Skylar Duran (5:32)

Thank you very much. Thank you for having me.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (5:34)

So could you introduce yourself and share a little bit about what you do and how you connected with us?

Skylar Duran (5:41)

Absolutely. So my name is Skylar Duran. I'm a paramedic firefighter for San Diego Fire Rescue Department and I was also part of the technical Rescue team. So basically I'm a paramedic on a fire engine and I would perform technical rescues while I was in that role at trt, which is a technical rescue team. When I was going through paramedic school, I came across a lot of personal difficulties and I think I was reaching out, just looking for something because I knew that the walls that I were hitting up against had to do with my add, because they always kind of come to the forefront when I'm in some kind of a school classroom testing setting. So I was. I think I was looking through podcasts and just looking up ADD on Spotify. I'd listened to Andrew Huberman before and different ones, and you popped up in your podcast. So I started listening to the podcast, and then I found out about the book, Drummer in the Great Mountain. I got the book, started reading through that, and I felt compelled to reach out to you. And I was kind of in a crisis mode, I think, when I did so, and I reached out to you, and then you got back to me, and I think that's how it all began.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (6:57)

Yeah. And I remember you were going into field training to become a paramedic. So let's. Let's kind of queue off from there and maybe. Actually, let's go back a little bit. Let's go backstory. So what was your experience with just like, grow. Growing up with adhd? What are the. What were your challenges? What are the things that you thought you were strong at? Like, give me a little bit of the backstory.

Skylar Duran (7:21)

Yes. So. Well, as my mom would put it, I was an absolutely crazy child. I think when I was younger, I had adhd, more specifically, more hyperactivity. Very hyperactive. Yeah. I was medicated from, I think, first grade up until junior year in high school. And it was kind of just because I was so crazy. And it was a way to try to manage me because of how hyperactive I was, and my. My thoughts were scattered and I was always floating in the clouds. And classwork necessarily wasn't hard for me, but it was just hard to focus for long enough to do any of it. I was always very creative, and I was very musical at a young age. And actually, to kind of tie that into with music, about middle school, I always kind of tinkered on piano by ear before middle school, and I wanted to play piano, but you couldn't really play piano in a band, so I played saxophone. I learned how to play saxophone in middle school, and my family noticed that it was something that I kind of hyper focused on, so they fed into it. And my grandpa was, you know, super smart, and he told me that he would give me $5 an hour to practice saxophone.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (8:43)

Wow. That's incentive. I love it.

Skylar Duran (8:46)

Between the. The newfound love for saxophone and then learning about Charlie Parker, who's my favorite saxophone player, and learning that he would practice, like 16 hours a day. And the incentive of $5. I, I found myself in middle school, you know, at times over the summer, practicing for like eight hours. Wow.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (9:05)

You were, yeah, you, you were locked in.

Skylar Duran (9:07)

I was locked in and they, they fed into it and it was, it was like a positive feedback system between the family, my love for it and everything around it. And I would just close the door and I would have these like jamie a BRSOL CDs or tapes that I would put in. And it was basically a backing track of like chord changes and I would just play over the chord changes and then I would sit and like play a scale and then they would just have like, you know, a single chord that you could play scales over. And it was very basic at the time and, and I was just trying to do all different kinds of things and a lot of it was kind of just hit or miss really. Just time with the horn, I think is, is what I did most of. But what I realized is that time would fly and those eight hours would fly by because I was so hyper focused and I, it just always made me feel so good. It was so cathartic and I probably wasn't playing all that good back then. I mean my first horn was like, you know, it's a student model, it's a Jupiter. But you know, I think in my mind, because I was so creative, I. I do remember like picturing myself in front of like huge crowds while I was practicing or playing. Everybody loved it, you know, but the neighbors were probably like, what's going on with the duck over there?

Michael Joseph Ferguson (10:21)

I love it. I love it. And it's something that I'm concerned is, is because of the distractions in the world. Like people are not especially. Kids growing up are getting so sucked into their phones that they're not getting that kind of unplugged experience that is just so life changing that. And it's kind of like how our nervous system, especially when you're a creative person, needs to express itself. And it's so easy to then just get caught in the, the digital. The stimuli to the point where they're not experiencing that level. And it's such a gift to have that, especially growing up because it feeds into your self esteem and things like that.

Skylar Duran (11:00)

I, I still fall victim to it. Like with the way my schedule is like we'll have wake ups, I'll be exhausted. You know, we could have four, five, maybe even six wake ups which would be like after midnight you wake up, go to a call, come back so your sleep is wrecked and on those days, like my whole system is totally messed up, My nervous system is in distress. And then I seek out those dopamines and a lot of times I find myself just doom scrolling on my phone. And it's tough, it's still tough. So it's a daily challenge. But there's just ways that, from what we've talked about, exercise, a little bit of cardio, sometimes you just gotta break through that little wall. And then on the other side is like, oh, this makes sense. Yeah. This is why we get out and we get outside and get a breath of fresh air, so to speak.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (11:55)

Absolutely, absolutely. So I know you reached out to me about eight months ago. I did some coaching with you for a bit and it was during the time you were trying to get your field training in that's that was the kind of the crossing into becoming a paramedic. Why don't you catch us up there and talk a little about what happened, what was helpful in integrating that helped you get through the field training as well as then. I would really like for you to talk about the experience you had during the flooding we had here in San Diego in 2024.

Skylar Duran (12:31)

Yeah, sure. So for paramedic school, it's very challenging. It's an in the box, fit in the box kind of environment. Protocols, drug cards, you got your assessments and it's all checkbox and it all fits in a box real nice. And I've never really felt like I'm good at doing that in any format, any type of sit down school, classroom testing. I just, I just struggle because I feel overstimulated. I, you know, all the distractibility. I miss key elements that I feel like was an integral part of what I should have been listening to. So, so it was a challenge. I did fairly well. I did actually pretty well through didactic and then I went to internship. So Didactic is basically the classroom portion and it's an accelerated program. So four months, you learn everything that you need in the class for becoming a paramedic, which is a lot to digest. And then you go out in the field and you work on an ambulance and you also work on a fire engine. And that's your internship. That's the initial. I passed both of those. Um, and then there was a break in time from going from internship to what San Diego Fire calls field training. A lot of people have it. It's kind of a repeat field training, but it's with somebody different and it's kind of with a new set of standards. In a sense, the person I went with. Was challenged me in a lot of new ways that I wasn't prepared for. And I. I lost all my confidence. I was having trouble putting everything together because there's kind of a lot going on that you have to manage. And I was still kind of focusing on the details, the minor details of things. I wasn't seeing the bigger picture. So he extended me. And then that's kind of when I was like, in crisis mode, because then I went to a station that's known for being hypercritical on people and very, very, what you would call dialed medics who challenged me even more. And so, like, I was just super stressed out. I felt like I was failing. And then it was getting worse and I was being more challenged and being put more under a microscope. That's kind of when I reached out to you. And then we started talking about a bunch of things. I learned a bunch of things. And at that point, I was. I think I was already. My head was underwater. And you were able to pull my head out of. Out from under the water, but I was still. I still wasn't swimming too great. I. I managed through it, and inevitably I ended up failing field training, which I think was reasonable at the time, looking back where I was. But it was. I mean, it was. It was ego crushing, for sure. You know, nobody wants to fail anything, and. And technically it w. It was a fail of field training. So then our policy is you take six months off and then you repeat it again. Six months is a long period of time. So long story short, I went back and I was able to finish it. But through that, in the six months, I was able to kind of digest the information, review of it, make sense of it, look at the bigger picture, work with a lot of people at my station who are really good to me, and then utilize some of the skills and the tools that you've given me during that time, which helped me be successful in the second field training. And now I am a medic. I've been working for a medic for a while now.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (16:03)

What was most helpful to you in terms of passing the field training and going into becoming a paramedic that you're still doing today?

Skylar Duran (16:15)

So I would say for me, one of the most important things, other than just recognizing how my brain wiring works as a hunter type, because that part was. Was huge. Just even understanding how my brain wiring works, it clicked for me. It made so much sense. But a huge part is the mindfulness, even in classroom, because we. We constantly have to go through continuing education As a paramedic, things are changing. You always have to learn, constantly learning. And even now, going into that classroom, I feel amped up a little and I feel hypersensitive to the environment. I notice that I'm getting overstimulated. My nervous system is getting worked up and just being able to practice mindfulness in that moment. And, and one of the things we talked about is kind of surrendering to the fact that it's happening because you can't fight it. So just saying, okay, this is what's happening. I recognize that I can't necessarily change it, but I can accept it. And then, you know, I'm here, I'm present in the moment. I take a deep breath and then I let the moment pass, and then I move forward. And it, that little thing right there has helped in so many aspects of my life. Just dealing with anxiety or stress in certain situations during, during certain calls or even with certain patients. Sometimes I even get to kind of, in a way teach patients mindfulness in the moment. Like if they're having a kind of psychological issue or going through like a manic episode or something, I can help guide them to be present and that they're in a safe place. So, you know, I'm in a place where I, I get to learn it from you and then I kind of get to teach it to somebody. So I would say that that's probably the biggest one. And, and then just understanding the wiring, which I already said, and then the nutrition and health thing that we talked about. Some of the supplements I still take and the exercise, I exercise on a regular basis now. And just, just the cardiovascular, like zone two working out, it just makes me feel so much better and it discharges all that extra energy and it allows my brain to kind of just be smooth and cruise versus being amped up and like ready to, you know, hunt, I guess.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (18:53)

I love it. I love it. And I'm. Yeah, because I'm hearing it's like the self acceptance of like, okay, I'm having this moment. I'm aware that I'm feeling anxious. I got, I can't change the situation right now. I'm just going to be in the moment, take a breath and, and then move forward from there. Is that, is that basically the process?

Skylar Duran (19:13)

Totally. And I just did it the other day I worked at Comic Con in San Diego.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (19:20)

Oh yeah.

Skylar Duran (19:21)

And we were inside and there's a ton of people and it was super loud. And all of a sudden, like, you know, my, my vision kind of the contrast kind of turns up. And then the loudness kind of echoes inside. And then I recognize that my heart rate goes up and I was like, oh, whoa, I'm having, I'm having a moment. Yeah. So, yeah, you know, I'm just like, okay, I'm here, I'm fine. Take a deep breath. And then just in that setting, I kind of walked through the moment. It's like a visualization of the moment is where I took the breath and the breath is left behind and I walk past it. So there's like beautiful. There's like a visualization process too that helps me move through that. That was that. Yeah, it just helps me.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (20:08)

And you know, there's a piece here that I really want to highlight, which is the sensitivity that you would need to be good at. Playing the saxophone is also something that could be a real challenge being put into certain situations because I can probably draw a straight line between those two things. Right, so your sensitivity, how does that play in your favor as an emergency responder?

Skylar Duran (20:34)

Well, the sensitivity aspect I think plays a role in my day to day at work by recognizing how somebody feels, how they're talking to me, like a vibe change character. You know, there's, there's like a innate sense of understanding of what's going on with the patient. There's so much unspoken about my assessment on an individual that is based off of how they look, how they act, their facial expressions, their eyes, their posture, their mannerisms. And, and so that sensitivity, I would say, tunes me into all of that.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (21:15)

There's so many times that I'm sure people are, have gone through a challenge and they're with someone who's maybe more neurotypical, that isn't as tuned in, they're just doing the job. But you're actually being present with them. And not only present with them, it sounds like you can coach them because you can empathize what those experiences are of feeling overwhelmed or feeling anxious. Walk me through. What would that look like in a live situation?

Skylar Duran (21:43)

Well, without getting into too many details, obviously for like HIPAA rules, but I did have a patient who was having what seemed to be a manic episode that was probably brought on by drug related paraphernalia and they were hypersensitive to their environment, they didn't trust anyone. And it's recognizable, it's palpable. When you walk in, you can feel that. So I think as a good medic, it's important to take control of the scene because somebody has to take control. If you want everything to go smoothly, you definitely need to take control. So typically I introduce myself first. I'm like, hey, I'm Skyler. I'm a paramedic for San Diego. What's your name? So it addresses to them and it brings in some focus into a specific task, which is answer the question. And then this person was. Their thoughts were very flighty. They, they couldn't trust anyone. But to bring it back to the mindfulness, it was, hey, remember, like you're saying a lot of things, I'm just going to ask you some specific questions. I want to bring you right back here to this moment with me. You're in a safe place. You know, we're here for you. We're not here to hurt you. We want to make sure that everything's okay. And then so you, and as you go on, you earn a little bit of trust and they listen to you more. But it's about bringing back to that singular moment which is now.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (23:17)

I love it. Okay, let's move on to discussing maybe the flooding event that happened in 2024 here in San Diego. Do you want to share a little bit about that?

Skylar Duran (23:28)

Yeah. So it was pretty crazy. It was what was called to be a thousand year flood. It was, I believe it was January of 2024. Just a lot of variables that hit all at the right points and by far the worst flooding conditions that San Diego has seen. I was actually in between my phases of field training. So I was back at my station at TRT at twos with my crew and we were at a drill. The raining picked up. We knew that it was going to be a heavy rain day and we kind of had talked about it beforehand, but the rains really started picking up. We were at kind of a rescue training thing that was pre planned and then we, we had to cancel it because it sounded like there was starting to be rescues that needed to occur. I was on the engine that day. And there's also the rescue unit. So usually the rescue unit, they're the first ones to go out because they have all the super sweet equipment. They've got everything on there. They've got the quick response boats and we both have swim swift water tech gear and we have Carlson boards, which are basically huge boogie boards. But the rescue went out first. It turned out that Beta street, the rescue was already assigned and Beta street was getting a lot of calls for people trapped in their homes. So our captain, he heard the radio traffic, he notified dispatch that there were four Swiftwater technicians suited up and ready to go. And we were already kind of performing just maintenance Little small rescues around the town where a car would try to drive through an area that ended up being way deeper than they thought and they were trapped there. Slow moving water or stagnant water, amount of threat was, you know, minimal. We went and checked on some people where there was basically like a waterfall and a river through their backyard and make sure that those people were evacuated. So we were kind of doing, just doing our due diligence to help the community at the time. And then we heard all this radio chatter about all these rescues that were coming out. Nobody was able to reach this area. So it took us a long time to get there because there was so much flooding. But it happened to be on Beta street. And as soon as the four of us got off we were already suited up and we had everything ready to go. So we stepped off with our fins and basically we're wearing a helmet, glasses, a personal flotation device. It's a dry suit. And then we have fins and gloves. So we're pretty, we're pretty geared out but we step off and the ic, which is the incident commander for this scene, he, he's not necessarily frantic, but you can tell it's a serious situation. And Multiple people are calling 911 and saying that they were concerned for the lives of their children and elders because they were running out of physical room in their house because the water level was getting so high. They could no longer open their door because the pressure and they were, I don't know, I think as it was as high as 8 to 10 inches in some of the houses from, from the roof. Wow. It was pretty critical and it was just a crazy, crazy scene. I mean there's a river like running 10 miles per hour running down an urban city street. It was just a wild scene. So my. It initially there's kind of a lot that goes into it and a lot of times you have, you have people upriver and down river and you have a spotter and all these kind of safety systems. A lot of times you're on a tether.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (27:48)

And do they train you for this? I mean, given we're in San Diego and this is very, very rare for weed for us to have flooding at this level. What, were you already trained to handle this kind of situation in order to.

Skylar Duran (27:59)

Be at trt, there's a certain amount of classes that you have and one of the classes is Swiftwater technician. So you learn all of this stuff. So in a sense, yes, you learn the information, but it's not always right there. It's not Always. You're not constantly visiting it as much as possible. Being at trt, you do revisit this information, and it's part of the training to put on certain types of yearly training for everybody that's a part of trt. Just like paramedic, you're constantly learning and training. Cause it's true. I mean, there's so much information. If you don't use it, you definitely lose it.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (28:40)

Oh, yeah. Okay. So you're back to the scene. So you're there, water's up to the roof, and you are totally geared up. So it's going to be hard. It's a hard slog just to manage that situation. Just because of the gear, I'm guessing.

Skylar Duran (28:58)

Yeah. I mean, we have fins. So basically, they're like, these are the addresses we have. Go find them. And it was. It was kind of just my partner and I. We look at each other and we're like, all right, let's go. We're getting in. No safety systems, no ropes. We just. We're just kind of freelancing and finding. The main thing that my partner and I talked about was we're sticking together because we can help each other if we get caught up in anything, because it's just such a dynamic, dangerous situation. And we're going to search for these numbers and do the best the most good that we can. So we start searching for numbers on the houses. And the first one, my partner would basically swim in, he's a much stronger swimmer than I am. He swims into the house. He found the first girl, who was a young little girl. I want to say she's me, like, six years old. He puts her on the board, and then we both swim her back. And it's. And at this place, it wasn't that bad of current. It was maybe like, I don't know, 4 miles per hour. But it was so hard to swim her back that we were both pretty tired. So we got her back safe and sound. And then we continued on to the next. We helped a dog get up on the roof. We helped people get up on the roof. As we're searching further down, we get closer and we start figuring out these addresses. These addresses were on Beta street, which makes sense because it was the gnarliest spot. So that's where everybody's trapped. So we move towards Beta street, and he's, like, leading the charge, pushing into this, and I'm kind of like, okay, I'm not as strong as a swimmer as this guy, so I'm gonna focus on how we're gonna get these people back out. So I have him throw me his rope. I build this kind of like a tension rope system. So that way I have a way to pull back up to get the patients out of the dangerous area. And so then we basically start working up and down Beta Street. He would find an address, he would go inside the house, bring them out, bring them to me, and then I would swim them back. And at that point, the swim is probably, like, I don't know, 150, 100 to 150 yards back. So one way, 150. And then another 150 back. And then by that time, I'd come back, he'd have another one.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (31:28)

And so coming against the current, like you were. You were swimming against the curtain, coming back.

Skylar Duran (31:33)

Yeah, Correct. So. So the rope was. And. And there was, like, a fence that we were trying to stick to because it was so fast. And. And then there's, like, debris. There's a tire. A car was floating down. There was a refrigerator. I got wrapped in Visqueen. I got wrapped in a blanket. There's a hose. I mean, there's just. And then the. The water's super filthy. There's a lot of feces from all the sewer pipes. There's oil. You know, everything. It's. It's filthy. It's. And so we basically were doing that for four hours. Eventually, our engineer came out, who's also an incredible swimmer, and as I was swimming back, my partner swam across Beta street, which was pretty crazy. And then I took the patient, and then I was just shuttling people back to the safe area and coming back, and. And then. Yeah. And then eventually it was all four of us doing this. I would say we were probably out there for, I don't know, four hours swimming.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (32:36)

Wow.

Skylar Duran (32:37)

Rescuing people out of there.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (32:39)

That's insane.

Skylar Duran (32:42)

Yeah. I mean, during. I just remember being like, this is crazy. We both. We could see it in each other's eyes. Like, oh, man. Like, without saying cuss words, you know, it was crazy. I remember being. I don't want to say scared, because I don't think that's the right word. There was fear there, at least, knowing that this is potential for loss of life for sure, for. For me or my partner. But it wasn't like that was in the front. That was, like, in the back. At the front was like, we had a. A job, a task to complete. And. And I would say the one great thing about this partner and this crew that I was on is we were always very, very task oriented. And so there was a goal at hand and we were going to finish it. So that was the job. And it was exhausting. It was absolutely exhausting to swim against. I mean, I remember cramping. There was a funny part where I was swimming back and I was like, I have some exercise induced asthma. So I was, I was wheezing and this little girl was like, are you okay? I was like, I just really tired. And I remember laughing about it later.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (33:58)

What are when I think about the potential positive traits to being adhd, to having ADHD is potentially hyper focus under pressure, quick thinking, improvisation in the moment, having stamina for long missions, you know, non linear problem solving, comfort with chaos, heightened sensory awareness. Talk to me a little bit about the through line between the wiring and your ability to do what you did.

Skylar Duran (34:28)

I mean, I feel like you said all the, the perfect points. All the distractibility that I feel like I receive on a regular basis as being these hunter types, I feel like is. It's like it's working overtime in these moments. But all that input gets put to great use. It's all usable input. So it's, it's like your brain's moving super fast, so it feels like everything kind of slows down. You have like all the information you need around you and, and it's like processable in the moment where in other moments it's totally distractible and it just loses your focus as to what you're trying to do. But in this moment, it's like you notice hazards, you notice details, you notice what your partner is doing. You notice if your partner is acting a certain way or if a patient's acting a certain way. There's pattern recognition, like you said, there's calm through this chaos. It's like a thrive ability in the chaos. It's. Yeah, I think you nailed it.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (35:38)

For people who are maybe new to this podcast, they want to just give a real quick synopsis of the Hunter Farmer theory so they understand what we're talking about. When you say Hunter type, basically what we're talking about here is Tom Hartman came up with a theory called the Hunter Farmer theory, where primarily there's a potential that some of the genetics that are still in the gene pool that make us, that is labeled us. ADHD is possibly traits that would have been helpful for us in a hunter gatherer culture and those have kept in the gene pool because they have net positive attributes even now. And so they stay in the gene pool. And I'm sure if you, Skyler, one or one of your parents probably was wired similarly. I'm guessing mom or dad. You don't have to out them, but I'm just guessing that is case for sure. Yeah. So it gets passed down to the genes. And this is such an amazing example of how those other traits that we would think of, of like, well, I'm, I'm ADHD over here, but then I have got these traits, but they all are, they go together. There's the strengths and the challenges. And in this situation, clearly you were able to lean on the strengths of your neurological wiring and that in normal circumstances can be a real frustration and real hindrance.

Skylar Duran (36:59)

Definitely. And the distractibility becomes, it becomes like an adaptability moment where everything that you're paying attention to, you can shift at a moment's notice to the changes. You're not necessarily reactive to the situation. You're kind of proactive in all the things, all the situations, in a sense. I don't know if that makes sense.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (37:27)

It totally does. Yeah, I know it absolutely makes sense because you're in that moment. You're. You're in the moment and all that sensitivity, all of it just becomes. You're in your. Like you said, you're in the moment. This thing is happening right now and it's not a lot of future planning. It's, it's, it's in your bones at this point. You've done the training, it's in your bones. You're just showing up and then the, and it's important to recognize the fear.

Skylar Duran (37:48)

Is there talk about a sense of. My first real sense of ptsd. I was dreaming about searching for people for, for like two weeks. Every night I would go to bed and nothing bad happened. You know, we did something really well, but I was just searching for people in my dreams and I talked to my crew and they, they had a lot of the similar type of thing where they were, they were going back to that place in that moment.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (38:16)

Well, that makes sense. Your brain is, is now processing a lot of time in the dreams. They say that what your brain is doing is it's processing the information and it's trying to work out scenarios that would keep you safe moving forward. So a lot of times our dreams are like a way in which your brain is like testing out different strategies so that if you were in another life threatening situation, you would have, you're playing it out. It's all, it's messy, but it does seem like that's part of how the brain uses the dream time. So what was the, what's the after story on this.

Skylar Duran (38:50)

How did it all play out? I think not too long after that, I made paramedic, and then I ended up getting injured, and then I was out of work, so kind of everything fizzled out and went away. And it was kind of like one of the craziest moments in my life that just, like, suddenly disappeared. And I remember talking to my captain about it and my crew, and it was just kind of like, this is. It's just kind of crazy. It was like, it was a huge, impactful moment in my life, and now it's just all gone. And then the captain was like, well, I think something's gonna come of this in November. So fast forward to November of 2024 or. Yeah, early, I think, October. They were saying that you are receiving award. I got, like, an official letter from the city, and I was like, oh, crazy. What does that mean? What does that look like? You know, and then, you know, there's this whole process where, like, I don't think I'm deserving of an award. You know, like, I'm just doing my job. I didn't. It was like this whole mental thing where I didn't feel like I deserved it, in a sense, because I signed up to do the job that I actually did. And then there's an official awards ceremony in November where they talked about what we did, you know, how many people we saved. And they had this whole presentation on it. They ended up doing interviews on it, which I missed to be a part of because it was during my second field training, so I wasn't on the interview, but my crew was. And then, and then, yeah, we went up there and they gave us a medal of, of valor, which is the highest award that I believe San Diego city will give.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (40:35)

Wow.

Skylar Duran (40:35)

Wow.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (40:36)

Well deserved. Just tracking you from going from struggling with, going through field training to that experience and to come out the other side is what a journey.

Skylar Duran (40:48)

Yeah, it's been quite a journey. And, you know, I'm appreciative of it all. I, I, I'm still humbled by all of it. And I just try to find function in, you know, I guess my new form of understanding who I am and, and where my place is in all of this, but enjoying that I'm finally doing what I love to do and realizing that being different, you know, it sets me up for a different kind of success in a different way. There's not one way to be successful. There's not one pinnacle moment for somebody. But what success looks like to me is, you know, having a good marriage, a Good family, having a good job that I don't feel like I go to work to. I do enjoy it.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (41:40)

So in wrapping up, what advice can you give to people in the audience? I mean, you know, we've got people all over the world. There's, there's probably emergency responders listening to this episode. What advice can you give them in terms of kind of integrating the things that we talk about in terms of nutrition and exercise and mindfulness and self care? Because a lot of things we talk about are not quick fixes. They take time. It takes to, it takes time to integrate. I think it's important for people to know that if you stick with some of these processes, that they really do pay off. What would, what's your advice to people who are maybe just getting an ADHD diagnosis or have struggled for a while and you found that some of these things would be helpful if they stuck with them? What's your advice in terms of sticking with having a good plan, with managing, I wouldn't say managing adhd, but just managing your wiring so that you can get the benefits from it instead of it just being a detriment?

Skylar Duran (42:44)

Yeah, there's kind of a lot to unpack there, but the first thing I'd say is if somebody's just finding out that they have ADD or ADHD is that it's okay. You're a unique individual and you have an opportunity to be different in a very, very positive way. On the other sense, I think advice wise, there is a lot of information and there's a lot to do and it can be overwhelmin looking at the big or end result. Sometimes we see, you know, these people, you know me personally, that I admire, like my grandpa growing up, I was like, how could I ever possibly accomplish something that he has accomplished in his lifetime? But what it comes down to is like the day to day basis, you make an effort to do the right things, you work on the health, you work on nutrition. And a saying that we have in the fire service is you just try to get 1% better every day. It's not a lot, it's just a little. And if you do that consistently over a long period of time, you're going to see a huge change at the end of it from a month to six months to a year to five years to 10 years. And then you can look back and be like that. Consistency is what changed my life. It gave me the trajectory to be on the right path. And in just embodying who you are, embracing who you are and understanding that there's going to be things that are harder for you and things that you excel greatly at and just embracing all of that.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (44:30)

And it's important, I think for people to recognize it's like this stuff doesn't go away. It's not like you heal adhd. That doesn't how it works. It's like you got to live with this wiring for the rest of your life, learn about it and lean life in your favor as best you can. Would you say that that's what you've been doing?

Skylar Duran (44:47)

Absolutely. I mean I, I struggle all the time. I struggle on a day to day basis. But you learn to manage it and then, I don't know. For me personally, I feel like there's moments where you learn to lean into it. You get comfortable with being uncomfortable and embrace that grind and just get 1% better every day. Just always, just even just one little thing, just that little win that you can do that just makes you feel a little bit good. And then you just keep that momentum and never stop the momentum moving forward.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (45:23)

We slip up all the time, but we just keep going. It sounds like what you went through to become a paramedic leads you in the direction of you just got to get up and keep going because like the train's moving. You got, you don't have a choice to stop.

Skylar Duran (45:38)

Yeah. You don't always have the ability to control everything, but you do have the ability to control certain things about you. And I think how you handle what some people may label as defeat or failure I think is one of the best things that you can learn to filter out and just embrace as part of the learning process. Because I think that's where the most growth is.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (46:08)

Fantastic. Well, that award is well deserved and I'm so glad you reached out and so glad you've been part of our community. And thanks so much for joining us.

Skylar Duran (46:18)

Skyler, thank you so much for having me. I've had a great time. I really appreciate you having me.

Michael Joseph Ferguson (46:25)

And that's it. I hope you enjoyed that interview with Skylar Duran. That was quite a remarkable episode. As a reminder, we will be starting our weekly online support group on September 16th. If you're interested, you can go to drummerinthegreatmountain.com group and until next time, be well.

Podcast Outro Host (46:47)

Thanks for joining us. If you'd like to learn more about the book the Drummer and the Great Mountain, visit drummerandthegreatmountain.com to join us on social media, click the links at the top of the homepage. Help us spread the word We're a small press, and reviews really help. If you've been enjoying the podcast or the book, consider writing a review on itunes, Amazon, Goodreads, or your podcast app. If you're new to the podcast and want to quickly get up to speed on the concepts we discuss, check out our free five day mini course. Visit Drummer and the Great Mountain.com.

Skylar Duran (47:30)

If.

Podcast Outro Host (47:30)

There'S a topic you'd like us to cover on future episodes, we'd love to hear from you. Please send us an email@infodrummerandthegreatmountain.com.

Skylar Duran (48:43)

SA.