Dr. Derek Lester and Brainstrong

Hi, I am Dr. Derek Lester, founder of Brainstrong. I am an educator, researcher, learning-system designer, and lifelong advocate for children who struggle to learn.

For me, the mission of Brainstrong is personal. I have dyslexia and struggled to learn to read as a child. In elementary school, I received additional reading support and experienced firsthand the frustration of working hard while lessons still seemed confusing. I understand what it feels like to fall behind, to question your ability, and to need information presented in a clearer and more structured way.

Those early struggles eventually became a source of purpose. I went on to earn a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, serve as a university professor, and build educational programs and products. His personal experience with dyslexia, combined with his expertise in learning science, cognitive psychology, literacy development, and instructional design, shaped every part of Brainstrong.

I created Brainstrong’s flashcards and app because many learning products are visually overwhelming, poorly sequenced, or ask children to process too much information at once. At Brainstrong, we take a different approach. Skills are broken into clear, manageable steps so children can focus on one concept, practice it repeatedly, and build genuine mastery.

The Letter Family phonics cards organize related sounds and spelling patterns, helping children understand how words work instead of relying only on memorization. Clear examples, carefully selected illustrations, minimal distractions, and systematic repetition reduce unnecessary cognitive load and make learning easier to follow.

The Brainstrong Phonics app http://app.brainstrong.org brings the same method into a guided digital experience, supporting phonics, sight words, alphabet knowledge, numbers, and other early learning skills.

As an expert in learning and instruction, I built Brainstrong as someone who knows how painful reading difficulties can feel—and how life-changing the right instruction can be. My goal is simple: to create the clearest, most effective learning products possible so every child has a better opportunity to become a confident reader.