The One Year School Podcast

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 – theirFind 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 DyslexiaLearn 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.

Michelle Pearce is Sydney based naturopath and a personal development coach. She has a Bachelor of Naturopathy degree from Nature Care College in Sydney. Over the years, her philosophy and practice have evolved into providing her clients with the strategies that assist them to achieve a deeper sense of health, vitality, wholeness and purpose in life by applying her knowledge and expertise in nutrition, herbalism, mind-body therapies and energy healing techniques. Alongside the traditional therapeutic tools like remedial massage, meditation, sound or hypnosis, Michelle uses in her practice the cutting edge technology – photobiomodulation and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF). It was PEMF which has helped my husband to release a lot of physical pain around arthritis in knees and hips.Physical and emotional pain may be the driving force for people to contact Michelle. She will guide them to access the wisdom within, to discover the root cause of their suffering.Having been a client of Michelle’s I can attest to the efficacy of her approach, as well as her soft and caring nature.Find out more about Michelle’s work on her website: www.healthhappinessnow.comor on IG or FB under the same name.

Ghislaine has an amazing way of helping her clients in a holistic way that goes well beyond the modalities she has studied and practiced for many years. She has now expanded her original practice of kinesiology and breath-work to now include topics such as spiritual psychology and energy medicine.In this podcast she explains what these terms mean and how they benefit her clients. We get a glimpse into the world of kinesiology, how and why muscle testing works in bypassing our mind and unlocking  muscle memories.With the aim of facilitating the body to regain equilibrium, she has first hand experience by having applied all these techniques on herself. Everything that has helped her to transform, she is now practicing under the umbrella term 'conscious energy medicine'.She explains how so many young children are lacking being grounded, being integrated in their bodies first before they can even start to learn. As a kinesiologist she can then test if anything has happened in their lives, sometimes even prior to their birth. These little or big traumas can inhibit learning and they usually get imprinted unconsciously. In a way, her job is to bring to light, what we may not even be aware of, yet still be inhibited by.Through her work, Ghislaine is able to practically shift these energy patterns and help the individual regain their healthy balance in body, mind and spirit.Whatever is happening in the child, in the family and on the planet is to be acknowledged, embraced and worked with to transmute our dramas and pain points to deepen the qualities of our lives, individually and collectively. To contact Ghislaine, connect here:https://www.harmoniekinesiology.com/contact

Cathleen Ross is a very prolific, successful and versatile author. Cathleen has currently published 15 books, – and many more e-books, mainly focused on female romance. Cathleen also teaches creative writing to her students.I have not only enjoyed my interview with Cathleen, but I also learned a lot.At some point I wished I had received that information before I published my own books, which I think would have saved me a lot of time and energy, learning through trial and error.  As the One Year School is offering the option of helping our students to write their own books, if they wish to do so, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to offer this information to our students now and give them a short-cut to this experience, as I am picking Cathleen’s brain.Cathleen teaches first of all how to create, start and write a well-structured story, especially a short story, which is easier to accomplish for beginners. Cathleen explains the importance of a good hook to get the reader engaged and drawn into a story, how to introduce a protagonist or a hero to our story and how to create the twists and turns, the suspense that keep us reading a story.  Did you know what ‘high stakes’ are and how to get a good pace for the story?  Cathleen also reveals the importance of making it clear and transparent from the start, what type of story it will be – and how to be intriguing as well.Beyond writing tips and strategies, Cathleen also give us tips  how to source the best publishing options or how to self-publish a book or short story. If you have ever wanted to write and publish your thoughts, fantasy or experiences, this interview will help you on your way to making it a reality.Enjoy the interview as much as I have!If you have any questions for Cathleen, you can contact her on: contact@cathleenross.com

Pete Evans may not need an introduction here in Australia, but as he is often known only for his cooking, as Paleo Pete - or for the controversial opinions that also get misquoted on our media outlets, I wanted to hear Pete's take on it and find out what he is currently up to.It so happens that his new network started on the day of our interview and if you really want to know more about the 'real' Pete, I'd recommend you join:https://evolvenetwork.tv/All his podcasts are there as videos, many cooking shows, tips and recipes, documentaries and insights into his conscious living collective initiative. Pete Evans is a celebrity chef, author of a huge range of paleo and keto cooking books, who rose to fame as a judge on My Kitchen Rules, and is now a very passionate podcaster, with his podcast ‘Evolve with Pete Evans’, which I am really enjoying for their different perspective. I like Pete's passion to learn from all the fascinating people he is  interviewing, with the aim to educate himself as well as his audience.We talk about his documentary, 'the Magic Pill' and 'the Paleo Way', as well as his various journeys beyond food and cooking.During our interview I can almost smell the pork-belly roasting in his oven and I find out why he prefers the paleo diet to a vegetarian or vegan diet. Pete eats  fresh, organic, unprocessed food, including plenty of seasonal, fibrous vegetables (including fermented/cultured vegetables), loads of fresh and dried herbs and spices, ethically raised, organic, free range, 100% grass fed meat, game and poultry, organic eggs, sustainable, wild-caught fish and seafood. Having seen many clients with gut issues, I have asked why and how the ketogenic diet seems to have a positive effect on brain health, especially with children on the Autistic spectrum.One of Pete's  books is called HEAL, where he  ventures into other pillars of health and well-being, which he is very passionate about and talks about.I also ask Pete about the controversy and if it affects him that there is so much negative press around his name and his ventures. Listen to his interesting views and insights - and I have come away with a  picture of a Pete Evans that is conscious of others and very keen to effectively support and help his fellow human beings.

Murray Bothma and his mum Helen are the reason for me finding my way to the Davis Dyslexia Correction Method and becoming a Davis facilitator. My friend Helen had tried so many different ways to help her son Murray - until she came across Ron Davis. It changed her life and that of her son Murray.Knowing about my son Keanu's struggles and how similar it sounded to what she had been through, she suggested 'the Gift of Dyslexia', Ron's book, to me and the rest is history, as they say.Both of our sons are now thriving and this is where Murray, aged 26,  is currently at: Married to a beautiful young lady, he has become a much loved Design & Technology teacher, inventor, surfer and surf board designer, who also loves teaching surf board shaping to others. He also designs and fits out amazing vans, one of them is is own workshop and holiday home. You'd love it!You can follow Murray on IG:  https://www.instagram.com/abeshapes/?hl=enMurray takes us back to his years of hating Primary School, crying with his head on his desk with frustration and pain, falling further and further behind and not seeing a way  out of his challenges of not understanding or being able to do most of the things others could do.Murray also very eloquently expresses the journey of being dyslexic and how some days can be so much better than others and why. You will love hearing his take on the structure of our school system and how he would change it for the better. I am sure some of you can relate to that and the way a parent suffers with a child. It had affected me, my friend Helen and countless mums who have contacted me over the years. Even listening to these familiar stories bring memories and tears to me and listening to Murray may do that to you as well.This podcast is also a testimony to the power of a pro-active and supportive mum that can make a huge difference in the life of a dyslexic child. Having come out at the other end with great insight, confidence and compassion, Murray makes an amazing teacher and feels privileged to having both the gifts and abilities of dyslexia, as well as the knowledge of its downside in the past, when he had been struggling.It has helped him to understand his students much better and help them as a result."I love having dyslexia" are Murray's words now, but it hasn't always been that way and that is the biggest reversal and take-away for me. Wouldn't it be great if all dyslexic children could find a way of embracing their creative talent and having mastered the downside. 

DR. LISA VAUGHAN, OsteopathI am delighted to be interviewing a friend of mine who is an osteopath. Lisa Vaughn introduces us to the profession of osteopathy, on how to influence the body’s self-healing & self-regulating properties and calm our central nervous system, which she feels is her privilege to facilitate. Amazing things happen when the body has returned back to balance.Our bodies know what they need. So why would the body need help from an outside therapy?Lisa explains very eloquently how we are often too busy to really listen to our bodies, for example to the language of pain. We are quick to pop some pain killers and move on, instead of finding out what imbalance the body is trying to show us through pain.Lisa talks about the chronic pain she is treating many patients for and the cause of chronic stress we are failing to address. A lot of her work is not even related to the concern patients present with, but she has become the forensic detective that finds out that a sore neck may need a treatment of the ankle, for example. So do you know which memories your tissues are holding on to?Like most amazing practitioners, Lisa highlights the importance of working with complete focus,  being 100 % present in the moment, to be drawn or guided to the right response.Lisa is also teaching us a breathing exercise which she calls a ‘box breathing technique’, which she  uses with clients who are anxious, stressed or out of their body’s comfort zone. You will be amazed how you will be able to use this tool to anchor that feeling of relaxation into your body – and to be able to return to balance quickly when a stressful event might take you out of it.She also explains how her husband uses this technique with the children he is teaching to overcome their anxieties and learn better. And if you are using your devices as much as I do, there will be great points on how to do it without damaging your body, which exercises will be most beneficial and so much more.

What do you think is one of the biggest assets we have and often take for granted, don't know how to use properly and don't realize we can hone and polish it?Something I have learned at Toastmasters has now come very handy and I don't just use it - I teach it to my clients too. When you listen to the podcast you will find out, how this can become one of your most valuable tools, to make your friends and colleagues listen more intently and with more interest to you. It will intrigue and inspire, help you to hold a space, create authority, warmth, intrigue, suspense and it will give you the impulse to speak from your heart. Maybe it will surprise you how this skill can show character traits or give subliminal messages that people pick up, when listening to you.Nowadays we often talk to machines (record things) and that makes it even harder to stay engaging as you can't gage engagement. Now of course you have guessed that this podcast is about our voice and I hope you enjoy some new nuances you can try out and still stay authentic and true to your own voice. Sometimes we need to become aware of something that has been so familiar that we never even thought about it and maybe we can slightly tweak it if needed. 

You can find Kerry on: https://www.facebook.com/aecoach.net/You will enjoy this episode so much. It has elements of drama, a great personal story of my friend Kerry Davenport, her struggle and the ultimate success that leads us to a therapy that you will not have expected to find. Well, I have not heard of that specific brand of therapy, that includes the ocean.I had met Kerry on the water, where she is most at home - and before our interview, I had no idea that she is also dyslexic and has struggled for many years with the effect of not feeling academically confident and poor self esteem.Meeting her now, there is a different person who has been able to reconstruct herself after PTSD and a traumatic time at the Australian Federal Police Force to become an 'all-elements-coach', passionate to help her clients overcome similar traumas..Kerry's sliding door moment arrived when she surrendered and acknowledged that she was not coping and needed help. She credits her recover to the vulnerability that comes when you let go of control. Anything that transformed her life has become a therapy she ended up studying - and becoming an expert coach, therapist and/or teacher:NLP, hypnoses, life coaching, time-line therapy and connecting them with ocean-related sports, with the motto: Motion is emotion.Having found her purpose, in the midst of her own darkness, Kerry is now able to help so many others, saving lives in the way she was able to save herself. Her clients love working with her, as she has gone through the same anxiety, depression and burn-out that they are experiencing. 

Rosemary Blundo is a movement educator. Have you ever heard of such an unusual and interesting profession? She is also a dear friend and I was quite surprised how much I learned about her, that I had not known previously.Rosemary's job is to get her clients into their body and enable them to function on a higher level, having the brain activated and switched on to learning. Most of us can benefit from that; in fact, Rosemary works with clients of all ages that need to stimulate brain cells to create and open neural pathways. Rosemary is using a method called "Ageless Grace", a method whose success is based on the science of neuro-plasticity. With other words, our brains are malleable and can change at any age, if we are able to access the language of our subconscious. Naturally this process is very popular with children with learning difficulties, as they are moving the body to change the function of the brain that is connected to the body part that moves.Parents and teachers will be inspired to learn about this 'brain hack' that will support them to impact their children and students on a deeper level. Listen to Rosemary as she explains the technique in much more detail and with clarity to educate us on the body-brain connection and the possibilities we can use to reach more of our potential.

Going from a struggling dyslexic student to becoming the world's top engineerWhat an incredible interview with one of my former students. Andrew Babakian was thirty when he came to me to help him to understand his learning style and use it to his advantage. Never did he dream to get as far as he has - and what a success story!Only a few years after our program, he was head-hunted to the states and I was interviewing him via Zoom from his new home in California. In his own words:“The experience (from the dyslexia training) was amazing….You put a key in my head and you turned it and now I can read.. (Learning over one year) is going to help everyone dyslexic or not. I think it’s the right way to learn such complex words…(In  2016, I won the top award for being top engineer of the world from 8,000 people). My amazing professor saw my ability …my determination to want to finish things…he was my biggest advocate to bring me into a university… scholarship program…researching things in Silicon Valley to bring back to Australian universities..…”I am sure you will enjoy this story as much as I have - and it will inspire so many students who are currently struggling in a class room that is not suited to their learning style. They will hear the story of perseverance and eventually the confidence to reach for the stars.

free audio course: https://www.theoneyearschool.com/pl/204745Jan Gorman is a friend and former colleague of mine, one of the first Davis Dyslexia facilitators in Australia. She talks about the path with her son, how she tried absolutely everything she could find to help him since he started Kindergarten - and how it was only when he was in Year 6 that she stumbled across the Davis Method,.Every year prior she had started a new method and in hindsight she realizes that all these methods were treating the symptoms, not the cause of dyslexia.When her son started the Davis Program, he told his mum that this was finally something that works for him. Already after the first three days, he saw the result of reading fluently.Jan finds the biggest differentiation of the Davis Dyslexia Correction method in the way Ron Davis goes to the root cause and uses the creativity and visual learning style of the client to correct the challenges, instead of trying to fix the symptoms.Not having to sound out words was 'key' to her son's reading progress, as well as the tools of the program and the way it helped him to diminish his frustration and anxiety.Jan talks about her experience with the many clients she has helped since and how she is always at awe, how quickly change happens and confidence replaces the stress of learning. With a sense of empowerment - that is usually not a common  emotion around literacy - comes a new way of being, of certainty and clarity, as well as a change in perception.We have more of a conversation between friends and former professional colleagues, than an interview..

to find out more about Nici Verriest: www.naturalenergybalancing.comto have access to FOCUS & READ free audio course: https://www.theoneyearschool.com/pl/204745In this episode #3 I have the pleasure to talk to my friend Nici Verriest, who explains the versatility of  Natural Energy Balancing. Nici helps patients reduce inflammation in their body, is able to discover and correct imbalances through kinesiology and supports her clients to re-balance and  realign their body again. We are all familiar with the sensitivity of our body's systems that are easily shaken out of balance, with traumas and negative life experiences. Natural Energy Balancing is able to re-callibrate the nervous system and create a new and positive association to these past challenges and traumas.Most of her clients have come to see Nici with allergies, like food-, dust-, mould allergies; chronic inflammation, pain, gut issues, trauma and many other diseases.I love the way Nici is able to make something like 'changing the frequencies' understandable and how she explains the reaction of our energy field to an input she is able to facilitate.As Nici has successfully helped many children with learning difficulties, including autism, ADD, ADHD and dyslexia, I was mostly asking her regarding the approach to the variety of possible issues they may present with.She explains how she always tests for nutrients first, using muscle testing and often challenges her clients' insistence that they know which foods are good for them. Their bodies don't lie, showing up what allergies exist - but Natural Energy Balancing goes further and is often able to change a cellular memory and thereby create a tolerance to the foods or nutrients that were previously showing up as a problem.It was fascinating for me to hear Nici's journey with her own son and his journey out of severe and life-threatening allergies to complete health.We are talking sugar, gluten, foods that are considered healthy, but contain MSG, genetically-modified foods and so much more.Did you know that one of the most dangerous foods is chicken salt, hiding MSG?Find out a lot more and learn as much from Nici's wisdom as I did.

find out more about Keanu: https://www.keanuhoi.com/to access the FREE audio course FOCUS & READ: https://www.theoneyearschool.com/pl/204745I am very excited to introduce my son Keanu  - his full name is Marcus Keanu. I have been using either Marcus or Keanu in the past and some people who don't know him thought that I am talking about two different people. But, there is only one Keanu or Marcus Keanu - and he is the only one of my four children who is dyslexic.He is the reason I have become a dyslexia facilitator in the past - and why I have started the One Year School as a result.Keanu explains his version of events, what he thinks of his HSC results, of the education system in Australia, how he forgot his primary school experiences to a large extend and his perception as an under-achiever who was quite distracted at school, at least in primary school.In this episode Keanu is able to give us an insight into the dyslexic viewpoint of school and his life beyond school. He tells us how being part of an advanced drama group at high school has made a very positive impact on  his schooling and improved his English skills. However, rather than being rewarded for writing from the heart, he feels that school teaches  ways to use a system to get a positive HSC results, something he used to his advantage, but isn't proud of.He went on to study media art first at UTS (University of Technology Sydney), then AFTRS (Australian Film, Television and Radio School) and explains what he has learnt since graduating, being self-employed in media arts, creating a life that I would see as very fitting to the dyslexic talents and ideals. Keanu is currently working as a freelance Director, Editor & Animator.Towards the end, Keanu's view on marking at school was very interesting for me to listen to - and how the view of some educators, that we need to be harsher to kids to prepare them for life is not based on his view of 'real life'.He claims that some teachers are restricting their students' creativity by placing the weight of their opinion on the output of students and as a result discourage individuality and creativity.Listen to the end and let me know your thoughts!

Yeah! Episode #1 and Barbara Hoi, the founder of The One Year School talks about her inspiration - the story behind the One Year School and how the podcast is supporting this online school for dyslexic, visual and tactile learners.Barbara talks about her son Marcus-Keanu, his struggles, frustrations and traumas at primary school and how he emerged from high school with flying colours.Keanu's take on it is very different, however - and in Episode #2, he will explain why the school system didn't work for him - nor works for the majority of children.So catch him next week!To get to the FREE course that has been offered at the end, to say thank you for listening to the One Year School Podcast, can be accessed via this link:https://www.theoneyearschool.com/opt-in-cc677cc8-b1a4-49d6-89a0-b8e88ba02ba8Thank you,Barbara