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What if the very thing that makes learning hard is the same thing that makes brilliance possible?

In this inspiring episode, Teacher Maggie shares a personal story from her childhood that shaped how she viewed intelligence—and how that belief was ultimately turned upside down. From a painful moment at a family barbecue to discovering her own unique strengths, she invites listeners into a journey of rethinking what it means to be “smart.”

You’ll also hear powerful, real-life stories of dyslexic thinkers who’ve changed the world—John Hoke III of Nike, glass artist Paul Stankard, and the legendary Rudy Ruettiger. Backed by eye-opening statistics and heartfelt encouragement, this episode is a rally cry for parents, students, and educators to see dyslexia not as a limitation, but as a limitless gift.

Tune in, be inspired, and remember: the world doesn’t need more average thinkers—it needs more dyslexic dreamers.

Thank you for listening to Dyslexia Decoded! Remember, every journey begins with a single step, and progress always beats perfection.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and if you found this story inspiring, please share it with someone who might need to hear it.

Until next time, stay strong, stay curious, and stay fearless. 💚

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Hello and welcome to Dyslexia,decoded by Strong Minds, the
podcast where we uncover thestrengths of dyslexic minds,
support homeschooling journeys,and empower educators.
I am teacher Maggie, and todaywe're embracing a powerful
truth.
Dyslexia doesn't limit us.
It makes us limitless.

(00:23):
reflecting back on my ownjourney, which I do often,
there's one memory that alwaysstayed with me.
I was 13 years old standing nearthe grill at a family barbecue
when my aunt asked me what Iwanted to be when I grow up with
a full heart and no hesitation.
I replied a lawyer.

(00:44):
I didn't really wanna be alawyer.
I recently watched Clue and justliked the idea of arguing For a
living, it sounded fun, butbefore I could give any
explanation my motherinterjected, lighthearted,
blunt, only smart people can belawyers.
I laughed it off.
It didn't phase me.
I had grown used to commentslike that, and I thought they

(01:05):
were true.
I believed my struggles inschool were evidence of my own
personal shortcomings that I wasjust not.
Ever gonna be one of the smartones.
but years later I would come tounderstand the system just
wasn't built for my brain.
And what I once saw as failurewas actually a different kind of

(01:28):
intelligence, one hidden behindmisspelled words and mental
exhaustion.
So today's episode.
Is pretty much that you can beanything you want when you grow
up.
I hear people adult dyslexics oryoung people that just think
they can't do things because oftheir dyslexia, they feel.

(01:50):
Limited, I really believe theyput those limits on themselves,
or they have believed them frompeople around them or society.
they think they can't be adoctor.
they can't be a lawyer.
they can't own a business, theycan't be a teacher, they can't
be a writer, but none of this istrue.
There are doctors, lawyers,writers, actors, entrepreneurs,
even a Supreme Court justicethat have dyslexia.

(02:14):
So there's really literallynothing.
That is limited as far as whatyou wanna do with your life.
let me introduce you to someonewho discovered that Hidden
Intelligence early on.
His name is John.
Ho ii, he's a Chief DesignOfficer at Nike.

(02:35):
Sounds like a really cool job,right?
Really important.
It's fun.
he describes his childhooddrawings as his first language
dyslexia made reading andwriting really difficult, so he
turned to sketching.
His parents supported him, and aspecialist from Brown University
helped him see that his brainwas wired difficult.

(02:55):
Differently, not wrongly.
Today John is the visionarybehind some of Nike's most
iconic designs.
He credits dyslexia for helpinghim see ideas.
From new angles.
He credits dyslexia for helpinghim see ideas from new angles.
I saw an interview with himbefore and he talked about like

(03:15):
he sent in drawings of shoesthat he did as a preteen.
He sent them to Nike and theywrote back, Hey, reach out to us
when you're older.
And he did.
And now.
Here he is as the Chief Designofficer.
His story reminds me of one ofmy students, let's call him
Micah, who once designed a 3Dmaze entirely outta paper towel

(03:38):
rolls tape, and his sheerimagination.
He couldn't spell mazecorrectly, but he could build
one that could arrival an escaperoom.
So, because dyslexic minds don'talways speak in sentences.
They create in systems.
Another remarkable example IsPaul Joseph Stankard, now

(03:59):
recognized as one of the mostrespected glass artists in the
world.
As a student, he was labeled aslow learner and graduated near
the bottom of his class.
No one saw promise in him untilhe saw in the form of fire,
sand, and art.
He turned the functional craftof making paperweights into an

(04:20):
exquisite form of art.
His intricate glass flowers and.
Floating designs are nowshowcased in the Smithsonian and
museums across the globe.
His dyslexia didn't disappear,but his passion outshined it.
And then there's Rudy Redinger.

(04:40):
You may know his story from themovie Rudy, behind the Hollywood
ending is a young man who wasdyslexic, undersized, and
academically struggling.
He wasn't supposed to go toNotre Dame.
He wasn't supposed to make thefootball team, and he definitely
wasn't supposed to be carriedoff the field by his teammates.
But he was, because Rudy hadsomething, no textbook could

(05:03):
measure unshakeable belief andgrit.
these are just a few stories,but they point to a powerful
pattern.
there are 35% of entrepreneursare dyslexic and 40% of
self-made millionaires.
Over 50% of NASA employees aredyslexic.

(05:27):
At MIT dyslexia is so commonthat it's nicknamed the MIT
disease.
These stats aren't flukes.
They're proof that dyslexiaisn't a flaw to fix.
It's a strength to understand.
Dyslexic minds think inpatterns, systems, visuals,
stories, and innovation, andthat's exactly what the world

(05:51):
needs.
So to every parent listening,don't rush to fix your child's
mind.
Explore it.
Encourage their interests, Eve.
And if they don't look academicat first, support their passions
in sports, coding, art, animalsdesign, invention, storytelling,

(06:12):
that spark you see in them.
could be the beginning ofsomething big.
If I could whisper something tomy 13-year-old self, the one who
still believed she wasn't smart,I'd tell her this baby girl,
you're not broken.
You're just wired for somethingdifferent.

(06:35):
And that difference is going tochange lives.
So to every student, parent andteacher, dyslexia doesn't limit
us.
It makes us limitless, and thesooner that you believe it, the
sooner that your studentbelieves it.

(06:56):
The easier it is to moveforward.
It's true.
Until next time.
Keep exploring, keep dreaming,and remember, your dyslexic mind
is a gift.
Let's use it to light the wayforward.