The Karol Markowicz Show: Leland Vittert on Autism, Resilience, and the Power of Parental Love

Summary

The Karol Markowicz Show: Leland Vittert on Autism, Resilience, and the Power of Parental Love

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show Presents
Date: October 17, 2025
Host: Carol Markowitz
Guest: Leland Vittert

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Episode Overview

In this heartfelt episode, Carol Markowitz sits down with Leland Vittert—NewsNation’s chief Washington anchor and author of “Born Lucky.” The discussion delves into Vittert’s personal journey growing up with autism, his father’s relentless love and advocacy, and broader themes of resilience and adaptation. The episode is both moving and practical, offering hope and lessons for parents, children, and anyone touched by neurodiversity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Leland Vittert’s Story & “Born Lucky”

• Motivation for the Book:
  Vittert says the book is about his childhood with autism and his father’s unwavering determination to adapt him to the world, rather than expect the world to adapt to him.
  • “So the book is hope and proof of what parental love can do for every parent who has a kid who’s having a hard time.” (04:24)
• Diagnosis & Early Challenges:
  • Leland recalls his parents being told at age 5 that “there is very difficult to know what is going on inside his head.” He describes severe behavioral, sensory, and speech issues, and a 70-point IQ spread, well beyond the 20-point threshold for learning disabilities.
    • “I would...hit anybody who touched me in the lunch line because touch was so difficult. I couldn’t understand how to interact with kids.” (03:20)
  • The professionals suggested adapting the world to Leland’s needs, but his father refused to accept that answer.
• Parental Determination:
  • Vittert illustrates with a story from a reader—another parent who resisted the standard advice to eliminate peanuts entirely, instead working to desensitize her son, giving him opportunities he wouldn’t otherwise have.
  • “It’s just a story of the power of parental love.” (05:42)

Adapting to the Real World

• Learning Social Skills:
  • Vittert’s father created practical strategies—like tapping his watch as a cue for his son to stop talking—to teach Leland how to adapt socially rather than being insulated or overaccommodated.
  • Carol reflects on how universally applicable these lessons are even for children without autism.
    • “You have to learn how to adapt to other people. So your story is very...applicable to all kinds of situations with kids.” (06:28)

The “Luckiest Baby”

• Birth Story and Nickname:
  • Leland describes how a perilous, high-risk birth led to his nickname “Lucky.” During the C-section, doctors discovered his umbilical cord tied in two knots around his neck—meaning he would likely not have survived natural delivery.
  • “Oh my God, this is the luckiest baby we’ve ever seen. The umbilical cord was tied in two knots and around my neck.” (08:20)
  • The name “Lucky” stuck with him until college.

Societal Shifts & Autism in the National Conversation (09:00)

• Increased Awareness:
  • Vittert notes the sharp increase in autism diagnoses: from 1 in 150 kids during his childhood to 1 in 31 now (even higher for boys and marginalized groups).
  • While not engaging in causes or medical debates, he’s grateful autism is now an open national conversation.
  • “This should be the scientific question of our time.” (09:33)
• Desire for Solutions:
  • Vittert is frank that, as a prospective parent, he would not wish for a child to have autism, pushing back against a narrative that seeking prevention is stigmatizing.
    • “If you gave me a box to check—’your child will be autistic or not’—of course I would check no. What parent would?” (10:19)

Resilience, Parenting, and Real-World Preparation

• The Role of Parents:
  • Vittert credits his father’s tough, real-world approach with helping him build resilience and ultimately thrive.
  • He critiques the contemporary cultural trend of “meeting every kid where they are” without encouraging adaptation.
    • “That’s not how I grew up, and that’s not the real world.” (11:31)

Vulnerability & Writing the Book

• Letting People In:
  • Carol observes Vittert’s reputation as a “straight news guy” and asks if opening up was difficult.
  • Leland confesses it was “awful” to relive painful memories, including recalling middle school bullying—like an eighth-grade teacher publicly humiliating him.
    • “If my dog was as ugly as you, I would shave its ass and make it walk backwards.” (13:48)
  • Despite the pain, he’s motivated by the hope it offers others.
    • “If it can help parents and also let parents know that they’re not alone...then it’s worth it.” (14:36)

Inspiration for Kids with Autism

• A Book He Wishes He Had:
  • Leland shares that “Born Lucky” provides hope, advice, and proof that things can and do get better—even if you don’t believe it in the moment.
  • “Having these difficulties, it does get better… character is destiny.” (21:01)
• Key Lessons from His Dad:
  • Control what you can: “Your attitude...your character and your work ethic. Those three things you have 100% control over.” (22:04)
  • Finding confidence and self-worth outside academics or friends.
• A Powerful Motivation:
  • He only published the book with his father’s blessing, asking, “If when I was diagnosed, rather than that woman saying...‘there’s no hope’, had handed you this book, how would you have felt?” His father replied: “I would have read it every week.” (23:20)

Character Above All

• What Matters Most:
  • Leland’s greatest pride is character, a value taught by his late grandfather via a letter: “A man is defined by his character, not his accolades, not his business success, not his accomplishments.” (24:25)
  • Carol echoes: “Character is everything...who you are actually matters the most.” (24:48)

Looking Forward

• On America’s Future:
  • Despite pessimism, Leland is “very bullish” on America and its unique promise.
  • “The best hope the world has is America...the greatest idea anybody ever came up with.” (25:20)

Final Reflections & Advice

• Leland’s Takeaway for Parents:
  • Even if you feel alone or uncertain as a parent of a struggling child: "There is so much you can do because my dad did it for me.” (26:45)
• On the Impact of “Born Lucky”:
  • The book is resonating—selling out quickly—which Vittert attributes to the hope it provides.

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Notable Quotes by Segment

• Parental Love and Resilience:
  • “The book is hope and proof of what parental love can do for every parent who has a kid who’s having a hard time.” — Leland Vittert (04:24)
• On Social Skills:
  • “You have to learn how to adapt to other people. So your story is very...applicable to all kinds of situations with kids.” — Carol Markowitz (06:28)
• Birth Story:
  • “Oh my God, this is the luckiest baby we’ve ever seen. The umbilical cord was tied in two knots and around my neck.” — Leland Vittert (08:20)
• Autism Conversation:
  • “This should be the scientific question of our time.” — Leland Vittert (09:33)
  • “If you gave me a box to check—‘your child will be autistic or not’—of course I would check no. What parent would?” — Leland Vittert (10:19)
• Character as Legacy:
  • “A man is defined by his character, not his accolades, not his business success, not his accomplishments.” — Leland Vittert (24:25)
• Hope for Struggling Kids:
  • “Having these difficulties, it does get better… character is destiny.” — Leland Vittert (21:01)
• Advice to Parents:
  • “There is so much you can do because my dad did it for me.” — Leland Vittert (26:45)

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Timestamps by Topic

• Vittert’s childhood & diagnosis: 03:20 – 05:42
• Power of parental advocacy: 05:42 – 06:44
• Origin of “Lucky” nickname & birth story: 06:49 – 08:34
• Autism in national discussion / societal trends: 09:05 – 12:55
• Opening up in writing the book: 12:55 – 14:47
• How the book can help kids and parents: 20:24 – 23:36
• What matters most—character and family legacy: 23:53 – 25:08
• Leland’s advice and final words: 26:23 – 27:19

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Closing Thoughts

This episode offers a rare, intimate look at the lived experience of autism and the profound influence of parenting. Leland Vittert’s account is honest about struggle and adversity, but he and Carol Markowitz also serve up real hope: that with grit, guidance, and love, children facing enormous obstacles can find their place in the world—sometimes, as in Vittert's case, to remarkable heights. The conversation will resonate with parents, educators, and anyone who seeks to understand the power of resilience and the true meaning of being “born lucky.”

Transcript

[Leland Vittert]

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[Carol Markowitz]

Hi, and welcome back to the Carol Markowitz show on iheartradio. My guest today is Leland Bittert. Leland is News Nation chief Washington anchor and the author of the exc new book Born Lucky. So nice to have you on.

[Leland Vittert]

Oh, what a pleasure. Thank you.

[Carol Markowitz]

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 we get into that?

[Leland Vittert]

It's my story about growing up with autism and my father's quest journey, 15 year epic fight, whatever you want to call it, to adapt me to the world, not the world to me. So when I was 5 years old and my parents were told that I needed to be evaluated, they took me to one of those little 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. And I had real behavioral issues. I would, you know, 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 five, three. And I had this huge learning disability. 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 20 point spread is a learning disability. I had a 70 point spread.

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[Leland Vittert]

So this woman was very direct with my parents. And my dad said, as any parent would, what can we do? And she said, not much. And he followed it up. Is there anything we can do? And she said, generally not. And basically 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 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. And I knew this woman's kids who are both sort of complete rock stars. And I said, okay. Normally 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. Make everybody adapt to him. And she decided to desensitize him to nuts, which every doctor said you can't do and is so dangerous, and on and on. And now he's in rotc, which he never would have been able to do if he still had a nut allergy. So it's just. It's a story of the. The power of parental love.

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[Carol Markowitz]

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, 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 your story is very, I think, applicable to all kinds of situations with kids.

[Leland Vittert]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

So it's called Born Lucky. Why do you feel like you were born Lucky?

[Leland Vittert]

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 Vittert.

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[Leland Vittert]

And we tell this story in Born Lucky that it was 1982. My mother was 35. It was a high risk pregnancy. Just she was older. And the doctor saw on an ultrasound that I was upside down. I was breached. And so she said, he said to my mother, I have a bad feeling about this. I think you should have a C section. So my mom's sort of really conflicted, and there's a lot of literature at the time about doctors ordering C 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 trust his advice. So she decides to have a C section. And in Born Lucky, we take you inside the delivery room, where I'm there, and I'm there in 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 sort of peeks his head around. He goes, hey, Doc, 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 in two knots, and around my neck.

[Carol Markowitz]

Oh, my God.

[Leland Vittert]

So I had 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 Vitter, Leland Vitter. Last time I pooped, how much I weighed. Whatever.

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[Leland Vittert]

And the doctor came up with a Sharpie and crossed out Leland and said, call this kid lucky.

[Carol Markowitz]

Wow, that's really cool. Yeah.

[Leland Vittert]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

So your book, as I was saying in the beginning, is coming out at a time where the conversation around autism is. It feels like it's everywhere. We're recording this just a few weeks after the Tylenol 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 national conversation on this?

[Leland Vittert]

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. Same, I think. I'm not gonna. You know, I don't want to. I can't talk and shouldn't talk about Tylenol dosing or whatever else.

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[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah.

[Leland Vittert]

What I can say is, thank God this is now part of the national conversation. Right. Because when I was diagnosed, it was about 1 in 15 kids. Now it's 1 in 31. More than triple that for boys higher and poor and minority communities. This should be the scientific question of our time.

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[Leland Vittert]

And if. If this is what it takes. Great. To have this really honest conversation. I think, you know, there's this debate in the autism community, and I. 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, Is less or you want to solve it? Well, no kidding. We should want to solve it. Okay. I mean, if I, if, if I right now was the father of a soon to be born baby, if my wife was pregnant, we and I got married three months ago or four months ago.

[Carol Markowitz]

Graduations.

[Leland Vittert]

Thank you. But if she was pregnant and you gave me a box to check, you know, your child will be autistic or not. Of course I would check. No, what parent would?

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Leland Vittert]

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.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking when I, when I saw your book. And kind of in this moment, is this 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. Um, do you have hope that I. I don't know, do you, do you. Do you see a future where autism is treated differently and do you want it to be?

[Leland Vittert]

I. I don't know. And remember, you know, I didn't really get treated, quote, unquote, in the, in the way that most people are.

[Carol Markowitz]

Dad should take that show on the road, you know?

[Leland Vittert]

Yeah. Well, look, that. That show on the road is Born Lucky, right? 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 and the torture that was middle school and 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, J. Bhattacharya, head of nih, Marty Makary, head of fda, they tell me they don't know what has caused 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 parenting parents really have. And, you know, you pointed out 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, 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 I love you and that you are wonderful and that the characteristics and qualities in your character are going to make you bullied and isolated and demonized in middle school and high school. And those are the same qualities that are going to make you liked and successful later in life. But at the same time, if you want to interact in the real world, you got to learn, for example, as you just pointed out, how to stop talking, which I'm thinking you're tapping your watch right now, so I will.

[Carol Markowitz]

No, not at all. I'm completely fascinated by. 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 cultural topics. But I always saw you as very straight news. And now you're telling everybody your life story. Was that difficult?

[Leland Vittert]

Yeah, it was awful. 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 43, I'm going to therapy on national television daily or hourly. And it's awful. I mean, you know, to relive some of these memories and to relive the teacher in eighth grade, we write in Born Lucky, how this teacher in 8th grade looked at me in front of the entire class and said, you know what, Vitter? If my dog was as ugly as you, I would shave its ass and make it walk backwards.

[Carol Markowitz]

What?

[Leland Vittert]

Well, yeah, so as a mom, you know what I mean? And that's just.

[Carol Markowitz]

That teacher would be a dozen stories.

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Yeah.

[Leland Vittert]

Or dozens of stories in the book. So reliving 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

I'm so happy for you.

[Leland Vittert]

Thank you. But I'm not narcissistic enough to think it's about me. Right. This isn't because the Leland Vintage story is great. No, it's my story. 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 opening up part has not been fun, but I'm really so hopeful that I can help others, and then it's worth it.

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[Carol Markowitz]

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 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 that you're just giving a lot of hope to those kids. Also, it's not just the parents who I think, 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.

[Leland Vittert]

I hope so. You know, obviously, I think if I had been given this book in middle school or high school, it 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. You know, you. 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 Washington newsroom. And I think. I think it's. I think it is proof for any kid who's having a hard time, every kid who's having a hard time, that. That this does get better and that you can really succeed. And that character is destiny. And, you know, the things that my dad taught me, you know, number one, you have to. You know, you. You have to control what you can control. You can control your attitude. You can control your character and your work ethic. And those three things you have 100% 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 Born 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 my dad didn't want to do this, write this book. Reluctantly, he agreed, because we thought it could help people. 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, do we really want to say this? Do we really want to talk about this story? Do we really? Because he'd never told anybody, never told his friends. I mean, he never told anybody 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 it into HarperCollins, we won't. Now, to be fair, I didn't have a plan, right. Because I had a book contract. You had to turn it in.

[Carol Markowitz]

But fine.

[Leland Vittert]

So I give it to him and he reads it 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 woman saying to you, there's no hope, had handed you this book, how would you have felt? And he said, I would have read it every week.

[Carol Markowitz]

Wow.

[Leland Vittert]

And I said, well, I think that's your answer.

[Carol Markowitz]

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, for your dad. The fact that this book exists is just a fantastic tribute to you both.

[Leland Vittert]

Well, thank you.

[Carol Markowitz]

What are you most proud of in your life?

[Leland Vittert]

I'm most proud of. I think what my dad always told me was what mattered the most, which is character. We have in Born Lucky, the letter that my dad got the night his dad died. His dad died when he was 16. His brother came and told him, and then they headed down to the family office. They had a construction company and opened the safe 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, not 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 really matters more than anything in the world.

[Carol Markowitz]

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.

[Leland Vittert]

Oh, boy. I don't know.

[Carol Markowitz]

You're in the news every day.

[Leland Vittert]

I was a Mideast correspondent for a number of years. So if you wanted to be made a fool, predict the future in the Middle east, do it. Or politics in America. 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 us off on both sides of the. 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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.

[Lear Capital Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

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.

[Leland Vittert]

Look, I'm not an advice guy. Just ask my wife. Probably not. You know, I am not a role model, as Charles Barkley would say.

[Carol Markowitz]

I think false, but okay.

[Leland Vittert]

I think the takeaway from Born Lucky for parents of you're 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 20,000 books a week or more.

[Lear Capital Advertiser]

Amazing.

[Leland Vittert]

Because parents 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's lives who are really having a hard time.

[Carol Markowitz]

I love that he is Leland Vittert by Born Lucky. Thank you so much for coming on the show.

[Leland Vittert]

Thanks, Carol.

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[Leland Vittert]

Network this is an iHeart podcast.