Meet Jill Stowell, M.S. | Author; Founder and Executive Director, Stowell Learning Centers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jill Stowell, M.S. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jill, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
It is a common belief that if you have dyslexia or a learning disability, you just have to learn to get around it – to have accommodations or build coping strategies. Even within the education industry this myth is so ingrained that people really struggle to understand and believe that real change is possible.

Parents are dying a little bit each day watching their bright, struggling students get bullied and pegged as lazy, dumb, or unmotivated. Because these children and teens are good at masking their challenges, it may only be their parents that see the anxiety and trauma they internalize every day because they can’t keep up in school and they don’t understand why.

The struggles associated with dyslexia and other learning disabilities can be eliminated by looking beneath the symptoms or behaviors and identifying and developing the underlying processing skills that are at the root of the problem.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I have always loved the population of students that fall under the “dyslexia/learning disability” umbrella. These are bright, clever, creative, fun kids who struggle with reading or other academic aspects of school. These students are misunderstood and unfortunately, the world often sees them as lazy or unmotivated and assumes they’ll just have to accept less in their lives. This is not true.

I started out in business as a private practice, but the need was so great that over the years we have grown to encompass four learning centers in Southern California serving local students as well as students remotely all over the world.

At Stowell Learning Centers, we have helped thousands of students over the last 35 years to permanently eliminate their struggles associated with dyslexia, auditory processing, and other learning disabilities and attention challenges.

We work one-on-one with students of all ages (5 – adult) using a wide variety of specialized, cutting-edge, neuroscience and research-based programs and strategies to develop the underlying visual, motor, auditory, and cognitive processing skills that are weak or inefficient and at the root of the problem. Then we can remediate the reading, writing, spelling, or math and it will stick!

This is what sets us apart – what makes our approach truly different. We don’t put a bandaid on the problem. We actually address the root of the problem so that students can go on to love learning, thrive in school, and become successful adults.

There are always ups and downs in business and looking back, I’m pretty sure that most of what I’ve learned as a business owner has been by making mistakes. But I’m still excited everyday about the work I get to do and the fantastic individuals on my team that I get to do it with! We get to change the lives of families and the futures for children. What could be better than that!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Manhattan Beach Boardwalk I love riding my bike along the beach boardwalk from Redondo Beach to Marina Del Rey. I love to get out side and exercise in the fresh air, and the SoCal beaches are beautiful all year round!

I would stop at The Good Stuff in Hermosa Beach for breakfast. The enchiladas and eggs are to die for!

Santa Monica Pier / Venice Beach
Anyone who comes to SoCal should see the iconic Santa Monica Pier that has been highlighted in so many movies and TV shows. 3rd Street Promenade is a great spot for lunch and people watching.

Venice Beach, right down the street, has such a colorful personality as well as some pretty famous sites (the skate park and Muscle Beach to name a few) that are fun to show SoCal newbies.

Hollywood
Everybody who comes to visit SoCal wants to see Hollywood, where all of the movie magic happens! Though the glitz and glam of Hollywood and movie stars isn’t as prominent as one would hope, it’s fun to show off the Hollywood Sign from the Hollywood and Highland complex. There people could also check out the Chinese Theater and find the handprints of their favorite movie stars. It’s also fun to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame and imagine how this place is transformed when the Red Carpet is rolled out for the who’s who of Hollywood during the Emmy’s.

WB Studio Tour
To show off how the magic is made, a trip to Warner Brothers is a fun way to check out some actual movie studios and sets for tv shows.

Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl
The Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by Frank Gehry in DTLA is really unique and beautiful to see, even if just from the outside.

I’ve become a regular at the Hollywood Bowl for a wide variety of concerts and shows, so I’d love to have a picnic and see a show with my friends.

Disneyland
No trip to SoCal is complete without a trip to the Happiest Place On Earth! I day at Disneyland is fun for “kids of all ages.” Make sure to catch the fireworks at the end of the day before heading home!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I went into business because I knew there had to be better answers for bright students who struggled in school than I was able to provide for them as a dedicated special education teacher. I searched for and studied with experts from around the world who were doing the research on the brain, attention, and learning.

This incredible journey of discovery still continues to this day, but I have to give a huge shoutout to some of my first maverick mentors: Dr. Joan Smith (edu-therapeutics.com), Patricia Lindamood, Svea Gold, Galye Moyers, and Alex Doman (advanced brain.com). Some of these amazing people are not longer with us, but their mark on the world and the lives of children and families lives on.

In addition, my husband, David, and my now adult children, Christy and Kevin, have provided incredible encouragement and support along the way.

My students have always been my best teachers. If we really pay attention, they will show us or tell us what they need. So to all of our students, thank you for what you have taught us along the way. What we have learned from you has impacted other students who came after you!

Website: https://www.stowellcenter.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stowellcenter/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stowellcenter/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/stowellcenter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/learningdisability

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/stowell-learning-center-chino

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LDExpert

Other: Link to live broadcast and podcast: https://stowellcenter.com/ldexpert/

Image Credits
Sierra Alford – Jill’s headshot