The Codpast

Author, performance poet, theater maker and broadcaster Luke Wright joins us in the studio. This was an interesting one for me, as I often hear people that were diagnosed with dyslexia as a child; say in later life dyslexia is no longer a problem. One of the myths we at The Codpast want to bust, is that dyslexia has to be a problem that gets in the way of our ambition and stops us achieving our dreams. Initially Luke thought dyslexia was something that no longer influenced his life, but it soon became clear that Luke might be a little more dyslexic than he first thought. Rather than being a barrier, dyslexia seemed like more of a rudder that guided Luke through his journey to a successful career.

In this episode of The Codpast, stand up comic Michael Fabbri explains how his struggles in education and frustration in the workplace were the best grounding for a career in comedy. Michael's comedy career has seen him perform on some of comedy's most famous stages, write for Channel 4 'Stand Up for the Week', perform five solo comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and get his two part radio series commissioned for BBC Radio 4.

There are still employers that see dyslexic employees as resource hungry disruptors, rather than individuals that can bring a fresh approach to their business. Graham's story clearly illustrates the benefits that are brought to a business when it makes a decision to support diversity. If you are an employer, manager or HR professional. By the end of this episode, you'll be in no doubt about why investing in a diverse work force makes good business sense.

It's been said that focusing on reading writing or spelling is not the best way to help dyslexics thrive. For many, confidence is the biggest barrier that dyslexic individuals have to climb. In this months episode of The Codpast, we here the story of business development manager, Hannah Lord and her experience from both sides of the confidence divide.

Hannah and her brother are both dyslexic and had almost identical journeys through work and education. The only difference was a small change in how they were taught before they started school. This one variable set up a series of events that shaped the way dyslexia and confidence combined, resulting in a drastic effect on their perceived intelligence throughout the rest of there lives.

Dub Poet Benjamin Zephaniah has some impressive strings to his bow; writer, author, musician and professor of Humanities and Arts at Brunel University, to name a few. What's even more impressive is that he managed this all without ever going to university, college or even finishing high school. However far from being an ambassador for the university of life, Benjamin maintains that a formal education is the only path to a brighter future.

This episode takes us on a journey through some of the most influential times recent, politics, music and art, from the point of view of someone at the center of the action.

A look back on a great year of podcasting

It's a well known fact that around 50% of the prison population are dyslexic or have issues with literacy. What's lesser known, is the effect tackling this problem could have on violence in prisons and the rate of reoffending.

If there's anyone that knows how tackling this problem could revolutionise prison rehabilitation, it's self-styled, 'Prison Mary Poppins, 'Jackie Hewitt-Main. Through story telling, nurturing and a right brained approach to education, Jackie has achieved some mind blowing results. In some cases her methods have yielded a reoffending rate of 5.9%; the current average is 26% (ministry of justice).

In this episode Jackie tells of how she went from being a mum and business woman. To working with and changing the lives of some of the UK's most notorious prisoners.

They say that knowledge is power and for Gavin Malcolm, this saying has some real significance. We've all heard the stories of tough kids from inner city neighborhoods finding a way out through football, boxing or making it big in the world of entertainment. However for Gavin, his way out came from behind the wheel of one of London's iconic Black Cabs.

This month master of the mind Jake O'Gorman pops into the studio to dazzle us with his superior memory skills.

Mother and author, Margaret Rooke, once had the assumption that Dyslexia was something that happened to other families. Within a family that had always done well academically and had no history of Dyslexia, Margaret was shocked to find the tell tale signs of Dyslexia in her daughters homework. This revelation was the catalyst for Margaret's latest book.