00:00But you just feel seen and you feel connected and you don't feel alone
00:03And it's that boost of confidence that makes you feel like I can do this thing
00:08Stephanie rule felt alone for years
00:10She felt like the only one who was considered smart in her early years yet struggled with reading comprehension when she got to school
00:18It didn't get better when she started working. She became a successful finance salesman and a newswoman
00:24This was despite fighting an invisible struggle
00:27It wasn't until her son began to suffer the same difficulties that she realized what was going on
00:33Keep watching as Stephanie finally opens up about her illness diagnosis
00:38Her early life Stephanie was born December 24th
00:431975 to Frank and Louise rule she grew up in Park Ridge, New Jersey and attended Park Ridge High School
00:49She graduated from Lehigh University
00:51With a bachelor's in international business in
00:541997 she got a chance to intern for Merrill Lynch when she was at school while she was completing her studies there
01:01She was also given a chance to travel the world. She went to Italy Guatemala and Kenya
01:06She eventually returned to Lehigh to give the commencement address in 2017. She told the students I am NOT
01:13the best alumni cheerleader
01:16This is only my third time back on campus in 20 years
01:22because in truth I
01:24had a very tough time at Lehigh I
01:28Couldn't find my place on the hill
01:31So much so that I went across the world instead as Brad mentioned
01:37I studied in Kenya Guatemala and Italy
01:41Through a Lehigh alumni who's here today as a parent
01:45I got a summer internship in banking and I knew work work was when my life would start
01:51I thought so I scampered back to finish up and collect my diploma
01:56With the only two real friends I had at Lehigh
02:01when I was in your seat I
02:03felt small and insignificant
02:07But Lehigh didn't fail me I
02:10Failed Lehigh and
02:12It wasn't my grades. It was the way I thought
02:16Success was measured
02:19She encouraged them not to focus on how the world tells them to measure success, but on what fulfills them education is important
02:26But not everything
02:28Building a career Daphne didn't immediately start her career as a newswoman
02:33She spent 14 years working in the finance industry. She joined Credit Suisse first Boston in
02:391997 and spent six years working on hedge fund sales
02:42She became the highest producing credit derivative salesperson in the United States
02:47She joined Deutsche Bank in the same credit salesperson role in
02:512003 she spent eight years there and didn't waste any of that time
02:55She founded the global market women's network to help women reach leadership roles at the company
03:01She also reached a leadership role herself by the end of her eight-year career at Deutsche Bank leaving as managing director
03:08She then joined Bloomberg television in October 2011
03:11She co-hosted inside track with co-anchor Eric Schatzker
03:15They both moved to a two-hour late-morning show called market makers in 2012
03:20She co-hosted the show Bloomberg go with David Weston before leaving the network
03:25It featured many high-profile political figures athletes and media moguls
03:30Her big break came when she joined up with two other reporters Bradley Keown and Mary Childs
03:36They were the first ones to break the story
03:38Identifying Bruno Ixil as the traitor behind the 2012 JPMorgan Chase trading loss
03:44It was a major scoop that got them all noticed
03:47She's best known for her role as the host of MSNBC's the 11th hour with Stephanie rule
03:52She got the position January 27th
03:562022 after Brian Williams left the network
03:59Stephanie's illness diagnosis
04:02Stephanie has dyslexia the Mayo Clinic describes the condition as a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems
04:09Identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words
04:14She described the condition in her own words saying people actually thought I was a super reader when I was little
04:19Because I can memorize words. I have a great memory
04:22So when I was three and four years old, I could recite poems and short stories
04:25So they had me start school early
04:27But then come first and second grade when comprehension starts when you win the more complicated stories have to get in your head
04:34That's when you start hustling and kind of cheating, right?
04:37That's what you did in school
04:37Yes, and that's when you're negotiating with teachers to say how about an extra credit project?
04:41How about a presentation because you can't get through and I always thought I don't love pages. I love people. I'm not a student
04:48I can't wait for work
04:49Yeah
04:49And then work started when I was in banking at first they stuck us in research and I thought I'm not smart enough for research
04:55I gotta get into sales and then I got into sales and like this is great, but I never had the
05:01Fundamental things I never had those building blocks
05:04I needed to get because I didn't know I had it Stephanie admits that seeing signs of the condition in her son made her realize
05:11She may have it herself. She says and it wasn't until my son my oldest son
05:17I saw him go from this outgoing confident kid
05:20He just couldn't learn to read and his younger brother was finishing his stories for him, right?
05:25I take it was one amazing teacher
05:27We all have those teachers who said you got to get this boy checked out
05:30And when they told me he was dyslexic, I thought this is this is everything
05:34I have Stephanie reached out to other teenagers with dyslexia who were struggling in school
05:39She wrote a heartfelt post on Instagram that said this message is for any dyslexic out there hating school right now
05:46I totally get it school sucks paying attention is impossible
05:50No matter how many times you read the words on the page
05:53They don't seem to interact with your brain and she went on to say this, which I love I promise school eventually ends
05:59And when it does calculus and physics need not be in your next chapter and the real world
06:05Cannot wait for you to unleash your awesomeness
06:08Love always cliff notes using cheat sheet making detention dominating needs to improve self-discipline on every report card getting
06:15formerly frustrated fellow dyslexic
06:18Steph rule Stephanie's fellow news
06:21personalities Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb were as shocked by the reveal as anyone
06:26Stephanie says it was never her plan to talk about her condition
06:29She explained it was the result of motherhood combined with a certain memorable event in her life
06:35It made her decide it was the right time to tell the world about her dyslexia as she said
06:40I was on a flight for a work trip and trying to read the same book
06:44I put in my backpack for every flight and I couldn't get through the book and I'm looking out the window and I'm thinking about
06:51My son who's also dyslexic and I'm thinking he is sitting in class right now hating life. Yeah hating his teacher can't get through it
06:58She immediately made the post to reach out to other parents and children who are struggling
07:03Fortunately, it got the response. She was hoping for and then some she said the flight lands and my phone was blowing up
07:10With people from all walks of life saying that's me. That's my daughter
07:14That's my brother and I thought oh my gosh, like if I can connect with someone
07:19How Stephanie lives with her dyslexia Stephanie admits she was always seen as a smart child
07:24She could memorize books and told stories better than anyone around her
07:28It was actually recommended that she start school early. That didn't mean she didn't struggle in school
07:34Though whenever reading comprehension was involved it became difficult for her
07:38Stephanie believes she in a way had to cheat to find her way through school
07:42She'd take any extra credit projects
07:45She could just to keep her grades up and make up for the holes her dyslexia was leaving in her brain
07:50It also made her work more difficult
07:52She admits she started in sales because numbers were easier for her to comprehend moving to news was her dream
07:58But it's an industry focused on words and that made it much more difficult for her
08:03She said when I joined Today Show weekend Today Show
08:06That was my hardest job because for you guys you're covering 15 different stories in 10 minutes
08:11You're going from here to here. I can't do that
08:13Her co-anchors witnessed the ways she would quote-unquote cheat in her career as well
08:18Stephanie never would have reached the level she did if she hadn't found ways to provide herself
08:23Accommodations to overcome her condition some of her former co-anchors noticed the steps. She took I watched you prepare when you do segments
08:31You always have index cards
08:33You always had a sharpie and I was like and I would always see you kind of talking to yourself my life
08:37They're fine Savannah and Hoda were glad to have her speak about her dyslexia on the air
08:42They feel her advice can help others with the condition live with it
08:45I'm imagining parents right now watching this cheering you want and
08:51Planner for your kids go through their schedule so it's not Sunday night and their backs against the wall
08:57Yeah, and then they maybe are cheating or looking for those CliffsNotes get them ahead of the game on Friday
09:02So they're saying to their teacher. Hold on. I don't understand these directions. Talk me through it
09:06Talk me through it on Thursday or Friday, so it's not Sunday night and we're in a panic
09:11Stephanie's story is an inspiring one. She's a woman in a powerful position who seemed to have it all together
09:17Despite that she has been willing to reveal the difficulties
09:20She had to overcome to get to where she is
09:22The goal is to help others with the same difficulties figure out how to overcome these challenges
09:28They can look at her and say if she can do it, so can I now it's time to hear from you
09:32What's the most inspiring story of a celebrity overcoming an illness that you've ever heard? Let us know in the comments section below
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