The Boy Who Couldn’t Read, and the Voice He Found

My Struggling Reading

Hi, I’m Sean Gilligan. I’ve been building tools for learning and communication since 2003, when I started Webanywhere.

That’s the simple truth. But behind that simple introduction lies a story many understand, but few talk about. A story of struggle, and ultimately, of finding a voice.

When I was a kid, reading was a nightmare. Words on a page seemed to dance and blur, making it almost impossible to understand what they meant. I was eleven, and I had to go to a special teacher, Mrs. Devlin, just to practice reading aloud. It was embarrassing, and it was hard.

And here’s the thing: even now, as an adult, I still struggle with reading. I’ve gotten better, but it’s never been easy. That’s why I created Sound Branch.

Sound Branch is more than just an app. It’s a way to build confidence, not just in reading, but in speaking too. It allows anyone to create high-quality audio content, like podcasts and audiobooks, without the fear of making mistakes.

Imagine trying to read ten pages out loud, perfectly, without a single stumble. For me, that’s almost impossible. But Sound Branch breaks that big, scary task into small, manageable pieces.