October 17, 2025 • 20 mins
In this episode of The Karol Markowitz Show, Karol sits down with journalist and author Leland Vittert to discuss his new book, Born Lucky, and his deeply personal journey growing up with autism. Vittert opens up about how his parents’ love and adaptability shaped his path, the lessons he’s learned about character and perseverance, and what honest conversations about autism should look like today. The discussion also touches on the evolving national dialogue around autism and the hope emerging from new research and treatments. The Karol Markowicz Show is part of the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Podcast Network - new episodes debut every Wednesday & Friday.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hi, and welcome back to the Carol Mark Wood Show
on iHeartRadio. My guest today is Leland bittert. Leland is
News Nation Chief Washington anchor and the author of the
excellent new book Born Lucky. So nice to have you on.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Oh what a pleasure. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
So your book comes out at a really interesting time
in American history. It's called Born Lucky, and it's your story.
Do you want to tell us a little bit about
it before I get into.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
That, My story about growing up with autism and my
father's quest, journey, fifteen year epic fight, whatever you want
to call it, to adapt me to the world, not
the world to me. So when I was five years
old and my parents were told that I needed to
be evaluated, they took me to one of those little
(00:58):
medical testing centers and waited in the room with stale
coffee and old magazines. And two hours later the person
brought their son back and said, it is very difficult
to know what is going on inside his head.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
And I had real behavioral issues.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
I would you turn around and hit anybody who touched
me in the lunch line because touch was so difficult.
I couldn't understand how to interact with kids in any way.
I had real sensory issues, which is pretty typical of
kids with autism. I had speech issues, I didn't talk
until I was three, and I had this huge learning disability.
(01:39):
So the way they do learning disabilities is they do
two halves of your IQ. Your score is the average
of the two halves. A twenty point spread is a
learning disability. I had a seventy point spread. So this
woman was very direct with my parents, and my dad said,
as any parents would, what can we do? And she
(02:01):
said not much? And he followed it up, is there
anything we can do? And she said generally not and basically,
you know, just meet him where he is, adapt the
world to him, get him extra time on tests, on
and on and on. And my dad said, that's not
what we're going to do. So the book is hope
and proof of what parental love can do for every
(02:23):
parent who has a kid who's having a hard time,
doesn't matter if it's autism or ADHD or anxiety or
the difficulties of growing up right now socially and bullying
in school, just because they're getting bullied. And I had
a parent come up to me who read the book
just a couple of days ago and say, you know,
your book really spoke to me.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
And I knew this woman's kids who are both sort.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Of complete rock stars, and I said, okay, and normally
it is for kids who had a hard time. She said, well,
my son had a nut allergy and I was told
over and over just take all the peanuts out of
his classroom, right, make everybody adapt him. And she decided
to desensitize him to nuts, which every doctor said you
can't do and it is so dangerous, and on and
on and now he's in ROTCD wow, which he never
(03:05):
would have been able to do if he still had
a night allergy.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
So it's just it's a story of the power of
parental love.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Yeah, you know, it's funny that you say that, because
when I read the excerpt that you had on the
Free Press, and it was the story of your dad
kind of teaching you how to socialize, and he would
tap his watch when he wanted you to stop talking.
I have a son, you know, my middle son loves
talking to people, doesn't have autism. But I was like, wow,
I should have some sort of like you know, a
(03:33):
thing with him where I would I tap something to like,
all right, that's enough of that, thank you for joining us.
But it's interesting how we don't expect kids to adapt.
And I think that a lot of people would just
be like, oh, let your son just continue to talk.
But you know that's not really how socializing works. You
have to learn how to adapt to other people. So
(03:54):
your story is very I think, applicable to all kinds
of situations with kids. So it's called born Lucky. Why
do you feel like you were born lucky?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Well, because had I been born naturally, I would be dead.
So Lucky was my nickname up until I went to college.
I introduced myself to people as Lucky.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Vidtert Wow.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
And we tell this story in Born Lucky that it
was nineteen eighty two. My mother was thirty five. It
was a high risk pregnancy, just she was older, and
the doctor saw on an ultrasound that I was upside down.
I was breech, and so she said he said to
my mother, I have a bad feeling about this. I
think you should have a sea section. So my mom's
(04:38):
sort of really conflicted. And there's a lot of literature
at the time about doctors ordering sea sections just because
it was more convenient. So my mom says, you know,
if I'm not going to trust my doctor's advice, I
should get a new doctor, not not trust his advice.
So she decides to have a sea section and inborn lucky.
We take you inside the delivery room where I'm there,
(05:00):
and I'm there and my mom's tummy, I guess, but
my mom is holding onto my dad's hand, and there's
like the blue shield, you know, and all of a
sudden you hear from the other side of the of
the blue curtain, Oh my god, this is a lucky baby.
Oh my god, Oh my god. And like the doctor
and the nurse and you know, my mom's hand just
like grabs my dad's and clenches down, and my dad's
(05:23):
for peeks his head around. He goes, hey, doc, uh,
everything okay, And the guy's like, yeah, everything's fine. Give
us a second, and then another, Oh my god, this
is the luckiest baby we've ever seen. The umbilical cord
was tied into knots and around my neck. I'd have
been more naturally, I would have been dead. And you know,
outside a hospital room where you have like, you know,
the mother and the kid, it said, you know, Carol
(05:46):
Vinter Leland viitter last time I pooped, how much I
weighed whatever? Right, And the doctor came up with a
sharpie and crossed out Leland and said, call this kid lucky.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Wow, that's really cool.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
So your book, and that was saying in the beginning,
is coming out at a time where the conversation around
autism is kind of it feels like it's everywhere. We're
recording this just a few weeks after the tailand All
conference from the Trump administration. I generally don't get into
news on this show, but has that like affected you
in some way or what do you think about the
(06:18):
national conversation on this?
Speaker 3 (06:20):
You know, it's a great question. I've thought about it
a lot. We didn't plan this right around all this
news about autism, so there's obviously been a lot more
interest in it. I am not a scientist. I'm not
a doctor. I have the chemistry grades to prove it.
I think I'm not gonna.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
You know, I don't want to.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
I can't talk I shouldn't talk about Thailand, audosin or
whatever else.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Oh No, Yeah, what I can.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Say is is thank god this is now part of
the national conversation, right, because when I was diagnosed, it
was about one in fifteen hundred kids. Now it's one
in thirty one, more than triple that for boys higher
and poorer minority communities. This should be the scientific question
of our time, right And if if this is what
(07:05):
it takes great to have this really honest conversation. I think,
you know, there's this debate in the autism community, and
I think everybody is entitled to their own opinion and
on and on, but that that you know, well, if
you want to find the cause of something, that means
that you know, somehow my child is less or solved it. Well,
no kidding, we should want to solve it, Okay. I
(07:27):
mean if I if if I right now was the
father of assumed to be born baby, if my wife
was pregnant and I got married three months ago or four.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Months ago, congratulations, thank you.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
But if she was pregnant and you gave me a
box to check, you know, uh, your child will be
autistic or not, of course I would check no, what
parent would, right, So with that in mind, I just
am really so happy that there's a chance that perhaps
more kids won't have to go through what I did.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking when I when
I saw your book, and kind of in this moment,
is is feeling from people that you're not allowed to
say that there's pluses and minuses to different conditions, or
that you know there might be undesirable effects of different
things that you can have that you would want to
solve for. Do you have hope that I don't know?
(08:15):
Do you do you see a future where autism is
treated differently and do you want it to be?
Speaker 2 (08:21):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
And remember, you know I didn't really get treated quote
unquote in the in the way that most people.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Are that should take that show the road, you know.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Well, look that show on the road is Born Lucky, right.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
That is the story of how my dad adapted me
to the world and how he put me back together
again every night after the bullying and the isolation in
the torture that was middle school in high school. So
those are all really important points. All I can say is,
you know, when I've talked to what I think are
the smartest people in the world on this Jay Bodicharia,
head of ni H, Martin McCarey, head of FDA, they
(08:58):
tell me they don't know what his cause this extraordinary
explosion in autism cases. So thank god we're now having
that conversation. And I think also thank god we're now
having the conversation that's broader than just autism, of what
agency parents really have. And you know, you pointed out
(09:18):
sort of this, you know, we'll meet every kid where
they're at and celebrate every difference, right that that's not
how I grew up, and that's not the real world.
And I think the pendulum swing back of the past
five years has taught us that that that's not the
real world. You know that you can't you can't just
you say everybody's great the way they are. And my
dad was always very clear with me that you know
(09:40):
I love you and that you are wonderful, and that
the characteristics in qualities and your your character are gonna
make you bullied and isolated and demonized in middle school
and high school. Those are the same qualities that are
going to make you liked and successful later in life.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
At the same time, if you want to interact.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
In the real world, you got to learn, for example,
as you just point out, how to stop talking, which
I'm thinking you're tapping your watch right now, so I.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Will no, not at all I'm completely fascinated by this.
You know, I see you as very much like a
straight news guy. Was it hard to open the door
and let people into your personal life? Like I talk
about my life on this show. I get into like
advice giving and all kinds of sort of social and
(10:31):
cultural topics. But I always saw you as very straight
news and now you're telling everybody your life story. Was
that difficult?
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Yeah? It was awful.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
You think about I never went to therapy as a kid.
That just was not part of how my parents looked
at the world. And now at forty three, I'm going
to therapy on national television daily or hourly.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
And it's awful. I mean, you know, to.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Relive some of these memories, and to relive the teacher
in eighth grade, we write in Born Lucky teacher in
eighth grade looked at me in front of the entire
class and said, uh, you know what viitted. If my
dog was as ugly as you, I would shave its
ass and make it walk backwards.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
What.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Well, Yeah, so as a mom, you know what I mean.
And that's just at one a.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Dozen stories, yeah, or dozens of stories in the book.
So we living it's been very hard, but again, if
it can help parents and also let parents know that
they're not alone. We're already in the third printing of
the book. It's only week one.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Yeah, and you thank you.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
But I you know, I'm not narcissistic enough to think
it's about me, right, It's not.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
This isn't because the ended story is great. No, it's
my story.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
But it's about giving parents all this hope and all
this understanding and all this proof of what they're able
to do. So No, the the opening up part has
not been fun, but I'm really so hopeful I can
help others and then it's worth it more.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
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(13:30):
the Carol Markowitz Show continues.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Next, you talk about parents, But I think that your
book is also going to be a huge help for
kids who have autism. I think that to see you,
you know, be super successful, I think you're just fantastic.
I've been following you on Twitter for a long time.
I think you're so smart and so interesting. I think
(13:54):
that you're just giving a lot of hope to those kids. Also,
it's not just the parents who I think will read
your book and see how lucky their kids are and
what they can be. You know, I think the kids
will also get something out of it, I.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Hope, so, you know, obviously, I think if I had
been given this book in middle school or high school,
that would have proven to me that having, you know,
having these difficulties, it does get better. You know. My
dad used to tell me every night, like the night
that I came home after that teacher told me that,
he said, you know, middle school is not real life.
(14:32):
You know, you have the right stuff for the rest
of life, and that's going to be what's important. I
didn't believe him, but I didn't have a choice. He
didn't add that middle school's great training for a Washington newsroom,
and I think I think it's I think it is
proof for any kid who's having a hard time, every
(14:52):
kid who's having a hard time, that that this does
get better and that you can really succeed. And the
character is destiny. And you know the things that my
dad taught me. You know, Number one, you have to
you know, you have to control what you can control.
You can control your attitude, you can your character and
your work ethic, and those three things you have one
(15:13):
hundred percent control over and you will, right. And he
had to find ways to help me gain confidence and
pride in myself that wasn't through school work or friends
or athletics and more. Lucky shows you how he did this.
I'll put a button on it by saying this. You
asked about what it's been like doing this, right, And
(15:33):
my dad didn't want to do this to write this book.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Reluctantly, he agreed because we thought it could help people.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
But as we were writing it, I would interview him
and he would stop me at each time, right, and
he'd say, you know, oh my god.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Do we really want to say this?
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Well?
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Do we really want to talk about this story? Do
we really?
Speaker 3 (15:52):
Because he never told anyone, He never told his friends,
and you don't have told anybody that the hell we
were going through. And I said, Dad, look, I said,
we can't stop and adjudicate every story. But what we're
going to do is you're going to tell me everything,
and then I am going to write the manuscript with
Don And when I'm done, I'm going to give you
the manuscript. And if you don't want us to turn
(16:13):
it into HarperCollins, we won't. Now, to be fair, I
didn't have a plan right, because I had a book
contract I hadn't turned it in, but fine, so I
give it to him and he reason and he's like, boy,
I don't know if we want to talk about all
this stuff. And I said, let me try something different. Dad,
I said, if when I was diagnosed, rather than that
(16:34):
woman saying to you there's no hope, had handed you
this book, how would you have felt.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Yeah, you said, I would have read it every week.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
And I said, well, I think that's your answer.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
I love that so much. That is such a beautiful story.
And I love that you guys did it. I don't
think it was easy. It seems like it was a
real challenge for you your dad. The fact that this
book exists is just a fantastic tribute to you both.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Oh thank you.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
What are you most proud of in your life?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
I'm most proud of.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
I think what my dad always told me was what
mattered the most, which is character. We haven't born lucky.
The letter that my dad got the night his dad died.
His dad died when he was sixteen, His brother came
and told him, and then they headed down to the
family office they had a construction company, and opened the
(17:34):
Faith in my grandfather's office and pulled out a letter,
and the letter talked about how character is destiny, that
a man is defined by his character, not his accolades,
and his business success, not his accomplishments. So that was
always the core thing that was important to my dad
and that he taught to me was the thing that
(17:56):
really matters more than anything in the world.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Yeah, character is everything. It's actually the only thing that
I want my kids to understand about the world, that
who you are actually matters the most, and what you
do with that is what counts. Give us a five
year out prediction. It could be about the country, the world,
whatever you want.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
A boy, I don't know the news I was. I
was a Mid East correspondent for for a number of years.
So if you wanted to be made made a fool,
predict the future in the Middle East, or or politics
in America.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Dot dot dot.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
The one thing I think is always really a safe
bet is betting on America. And I think there's a
lot of people who are sort of writing yourself on
both sides, and I think it's a terrible bet. I
think the best hope the world has is America, and
it still is. The greatest idea anybody ever came up with,
so I am still very bullish on it.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
I feel lucky every day to be an American. Literally,
not one day goes by that I don't think about it,
at least briefly about how lucky we are to be
in this amazing experiment and how we just got chanced
into the greatest country in the history of the world.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Well, I've loved this conversation, Leland. I always think you're
just such a smart guy and love talking to you
about this. Getting to know you has been amazing. Get
his book Born Lucky anywhere you buy your books. Leave
us here with your best tip for my listeners on
how they can improve their lives.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Look, I'm not an advice guy, just ask my wife.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Probably not. You know, I am not a role model,
as Charles Barkley would say.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
I think false, But okay, I.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
Think the takeaway from Born Lucky for parents of your
not alone and how much you really can do. I
didn't understand the power of it. And you know we've
already sold out twice on Amazon. We're printing twenty thousand
books a.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Week or more. Amazing because parents.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Need to hear this message and they need to hear
they're not alone. And I think that would be for
every parent who has a kid who's having a hard time.
There is so much you can do because my dad
did it for me, and if that message can be spread,
then I think that I call it the Born Lucky Journey.
It I think can make a huge difference in a
lot of kids like me, lives who are really having
(20:30):
a hard time.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
I love that he is Leland viitters By Born Lucky.
Thank you so much for coming on the show.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Thanks Carol,
Hi, and welcome back to the Carol Mark Wood Show
on iHeartRadio. My guest today is Leland bittert. Leland is
News Nation Chief Washington anchor and the author of the
excellent new book Born Lucky. So nice to have you on.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Oh what a pleasure. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
So your book comes out at a really interesting time
in American history. It's called Born Lucky, and it's your story.
Do you want to tell us a little bit about
it before I get into.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
That, My story about growing up with autism and my
father's quest, journey, fifteen year epic fight, whatever you want
to call it, to adapt me to the world, not
the world to me. So when I was five years
old and my parents were told that I needed to
be evaluated, they took me to one of those little
(00:58):
medical testing centers and waited in the room with stale
coffee and old magazines. And two hours later the person
brought their son back and said, it is very difficult
to know what is going on inside his head.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
And I had real behavioral issues.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
I would you turn around and hit anybody who touched
me in the lunch line because touch was so difficult.
I couldn't understand how to interact with kids in any way.
I had real sensory issues, which is pretty typical of
kids with autism. I had speech issues, I didn't talk
until I was three, and I had this huge learning disability.
(01:39):
So the way they do learning disabilities is they do
two halves of your IQ. Your score is the average
of the two halves. A twenty point spread is a
learning disability. I had a seventy point spread. So this
woman was very direct with my parents, and my dad said,
as any parents would, what can we do? And she
(02:01):
said not much? And he followed it up, is there
anything we can do? And she said generally not and basically,
you know, just meet him where he is, adapt the
world to him, get him extra time on tests, on
and on and on. And my dad said, that's not
what we're going to do. So the book is hope
and proof of what parental love can do for every
(02:23):
parent who has a kid who's having a hard time,
doesn't matter if it's autism or ADHD or anxiety or
the difficulties of growing up right now socially and bullying
in school, just because they're getting bullied. And I had
a parent come up to me who read the book
just a couple of days ago and say, you know,
your book really spoke to me.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
And I knew this woman's kids who are both sort.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Of complete rock stars, and I said, okay, and normally
it is for kids who had a hard time. She said, well,
my son had a nut allergy and I was told
over and over just take all the peanuts out of
his classroom, right, make everybody adapt him. And she decided
to desensitize him to nuts, which every doctor said you
can't do and it is so dangerous, and on and
on and now he's in ROTCD wow, which he never
(03:05):
would have been able to do if he still had
a night allergy.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
So it's just it's a story of the power of
parental love.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Yeah, you know, it's funny that you say that, because
when I read the excerpt that you had on the
Free Press, and it was the story of your dad
kind of teaching you how to socialize, and he would
tap his watch when he wanted you to stop talking.
I have a son, you know, my middle son loves
talking to people, doesn't have autism. But I was like, wow,
I should have some sort of like you know, a
(03:33):
thing with him where I would I tap something to like,
all right, that's enough of that, thank you for joining us.
But it's interesting how we don't expect kids to adapt.
And I think that a lot of people would just
be like, oh, let your son just continue to talk.
But you know that's not really how socializing works. You
have to learn how to adapt to other people. So
(03:54):
your story is very I think, applicable to all kinds
of situations with kids. So it's called born Lucky. Why
do you feel like you were born lucky?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Well, because had I been born naturally, I would be dead.
So Lucky was my nickname up until I went to college.
I introduced myself to people as Lucky.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Vidtert Wow.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
And we tell this story in Born Lucky that it
was nineteen eighty two. My mother was thirty five. It
was a high risk pregnancy, just she was older, and
the doctor saw on an ultrasound that I was upside down.
I was breech, and so she said he said to
my mother, I have a bad feeling about this. I
think you should have a sea section. So my mom's
(04:38):
sort of really conflicted. And there's a lot of literature
at the time about doctors ordering sea sections just because
it was more convenient. So my mom says, you know,
if I'm not going to trust my doctor's advice, I
should get a new doctor, not not trust his advice.
So she decides to have a sea section and inborn lucky.
We take you inside the delivery room where I'm there,
(05:00):
and I'm there and my mom's tummy, I guess, but
my mom is holding onto my dad's hand, and there's
like the blue shield, you know, and all of a
sudden you hear from the other side of the of
the blue curtain, Oh my god, this is a lucky baby.
Oh my god, Oh my god. And like the doctor
and the nurse and you know, my mom's hand just
like grabs my dad's and clenches down, and my dad's
(05:23):
for peeks his head around. He goes, hey, doc, uh,
everything okay, And the guy's like, yeah, everything's fine. Give
us a second, and then another, Oh my god, this
is the luckiest baby we've ever seen. The umbilical cord
was tied into knots and around my neck. I'd have
been more naturally, I would have been dead. And you know,
outside a hospital room where you have like, you know,
the mother and the kid, it said, you know, Carol
(05:46):
Vinter Leland viitter last time I pooped, how much I
weighed whatever? Right, And the doctor came up with a
sharpie and crossed out Leland and said, call this kid lucky.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Wow, that's really cool.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
So your book, and that was saying in the beginning,
is coming out at a time where the conversation around
autism is kind of it feels like it's everywhere. We're
recording this just a few weeks after the tailand All
conference from the Trump administration. I generally don't get into
news on this show, but has that like affected you
in some way or what do you think about the
(06:18):
national conversation on this?
Speaker 3 (06:20):
You know, it's a great question. I've thought about it
a lot. We didn't plan this right around all this
news about autism, so there's obviously been a lot more
interest in it. I am not a scientist. I'm not
a doctor. I have the chemistry grades to prove it.
I think I'm not gonna.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
You know, I don't want to.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
I can't talk I shouldn't talk about Thailand, audosin or
whatever else.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Oh No, Yeah, what I can.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Say is is thank god this is now part of
the national conversation, right, because when I was diagnosed, it
was about one in fifteen hundred kids. Now it's one
in thirty one, more than triple that for boys higher
and poorer minority communities. This should be the scientific question
of our time, right And if if this is what
(07:05):
it takes great to have this really honest conversation. I think,
you know, there's this debate in the autism community, and
I think everybody is entitled to their own opinion and
on and on, but that that you know, well, if
you want to find the cause of something, that means
that you know, somehow my child is less or solved it. Well,
no kidding, we should want to solve it, Okay. I
(07:27):
mean if I if if I right now was the
father of assumed to be born baby, if my wife
was pregnant and I got married three months ago or four.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Months ago, congratulations, thank you.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
But if she was pregnant and you gave me a
box to check, you know, uh, your child will be
autistic or not, of course I would check no, what
parent would, right, So with that in mind, I just
am really so happy that there's a chance that perhaps
more kids won't have to go through what I did.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking when I when
I saw your book, and kind of in this moment,
is is feeling from people that you're not allowed to
say that there's pluses and minuses to different conditions, or
that you know there might be undesirable effects of different
things that you can have that you would want to
solve for. Do you have hope that I don't know?
(08:15):
Do you do you see a future where autism is
treated differently and do you want it to be?
Speaker 2 (08:21):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
And remember, you know I didn't really get treated quote
unquote in the in the way that most people.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Are that should take that show the road, you know.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Well, look that show on the road is Born Lucky, right.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
That is the story of how my dad adapted me
to the world and how he put me back together
again every night after the bullying and the isolation in
the torture that was middle school in high school. So
those are all really important points. All I can say is,
you know, when I've talked to what I think are
the smartest people in the world on this Jay Bodicharia,
head of ni H, Martin McCarey, head of FDA, they
(08:58):
tell me they don't know what his cause this extraordinary
explosion in autism cases. So thank god we're now having
that conversation. And I think also thank god we're now
having the conversation that's broader than just autism, of what
agency parents really have. And you know, you pointed out
(09:18):
sort of this, you know, we'll meet every kid where
they're at and celebrate every difference, right that that's not
how I grew up, and that's not the real world.
And I think the pendulum swing back of the past
five years has taught us that that that's not the
real world. You know that you can't you can't just
you say everybody's great the way they are. And my
dad was always very clear with me that you know
(09:40):
I love you and that you are wonderful, and that
the characteristics in qualities and your your character are gonna
make you bullied and isolated and demonized in middle school
and high school. Those are the same qualities that are
going to make you liked and successful later in life.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
At the same time, if you want to interact.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
In the real world, you got to learn, for example,
as you just point out, how to stop talking, which
I'm thinking you're tapping your watch right now, so I.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Will no, not at all I'm completely fascinated by this.
You know, I see you as very much like a
straight news guy. Was it hard to open the door
and let people into your personal life? Like I talk
about my life on this show. I get into like
advice giving and all kinds of sort of social and
(10:31):
cultural topics. But I always saw you as very straight
news and now you're telling everybody your life story. Was
that difficult?
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Yeah? It was awful.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
You think about I never went to therapy as a kid.
That just was not part of how my parents looked
at the world. And now at forty three, I'm going
to therapy on national television daily or hourly.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
And it's awful. I mean, you know, to.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Relive some of these memories, and to relive the teacher
in eighth grade, we write in Born Lucky teacher in
eighth grade looked at me in front of the entire
class and said, uh, you know what viitted. If my
dog was as ugly as you, I would shave its
ass and make it walk backwards.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
What.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Well, Yeah, so as a mom, you know what I mean.
And that's just at one a.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Dozen stories, yeah, or dozens of stories in the book.
So we living it's been very hard, but again, if
it can help parents and also let parents know that
they're not alone. We're already in the third printing of
the book. It's only week one.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Yeah, and you thank you.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
But I you know, I'm not narcissistic enough to think
it's about me, right, It's not.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
This isn't because the ended story is great. No, it's
my story.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
But it's about giving parents all this hope and all
this understanding and all this proof of what they're able
to do. So No, the the opening up part has
not been fun, but I'm really so hopeful I can
help others and then it's worth it more.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Coming up with Leland Viddert. But first, history shows that
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(12:23):
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(12:44):
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should carefully consider and review all risks involved. More of
(13:30):
the Carol Markowitz Show continues.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Next, you talk about parents, But I think that your
book is also going to be a huge help for
kids who have autism. I think that to see you,
you know, be super successful, I think you're just fantastic.
I've been following you on Twitter for a long time.
I think you're so smart and so interesting. I think
(13:54):
that you're just giving a lot of hope to those kids. Also,
it's not just the parents who I think will read
your book and see how lucky their kids are and
what they can be. You know, I think the kids
will also get something out of it, I.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Hope, so, you know, obviously, I think if I had
been given this book in middle school or high school,
that would have proven to me that having, you know,
having these difficulties, it does get better. You know. My
dad used to tell me every night, like the night
that I came home after that teacher told me that,
he said, you know, middle school is not real life.
(14:32):
You know, you have the right stuff for the rest
of life, and that's going to be what's important. I
didn't believe him, but I didn't have a choice. He
didn't add that middle school's great training for a Washington newsroom,
and I think I think it's I think it is
proof for any kid who's having a hard time, every
(14:52):
kid who's having a hard time, that that this does
get better and that you can really succeed. And the
character is destiny. And you know the things that my
dad taught me. You know, Number one, you have to
you know, you have to control what you can control.
You can control your attitude, you can your character and
your work ethic, and those three things you have one
(15:13):
hundred percent control over and you will, right. And he
had to find ways to help me gain confidence and
pride in myself that wasn't through school work or friends
or athletics and more. Lucky shows you how he did this.
I'll put a button on it by saying this. You
asked about what it's been like doing this, right, And
(15:33):
my dad didn't want to do this to write this book.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Reluctantly, he agreed because we thought it could help people.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
But as we were writing it, I would interview him
and he would stop me at each time, right, and
he'd say, you know, oh my god.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Do we really want to say this?
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Well?
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Do we really want to talk about this story? Do
we really?
Speaker 3 (15:52):
Because he never told anyone, He never told his friends,
and you don't have told anybody that the hell we
were going through. And I said, Dad, look, I said,
we can't stop and adjudicate every story. But what we're
going to do is you're going to tell me everything,
and then I am going to write the manuscript with
Don And when I'm done, I'm going to give you
the manuscript. And if you don't want us to turn
(16:13):
it into HarperCollins, we won't. Now, to be fair, I
didn't have a plan right, because I had a book
contract I hadn't turned it in, but fine, so I
give it to him and he reason and he's like, boy,
I don't know if we want to talk about all
this stuff. And I said, let me try something different. Dad,
I said, if when I was diagnosed, rather than that
(16:34):
woman saying to you there's no hope, had handed you
this book, how would you have felt.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Yeah, you said, I would have read it every week.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
And I said, well, I think that's your answer.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
I love that so much. That is such a beautiful story.
And I love that you guys did it. I don't
think it was easy. It seems like it was a
real challenge for you your dad. The fact that this
book exists is just a fantastic tribute to you both.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Oh thank you.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
What are you most proud of in your life?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
I'm most proud of.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
I think what my dad always told me was what
mattered the most, which is character. We haven't born lucky.
The letter that my dad got the night his dad died.
His dad died when he was sixteen, His brother came
and told him, and then they headed down to the
family office they had a construction company, and opened the
(17:34):
Faith in my grandfather's office and pulled out a letter,
and the letter talked about how character is destiny, that
a man is defined by his character, not his accolades,
and his business success, not his accomplishments. So that was
always the core thing that was important to my dad
and that he taught to me was the thing that
(17:56):
really matters more than anything in the world.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Yeah, character is everything. It's actually the only thing that
I want my kids to understand about the world, that
who you are actually matters the most, and what you
do with that is what counts. Give us a five
year out prediction. It could be about the country, the world,
whatever you want.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
A boy, I don't know the news I was. I
was a Mid East correspondent for for a number of years.
So if you wanted to be made made a fool,
predict the future in the Middle East, or or politics
in America.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Dot dot dot.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
The one thing I think is always really a safe
bet is betting on America. And I think there's a
lot of people who are sort of writing yourself on
both sides, and I think it's a terrible bet. I
think the best hope the world has is America, and
it still is. The greatest idea anybody ever came up with,
so I am still very bullish on it.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
I feel lucky every day to be an American. Literally,
not one day goes by that I don't think about it,
at least briefly about how lucky we are to be
in this amazing experiment and how we just got chanced
into the greatest country in the history of the world.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Well, I've loved this conversation, Leland. I always think you're
just such a smart guy and love talking to you
about this. Getting to know you has been amazing. Get
his book Born Lucky anywhere you buy your books. Leave
us here with your best tip for my listeners on
how they can improve their lives.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Look, I'm not an advice guy, just ask my wife.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Probably not. You know, I am not a role model,
as Charles Barkley would say.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
I think false, But okay, I.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
Think the takeaway from Born Lucky for parents of your
not alone and how much you really can do. I
didn't understand the power of it. And you know we've
already sold out twice on Amazon. We're printing twenty thousand
books a.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Week or more. Amazing because parents.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Need to hear this message and they need to hear
they're not alone. And I think that would be for
every parent who has a kid who's having a hard time.
There is so much you can do because my dad
did it for me, and if that message can be spread,
then I think that I call it the Born Lucky Journey.
It I think can make a huge difference in a
lot of kids like me, lives who are really having
(20:30):
a hard time.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
I love that he is Leland viitters By Born Lucky.
Thank you so much for coming on the show.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Thanks Carol,
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