I Was Called “Thick and Lazy” at 7… Now I Help Shape Netflix Dramas. Here’s What My Teachers Missed
Real Women's Stories with Lisa QuaitShow Notes
If you’ve ever felt underestimated, behind in life, or like your brain works differently to everybody else, this episode is for you.
At school, Clinical Psychologist Dr Lucy Shoolbred was told she was “thick and lazy”.
She couldn’t read properly, felt constantly underestimated, and genuinely believed she wasn’t clever enough to succeed. Years later, she’s working behind some of the biggest TV dramas in the world - including the Emmy, Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning Netflix series Adolescence.
But this episode isn’t just about success.
It’s about what happens when a child grows up believing the labels adults gave them.
In this conversation, Lucy reveals: what it actually feels like growing up severely dyslexic the moment she realised school had got her completely wrong how she now protects child actors filming traumatic scenes and why some of the people who struggle most in school end up seeing the world differently to everyone else.
Lucy also mentions the incredible work being done by Made By Dyslexia - a charity helping people better understand dyslexic thinking and why different brains should never be underestimated.
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