Summer Lecture: Katy Winton – redefining my limits

In the years before she became a world-famous professional Enduro mountain bike rider, Katy Winton was not OK with being dyslexic.

Despite being in the 97th percentile for intelligence, she went through her school years believing she was stupid. Like the proverbial fish climbing a tree, cycling champ Katy was measured by her inability to write an essay, do an equation or organise her time.

The real lesson Katy learned from school was that she had to redefine her limits, on her own terms.

In conversation

In an open and intimate conversation with Dyslexia Scotland, Katy shares how she is moving past the constraints placed on her in school. Katy explains how she harnesses dyslexia to excel as a sportsperson who is thriving in an occupation that doesn’t demand she gets things right or follow the conventional path. Hear about about the surprising organisation method that Katy uses to coordinate a hectic international schedule and why it’s taken her this long to talk about her unique brain. 

This intimate, live conversation will challenge assumptions about dyslexic abilities – and how leaning into the activities that make you happiest can lead to the most fulfilling careers. Dyslexia Scotland invites mountain bikers, cycling fans, sports lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, people with dyslexia, tutors, teachers and parents of dyslexic children to a live, in-conversation event that will redefine the way we frame dyslexia.

Katy Winton

Katy Winton is a Scottish lass hailing from Peebles in the Scottish Borders. Racing mountain bikes on the World Stage since the age of 16 Katy turned professional at 23 and has been racing all over the globe for some of the biggest bike brands in the world since then; with career highlights of multiple World Cup podiums and being ranked 3rd in the World in 2017 and 2018. Although finding out she was dyslexic from a young age it’s only in the last 6 months she has spoken openly about it.

John Devine

Hosting the event will be John Devine, a 26-year-old dyslexic who was identified at a young age. After finishing his undergraduate degree he became an EFL Teacher and moved to Italy to teach and to study for his master’s degree. John also works for ITSS Verona, an international, cultural, apolitical association dedicated to the study of security and expanding the debate around it. John has been a long-standing Young Ambassador for Dyslexia Scotland.