For eleven episodes, Flo has asked the questions while Andrew confessed. This week, we reverse roles and Flo takes a turn in the hot seat to talk about how she maths differently. Flo has dyscalculia. She has said "I math differently" in meetings for years, and Andrew always took it as a quirk: Flo needs a minute with the slide, okay, cool, we'll wait. It turns out that minute was years of work, a grocery store, a cash register, a Florida driver-improvement class, and a cinder block. Dyscalculia gets described as "dyslexia with numbers," which is a handy saying and also wrong. It's its own learning difference, in how the brain connects a number to the quantity it stands for. Flo can tell you a million is more than a hundred thousand. Making that mean something takes an extra step, every time. She understands advanced statistics just fine. It's the arithmetic. We talk about what it looked like at school (the 3.5 GPA and the one chemistry class), what it costs at work (compensation decisions, ticket numbers, business cases), why she arrived twenty minutes early to one coffee and fifteen to the next, and the meeting three years ago when her boss's boss asked a numbers question and the world fell apart for two seconds. Then what helps, and what leaders can do, which is mostly the things we keep telling you to do anyway. Also: the dance class, the number four, and why Flo drives what feels good. In this episode: Not dyslexia with numbers. Dyscalculia is a learning difference in how the brain handles numbers and quantities. It runs in families, and Flo's is no exception Alphabet soup. Statistics, yes. Arithmetic, no. Fingers and a calculator, always "It's not that I'm dumb." Why the name mattered: the dance class, the flipped phone numbers, the register, and the names that won't stick "So you just drive what feels good." Numbers, but also time, speed and tempo Punctuality as camouflage. How Dominican flexibility about time hid a bad internal clock for years, and why Flo now shows up early Shame is heavy, and systems cost energy. The inner judge, and what it takes to keep it quiet "Hold on one second, I math differently." The calibration session, from both sides of the table Testing the water. How Flo disclosed: low stakes first, one to one, then the leadership team, then proactively as the numbers got bigger. Nine hundred thousand dollars is not nine hundred million "Yeah, but." Imposter syndrome versus the fear of being found out The meeting. A question about numbers, a two-second freeze, a colleague who knew, and a chest that still remembers it three years later What helps. A calculator without shame, a tip app, slides in advance, red-yellow-green, a summary instead of a spreadsheet, and a colleague who eats numbers for lunch AI as the equalizer. Hundreds of rows, a handful of answers, and why you still need to know statistics to ask the right question For leaders. Psychological safety, meaningful graphics, figures sent ahead, flexibility. None of it costs anyone else on the team a thing Chapters Times match the published episode, including the 17-second intro. Resources & links From the episode Chapters (00:00:00) - Cold Open: What Shame Feels Like(00:00:23) - Introducing Different at Work(00:00:36) - What Is Dyscalculia?(00:02:38) - Flo's Early Signs: Math Struggles in School(00:04:21) - Distinguishing Dyscalculia from ADHD Math Issues(00:05:38) - Struggling at Work with Numbers(00:06:02) - Connecting the Dots: Discovering the Diagnosis(00:09:51) - More Ways Dyscalculia Shows Up in Life(00:14:09) - Workplace Implications and Shared Traits with ADHD(00:15:13) - Time, Punctuality, and Misjudging Schedules(00:18:46) - The Inner Judge and Emotional Toll(00:20:49) - Learning to Disclose at Work(00:24:08) - Reflection: Strength Despite the Struggle(00:26:45) - The Meeting That Froze Her: A Painful Memory(00:29:12) - Coping Strategies: Calculators, Visuals, and Prep(00:32:26) - Leaning on Others and Using AI Tools(00:35:54) - Advice for Leaders: Psychological Safety and Inclusion(00:38:38) - Wrap-Up and ResourcesDifferent At Work shares lived experience and general information; it is not medical, mental health, legal, or employment advice. Links to helpful resources and other content can be found on our website at www.differentatwork.com.
