1. "Finding a way to help others, while still helping myself" - Terry Bartley Terry McMullen 1:06:48

Terry is a writer (https://www.terrybartleywriter.com/) who also teaches and hosts a podcast. His writing focuses on marginalized characters and communities to try and give them more of a voice and a sense of belonging. Given Terry’s background, growing up in a poor, single parent home, with ADHD and as a queer person living in West Virginia; he has a deep understanding of what it means to feel marginalized and not fit in. That is why he feels so strongly about giving back and helping others.

I noticed right away how observant and self reflective Terry was, which I guess isn’t all that surprising for a writer, but it was interesting to hear how his ADHD played into it as well. He explained how ADHD allows you to think differently, make connections across concepts, and creates a strong need to understand things before you can focus on them. Although it comes with challenges, those traits have served him really well in his life.

Towards the end of the discussion we spent some time talking about his writing as well as his passion for politics and social issues. I’ll be honest, I kind of struggled at times to lock down the thoughts/points I was trying to get across, but we had a really interesting discussion about greed, selfishness, and marginalization. Terry has an optimistic view that corporations are starting to realize that it actually benefits them to be more inclusive. He believes the new Black Panther movie is an example of this, where black actors and directors were able to gain notoriety while the studio behind the movie also benefitted with great profits.

The questions we grappled with though, was this really a positive thing? Although it is great, well deserved, and long over due; will it actually solve the problem if it is still rooted in profits and greed. Is the world actually a better place if the powers that be only allow marginalized people to thrive when it benefits them as well. Maybe it is the best we can hope for, but maybe it just perpetuates the same problems in a new way. Either way, I really enjoyed this conversation and getting to learn a little more about Terry’s perspective on life.

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Terry McMullen Podcast Host

I spent much of my career trying to consult companies on how to better achieve their goals. I was a Finance major, a Harvard Business School graduate, and a business strategist. I've always been curious and I've always loved trying to solve problems. It was a really good fit for a while, but then life happened.

Within the span of a couple of years I had a son, my sister tragically passed away, and my wife became severely ill with Multiple Sclerosis. All of a sudden everything I thought I knew about life didn't seem to make sense anymore. I needed to raise my son and teach him how to be a good person but I realized I didn't even know what it meant to be a good person, let alone know how to teach him to be one. I also realized that I wasn't capable of being the person my wife needed me to be to help care for her. Simply put, I wasn't good enough.