For more than 18 years, LearningRx has been transforming brains and changing lives.

Owner Donesa Walker says two things make LearningRx unique. The first is its work with neurodivergent individuals to help them become more efficient in a neurodiverse world.

Neurodiversity simply means every brain is different because people process information in their own ways. Neurodivergence, on the other hand, refers to brains that function or learn differently from the societal norm.

“The real benefit of LearningRx is that we work with neurodivergent brains to help them become more efficient in a neurodiverse world,” Walker said. “People come to us and say, ‘These are my weaknesses.’ Our response is, ‘Let’s turn those into strengths.’”

Walker says this applies to people in all aspects of life, from school to everyday tasks. Turning weaknesses into strengths, and into tools, is the goal, rather than giving clients a crutch. The distinction between tools and crutches is at the core of LearningRx.

Instead of relying on tutoring, classroom accommodations or external supports as long-term solutions, LearningRx focuses on strengthening the underlying cognitive skills themselves. Rather than working around weaknesses, it works to improve them so individuals can function more independently, confidently and effectively in everyday life.

Walker has experienced this personally.

“I struggle with visual processing. If you dropped me in the woods, I would be lost,” she said. “I wouldn’t know north, south, east or west. That was a weakness in my brain.”

She explained that she and others often rely heavily on external tools, such as GPS, which can make directions like “head north” confusing. Over time, reliance on those tools can further weaken those cognitive skills. However, through cognitive training, that weakness became a strength. Now she can orient herself, give cardinal directions and navigate in ways she could not before, a completely different level of confidence and ability.

Walker took the same approach with her math skills. She said she hated math as a child because of her visual processing challenges and would have never imagined enjoying it today. But the issue wasn’t her potential, it was inefficiency in the underlying cognitive skills.

“Today, I have a calculator in my brain that I didn’t have before,” she said. “That’s not because I couldn’t be successful without it, but because I was inefficient and relied on other people.”

That’s the shift, from dependence to independence.

And it’s never too late to start. Whether someone is 44, 84 or 104, the process is the same, Walker said. You identify where you want to be more efficient, whether that’s attention, memory, reading, math or processing, and train that area of the brain to improve.

Approximately 25% of LearningRx’s clients are adults. Many want to stay sharp in their professional lives or work to stave off memory issues as they age.

The second thing that makes LearningRx unique is that it isn’t just a service, it’s a mindset and a way to give back to the community.

Clients and even the business’s employees choose to invest in their minds and stay sharp for life. The company employs “brain trainers” at every stage of life. Currently, five of Walker’s brain trainers are over age 70.

“They were already sharp people, but they want to stay sharp,” Walker said. “As brain trainers, they receive a dual benefit, training other people’s brains while keeping their own strong.”

It’s the idea that “iron sharpens iron.”

When you consistently engage your brain and help others do the same, you sharpen yourself in the process. Some trainers want to serve their community. For others, it’s a mutually beneficial retirement job. They want to stay ahead of cognitive decline and maintain independence for as long as possible.

“It’s reaping the benefits and rewards on both sides, and that’s the fun of it,” Walker said.

One of Walker’s favorite examples is a former employee who was a single mother homeschooling her children. She was struggling to make ends meet with her full-time job and needed extra income. Walker hired her as a brain trainer, and LearningRx helped her complete her upper-level teaching degree. Today, she is married and teaching in Texas.

“How many lives did she touch while she was growing through a really important phase in her life, while also benefiting herself?” Walker said. “It’s not just the client who benefits, the brain trainer benefits, too, creating a ripple effect.”

If you’re interested in working up a mental sweat with one-on-one brain training, call LearningRx. Use the code 318Insider to receive half off an assessment.

This article was originally published in the May 2026 issue of Three18 Insider magazine.