The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show

When a life changing moment spawned a desire to understand herself more and figure out why she struggled with spelling and reading, our guest in this episode, Usha Patel, put aside all her years of training and experience as an Architect, and retrained as a Neurocognitive Therapist.  After setting up her own therapy practice in London in 2008, Usha has helped countless children and parents with dy...

What is it like working in the government? What is it like working in the front bench of the government? What is it like leading a major government department through a deadly pandemic? What is it like doing all that, with Dyslexia?  Well, that was the job of the well known and proud dyslexic, Matt Hancock. Most people in the UK will know Matt Hancock as the Secretary of State for Health and Socia...

Do you find that, because of your dyslexia, you are interested in loads of different things which seemingly don't go together!? Our host is an Automotive Engineer turned Dyslexic Podcaster, not an obvious link. Well, this is the theme of this podcast. This is a truly amazing life story of navigating dyslexia, travelling around Europe, writing, teaching and Eating Psychology Coaching!  In this...

When Nathan was diagnosed with dyslexia at 35, he couldn’t believe that this is what he had battelling with all through school and university and then in the workplace. And then finally with the diagnosis of dyslexia was able to access the support needed to thrive in work.  Later, Nathan set-up as a coach to help others with neurodiveristies like dyslexia and ADHD so that they too can thrive in th...

What is Dyscalculia?  Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with mathematics. It will be unexpected in relation to age, level of education and experience and occurs across all ages and abilities.  ( BDA Guidance on Dyscalculia )  In this episode of the podcast, Matt Head speaks with the founder of the Dyslexia...

It's a topic not often talked about, the pressure  fathers feel to be both successful at work or as an entrepreneur AND be a great dad.  For fathers, it can often feel like you get pulled in opposite directions by others but also by themselves to want to be a great dad and a successful career. Historically, fathers have been the bread winners whose role it is to financially support their fami...

Back in the 1990’s dyslexia was not seen in the same way it is today! A lot has changed in the past 30 years (outside dial up internet, mobile phones, wide screen TVs, DVD’s, and interesting haircuts) the way dyslexia is seen in schools and workplace has changed significantly.  But there is still more to do! This episode’s guest Donna Stevenson tells us how, today companies want to learn more abou...

In this episode, we step beyond dyslexia and dive into the psychology of humans and how we’re born with characteristics and how experiences shape how we approach life.  You will remember that we spoke with Lee Povey in episode 58 as Lee discussed with host Matthew Head; Men's Mental Health, Dyslexia, Athletics, and the Journey to Self-Acceptance. In this episode, we discuss coaching and human...

Technology which helps many dyslexic people throughout the world started life in a place you might not expect! In this episode we meet the CEO and founder of texthelp whose aim is to help everyone to understand and be understood!  texthelp creates assistive technologies software to help people with dyslexia in many computer applications.  A life of assistive technology started out with Martin writ...

Last Episode of 2023! To finish off this incredible year full of amazing insights from equally amazing guests, we’re changing from our usual format for a one-off episode with our host Matthew Head answering some of your burning questions!  Join Matthew for a coffee (tea or other hot beverages also allowed) to discuss Matthew’s thoughts in an unscripted Q&A session! Hear Matthew’s thoughts on h...

Have you ever found yourself masking your dyslexia so much that you stop being You!? In this episode we catch up with past guest on  the show, Kirsty Heap, as we find out how Kirsty has got on leaving her corporate job and going full time self-employed, and what's that like for someone who is Dyslexic! Kirsty shares that, in her corporate job which  she worked in for years and reached a very...

1,500! That’s the number of micro-traumas neurodivergent people experience just at primary school age (5yrs - 12yrs). This includes things like saying; “you’re not trying”, “you’re lazy”, “you don’t work hard. You need to work harder!”. When we hear words like this what is actually being heard is “you’re not good enough” “you’re not worthy”, “you’re not enough”. It’s an attack on your personhood. ...

At school, Matt Bird was placed in remedial English classes  and left school education believing he was stupid. It wasn't until he was in his 20's when his mum suggested he may be dyslexic and should get tested. This was the first time Matt had even heard of the word 'Dyslexia' but the description started to make sense of the challenges he had faced when he was at school. Since...

Of course, we all know the common challenges of dyslexia in reading and writing, but few know how people with dyslexia can improve their reading and writing skills, and even excel neurotypical people in these two areas.  Few know more about helping dyslexic people in this area than our guest for this episode Russell Van Brocklen. Russell is the founder of Dyslexia Classes, an ed-tech startup focus...

Training in a competitive sport in any arena requires dedication, commitment, sacrifice and a lot of hard work. To reach the peak of your sport to compete in the olympics is an achievement not obtained by many. It is hard enough for anyone from most backgrounds to achieve. When a neurodiversity is thrown into the mix, it makes that achievement all the more impressive. No other success story compar...

Starting her primary education in Ghana in west africa, this episode’s guest Elizabeth Takyi was penalised in the class room for poor spelling and ready by the use of the cane.  This traumatic experience with education gave Elizabeth the feeling that ‘this is just the way it is. I must be stupid’.  Moving to the UK for secondary education, Elizabeth became more disassociated with education and wou...

One really under appreciated dyslexic strength is the ability to absorb information quickly and explain complex topics in a way that is engaging and easy to understand!  It is the very specific dyslexia skill set which propelled our guest in this episode, Stephen Martin, to become a highly successful entrepreneur.  Growing up in New Zealand, where the school system did not recognise dyslexia, Step...

Ever wondered how dyslexia is seen in different cultures and other countries? Do all countries assess dyslexia in the same way? Well.. in this episode, our guest, Dr Martin Bloomfiled reveals the answer to these questions, and it's not what you might think!  Martin breaks the mould of what many might consider ‘dyslexic’. Like most children with dyslexia, Martin was branded ‘lazy’ and ‘class c...

Sometimes, providing support to people with dyslexia can be indirect.  What does this mean…? Well, in this episode Matthew is joined by Mark Woodward from neurobox as he explains why the trend today is to support, coach and train those middle managers of organisations to equip them with the skills, knowledge, and understanding of what leading people with neurodiversity, such as dyslexia, looks lik...

Having coached many of the fastest athletes to ever sit on a bike, our guest today Lee Povey built a reputation of being the best track cycling coach in the world.   Imagine finding out at 50 years old you have dyslexia! Well, that is exactly what happened to Lee  In this episode Lee shares his amazing story of how, growing up, he always excelled in areas such as Maths and Science but struggled to...

Welcome to the latest episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show! In this episode Matt engages in a discussion with Edward Sabbagh the walk through journey through Edward's life in Brooklyn, his struggle with undiagnosed dyslexia, and turning it around to graduate college a year early. Edward takes us through his formative years in Brooklyn. Starting off in a Jewish school without knowing about...

In this episode, host Matt sits down with Steve Parke, the founder of ParkeCore personal training. Parkecore aims to provide support and accountability for everyone's fitness goals, believing that accessibility is key. Join Matt and Steve as they dive into Steve's personal journey, discussing his upbringing, experiences with teasing, and the impact of dyslexia on his life. Steve reflects...

Welcome to another episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show. In this edition, host Matt engages in a fascinating conversation with Jo Rees, founder of Another Way Round Dyslexia Support . With a 22-year career as a primary school teacher and extensive experience as a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), Jo now dedicates her efforts to providing support for parents and adults. Tune in as s...

Welcome to another episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show. In this episode, Matt sits down with Richard Purcell, the founder of CareScribe , a renowned assistive technology company based in the UK. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of CareScribe's innovative products, Caption.ed and Talk Type, designed to empower dyslexic individuals in their studies and professional pursuits. I...

Welcome to Episode 53 of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show! In this episode, our host Matt engages in an enlightening conversation with Paul Daniels Jr., the founder of Peripheral Thinkers . Paul is a seasoned advisor to Fortune 500 companies and boasts an impressive track record of generating significant revenue throughout his career. Paul shares his personal story, starting from his school days in Te...