S5E10: Dyslexia Awareness Month 2026

In this episode, Brent and Juliet discuss the importance of awareness for dyslexia and other learning disabilities, sharing personal stories, insights on Halloween traditions, and the significance of community support and advocacy.

 

Chapters

 

00:00 Introduction to Dyslexia Awareness Month and Personal Stories

01:54 Brent Shares His Motivation to Quit Red Bull for Better Health

04:01 The Challenges of Quitting Sugar and Changing Mindsets

05:46 Halloween Traditions and Childhood Memories

08:00 Community Support and the Importance of Support Groups

10:00 The Significance of Awareness Months and Advocacy Efforts

12:01 Inside a Haunted House and Halloween Costumes

13:53 The Impact of Learning Disabilities on Education and Life

16:00 The Role of Schools and Community in Supporting Neurodivergent Kids

17:53 How Personal Stories Foster Empathy and Understanding

19:46 The Power of Community and Advocacy in Changing Perceptions

22:00 Understanding Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia Through Personal Experiences

24:10 The Importance of Early Detection and Support for Learning Disabilities

25:46 The Challenges of Tiredness and Dyslexia on the Ice

27:55 Celebrating Neurodiversity and Supporting Each Other

30:05 Resources, Support Groups, and How to Get Involved

 

Transcript

 

00:00:09:23 - 00:00:15:21

Unknown

It's your favorite month.

 

00:00:15:23 - 00:00:28:18

Unknown

It's dyslexic awareness month. I wasn't talking about Halloween. You actually know because you like Easter candy. You don't like Halloween candy?

 

00:00:28:20 - 00:00:44:00

Unknown

I'm so proud of you. I'm so proud of you.

 

00:00:44:02 - 00:00:57:23

Unknown

Yeah. So all the things that you made fun of me. Like you like this and this. I'm. It's. It is so good. Yes. And I can't wait to be like. Oh, well, you're hitting 50 in a couple months.

 

00:00:58:01 - 00:01:26:10

Unknown

I understand that, but once you take. But this is what you do. As you get older, you start taking the things out, I love that. Whose idea was it? I know whose idea was it? But I want to. It was your idea. Okay. See, I love this.

 

00:01:26:12 - 00:01:41:15

Unknown

I'm not talking about that Halloween candy.

 

00:01:41:17 - 00:02:02:16

Unknown

Yeah, but. Okay. Can. This is just like cigarette in this month. But this is where I can. And now you're going to be like, why did I fucking bring it up? Can you take me through why you decided that you want to try to do it? Can we talk about that, or is it more like a personal thing that you want to get?

 

00:02:02:18 - 00:02:15:08

Unknown

Okay. It starts somewhere. I mean, if it's if it's, If that's what it is.

 

00:02:15:10 - 00:02:40:10

Unknown

Yep.

 

00:02:40:12 - 00:02:59:04

Unknown

I am I keep getting yelled at by that.

 

00:02:59:06 - 00:03:20:08

Unknown

It doesn't matter. Whatever it is. So this is what I think is. So if you think about it. Okay. So we met. I know we do this, like, often, and it's like the listeners are probably like, can't you remember? Like, what the fuck? I mean, it's been it's been it's over three years. And think about the things.

 

00:03:20:10 - 00:03:46:16

Unknown

It's just cool to see where life takes people and the good, the bad, the ugly, all of it. But it is like, it's just. I mean, you used to hand fist like candy. You know, I know, I bet tomorrow you won't be. And then. And then you're going to start eating on reals, and then I get to fucking make fun of you.

 

00:03:46:18 - 00:03:51:03

Unknown

What do we know?

 

00:03:51:05 - 00:04:05:11

Unknown

No, I can't. Okay, we'll say, we'll say so. You hear it here first. Right. So just just take it and listen to it and we'll.

 

00:04:05:13 - 00:04:09:21

Unknown

Yeah.

 

00:04:09:23 - 00:04:28:07

Unknown

Oh, you're going to be miserable this month. Not you could be. You're going to be fucking miserable. It's hard. It is really hard. And to detox and your body is like I want it. And then you're grumpy and but it it's not going to be because you don't. It's, it's not going to be as you're like the type of person you make your mind up.

 

00:04:28:07 - 00:04:44:09

Unknown

And I think there's a lot of people out there, but there's differences. You make your mind up on something and it's not going to bother you. Like you're going to be like, yeah, I'm good because you already changed your mindset on it. Elizabeth It might be different because she was like, oh, maybe. But it's still like once you changed your.

 

00:04:44:10 - 00:05:07:15

Unknown

And I'm like very disciplined like that too. Like, if I make my mind up, if if I kind of make my mind up, I'm going to fail within two weeks, right? But if I'm like, I'm done, I'm doing it. It's like very easy for me to to like, shift a mindset.

 

00:05:07:17 - 00:05:16:21

Unknown

Yeah, yeah.

 

00:05:16:23 - 00:05:23:13

Unknown

This is exciting.

 

00:05:23:15 - 00:05:57:19

Unknown

Okay. Or just changing things up. I, I always say I bored ness stagnation like that kind of stuff tweaks me. So like, there's times where I create chaos. We know this, just because I'm like, everything's real, which is, you know, it's. That's my old childhood shit where nervous systems and we can get into all of that. I know, I know, I know it, I, I'm not saying it's it.

 

00:05:57:21 - 00:06:20:01

Unknown

Oh. Everything's good. Let's get a dog. You know, a foster dog right before I'm traveling for six weeks in a row. No, that's. Those are kind of. No, that's not just woman. Except I love the crazy woman. Like, you know, in a good way. Not not like crazy, where you're like, like, unhealthy. I like a little, like, you know, a little crazy.

 

00:06:20:03 - 00:06:33:17

Unknown

A little crazy never hurts anyone. Keeps things alive.

 

00:06:33:18 - 00:06:37:10

Unknown

Yeah.

 

00:06:37:12 - 00:07:03:09

Unknown

Right. Never about. Not always a bad thing, but thinking about October Dyslexia Awareness Month also. But kids get so excited for Halloween. You know, you're having kids sit in their chairs. You're doing things. You're not changing things up. Like this is where oh, it's on a Friday, I believe, or Saturday because Penelope already she cannot wait. Yeah. She's like she already has.

 

00:07:03:14 - 00:07:24:23

Unknown

She's got a couple costumes because apparently there's a couple parties coming and she is so excited. She was talks about it, but I said I could not wait when the kids were little, like a Saturday. Halloween was like my dream. And guess when it was fucking Covid, I was so pissed. It know all of the years like that that it would have been like when they started school.

 

00:07:24:23 - 00:07:43:04

Unknown

So like of course when they were little, but when they started school I was like would look and I'd be like, oh my God, okay, 2020 is the, you know, Saturday, whatever. I mean, it was obviously they were older. Oh I did.

 

00:07:43:06 - 00:07:53:06

Unknown

They did that in Darien and they actually did it here. It's stupid. It's, it's takes a fun.

 

00:07:53:07 - 00:08:03:15

Unknown

I don't know that you're allowed to say any of those things.

 

00:08:03:17 - 00:08:25:05

Unknown

To it. It screams helicopter. Let's control. Everyone stays and say it's not fun. No, it's the worst.

 

00:08:25:06 - 00:08:42:11

Unknown

Yeah, totally. Exactly.

 

00:08:42:13 - 00:09:03:08

Unknown

You you hate. You hate. I and I actually never text an emoji to you. Well, no, sometimes I do. I do the dancing and the party thing.

 

00:09:03:10 - 00:09:18:22

Unknown

Yeah yeah yeah, yeah. Okay. So what was the biggest when you were little? What was the biggest thing that was like, that was like the scary that your parents told you not to do on Halloween?

 

00:09:19:00 - 00:09:24:00

Unknown

All I remember is

 

00:09:24:02 - 00:09:24:10

Unknown

right.

 

00:09:24:10 - 00:09:29:11

Unknown

So you had to be, like, properly dressed. We would freeze.

 

00:09:29:13 - 00:09:45:15

Unknown

Yeah.

 

00:09:45:17 - 00:09:57:07

Unknown

Yeah. Right. You didn't like any of that.

 

00:09:57:09 - 00:10:07:20

Unknown

No. Like taking hours was like always like if you take unwrapped candy there's going to be a razor blade in it. Like so we that.

 

00:10:07:22 - 00:10:17:05

Unknown

I, I have no idea.

 

00:10:17:07 - 00:10:28:00

Unknown

Totally. Right, right. To be careful with that. Yeah.

 

00:10:28:02 - 00:10:34:01

Unknown

Shoving. Shoving.

 

00:10:34:03 - 00:10:39:12

Unknown

Or like a or like crackers or something.

 

00:10:39:14 - 00:10:42:23

Unknown

Like.

 

00:10:43:01 - 00:10:52:03

Unknown

Right.

 

00:10:52:05 - 00:11:05:03

Unknown

Yes.

 

00:11:05:05 - 00:11:26:15

Unknown

They do that with the school like at school. Like the elementary school did that. It's. Yeah. And we never went to it. And when we were in Connecticut because I was the same, I was like again this is the because we live we when my kids were little we were in Brooklyn and that was like so fun.

 

00:11:26:17 - 00:11:46:20

Unknown

Yep. Storefronts? No. So storefronts. And then like, a lot of brownstones. But the storefronts, like, you knew the sections to go to because it was like all the stores had things and it was just it was like mayhem, like just, you know, hundreds of kids just like, you know, falling temper tantrums, like just having fun. And then you would have all the older, you know, kids.

 

00:11:46:20 - 00:12:03:11

Unknown

But it was pretty much storefronts. And then you knew that there was like, because we were in Park Slope, there was like, an area in Park Slope that had all the brownstones, and they decorated them and they would have, you know, some of them would have a little bit scary, you know, whatever it was, it was really cool, I loved that.

 

00:12:03:13 - 00:12:09:22

Unknown

Some people now they get

 

00:12:10:00 - 00:12:12:20

Unknown

Oh yeah.

 

00:12:12:22 - 00:12:30:21

Unknown

So and I think we probably talked about this, but there was a number of years that we had a haunted house. My dad loved Halloween and he would get all and we weren't. I was too young, so I wasn't allowed to be it. We would have to be upstairs, but like, my older sisters were allowed to do it.

 

00:12:30:21 - 00:12:51:09

Unknown

And and I have it so much bigger because we've talked about it and they're like, it was like two years and not there wasn't people. And I was like, I just remember it. Yeah. And like the entire house, my dad and they would all like matte like almost like Hollywood makeup. They would do. It was insane. And it was so much fun.

 

00:12:51:11 - 00:13:11:04

Unknown

It was so much fun inside our house. Yep. People. So kids would line up and then they would walk through and my dad was there. It out of people like he had so much fun. And then all like there was all the neighborhood dads. Yeah, we did. And I think it I think they said it was only like 2 or 3 years.

 

00:13:11:04 - 00:13:31:11

Unknown

I remember it being like so cool and I love telling me so. My dad loved Halloween. So he would also do like if we were a clown, we had like a proper clown face, like he would make the makeup if we were whatever we wanted. He would like do like really good. We would have like trunks of of, Halloween costumes, like, what do you want to do?

 

00:13:31:11 - 00:13:45:05

Unknown

And we all, like, thought about it and planned it and it was like it was real. It was really cool. So that was like when I was little, little before my parents got divorced.

 

00:13:45:06 - 00:13:51:10

Unknown

Oh, it was so fun.

 

00:13:51:12 - 00:14:07:02

Unknown

Oh, it's it's what? No. The jumpscare. It's like literally it's it's terrifying. You're like yeah.

 

00:14:07:04 - 00:14:20:05

Unknown

Yeah.

 

00:14:20:07 - 00:14:27:12

Unknown

Of course you did you dress up or.

 

00:14:27:12 - 00:14:31:16

Unknown

No.

 

00:14:31:18 - 00:14:37:11

Unknown

Right. Right right. Well I mean that's. Yeah.

 

00:14:37:13 - 00:15:04:04

Unknown

Yeah. That's kind of funny though. So we got a little off topic on Halloween because clearly I really like Halloween. When we were, when we were in, in when I lived on Christopher Street and Bleecker, we had in the city, we had huge Halloween parties, and I literally I mean, it was when I had no money and I spent, I'm not even kidding, $600 on a costume.

 

00:15:04:06 - 00:15:20:12

Unknown

And it was I can't really talk about it because it was kind of inappropriate for the children listeners, but it was the best costume ever. Oh my God, I know it was crazy. It was crazy.

 

00:15:20:14 - 00:15:41:16

Unknown

No. Yeah.

 

00:15:41:18 - 00:16:26:16

Unknown

What's the theme?

 

00:16:26:18 - 00:16:43:08

Unknown

We do ask things. Ask backwards. I mean, that's bring us up to Dyslexic Awareness Month. And you, you have the every every October we like there's the color, there's the month. But then we when we look at how many other.

 

00:16:43:10 - 00:17:10:11

Unknown

Things were, wasn't it like 75 other things had October is the month to.

 

00:17:10:13 - 00:17:17:05

Unknown

I know totally.

 

00:17:17:07 - 00:17:21:07

Unknown

No.

 

00:17:21:09 - 00:17:33:06

Unknown

Yeah. Yeah, right. Poor planning.

 

00:17:33:08 - 00:17:38:03

Unknown

I know. So.

 

00:17:38:05 - 00:18:01:18

Unknown

I think we need to redo it. I think we can start. I think this foundation should redo it and we have our own.

 

00:18:01:20 - 00:18:23:17

Unknown

Should we. Yeah. Around it. Should we do July? Because some places June still is in school and a lot of places August still in school. I know that there's some I know we have people that go back in July. Right. Because they're in the whole year calendar or whatever. But that's very small.

 

00:18:23:18 - 00:18:27:02

Unknown

We could still do it. It's.

 

00:18:27:04 - 00:18:28:05

Unknown

Yeah.

 

00:18:28:07 - 00:18:32:18

Unknown

the end. And yeah, I think in the

 

00:18:32:20 - 00:18:40:12

Unknown

Yeah.

 

00:18:40:14 - 00:18:41:11

Unknown

Oh early August.

 

00:18:41:13 - 00:18:49:01

Unknown

They actually

 

00:18:49:03 - 00:19:14:05

Unknown

Yeah I know we're just first month. We're not even finished. It's been like three weeks even though it feels like it's been ten months. So why don't we do this. We'll look up and we'll research a little bit. And if any of the listeners, we'll probably already come to an idea, but we're still interested in what you have to say, to send us what you want, but we'll look to see June, July or August.

 

00:19:14:06 - 00:19:58:03

Unknown

What is? Because even if it's August, if we decide there's not a lot of other things, August is still like, okay, because you're just going back and it's like, let's bring the awareness. Like there's nothing wrong with that.

 

00:19:58:05 - 00:20:41:13

Unknown

Just test it. Sound like you're just a test statistically.

 

00:20:41:15 - 00:21:02:04

Unknown

It's so and I just had this a conversation with what college age kid. I, my child I just, I should I was like, wait, do I want to go and talk about this or and so I was going to not have it be my child. But then as I processed it, it caught up and I was like, it's fine.

 

00:21:02:06 - 00:21:22:04

Unknown

My non dyslexic child, but my dyscalculia and dysgraphia child. I would also like to know if they have months because I feel like they also those learning disabilities are most. I mean there's still so many people that are like I don't know what that is. Even if they know what to say is and dyslexia has affected them.

 

00:21:22:06 - 00:21:47:01

Unknown

So he is taking a class and I'm not going to say it right, but I can't wait to see your face because I literally was like, that sounds like a fucking nightmare. Like, oh my god. So it is symbols, but like letter symbols or like not mathematical symbols, but they equal.

 

00:21:47:03 - 00:22:10:19

Unknown

In no, like like symbol, like pi and all of these things. But it's, it's a philosophy class, okay, that they equal something in the English language. So they're like numbers that equal something in the English language. And he is like it is like a graphic dyscalculia nightmare. And he's like, it's so crazy, mom. He's like, I, I and it's a philosophy class.

 

00:22:10:19 - 00:22:25:05

Unknown

And I wish he's like I wish they would have like he's like, I thought it was going to be like Aristotle and Socrates. Like, I could do that. He's like, and I actually that that stuff is, is interesting. This is and he's tried he's gone to the tutoring center. He has gone to the teacher, he has gone to everyone.

 

00:22:25:05 - 00:22:47:16

Unknown

And finally his, his counselor said, oh, wait, don't you have like, you know, you you learning. And he's like, yeah. And he started talking about just going to scrappy. And he realized that she had no idea. So he's like, it's just kind of like a dyslexic thing. And he's like, because I knew she was going to understand that.

 

00:22:47:16 - 00:23:11:18

Unknown

And she was like, oh, this is like a nightmare for you. And he's like, yes, thank you. Yeah, 100%. This is a new. And it's the first time that he really hasn't been able to grasp, like grasped something. Usually he could figure it out and he is like, mom, I've tried every which way. And it is I am not comprehending and and I can't even.

 

00:23:11:23 - 00:23:29:18

Unknown

I wish he could say because I did not explain it correctly, but it's it's literally if you think about dysgraphia and dyscalculia, it's like that nightmare. It's like literally a math with symbols that you have to it's.

 

00:23:29:19 - 00:23:35:06

Unknown

Oh yeah. Well.

 

00:23:35:08 - 00:23:52:08

Unknown

So it's part of the political science track or like that's kind of

 

00:23:52:10 - 00:24:09:06

Unknown

Well it yeah, it's but the thing is, he's like, mom, it's really interesting. The couple kids that he's asked to help, he's like, they're really, really strong in math. And they're getting like they're like, oh, it's really easy. Like it's it's. And he's like, yeah, I and even the teacher. But this is what this is what got me.

 

00:24:09:08 - 00:24:28:19

Unknown

He's I go have you. He's like, mom, I've talked to the teacher twice. He's like, and this is what the teacher says. He's an older man like does not do technology. He said there's a will of the way and everyone can get it. If they let their mind believe that they can do it. And I was like, oh.

 

00:24:28:21 - 00:24:50:18

Unknown

Oh. I said to him, I was like, how? He he's like, it's I mean, he didn't he doesn't really get frustrated like that. But he, he just was like, yeah. So no, I'm not going to go talk to him because he really believes that. Like if I want to do it, I can do it. And so it's interesting though, because we talk about all the different levels of learning, right?

 

00:24:50:19 - 00:25:06:23

Unknown

The dyslexia and stuff. And when it affects some kids, it really affects when they're younger. There's people. And this is why it's so not talked about because you all of a sudden realize like when all if you hadn't struggled and then you start struggling, you're like, why can't I do this? And it's so confusing. It's like a giant mind fuck.

 

00:25:07:02 - 00:25:25:15

Unknown

Or you were the one that struggled and no one picked up on it. They just kind of pushed you aside, right? Or you were the one that struggled and it was made a big deal. So you were like pulled out and everyone talked about it, right. Or everyone else noticed it. And it is like I was talking to someone the other day about this.

 

00:25:25:16 - 00:26:33:23

Unknown

It's like this feeling of it's like an unsettled, like your stomach hurts, it's uncomfortable in your body, and you almost could throw up, but you have to get yourself like, like under control. It's like a feeling that it's hard to describe, but it's a shit feeling in any of the and any of the worlds. When you learn different so much sense.

 

00:26:34:01 - 00:26:43:17

Unknown

Yeah.

 

00:26:43:18 - 00:26:59:21

Unknown

So much sense.

 

00:26:59:23 - 00:27:33:06

Unknown

Okay.

 

00:27:33:07 - 00:28:04:15

Unknown

Yes. No. You feel shit.

 

00:28:04:17 - 00:28:40:13

Unknown

Yeah. So that's why October even though it's, you know a lot of other things but that's why it's, it's important. This is why we do. How many times just recently have we had people say like thank you for doing this podcast. Thank you for saying how we feel that we can't talk about it. And, you know, we you and I have talked about I mean, we're in season five.

 

00:28:40:15 - 00:28:55:01

Unknown

are. Yeah, it it is because every season we've had, 30 to 40, so.

 

00:28:55:03 - 00:29:03:23

Unknown

So calculate that. Hold on. I'm going to do it now because now I can't just leave it at that.

 

00:29:04:01 - 00:29:37:13

Unknown

Yeah. So 30 times five is 150 and we've had we're at eight right now and we've had like 34 to 36. So I think you actually are like spot on. Look at you special. Look at you.

 

00:29:37:15 - 00:29:46:05

Unknown

Yeah.

 

00:29:46:07 - 00:30:00:19

Unknown

But it fits in.

 

00:30:00:21 - 00:30:41:03

Unknown

And if you are not on the mailing list we don't there's like a newsletter that we send out. There's also if you're on LinkedIn Brant sends a newsletter out called misunderstood that's got information. Sometimes it's the similar to the newsletter that goes out. And then there's the five D collective as Brant just said. And that's a community for for parents, for people, for, you know, individuals that have dyslexia or affected by dyslexia and know people that have dyslexia, and that we've had two where meeting the last Sunday of every month, 8 p.m. eastern.

 

00:30:41:08 - 00:30:58:10

Unknown

And we're going to have experts. So we have, you know, there's going to be people talking about what does your child need to do if they want to go to college, like how, you know, and there's so many different things that we're going to have topics on how to kind of maintain your child's self-esteem as they're getting, you know, going through middle school and high school.

 

00:30:58:10 - 00:31:29:14

Unknown

And we have talked a million times about we have pretty much gone through collectively, the two of us, most scenarios, most situations. And and then we have people that are around us that also have gone through situations. So we've learned and we've talked to people. And you don't have to have your camera on. It's a safe place. You don't even have to, you know, you can have your camera off and just go, it's a zoom, but you need you do need to be a part of the newsletter.

 

00:31:29:14 - 00:31:56:04

Unknown

And that goes out once a month. Just letting you know, because the zooms change. So sometimes it's on a different zoom and, you know, then we'll be talking about topics and stuff like that. So and Brant is there, he's shines his, you know, shines the light, talks to everyone. And it's very it's awesome to see the parents, you know, get like, giggly and then tell their spouse like, come look.

 

00:31:56:06 - 00:32:22:01

Unknown

Because a lot of, you know, a lot of people, how they find us is different, but a lot across the board is they've hit a wall and they look up hockey and dyslexia and. Yeah. And so it's great that you're out there and then they find the podcast, they listen and you know we've talked about it so many times is it's an organic podcast.

 

00:32:22:02 - 00:32:44:06

Unknown

We do it because we love to do it. We love to reach people. And we are not, you know, running around promoting it in all different places. We do promote it on social media, but if you hear one of the episodes that you really enjoy, think about the people in your circle because someone could be affected, and it just might be something that you know is helpful to them.

 

00:32:44:08 - 00:32:53:06

Unknown

Yeah. Do you have any, any of any other wisdom?

 

00:32:53:08 - 00:33:25:11

Unknown

Okay. So Sopel foundation.org. You guys can find information there. Had a donate a there's going to be a donating link on Instagram as well I'm sure. And again as Brant said any little bit helps because what we do, things cost money, right? That's it. And so any, any amount can help. And so I'm going to do you want to say it or do you want me to say it?

 

00:33:25:13 - 00:33:30:21

Unknown

I know, but it'll be fun. One of the times that you take it over.

 

00:33:30:23 - 00:33:37:17

Unknown

Like rate review and share because you don't know who needs to hear this episode of word blindness. Dyslexia exposed.