Diagnosed with A.D.D. after retirement from the Navy at age 41, Captain Byrd has a profound understanding of what it takes to make his Neurodiverse brain do what he needs it to do! Currently he’s fighting poverty in Nigeria with his charitable organization The William T. Byrd Foundation. He’s also a serial entrepreneur, a working scuba diver, a sailboat captain, father and husband. He made time to join us in our New York studio and we had a really informative and good interview- covering everything from what it’s like to be ADD and responsible for decisions of war and dealing with extreme stress, to the joys of sailing. Enjoy!
In this episode Peter & Captain Byrd discuss:
0:44- Intro & welcome Inspector Captain W.T. Bird!
3:09- You were career Navy. You weren’t diagnosed until after you retired. Tell us what that was like.
4:11- How did you wind up in the Navy?
5:20- On Military discipline and being on time
7:14- On understanding Military logic
8:37- On learning & knowing your strengths
8:59- On ADHD/ADD and war- making the correct decisions without setting your hair on fire
11:10- On Standard Operating Procedures.. and surprises
12:08- Peter’s observance of 9/11 and witnessing the training of the FDNY
13:00- When you have a really tough job to do- is there a lot of compartmentalizing?
14:15- On “lowering the temperature” of a situation
15:25- I imagine after your mission for a big day is over, your dopamine levels must be off the charts. How do you calm down?
16:05- On skydiving, adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine
17:00- Let’s get into how you began rescuing children from poverty
20:28- Where do you think the bottleneck is in the system?
21:51- Tell us about sailing and what you enjoy about it, especially being ADD
25:28- What do you tell someone who has just been diagnosed and doesn’t yet know what, or how to do?
27:30- Walk us through your Mind-Soul-Body day-to-day
29:00- Does your wife see a difference in how you two relate, now that you workout together and she understands better how your brain works?
29:54- Advice to someone who has just learned a friend of family member had ADD/ADHD
34:00- How can people find you? WTByrdFoundation.org email: WTB@GlobalMaker.com
34:30- Thank you Captain Bird! And thank YOU for subscribing, reviewing and listening. Your reviews are working! Even if you’ve reviewed us before, would you please write even a short one for this episode? Each review that you post helps to ensure that word will continue to spread, and that we will all be able to reach & help more people! You can always reach me via peter@shankman.com or @petershankman on all of the socials. You can also find us at @FasterThanNormal on all of the socials.
34:45- Faster Than Normal Podcast info & credits
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