Chaos to Clarity: How a Dyslexic Photographer Rewired His Brain
The Power of Dumping the Brain
Imagine a brain buzzing with ideas like a beehive on a sugar high—brilliant, chaotic, and occasionally overwhelming. That’s the world of Gesty, a nomadic underwater photographer, filmmaker, and fellow dyslexic, who joined host Darius Namdaran on the “Dyslexia Explored” podcast to share his evolution from a plate-spinning whirlwind to a calmer, more intentional creator. Over four years, Gesty’s swapped chronic back pain and mental clutter for a toolkit of practical habits, proving that a dyslexic mind isn’t a fixed sentence but a canvas for growth. Here’s how he’s rewriting his story—and what parents can learn from it to help their own neurodivergent kids thrive.
Diving Into the Deep End: Gesty’s Dyslexic Journey
Gesty’s life reads like an adventure novel: surfing waves, snapping whiskey campaigns, and fixing Patagonia jackets across Europe—all while living in a van (until it met an untimely end in Spain). But beneath the free-spirited exterior, dyslexia brought a tidal wave of overwhelm. “I’d get paralyzed,” he admits, describing how his brain’s endless ideas could spiral into depression if unchecked. Enter Darius, a coach who’s walked the same dyslexic path, and a slew of tools that turned Gesty’s chaos into clarity. From note-taking epiphanies to physical fixes for his sciatica, Gesty’s story is a masterclass in harnessing neurodiversity.
Here’s where the magic starts: Gesty learned to offload his buzzing brain into Apple Notes. “Notes is king and queen of my world,” he laughs, recounting how bullet points and voice memos became his lifeline. Why does this matter? Science backs it up—our working memory, that mental tray holding life’s spinning plates, has limits. For dyslexic kids (and adults), it’s often smaller, overflowing faster. Gesty’s trick? Empty it regularly. “It’s about effectiveness, not efficiency,” Darius chimes in, debunking the myth that organization is about perfection. Parents, take note: teach your child to dump their thoughts—scribbles, voice notes, whatever works—and watch their confidence soar as overwhelm shrinks.
Author Quote“
Notes is king and queen of my world… It’s about getting it out of my head, out of my body, because that stress causes anxiety, and I can spiral.
”
Building Habits: The 155-Day Cold Shower Lesson
Gesty’s not alone in forgetting his own brilliance. Darius shares a gem: it took him 155 days to make cold showers automatic. “I had to reason myself into it until it just clicked,” he says. Gesty nods along, admitting his own struggle with “automaticity”—the art of turning tools into habits. Neon tape reminders? He goes blind to them. Supplements? He forgets after a month. The fix? Community. “Tell people your blind spots,” Gesty advises. “A compassionate boot helps.” For parents, this is gold: your kid’s not “stuck” with forgetting—they need repetition, patience, and a nudge from you to wire new habits into that plastic, ever-changing brain.
Key Takeaways:
1
Working Memory Matters: Dyslexia often shrinks working memory, but tools like note-taking can lighten the load, freeing up mental space for creativity and calm.
2
Habits Take Time: Building automatic habits—like Gesty’s note-dumping or Darius’s cold showers—requires repetition and support, not shame.
3
Body-Mind Connection: Physical movement, like foundation training, can unravel stress stored in the body, boosting emotional and cognitive resilience.
Body and Mind: Unwinding the Stress Knots
Here’s where Gesty’s story gets physical. Chronic sciatica once crippled his surfing dreams, but foundation training—a movement practice—opened up space in his body and mind. “Stress lives in my lower back,” he explains, linking mental tension to physical pain. Peel back the neuroscience, and it’s no surprise: trauma and anxiety tighten our muscles, shrinking that “safety space” Gesty craves. Parents, don’t sleep on this—your child’s slumped posture or tummy aches might be silent screams from a stressed brain. Movement isn’t just play; it’s medicine for rewiring resilience.
Author Quote“
Organization systems are designed by organized people for organized people to be more organized. This approach is not about efficiency—it’s about effectiveness.
”
Gesty’s biggest win? Refusing to believe he’s “just dyslexic.” That’s the villain I fight daily—the toxic idea that brains can’t change. Newsflash: they can. Neuroplasticity says so, and Gesty’s living proof. From a messy Dropbox to a Miro whiteboard mimicking his tidy shipping container, he’s built systems that fit his visual, spatial strengths. Parents, your job isn’t to fix your kid—it’s to guide them toward tools that match their-unique-wiring, then step up and enforce the practice. Because if you let them coast, believing they’re broken, that’s the future you’ll get. Instead, plant the seed: “You’re not stuck—you’re growing.”
