In this full-length episode of the Dear Dyslexic Podcast, Dr Shae Wissell sits down with Nick Nagzam, host of The Inclusive Shift, to explore neurodiversity in the workplace, parenting neurodivergent children, and the importance of creating environments where people can thrive.

Nick shares how his understanding of neurodiversity deepened following the diagnoses of his two sons, one autistic with a PDA profile and ADHD, and the other with ADHD. What began as a personal journey became a professional mission, leading Nick to establish a neurodiversity employee resource group within his workplace and advocate for greater awareness, inclusion and flexibility.

Together, Shae and Nick discuss the realities of workplace stigma, the ongoing debate around remote and hybrid work, and why outcome-focused leadership can help organisations unlock the strengths of neurodivergent employees. They also explore the challenges and rewards of parenting, supporting emotional regulation, managing screen time, navigating school experiences, understanding PDA, and accessing support services.

This thoughtful and honest conversation offers practical insights for employers, leaders, parents and neurodivergent individuals, while highlighting the importance of flexibility, understanding and self-compassion.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

Neurodiversity advocacy in the workplace

Building awareness and inclusion initiatives

Flexible work, productivity and wellbeing

Challenges of return-to-office policies

Raising neurodivergent children

Understanding ADHD, autism and PDA

Family routines and support strategies

The role of self-compassion for parents and carers

Key takeaway: "No one is designed to fit a standard operating system. We need to create environments that recognise and support individual differences."

About Dear Dyslexic Podcast

Dear Dyslexic Podcast is produced by re:think dyslexia, hosted by Dr Shae Wissell, sharing lived experience stories, expert insights and practical conversations that support neurodivergent people to thrive. Learn more about re:think dyslexia: https://rethinkdyslexia.com.au/

Stay Connected

To stay up to date with our latest episodes, resources and events, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the podcast on your favourite podcast platform.

Listen to more Dear Dyslexic Podcast episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/0jx91no...

Need Support?

If any of the topics discussed in this episode have caused distress, support is available:

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636

13YARN: 13 92 76

re:think dyslexia Helpline: 1800 13 6327

In Part 3 of our deep dive with Nick, Dr Shae continues the conversation about the realities of parenting neurodivergent children while navigating your own neurodivergent traits.

Nick reflects on how neurodivergence often becomes more visible within families as children are diagnosed and parents begin to recognise similar characteristics in themselves. Although he has not received a formal diagnosis, he shares his journey of understanding how his brain works, identifying his triggers, and developing strategies that support both himself and his family.

Together, Dr Shae and Nick discuss the lessons he's learned through podcast interviews, practical organisational tools such as using a physical diary, and the ongoing challenge of staying regulated and choosing supportive language during difficult moments. Nick also speaks openly about parenting a son with a PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance/Pervasive Drive for Autonomy) autism profile, sharing insights into the strong need for autonomy that can shape behaviour and family dynamics.

The conversation explores bedtime challenges, including recent sleepwalking experiences, and the importance of flexibility, understanding, and self-compassion in family life. Throughout the episode, Nick offers an honest perspective on the ups and downs of parenting and the value of giving yourself permission to not have all the answers.

This episode is a reassuring reminder that many parents are navigating similar challenges. Understanding yourself is often an important step towards supporting your children, and self-care is not a luxury but a necessity.

Key Takeaways

Neurodivergence is often recognised across multiple generations within families.

Understanding your own brain can help you better support your children.

Small practical strategies can make a meaningful difference in everyday life.

Parenting neurodivergent children requires flexibility, patience, and self-awareness.

PDA profiles are often linked to a strong need for autonomy and control.

Parents need to prioritise their own wellbeing and mental health.

Giving yourself grace is an important part of the parenting journey.

About Dear Dyslexic Podcast

The Dear Dyslexic Podcast amplifies the voices, experiences and expertise of people from the dyslexia and broader neurodivergent communities, creating conversations that inform, empower and inspire.

Learn more about re:think dyslexia: https://rethinkdyslexia.com.au/

Stay Connected

Thanks for listening to Dr Shae and the Dear Dyslexic Podcast, proudly produced by re:think dyslexia, a certified social enterprise.

To stay up to date with our latest episodes, resources and events, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the podcast on your favourite podcast platform.

Listen to more Dear Dyslexic Podcast episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/0jx91no...

Need Support?

If any of the topics discussed in this episode have caused distress, support is available:

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636

13YARN: 13 92 76

re:think dyslexia Helpline: 1800 13 6327

release melatonin. The guest also highlights support resources like Amaze

and Autism Connect and learning through books.

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:35 Remote Work Reality

03:19 Kids Diagnoses Story

05:29 Injury Reveals ADHD

07:25 Family Coping Strategies

09:44 Screens and Sleep

11:34 Finding Support

14:06 Resources and Wrap U

About Dear Dyslexic Podcast

The Dear Dyslexic Podcast amplifies the voices, experiences and expertise of people from the dyslexia and broader neurodivergent communities, creating conversations that inform, empower and inspire.

Learn more about re:think dyslexia: https://rethinkdyslexia.com.au/

Stay Connected

Thanks for listening to Dr Shae and the Dear Dyslexic Podcast, proudly produced by re:think dyslexia, a certified social enterprise.

To stay up to date with our latest episodes, resources and events, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the podcast on your favourite podcast platform.

Listen to more Dear Dyslexic Podcast episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/0jx91no...

Need Support?

If any of the topics discussed in this episode have caused distress, support is available:

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636

13YARN: 13 92 76

re:think dyslexia Helpline: 1800 13 6327]]>

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 to

help employees feel safer being themselves. They discuss workplace stigma and misunderstanding, the benefits and challenges of working from home for neurodivergent people, and the importance of individualized support and outcomes-based leadership. They also note concerns about organizations pushing employees back into offices and the mistrust mindset of “if I can’t see you, you’re not working.”

00:00 Welcome to Dear Dyslexic

00:38 Meet Nick Nagzam

01:37 Nick’s Neurodiversity Journey

03:06 Workplace Awareness Calendar

04:40 Stigma and Support Gaps

05:35 Remote Work Realities

09:20 Flexibility for Individuals

11:06 Breaking the Nine to Five Box

12:22 Future of Work Generations

14:11 Wrap Up and Resources

About Dear Dyslexic Podcast

The Dear Dyslexic Podcast amplifies the voices, experiences and expertise of people from the dyslexia and broader neurodivergent communities, creating conversations that inform, empower and inspire.

Learn more about re:think dyslexia: https://rethinkdyslexia.com.au/

Stay Connected

Thanks for listening to Dr Shae and the Dear Dyslexic Podcast, proudly produced by re:think dyslexia, a certified social enterprise.

To stay up to date with our latest episodes, resources and events, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the podcast on your favourite podcast platform.

Listen to more Dear Dyslexic Podcast episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/0jx91no...

Need Support?

If any of the topics discussed in this episode have caused distress, support is available:

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636

13YARN: 13 92 76

re:think dyslexia Helpline: 1800 13 6327

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 dyscalculia affects number sense, understanding value, time, money, fractions, measurement, and many everyday tasks that others often take for granted. The conversation also highlights the differences between dyscalculia and maths difficulties associated with working memory or processing speed challenges.

The episode offers practical, confidence-building strategies for learners, families, educators, and support professionals, emphasising explicit teaching, concrete representations, repetition, and mental maths approaches that help make mathematical concepts more accessible.

Whether you're a parent, educator, person with dyscalculia, or simply want to better understand neurodivergent learning differences, this episode provides valuable insights and practical takeaways.

In this episode:

What dyscalculia is—and what it isn't

How dyscalculia affects everyday life

Number sense, time blindness, and understanding value

Common misconceptions about maths difficulties

Practical support strategies that build confidence

Resources for parents, educators, and learners

About Dear Dyslexic Podcast

The Dear Dyslexic Podcast amplifies the voices, experiences and expertise of people from the dyslexia and broader neurodivergent communities, creating conversations that inform, empower and inspire.

Rethinking Maths, Dyscalculia & Confidence: Scaffolding, Practice, and Practical Tool

In part 3 of our latest episode DR Shae and Michael focus on lived experiences of dyslexia and other neurodivergent conditions and explore maths anxiety, shame, and the lasting trauma of school experiences such as being discouraged from using fingers.

The conversation reframes “not being good at maths” as a difficulty that can improve with time, patient step-by-step scaffolding, and regular practice, noting maths is cyclical and offers repeated chances to fill gaps compared with literacy. They discuss how breaks can erase progress, how anxiety reduces working memory, and share practical mental maths strategies (counting forwards/backwards, skip counting, counting in tens, “close to 10,” doubles/near doubles).

To reduce financial barriers, they recommend Ronit Bird’s The Dyscalculia Toolkit, Steven Chin’s Maths

Explained videos, and Eddie Woo, emphasising narrative context, hands-on learning, and that it’s possible to learn with the right support.

00:00 Welcome to Dear Dyslexic

00:37 Maths shame and labels

01:56 Rebuilding maths foundations

05:37 Practice without burnout

08:19 Counting drills and patterns

10:03 Mental maths strategies

12:32 Affordable learning resources

19:00 Learning through narrative

21:24 English origins and morphology

26:36 Hands on maths scaffolding

29:12 Final encouragement and wrap

If this podcast has caused you any distress, you live in Australia and need to speak to someone urgently, please contact:

- LifeLine on 13 11 14

- BeyondBlue counsellor on 1300 22 4636 13

- 13 Yarn (13 92 76)

Featured Resources

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 processing speed challenges that can also make maths hard.

The conversation covers real-life impacts beyond school, including understanding time, money, fractions, discounts, and financial decisions, with examples from the guest’s experience supporting their daughter and tutoring students.

Together, Shae and Michael discuss using concrete supports like counters, real money, visual timers, routines, and explicit instruction (counting, number bonds, practice and repetition) to build foundations, reduce anxiety, and create success that improves confidence and mindset over time.

Watch now on YouTube or on your favorite podcast platform and share this episode with someone who needs to know they’re not alone!

00:00 Welcome to Dear Dyslexic

00:29 Dyscalculia myths and awareness

03:07 What dyscalculia really is

06:57 Time sense and routines

10:10 Everyday maths challenges

11:38 Money and real world practice

14:37 Teaching number sense basics

22:23 Math anxiety and mindset

24:54 Building confidence with small wins

27:37 Core strategies and fluency drills

31:30 Gentle support and finger counting

35:12 Wrap up and resource

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, dyscalculia, and related neurodivergence such as ADHD and autism, and describes the morphology-focused “word cracking” software and the Literacy Support Kit he developed with Sally Andrew to better support students for whom some programs move too quickly.

Michael also recounts his varied career path, his late identification through his children’s diagnoses, and his lived experience of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and dysgraphia.

00:00 Podcast Mission

00:36 Meet Michael

01:34 Labels Disability Or Difficulty

03:08 Tutoring And Tools

06:00 From Teaching To Tutoring

06:55 Family Diagnoses Spark Journey

08:28 Career Path And Wrap Up

09:00 Resources And Support Lines

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 as an environment where people can speak up without judgment or retaliation, and outlines three key factors: great leadership, job design/job demands, and environmental factors. Ben gives examples from remote work and local government process redesign, discusses clear role expectations, supportive feedback practices, reasonable adjustments, and why training and new legislation make this work essential.

00:00 Welcome to Dear Dyslexic

00:34 Meet Ben Walkenhorst

04:15 Ben’s Dyslexia Story

07:40 Irlen Lenses and What Works

09:25 Personal Strategies and Self Awareness

12:04 Psychological Safety Explained

16:25 Job Design and Workload

23:12 Environmental Adjustments That Help

26:21 Neurodivergence Trip Hazards at Work

36:52 Feedback Without Triggers

43:46 Why Leader Training Matters

46:30 Business Case and Legal Duties

48:41 Wrap Up and Next Steps

About Dear Dyslexic Podcast

The Dear Dyslexic Podcast amplifies the voices, experiences and expertise of people from the dyslexia and broader neurodivergent communities, creating conversations that inform, empower and inspire. Learn more about re:think dyslexia: https://rethinkdyslexia.com.au/

Stay Connected

Thanks for listening to Dr Shae and the Dear Dyslexic Podcast, proudly produced by re:think dyslexia, a certified social enterprise.

To stay up to date with our latest episodes, resources and events, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the podcast on your favourite podcast platform.

Listen to more Dear Dyslexic Podcast episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/0jx91no...

Need Support?

If any of the topics discussed in this episode have caused distress, support is available:

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636

13YARN: 13 92 76

re:think dyslexia Helpline: 1800 13 6327

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 can raise anxiety and suggests creating adult-adult relationships where employees have permission to speak up about what works for them. The guest emphasises the importance of training leaders in psychological, social, and emotional dynamics and neurodivergence, linking psychological safety to improved productivity and business outcomes, alongside growing legal and regulatory obligations in Australia.

00:00 Welcome to Dear Dyslexic

00:33 Feedback and RSD

02:13 Better Ways to Give Feedback

03:54 Advice Not Feedback

04:20 Checking In Without Anxiety

06:05 Adult Adult Leadership

07:27 Training Leaders on Neurodiversity

10:11 Business Case and Compliance

12:22 Wrap Up and Next Episode

15:19 Resources and Sign Off

Resources

Understanding Neurodivergence and Psychosocial Hazards in the Workplace

About Dear Dyslexic Podcast

The Dear Dyslexic Podcast amplifies the voices, experiences and expertise of people from the dyslexia and broader neurodivergent communities, creating conversations that inform, empower and inspire. Learn more about re:think dyslexia: www.rethinkdyslexia.com.au

Stay Connected

Thanks for listening to Dr Shae and the Dear Dyslexic Podcast, proudly produced by re:think dyslexia, a certified social enterprise.

To stay up to date with our latest episodes, resources and events, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the podcast on your favourite podcast platform.

Listen to more Dear Dyslexic Podcast episodes on Spotify.

Need Support?

If any of the topics discussed in this episode have caused distress, support is available:

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636

13YARN: 13 92 76

re:think dyslexia Helpline: 1800 13 6327