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Welcome to Inclusion Bites, your sanctuary for bold conversations that spark change. I'm Joanne Lockwood, your guide on this journey of exploration into the heart of inclusion, belonging and societal transformation. Ever wondered what it truly takes to create a world? Remember, everyone not only belongs, but thrives. You're not alone. Join me as we uncover the unseen, challenge the status quo and share stories that resonate deep within. Ready to dive in? Whether you're sipping your morning coffee or winding down after a long day, let's connect, reflect and inspire action together. Don't forget, you can be part of the conversation too. Reach out to jo.lockwood@seechangehappen.co.uk to share your insights or to join me on the show.

So adjust your earbuds and settle in. It's time to ignite the spark of inclusion with Inclusion Bites. Today is episode 166 with the title Powering Minds One reflex at a time. And I have the absolute honour and privilege to welcome Niki McGlynn. Niki is a neurodevelopment therapist, trainer and ADHD coach, dedicated to helping people unlock their full potential through movement and understanding primitive reflexes. When I asked Niki to describe her superpower, she says it is translating neurodevelopment science into life changing movement strategies. Hello, Niki, welcome to the show. Hi, Joanne, lovely to have you here.

Whereabouts in the world are you?

So I'm based just outside Reading, which is about 40 miles west of London in a small leafy town called Wokingham.

Called where, sorry?

Wokingham.

Wokingham. Oh, I know Wokingham. I'm in a suburb of between Portsmouth and Petersfield. So.

Okay.

Oh, I never too far away. I wouldn't say quite a leafy suburb, but there are leaves and it is a suburb, but it's close. It's towny, I suppose, other than villagey. So, Nikki, your journey into neurodevelopment therapy. I think predictably, based on what you've written in your show notes, it's down to your own undiagnosed dyslexia and adhd. So how do you get into into associated this with reflexes and movement?

So really my journey was started with my daughter who at age 12 was diagnosed with dyslexia and I was 40 at the time and became very obvious from her diagnosis that I had the same issue. So I got a diagnosis and then discovered actually very recently that, that my mum had suspected I was dyslexic when I was very young. But at that point my dad didn't believe in dyslexia. So kind of nothing happened. So. And it's very. I find working within this sort of neurodivergent world, that it's a very common progression now is that. Is that parents get their children diagnosed and then recognise their own issues.

So she was diagnosed with dyslexia and then more recently diagnosed with ADHD just after the pandemic. And same thing, you know, it's that greater understanding that we now have of how neurodiversity exhibits in women and girls and a lot of that was discounted or not recognised until. Until very recently. So she got her diagnosis, I got my diagnosis and the rest is history. But I think seeing her really struggle at school and knowing how I'd struggled at school and at college and at university, I didn't want her to have to deal with the same issues that I dealt with and, and I thought there had to be, there has to be something that I can do to help her. So I started to look and came across this whole world of neurodevelopment therapy, which is movement based and really effective, and learned some of the techniques to help her and it. And it made a huge difference. And then I started to pursue it, learned how to practise with movement programmes and then eventually became a trainer myself.