Kinship Caregiving & Dyslexia: A Leadership Guide with Nancy Lasater I Ep. 107)

The Warrior Heart — Why Your "Dumpster Fire" Day is a Leadership Win

By Laura Brazan Episode 107 Featured Guest: Nancy Lasater

If you are a kinship caregiver or a grandparent raising grandchildren, you know the feeling of the "Tuesday Tsunami." It’s the moment when the school calls about a behavioral "glitch," the laundry is overflowing, and you’re staring at a clinical evaluation for your grandchild that feels like a foreign language.

In those moments, most of us fall victim to a silent predator: The Case of the Shoulds.

I should be retired. She should be reading. We should be "normal."

In my recent conversation with former high-stakes trial lawyer and author Nancy Lasater, we did an audit of those "Shoulds." We realized that the secret to being a successful Invisible CEO isn’t found in perfection—it’s found in the Warrior Heart.

1. Labels are Data, Not Destinies

Nancy’s book, The Farmer’s Son, tackles the complexity of dyslexia—a label many of us in the "second cradle" are seeing for the first time. Nancy reminds us that a diagnosis like dyslexia isn't a broken part in the machine; it’s a different wiring schematic.

Dyslexic children often possess incredible spatial acuity. They can "see" the other side of an engine or visualize complex structures in 3D. When we treat a label as a life sentence, we miss the exceptional intelligence hidden behind the struggle.

2. Fire the 1950s Stereotype

We’ve all had the vision: the calm grandmother in a clean apron, baking cookies in a house that smells like cinnamon. But if your reality is more "dumpster fire" than "Father Knows Best," Nancy has a message for you: Good.

"I would not want to be the grandchild of a perfect caregiver," Nancy says. "Because what an impossible bar to meet."

Our grandchildren don't need a statue of perfection; they need a truth-teller. They need to see us mess up, apologize, and repair. That is how they learn to navigate their own unconventional lives.

3. Turning Over the Apple Cart

The educational system is a "conveyor belt of conventional treatment." It is designed for the majority, not the atypical. As the primary stakeholder in your grandchild’s life, you have a "CEO" mandate to trust your gut.

If the system isn't working, turn over the apple cart. Advocate for different formats, wider margins, and short chapters. Nancy’s book is even printed in a unique format specifically for dyslexic readers—proving that if the words are jumping around, we don't just squint harder; we change the layout.

The Invisible CEO Strategy: Tactical Moves

• Acknowledge the Dumpster Fire: Say it out loud. Validation lowers the cortisol in the room. "Yes, today is a mess. And we are going to lead through it anyway."

• Audit the "Shoulds": Every time you feel resentment, look for the "Should" hiding behind it. Fire the "Should" and hire the reality.

• Celebrate Spatial Wins: Look for where your grandchild excels outside of the page. Are they building? Fixing? Creating? That is their "Executive Strength."

Final Thought from the Boardroom

You are 2.7 million strong. You are unconventional, you are rebellious, and you are exactly what your grandchildren need. Your "Warrior Heart" is the most valuable asset on the family balance sheet.

Ready to hear the full conversation? [🎧 Listen to Episode 107 with Nancy Lasater here]

Still nurturing, and still here.