Can you see it? You know that feeling when something just feels off? For me, it’s often about how the shape of words, their placement or the space around them becomes more than a just a speed bump when reading them. It hits me like a wall and I can’t move on. If I can’t quickly figure out what’s off, I can force myself to move on–to get over it. But pushing that feeling down only keeps pulling me back. I’ve wondered about this throughout my career — until recently. I’ve learned that if something seems off for me, there’s an excellent chance others in the world experience the same thing. It turns out there are words for it. Visual rhythm, font tension, word silhouettes, micro-rhythms . . . all the things my dyslexic brain silently insists is off while everyone else says, “It looks fine.” This is the story of finding the words to explain what I’ve always seen — and why these words about how words are treated in design are making are letting non-design marketers let out an exhale in relief.

RSD was hard to explain at first—what I thought were just normal feelings turned out to be something much more interesting. Realizing it was part of my ADHD was a turning point. To make sense of it, I mapped out the seven phases of an RSD episode—from the trigger’s impact until it fades. Seeing these phases clearly not only helps in choosing strategies in the moment but also revealed deeper patterns—like over-apologizing, over-explaining, people-pleasing, perfectionism, and the exhausting cycle of procrastination/burnout. It shed light on why setting boundaries felt impossible and why second-guessing everything became second nature. A lot of recovery has come from learning about RSD—I hope it helps others find the same clarity.

In early 2021, I embarked on a transformative journey by taking Scott Barry Kaufman’s “Transcend” course, inspired by his book of the same name.

My disordered ways weren’t always assets. Every day, the small child inside wistfully, desperately wished to be organized and feel the confidence of knowledge.