There’s a particular kind of heartbreak many parents and carers know too well.

You’re sitting at the table with a child you love, watching them struggle to read or write. The letters swim, the words don’t stick. Before long, there are tears, shutdowns, “I hate this”… or the one that cuts the deepest:

Maybe you’ve been told to wait and see, “they’ll grow out of it,” or to do more worksheets and more practice – more of the same thing that already feels like failure – while your child’s confidence sinks lower.

If you’re listening with a child in mind whose brilliance you can see but the school system doesn’t seem to, this conversation is for you.

My guest is Russell Van Brocklen, known as The Dyslexia Professor – a New York State Senate‑funded dyslexia researcher whose inaugural school programme moved highly motivated teens from a middle‑school writing level to the average range of entering graduate students in one school year. One class period a day. Every single student went on to graduate from college.

Russell’s gift is translating structured literacy and high‑level academic research into bite‑sized actions parents and carers can use at home, especially for kids who are wildly passionate about one thing yet shutting down around school.

Inside This Episode

Russell’s Journey: From Failing Grades to Law School to Researcher
How he went from a documented first‑grade reading and writing level at the end of university, to dominating law school using the Socratic method, then returning to the New York State Senate to request funding for dyslexia research.

What Dyslexia Really Is – and Isn’t

Practical Strategies for Parents and Carers

Motivation, Confidence and Identity

Navigating School Systems & Affordable Support

Weekly Caregiver Invitation

This week:

Notice one moment when your child lights up about something (sport, stories, art, science, animals, space…).

Ask: What tiny reading or word‑based win could we tuck into this joy?
(A three‑word sentence, one new word, or a single “hero + sign + topic” line.)

Focus on one micro‑win, not the whole mountain.

Your child is not broken. Their brain is different – and full of potential.

Connect with Russell Van Brocklen (The Dyslexia Professor)
Website: https://dyslexiaclasses.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dyslexiaclasses/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_cqwfxn9FqFx1Idl0YbeHg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dyslexiaclassesus/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-van-brocklen-2007ab87

Caregiver Resources:
Radiant Moments show notes: https://jandbinspired.com/radiant-moments-podcast
90 Second Reset Program: https://jandbinspired.com/90-second-reset-program
Oasis Membership Waitlist: https://jandbinspired.com/founding-member

Music by Konstantin Garbuzyuk (via Uppbeat)
#dyslexia #caregiving #strugglingreaders #neurodiversity #radiantmomentspodcast

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In Part 1, Kelly and I explored what traumatic brain injury feels like from the inside – neuro fatigue, sensory overload, personality shifts and why TBI is often a chronic condition, not a short‑term event.

In Part 2, we move into the how: practical tools, gentle boundaries and grounded hope for living a full, values‑aligned life after brain injury – as a survivor and as a caregiver.

My guest is Kelly Tuttle, a neurology nurse practitioner and traumatic brain injury survivor, who now supports patients and families through the same maze she once walked herself.

Inside This Episode (Part 2)

• Neural Pathways & “Side Streets” Continued
• Creating Safe Spaces for Healing at Home
• Navigating Role Changes in Caregiving
• Gentle Practices for Caregivers and Survivors
• Finding Joy in Small Moments
• Energy Management: Batteries, Brain Juice and Spoons
• Walking Alongside Without Nagging
• Navigating the Healthcare Maze
• Shifting Identity & Living Fully After Brain Injury
• Encouragement for Survivors and Caregivers
  Kelly’s message to survivors:

“There is hope and you’re not alone. We’re out here and we’re cheering you on.”

And to caregivers:

• your role is deeply valuable in your loved one’s healing, often more than you will ever be told
• self‑care is not a betrayal – it’s part of sustainable recovery.

Weekly Caregiver Invitation (Part 2)

This week:

1. In the morning, ask yourself: “Roughly what % battery do I have today?”

2. Adjust one thing in your day to match that number (fewer errands, shorter visits, more rest).

3. Choose one micro‑joy – music, a breeze, a poem, a quiet drink, a shared laugh – and actually do it.

You are allowed to live, not just manage symptoms.

Connect with Kelly Tuttle
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brain_np_/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-tuttle-72589810/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brainlovingnp
Website: https://kellytuttle.org/
Complimentary Resource: Stress‑Less Medical Worksheet (via Kelly’s website)

Caregiver Resources:
Radiant Moments show notes: https://jandbinspired.com/radiant-moments-podcast
90 Second Reset Program: https://jandbinspired.com/90-second-reset-program
Oasis Membership Waitlist: https://jandbinspired.com/founding-member

Music by Konstantin Garbuzyuk (via Uppbeat)

#caregiving #braininjury #TBIrecovery #neurofatigue #caregiverwellbeing #radiantmomentspodcast

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There’s a kind of injury that often goes unseen.

If someone you love breaks a leg, people rush in with casseroles and crutches and understanding. But if they have a brain injury from a car crash, fall or concussion, the outside might look “fine” while everything inside has changed.

Maybe you’re caring for someone who:

• forgets things they used to remember easily
• gets overwhelmed by noise, light or busy rooms
• can’t tolerate screens anymore
• seems like their personality has shifted

You might be wondering: Is this the injury? Is this them? Is it me?
And you’re trying to hold your own life together at the same time.

This episode is for you if you’re living in that confusing middle ground after a traumatic brain injury – as a survivor, partner, parent, or friend.

In Part 1 of this two‑part Radiant Moments conversation, Michelle speaks with Kelly Tuttle, a neurology nurse practitioner who joined what she calls the “head injury survivors club” after a serious car accident in 2015. Three months later she realised something was very wrong – and that was the beginning of a long journey of brain healing and self‑discovery.

Now Kelly sits across from patients and families every day who are walking a similar path, and she offers both clinical insight and lived experience in a way that makes people say, “You get it.”

Inside This Episode (Part 1)

• Kelly’s Story: From Crash to Concussion to “Something’s Really Wrong”
• Understanding Neuro Fatigue
• Common but Misunderstood Symptoms of Brain Injury
• The Invisible, Chronic Side of Brain Injury
• Communication Strategies for Caregivers
• The Role of Journalling in Recovery

Weekly Caregiver Invitation (Part 1)

This week:

1. Notice one symptom or behaviour that’s been confusing you (irritability, forgetfulness, fatigue, sensory overload).

2. Gently ask, “If this is the brain working harder, not them being difficult, what might that change in how I respond?”

3. If you can, jot down one small pattern you’re seeing – time of day, environment, or triggers.

This isn’t about fixing everything overnight. It’s about starting to see what’s really happening inside a healing brain.

In Part 2, Kelly and I move into the practical: how to support a healing brain day to day, navigate doctors, and rebuild a life that still feels full and meaningful after traumatic brain injury.

Connect with Kelly Tuttle
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brain_np_/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-tuttle-72589810/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brainlovingnp
Website: https://kellytuttle.org/
Complimentary Resource: Stress‑Less Medical Worksheet – via Kelly’s website

J and B Inspired Caregiver Resources: (Radiant Moments - Caregiver Oasis)
J and B Inspired website: https://jandbinspired.com
90 Second Reset Program: https://jandbinspired.com/90-second-reset-program
Oasis Membership Waitlist: https://jandbinspired.com/founding-member

Music by Konstantin Garbuzyuk (via Uppbeat)

#caregiving #braininjury #TBI #neurofatigue #radiantmomentspodcast

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