The One Year School Podcast Barbara Hoi

Today’s podcast is with Heidi Stead, the director of Steadfast Language and Learning. 
Heidi has a master degree in English Linguistics and has created a range of products that support students, especially those preparing for their HSC.
As so many dyslexic individuals I have worked with are struggling with grammar,  I have invited Heidi to be on my podcast and not only help students with that, but even more so in structuring their creative ideas into essays that mirror these wonderful ideas.
Often with visual, creative learners, their imaginative stories get lost between their mind and the paper and they fail to produce even a pail resemblance to the richness of their fantasy. 
Heidi’s materials represent a scaffold to enable students to structure their grand ideas, demystifying the process of learning English literacy.
It may be challenging for students to see a need to know terms and grammar points which they may never use again, so Heidi wants to simplify and clarify the essence, so students can improve their English skills more every year, realising that grammar is as relevant as ever to reflect our thoughts and ideas.
With the help of card games that Heidi designed,  students refresh the recollections of definitions and examples. Most students have heard the grammar terms without knowing the deeper meaning and use. Heidi agrees that it may not be so important to know every single grammar term, but rather recognise what the purpose is and how to apply it in literature.
Her slogan for High School students “Learn like Crazy, without Going Mad” wants to help her students to learn a lot, yet not get overwhelmed either.
 
I have thoroughly enjoyed the chat and I’m sure you’ll get a new appreciation for grammar too.
Otherwise I’ll need to comfort you too with the favourite grammar joke: there – they’re – their
Find Heidi Stead on:
http://learnatic.com.au/

Silvana La Pegna (author of ‘Everyday Miracle Maker’) 
It’s with great pleasure I’m introducing Silvana La Pegna today, who was a former client of mine, and has since become a great friend too.
Silvana had never been labelled or diagnosed as dyslexic, but describes how, sitting on the coach one day, she kept pondering what block was holding her back from achieving her dream, the dream of writing her own book.
During the assessment she saw a montage of her school life, wishing she had known about her dyslexia, which would have prevented a lot of struggles and self-esteem issues. Having the assessment confirm her dyslexia, Silvana recognised it as being an enormous blessing.
Connecting the dots made her cry with relief that finally she had found an answer… and a way to get some support to correct dyslexia and write that book. It wasn’t easy, she had to marshal in her huge mind to make her book easy to read, she had to cull content that her circular, holistic mind had constructed.
The book (Everyday Miracle Maker) brought together her new ability to process information in writing, with the amazing energy healing work Silvana is known for in her practice, teaching intuition to professionals: Top executives and CEOs, bringing together 7 essential ingredients to make life more fulfilling.
I couldn’t have been prouder of her, when I was invited to the book launch in 2017.
https://www.silvanalapegna.com/

https://artofcommunicating.com.au/
I have enjoyed talking to my former colleague at Toastmasters, a dear friend of mine and someone I admire very much: Charmaine Burke, an expert in communication and leadership.
Her business, ' Art of Communicating -  the Power of You', enables her clients to communicate who they are and how they are influencing and impacting the world.
She explains that everything we do in life requires us to communicate better, be it in relationships, in business or as a manager and leader. 
Charmaine formed a business around the confidence of communicating authentic power to be comfortable around public speaking, expressing ourselves, conveying our message. 
We are discussing the importance of leadership and confidence, especially in today’s times, where we are hungry for inspiring leaders with empowering messages.
Charmaine talks about the feelings, thoughts, actions and beliefs around confidence.
She gives examples of confidence stances, mindfulness and how to make a speech punchy, relevant, have an intriguing hook to start with and a memorable close.
We are learning how important it is to make a speech relevant to the audience to deserve their full attention, make it clear what we are talking about, who we are, our credibility to stand there and inform, entertain, inspire or engage someone. 
Charmaine clarifies how important it is to answer possible questions, before they are asked, to tell people how long a speech will be, and to summarize the content of the message at the end. 
The podcast ended up being more of a conversation that flows evenly between Charmaine and myself, but I am sure you will glimpse many gems for your next speaking engagement.

It has been great fun and insightful to interview Josh Langley, an award-winning  author all the way from Western Australia.
Josh Langley writes children books with the aim to give children inner resilience.
Titles such as  "Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures" and "Being You is Enough", or a new one called "Being Wildly Kind" give you an indication of the beautiful messages children receive.
Josh's books empower children and give them confidence, as he wishes he had received when he was a child. In a way these books are written for his eight-year old self.

Having been a daydreamer himself, he is happy to write about what he used to daydream about and get paid to daydream. 

The quirky books inspire kids to be kinder to themselves and to others. Josh even draws his cute drawings himself, like the iconic giraffe that has become one of his mascots.

Abigail Marshall lives in California and  is - in my opinion - THE authority on Dyslexia , because there is hardly anybody who has done more research into different methods of treating dyslexia.  

Abigail is the author of: 
The Everything Parent's Guide to Children with Dyslexia
Learn the Key Signs of Dyslexia and Find the Best Treatment Options for Your Child
 Abigail's own son had been struggling with dyslexia and was called lazy at school and didn't get the help he needed. Like for so many other parents, it became the catalyst for her search for answers.  Abigail is very eloquent in explaining the connection between emotional triggers, the mind's challenge to gain orientation  and the resistance to learning we naturally develop. The inner resistance, especially when pushed to do something that is beyond their capacity, just reinforces that inner voice that says, "I can't, I won't, it's never going to happen."

Most dyslexic children develop a coping mechanism, which we call an old solution, in order to get through school, which may be to daydream, to avoid, compensate, struggle, feel sick or frustrated and in Abigail's son it was disruptive behaviors, so he would be sent out of class and could avoid doing what he couldn't do.

After researching and trying different methods, she found the Davis Method very effective for her and her son. She also trained with Ron Davis and became  the webmaster of www.dyslexia.com.

Together with Ron Davis, she has written the book: 'Autism and the Seed of Change' ,
which gives her an even deeper insight into mindsets that may present with both dyslexia and autism. 

Matthew and Henry came all the way from New Zealand fo 2 week program back in 2013. Matthew is telling me all about his son going from strength to strength since and how the creative talents are serving him well today.

It is always a pleasure to hear back from past clients and get their side of a story, their journey out of dyslexia and into a fulfilling life.

Although I don’t work with clients that way anymore, it still fills me with joy and often lifelong bonds are created this way, which I truly treasure.

Thank you to Matthew for being so open and insightful, a real pleasure to listen to.