From Struggle to Strength:
My Learning Story
I’m Dawn Bast, founder of Body Brain Learning, and my work is deeply personal.
As a student, I loved learning, but math never made sense. I changed schools multiple times, worked incredibly hard, and relied on learning assistance and tutoring just to pass. Even as an adult pursuing my teaching degree, I needed two tutors to complete a single university math course.
I kept asking myself:
Why is this so hard when I’m trying so hard?
In my fifties, in 2025, I finally found answers through the work of a DavisⓇ Facilitator. I discovered I have undiagnosed dyscalculia and began the DavisⓇ Math Mastery Program with a certified facilitator, an experience that transformed not only my math skills, but how I understand learning itself.
I discovered my perceptual giftings, the powerful kinesthetic sensing strengths in how I think and process the world. I learned how to intentionally guide my mind’s eye, work with my learning style, and regulate sensory perceptions during reading, writing, and math. As learning blocks lifted, so did years of frustration, stress, and self-doubt.
Curiosity and confidence replaced fear.
Today, I bring both lived experience and rigorous professional training to the learners and parents I support. I know how it feels to struggle quietly. And I know how life-changing it is when a learner finally feels understood.
Through Body Brain Learning, I provide one-to-one support for students and families in Prince George, across Central British Columbia, and online throughout BC. My programs help children build confidence in reading, writing, attention issues, social skills, and math by working with how their brains learn best. We honour their strengths while giving them effective tools to help them learn.
Because sometimes success isn’t about trying harder.
It’s about having the right tools and being seen for how you learn.
Wondering if your child learns this way too?