Dyslexia is rarely just about reading and writing.

For Marcia, it is about being seen, being believed, and refusing to let labels, bias, or broken systems decide what is possible. Marcia, Charlotte, and Sophie trace the moment Marcia was finally diagnosed at 16 and how one teacher’s observation changed everything. What begins as a personal story quickly opens into a much bigger conversation about confidence, intersectionality, and the hidden barriers black girls and women face in education, careers, and advocacy.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why Marcia says her diagnosis felt like relief, not limitation

• How she adapted with strategies like chunking, double numbers, and practical memory tools

• Why intersectionality matters when dyslexia collides with race, gender, class, and stigma

• What schools still get wrong about dyslexia, behaviour, and support

• How representation, trauma, and self-doubt shape whether young people feel safe enough to speak up

Marcia also explains why dyslexia is still too often reduced to a literacy issue, when the reality can include time, numbers, processing, confidence, and even the ability to ask for help. She shares what she learned from writing Black, Brilliant and Dyslexic, why so many people are diagnosed much later in life, and what needs to change if schools are serious about helping children thrive. The conversation goes deep into SEND systems, parental advocacy, tribunals, co-production, and the reality that too many families are forced to fight just to get basic support. Marcia brings rare lived insight from being both an advocate and a parent, showing why awareness is not enough unless it turns into action. Essential listening if you are a parent, educator, or anyone who wants a clearer, more human understanding of dyslexia and the systems around it. This episode will leave you thinking differently about what support really looks like, and why believing someone can change their future.