In this episode of Change Happened, Then What?, Heather Holt shares the story of Russell Van Brocklen—placed in special education as a child, underestimated for years, and yet driven by a fierce love of learning that never let him stop moving forward.

Russell walks us through the clever hacks, stubborn curiosity, and pivotal moments— including law school—where learning finally began to click. What once felt impossible slowly became clear as he discovered how passion can change the way the brain processes information.

That discovery became the foundation of his work today. Using word analysis and articulation, Russell developed a repeatable method that helps reroute language to a different part of the brain—shifting students from “learning disabled” to “learning enabled.” What began as a personal fight to read turned into research, advocacy, and a mission to change how we teach and understand dyslexia.

This is a hopeful, clear-eyed conversation about resilience, neuroscience, and finding the doorway into learning when the world expects you to fail—and about what becomes possible when someone learns how their brain truly works.

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