November 15, 2023 • 19 mins
In this "Bonus-A-Rooney" episode of Everyday Masters, host Craig sits down in a jacuzzi with his wife, Nicole, for a candid conversation about her experience with dyslexia. They discuss her journey from struggling in school to becoming a successful entrepreneur. She shares about pivotal figures who helped her reframe her understanding of dyslexia from a hindrance to her superpower. She also touches on parenting a dyslexic child and the empathy and patience she's acquired from her own experiences. This emotional and inspiring episode offers a relatable and uplifting narrative for those coping with dyslexia.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Craig (00:00):
Hey welcome everybody to this first"Bonus-a-Rooney"
episode of Everyday Masters.
If you're just here for thefirst time, do yourself a favor.
And go back.
For sure don't start here.
If you do want to listen to thisBonus-a-Rooney, please go back
and listen to Episode 11 (00:17):
Jamie Hooper.
An amazing guy, who now hasmastery teaching math to
children with dyslexia and otherlanguage based difficulties.
So here's the setup for thebonus.
I need to tell you a little bitabout my wife, Nicole, who I
love so, so much.
(00:39):
normally we will hang out in thejacuzzi and I will play her a
rough cut of the episodes.
She's another set of ears.
She'll help me clean them up.
She'll give me good ideas.
Also a little bit of backgroundabout her.
She is somebody who has had avery successful career in
weddings and makeup and in themakeup industry.
(01:00):
She is a natural leader with aton of confidence.
She is beautiful, beautiful,beautiful, on the outside, but
even more beautiful on theinside as you're about to hear.
So we're in the jacuzzi, we'redoing our listen through of my
rough cut of the Jamie Hooperepisode.
And what we realized veryquickly is, that Nicole has a
(01:24):
lot that's going on for her.
And it's because of this.
And Nicole is dyslexic andNicole struggled, from a very,
very early age in school.
And so if you listen to Jamie,he's talking about.
his approach to teaching thesekids well, Nicole was one of
those kids.
So we're in the jacuzzi.
I have my phone with me.
And I start recording on myphone and interviewing Nicole
(01:48):
doing her own Wrapper-Upper ofthe Jamie Hooper episode.
Without further ado.
Enjoy.
Nicole (01:55):
Well, like you guys were talking about early on in
kindergarten.
No, in preschool, I was heldback because I couldn't learn my
phone number.
So everyone has a little paperphone and you had to memorize
your phone number and Icouldn't.
So in Pre-K they were like,something's really wrong.
And I couldn't learn thealphabet.
And so I knew early, early onsomething was wrong.
(02:19):
And so from that moment, I washeld back.
By first, second grade, I wastested.
I was bopped into every schoolyou can think of trying to help
me.
and I felt dumb.
And I felt like I was nevergoing to get it.
And I felt very awkward, andthen that makes you socially
awkward because you're so angryby the time you go to lunch or
(02:43):
go hang out, you're just sofried from failing.
And so, like, the hope of...
You're not going to fail becauseyou've already failed at that
point.
And then by sixth grade, I was,well, fourth grade from all that
I was in, literally took theshort little bus to a different
school.
And my mom would cry every daywhen I would leave and tutors
(03:04):
and this and that.
And then they had me in a schoolwhere I went to a different
classroom and that'sembarrassing.
But by sixth grade, my Mr.
Winston said, I see you.
Craig (03:15):
So who's Mr.
Winston?
Nicole (03:18):
He was my sixth grade teacher, and next year, 7th
grade, you're going into, youknow, junior high, where, that
was the last thing I wanted, andhe pulled me aside and said, I
see you, you're really smart,And we got to get you out of
this special ed and I'm going towork with you.
And just someone seeing me, notas someone that was failing, but
(03:42):
that you were going to besuccessful and taking the time
to teach different, you know,I'm 56 years old.
So back then and.This was atraditional teacher in sixth
grade saying, we're going to dothis different.
And he took cards and differentthings for me to learn spelling
words and numbers.
And, but someone investing in meand believing that I was smart.
(04:05):
And he told me every day howsmart I was.
He's like, you, your IQ is offthe charts.
How you dissect things arefaster than most people in math.
How did you do that?
And he asked me to show him.
And so I think having someonebelieve in you and saying, Hey,
this is probably never going tobe easy, but if you work harder
(04:25):
and smarter, and that's justkind of how I had to accept it,
is that I was always going tohave to probably work a little
harder than everybody else, buthe gave me hope.
And in one year, I went from thelittle...
Classroom, awkward and angry, toout of special ed, and in the
regular classes.
And once I just accepted thingswere going to take me longer,
(04:47):
and I was going to do different,and I needed some assistance, I
accepted who I was, whichchanged everything.
Craig (04:54):
Ah, accepting who you were.
He helped you accept you.
Nicole (04:57):
That I was really smart.
I was really smart and I justlearned different and that's it.
Craig (05:04):
So you went from thinking you were dumb and then a teacher
came into your life thatactually told you you were
smart.
Nicole (05:12):
Yes.
And said, you're really smart.
And so we, like the Play Doh andthe different, and the books and
the money, it was someone notstanding up talking at me.
It's like, how do we dissect thesame problem to get to an answer
and that would light me up.
Like, Oh, I am smart.
(05:32):
I just see it different.
And that hope and acceptancethat yes, I have dyslexia.
I flip words, numbers get, youknow, ahead of me.
As you know, when you try totalk at me to show me something,
I'm constantly grabbing it fromyou and saying, I need to hold
it.
I need to touch it.
so the hope and acceptance thatI'm smart.
Craig (05:55):
So after getting out of high school, let's say you have
always, your dyslexia never wentaway.
You've always experiencedsimilar kinds of challenges in
the world.
How have you maneuvered assomebody who has dyslexia as a
successful adult?
(06:15):
How have you done that?
Nicole (06:17):
I think what Jamie said is I quickly found mentors.
That had what I wanted and onceI got that confidence that I was
smart and someone, just oneperson, you know, I started
gravitating to those people andI wanted to break through and so
(06:37):
I knew I needed to be in asomewhat of a creative
atmosphere.
I wanted to go to college.
I wanted to go to the normalcollege.
And I think again, kind of afterhigh school, knowing again that
it was just going to take moreeffort and that I was gonna need
help and asking for help andfinding mentors and people or
(06:59):
teachers or friends or a careerand going for it and not letting
my dyslexia stand in the way,like own it up front.
Craig (07:09):
What about this?
'cause I've, I've been with youfor a long time now, and I.
I think you have a superpowerthat came from this.
I've noticed, well, first off,you're an incredibly confident
person and you don't get downthat much, which is interesting
from somebody who started.
(07:29):
From this place of feeling dumband broken.
Ironically, I don't see that inyou much at all.
Like, you're emotionally tough.
On top of that, you know how tomaneuver in the world in a way
that, like, I can't see.
You know how to get places, youknow how to do things, you, are
(07:50):
so fast on your feet.
You're better than me at a lotof this quick thinking,
maneuvering stuff.
You have great intuition.
Do you see that?
Do you see like that because ofhow your brain works?
Are those skills, those otherskills, do those come out of the
dyslexia?
Nicole (08:09):
I think everybody, no matter how you learn, regardless
of a learning disability orwhatever, we all have weak
things in this.
And because this was such achallenge, then I, I had to
overcome.
So a teacher's going to call onme, I'm going to have to read
out loud, I'm not going to dothat.
So I have to figure out quickly,how am I getting out of this or
(08:31):
surviving?
And so it has given me thesuperpower of kind of seeing the
world and I'm always on alertand thinking, okay, what's next
and what am I going to do in anysituation?
And I think...
You know, someone, and I canonly speak of, you know,
dyslexia and a learningdisability is you get the
(08:52):
superpower of surviving in veryuncomfortable situations your
entire life.
And each time you kind ofmaneuver through it, you're
like, Oh, I did that.
And then you see yourself likein sales, you know, and being an
artist and working with people,I quickly connect and I can
quickly dissect things that takeother people longer because I've
(09:15):
had to survive.
Craig (09:16):
But I think you almost see life in situations like
chess.
Like you see a situation andyou're playing through the next
five, six or seven moves.
They're going to do this.
Then I'm going to do that.
Then they might say this, thenI'm going to do that.
Then they do this.
Do that.
I am in my moment.
I'm like in my moments.
They do something.
(09:37):
I'm not ready for it.
I have to sit and think forawhile.
You already have like five, six,seven moves ready to go.
They come out fast.
Is that true?
Nicole (09:46):
Yes.
I mean, I never knew it untillike kind of breaking it down
and then seeing in my son who'sdyslexic, it's like, you're so
fast.
Just add, like, in a situation,it's come in anything and it can
be at the grocery store, it canbe change that's going to be
given to you, it can be readingthe back of an ingredients and
you're not seeing it and you'relike, okay, this isn't
(10:09):
happening.
So what am I going to do to getthrough this and make my next
move?
And so I'm always in every,almost sometimes exhausting, but
I'm already pre planning mymoves.
And if that doesn't work, what'snext?
And if that doesn't work, what'snext?
And if they do this and I dothat, I'll do this.
(10:29):
I just think of kids that havethis is that I could promise
you, you have a superpower.
You know, there is so much hope.
There's so much brilliance.
Anytime you have a deficit inone area, there is this
superpower in another.
And finding that superpower andowning that, yes, I See the
world different, has made me whoI am.
Craig (10:49):
And what about having a child?
We of course, will clear thiswith Max, but, we raised Max.
We did know early on that justlike Jamie talked about, we knew
what we were seeing.
I think it was, very difficultfor you because it was almost
triggering.
You were like re traumatized asMax went through school,
(11:09):
reliving all of it.
How difficult was it for youwith dyslexia to then parent a
child with dyslexia?
Nicole (11:19):
Beyond.
I mean, you're just like, Oh no.
Early on, every night we, youknow, we read with the boys.
Every books around, all thethings, because I probably
overly wanted books around, andoverly didn't want the boys to
have what I had.
And I saw it early on, and itwas devastating, because I just
(11:39):
was like, oh no, and saw himsaying, Mom, I can't read, and
everybody else can.
What's wrong with me?
And there was two beliefs then.
One was, we don't tell them.
And because if you say that youhave a learning disability, then
you're already disabled.
And the other belief is mine,which is find out early, get
(12:01):
help, and don't try to pushthrough traditional learning.
And like, let's own this thingand give them hope because
there's so much hope behindsomeone that has a learning
disability.
So it's like.
We did everything from, tutors,school, special ed, I mean,
everything you can think of.
And he still struggles, I stillstruggle.
It was so hard to know that Ipassed this down.
(12:24):
And...
The only thing, I see in Max issimilar to me, is that, again,
someone that can land on theirfeet in a situation no matter
what, and can move in the worldvery fast, and survive probably
better than the average person.
If you put us against peoplewithout learning disability in a
(12:46):
survival mode, we'll win.
Craig (12:48):
That is very true, and Max is the same way.
Doing a Wrapper-Upper for theJamie Hooper episode,
specifically, what, what areyour thoughts about what you
heard from Jamie that reallystruck a chord?
Nicole (13:03):
So many.
I mean, again, getting someonethat already is walking in the
door was such a failure.
I mean, it breaks my heartbecause by the time they get to
him, they've already beentested, and the three days of
testing, and the parents beingfrustrated, and you know you're
hurting your parents, and you'rehurting yourself, and you're
different, and he knows that.
(13:23):
Like, you just want to be seen,and like, for someone to say, I
know, this hurts, and I'm goingto get you out of it.
I've got your back.
We're going to figure this out.
And you're, you're smart.
You're brilliant.
And he tapped into that.
And that to me is everything inlife is just, you want, every
person wants to be seen anddoesn't want to think they can't
(13:45):
do it.
And for one hand to put out andsay, I see you and spend the
time that he asked you toprepare because it's not like,
okay, open your books.
We're just doing this.
He has to think on his feet andget creative because everybody
learns so different.
So that's inspiring.
And the Everyday Master, to havea teacher who doesn't have a
(14:06):
learning disability, have thepatience, which, you know, you
get frustrated with me andyou're probably the most patient
person I know in the world,because it's frustrating to be
around someone who kind of likezots out, I mean, you kind of,
and to see Jamie saying, getyour kids tested.
Find out, don't give up, believein them.
(14:27):
They're not going to fail.
They're not going to, you know,not make it and take a breath
and be patient.
and find a new way.
Just, you know, brings tears tomy eyes.
Craig (14:37):
Where do you sit with your own dyslexia today?
Do you have shame when you thinkabout it?
Do you still feel broken aroundit?
Or does it flip in a lifetimeand become something you own as
a piece of you?
Not, I don't think you're proudof it, but...
You see it as an ingredient ofwho you are and you're more open
(15:02):
about it.
I mean, I don't think you walkaround telling people, uh, Oh,
you do.
So, so let me ask you todayafter, now becoming an adult
where we're less, frankly, wegive a shit less about what
other people think about us aswe get older, but where are you
with your own being a dyslexicperson?
And how do you wear it today?
Nicole (15:23):
I think what it's given me is great empathy.
Which, and patience, and thatright there is a gift.
I wear it very proud because Irealize I'm very smart and I'm
good at things.
Almost everything I go for, I goto the top, and I'm willing to
fight through all of it.
And trust me, I'm doing Excelspreadsheets and writing and
(15:46):
emails and stuff I can't do, andI warn everyone.
Hey, I'm dyslexic.
I'm going to send you an email.
It's probably going to not havethe correct punctuations.
I might make a mistake, but yourgoal, if I'm running a huge
company, and it's numbers andselling, we're, I'm going to get
you there above everybody.
And so I wear it really proud,because I know it's made me who
(16:08):
I am, and I'm good at a lot ofthings.
And so quickly, when I write, Ilook, my handwriting looks like
I'm a second grader, and I tellpeople, and I chicken scratch,
but...
I'm really proud of who I am,and I don't really own it as a
disability anymore because Ithink it's made me who I am,
which is outgoing andempathetic, and I reach for the
(16:29):
stars because I've had to fightthrough a lot to get where I am,
more than the average person.
Craig (16:36):
So how important...
was Mr.
Winston for you, when you thinkback about it as a character,
and how important are peoplelike Jamie Hooper in children's
lives?
Nicole (16:49):
Everything.
I mean, that's going to make mecry.
It's everything.
The Mr.
Winston and Jamie Hoopers.
They give people, hope,survival, and the patience that
you're not broken.
And as an adult, I got to goback and tell Mr.
(17:10):
Winston what he meant to me.
And I kind of draw from that allof the time, of how someone
believed in me.
And hearing Jamie's story,that's like, it's life changing.
And that's why I think ofparents and teachers, it's like,
to have these people, they haveno idea, Mr.
Winston had no idea how heimpacted my life until I got to
(17:33):
tell him as an adult.
And hearing Jamie, it's...
It brings tears to my eyes asyou hear, is that we have to
have these people that arewilling to not, you know,
they're not making the bigbucks.
And we're only 8 to 10 percentof the world, so really, why?
Why, you know?
Why invest?
And it takes people like that tosay, to invest in us, that make
(17:57):
the difference, who believe thatwe're, we are special and we're
worth it.
Craig (18:04):
Oh, you are special and you're worth it to me, my love.
Thank you for our first ever inthe Jacuzzi Wrapper Upper I love
you.
I love all of you.
And I really don't like to fightwith you because you're 15 steps
ahead of me.
I'm the worst fighter with you.
I got one move and then you have18 that come right after it and
(18:26):
I don't know what happened.
And I'm in a pretzel.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, you know that.
She knows that.
Okay.
I love you.
Nicole (18:34):
I don't know what part we can put in there, but no
matter what, it was, you know,thinking about it and listening
to it was amazing.
And your patience and grace withsomeone like me, you're lucky.
Craig (18:46):
oh, I'm lucky.
Every day.
Whew.
Humdinger right?
There she is the wonderfulNicole Diamond, hope you enjoyed
this bonus episode and we willsee you next time on Everyday
Masters.
Hey welcome everybody to this first"Bonus-a-Rooney"
episode of Everyday Masters.
If you're just here for thefirst time, do yourself a favor.
And go back.
For sure don't start here.
If you do want to listen to thisBonus-a-Rooney, please go back
and listen to Episode 11 (00:17):
Jamie Hooper.
An amazing guy, who now hasmastery teaching math to
children with dyslexia and otherlanguage based difficulties.
So here's the setup for thebonus.
I need to tell you a little bitabout my wife, Nicole, who I
love so, so much.
(00:39):
normally we will hang out in thejacuzzi and I will play her a
rough cut of the episodes.
She's another set of ears.
She'll help me clean them up.
She'll give me good ideas.
Also a little bit of backgroundabout her.
She is somebody who has had avery successful career in
weddings and makeup and in themakeup industry.
(01:00):
She is a natural leader with aton of confidence.
She is beautiful, beautiful,beautiful, on the outside, but
even more beautiful on theinside as you're about to hear.
So we're in the jacuzzi, we'redoing our listen through of my
rough cut of the Jamie Hooperepisode.
And what we realized veryquickly is, that Nicole has a
(01:24):
lot that's going on for her.
And it's because of this.
And Nicole is dyslexic andNicole struggled, from a very,
very early age in school.
And so if you listen to Jamie,he's talking about.
his approach to teaching thesekids well, Nicole was one of
those kids.
So we're in the jacuzzi.
I have my phone with me.
And I start recording on myphone and interviewing Nicole
(01:48):
doing her own Wrapper-Upper ofthe Jamie Hooper episode.
Without further ado.
Enjoy.
Nicole (01:55):
Well, like you guys were talking about early on in
kindergarten.
No, in preschool, I was heldback because I couldn't learn my
phone number.
So everyone has a little paperphone and you had to memorize
your phone number and Icouldn't.
So in Pre-K they were like,something's really wrong.
And I couldn't learn thealphabet.
And so I knew early, early onsomething was wrong.
(02:19):
And so from that moment, I washeld back.
By first, second grade, I wastested.
I was bopped into every schoolyou can think of trying to help
me.
and I felt dumb.
And I felt like I was nevergoing to get it.
And I felt very awkward, andthen that makes you socially
awkward because you're so angryby the time you go to lunch or
(02:43):
go hang out, you're just sofried from failing.
And so, like, the hope of...
You're not going to fail becauseyou've already failed at that
point.
And then by sixth grade, I was,well, fourth grade from all that
I was in, literally took theshort little bus to a different
school.
And my mom would cry every daywhen I would leave and tutors
(03:04):
and this and that.
And then they had me in a schoolwhere I went to a different
classroom and that'sembarrassing.
But by sixth grade, my Mr.
Winston said, I see you.
Craig (03:15):
So who's Mr.
Winston?
Nicole (03:18):
He was my sixth grade teacher, and next year, 7th
grade, you're going into, youknow, junior high, where, that
was the last thing I wanted, andhe pulled me aside and said, I
see you, you're really smart,And we got to get you out of
this special ed and I'm going towork with you.
And just someone seeing me, notas someone that was failing, but
(03:42):
that you were going to besuccessful and taking the time
to teach different, you know,I'm 56 years old.
So back then and.This was atraditional teacher in sixth
grade saying, we're going to dothis different.
And he took cards and differentthings for me to learn spelling
words and numbers.
And, but someone investing in meand believing that I was smart.
(04:05):
And he told me every day howsmart I was.
He's like, you, your IQ is offthe charts.
How you dissect things arefaster than most people in math.
How did you do that?
And he asked me to show him.
And so I think having someonebelieve in you and saying, Hey,
this is probably never going tobe easy, but if you work harder
(04:25):
and smarter, and that's justkind of how I had to accept it,
is that I was always going tohave to probably work a little
harder than everybody else, buthe gave me hope.
And in one year, I went from thelittle...
Classroom, awkward and angry, toout of special ed, and in the
regular classes.
And once I just accepted thingswere going to take me longer,
(04:47):
and I was going to do different,and I needed some assistance, I
accepted who I was, whichchanged everything.
Craig (04:54):
Ah, accepting who you were.
He helped you accept you.
Nicole (04:57):
That I was really smart.
I was really smart and I justlearned different and that's it.
Craig (05:04):
So you went from thinking you were dumb and then a teacher
came into your life thatactually told you you were
smart.
Nicole (05:12):
Yes.
And said, you're really smart.
And so we, like the Play Doh andthe different, and the books and
the money, it was someone notstanding up talking at me.
It's like, how do we dissect thesame problem to get to an answer
and that would light me up.
Like, Oh, I am smart.
(05:32):
I just see it different.
And that hope and acceptancethat yes, I have dyslexia.
I flip words, numbers get, youknow, ahead of me.
As you know, when you try totalk at me to show me something,
I'm constantly grabbing it fromyou and saying, I need to hold
it.
I need to touch it.
so the hope and acceptance thatI'm smart.
Craig (05:55):
So after getting out of high school, let's say you have
always, your dyslexia never wentaway.
You've always experiencedsimilar kinds of challenges in
the world.
How have you maneuvered assomebody who has dyslexia as a
successful adult?
(06:15):
How have you done that?
Nicole (06:17):
I think what Jamie said is I quickly found mentors.
That had what I wanted and onceI got that confidence that I was
smart and someone, just oneperson, you know, I started
gravitating to those people andI wanted to break through and so
(06:37):
I knew I needed to be in asomewhat of a creative
atmosphere.
I wanted to go to college.
I wanted to go to the normalcollege.
And I think again, kind of afterhigh school, knowing again that
it was just going to take moreeffort and that I was gonna need
help and asking for help andfinding mentors and people or
(06:59):
teachers or friends or a careerand going for it and not letting
my dyslexia stand in the way,like own it up front.
Craig (07:09):
What about this?
'cause I've, I've been with youfor a long time now, and I.
I think you have a superpowerthat came from this.
I've noticed, well, first off,you're an incredibly confident
person and you don't get downthat much, which is interesting
from somebody who started.
(07:29):
From this place of feeling dumband broken.
Ironically, I don't see that inyou much at all.
Like, you're emotionally tough.
On top of that, you know how tomaneuver in the world in a way
that, like, I can't see.
You know how to get places, youknow how to do things, you, are
(07:50):
so fast on your feet.
You're better than me at a lotof this quick thinking,
maneuvering stuff.
You have great intuition.
Do you see that?
Do you see like that because ofhow your brain works?
Are those skills, those otherskills, do those come out of the
dyslexia?
Nicole (08:09):
I think everybody, no matter how you learn, regardless
of a learning disability orwhatever, we all have weak
things in this.
And because this was such achallenge, then I, I had to
overcome.
So a teacher's going to call onme, I'm going to have to read
out loud, I'm not going to dothat.
So I have to figure out quickly,how am I getting out of this or
(08:31):
surviving?
And so it has given me thesuperpower of kind of seeing the
world and I'm always on alertand thinking, okay, what's next
and what am I going to do in anysituation?
And I think...
You know, someone, and I canonly speak of, you know,
dyslexia and a learningdisability is you get the
(08:52):
superpower of surviving in veryuncomfortable situations your
entire life.
And each time you kind ofmaneuver through it, you're
like, Oh, I did that.
And then you see yourself likein sales, you know, and being an
artist and working with people,I quickly connect and I can
quickly dissect things that takeother people longer because I've
(09:15):
had to survive.
Craig (09:16):
But I think you almost see life in situations like
chess.
Like you see a situation andyou're playing through the next
five, six or seven moves.
They're going to do this.
Then I'm going to do that.
Then they might say this, thenI'm going to do that.
Then they do this.
Do that.
I am in my moment.
I'm like in my moments.
They do something.
(09:37):
I'm not ready for it.
I have to sit and think forawhile.
You already have like five, six,seven moves ready to go.
They come out fast.
Is that true?
Nicole (09:46):
Yes.
I mean, I never knew it untillike kind of breaking it down
and then seeing in my son who'sdyslexic, it's like, you're so
fast.
Just add, like, in a situation,it's come in anything and it can
be at the grocery store, it canbe change that's going to be
given to you, it can be readingthe back of an ingredients and
you're not seeing it and you'relike, okay, this isn't
(10:09):
happening.
So what am I going to do to getthrough this and make my next
move?
And so I'm always in every,almost sometimes exhausting, but
I'm already pre planning mymoves.
And if that doesn't work, what'snext?
And if that doesn't work, what'snext?
And if they do this and I dothat, I'll do this.
(10:29):
I just think of kids that havethis is that I could promise
you, you have a superpower.
You know, there is so much hope.
There's so much brilliance.
Anytime you have a deficit inone area, there is this
superpower in another.
And finding that superpower andowning that, yes, I See the
world different, has made me whoI am.
Craig (10:49):
And what about having a child?
We of course, will clear thiswith Max, but, we raised Max.
We did know early on that justlike Jamie talked about, we knew
what we were seeing.
I think it was, very difficultfor you because it was almost
triggering.
You were like re traumatized asMax went through school,
(11:09):
reliving all of it.
How difficult was it for youwith dyslexia to then parent a
child with dyslexia?
Nicole (11:19):
Beyond.
I mean, you're just like, Oh no.
Early on, every night we, youknow, we read with the boys.
Every books around, all thethings, because I probably
overly wanted books around, andoverly didn't want the boys to
have what I had.
And I saw it early on, and itwas devastating, because I just
(11:39):
was like, oh no, and saw himsaying, Mom, I can't read, and
everybody else can.
What's wrong with me?
And there was two beliefs then.
One was, we don't tell them.
And because if you say that youhave a learning disability, then
you're already disabled.
And the other belief is mine,which is find out early, get
(12:01):
help, and don't try to pushthrough traditional learning.
And like, let's own this thingand give them hope because
there's so much hope behindsomeone that has a learning
disability.
So it's like.
We did everything from, tutors,school, special ed, I mean,
everything you can think of.
And he still struggles, I stillstruggle.
It was so hard to know that Ipassed this down.
(12:24):
And...
The only thing, I see in Max issimilar to me, is that, again,
someone that can land on theirfeet in a situation no matter
what, and can move in the worldvery fast, and survive probably
better than the average person.
If you put us against peoplewithout learning disability in a
(12:46):
survival mode, we'll win.
Craig (12:48):
That is very true, and Max is the same way.
Doing a Wrapper-Upper for theJamie Hooper episode,
specifically, what, what areyour thoughts about what you
heard from Jamie that reallystruck a chord?
Nicole (13:03):
So many.
I mean, again, getting someonethat already is walking in the
door was such a failure.
I mean, it breaks my heartbecause by the time they get to
him, they've already beentested, and the three days of
testing, and the parents beingfrustrated, and you know you're
hurting your parents, and you'rehurting yourself, and you're
different, and he knows that.
(13:23):
Like, you just want to be seen,and like, for someone to say, I
know, this hurts, and I'm goingto get you out of it.
I've got your back.
We're going to figure this out.
And you're, you're smart.
You're brilliant.
And he tapped into that.
And that to me is everything inlife is just, you want, every
person wants to be seen anddoesn't want to think they can't
(13:45):
do it.
And for one hand to put out andsay, I see you and spend the
time that he asked you toprepare because it's not like,
okay, open your books.
We're just doing this.
He has to think on his feet andget creative because everybody
learns so different.
So that's inspiring.
And the Everyday Master, to havea teacher who doesn't have a
(14:06):
learning disability, have thepatience, which, you know, you
get frustrated with me andyou're probably the most patient
person I know in the world,because it's frustrating to be
around someone who kind of likezots out, I mean, you kind of,
and to see Jamie saying, getyour kids tested.
Find out, don't give up, believein them.
(14:27):
They're not going to fail.
They're not going to, you know,not make it and take a breath
and be patient.
and find a new way.
Just, you know, brings tears tomy eyes.
Craig (14:37):
Where do you sit with your own dyslexia today?
Do you have shame when you thinkabout it?
Do you still feel broken aroundit?
Or does it flip in a lifetimeand become something you own as
a piece of you?
Not, I don't think you're proudof it, but...
You see it as an ingredient ofwho you are and you're more open
(15:02):
about it.
I mean, I don't think you walkaround telling people, uh, Oh,
you do.
So, so let me ask you todayafter, now becoming an adult
where we're less, frankly, wegive a shit less about what
other people think about us aswe get older, but where are you
with your own being a dyslexicperson?
And how do you wear it today?
Nicole (15:23):
I think what it's given me is great empathy.
Which, and patience, and thatright there is a gift.
I wear it very proud because Irealize I'm very smart and I'm
good at things.
Almost everything I go for, I goto the top, and I'm willing to
fight through all of it.
And trust me, I'm doing Excelspreadsheets and writing and
(15:46):
emails and stuff I can't do, andI warn everyone.
Hey, I'm dyslexic.
I'm going to send you an email.
It's probably going to not havethe correct punctuations.
I might make a mistake, but yourgoal, if I'm running a huge
company, and it's numbers andselling, we're, I'm going to get
you there above everybody.
And so I wear it really proud,because I know it's made me who
(16:08):
I am, and I'm good at a lot ofthings.
And so quickly, when I write, Ilook, my handwriting looks like
I'm a second grader, and I tellpeople, and I chicken scratch,
but...
I'm really proud of who I am,and I don't really own it as a
disability anymore because Ithink it's made me who I am,
which is outgoing andempathetic, and I reach for the
(16:29):
stars because I've had to fightthrough a lot to get where I am,
more than the average person.
Craig (16:36):
So how important...
was Mr.
Winston for you, when you thinkback about it as a character,
and how important are peoplelike Jamie Hooper in children's
lives?
Nicole (16:49):
Everything.
I mean, that's going to make mecry.
It's everything.
The Mr.
Winston and Jamie Hoopers.
They give people, hope,survival, and the patience that
you're not broken.
And as an adult, I got to goback and tell Mr.
(17:10):
Winston what he meant to me.
And I kind of draw from that allof the time, of how someone
believed in me.
And hearing Jamie's story,that's like, it's life changing.
And that's why I think ofparents and teachers, it's like,
to have these people, they haveno idea, Mr.
Winston had no idea how heimpacted my life until I got to
(17:33):
tell him as an adult.
And hearing Jamie, it's...
It brings tears to my eyes asyou hear, is that we have to
have these people that arewilling to not, you know,
they're not making the bigbucks.
And we're only 8 to 10 percentof the world, so really, why?
Why, you know?
Why invest?
And it takes people like that tosay, to invest in us, that make
(17:57):
the difference, who believe thatwe're, we are special and we're
worth it.
Craig (18:04):
Oh, you are special and you're worth it to me, my love.
Thank you for our first ever inthe Jacuzzi Wrapper Upper I love
you.
I love all of you.
And I really don't like to fightwith you because you're 15 steps
ahead of me.
I'm the worst fighter with you.
I got one move and then you have18 that come right after it and
(18:26):
I don't know what happened.
And I'm in a pretzel.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, you know that.
She knows that.
Okay.
I love you.
Nicole (18:34):
I don't know what part we can put in there, but no
matter what, it was, you know,thinking about it and listening
to it was amazing.
And your patience and grace withsomeone like me, you're lucky.
Craig (18:46):
oh, I'm lucky.
Every day.
Whew.
Humdinger right?
There she is the wonderfulNicole Diamond, hope you enjoyed
this bonus episode and we willsee you next time on Everyday
Masters.
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