All Of It with Alison Stewart:

Phil Hanley On Comedy Wordsmithing With Dyslexia
Aired: September 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features comedian and author Phil Hanley, who discusses his lifelong experiences with dyslexia, how it has shaped his worldview, and how he transformed personal adversity into comedy and creative achievement. Centering around his new memoir, My Life as a Dyslexic Wordsmith, Hanley explores the challenges (and surprising advantages) of neurodiversity, family support, and the art of finding humor in pain. With listener call-ins, memorable anecdotes, and disarmingly honest reflections, the episode offers inspiration and practical insight for those navigating their own paths with learning differences.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Experiences with Dyslexia and Family Support

• Initial Struggles at School
  • Hanley recalls failing to learn to read in first grade, continuing to read at a first-grade level through eighth grade.
    • “By the time I was in eighth grade, I was still reading at a first grade level. That was the start of my lifelong journey with dyslexia.”
      ([00:07])
• Mother’s Unwavering Support
  • Hanley describes his mother's vital role, doing his homework and fiercely advocating for him at school, lightening the situation with humor:
    • “My sweet mom would always say to me, you know, there's nothing to be ashamed about being in special ed. And I'm glad she felt that way. Cause technically she was in it, too.” ([01:44])
    • He recounts her defending him at teacher conferences:
      “The teacher would be like, I think Phil needs to put in more effort. And my mom would be like, how dare you? He's working full time. He's raising three kids. He is, he's a modern woman.” ([01:55])
  • Emotional response:
    • “Sorry. I get so emotional talking about it.” ([04:54])
  • Hanley’s reflection on family:
    • “My parents really built me up at home... If you can maintain [a dyslexic child’s] self esteem, they're going to finish school. They're like a coiled spring and they're going to apply that tenacity to whatever they get into.” ([06:01])
  • Advice to parents: self-esteem maintenance is critical for dyslexic kids’ success.

2. Navigating School, Stigma, and Diagnosis

• Early Warning Signs and School Response
  • Hanley shares his confusion at struggling while other kids learned to read:
    • “They were just reading... You point your face at something and you get the information. And I would do that and nothing would occur.” ([04:09])
  • Persistent negative perceptions and labels:
    • “You can't help but feel stupid in school.” ([06:18])
• Impactful Diagnosis
  • Relief upon diagnosis:
    • “Thank goodness there's a name for what's going on in my brain... It was a sign that you're okay. So I'm not dumb.” ([08:49])

3. Strategies, Self-Discovery, and Broadening Worldviews

• Coping Mechanisms as a Child
  • Leaned into his strengths:
    • “The bright spot in my life was socializing. I was always social... you have to be, like, above average intelligence, and you have all these different interests. It's just you can't get that information from the page.” ([07:40])
• The Power of Accommodation
  • Noting how proper accommodations changed his outcomes:
    • “As soon as I got someone who read the test answers to me and let me dictate my answers, I won all these awards as the most improved student and finished at the top of my class. But it was the final year of high school where I was like, they're like, let's give him what he needs.” ([25:45])
• Listener Experiences
  • Listeners call in to share their own dyslexia stories, highlighting the lifelong impacts of school attitudes and family support.
    • Meg re: her mom’s institutionalization in the 1930s due to misdiagnosed dyslexia. ([09:37])
    • John on parental advocacy and class grouping stigma.
      “Thank God for parents that really care and really, really give us some self esteem. I was never called dumb or stupid, but when you're put in the Bluebird reading class... you figure out that oh, oh, I am at a dumb class.” ([23:11])

4. Life After School, Modeling, and Discovering Comedy

• Post-High School Realities
  • Parents gently breaking the news that college wasn’t likely, which was bittersweet for Hanley:
    • “You learn as a dyslexic, you learn really early on, like your life is going to be different. It's not just going to be a standard one.” ([11:35])
    • Sees dyslexia as a blessing in hindsight:
      “I wouldn't be speaking to you if I wasn't dyslexic. I wouldn't be living in New York City or... performing... So dyslexia is such a blessing, but it's just getting through school and it's maintaining the self esteem.” ([12:04])
• Unexpected Detour: Modeling
  • Friend Shalom Harlow encourages Hanley into modeling, giving him a taste of possibilities beyond Oshawa:
    • “It got me out of Oshawa... I lived in Europe for four years.” ([13:35])
    • Introduced Hanley to passionate creatives:
      “It introduced me to people that loved what they did... [that] made me think like, oh, I want to do that.” ([14:08])
  • Perspective on being judged for looks after growing up judged for intellect:
    • “If some Italian fashion designer doesn’t think that you’re perfect for his pants, I didn’t bat an eye with the being judged for my appearance because I’d been judged for, you know, my intellect negatively... since I’m from 5 to 18.” ([15:21])
• Finding Comedy
  • Modeling eventually gave way to Hanley’s true passion—comedy.

5. Meditation, the Grateful Dead & Neurodiversity Culture

• Discovering Meditation
  • Became a tool for managing anxiety and self-perception:
    • “If you are dyslexic or neurodiverse, you experience anxiety because you are... for a plethora of reasons. And I really wanted to reduce that.” ([16:30])
• Connection to the Grateful Dead
  • Hanley bonds with the Grateful Dead’s storytelling, especially as lyricist Robert Hunter crafts rich stories in song form—meaningful for someone challenged by reading.
    • “For a kid that couldn’t read but loved storytelling, it was great for me to listen to these songs and be able to hear these stories and feel really inspired by them.” ([17:29])
  • Grateful Dead member Bob Weir is himself dyslexic and into meditation, creating further resonance. ([17:18])

6. Normalizing Dyslexia and Challenging Misconceptions

• Comic Relief as Healing
  • Hanley finds power in sharing dyslexia through his standup:
    • “Once I started stand up, you really start evaluating what makes you different. You want original material. And I immediately went to dyslexia... It’s my dyslexic material that connects to people.” ([20:11])
    • Standout bit about unsympathetic third-grade teacher:
      “Third grade. The teacher was old and she learned to teach before dyslexia was invented... She thought it was something that people made up to get attention, like a gluten allergy. She’d make the whole class read and then it would be my turn and I’d be like, I can’t read. It’s the same situation as yesterday. And she would say, sound it out. Even as a kid, I’m like, yeah, that’s just reading. It is so insensitive to tell a dyslexic child to sound it out. It’d be like if someone pulled you aside and was like, hey, I can’t eat this. I’m death allergic to peanuts. And you’re like, chew slowly.” ([21:00])
• The Value of Self-Acceptance
  • Hanley reframes his hardship:
    • “I wouldn’t, I’m so grateful that I have it now. And we dyslexics, we’re the most creative people and we figure it out... wouldn’t you want to be different in this world right now than just like a, you know, standard functioning brain? I really think dyslexia is a gift.” ([24:41])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Family Advocacy & Humorous Outlook
  • “My mom would always say to me, you know, there’s nothing to be ashamed about being in special ed. And I’m glad she felt that way. Cause technically she was in it, too.” (Phil Hanley, [01:44])
• On the Unique Strength of Dyslexic Kids
  • “If you’re a dyslexic kid, you’re nine and you have the grit of someone that’s been through three marriages… you have character.” (Phil Hanley, [06:30])
• On Being Judged (Modeling vs. School)
  • “If some Italian fashion designer doesn’t think that you’re perfect for his pants, I didn’t bat an eye with the being judged for my appearance because I’d been judged for, you know, my intellect negatively... since I’m from 5 to 18.” (Phil Hanley, [15:21])
• On Accommodations & Success
  • “As soon as I got someone who read the test answers to me and let me dictate my answers, I won all these awards as the most improved student and finished at the top of my class.” (Phil Hanley, [25:45])
• On Dyslexia as a Gift
  • “I really think dyslexia is a gift.” (Phil Hanley, [24:41])
• Comedy as Transformation
  • “That’s the beauty of comedy: you can have the bad experience and then when you get a laugh from it, all of a sudden it feels worthwhile.” (Phil Hanley, [20:11])

Important Timestamps

• 00:07 – Introduction to Phil Hanley’s journey with dyslexia
• 01:44 – Hanley’s humorous story of his mother advocating for him
• 04:09 – Childhood confusion and isolation around reading
• 06:18 – Maintaining self-esteem as a dyslexic child
• 08:49 – Relief and clarity following dyslexia diagnosis
• 09:37 – Listener Meg’s story of her mother’s misdiagnosed dyslexia in the 1930s and impact on her family
• 13:35 – Hanley describes how modeling broadened his horizons
• 16:30 – The mental health benefits of meditation for neurodiverse individuals
• 17:29 – Connection to the Grateful Dead’s storytelling and impact
• 20:11 – Comedy as an outlet for discussing dyslexia
• 21:00 – Standup bit on insensitive classroom experiences
• 24:41 – Hanley’s message to those struggling with dyslexia: embrace it as a gift
• 25:45 – The power of accommodations in education

Closing Perspective

Phil Hanley’s conversation illuminates the daily struggles and special strengths of living with dyslexia, the transformative power of advocacy, and the critical importance of community and self-esteem. His journey from shame and misunderstanding to creativity and self-acceptance is both deeply personal and broadly resonant. As Hanley puts it, “we dyslexics, we’re the most creative people and we figure it out.” His story—and this episode—stands as a testament to finding humor, meaning, and art in life’s most challenging obstacles.