The Introvert’s Guide to Finding Your People with Ky Wescott

ADHD Emotions

Nov 6

This week, we’re talking about what it means to be both introverted and ADHD, and how those two identities can collide—or beautifully harmonize—when you finally understand yourself. Our guest is Kyrus Keenan Westcott, better known as Ky, the creator behind The Vibe With Ky. With more than 1.5 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, Ky has become a leading voice for ADHD awareness, mental health, and the art of adulting without apology.

Ky joins Pete and Nikki to share his story of a late ADHD diagnosis at age 35—how it reshaped his understanding of his past, and how he processed it through stages of grief, anger, and acceptance. We talk about what it means to find peace after years of wondering, “If I had only known sooner.”

Then we dig into introversion. Ky helps us debunk the myths—no, being an introvert doesn’t mean you hate people, and it’s not the same as social anxiety. It’s about energy: how you spend it, how you recover it, and how to protect it through healthy boundaries. From managing “introvert guilt” to learning the beauty of traveling solo and saying no without shame, Ky brings humor and humanity to the experience of living quietly in a loud world.

Oh, and yes—there’s Gilmore Girls talk. Plus, Ky reveals his brand-new fragrance collaboration: “Why Did I Walk Into This Room?”, a cherry-pie-and-cinnamon scent honoring the spirit of adult ADHD.

If you’ve ever wrestled with the feeling that you’re “too quiet,” “too tired,” or “too late,” this episode will remind you that your timing and your energy are perfect—just the way they are.

Links & Notes

Pete Wright
Hello, everybody, and welcome to Taking Control, the ADHD podcast on TruStory FM. I'm Pete Wright, and I'm here with Nikki Kinzer.
Nikki Kinzer
Hello, everyone. Hello, Pete Wright.
Pete Wright
Oh my goodness. We've we've already got we've had the live stream has been going for our members. And you know, if you wanted to be involved in the live stream, head over to patreon. com/slash the adhd podcast. We we love and appreciate and nay, I'll say it, need your support. If you go over there, we have someone in the chat room. Who just witnessed our guest actually say his name and they're in the chat room saying, oh my God, he said my name. That is how delighted we are to have our guests today. I'm not even gonna say it out loud. You hear him laughing. Just hold on.
Nikki Kinzer
Um
Pete Wright
Uh, because we are talking about ADHD and introversion today. We're very, very excited. uh to have our guest on the show. Uh and uh before we uh dig in for real uh you know, like I said, ADHD Podcast is listener supported. It it means it's powered by you. You are on the bike. that is powering this through the city. Maybe it's one of those drink and bike things, you know, those kakamami uh things. You imagine a bar with like ten people on bikes around it. That that happens in my fair city.
Nikki Kinzer
In Portland they're naked too.
Pete Wright
and uh in Portland. They are also naked, so you imagine yourself with a team of ten naked drunk people on one bar bike.
Nikki Kinzer
Yes.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Oh
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Pete Wright
That's you I'm gonna stop with this metaphor because it's terrible. Uh we just need your support on patreon. com slash the ADHD podcast. Uh you get uh for a few dollars a month.
Nikki Kinzer
Ky is still surprised.
Pete Wright
You you help the show.
Nikki Kinzer
He's like, wait, what?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I am. I I might have to book a trip to Portland just to see you see this with my own eyes.
Pete Wright
I know. Yeah. Yeah Man, you have no idea what gets up to what we get up to here in Portland.
Nikki Kinzer
Yes It's true, yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
What's going on in Portland?
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
What's happening?
Pete Wright
Uh uh few bucks a month gets you access to uh early access to live stream. You get access to the Super Secret channels and Discord. We very, very much uh love your support over there while you're at it. Visit take controladh. com to get to know us a little bit better. Listen to the show on the website. Join the mailing list. We'll email you each time a new episode is released and of course catch up with us on Facebook or Instagram or Pinterest or Blue Sky at take control 8DHD. We'd love to have you there. All right, here we go. Today we are diving into a topic that is close to home for so many adults discovering ADHD later in life. What it means to finally understand yourself, sometimes decades in. and how that understanding collides or maybe even harmonizes with being an introvert. Our guest today knows that experience firsthand. Kyrus Keenan Westcott is a content creator, marketing strategist, and mental health advocate advocate whose platform The Vibe with Ky reaches over a million and a half followers across TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Through his humor, storytelling, and honesty. He's helping people reframe how we talk about ADHD, introversion, and the beautiful, beautiful chaos that is adulting. Ky, welcome to the ADHD Podcast.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Thank you. I wish I were in Portland right now. I I'm still on the Portland thing.
Pete Wright
Yes, you do.
Nikki Kinzer
I'm still thinking about that, yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I haven't left it. Haven't left it.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh that's a very that's a very kind intro.
Pete Wright
It's all never
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Pete Wright
Well you're welcome. We are d we're deeply gratified that uh that you are here. I have never seen you live, but Nikki uh has and said, oh my god, Ky needs to be on the show.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
Right. Well, I didn't see he hit you live. I saw you on a summary, like a summit that you were on like a panel and things like that.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yes, yeah, yeah.
Pete Wright
Oh, okay. All right.
Nikki Kinzer
And uh when we were talking about different guests for the ADHD awareness month.
Pete Wright
Uh when we were talking about the need to be a version of class.
Nikki Kinzer
Uh I mean your name popped up immediately because I was like, oh, adult uh uh you know, diagno late diagnosis as an adult, an introvert, which is something we've never talked about.
Pete Wright
I mean your age popped up and hardcore. Oh yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. Yes.
Nikki Kinzer
But Pete and I were discussing before you came on that we're both introverts.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Nikki Kinzer
And so I'm just really excited to have this conversation.
Pete Wright
Yeah, so we're excited about the company.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah, absolutely.
Nikki Kinzer
because it's yeah, it's a good angle that we Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I love talk I love talking about it.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah, right?
Pete Wright
Yeah, right.
Nikki Kinzer
Like as introverts, we like talking about being an introvert.
Pete Wright
Like as introverts, we like talking about C and the Show. It's so weird.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
We do we do actually yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
But then we're all gonna crash after this interview.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Oh yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
We're gonna go take a nap.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
You you won't you won't see me again for another two years.
Pete Wright
This is good this is all we have.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Like I'm just gonna disappear.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah, yeah, totally, right?
Pete Wright
Well, let's let's talk about uh your diagnosis experience.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah
Pete Wright
I'm sure I know you've told this story before, but just just so we can have kind of a foundation for this conversation.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Pete Wright
Uh when were you diagnosed? How old were you? What was that experience like
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah, I was very much a late diagnosis. So I am 38 now.
Pete Wright
So I am studying now with I know I was around more than five down the outfit of the
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I was diagnosed when I was around like 34, 35. Uh and and I honestly knew nothing about ADHD outside of the the the myths uh that a lot of a lot of people may have.
Pete Wright
Yeah, a lot of a lot of people may have prior to things like that.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
You know, I really thought that ADHD was just for little boys that couldn't sit still. Like that's that was my that was my uh view of ADHD.
Pete Wright
Um looking I think uh exactly because you got it.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh and when my doctor um had suggested that maybe I look into you know, potentially testing for this and and learning more about it. I was like, that's not what I know, I'm fine. I don't have ADHD.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh and then once I started to learn more about it
Pete Wright
Uh except once I said I was like, I don't have
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I was like, I don't just have ADHD. I have AD4K. Like it is, it is clear as day. And and it was it was very clear because, you know, I once I was diagnosed and I started to learn more about it, I
Pete Wright
I can link to my life for subscribers that I had on the video.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Things in my life started to make more sense, like the struggles that I had. I was like, oh, it all makes sense now. I get it.
Pete Wright
I can link that always without any low hands.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I get it. And so it's been an incredible journey for the last couple of years being able to document my experience and Meet people like all of you who, you know, have a lot more experience in this than I do. And it's been nice to bring people along with this for this journey.
Pete Wright
Do you remember that experience sort of, you know, 8 a. m. day one after you got your diagnosis? Uh how it how it feels to wake up the day after? you realize that you have words to describe yourself?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah, you know, uh if we're talking about the next day, it was still confusing, right? I feel like as though I went through the like stages of grief. You know, it's like it was like denial.
Pete Wright
Yeah of like of like denial uh and and then anchor at one point.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh and and then, you know, it went into anger at one point because like as I learned more about it, I'm like
Pete Wright
Like as I learned more about it, I'm like no obvious movies, but nobody in my learning online um figures
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
My ADHD was so obvious, but nobody in my life, like adult-wise, no mentors, no uh Big figures in my life ever pointed it out to me. No teachers did, no my parents didn't, my my coaches didn't. Like no authoritative authoritative figures pointed it out to me. And so like it was anger because I was sitting there thinking, man, if I would have caught this when I was like 18, how different would my life have been?
Pete Wright
I was caught there like how that and then started to that because I was like, yeah, how
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And and and all of that. And then it turned into sadness. Because I was like, man, what how different would my life had been if I would have caught this before? Like, would it, would I be A billionaire, you know, would I be the most productive person ever?
Nikki Kinzer
All right.
Pete Wright
I mean the most introductive person.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh and and it turned from sadness into I want to say uh
Pete Wright
I was like, I get we haven't really done with like your battery.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I it turned into acceptance as I started to learn more about it and and learned that it's not a bad thing. It's not uh a thing that I should be ashamed of. Um, especially as I started to hear stories from people that were my age and people that I have been dealing with it for a long time and having those kind of conversations, I started to learn more about it. So I would say like the day after was the beginning of the stages of of grief for me as I as I, you know, tried to process what was happening.
Pete Wright
Yeah. Yeah. We've we've we've actually talked about that in the the the uh how the the experience of going through the grief of diagnosis looks like. Are you a good place watcher? Did you watch the good place?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yes, yes, I love that forking show.
Pete Wright
It's Jeremy Barrame, right?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Love that forking show. Love it.
Pete Wright
It's it's the Jeremy Barrame timeline, right?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yes, yes, yes, mm-hmm.
Pete Wright
Like that getting con feeling like you're in control and it never ends. It just it never ends, however long uh you uh you've been diagnosed, you're always going to be feeling it.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yes, mm-hmm. Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
Did you feel like that, Pete? Did you cause you were diagnosed as an adult too?
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
Did you f feel that grieving process too where you felt those emotions of anger and Yeah.
Pete Wright
Oh yeah, and and I still feel it. And I was diagnosed at around twenty-nine and uh so I've been diagnosed for goodness, you know, I've I've really had this understanding for twenty-five years and
Nikki Kinzer
Mm-hmm.
Pete Wright
um it is still it still surpr finds a way to surprise me.
Nikki Kinzer
Uh
Pete Wright
It still finds a way to rear its head on days when I feel completely out of control, when I've let something slip.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm-hmm.
Pete Wright
And I might be able to regain control easier than I could when I was thirty two, but um but it's still there. It's still very much there.
Nikki Kinzer
Mm-hmm.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
So I know with Pete it changed his career a little bit. You kind of started to go a different way. Ky, what were you doing before you had your podcast and was an advocate for mental health and ADHD?
Pete Wright
Hi, what we're usually was uh podcast and with it. advocate under some help.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I was struggling, Nikki. I was I was struggling.
Nikki Kinzer
Mm-hmm.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Um, well, what here's what's funny. So I
Pete Wright
So I've got this
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
had already technically been talking about things from a mental health standpoint. I just didn't realize it. Uh because my b before my diagnosis, I was talking more about like positive energy. and like good vibes, right? That's how I started off because it back in 2018, uh I uh had ruptured my Achilles.
Pete Wright
Yeah, uh I can uh uh like interruption uh would do
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh like complete rupture, uh a relationship that I was in had suddenly ended and one of my closest friends had passed away.
Pete Wright
And butter and one of my footing up.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
That all happened. uh uh suddenly in a matter of like three four weeks of each other.
Nikki Kinzer
Oh my gosh, wow.
Pete Wright
Oh my god.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And so yeah, it was it was one of the worst Octobers of my life.
Pete Wright
So yeah, it was ugly.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Um and it's actually actually this this month a week from now is going to be
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I guess five, six, seven years, you know, since then. And so I was in a very dark place for the rest of that year, 2018, uh just trying to like process like what the point is.
Pete Wright
And so I would go there and ignore my later.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Like I I really honestly didn't want to be here anymore. Uh and I I remember being at such a low place uh that I'm like I I can't I can't live here.
Pete Wright
I I think can listen here because I guess like it was just my report by one of them.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Like i like in this mindset anymore if I wanna move my life forward. And so I started documenting my recovery from both a physical and a mental standpoint and just
Pete Wright
And so I would evaluate My being more than uh why I always do
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Trying to manifest positive energy into my life. And so I I had always been talking about it Um, and then in and then the year 2020 comes around, and I don't know if you know this, but in 2020, the world caught on fire.
Nikki Kinzer
Yes, it did.
Pete Wright
Indeed.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
The world the world caught on fire.
Nikki Kinzer
Little thing happened.
Pete Wright
Indeed.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Not sure if you heard about it or not.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Pete Wright
Right. Yeah, and so I was wanna show this uh comment that my platform doesn't work throwing on the flight.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
My my platform really started to grow in 2020 because everybody was at home and everybody was bored.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Pete Wright
Everybody was a halt extra.
Nikki Kinzer
Right, right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And so my platform really started to to grow at that point and it just
Pete Wright
So started to sort of grow at that point and if then we go to stop growing uh
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
uh you know, fortunately hasn't stopped growing. Uh and I've been very, very blessed to have the audience that I have uh on this journey.
Pete Wright
Very very bad that I have um also my life and current data modeling.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
They got to see me in so many different phases of my life. And the current phase that I'm in, the one I've been in the last couple years, has been documenting my journey with uh anxiety, depression, uh ADHD and and all of that. So it's been it's been quite the journey for sure.
Nikki Kinzer
C on E.
Pete Wright
Let's let's dig into the introvert stuff. Uh because I part of what Nikki and I have been kind of m wrestling with is what does it mean to be an introvert in an era of social media, right?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. Yeah. I love this.
Pete Wright
To be an an introvert with ADHD with a million and a half followers uh across your platforms.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Pete Wright
Uh how do you define what it means to be introverted?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah, the common mistake that people make is thinking that introversion means social anxiety. And it doesn't. I'm not shy. Right?
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah
Pete Wright
Right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
You could like you can you could put me in front of a crowd or in a room.
Pete Wright
Like you can you can put your route or a room and I'll be fine.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I'll be fine. I'll I'll navigate the room.
Pete Wright
I'll I'll like you have a combo crowd.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I'll I can I can stand in front of a crowd of people. I can talk to people like that. I have no problem speaking. uh I have no problem leaving my home. You know, a lot of people think that introverts are hermits and they just they they stay at home all the time.
Pete Wright
That's a very different thing. Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Right, right. Introversion is all about energy. How do you want to use your energy and what happens with that energy as you're using it?
Pete Wright
Telling you what happens when that energy has an hour, and we die is uh I think
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Introverts, our energy dies pretty fast when we're in social situations. So can I be in a public setting? Absolutely. For long? Probably not. So I usually know my my limit.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Pete Wright
Right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
before like I'm at a point now that I've I I know when I'm it's time to go.
Pete Wright
Or like down the right I I know what I'm saying.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
It's time it's time to go. So for for introversion it's all about what happens with your energy and how you use it.
Pete Wright
It's all about what happens when you enter how you introvert how you're
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Introverts are just very selective about how they use their energy. So it's not a matter of like, oh, I don't want to go hang out with people because I'm in a large group of people.
Pete Wright
So it's not a matter of like, oh, I don't want to go and hang out with people because people it's more of like
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
It's more of like Uh I don't want to use my energy on that.
Pete Wright
Um I still want to play at the rest.
Nikki Kinzer
Mm-hmm. Oh my gosh.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I don't.
Pete Wright
Oh my gosh.
Nikki Kinzer
I relate to this so much.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Pete Wright
I remember this so much me and a nutshell.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm-hmm.
Nikki Kinzer
It's me in a nutshell.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Nikki Kinzer
And I'm so glad that you say that it's not about being shy, because yeah, I can be in a social situation.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
Um, but I do have a uh I have a cap where I'm like all of a sudden I just feel it and I'm like I'm down I'm I'm done like
Pete Wright
Um but I do have a I I have a app where I'm like all the size and I can do it and
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
mm, mm, mhm.
Pete Wright
Like that time.
Nikki Kinzer
You know, and I was telling Pete before you came on um today that yesterday I felt it because I had two clients and then I had a podcast that we did and then I had a workshop that I hosted.
Pete Wright
You know? And I was telling you for you to pay on uh today that yesterday I felt that I had two clients And then I had a podcast that you did.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Pete Wright
And then I had a workshop that I did.
Nikki Kinzer
And it would all happen in a four-hour period of time.
Pete Wright
And it all had like a four-hour period
Nikki Kinzer
Really poor planning, Ky, on my part, because I was like, by the end of the day.
Pete Wright
Yeah. Because I was like by the end of the day I didn't I didn't want to talk to anyone, I went into the hot tub.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
I didn't I didn't want to talk to anyone.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Oh, yeah
Nikki Kinzer
I went into the hot tub. I just like just sat there like numb for a little bit.
Pete Wright
I just Like just sat there like young for a little bit, had dinner by myself, watching TV by myself.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm.
Nikki Kinzer
had dinner by myself, watched TV by myself, and went to bed. And my family knows enough about me that okay, she had a, you know, she had a busy day.
Pete Wright
My family uh had enough without eating that okay. You know, if you had a busy day here, but not a it wasn't even a rough day, it was just a day where I had people on.
Nikki Kinzer
She had a rough not a it wasn't even a rough day.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
It was just a day where I had to be on.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. It's exhausting.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah, it's exhausting, yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Pete Wright
Yeah, and we talked to me.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm-hmm. It's exhausting. Yeah. And and it's good that you have those outlets afterwards because that's the most important part, right? So like it sometimes things happen that we're not in control of our day and the people that surround us or that how people interact with us.
Nikki Kinzer
Mm-hmm
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
What's gonna what's nice is knowing that you have a way to decompress from that. That's the important part because when you don't decompress from it, that's when it starts to affect a lot of things like your health and and your mindset and you become angry or agitated or
Pete Wright
Okay, I'm gonna be the I'm gonna
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
just tired and all that kind of stuff. So it's good that you have that kind of thing. So like what I do at the end of the day, I'll usually uh go to Portland and ride naked uh at the bar.
Pete Wright
Yeah, you do.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I'm still on this.
Pete Wright
Oh yeah, you do.
Nikki Kinzer
And swerve around, yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Not letting this go.
Pete Wright
Yeah. Not gonna let it go.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah
Pete Wright
I uh I c I can't I can't wait for this meetup.
Nikki Kinzer
Oh, that's great.
Pete Wright
I really, really can't. Uh there there does come with the uh you know, the the experience of of being an introvert. Like I I I I remember in college pre-diagnosis, there was always a sort of um guilt or or shame that I would never be the one to hang out with my friends and and close out the party. I was never that guy.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm, mhm.
Pete Wright
There would always be a time when I would sneak out, find a a room to be by myself, and just not talk to people. And you said it. That is interpreted interpreted from the external perspective as social anxiety.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Ajá.
Pete Wright
I did not know until much later in adulthood that that's just my brain. But it's hard to get over the the
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yes.
Pete Wright
associated emotional reality of letting feeling like you're letting people down just because of who you are.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Oh, sure. Oh yeah.
Pete Wright
Does that resonate?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm-hmm. Absolutely. There's a there is a thing called introvert guilt, right? Where sometimes introverts will go do things. simply because of that, that fact that you that you said right there. What are my friends going to think of me? Right? Or or they think that I never hang out and stuff like that. like that and so I'm just gonna go just to show my face and all of that.
Pete Wright
Yeah and all of that.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
But what I what I what I one of the things that I practice and I tell people all the time, uh I remind people that uh introversion is just simply setting a boundary.
Pete Wright
But what I what I'm What I want to do is I practice I call people a fine. Uh I remind people that uh you have a female has a comment.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Right? Um, and when you set boundaries, you're not pushing people away.
Pete Wright
Um and that's a
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
You are protecting your space. That's all it is. And your friends, who especially people that truly do know you, should understand that.
Pete Wright
And friends because especially people that vote
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And they should know that if they want you to show up as the best version of yourself.
Pete Wright
And we just know that if you want to actually have to say otherwise you're not going to do it.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
That you're you need that. You need that space. Otherwise, you're not going to show up as the best version of yourself. I'll also say that um
Pete Wright
I'm also thinking that um it's regular shouldn't I play for like the way the high describe
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Introversion is it is a spectrum, right? So like the way that I describe my introversion is not the not the defin like the definitive definition. It is it is a uh a spectrum.
Pete Wright
It is it is a what I tell people is that uh the knocks up together, right?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
What I tell people is that uh just to not confuse it with something that's a diagnosis, right? Intro introversion is not not something that you diagnose. Right.
Pete Wright
Right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
So which is why I try to, if anything, separate it from that social anxiety.
Pete Wright
Which is why I wanted to do anything separately from that photo side.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
That's also the reason why uh when an introvert is around people that they're comfortable with, like their friends,
Pete Wright
But that's also the reason why it's
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Like introverts may people may think introverts are quiet. If you put an introvert in a room that they're comfortable in, they don't shut up.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
We don't.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Pete Wright
Right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
We really don't.
Pete Wright
Right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
You know? Like we'll we'll talk it we'll talk to the day is over. Um it's just it's just all about your your personal preference and your energy. That's it. It is and and and set that boundary, uh stick to that boundary, and your true friends will respect that.
Pete Wright
Yeah. It it's it it's interesting to hear you phrase it that way, and I I relate to that, right?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm-hmm.
Pete Wright
This idea that you know there is a a great relief at being able to be an introvert with people who understand that in small group settings that are intimate, uh, that that feel rejuvenating, as rejuvenating as I imagine you know, an extrovert at a at a you know, an into club, I think you're supposed to say that. Um and uh so I you know, I I find that really fascinating. I think what I started to come to terms with
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah
Pete Wright
Uh when the the the experiences when I am most comfortable l learning to get over the shame was when I learned to go to a restaurant by myself.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yes.
Pete Wright
When I learn to go to a movie by myself.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Oh yeah.
Pete Wright
And there are so many people who respond to that and think, you must be depressed. Like this must be a sign of depression.
Nikki Kinzer
Or you have no friends.
Pete Wright
Or you have no friends.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Exactly, yep, yep.
Pete Wright
But honestly, it right, it's just learning that I have agency to do to take care of myself and still have fun in the world.
Nikki Kinzer
Right.
Pete Wright
was a big uh kind of learning activity for me around my introversion
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm-hmm. Absolutely. The the time the day that you understand or find a way to entertain yourself and bring yourself happiness and not have to depend on other people for your happiness. Such a beautiful feeling. I travel by myself all the time.
Pete Wright
I call that colour quality.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
All the time.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
It's not because I don't want to be with people. Like because I do. I do like being with people.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
But there's something so invigorating about like that. That that journey. And I know not a lot of people feel comfortable doing that, which is fine. But you know, I love to do that kind of stuff by myself. I think the only time that it becomes an issue is uh, and I'll tell a really quick funny story. I took a solo trip to uh Universal Studios in Florida. Uh and I was at I was in the Wizarding World uh and they have like the Hogs War uh uh Hogs Hogs Warz uh uh Express train that you can like hop on. What I didn't know is that like the train is like small cabins that they pair people up, like you know, groups of like three to five, right?
Pete Wright
Right, right.
Nikki Kinzer
Oh, okay.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
So You see where this is going.
Pete Wright
So it's it's you and a family of four.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
So yes, so I so I walk up to the to the it's my turn to be put in like uh a number or whatever and they say uh how many is in your party? I'm like, oh that's just me, just one And the guy's like, oh, uh, and he's like looking around.
Pete Wright
Oh, uh let's look around.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
He's like, uh, go to lane four. And I'm like, okay. So I go to lane four. Again, I had never ridden it at this point, so I don't I have no idea what to expect. It's me and this like You know when you're at Target and you buy a picture frame and it has like a family in that picture frame and they're all like happy, like a happy white family, right?
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
That's who I was paired up with.
Pete Wright
It's always the heavy white film.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Right? Like these two like wonderful children, like these two definitely not unwealthy adults that just are in a good in a good spot in life.
Pete Wright
Wonderful uh soldier named me not welcome. Right. Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
They're yeah, they're fine.
Pete Wright
They were created in the Stepford Laboratory, right?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Like they're fine. Yeah, like like yeah, like like there's a lot of stuff happening in the world right now.
Nikki Kinzer
They're doing okay.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
It's not affecting them. Like they're fine, like they're gonna be good, right?
Nikki Kinzer
Right.
Pete Wright
No. They're fine. Uh-huh.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
So uh I we walk into this cabin and it's like it's a pretty small cabin.
Pete Wright
We walk into the cabin and it's like a crazy whole the pitch paid and the target that way in his cabin little girl.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
So it's me and the Target picture stock photo family. in this cabin and the this little girl is just staring at me and like she's just staring at me she's like as if like not that she was like a YSE eer it was just like huh
Pete Wright
It's just staring at it. Oh my god.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Like she was like trying to process what was happening. And I'm just sitting there like trying to enjoy the ride. And out the corner of my eye, this little girl's just like, hmm.
Nikki Kinzer
Staring at you.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Right?
Pete Wright
I cannot make sense of you right now.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And and and so that that's when it's like that's when you're like, I wish somebody was here with me.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah, yeah, I kind of wish I wasn't by myself right now.
Pete Wright
Yeah. Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah, yeah.
Pete Wright
But you know what?
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh but like out yeah, it's it was fine, but like that's the only time.
Pete Wright
I mean,
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Pete Wright
You are you are that that is you what you're talking about, right, is like such I am getting visceral joy from the idea of going to an amusement park.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. Yeah.
Pete Wright
and just doing whatever I damn well please because I'm always single rider line, right?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Oh, my God.
Pete Wright
Like there is some there is such freedom to not having to perform my enjoyment.
Nikki Kinzer
Right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Absolutely. Absolutely. Mm-hmm.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Pete Wright
Right?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And you could do what you want when you want.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Pete Wright
You want what you want.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And and it's a it's a it's a beautiful thing.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Of course there are times that you sit there and you're like, oh that's a beautiful sunset. I wish somebody was here to witness it with me.
Pete Wright
Yes.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
But then you also are like, I'm glad I get to witness this and live this experience, you know?
Nikki Kinzer
Mm-hmm.
Pete Wright
Yeah. Or I'm I'm okay witnessing this, but that doesn't mean my relationships aren't also important.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. Yeah. Right. And it doesn't mean that I'm lonely.
Nikki Kinzer
Right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I'm alone, but I'm not lonely.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
Right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
You know, uh it's this beautiful solitude that you get to have, and you actually end up learning a lot about yourself because it's just you.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm,
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
You learn a lot about yourself. There's a lot of thinking that happens.
Pete Wright
So so talk about the other side of that. And I don't need, you know, names and social security numbers of your closest friends, but how do you how do you define
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. Yeah.
Pete Wright
your social life. How do you what do you get out of those times when you're not alone?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. The same thing that anybody else would get, you know, like spending time with people that you love. Is a it's a beautiful thing, you know, whether it be family or friends.
Pete Wright
I wasn't traveling or like I was not
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I I was uh I was out this uh uh a couple weeks ago. I was in California for a wedding. I was with, you know, my best friends and and like it was great. Uh I this past weekend I was in Connecticut for uh the Gilmore Girls Fan Fest where I, you know, I moderated two panels with the casting crew. I was like surrounded by people, but it was like people that I I enjoy uh being around and stuff like that. And I was able to do that because Uh and Nikki, this is what I was saying to you before. I I had like a a way, like I knew it was gonna be a crazy social day.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
So I was able to uh set aside time to like decompress from that. But more importantly, before I even got there in the first place, each day I spent time for myself just making sure that my battery was charged up.
Nikki Kinzer
Mm-hmm.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh so that when I do enter the situation, I'm ready to go. I also found ways to escape, right?
Pete Wright
I also found this way to go to the right so I guess we're
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
So like it like when I'm with friends or family or in a public area, I always know a place that I can escape to for like five, ten minutes and just like not people and just like recharge my battery a little bit before going back.
Pete Wright
I always know like a little bit before
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And that's why you find a lot of times people will uh sit in their cars before entering a place. They'll just sit in their cars for a minute. Or they'll go into the bathroom and just like just sit there, you know, with all that kind of stuff.
Nikki Kinzer
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
So that's that was the key to it. So what do I get out of it? I mean I get the same thing that any human being would get.
Pete Wright
I guess I think we're gonna be able to go to the random microcomputer.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
you know, joy of interaction, friendship, laughs, you know, it's a it's a it's a beautiful, beautiful thing to be able to spend time with your with your friends and your family and people that you really care about.
Nikki Kinzer
Do you find like in your circle of friends, do you we we had a guest on Carolyn uh Caroline McGuire Maguire who talks about friendships, adult friendships?
Pete Wright
We had a guest on Caroline uh Caroline DeCon, so we talked about friends that don't friends.
Nikki Kinzer
And like there's these levels of friends, right?
Pete Wright
And like certain levels of friends, right?
Nikki Kinzer
We've got like the people in the very inner circle and then they kind of spread out all the way to like acquaintances.
Pete Wright
Not like all the very kind of spread out all the way to like Do you find that like
Nikki Kinzer
Do you find that like your s do you have a smaller like s inner circle or do you feel like no, I've got I I could name five people that are my best friends?
Pete Wright
So it's just like, you know, I'm not I I can see five people that are my best friends in the
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Sure, yeah. I mean I have my cats, so I'm good there.
Pete Wright
I only have something.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah, yeah
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh that's my circle right there.
Pete Wright
Yeah, yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
No. Um
Pete Wright
Um yeah, I need a little bit more like five.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh yeah, I you know it's funny, and I'm sure you both experienced this as well, and everybody watching has experienced this. As you get older, like your circle becomes smaller.
Pete Wright
As you get older, like circles and stuff.
Nikki Kinzer
Mm-hmm.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And that used to concern me, because like I like I was a popular kid in high school.
Pete Wright
Like I'm like I would a positive and uh um yeah
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I was student government president. You know, I was uh on the homecoming court, I was uh junior prom king. Like I was very I had a very unique uh life in high school uh where I had like a lot of friends.
Pete Wright
I have a very easy one uh where I was my personal.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
But as I got older, uh my friends, my friend group got smaller and smaller and smaller.
Pete Wright
But as I got older, um my friends and my friends I'm taller than as
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And as an adult, I've realized, oh, I like that because
Pete Wright
No, I realized oh I like that because there are no things in my life that I want to do a lot
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Like there are, I would say, six people in my life that I talk to a lot. Outside of that, I don't really like talk to anybody or hang out with anybody.
Pete Wright
Outside of that, I don't I don't move code like on anything because anybody are kind of like those people.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And I'm okay with that because like this small group of people are people that I feel safe with.
Nikki Kinzer
Mm-hmm.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
There are people that uh feel safe with me. And that's all I need.
Pete Wright
And that's all like like if the the tricks like hand up like I've I don't say them all open
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Like it's it's it's it's a it's nice to have that small group of of people. Like I have I have three best friends. you know, um and what helps is that they're all over the country.
Nikki Kinzer
Right, yeah, yeah
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
So like it's not like they live like right up the street. So like um you know so it's it's it's nice and they all understand my introversion. So they know, hey, don't don't just call Ky. Like don't you can't just call Ky. Like, no, you need to give you to give him a heads up and tell them why you're calling.
Nikki Kinzer
Right.
Pete Wright
Right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
It's so funny you say that because I had a good friend of mine, um, this was several years ago, but she moved in my neighborhood and I told her that I was taking Fridays off in the summer.
Pete Wright
I had a good friend of mine um several years ago that she
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Pete Wright
And I told her that I would be Friday mommy for like, Oh no, great, I think.
Nikki Kinzer
And um she's like, Oh, that would be great. I can come by and I'm like, wait, stop.
Pete Wright
Nope. Nope.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
No.
Nikki Kinzer
I'm like, you need to let me know before you come by.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
No, no, no.
Pete Wright
You need to let me know before you jump on.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
That's not how it works.
Nikki Kinzer
I mean, I literally said that. Yeah. I'm like, nope, you need to tell me before for uh because yeah like I I just need to know I can't have people just dropping by
Pete Wright
Um yeah, I'm
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
If you ever want to play it if you ever want to mess with an introvert, just text them, hey, I'm on my way. See you in a in a few minutes.
Nikki Kinzer
Right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Like even if you're not, just text them that and just watch what happens.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah. Watch what happens.
Pete Wright
Oh my god, that's that is so messed up, man.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Sit back and enjoy.
Nikki Kinzer
That's right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
So yeah
Pete Wright
That is really messed up.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah, yeah. Well I find myself in the same situation, and that's why I was asking, is that I can say I've got two best friends and one of them is my sister.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
mm, mhm, mhm
Pete Wright
And what about the point of them?
Nikki Kinzer
You know, so um, and but yeah, I always think about that because I think, gosh, do I have enough friends?
Pete Wright
So um yeah it depends like that would be uh
Nikki Kinzer
Maybe I need more friends, you know.
Pete Wright
You know, uh but then I think like building out if I had more that would be more easy to learn like
Nikki Kinzer
Um, but then I'm thinking I'm happy with my two best friends. friends.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
Like they they fill me up. And if I had more, that would mean more dinner dates and lunch dates.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah
Nikki Kinzer
And like I don't know if I can do any more than that, like what I do now, you know?
Pete Wright
Yeah, I don't know if I can do it more than that.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Pete Wright
Like what I do now.
Nikki Kinzer
So yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
It's good to have that that line because like like like you said, like there's an expectation that comes with certain levels of friendship.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Right.
Nikki Kinzer
Right
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And so, you know, like you I there's people that I'm there's I have a lot of people that I'm friends with, right?
Pete Wright
Like I just think about I have a lot of people that's present and stuff, right?
Nikki Kinzer
Mm-hmm.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
But like they don't expect me to like
Pete Wright
But like they don't expect you like to hang out with them and
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
hang out with them every day or or call them or give them updates on my life.
Pete Wright
Right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
We're like we're just like we're kind to each other and like we're yeah, if I'll buy you a drink when we're at the bar.
Nikki Kinzer
We're friends.
Pete Wright
We're friends.
Nikki Kinzer
Um but there's a it's a level of yeah, right, exactly.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Right. Yeah yeah.
Pete Wright
Right, exactly.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm-hmm.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Pete Wright
But we're also introverts, so you know we're probably not gonna be at the bar that often.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I I have per I have perfected the the uh skill of ig of uh of hiding from people in public.
Nikki Kinzer
No, yeah.
Pete Wright
Hiding from people's levels.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Like if I'm at the grocery store and I'm definitely not in the mood to like it like anybody, like I will hide behind the cereal boxes.
Pete Wright
Like if I'm at the grocery store, I'm gonna happen to like get like a dividing like I will hide behind the video bar.
Nikki Kinzer
Oh my god.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I I I will my God
Pete Wright
Oh yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
It's so true.
Pete Wright
And end cap camouflage, yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
It is so true.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
A hundred percent. Oh, absolutely.
Pete Wright
Oh, absolutely.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And like I'll walk down aisles that have nothing to do with me.
Pete Wright
Like I'll walk down Iowa, like women.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Like I'm in the woman's hygiene aisle. Like I'm just like, like, huh. Maybe I need something. You know.
Nikki Kinzer
That is so funny.
Pete Wright
So
Nikki Kinzer
But it is so true. Like I totally get that.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah
Pete Wright
So so given all of this, let's transition a little bit to the the platform, right?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Pete Wright
What what draws you to creating a platform to you know, to to become sort of a thought leader in this space, to to kind of reach out to all of those other people that you're likely hiding from in a grocery store.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. The money. It's all about the money. Uh no, I'm kidding. I'm I'm kidding. I'm very much kidding. Uh that's uh you're gonna people are gonna clip that part and be like, this is why he does it.
Pete Wright
Yeah. Yeah. It's all about the money.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Um Uh no honestly it's it's the best part about this is being able to connect with people all over the world and understanding that things like ADHD doesn't discriminate.
Nikki Kinzer
Mm-hmm.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
It doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter where in the world you are. So many of us have similar experiences.
Pete Wright
Uh where you uh and that we're controlled and i'm going to want to have to and and
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And being able to connect with people and to share my story, but more importantly, hearing their story. Uh and and uh a have giving the up giving the opportunity to people like to like therapists and doctors and uh experts like coaches that have this expertise behind things like introversion and mental health and ADHD and lending my platform to them to get their message out because they may not have a platform. Right. So like I I interview therapists on my podcast all the time. All the time. Because like they have just this extensive knowledge.
Pete Wright
Because like they have though, I try to bring people along with um as like as I would interest and while they're interested in
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
So I try to bring people along on the journey of uh like as I'm learning things. And and allow them to learn with me. So honestly, that's the best part of having a platform.
Pete Wright
So honestly that's what that's for very little.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And it's it's very humbling. Uh it's it's very unique.
Pete Wright
Uh uh have that as a
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh you have to have a thick skin because not everybody's gonna like you.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah, right, right.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
You know, and you just have to be ready for that.
Pete Wright
Right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
But like 99% of the people that follow me and interact with me are like some of the sweetest, kindest, most supportive people uh in my life.
Pete Wright
And it's right when you like the nine list.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And and my platform is, and I'm not joking, ninety percent people that identify as female uh and all above the age of 35. So like I have like a million moms and they all want me to eat healthy and they all take care of me.
Pete Wright
Are they all walking on the all- You know?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
You know, like Like if if I if sometimes I'll like have like I'll be like a little sick or under the weather and like I'll have like a little raspy voice and I'll get like 25 messages being like make sure you take this make sure you drink that make sure you have like it's just like beautiful.
Pete Wright
Like like if if I if sometimes I'll like have like I'll be like a little like I'll get like
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I'm like thanks
Nikki Kinzer
Oh so well taken care of, yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Thank you. Yeah, yeah.
Pete Wright
That's awesome. That's awesome.
Nikki Kinzer
That's great.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Nikki Kinzer
Wow.
Pete Wright
Do you did you ever uh I mean have you uh how easy was it for you to get over the hump of just turning on the camera? I mean, did you did you find any friction?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh no not really, but but that's also because I have a theater background. You know, so like I I grew up doing theater, so like I was always able to perform.
Pete Wright
Yeah, you know, so like I I come up with like alcohol people.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
The hard part was uh putting your genuine self out there.
Pete Wright
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Because when you're when you're performing, you have this like
Pete Wright
Because when you're when you're in the format you have this like bigger step map, like but when you're when you're multiple platforms
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
figurative mask, right? You're playing a character and and all of that. But when you're when you're talking on platforms as yourself and telling your story, that was the difficult part. So the hard part wasn't necessarily turning on the camera. The the hard part was being your genuine self, putting yourself out there and just letting the world do with that information.
Nikki Kinzer
Very important
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
as as they may because you can't control you can't control how people react to it.
Pete Wright
And then we all do
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
So I would say that was the hard part for sure.
Pete Wright
uh we'll be now it's interesting my original um we could be first area uh it was just before we
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah. You know, it's interesting because I always think of when we first started this podcast. uh it was in 2010. So it was before podcasts were even really a thing.
Pete Wright
podcast like the and I remember Pete I have this opportunity to be on a radio like
Nikki Kinzer
And I remember Pete, I had gone to Pete and I said, hey I have this opportunity to be on a radio like guest spot once a week. You know, what do you think? And Pete's like, no, no, no, no, you don't do that.
Pete Wright
And he's like, No, no, no, no, you don't do that.
Nikki Kinzer
We're gonna do a podcast.
Pete Wright
We're gonna do a podcast like all the podcasts.
Nikki Kinzer
Like we're gonna have your own podcast.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
Don't be like on a radio thing, right?
Pete Wright
Don't be on a remote.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
But I didn't know what podcasts were.
Pete Wright
But I
Nikki Kinzer
I didn't understand it.
Pete Wright
I didn't really, I didn't really get it.
Nikki Kinzer
I didn't really get it. I thought it was going to be like a blog post on my website that you only saw when you went into the website.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Pete Wright
I thought it was gonna be like a blog post on my website, get you all my job and writing the website.
Nikki Kinzer
Like I didn't understand iTunes or any of this.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm-hmm.
Pete Wright
Like I didn't understand I don't
Nikki Kinzer
And if I did understand it, I don't know if I would have been as open to saying, yes, let's do this and put this out in the world.
Pete Wright
And if I did understand it, I don't know if I would have been uh open to say yes, let's do it in my world.
Nikki Kinzer
Um and so the the not knowing was actually I think in my favor because then we were able to just have conversations
Pete Wright
Um and so the the not knowing with actually a paper to do that we were able to have conversations.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Sure.
Nikki Kinzer
And like you're saying, like your authentic self then just comes out because I'm just talking to Pete.
Pete Wright
And like you're saying, like your object itself that just comes out.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yes, yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
I'm just talking to a person that we're interviewing.
Pete Wright
I just copied Facebook.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
And I still have to keep that in mind, that that's what I'm doing.
Pete Wright
And I filmed that to the guy because that's what I'm filming.
Nikki Kinzer
Um and
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm-hmm.
Pete Wright
Um Oh, it was like three years before I ever showed her analytics.
Nikki Kinzer
Right.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Oh wow, really?
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah. Yeah. Like I never really understood.
Pete Wright
I never really understood.
Nikki Kinzer
Um, but I think like when you're an introvert and you're on a platform like this
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Pete Wright
But I think like when you serve a run on a platform like this, what I've always thought of.
Nikki Kinzer
m what has always gotten me through it because you're right, not everybody's gonna like what you have to say, not everybody's gonna like your you know, your topics or whatever.
Pete Wright
do it's right, not everybody's gonna like what you have to say, not everybody's gonna like everybody know your topics or whatever.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm-hmm.
Nikki Kinzer
But our intention is good.
Pete Wright
But our good.
Nikki Kinzer
Our intention is always
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yes.
Pete Wright
Our is always good and
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yes.
Nikki Kinzer
good and it's to help people and bring awareness.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm hmm.
Pete Wright
help people and bring awareness and I absolutely love that we could talk about this is today because I have never talked about finding over
Nikki Kinzer
And I absolutely love that we could talk about this with you today because I have never talked about my introvertness.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah
Nikki Kinzer
like this before and really get like what you're saying.
Pete Wright
Like the before and really get like what you're saying.
Nikki Kinzer
So I just really appreciate you being on here with us.
Pete Wright
I do interesting on yet.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah, absolutely.
Pete Wright
I don't know if we would have support
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And this is a message for anybody that's watching or or listening. Like, don't be ashamed of being an introvert. Don't be ashamed of setting those boundaries. There's nothing wrong with being an introvert.
Nikki Kinzer
Mm-hmm.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
You don't have to conform to somebody else's expectations of who you are. You know? Like if you don't want to hang out tonight because you're exhausted. Okay, that's fine.
Pete Wright
Okay, that's fine.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah, yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
They'll get over it. If they feel some sort of way, that's fine.
Nikki Kinzer
All right.
Pete Wright
That's fine.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
They're always gonna feel some sort of way. You can't control that.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
What you what you can control is you and and how you how you put your best foot forward. Don't be ashamed of that, you know?
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah. Love that.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm-hmm.
Nikki Kinzer
And then when you do go out, you're gonna go out, you're gonna maybe get naked and get on a bike in downtown Portland.
Pete Wright
And then when you do go out, you're gonna go out, you're gonna get naked, it gets on a bike and downtown Portland 52.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Maybe. It's maybe. This is a guarantee at this point.
Nikki Kinzer
Right, yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
It's gonna happen.
Pete Wright
I had no idea that uh this would become a travel log, uh a recruiting video for my fair city of Portland, Oregon.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Listen, Portland, if Portland, if the state of state, if the city of Portland is listening right now and your tourism numbers go up, you're welcome.
Nikki Kinzer
We know why, yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
You're welcome. Mm-hmm. Yes.
Nikki Kinzer
This was great.
Pete Wright
Ky, your aces, man.
Nikki Kinzer
Thank you so much.
Pete Wright
Thank you for taking the time to come uh i uh you know talk about your platform, about your your personage, your uh your identity.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. Yeah.
Pete Wright
Uh we sure appreciate you being here for this.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah, man. Absolutely.
Pete Wright
Uh love.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
No, honestly, thank you. Thank you guys.
Pete Wright
Well, we just are such fans of what you represent to the ADHD community and and what you're doing.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. Yeah.
Pete Wright
So we're we're proud to have you here.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. Yeah.
Pete Wright
And uh hope that hope this isn't the last time.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And if I can if I can plug something, if I could plug something real quick.
Pete Wright
Yeah, what do you wanna what do you wanna tell people to do?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I have a new I have a new fragrance fragrance that's out.
Nikki Kinzer
Oh,
Pete Wright
What?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I partnered with a with a company called SucreBay. Uh and uh we created a fragrance that it's cherry pie and a hint of cinnamon, and it's called Why Did I Walk Into This Room?
Pete Wright
I am called why did I walk through the same color and highlight all of the walking?
Nikki Kinzer
Oh, I love that.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
And it is And it is it is uh it was made to to honor and highlight uh all of the adult ADHDers uh out there
Pete Wright
Uh out there and uh leave on the
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh and uh uh it's it's for it's for us adult ADHD family. Uh and it's on sale now. It just went, it just uh just got released this week.
Pete Wright
W where where can you find it?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
So it's uh brand new, so go buy it.
Nikki Kinzer
Oh, that's great.
Pete Wright
Where what's the URL?
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah.
Pete Wright
Is it just at the https://VibewithKy.com.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
You can go there or you can go st uh directly to their website, which is sucrabay. com. It's spelled weird because It's French. But yeah, sucrebay. com. And I can such I could send you guys the link so you have it.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah, that'd be great.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
But yeah, sucrebay. com or you go to my website, it's there as well.
Pete Wright
Yeah, you could like it. Perfect.
Nikki Kinzer
Mmm.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Mm-hmm.
Pete Wright
Outstanding.
Nikki Kinzer
Perfect timing too.
Pete Wright
That is the first time I've ever I know.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. Yeah.
Nikki Kinzer
With Christmas coming and yeah.
Pete Wright
And have you ever heard an ADHD community member with a a collab with a fragrance?
Nikki Kinzer
Absolutely not, you're the first.
Pete Wright
No, never heard that is the first.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah. Yeah.
Pete Wright
That is outstanding.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
I'd try. I'd try. I try.
Pete Wright
Why did I walk into this room? I'm gonna be thinking about that all damn day.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh-huh.
Nikki Kinzer
Well and Ky, I have to say you're lucky my daughter's not listening right now because if she was, she would be asking you all about the Gilmore girl girls.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Oh yeah, that's my that's my family right there.
Pete Wright
Oh yeah. That's my family right there. I'm gonna now hold on, because that's gonna be I have my first question after we finish this podcast for our member chat is GG related, so stand by.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
That's my family.
Nikki Kinzer
Yeah.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yes, yeah, yeah. Oh yeah, absolutely.
Pete Wright
Uh we are gonna dig into some Gilmour hot Gilmore girls content.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Oh yeah.
Pete Wright
If you want to talk about someone who understands what it's like to have a brain that runs entirely on
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Uh-huh.
Pete Wright
coffee and unresolved emotional tension.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Oh yeah.
Pete Wright
That's where we're going next.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yep.
Pete Wright
So uh thank thank you so much, Ky.
Kyrus Keenan Westcott
Yeah, thank you.
Pete Wright
Uh vibe with Ky. Links in the show notes. Check out the uh the new fragrance. Why did I walk into this room? And definitely subscribe to all of the channels uh in the show notes. Uh thank you for downloading and listening to the show. Thank you for your time and your attention. Don't forget if you have something to contribute to this conversation, we're heading over to the Show Talk channel. In our Discord server. You can join us right there by becoming a supporting member at the deluxe level or better at patreon. com slash the ADHD podcast. On behalf of Nikki Kinzer and Ky Westcott. I'm Pete Wright. We'll see you right back here next week on Taking Control, the ADHD podcast.