This episode: From Amnesia to Awareness: How at 13-Years-Old, Crash Survivor Kira Shishkin Rebuilt His Mind—and His Mission.
Here’s what you’ll learn about:
Introduction and Initial Setup (0:00)
- Host Drew Deraney welcomes Guest Kira Shishkin to the show, expressing excitement about the conversation.
- Drew thanks Lea Pantas for introducing Kira and introduces the concept of life’s linear path versus the reality of adversity.
- Drew introduces the three types of men: one who doesn’t see adversity, one who sees it as a barrier, and one who sees it as an opportunity for Growth.
Kira’s Transformation Journey (9:57)
- Drew invites Kira to share his transformation story, from being one of the first two types of men to the third type who sees adversity as an opportunity.
- Kira shares his experience of being on autopilot as a child, feeling emotionally and intellectually unaware.
- He recounts a tragic car accident at age 13 in Ukraine, which led to long-term amnesia and significant physical and mental disabilities.
- Kira describes the cultural shock of moving to Israel for medical treatment and the challenges of recovering both physically and mentally.
Struggles and Resilience (10:15)
- Kira discusses the emotional and mental struggles he faced during his recovery, including feelings of victimhood and suicidal thoughts.
- He describes the turning point when he decided to take responsibility for his recovery and stop feeling like a victim.
- Kira shares the impact of his sister’s strength and resilience during the same traumatic experience.
- He reflects on the importance of celebrating small victories along the way to build confidence and resilience.
Academic Pursuits and Early Career (17:07)
- Kira talks about his passion for learning and his decision to attend the University of Chicago, where he earned three bachelor’s degrees in economics, abstract mathematics, and philosophy.
- He explains his interest in high Finance and his career in investment banking, private equity, venture capital, and corporate strategy.
- Kira describes his transition from high finance to building tools that help people regain their attention and focus.
- He shares his motivation for creating a software tool to help people stay informed and engaged with world news.
Current Ventures and Future Goals (27:51)
- Kira introduces his current company, Informed Now, which provides world news via SMS, aiming to help people regain their attention and critical thinking skills.
- He explains the unique approach of Informed Now, which delivers news without bias, clickbait, or dramatization.
- Kira discusses the importance of staying informed and the impact of media on public perception and decision-making.
- He reflects on the lessons learned from his past experiences and how they inform his current work and future goals.
To learn more about Kira’s mission, go to his LinkedIn profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirashishkin/ or his website at https://informed.now.
Kira Shishkin Bio
About Kira Shishkin
Kira Shishkin is the CEO of informed, the news concierge service to beat misinformation overload. Kira is a 4-time serial entrepreneur, strategic advisor, and investor in the Technology industry. His experience spans investment banking, corporate strategy, and private equity investments in category-defining ventures. His Education includes University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, and Stanford. Kira was in Forbes 30 Under 30.
About informed
informed is your news concierge to beat misinformation overload. It provides minimal, concise, and factual daily news briefings via SMS to keep you informed without the influence of bias, sensationalism, or advertisements. Know more, read less. Get https://informed.now
Connect with Kira Shishkin: l.informed.now/kira
Get https://informed.now.
About your host: I’m Drew Deraney, the proud father of three children. For most of my life I’ve been concerned with what people thought of me and how I was supposed to act. I learned not to be my authentic self and instead became a people pleaser, a man wearing a mask.
In a 9-month span a few years ago, I endured four faith-shaking life events that caused me to question my existence.
I became determined to find a better way to live. Through intense self-reflection and awareness, I realized that in order to be happy, I must adhere to my standards of honesty, integrity and truth and needed to break free from the belief system that was anchored in me for close to 50 years.
I now believe that success happens when we find a better way and are willing and able to share it. HOW I do that is by challenging the status quo and thinking differently. Ultimately, WHAT I bring to the table is a way to contribute and add value by having an impact on the lives of others.
My company, Profit Compassion LLC consists of 3 paths:
The Caregiver Family Health Coach: coach for caregivers of individuals with special needs, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For Caregivers who are open to a conversation about how I can support you on your Caregiving journey: I help caregivers find balance, build resilience, and rediscover their own well-being. Through personalized Coaching, I provide practical strategies, emotional support, and the tools to reduce Burnout, strengthen Relationships, and navigate the challenges of caregiving with confidence. My goal is to empower you to care for yourself as compassionately as you care for your loved one.
The Mindful Man Movement: men’s self-discovery coach, speaker, podcast host, author. For Men Seeking Answers Within: Imagine having crystal clear knowledge of your purpose in life where you make confident decisions, and are assertive, productive, and at peak Mental Health. Corporate executives hire me to guide them to tap into their natural power through self-discovery so they may write their own story and live the life they want to live.
WealthPath Strategies & Solutions: health/wellness and financial services to support individuals and businesses.
Join me in transforming challenges into opportunities for growth. Let’s embark on this journey together.
HOW TO CONNECT WITH COACH DREW:
Website: https://profitcompassion.com/
Email: [email protected]
Book a discovery call: https://link.mavericksystems.online/widget/bookings/netweaving/connect30
Pick up a copy of Drew’s book: https://amzn.to/40dsbyR or https://bit.ly/BandNDrew
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtwMTiiZvnhTpsaCYMK6oqg?sub_confirmation=1
Drew Deraney now travels the world both to Live and Virtual Events showing mostly men the steps needed to strengthen self-identity and self-worth, to overcome self-limiting beliefs, and to build confidence while being authentic, maintaining boundaries and to transcend people pleasing skills to become the person they are destined to be. Drew challenges them to reach deep inside and make a lasting impact.
In a 9-month span, Drew experienced a grueling divorce, job loss, his son’s suicidal ideations, and his father’s death which devastated Drew emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. It is a commonality for men to consider any challenge as a weakness as well as to show emotion and ask for help. While writing his book, Drew realized he was not the only man suffering in silence. With more clarity of purpose than ever, he began asking for help. Drew Deraney’s mission is to help especially men, release their inner greatness by showing vulnerability, keeping in integrity of their power, and making a great impact on the people in their lives both personally and professionally.
Drew Deraney was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ where he still lives to this day caring for his elderly mom and his 3 adult children Matthew, Nicholas, and Emma. Drew earned his B.A. in Psychology, M.A. in Applied Psychology, and two psychology research publications while at Fairfield University; a scholarship from the Healthcare Financial Management Association; and his M.B.A. in Health Care Administration from Baruch College / Mount Sinai School of Medicine in NY. His hospital career spanned 24 years where he was co-chair of the Leadership Institute, spoke at JD Power, was one of three leaders interviewed by The Commonwealth Fund, received his Communicating with Empathy Trainer certification and is a Certified Patient Experience Professional. Four years ago, Drew founded Profit Compassion LLC, an entity to coach and empower mostly men to create resiliency and authenticity as Chief Resilience Officer. Drew is the podcast host of ‘From Caving in to Crushing It’ and recently became a best-selling author with his book ‘I’ll Have What She’s Having’ - Memoir of a reformed People Pleaser.
