Angela Lockwood

As a teenager I sustained a life-threatening injury when, during a match, a hockey ball struck me in the head and damaged my temporal lobe, the area of the brain responsible for auditory perception, speech and language and memory. To help me through school and university, I needed to develop methods to reduce excessive cognitive loading and instill strategies to aid in my decision-making processes. To do this I had to develop simple strategies to clear my head of overwhelm and to simplify complex information into ways that were easy for me to digest and remember. Out of my challenges, came ways that I now use with others to help them simplify the complexity of their work. If I attempt…

I bet you can remember from your childhood that one teacher who stayed back after the bell to talk you through a tricky question, or the sports coach who reminded you that you have what it takes or the boss who let you extend a deadline to help take the pressure off. These people were our champions, our greatest supports who went that little bit extra to make sure we succeeded or had the opportunity to learn when things were hard. They were there to help us test and expand our comfort zone and to this day we remember fondly, even if they pushed us when the situation felt too hard. I can remember Mrs Wills. My third-grade teacher, who…