Nordic Naturals

Ken Marek

Early home movies show little Kenny constantly on the move, usually carrying a big stick. This abundant energy never left him and although it equipped him for all manner of sports, it wasn’t welcomed in the classroom where he struggled to meet expectations.

He was forever exploring in the woods and bringing home wounded or orphaned creatures, including a sparrow hawk, a duck, a squirrel, many field mice and a few rabbits. Ken’s early dream of becoming a vet was dashed when he realized he couldn’t read or write like the other kids. No one knew he had dyslexia. The teacher read his misformed sentences and spelling errors to the class and gave him extra turns to read out loud. This humiliation caused him to hate reading. His imagination and creativity led him to the commercial art program at his Toronto high school, however, that career path ended when his family moved to Belleville.

Upon graduating from Quinte High School he spent four years at the University of Waterloo, studying architecture. He collected his degree but knew that was not the field for him. He sold real estate in Toronto, and took a psychology course at Richmond College for the sole purpose of playing hockey. This is where he met his future wife, Linda Van Tassell, also a psychology student. Ken felt that God was leading him into this field, much to his own surprise.

Ken and Linda were married the day after graduation and went to North American Baptist Seminary where they both earned M.A.’s in Counseling Psychology. Ken went on to receive a doctorate at the University of South Dakota. It was with a lot of apprehension that Ken made that radical switch from art, architecture, math and science, to the humanities which required a lot of reading and writing, the two things Ken had always avoided. He still had trouble reading and he couldn’t spell. God really does have a sense of humour and Ken has not been able to stop reading or writing for the last 30 years. It was not until he was studying learning disabilities that he discovered he had dyslexia.

How fitting for someone who has overcome a learning disability to be able to counsel children and adults with similar problems. He encourages everyone to pursue their dreams. He helps people find their learning patterns and personality styles. Knowing these key factors and using the appropriate strategies, anyone can accomplish great things, if they believe and never give up.

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