Episodes

The office is not always the most supportive place to work. In Part 1 of this Deep Dive series, host Dr Shae speaks with Nick Nagzam about his work and his podcast, The Inclusive Shift, and his journey into advocating for neurodiversity inclusion at work after his two sons were diagnosed (autism with a PDA profile and ADHD, and ADHD). Nick shares how he founded a neurodiversity resource group at his workplace, partners with the DEI team to promote awareness days and fundraising events, and aims ...

What if struggling with numbers wasn't just about being "bad at maths"? In this episode of the Dear Dyslexic Podcast, Dr Shae is joined by Michael from Dyscastia, an intervention tutor and advocate with lived experience of dyslexia and dyscalculia. Together, they explore the often-misunderstood learning difference of dyscalculia and discuss why awareness remains so low compared to other neurodivergent profiles. Michael shares his personal journey and professional insights, explaining how dyscalc...

In our just released Part 2 of Ep 87 Dyscalculia Explained: Number Sense, Time Blindness, and Building Confidence with Practical Strategies, Dr Shae Marie Wisszell on the Dear Dyslexic Podcast sits down with Michael Shanaha to explore dyscalculia and why it is often invisible due to low awareness, even among maths teachers. Michael explains dyscalculia as a core difficulty with basic number sense (value, bigger/ smaller, numerosity), distinct from maths anxiety, working memory limitations, or pr...

In this episode of Dr Shae and the Dear Dyslexic Podcast, our host Shae,welcomes Michael from the podcast Dyscastia to discuss dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia, and why there aren’t enough conversations about these learning difficulties. Michael explains his view on labels, using “disability” for official funding and support contexts and preferring “difficulty” personally, while questioning the term “difference.” He shares his work as an intervention tutor supporting children with dyslexia,...

In this Dear Dyslexic podcast episode, Dr Shae speaks with consultant and leader Ben Walkenhorst about psychosocial hazards and how to create psychologically safe workplaces, especially for neurodivergent people. Ben shares his background (20+ years’ experience across sectors and leading teams up to 200) and his lived experience of dyslexia, including an auditory component and visual stress helped by Irlen lenses, which he says transformed his learning outcomes. He explains psychological safety ...

This episode of the Dear Dyslexic podcast explores how feedback and workplace practices can impact neurodivergent people, including those with dyslexia, ADHD, and autism, particularly when feedback feels overly critical or triggering due to past experiences. The conversation focuses on the role of great leadership in giving feedback privately and safely, discussing practical adjustments like changing red markup colors and reframing “feedback” as “advice.” It also covers how constant check-ins ca...

Creating Psychologically Safe Workplaces for Neurodivergent Teams In this episode of the Dear Dyslexic Podcast, Dr Shae welcomes Ben Walkenhorst from BW Communications for a conversation about creating neurodiversity-inclusive workplaces through psychological safety, effective leadership and thoughtful workplace design. Drawing on his leadership experience across government, private and not-for-profit sectors, Ben explains what psychological safety looks like in practice and why it is becoming a...

In this episode, Dr Shae from the Dear Dyslexic Podcast welcomes Ben Walkenhorst, consultant at BW Communications, to explore psychosocial hazards in the workplace, psychological safety, and what organisations can do to create environments where people feel safe to be themselves. With more than 20 years of experience across government, private and not-for-profit sectors, Ben shares insights from his leadership career and discusses why psychosocial hazards are becoming an increasingly important w...

Recorded as a podcast for International Women’s Day, this panel hosted by Dr Shae brings together Nicci Richman, Dr Kim Gordon, and Dr Annalisa Contos, to share experiences of late diagnosis (ADHD, autism, dyslexia/dysgraphia) and how it reshaped identity, self-compassion, and career trajectories. The discussion links perimenopause/menopause to reduced capacity to mask, emotional peaks and troughs, and grief over missed support and opportunities. Panelists describe the invisible load of masking,...

In this special in-studio episode of the Dear Dyslexic Podcast, Dr Shae welcomes Dr Kim Percy and UK-based researcher Dr Helen Ross for a conversation about dyslexia, neurodivergence and the challenges many people face during key life transitions. Drawing on her Churchill Fellowship research in Australia, Helen discusses how moving from school to university, training or employment can be a particularly vulnerable time for neurodivergent people. She highlights the impact of long assessment waitli...

Every workplace needs a dyslexic or ten. Problem solver. Lateral thinker. Emotionally intelligent. Creative. Intuitive. Empathic. People with dyslexia have the kind of strengths that help an organisation be more dynamic, innovative and forward-thinking. All it takes, with the help of HR and DEI, is the support our workplace programs provide. That’s the advantage of doing things differently. In this special edition, Shae speaks with Sally Close (HR consultant), Kate Madden (CEO), and Lorna Berry ...

In the second part of this two-part series, Shae speaks with Gareth Robinson from Mindhabits. Gareth shares with Shae the Habit Staker and how by creating tiny habits every day we can start to manage and cope not just during stressful and traumatic times, but in managing day-to-day life. Having lost his brother and 3 close mates to suicide, he is a passionate mental health advocate who specialises in helping clients sell better, find more time, less stress, and better habits. Gareth’s profession...

In this two-part series, Shae speaks with Gareth Robinson from Mindhabits. Gareth shares with Shae how tiny habits can help us manage and cope during stressful and traumatic times. Having lost his brother and 3 close mates to suicide, he is a passionate mental health advocate who specialises in helping clients sell better, find more time, less stress, and better habits. Gareth’s professional and personal purpose overlap as he does his bit to help people live better and organisations grow. He lov...

In this episode, Shae speaks with the wonderful Pennie Aston. Founder and CEO of GroOops Dyslexia Aware Counselling.

In this episode, Shae speaks with the wonderful Pennie Aston. Founder and CEO of GroOops Dyslexia Aware Counselling.

In this episode, Shae speaks with the wonderful Pennie Aston. Founder and CEO of GroOops Dyslexia Aware Counselling.

In this episode, Shae speaks with Alison Edgar, The Entrepreneur’s Godmother and Managing Director of Sales Coaching Solutions is an author, entrepreneur, speaker, and thought leader.

In this episode, Shae speaks with Alison Edgar, The Entrepreneur’s Godmother and Managing Director of Sales Coaching Solutions is an author, entrepreneur, speaker, and thought leader.

In this episode, Shae speaks with Alison Edgar, The Entrepreneur’s Godmother and Managing Director of Sales Coaching Solutions is an author, entrepreneur, speaker, and thought leader.

In this episode, Shae speaks with Sally Close on dyslexia and neurodiversity in the workplace. Introducing Sally Close – Business Improvement Consultant. Sally Close left her corporate career armed with 20+ years of leadership experience to apply her business improvement prowess to her own consultancy - helping clients with organisational development and cultural change.

In this episode, Shae speaks with Sally Close on dyslexia and neurodiversity in the workplace. Introducing Sally Close – Business Improvement Consultant. Sally Close left her corporate career armed with 20+ years of leadership experience to apply her business improvement prowess to her own consultancy - helping clients with organisational development and cultural change.

In this episode, Shae speaks with Sally Close on dyslexia and neurodiversity in the workplace. Introducing Sally Close – Business Improvement Consultant. Sally Close left her corporate career armed with 20+ years of leadership experience to apply her business improvement prowess to her own consultancy - helping clients with organisational development and cultural change.

In this episode, Shae welcome's Jane Kjersten back to the show to talk about Dyslexia and Trauma. Jane is a therapist who has worked with individuals, couples and families who live with learning disabilities/difficulties.

In this episode, Shae welcome's Jane Kjersten back to the show to talk about Dyslexia and Trauma. Jane is a therapist who has worked with individuals, couples and families who live with learning disabilities/difficulties.