S3E30: From Struggle to Strength - 7 Breakthrough Lessons Learned After 100 Podcast Episodes

So, here’s something we never expected to say after 100 episodes—turns out, the single biggest breakthrough wasn’t about dyslexia strategies or advocacy wins. It was all about healing… for us. We started this podcast thinking we’d help others, but the real surprise? The podcast ended up helping us face stuff we didn’t even know we were carrying. And as we kept talking, we found out we weren’t alone—so many parents and kids are just as lost, frustrated, and anxious as we once were. Why does sharing these honest, sometimes awkward conversations about dyslexia and the 5 Ds matter more than any expert advice or school resource? Well, let’s just say there’s something we discovered along the way that might change how you see your own journey—and your kid’s. Curious? Stick around, because we’re only just getting started.

The key moments in this episode are:

00:00:00 - Celebrating 100 Episodes and Reflecting on Growth 

00:02:20 - Deepening Understanding of Dyslexia and ADHD Challenges 

00:05:30 - Advocacy for Dyslexics and Navigating the Education System 

00:08:00 - Early Awareness of Being Different and Social Challenges 

00:12:40 - Personal Rituals and Wellness Practices Supporting Their Journey 

00:14:33 - The Importance of Honest Conversations About Dyslexia and Learning Struggles 

00:16:29 - Connecting Dyslexia, Stuttering, and Shared School Anxieties 

00:18:50 - The 5Ds Framework and Its Broader Recognition 

00:21:09 - Navigating Vulnerability and Podcast Guest Experiences 

00:24:11 - The Power of Naming and Historical Context of Dyslexia 

00:28:41 - Challenges Within the Public School System and the Stigma Around Learning Disabilities 

00:31:14 - Understanding the 5Ds and Importance of Neuropsychological Testing 

00:33:25 - The Gaps in Education and Teacher Preparedness for Learning Disabilities 

00:38:30 - Foundation Growth and Upcoming Events Supporting Learning Disability Awareness 

00:41:35 - Encouraging Engagement and Raising Awareness Through the Podcast

 

Transcript:

00:00:02
Welcome back to Word Blindness, Dyslexia Exposed. This is our hundredth episode, and I'm here with my co host, Brent Sopol. How are you today? On a Monday? What?

00:00:15
As Vince would say, it's Canadians. We all hate Canadians because everybody hates Mondays. No, that's what they call them on the police force. He hated. They called us Mondays.

00:00:28
Oh, called the Canadians Mondays. See, I particularly like Monday. Now, I didn't always like a Monday, but I actually don't mind a Monday. No, I don't mind Monday. I.

00:00:40
Well, because it's what I like when I'm doing right. I think there's different things, but that's not what we're going to talk about today because we're going to kind of reminisce because it is a hundred episodes, like, that is. I think I shared with you. There are so many podcasts out there, and I didn't get the statistics because I was like, you know, you know me and math. I'm not going to be doing statistics.

00:00:59
But there is a very big percentage of podcasters that never get to 100. It's a very small percentage that do. 100's a lot. And I can't believe it's 100. This one went really fast.

00:01:13
I know. When I did your next stop and I hit 100, I remember it felt like, oh, my God. Like, I. Like, this came up out of nowhere. I was like, wait, I wonder what episode we're on.

00:01:22
I was like, holy shit. How many did you end up with at your next stop? There was over almost 500. Really? Yeah.

00:01:30
Wow. Yeah. With bonus episodes and then the live stuff that I did with the NFL. Yeah, it was. It was.

00:01:39
That was. That was a lot. But the first hundred, I just remember being like. Like, I think at like 30, I was like, I have to be close. And I was like, oh, I'm not close.

00:01:48
Okay. This is so interesting. This. I literally, I think I said to you like a month ago, I was like, oh, I'm going to track to see where we are, and had, like, really no thought that we were close to 100, and then was like, oh, my God, we're like, super, super close. I wouldn't never.

00:02:03
I would never guess it was. It was at 100 or surprising. We're here already. I know. And the thing that I have to say, what I'm most thankful for is the healing that I think I did that I didn't realize I needed to do.

00:02:27
Getting in touch with things that from being dyslexic and you Know ADHD and all these things that I kind of was like, yeah, it is what it is. I look at the bright side. I always see positive, but not really digging into that. I'm really, really, really thankful for. For you and this platform to be able to do that.

00:02:49
Likewise, you know, it's the understanding. I never had the understanding to the depth that I have now, you know, never had. I never had really any understanding till you had more understanding into this world than I did. Obviously, I didn't get diagnosed at 32, but it was in your house. So entering into this kind of episode one, you had way more understanding.

00:03:19
I had. I had. Well, I, you know, I mean, I had the positive understanding. I had the. Yes.

00:03:26
The acknowledging of the world and all the hoops and all the frustrations, you know, obviously, with Montgomery being. When we started this, I think he was sophomore, junior year, because now I don't even know. I can't. Was he going. Was.

00:03:42
He was ending his sophomore year going into his junior, which is crazy because now he's going into a sophomore year of college. Like, so if we really break it down. Speaking of. Isn't he leaving soon? He is leaving soon.

00:03:58
And I've been so busy this summer. Like, I was. Yeah, he is. He's leaving. We're going to take him back because I'm going to.

00:04:06
We'll go to Charlotte and spend some time with the cousins and he moves in the 11th. So, yeah, like two weeks.

00:04:17
But the awareness of every, you know, every time school started. Right. I mean, if we think about. I was actually thinking I got to do yoga today. So it was like kind of taking it back to old time.

00:04:29
Like, I would do yoga, right. I would have wet hair. I still have a little wet hair in the back. I dried a little bit of it, would go to yoga. I met you kind of when my whole yoga.

00:04:41
I was connecting with yoga, too. So it was a very interesting time in my life because it was like a lot of growth that I didn't realize I was coming into or needing because I was like, yeah, this is great. But the thing that was very interesting is you being able to. Being like, well, you're anxious because of all of this from school. And I was like, yeah, I always knew.

00:05:02
And. And Hahn always being like three weeks before school starts, like, you know, he's like, you turn into something different. And it was just putting the words. But having the understanding of you being like, well, this is why you're doing it. Even though internally I knew obviously why I was doing it.

00:05:20
But you were able to kind of break it down, I think, is some of my favorite things. And having the listeners be able to be there and listen to it and how many people connect with us, thanking us for explaining what we've gone through and our personal experiences, because they don't feel alone. We've got DMS all the time. Thank you for that. I don't feel alone anymore.

00:05:45
Yeah, we're not. We're not the only kid in the chair.

00:05:52
Right. You know, there's millions of kids in that chair and there's millions of people are feeling the same way. And, you know, I've always said talking about my story is not about me. It's about who might resonate because it's not the only one. And, you know, obviously, clearly home.

00:06:17
The people have. You've talked to, I've talked to, like, oh, you know, thank you. Because that's the difference between us and the foundation. And what we do is. And what's going on out there is.

00:06:32
We talk about this all the time. It's, you know, dyslexics, advocating for dyslexics. That's, you know, unfortunately, that's not what's. What's going out there. And that's what's not being received.

00:06:47
And that's not. That's what's being pushed through the channels of, you know, the education system, the district or the superintendent or the special ed teacher or, you know, whoever you're dealing with right now, they're. They're telling you to do something that they have no clue if that's going to work or not work is. Cause they don't have it. And that's the.

00:07:13
I think that's probably the biggest factor and the biggest difference that we've walked that path. Yes. And then the epiphanies that we've kind of both have, you know, you figuring out why you didn't take the pregame nap, you know, who in your family was dyslexic. I mean, we could go on and on. It was like, wait, I didn't connect those dots until we just got into a deeper conversation on a different level.

00:07:40
Because of the understanding. Yeah, that pregame nap thing was, you know, it took. I think it was a couple years ago. We put it together. Yeah.

00:07:51
No clue. You know, I had no, no idea why. And. But that's just the.

00:08:00
How smart we are and how aware we are that we're different and how we do. You know, like Montgomery obviously memorizing. I was telling somebody the other day, we know at A young age that we're different. You know, it's like, what do you mean? How can you tell?

00:08:21
I'm like, you know, now it's just telling a story about you and how he's always pointing at signs when you're in the city and finding out that he was just memorizing. The guy kind of looked at me stuff. He goes, what? Like, yeah, that's how young. Or that's how young.

00:08:41
We know. We know we're different, but we don't know why and what that means, or we just know that we don't fit in with, you know, with everybody else, whatever that is, relating or reading or friends or. We just know that we're different as a kid. That's the last thing you want, right? Right?

00:09:07
Yeah, I just want to fit in. Right. I just want, you know, the girl, the cute girl in the corner when I'm in grade six to like me. I just want go. Go to the playground and play kickball with my friends.

00:09:24
You know, a lot of times that doesn't happen, right, because you're getting pulled out or you have to stay in for lunch because you got to do the extra reading, or you didn't. You didn't finish it, so then you got to stay and do the extra. You know, and it's like, oh, my God. The things, the fights and the arguments and the, you know, the tools that we've been able to give parents going into IAPS is another thing that, you know, I've had a couple parents, more than a couple, but say, you know, the person on the other side was like, who did you talk to? Why?

00:09:58
How do you know these things? And especially in our district, they're like, oh, boy, you gotten. She got in your ear. But it's because it's. We don't speak up because we don't know.

00:10:11
And, you know, as a parent, when you're going through this and you feel so lonely and, you know, I think that's the other thing. Being able to talk about our journeys from the beginning and then being able to share them with others and then having those dots connect as we are talking is really, really special thing. And not a lot of people ever get that experience to be able to do that, you know, they. They can see therapy or do other things like that. But this is such a beautiful thing for so many people.

00:10:46
And the fact that we both were like, I mean, we. If you want to listen, you weren't very willing, but it took a little. It took a little. It took a little pressure Pressure. Pressure to convince you that I knew, you know, from that time I interviewed you that you had something bigger to share and that more people would connect with it if we were able to sit down and talk and talk things through.

00:11:21
Because that's how we process things. Right. That's how we put dots together. And so for others to be able to listen to it and say, oh, my gosh, okay, now I feel like I'm not alone. Now I feel like I have the tools to be able to fight a little bit more because of this platform.

00:11:42
That's a really, really special thing.

00:11:47
Like you said in your area. Oh, you know, she got in your air. Oh, boy, here we go. You know, it's.

00:11:57
Unfortunately, that's the comments that do arise. Yeah. Because it's annoying. It's annoying. It's when you come with more information and know more than they do because they don't have it.

00:12:13
And that's. It's annoying conversation. It's a frustrating conversation. It's. It's a comment.

00:12:22
But unfortunately, that's where we are in the. The age of school. You know, it's. That's why we do what we do, and that's why we talk about the things you talk about for that reason so that that kid doesn't get pushed aside.

00:12:46
And as. As we're talking, I have all.

00:12:50
How many rocks? So I found. Just recently found my shell. And I love this because you. Basically, it's like, it's a little hollow.

00:12:58
So I can just go like this. And it's like, so just keeps my brain. And then all of these, I just, like, there's. I have a lot. And I just hold them underneath the desk.

00:13:08
Is that a crystal? It is. Oh, and then. And then I have a green one. Elizabeth bought a crystal too, last night.

00:13:16
Oh, really? Deodorant. Oh, yeah. Those work well. I actually have the best deodorant.

00:13:22
I got it. I. It's sage and it's a spray, but that's not what we're talking. But it's all natural and it is. I've only used it now for three years.

00:13:30
Never had to use anything else. Yeah. You know, she came home. I know that crystal. Yeah, she came home from Whole Foods and there's a crystal on the counter.

00:13:38
I'm like, it's my deodorant. I don't want to smell. I'm like, you don't? But my dad used. Has used that crystal.

00:13:48
I think one of my sisters has used it.

00:13:53
I guess that's the hot topic at yoga. I was in the crystal. Totally. It is, it's, It's. Well, because it's a natural thing, so you're not putting chemicals into your body.

00:14:03
And right now that's. So it's, you know, it's important, but that's. Is it. That's for a different. Oh, no, we, Yo.

00:14:10
And then she wanted candy, but all they had was the chocolates. Oh, oh, no, Real. Oh, wait, hold on. Not true. Fruit.

00:14:20
Real. Yeah, yeah, it's called real. What, what is that called, though? Hold on. Real.

00:14:24
True. True. Real. No, I, I, that is the best, though. It is now when you don't have the regular candy and then all.

00:14:33
Come on, she was mad. She didn't come on with any treats because that wasn't treats. Yeah. Well, how about all the podcasts that you, you know, showed your candy and all your bags of, of your licorice and whatever else you had or gummies or. I don't even know what you had.

00:14:53
What were those? I always had treats. Yeah, you always under. But under your desk. But I think just the fact that we've had enough things to talk about and we have so many more things to talk about.

00:15:11
Right. It is. We're just getting started, like. Well, that's the, the crazy point to this for, you know, you said most people don't get to 100 because they're picking a topic while there isn't, you know, 100. You started.

00:15:26
You think there's thousands of conversations, but you know, there isn't. Well, unfortunately, in this, and it is, unfortunately, when it's the second most common thing in the world, there shouldn't be needed to be this much conversation. But that's why we are to change the world for the kid in the chair. That's how many conversations that are out there too, you know, that we've had and to be had, like you said. But the other thing is like coming up with the kid in the chair.

00:15:57
Right. We always had something, but then we gave it a name. We gave that kid. Kept saying the kid, the kid. Right.

00:16:02
And it was like we came up and, and really tagged that as something very tangible because we both were the kid in the chair. Right. We know so many kids in the chair that you just, you know, it's a hard place to be when you're not being seen and heard or you're just told you're dumb or you're not trying or you're not focused and especially school coming, you know. Yeah. Yep.

00:16:29
I had, I met a plane friend recently, and they actually were asking they had a stutter. And it reminds me of some other conversations we've had with other people. So they said they have. Or had. They had one, and they worked really, really hard to, you know, not do it.

00:16:54
But they said when we were talking about dyslexia and reading out loud, like, I felt his. Like, his, you know, he totally tensed up, and he didn't know that I realized he tensed up kind of thing. So I was like, I wonder where this is going to go. So I, you know, shared some of the stories. And he said, do you ever.

00:17:16
Is. Is there association with dyslexia and stuttering? And I said, no. I said, but a lot of people that have a stutter or had a stutter can relate to some of the struggles that we've gone through in school because of, you know, having to stand up and read out loud. And he said, yeah.

00:17:36
He goes, I don't even like to talk about it. He's like, you count, right? You count. And then Johnny gets the second. And I was like, oh, yeah, that's totally what I say every single time.

00:17:45
Because that happened so many times, right? They're like, johnny actually read another one. You did a great job. And then you've already counted, and you're not lying. That was a short one.

00:17:51
Just go take another one. Yeah. And you're like. And then you got to recount, and. And then it.

00:17:56
And then you don't get enough time to. To read it. And it's like, I can get anxiety and thinking about it. And it just was interesting because, you know, he was like, okay, I. You know, I. I get it.

00:18:09
I get it. From that standpoint, I didn't have a hard time reading other than my stutter. And I said, well, that's a hard time reading, right? Because you, you. Like, I don't.

00:18:19
I can. That makes me anxious in itself, right? Because I've heard people stutter, and you're, like, sitting there like, oh, you want to help them? But then you're like, oh, no. Oh, this is so uncomfortable.

00:18:29
Right. But it's the same sort of feeling as someone trying to read and can't read or trying to sound out a word or not saying the right word, or your mind just goes blank. And us coming up with the five Ds, that's the other thing, right? Didn't you find somewhere else there's a 5Ds.

00:18:50
Do you want me to tell you where I found it? Was that in the state of New York? Yeah. I had to take that sexually harassing Whatever. That sexually harassed New York thing.

00:19:03
And I was like, what are they. Why, what are they saying? Five Ds. And then I was like, mother fuckers. That's ours.

00:19:09
Yeah, I forgot. What. What is it was. I know some. I don't know, I just remember you saying that somebody else is using the 5Ds.

00:19:17
Yeah. It doesn't get a chance to. No, they can go, yeah, no, and especially what I. Yeah, don't even get me started on that. That test I had to take, that was for sexually harassing, but also people with disabilities, and I had to read it and take a quiz. And I was like, okay, well, first of all, because I shouldn't be having to do this with.

00:19:41
I was like, so it was terrible. It was timed. No, but it was like an hour. And if you. If you lagged.

00:19:48
Yeah, it wasn't timed. But if you, like took too long, like nudge, whatever. It was sucked. I hated. Really.

00:19:55
I actually, No, I was gonna say something that I'm not gonna say because it's not PC, but I was like, yeah, I had a lot of choice words for that fucking test.

00:20:06
So, I mean that. We came up with the 5Ds and, you know, we. We grew on the whole neurodiversity word. And then we were able to ask other guests what their feelings were on that. And I kind of loved that because a lot of them, you know, were like, well, no, I like it because.

00:20:24
And then when they heard what we said, they were like, oh, all right. Now I got to think about it. Right? Yeah, I think most. Dr. Jacob Pinker is the most on our side off the start than everybody else.

00:20:40
Yeah. I actually have his clip coming out that he talks about why he doesn't like neurodiversity. It's actually really good. I'm excited. I'm gonna.

00:20:47
I'll put that on social media.

00:20:51
It was interesting. Well, it's. Again, that's just the buzzwords. Saying the right thing, almost pretending you're doing.

00:21:09
Doing it for the right reasons and for the kid and people kind of buying in and. Yep. And then how many. This is another thing that I love to talk about. Well, not love.

00:21:25
That's probably not the right word. Um, but how many people have said, oh, we would love to be on the podcast, and then kind of at the last minute get a little bit of cold feet.

00:21:37
A lot of people, oh, yeah, no problem.

00:21:41
Till they actually think about it. What. Or listen to one of our episodes. And then they're like, oh, I don't want to do that. Yeah.

00:21:49
Now, they had, you know, they had all good intentions.

00:21:55
Do they realize that they're gonna have to peel back the onion layer one at a time? And how many of them weren't ready to do that? Which, I mean, they'll. I really believe a lot of them will come back around. The other is where some guests didn't do any research and we're like, yeah, yeah, I totally love it.

00:22:16
And they start talking very positive. Not that we don't love that because obviously that's, you know, I'm posi pocket pants or whatever. Whatever it is. And then being like, you know what? I guess I did have some of those shit things, but I don't want to talk about that.

00:22:32
Like, I put that in the back and we're like, well, but this is where people need to hear. Because they need to relate to it. They need to be like, oh, okay, you went through that too. It doesn't feel good. It feels shit.

00:22:43
But we need to talk about it. And that's where, you know, again, when we first started, I shared with you. I remember after you finally said yes, and then I got a little anxiety because I was like, shit, he's very real about stuff that he talks about. And am I ready to, like, wanting to do that? Am I going to be able to navigate some of this in a positive way as well?

00:23:09
And blah, blah, blah. And I remember sitting in yoga or laying in yoga. I actually remember the exact time. And I just said, I'm not going to put any expectations on it if we. And I said that to you too.

00:23:20
There's no expectations. Let's just see where it goes. Like, we have no idea. Because that was before we even had a name. Word blindness.

00:23:28
I got so excited and I, like sent you 35 the name. You were like, oh, shit. Okay. I said yes. And she's full on in you and that name or after it.

00:23:41
And here we go. And yeah, I was so excited. That's one of the things I love. I love coming up with kids names, dogs names, think names. I love the.

00:23:51
And I don't know what it is a word to me, even though with dyslexia. So it's like a very interesting thing. And I've never actually put this together right now, but a word to me can be so powerful and have so much meaning. Just two words, one word, three words. Whatever it is there, it's something that can resonate with someone in a different way.

00:24:11
I mean, I think that's why I like, love stories and all of that. But I. You know, I think at one point I said to you, okay, let's pause on the name, because we had, like. I mean, we had. No, you had.

00:24:24
I didn't have any name. You're like, I don't know. I don't care. I. But then when I sent you the lesson, word blindness was on there, and then I gave you a little of the history, because then I started researching.

00:24:34
Oh, yeah. Yeah, you did. And then I was like, wait, I want this to have more than just right. It just to be a name. I want it to mean something.

00:24:45
And so then I started researching dyslexia and then word blindness, and I was like, oh, you know what? I really like that. So I. I think I still have it in my notes. I think I sent you, like, remember I tried to do shared notes. You're like, I don't want to do shared notes.

00:24:58
No.

00:25:02
2, I gave the word blindness not to. Not to be taken. And that's what I was named. Right. In the 1800s.

00:25:11
It just tells you, you know, you go and, you know, start business. You go start anything else. It's that common deal. You go, uncle Daddy. And all the common ones are taken, Right?

00:25:25
Like, you just. That's how much this stuff isn't talked about for us in the dyslexic world. For that name worth bond is not to be taken is, um, when you came, give me the background, I'm like, really? What? I know, right?

00:25:44
And. But then I tried to trademark it, and then they wouldn't because it's a term. You can't trademark a term. Yeah, I was like, whatever. Off, close, right?

00:25:55
I was like, what? All right, okay. But because it was. And it was a German eye doctor, the one that determined it. And so then that was kind of interesting to learn a little bit about it.

00:26:05
But then it was also really. I feel like both of us, like, it made me sad to think that it's been around as long as it's been around and that we still are where we are and we still have the scars and the. You know, the trauma from it then got me angry because then I was like, well, wait a second. Everyone's. Well, oh, we've come so far, right?

00:26:30
We've done so much research. And then I started getting. Then we would get even more pissed because it's like, yeah, you're researching and it's not getting to the kid in the chair. And that's how we then kind of came up with that. It's like, well, no, you're doing.

00:26:41
Yeah, everyone's researching, oh, you guys should talk to this PhD and, oh, you should talk to this. They're studying this, and this is how it looks. And we were like, everyone's missing the fucking point. Like, how is this sad? Was for sure the.

00:26:55
The first feeling from it all. Like, yeah, it's sad that it's. This name's still around. And, you know, these conversations are. Hadn't been had yet.

00:27:08
And definitely angry was part. You know, was part of that. You know, again, second most common thing in the world. And nobody's having these conversations, and the people who don't have it are telling us what to do. Yeah, yeah.

00:27:29
Angry is just a huge portion of it all. Yeah, yeah. Because. And then that's where really, as we continued the conversations and then all the time and every subject and everything that would come up, and it was like, you know, this is so. We.

00:27:59
And we obviously knew it was so much bigger than it is, but, like, as you always say, peeling back the layers, you know, peeling back the layers of the conversations, peeling back the layers of people's experiences, and the fact that even, like now, even though Montgomery, you know, was in a private school, like, when we had Bradley and Montgomery on, you know, there was a couple things that really struck me where, you know, Bradley still doesn't love to let people know that he struggles. Right. And Montgomery, you know, like, embraces it and talks about it, but they still have scars from school. Right. And we all do.

00:28:41
Everyone, you know, everyone going through school is going to have something, but it's like the public school system, really, just all school systems, how fucking broken it is and how much work that needs to be done so we can do a little bit of it by sharing stories. And the other one that's really hurt you always amazing how many people that have it, that don't talk about it or don't get involved or don't say anything about it or, you know, don't. Won't be part of the foundation or, you know, or our. Our conversation. It's amazing how many.

00:29:33
When people won't. Oh, my. That our daughter or my son or I did fine, or, you know, that's the end of the conversation. Yeah. Have a couple conversations with them.

00:29:46
Like, oh, wow, maybe I didn't, but won't talk about it. Right? No, it's. It hurts because, you know, those are the people that we need to have to have these conversations. Yeah, exactly.

00:30:03
If they don't have them, where do we start? And that's, I guess, you know, we're kind of the groundbreaker of, you know, of these conversations, because you don't see too many of them out there.

00:30:19
There's podcasts about, you know, different things. But, you know, as you're doing, doing your research and researching the name, you weren't finding a lot of what we're talking about there out there. No, it's all about the systems and how you can help and what. There's no one. And it's not easy talking about hard things.

00:30:41
It's not easy talking about, you know, being called your freshman year. It's not easy for you to say, you know, yeah, I feel dumb every day. Or, you know, it's. It's. No one likes to talk about.

00:30:54
I had, I got in. Excuse me. I'm a little slow. I'm just, I'm not a little slow. I'm just saying you're allowed to say it because you're dyslexic.

00:31:06
You're right. That's what I say. How's that? I didn't call anyone, call anybody else. Calling yourself.

00:31:14
Right. And your dog. Oh, geez, yeah, that one. Remember, I wanted to call her name or Turd, because, yeah, that's. That's definitely her.

00:31:28
And then for us to be able to also break down. I think another thing that I really loved is that we were able to break down the 5Ds more because of our own experiences in there, but then also me, because obviously I was diagnosed with ADHD and then dyslexia later, but they didn't do dysgraphia and dyscalculia when I was, you know, piecing things together. And it was, it's like, oh, my God. Like, that's so, you know, I'm not just bad in math and dysgraphia, learning more about all the different kind of forms of it. I would never have gotten Truman tested, right, if I wasn't doing this work with you guys and if we didn't have the podcast because I've been like, well, you know, he still gets really good grades.

00:32:13
But as he got into AP classes and things got harder is when I saw him start struggling and I was like, he doesn't have to struggle. Right? Like, this is as much things are going to be hard, but like, let's get where you get the accommodations. And then talking about the neuro psychs, it's a roadmap, right? It's how you learn where your strengths and where your weaknesses are and everyone really should have the ability to be able to get one.

00:32:36
And there's so much money. Right. I mean, we've just recently have been really diving into that. You know, some state. It's.

00:32:44
It's crazy, the amount of money and these kids that are falling through the clocks because their families don't have the means or the finances or the knowledge, and they're, oh, well, the school's going to do it. And with the school saying specific learning disabilities and all the states that can't do it and learning about all of what we know to be able to share with others. Yeah, that.

00:33:11
You know, how many people have asked us, hey, what's dyscalculia? What's dysgraphia? You know, after we started having these conversations. I've never heard that. I've heard of dyslexia of adhd.

00:33:25
What do you mean? What's that? You know, having to break that down. And the neuropsychs and how many different neuropsychs there are, the waiting lists, school psychologists diagnosing a woman with what they want. You know, it's specified learning disability.

00:33:46
And then the poor teachers that have no tools. No, that's.

00:33:53
You don't teach them. Everybody wants to teach dyslexic, but they. They don't understand us. It just doesn't. It doesn't make a lot of sense.

00:34:02
But, you know, you can have understanding. So somebody, you know, somebody teaches what we're talking about. I mean, willing to listen.

00:34:17
Willing to listen. That's the thing. You know, so many people say they want to help and do this, but they actually. Are they really listening? Are they really listening to what the parents need for the kid, what the kid needs?

00:34:30
Or are they going through their checklist and their book? Oh, well, this is what we have to do. This is what we're told to do. So, you know, it's, it's, it's very broken.

00:34:44
This one here? That. Yeah, yeah. Oh, you're saying this. Okay, so it has to be that.

00:34:48
It's horseshit and sorship. That's exactly. Well, I think we could go on and on, obviously, but I think we should do a little bet. Over and under. How many.

00:35:04
Like, I mean, there. We're just getting started. This is the hundredth episode, which, if you really think about that, that's really, really amazing.

00:35:17
Yeah. Never would have thought it got to 100.

00:35:25
I didn't want to get that. I didn't want to get to episode one. Never mind. 100. I'll never forget.

00:35:31
You're. Like I said, just show up. If you just show up, I tell you what. Microphone Because I. You have to have a microphone if you say yes.

00:35:38
Because I can't hear a computer all the time. You have to have a microphone. And if I just tell you the time and here's the link, and we test it before, and I'll start talking and just join in the conversation, and we'll figure it out. And you finally were like, all right.

00:36:00
Fear. Fear dictates.

00:36:06
I said to you later, after we, you know, became friends, I was like, what? Why did you say no? And you were like, well, I didn't know if you were going to ask me, like, to read or what. And I was like, oh, I didn't even think about that. I'm so sorry.

00:36:22
I'm gonna have to research. Am I gonna have to do all. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I just said, just show up. And you're like, I can do that, right?

00:36:31
And just follow. Follow later. And I will. I'll take us where we need to go. And then you're.

00:36:38
I mean, you're a natural at this. Like, you know, obviously, you know that and have so much to share and give and, you know, it's funny. I. You know, people do sometimes for 100, like, they'll do bloopers. Like, we don't really have a lot of bloop.

00:36:56
Like, there's. We. There's very little editing. Very little editing. I think in the beginning, there was a couple times where I said to our editor, like, if Brent says he's gonna punch someone in the face, maybe take it out, like, if it's a little old lady or something, if it's a teacher.

00:37:10
I was like, just because we. We don't want someone to take it and then run with it, that he's, you know, saying he's gonna cause harm to a woman, because that's so not him. And so my editor. That was the only thing I think in the beginning did. But we really don't edit.

00:37:25
We just jump on. Sometimes we have specific things that we want to talk about. Sometimes we. I start talking, and you, like, just hit record. Ten minutes in the conversation.

00:37:38
Oh, I forgot to hit record. Yeah. And you're like, just. Did I hit record? Did the numbers.

00:37:44
I didn't see the numbers. Oh, yeah. It was, like five minutes ago.

00:37:49
And then how, you know, Attention deficit and all the things tie into. I mean, I just think there's so many things that we've. Sleep, nutrition, we've talked about hormones, you know, I don't think there's many things that we have not touched on. No, we'll Continue to touch on because it's. It's all intertwined.

00:38:14
It all is all in terms. And as we continue to grow, the foundation continues to grow. You continue to grow, I continue to grow. I still have kids in high school. They continue to grow.

00:38:30
We're going to have more situations that we can share and more things that we're doing with the foundation that, you know, we've said a million times that we don't talk about because there's things that you have to kind of do behind the scenes because people suck and you can't, you know, you can't show your hand right away. And so there's a lot of stuff happening, but things that we can share. Golf event, September 15th. 15th. And then Stanley Cup.

00:39:03
We have that date. October 17th. Yep. Right. It's a Friday.

00:39:08
That's a Friday. Yep, the 17th. Are you checking it? Because you don't think I'm right?

00:39:19
Yeah, 17th year. 17th and 18th is Friday. Saturday. Yeah. Well done.

00:39:25
Well done. Thanks. The only reason why I know that is because Hahnny asked me yesterday when I was on the airplane.

00:39:32
I kept saying 16th, 17th. Yeah. And so those. If you go to sopofoundation.org you can see those. The other thing is, is we have.

00:39:43
The SOPO foundation has its eighth year anniversary. That was another 17, by the way. I'm loving the number 17. That was July 17th. And number 17.

00:39:56
I am. Because there's a lot of 17 that keep popping up with 17 every month. There is. I know. Thank you.

00:40:03
But good things are happening on the date of the 17. Okay, let me be clear. And then I'm seeing it in other places.

00:40:12
So that if you go to the website, we're doing a fun. Like last year, the 7th, we did 7777. Yep. See more sevens. I love.

00:40:22
I like sevens. The one in there. Where's the 17? No, that. I know that wasn't one.

00:40:28
That was just loans of sevens. This one is 8170 is what. So you could do. You can donate on Instagram. You can go.

00:40:35
I think you can. You can just also do it on Facebook and you can go to the website and you can donate there as well. And so we want to hit that before Labor Day. So. So let's.

00:40:47
Let's 100% get that. I'm excited to see that. Go over what we did last year. And that was fun because that was seven. We hit the seven, seven, seven.

00:40:55
And then we had other people being like, wait, I want it. And then people that also like numbers were like, wait, I'm going to put this amount in. This amount. Yeah. So a lot of people donated either, right?

00:41:04
Either $7 or $77 or 177 or some people did 777. So this year, just do something.

00:41:16
Just do something to help us get over that. So then I can say to Brent, see, we did it two years in a row. So that. That just on that. If you could just do that so I can say that, that would be great.

00:41:28
Told you so. Yeah, I didn't say tell you so. I didn't. I didn't use those words. I just said, see, not yet.

00:41:35
So if you guys go do that. But thank you for listening. For everyone that listens. We have a lot of consistent listeners that listen to everyone, and they have said to us, they've learned more, and a lot of them are teachers. They've learned more from us than they learned in school, which it's a little concerning, if you think about it.

00:41:57
Not a little. A lot concerning, but, you know, we'll. We'll leave it at that. And here's to another hundred till next time. Keep fit and have fun.

00:42:08
Yeah. Oh, I didn't do my thing. Don't forget to, like, rate, review, and share. Share, because you do not know who needs to fucking hear this. You don't know who has not been in the realm of this podcast.

00:42:20
You don't know who is struggling because school is coming up in a lot of different states, which is just crazy because I feel like we just finished, but there's a lot of people getting ready to go back in, like, a week, week and a half. And a parent right now could be, you know, not realizing why their kid doesn't want to go back, you know, and their kid could be struggling, and not wanting makes me sweat, like, even just thinking about it. So you don't know who needs to hear this. So, like, rate, review and share. And we will see you for another episode of Word Blindness.

00:42:51
Dyslexia Exposed.