Today we’d like to introduce you to Kait Feriante.
Hi Kait, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My work in dyslexia began long before Redwood existed. It really started when I was teaching and kept meeting incredibly bright students who were falling further and further behind in reading and writing. They were creative, insightful, verbal, and capable, yet the traditional systems around them were not designed for the way their brains learned. At the same time, my husband Andre, who is dyslexic himself, carried his own lived experience of what it feels like to be misunderstood by a school system that does not yet see or support dyslexic learners.
In 2012 I began specializing in dyslexia intervention and it changed the entire trajectory of my work. I saw, over and over again, that when the right instruction meets the right learner, everything opens. Confidence grows. Anxiety decreases. Families breathe again. Dyslexic students begin to understand themselves not as the problem, but as students with enormous strengths whose brains simply require different pathways to literacy.
In 2015, Andre and I opened a small private practice focused entirely on supporting struggling readers and writers. Three years later, that work grew into Redwood Literacy, which has now served thousands of students across the country. The heart of Redwood has always stayed the same. Students deserve instruction that matches their brains. Parents deserve clarity, partnership, and hope. Schools deserve expertise and support so they can help every learner thrive.
Our move to Nashville was fueled by a desire to plant deeper roots in a community that is ready to lead in dyslexia awareness and access. Nashville has a vibrant network of educators, families, advocates, and organizations who are committed to doing better for neurodivergent learners. Being here has allowed Redwood to expand its mission beyond direct tutoring. We now support families nationwide through Redwood at Home, an affordable, accessible pathway for families who want research-based literacy support from anywhere.
If there is one thread that weaves through this entire journey, it is that no child should ever feel alone or defeated because of a learning difference. Dyslexia is not a deficit. It is a different cognitive profile with its own strengths, and when children receive the instruction and encouragement they need, their entire sense of themselves shifts. Redwood was created to be part of that shift.
Looking back, nothing about this journey has been linear or simple, but every step has been rooted in the belief that literacy is life-giving and that every learner deserves to experience their potential fully. Being here in Nashville has only strengthened that conviction, and we feel grateful to play even a small role in the city’s growing movement toward better understanding and supporting dyslexic learners.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all—it’s been a beautiful but incredibly challenging road. Like everyone else, we navigated a global pandemic, but we did it as a very young company and as two founders with three little kids each. Overnight, we had to completely rework our entire business model just to keep the lights on. And even as the world reopened, the ripple effects of the pandemic kept hitting us—most recently in ways that disrupted federal funding streams we had relied on.
There have been seasons of losing key team members to other opportunities, which is always bittersweet. My family also moved from Chicago to Nashville in the middle of all of this, so I was figuring out how to run a team and a mission-driven organization from a different city. On top of that, we’ve had to continually clarify how our for-profit and nonprofit entities work together, where they’re distinct, and how to keep both healthy and aligned with our values.
And honestly, we were teachers by training—we didn’t come into this with formal business backgrounds. So much of the journey has been learning as we go, asking for help, seeking mentors, and surrounding ourselves with people smarter than us. In the most recent chapter of our story, resources like BrainTrust and the EY Winning Women Program have been game changers. They’ve helped us grow our business muscles and get clarity on how to scale sustainably as we work to expand our impact.
It’s been anything but smooth—but every challenge has sharpened us and strengthened our mission.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Redwood Literacy?
Not at all—it’s been a beautiful but incredibly challenging road. Like everyone else, we navigated a global pandemic, but we did it as a very young company and as two founders with three little kids each. Overnight, we had to completely rework our entire business model just to keep the lights on. And even as the world reopened, the ripple effects of the pandemic kept hitting us—most recently in ways that disrupted federal funding streams we had relied on.
There have been seasons of losing key team members to other opportunities, which is always bittersweet. My family also moved from Chicago to Nashville in the middle of all of this, so I was figuring out how to run a team and a mission-driven organization from a different city. On top of that, we’ve had to continually clarify how our for-profit and nonprofit entities work together, where they’re distinct, and how to keep both healthy and aligned with our values.
And honestly, we were teachers by training—we didn’t come into this with formal business backgrounds. So much of the journey has been learning as we go, asking for help, seeking mentors, and surrounding ourselves with people smarter than us. In the most recent chapter of our story, resources like BrainTrust and the EY Winning Women Program have been game changers. They’ve helped us grow our business muscles and get clarity on how to scale sustainably as we work to expand our impact.
It’s been anything but smooth—but every challenge has sharpened us and strengthened our mission.
wood Literacy exists to offer best-in-class, comprehensive support for individuals with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. If you’re an adult with one of these learning profiles—whether you’re trying to earn a promotion at work, go back to school, or finally strengthen foundational academic skills that have held you back emotionally or professionally—we’ve got you. We offer a full spectrum of free resources, paid services, and self-paced courses designed to help you build confidence, gain clarity, and set yourself up for long-term success.
If you’re a parent of a child with dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia (diagnosed or not yet diagnosed), we’ve got you too. When you come to Redwood, you have unlimited access to a panel of specialists from across the country who deeply understand these learning profiles. We walk alongside you through every step of the Redwood Method—helping you lift the weight off your shoulders. That includes identifying your child’s needs, recommending the best school placements, supporting foundational academic skills at home, developing essential non-academic attributes for long-term success, and connecting you with trusted neuropsychologists when a diagnosis is needed. This is truly wrap-around support for families who have often felt lost in the system.
What sets Redwood apart is the caliber of our team and the culture behind our work. We are a team of true experts—deeply connected to the latest research, committed to a growth mindset, and relentless when it comes to outcomes. Every client is VIP at Redwood. Our partnership with Johns Hopkins University keeps us accountable to excellence, and our collaboration with Stanford University on our program design badge reflects our commitment to innovation and rigor. We are boutique, individualized education at its highest level—and we genuinely believe we’re the best in the world at what we do.
Brand-wise, I’m incredibly proud of the combination of excellence and access. Yes, we offer world-class individualized support, but from day one we’ve also been committed to making life-changing resources available regardless of someone’s income, background, or geography. Anyone, anywhere in the world, should be able to find something at Redwood that moves the needle for them. That’s core to who we are.
And with AI transforming education and the workforce, dyslexic thinking is increasingly being recognized as an asset—not a deficit. We want to flip the script on these diagnoses. Dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia do not mean someone isn’t intelligent or capable. They simply mean individuals need a different type of support to thrive in traditional academic and professional environments. Redwood exists to provide that support while also helping people see their strengths.
What I want readers to know is simple: if you’re in the Nashville area and dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia is part of your story—or your child’s story—we are your people. Don’t wait. Reach out. Call Redwood. Enroll in our free Redwood at Home course that guides you through the whole process. We’ve been doing this work for eight years, and we are only getting better. We can’t wait to serve Nashville and help transform what’s possible for individuals with these learning profiles.
How do you think about luck?
I actually really believe you get to choose the lens through which you see your luck. On one hand, yes—I have been incredibly lucky. I don’t know how I’ve been fortunate enough to work with such extraordinary team members throughout Redwood’s journey. I truly don’t feel deserving of the caliber of people who have said “yes” to this mission. I’ve also been deeply lucky with mentors who have chosen to believe in me—people like John Matthews, Sherry Deutschmann, Jackie Ross, and others who have lifted me up at exactly the right moments. As a leader, I take my responsibility very seriously because my decisions impact many people. Having mentors who pour into me helps me stay grounded, accountable, and courageous. And of course, Andre—he deserves a shoutout, too. He’s been an irreplaceable part of this journey, and I’m lucky to get to build alongside him.
But I also see “bad luck” as part of the gift. We’ve had our share of failures and big investments that didn’t pan out the way we hoped. Instead of seeing those moments as setbacks, I’ve learned to view them as opportunities—signals that something wasn’t working, invitations to grow, refine, or rethink. Every so-called piece of bad luck has taught me something essential: how to be a better leader, how to expand my thinking, how to stay humble, how to trim what’s unnecessary, and how to build something stronger on the other side.
So yes—there has been good luck, and we’re profoundly grateful for it. But the “bad luck” has shaped us just as much. Both have been teachers, and both have been part of what has allowed Redwood to keep evolving into something better than it was the day before.
Pricing:
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Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.redwoodliteracy.com
- Instagram: @redwoodliteracy
- Facebook: @redwoodliteracy
- LinkedIn: Redwood Literacy
- Twitter: @redwoodliteracy
- Youtube: @redwoodliteracy
- Other: https://www.writing-our-world.com
