content campaign) and Hasbro (global redesign of Cluedo game board).
2004. Bootstrap built The Tech Dept — a 7-figure tech agency — exited in 2023. Clients included BBC Children In Need (who said “we wouldn’t have had another record fundraising year without you, fact”), won Cannes Lions Gold (for work with adam&eveDDB and John Lewis), World Wildlife Fund (user experience design, training on our actionable metrics method).
2004. Founder of the world’s first transatlantic sonic branding agency, with Martyn Ware from Heaven 17 and Vince Clarke from Erasure.
2014. Created an event series The Tech Off — aka “the lovechild of TED talks & WWE” — a cultural event in London and taken to SXSW Austin, Cannes Lions Innovation, Eurobest Helsinki. Became a comedy movie pilot from a BAFTA winning Director.
2017. Created not-for-profit Getahead Festival, a 24-hour event in London. Published album to raise money for mental health including tracks from The Prodigy, Chase & Status.
2018. Named one of the 25 most innovative people in Europe, Middle East & Asia by The Holmes Report.
2022. Ran 6 marathons in 7 days across the Sahara, raising £15k for children’s charity Kids Out.
2023. My podcast Honey I Blew Up The Business hit the global top 2.5%.
2024. Launched Founders Are Mental — a mental health and resilience coaching company which failed.
2024. Co-founder of global deal-making program CounterpartOS with a New York investment bank. Left after 7 months.
2024. Joined Biodiversity Units UK as Marketing & Customer Experience Director.
2025. Epic mental health meltdown. Misdiagnosed as depression by multiple psychiatrists (publicly funded and private). Diagnosed with ADHD and self diagnosed with autism. Treated ADHD and the depression disappeared — I was experiencing autistic burnout (a neurological shutdown).
2026. Attentionism — a substack newsletter.
2026. Honey I Blew Up My Brain — a podcast. (coming soon)
2026. The Horse & The Lion — a book. (coming soon)
2026. DANCE THERAPY — a sober somatic dance experience. (coming soon)
2026. Co-founder of The Natural Capital Company as Executive Producer. (coming soon)
2026. Founder of The Natural Revolution — media company. (coming soon)
I am available for speaking engagements. The fee is £10,000.
I speak on the following topics:
- What I learnt running the world’s toughest footrace (with Covid).
- Surviving as an entrepreneur with Autism and ADHD.
- How I died and what I learnt.
To contact me email: dan@thedankirby.com