This is an email that went out today to my list of about 40,000 people. Want to join them? I’d love to have you!
Good morning, and happy Friday, January 5th! I hope you had a restful holiday, got a break and had some fun, and have reset and recharged for a pretty amazing 2024!
At the beginning of the year, I like to take a second and reintroduce myself to you, since you’ve been kind enough to allow me to enter your inbox every once in a while. It’s also a way to remind you that if you ever need anything, I’m just an email away.
So, I’m Peter Shankman. I’m a massively ADHD 4x entrepreneur, 6x bestselling author, licensed skydiver, Ironman Triathlete, NYC Native, TV talking head, and most importantly, a single dad to an awesome ten year old daughter.
I currently do several things: I’m a corporate keynote speaker on two specific topics: Customer Experience, and the Neurodiverse Economy. While they’re kind of connected, the keynotes are both very different and play to entirely different audiences. I’ve spoken to over 5,000 companies and conferences around the world, including (a random sampling) American Express, Huawei, Verizon, SAP, Xerox, The US Department of State, NASA, Marriott, Kimpton, Saudi Aramco, Taj Hotels, NASCAR, 800-Flowers, the National Restaurant Association, and the list goes on and on and on. (Looking for a keynote for your conference this year? Just email me.) I also speak to schools about growing up Neurodiverse, and I do that for free, to make sure no student ever has to grow up feeling as broken as I did. Want me to come to your school? Again, reach out.
I’m also the co-founder of Mental Capital, a new consultancy based in NYC that helps companies worldwide attract, hire, and retain Neurodiverse employees, while helping to make their workplaces and corporate culture Neuroinclusive. I co-founded this company with my dear friend Dr. Jennifer Hartstein, and in less than six months since we quietly launched, we’ve landed Morgan Stanley, Adobe, and Google as clients, with a ton more on the way in 2024.
I’ve written a ton of books, most notably Faster Than Normal, The Boy With the Faster Brain, and Zombie Loyalists. I write most of my books on International flights, usually while en-route to visit clients in Asia. I’m exceptionally loyal to United, and if you’re ever flying through Newark Airport, chances are good that you’ll run into me.
Lastly, I’m a big believer in people. I believe there’s good in everybody and everything in the world, no matter how bad the world might seem right now. You simply have to look for it. (Except Cancun airport. There’s nothing good about Cancun airport. I’ve searched multiple times.) I think that we have a responsibility to leave the world in better shape than we found it, and doing that can take on many forms. For me personally, I’m a huge supporter of Best Friends Animal Society, as well as a huge proponent of performing arts education in the public schools. I will fight to the death to help eliminate homeless pets and to ensure every public school student has access to the performing arts as part of their education.
Finally, while it might seem like I don’t have a boss, in fact, I have three. One is a ten year old fifth grader named Jessa, and the other is a three year old rescue mutt named Waffle. Together, along with my assistant of 15 years Meagan, they keep me humble and on track, and I’m blessed to have all three of them in my life.
I’m also blessed to have YOU in my life. This email I send out a couple of times a month is for you! I want to know what you want to know about! Reply to me anytime, and let me know. I’m always willing to talk, and if you find yourself in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC, during a time when I’m in town, I’m happy to buy you a cup of coffee.
Thank you for being in my life, friend. Let’s have another amazing year.
Love and light,
-Peter
