Dr Michelle Ulor: From DJ Booth to Sonic Solutions for Wellbeing
What does it look like when you follow your curiosity all the way from a Tumblr blog to a PhD to founding a consultancy that blends science, sound, and wellbeing?
In this episode of Six Degrees of Innovation, I spoke with Dr. Michelle Ulor — DJ, researcher, and founder of Kinos Studio. Michelle’s journey bridges the worlds of music and psychology, academia and industry, creativity and science. Her work shows how music can do far more than entertain: it can boost wellbeing, foster connection, and spark meaningful change.
Growing Up in Sound
Michelle’s story begins in a musical household. Her father was a DJ, and her weekends were filled with drama school, theatre, and an eclectic mix of sounds — from African beats to emo rock to Caribbean rhythms. By her teens, she was running a Tumblr blog called Beats, Banter and Bob, curating underground artists she discovered on SoundCloud and sharing them with a growing online community.
That instinct to spot hidden talent, share sound, and create spaces for connection through music never left her.
Discovering Music Psychology
At Goldsmiths, where Michelle studied psychology, a friend encouraged her to join the student radio station. One thing led to another: DJing club nights, freelance music journalism, and eventually stumbling onto a module called Psychological Approaches to Music.
“I realised this was what I’d been looking for all along — how music impacts the mind, body, and behaviour,” she told me.
That discovery led to a Master’s in music psychology and then a PhD at the University of Leeds, where she explored whether deliberately imagining music in your head (think “earworms”) could reduce anxiety and improve mood. It was nerdy, specific work — and it opened a bigger question: how could music psychology move beyond papers and into the real world?
From Academia to Industry
Graduating in 2020, Michelle faced a tight job market and a career crossroads. A newsletter (yes, she reads them all!) led her to Zinc VC, where she joined a venture-building program focused on children’s mental health.
There, Michelle discovered that entrepreneurs come in many forms. “I always thought entrepreneurs were the loudest person in the room,” she reflected. “At Zinc I learned ambition, resilience, and even a bit of delusion matter more than personality.”
That experience reshaped her trajectory, showing her the value of research outside academia and sparking the entrepreneurial mindset that would eventually become Kinos Studio.
Building Kinos Studio
While working in venture and executive education, Michelle kept DJing and co-hosting music and wellbeing workshops — blending psychology insights, ambient soundscapes, and group reflection. Demand grew, particularly in the hospitality sector, where private members’ clubs and hotels sought out her unique approach.
By 2023, it was clear: the workshops were more than a side project. They were the foundation of something bigger.
Michelle launched Kinos Studio, a research-led music psychology consultancy working with teams, brands, and spaces to use music strategically — not just as background, but as a tool to:
Enhance wellbeing
Strengthen connection
Create impact
Her services now span workshops, talks, playlist curation, live DJing, sonic strategy, and research translation — always grounded in science, always delivered with joy.
Entrepreneurs Come in Many Forms
One of my favourite parts of our conversation was Michelle’s reframing of what it means to be entrepreneurial. For her, it’s not about fitting a mould — it’s about carrying traits that help you persist and create:
Ambition: reaching for the stars
Resilience: adapting when deals fall through
Delusion (in the best sense): believing in your vision before anyone else does
“If you give yourself a backup plan, you’ll take it. I didn’t give myself one. It’s this or nothing,” she said.
It’s a powerful reminder that entrepreneurship is as much about mindset as it is about sector.
Reflection as a Business Strategy
Michelle also treats her business like an ongoing research project. Each workshop or client engagement is a chance to gather data, test hypotheses, and iterate. She even builds weekly reflection days into her schedule — stepping back from delivery to ask: Is this still aligned? What needs adjusting?
It’s a lesson many founders could borrow: reflection isn’t a luxury, it’s part of the work.
Innovation Spotlight
When asked who’s inspiring her now, Michelle pointed to her client Wellverse, a company combining neuroscience, VR, and the arts to create immersive wellness experiences. Kinos Studio designed the ambient soundscapes for a VR dome where users can co-create personalised audio pieces to support wellbeing.
It’s a perfect example of the kind of cross-disciplinary, sensory innovation Michelle champions.
Closing Thoughts
Michelle’s path is a testament to following joy and curiosity — from underground SoundCloud tracks to academic research to a consultancy making music psychology tangible for brands, teams, and communities.
Kinos Studio proves that music isn’t just something we listen to. It’s something we can use — to connect, to heal, and to imagine new futures.
As Michelle told me, “Life is short. I want to spend my time doing something that excites me, helps people, and brings meaning.”
I’d say she’s well on her way.