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Do you really need a formal diagnosis to understand yourself — or to deserve support?

In this episode, Carleen questions the current diagnostic model used in neurodiversity and mental health, and why so many people are required to struggle or reach crisis before being allowed access to accommodations.

Drawing from personal experience with her child, Carleen explores:
• The difference between diagnosis and classification
• Why the DSM-5 relies on a medical model of struggle
• How neurodivergent people can meet processing criteria without being in crisis
• Why supportive environments can prevent diagnosable struggle
• The flaw in waiting for breakdown before offering help
• How this mirrors broader failures in the medical system

This episode invites a shift from crisis-based intervention to preventative wellbeing, asking whether simply understanding where you fall on the neurodiversity continuum may be enough to bring meaning, self-acceptance, and healthier support.

💬 Do you believe support should only come after crisis — or before?
👍 Like, subscribe, and share if this perspective resonated with you.

Thank you for listening to Unmasking Dyslexia. This podcast is dedicated to reframing how we understand dyslexia—shifting the narrative from deficit to difference.

If you found today's episode valuable or think someone you know could benefit from its message, please share it. By doing so you become apart of the positive shift society needs around what it means to be dyslexic.

To learn more about Carleen Ross’s work in positive psychology, coaching, and neurodiversity advocacy, visit https://www.carleenross.com or to connect with me directly, email me at [email protected].

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Do dyslexic challenges stay the same throughout life?

No — and that realization can be life-changing.

In this episode of Unmasking Dyslexia, Carleen explores the critical psychological difference between trait and state, and why dyslexic challenges can feel stronger at certain times — without meaning anything is “wrong” with you.

You’ll learn:
• Why a dyslexia diagnosis reflects a moment in time, not your entire capacity
• The difference between dyslexia as a trait and dyslexic challenges as a state
• How stress, hormones, sleep, nutrition, and emotional wellbeing impact dyslexic functioning
• Why word retrieval, memory, and communication can fluctuate
• How self-blame often comes from misunderstanding what’s actually happening

This episode reframes dyslexia through a compassionate, science-informed lens and helps you stop internalizing difficult days as personal failure.

✨ If you’ve ever thought, “Why can’t I think today?” — this episode is for you.
👍 Like, subscribe, and share if this perspective helped you feel seen.

Thank you for listening to Unmasking Dyslexia. This podcast is dedicated to reframing how we understand dyslexia—shifting the narrative from deficit to difference.

If you found today's episode valuable or think someone you know could benefit from its message, please share it. By doing so you become apart of the positive shift society needs around what it means to be dyslexic.

To learn more about Carleen Ross’s work in positive psychology, coaching, and neurodiversity advocacy, visit https://www.carleenross.com or to connect with me directly, email me at [email protected].

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In this episode of Unmasking Dyslexia, Carleen explores one of the most debated and misunderstood topics in neurodiversity:
What do dyslexia and autism actually have in common — and where are they fundamentally different?

Drawing on graduate-level research and neuroscience, this episode examines how dyslexia and autism are often diagnosed based on behavior, rather than brain structure, and why this may be leading to widespread misdiagnosis.

You’ll learn:

• Why dyslexia is not the same as a learning disability
• How dyslexic and autistic brains differ at the cellular level
• Why overlapping traits don’t necessarily mean dual diagnoses
• How dyslexia exists far beyond reading and writing — in social processing, memory, and communication
• Why current diagnostic systems may be outdated for neurodivergent individuals

This conversation challenges conventional thinking and invites a more holistic, brain-based understanding of dyslexia, autism, and neurodiversity as a whole.

✨ If you’ve ever questioned your diagnosis — or been told you’re “a bit of everything” — this episode is for you.

📌 Join the conversation: Do you think dyslexia is being misunderstood or misclassified? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Thank you for listening to Unmasking Dyslexia. This podcast is dedicated to reframing how we understand dyslexia—shifting the narrative from deficit to difference.

If you found today's episode valuable or think someone you know could benefit from its message, please share it. By doing so you become apart of the positive shift society needs around what it means to be dyslexic.

To learn more about Carleen Ross’s work in positive psychology, coaching, and neurodiversity advocacy, visit https://www.carleenross.com or to connect with me directly, email me at [email protected].

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Can exercise actually improve dyslexic traits like working memory, executive functioning, and focus?

In this episode of Unmasking Dyslexia, Carleen explores a 2024 study out of London showing that moderate exercise can increase cognitive functioning and working memory — even in individuals with cognitive impairments.

While dyslexia has not yet been the direct focus of this research, the findings raise an important question: If exercise improves cognition in dementia and typical brains, why wouldn’t it help dyslexic brains too?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What the 2024 research says about exercise and cognitive functioning
• Why moderate exercise helps — but high-intensity exercise may hurt cognition
• How working memory and executive functioning impact dyslexic adults
• Why morning movement may benefit both the same day and the next day
• How sleep, stress reduction, and exercise work together
• Why movement doesn’t have to mean the gym (and what actually counts)

Carlene offers a compassionate, realistic challenge: just 30 minutes of enjoyable movement a day — walking, cycling, dancing, or playful exercise — paired with better sleep hygiene, to support the dyslexic brain.

This episode is empowering, science-informed, and designed to help dyslexics work with their brains instead of against them.

Thank you for listening to Unmasking Dyslexia. This podcast is dedicated to reframing how we understand dyslexia—shifting the narrative from deficit to difference.

If you found today's episode valuable or think someone you know could benefit from its message, please share it. By doing so you become apart of the positive shift society needs around what it means to be dyslexic.

To learn more about Carleen Ross’s work in positive psychology, coaching, and neurodiversity advocacy, visit https://www.carleenross.com or to connect with me directly, email me at [email protected].

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Many dyslexics struggle with memory, word recall, executive functioning, overwhelm, and chronic stress — but what if poor sleep is making everything worse?

In this episode of Unmasking Dyslexia, Carleen explores why sleep impacts the dyslexic brain more intensely and how common habits like late-night screen time, caffeine, irregular schedules, stress, and sensory overload quietly sabotage cognitive functioning.

You’ll learn:

• Why psychology diagnoses focus on behaviour — not brain structure
• How poor sleep worsens working memory, word recall, and executive function
• What “sleep hygiene” really means for dyslexic and neurodivergent adults
• How clutter, stress, caffeine, food timing, and exercise affect sleep quality
• Why even 10 minutes of daily movement can improve cognitive performance
• A gentle one-week challenge to improve sleep without perfection or pressure

This episode is practical, compassionate, and realistic — especially for dyslexics, ADHDers, and highly sensitive people who process the world more intensely and need routines that honour their nervous systems.

🎧 If you’re dyslexic and exhausted, foggy, or overwhelmed, this episode may change how you see sleep — and yourself.

Thank you for listening to Unmasking Dyslexia. This podcast is dedicated to reframing how we understand dyslexia—shifting the narrative from deficit to difference.

If you found today's episode valuable or think someone you know could benefit from its message, please share it. By doing so you become apart of the positive shift society needs around what it means to be dyslexic.

To learn more about Carleen Ross’s work in positive psychology, coaching, and neurodiversity advocacy, visit https://www.carleenross.com or to connect with me directly, email me at [email protected].

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In this episode of Unmasking Dyslexia, Carleen breaks down a widely circulated (and often misquoted) statistic claiming that dyslexics have a “high chance” of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s. But what does the research actually say—and what does it not say?

Carleen explains the 2024 genetic study that linked dyslexia to a specific Alzheimer’s subtype, why many people confuse learning disability statistics with dyslexia, and how misinformation spreads when context is missing.

You’ll also learn:
 • The difference between Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia
 • Why neurodiverse people (ADHD, autism, HSPs) may show similar patterns
 • How wellbeing, stress, and mindset influence brain health
 • What positive psychology research shows about protective factors
 • How dyslexic strengths—creativity, pattern recognition, big-picture thinking—build resilience
 • Why some people have Alzheimer’s plaques but never develop dementia symptoms

This episode offers reassurance, clarity, and practical steps to increase wellbeing and support long-term brain health—without fear-based messaging or misquoted statistics.

Show Notes:
Chang, Z., Yao, H., Sun, S., Zhang, L., Liu, S., Brikell, I., D’Onofrio, B. M., Larsson, H., Lichtenstein, P., Kuja-Halkola, R., Hägg, S., Happé, F., & Taylor, M. J. (2025). Association between autism and dementia across generations: Evidence from a family study of the Swedish population. Molecular Psychiatry, 30(10), 4605–4612. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-025-03045-6

Levine SZ, Rotstein A, Kodesh A, et al. Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and the Risk of Dementia. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(10):e2338088. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.38088

Zhu, P., Gao, S., Wu, S., Li, X., Huang, C., Chen, Y., & Liu, G. (2024). Causal relationships between dyslexia and the risk of eight dementias. Translational psychiatry, 14(1), 371. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-024-03082-9

Thank you for listening to Unmasking Dyslexia. This podcast is dedicated to reframing how we understand dyslexia—shifting the narrative from deficit to difference.

If you found today's episode valuable or think someone you know could benefit from its message, please share it. By doing so you become apart of the positive shift society needs around what it means to be dyslexic.

To learn more about Carleen Ross’s work in positive psychology, coaching, and neurodiversity advocacy, visit https://www.carleenross.com or to connect with me directly, email me at [email protected].

Send a text

Most people think of dyslexia as a reading and writing difference, but auditory dyslexia reveals an entirely different side of how the dyslexic brain processes the world. In this episode, I share what it’s really like to have a brain that sometimes hears the wrong words—even when you know what the person actually said.

Auditory dyslexia can make similar-sounding words blend together, make pronunciations harder to interpret, and turn everyday conversations into a full-brain decoding exercise. This means the dyslexic individual isn’t simply listening—they’re processing, filtering, and mentally working through each word. That extra mental load often leads to the social exhaustion so many dyslexic individuals experience but rarely talk about.

I share personal examples from childhood, teaching, relationships, and even music (including why I still hear Ed Sheeran singing about “camel thighs”). While some moments bring humor and joy, auditory dyslexia also comes with challenges—especially in learning environments, professional settings, and emotionally important conversations.

We discuss:

✨ What auditory dyslexia actually is
 ✨ Why it isn’t typically tested for
 ✨ How it affects relationships, learning, and communication
 ✨ The hidden exhaustion of constant mental filtering
 ✨ The importance of wellbeing factors—sleep, hunger, emotional state, background noise
 ✨ Post-traumatic growth and building resilience around dyslexic processing
 ✨ How humor can increase wellbeing and reduce shame

This episode is an invitation to honor your auditory processing differences, find compassion for the mental load you carry, and embrace the joy and humor in how your unique brain hears the world.

Thank you for listening to Unmasking Dyslexia. This podcast is dedicated to reframing how we understand dyslexia—shifting the narrative from deficit to difference.

If you found today's episode valuable or think someone you know could benefit from its message, please share it. By doing so you become apart of the positive shift society needs around what it means to be dyslexic.

To learn more about Carleen Ross’s work in positive psychology, coaching, and neurodiversity advocacy, visit https://www.carleenross.com or to connect with me directly, email me at [email protected].

Send a text

In this episode, we dive deep into the idea that none of us are only one identity—not even our strongest ones. I share why I say “I am dyslexic” rather than “I have dyslexia,” and how my dyslexic brain filters everything I see, feel, understand, communicate, and create.

Drawing from psychology, neuroscience, positive psychology, spirituality, and shamanic practices, we explore how our identities function like lenses—shaping the way we experience relationships, emotions, safety, communication, and meaning.

You’ll learn:

✨ Why identity is a constellation of many “little i’s” under one “big I”
 ✨ How dyslexia can be a processing identity, not just a learning difference
✨ How trauma, gender, culture, and spirituality shape how we filter the world
✨ Why the word AND (A-N-D) is essential for self-understanding
✨ The “starburst” exercise for mapping your multiple identities
✨ Why positive experiences matter (4:1 ratio) for balancing negative ones
✨ How collecting your “ands” strengthens wellbeing, resilience, and clarity

This episode is an invitation to honour the many parts that make you you.
You are not just one identity—you are a starburst.

Thank you for listening to Unmasking Dyslexia. This podcast is dedicated to reframing how we understand dyslexia—shifting the narrative from deficit to difference.

If you found today's episode valuable or think someone you know could benefit from its message, please share it. By doing so you become apart of the positive shift society needs around what it means to be dyslexic.

To learn more about Carleen Ross’s work in positive psychology, coaching, and neurodiversity advocacy, visit https://www.carleenross.com or to connect with me directly, email me at [email protected].

Send a text

Most people think of dyslexia as a reading and writing difference, but auditory dyslexia reveals an entirely different side of how the dyslexic brain processes the world. In this episode, I share what it’s really like to have a brain that sometimes hears the wrong words—even when you know what the person actually said.

Auditory dyslexia can make similar-sounding words blend together, make pronunciations harder to interpret, and turn everyday conversations into a full-brain decoding exercise. This means the dyslexic individual isn’t simply listening—they’re processing, filtering, and mentally working through each word. That extra mental load often leads to the social exhaustion so many dyslexic individuals experience but rarely talk about.

I share personal examples from childhood, teaching, relationships, and even music (including why I still hear Ed Sheeran singing about “camel thighs”). While some moments bring humor and joy, auditory dyslexia also comes with challenges—especially in learning environments, professional settings, and emotionally important conversations.

We discuss:

✨ What auditory dyslexia actually is
 ✨ Why it isn’t typically tested for
 ✨ How it affects relationships, learning, and communication
 ✨ The hidden exhaustion of constant mental filtering
 ✨ The importance of wellbeing factors—sleep, hunger, emotional state, background noise
 ✨ Post-traumatic growth and building resilience around dyslexic processing
 ✨ How humor can increase wellbeing and reduce shame

This episode is an invitation to honour your auditory processing differences, find compassion for the mental load you carry, and embrace the joy and humour in how your unique brain hears the world.

Connect with me at: https://www.carleenross.com/

Thank you for listening to Unmasking Dyslexia. This podcast is dedicated to reframing how we understand dyslexia—shifting the narrative from deficit to difference.

If you found today's episode valuable or think someone you know could benefit from its message, please share it. By doing so you become apart of the positive shift society needs around what it means to be dyslexic.

To learn more about Carleen Ross’s work in positive psychology, coaching, and neurodiversity advocacy, visit https://www.carleenross.com or to connect with me directly, email me at [email protected].

Send a text

In today’s episode, I share one of the most powerful studies I came across after my own diagnosis — a 2021 study by Virginia Stern and colleagues titled Enhanced Visceral Motor Emotional Reactivity in Dyslexia and its Relation to the Salience Network. Though the name might sound complex, the findings are profound: dyslexic individuals—especially those with phonetic processing differences—may experience heightened emotional and social awareness.

This episode explores how:
• Dyslexia affects more than reading or learning — it shapes social and emotional experiences.
• Phonetic dyslexics may have stronger facial expressiveness and heightened empathy.
• These sensitivities can lead to both deep connection and emotional overwhelm.
• Emotional regulation, through tools like breathwork, helps dyslexic individuals stay grounded while embracing their perceptive strengths.
• Together, we’ll look at what this study reveals about how dyslexic brains feel and connect — and how understanding these emotional nuances can help us rewrite the dyslexic story from one of limitation to one of deep human insight.

Timestamps: 
0:00 – Welcome to Unmasking Dyslexia
0:38 – Why this study changed how I understood my dyslexic brain
2:10 – Overview of Stern et al. (2021): Emotional reactivity and the dyslexic brain
3:50 – The importance of identifying which type of dyslexia is studied
5:15 – How phonetic dyslexics process emotion differently
7:20 – Facial expression, empathy, and emotional intensity
9:30 – The link between emotional expression, anxiety, and depression
12:10 – What this means for relationships and communication
15:00 – Emotional regulation for dyslexic sensitivity
16:15 – Using the breath to restore balance and calm
18:30 – Why we need more research — and a new story of dyslexia

Key Takeaways: 
• Dyslexia is not only about reading — it’s about how we experience the world emotionally and socially.
• Phonetic dyslexics may have heightened emotional awareness and expressive empathy.
• Emotional regulation is a vital skill for dyslexics — the breath can be a powerful anchor.
• Science is beginning to show that dyslexia shapes connection, not just cognition.
• It’s time to rewrite the story of dyslexia from deficit to difference.

#UnmaskingDyslexia #CarleenRoss #DyslexiaAndEmotion #Neurodiversity #EmotionalIntelligence #DyslexicStrengths #Neurodivergent #DyslexiaAwareness #PositivePsychology #SocialNeuroscience #EmotionalRegulation #MeaningAndMattering

Study: 
Sturm, V. E., Roy, A. R. K., Datta, S., Wang, C., Sible, I. J., Holley, S. R., Watson, C., Palser, E. R., Morris, N. A., Battistella, G., Rah, E., Meyer, M., Pakvasa, M., Mandelli, M. L., Deleon, J., Hoeft, F., Caverzasi, E., Miller, Z. A., Shapiro, K. A., … Gorno-Tempini, M. L. (2021). Enhanced visceromotor emotional reactivity in dyslexia and its relation to salience network connectivity. Cortex, 134, 278–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2020.10.022

Thank you for listening to Unmasking Dyslexia. This podcast is dedicated to reframing how we understand dyslexia—shifting the narrative from deficit to difference.

If you found today's episode valuable or think someone you know could benefit from its message, please share it. By doing so you become apart of the positive shift society needs around what it means to be dyslexic.

To learn more about Carleen Ross’s work in positive psychology, coaching, and neurodiversity advocacy, visit https://www.carleenross.com or to connect with me directly, email me at [email protected].