Author: Matt

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In this episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show, Matt is talking to Andy Barden. He is the founder of Think Unconventionall that provides inclusive social media social media management, training, video editing and coaching. There is also a clothing brand unconventionall apparel and he presents The Unconventionall podcast where Matt was on episode 8. 

Andy’s business is inspired by his autistic son Jacob. During this podcast Andy tells of his experience of how he and his wife had to work through getting Jacob assessed for autism and their life raising him. Andy learned a lot about thinking differently during this time and now uses this in his own business providing social media content and other solutions all with unconventional thinking. 

Selected Links

• Andy’s LinkedIn
• Think Unconventionall
• The Unconventional Podcast
• Matt on The Unconventionall Podcast – Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts
• Retail brand – Comet
• Andy’s going Self employed video announcement  
• DSG group – now Currys limited
• NHS Autism assessment
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Educational health care plan
• Gary Vee (Gary Vaynerchuk) 

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In this episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show, Matt is talking to Joseph Pack who manages his ADHD drug free. The founder of many companies and now the editor of the drug free ADHD newsletter and has recently started being the host of the War On Attention podcast.

Joseph, realised he had ADHD until a major life event happened in his 20s, and he realised that he was self-medicating his symptoms of ADHD. This was the catalyst that led him to going on a journey researching the latest thinking behind how to manage ADHD without the use of drugs. He shares many of these techniques during this podcast. From ice baths to caffeine consumption, Meditation to alcohol there is something for everyone.    

• Joseph’s
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletter
  • War on Attention Podcast
• Hunters Vs Farmers Theory – Thom Hartmann
• Coffee consumption guidelines
• Futurama Fry drinks 100 coffees
• Michael Pollan
  • Food Rules
  • How to change your mind
  • Caffeine: How coffee and tea created the modern world
  • Podcasts; The Tim Ferriss Show and The Joe Rogan Experience   
• Hyperfocus ADHD
• Dopamine 
• BBC documentary – The doctor who gave up drugs
• Ritalin
• Ice Baths
• Wim Hof
• Breath – James Nailer
• Box Breathing 
• Vipassana meditation
• Transcendental Meditation
  • Jerry Seinfeld Describes Transcendental Meditation
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Ground Living
• Ido Portal – 30 Minute squat challenge
• BreathWrk – App

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In this episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show, Matt is talk to Toni Horn, she is the founder of Think Differently Coaching which provides workplace coaching for the neurodiverse.

She grew up in a neurodiverse house hold as a dyslexic herself and alongside her brother who is autistic. In this podcast Matt talk to Toni about growing up in a house hold with a neurodiverse sibling and how their life panned out, how she found her way into banking before working her way up trough the to a senior position and talking on the role of UK Neurodiversity Support Lead. There are some interesting insights into how to run meetings, training courses or away days with dyslexic people attending.

Post her banking career Toni has now set up her own coaching business using her experience at Barclays to help guild and mentor dyslexics in the workplace.

Selected Links

• Think Differently Coaching
• Toni’s LinkedIn
• Cerebral Palsy
• Autism
• Of Mice and Men
• Barclays Bank
• Dyspraxia
• Common Interest Company
• One Note

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In this episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show, Matt is talking to Dr. Helen Ross who is a Special Educational Needs specialist and Dyslexia expert. She has founded Helen’s Place where she delivers support for businesses, schools and families through research projects, professional development, and one-on-one tutoring. Alongside this she is a trustee for the British Dyslexia Association and Wilshire Dyslexia Association. She has also published and been featured in peer-reviewed papers and guest publications.  

After staring her working life and an engineer but very quickly released that it was not the profession for her, she then transitioned into working in schools being a teacher and part of SENCO. Around all this she managed to find time to studying a PHD and publishing papers. 

Helen has overcome some of the prejudices about dyslexia, depression, and anxiety to achieve what she has, new help and assess other people for dyslexia, a truly inspiring story. 

Selected links:

• Helens Place
• Helens Twitter
• Helens Article List
• Sheffield university
• Chartered Engineer
• Morphology
• ‘Allo ‘Allo
• Orcam – Episode 14
• Swansea university
• Love Island
• Free Body Diagram
• Natalie Brooks – Dyslexia In Adults
• Dyslexic Thinking – LinkedIn
• Darren Clark’s interview with Helen
• Dragon Naturally Thinking
• Educational Psychologist Assessment
• Kes – Film
• Dean Valley
• Cusco – Peru
• Georgina Durrant
• Bogardus Theory
• Conservation of Energy
• Newton’s Laws
• Wiltshire Dyslexia Association
• British Dyslexia Association

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In this episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks Show, Matt is talking to Philip Burgin who is ClaroRead Product Specialist at Claro Software. He has had a varied life and career, starting as a brick later before heading back into the education. There are some fun stories about the early days of home computing and how the DSA were providing the new technology to people that need it. Phil really takes his time to get to know the individuals that he is training and coke up with various methods for them to get the most out of there equipment and education. 

If you would like to understand how Claro develop their software, please listen to episode 10 with their Product Manager Stuart Marsden. 

Selected Links:

• Claro Software
• Text Help
• Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)
• Commodore Amiga 600, Commodore 64
• The 10 Best Soundtracks From The 8-Bit Generation
• Developmental Language Disorder
• Lammer and Turbulent Flow
• Cheltenham University
• Working Memory
• King James 5th
• Mars Rover Math Error
• Emma Downer Episode
• Masking
• Pigeon Hole Theory
• Crocodile Dundee

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In this episode of the dyslexia life hacks show Matt is talk to Rossie Stone, founder of Dekko Comics. They are educational comics the are aimed at 8 to 12 year olds, as you will hear in the podcast, Rossie inputs his Beano inspired style and humour lead stories that makes the comics and engaging read.

Rossie was struggling with his school work during his early years and into his Scottish Highers, until one day with nothing to lose he used it love for art, illustration, and comic books, he put the whole subject down into a comic strip and to his surprise and delight got an A for that subject.

During the podcast Matt and Rossie chart his struggles at school, through to setting up Dekko and how he makes the comics not only educational but engaging too.

Selected Links:

• Dekko Comics
• Rossie’s LinkedIn
• Beano
• Scottish Highers
• Scottish Cabinet  
  • Scottish National Party (SNP)
  • Alex Salmond
  • Margo MacDonald
• HarperCollins
• Horrible Histories

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In this episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks show is part 2 of a 2-part series with NoticeAbility.

In part 1 Matt spoke to Bodhi Bragonier who is a teenager and the inspiration behind NoticeAbility, and currently serves as there International Youth Ambassador.

Now in Part 2 Matt talks to Dean Bragonier the Founder & Executive Dyslexic, they talk about his younger life in the american school system and the differences they may or may not be from Bodhi’s experience. 

Dean saw something in Bodhi when he came up with his idea of pocket change as a 6 year old and this sparked an idea in Dean’s head, hear how he took this idea to MIT and other educational institutions and uses entrepreneurship among other skill to empower dyslexics. 

We cover what it is like to living in a house hold of full of dyslexics, it can be a crazy place.

Selected Links:

• Episode 29 – NoticeAbility Part 1 – A Teenagers Story
• NoticeAbility’s Website
• Dean’s Martha’s island Island swim
• Cambridge Massachusetts
• US Education System Private Vs Public
• Ivy League Schools
• Bates College
• The Dyslexia Show
• Harvard University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• The Dyslexic Advantage
• Ferdinand Magellan
• Grammarly

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In this episode of The Dyslexia Life Hacks show is part 1 of a 2-part series with NoticeAbility. In part 1 Matt is talking to Bodhi Bragonier who is a teenager and the inspiration behind NoticeAbility, he currently serves as there International Youth Ambassador.  

Hear how he came up with a business idea at 7 years old that with the help of his Dad Dean created a business plan, this help grow his self-esteem and Dean took this idea to start the company more on that in the next episode with Dean.

Matt and Bodhi talk about him being embarrassed in the class and how the lesions from his dyslexic mum and dad help he get through this. They found that finding his strengths helped him through the harder times at school. He now is going round the world with NoticeAbility speaking about and promoting the advantages of being dyslexic.

We also talk about the what its like to be home schooled while travelling and does it help him as a dyslexic.

Stay tuned for part 2 where we talk to Dean Bragonier.

Selected links;

• NoticeAbility’s Website
• The Dyslexia Show
• US School grade system
• myHomework
• Teaching Textbooks
• Google Classroom
• Harvard University
• MIT
• Bonaire Island in the Dutch Caribbean
• Hack – Fast, Bad, Wrong