MEET THE TEAM
Team Members
PAUL BYRD
Co-founder, speaker, men’s groups, and mentoring
Former MLB pitcher, Emmy award-winning broadcaster, and best-selling author, Paul Byrd has been married to Kymberlee for 25 years and is the father of two sons, Grayson and Colby. Kymberlee and Paul met at Louisiana State University where Paul was a two-time Academic-All SEC player, the team GPA leader, and an NCAA National Champion. Paul played for 19 years in Major League Baseball. After shoulder reconstruction in 2000, Paul thought he would never play again. Instead, he began to swing his arms and bring back the double pump wind-up, which eventually became his signature delivery and brand in baseball. On certain pitches, Paul also started stepping behind the pitching rubber to change the effective velocity of a pitch – something MLB had never seen in the history of the game, eventually requiring a new rule to be added to the handbook. It’s no wonder Bobby Cox calls Paul one of the most creative pitchers he’s ever seen at getting hitters out. Sought after by numerous teams for his leadership in the locker room Paul walked away from three large guaranteed contracts at the age of 38 to see his boys grow up. Voted “Nicest Guy in Baseball” by the players and the “Steve Olin Tim Crews Good Guy” by the Writers Association, Paul is now a two time Emmy-winning broadcaster for Fox Sports and most recently was awarded the 2021 Emmy for “Most Outstanding On Air Personality.” As a highly sought after professional speaker, Paul can be found at Ivy League schools debating and teaching faith in sports and winning principles in business. As the co-founder and Board President of Byrdhouse Ministries, Paul continues to be vigorously committed to a ministry that operates in personal freedom and helps others to live in that same freedom. Paul has long envisioned having a place where people can come to experience nature, rest, and connect with the heart of God. This year, God let that dream become his reality. In 2019, Paul hopes to continue mentoring young men and leading small men’s groups at Byrdhouse Ministries during his free time from broadcasting. Paul enjoys spending time with his family, biking, good pizza, movies about underdogs like Rocky, old school R&B music where they sing about love, portrait and landscape photography, fly fishing, and a really good book. He is well known to the sneak lots of extra treats to all the animals. If you would like to know more about Paul click here.
KYM BYRD
Co-founder, Spiritual Director, Soul Rest Facilitator
Kym has a bachelor degree in Psychology from Louisiana State University. She is certified in life coaching by both North Star Life Coaching and the Professional Christian Coaches and Counseling Association. Her passion to assist in growing healthy marriages led her to pilot the Strong Marriages in Sports Research Project, which studied marriages of 100 Major League Baseball players and their wives. She has appeared on numerous radio shows sharing her unique perspective on surviving the pro sports world and a career dominated marriage. Kym and her husband, Paul, also speak to college students all over the northeast about faith, true intimacy, and authenticity. From 2013-2017 Kym assisted in launching REEL Experiences at Art Within. She was the lead facilitator and trainer as well as a key creative team member. There she created film-based group experiences to strengthen relationships and deepen connection. Kym also completed her three year Spiritual Direction training through Sustainable Faith and is a Certified Enneagram Facilitator through Enneagram Atlanta. Kym oversees the day to day operations of Byrdhouse Ministries. She is in charge of events, coordinating with therapists and assisting clients in finding the best experience for them. Kym facilitates small groups and individual spiritual direction. She believes in using every day seemingly small things to point people to a greater understanding of themselves and God. Kym is half Chinese, has been married to Paul for 29 years and is a mom to two grown sons, Grayson and Colby. When not at Byrdhouse Ministries, Kym can be seen meeting with friends, watching a film, painting or walking often with her chickens and her cat Will Feral following closely behind. She will also never refuse a good chocolate donut with sprinkles.
Claudia Pirkle
Executive Administrator and Operation/Marketing Manager
Claudia Pirkle is the Executive Administrator and Marketing member of the Byrdhouse Ministries (BHM). Claudia enjoys being with people, getting her hands dirty and learning about every aspect of a company. Her first main role was with Dress Barn, a women’s fashion retailer, where she was promoted to a training store manager. There she quickly moved up the management ladderand held her last role as an AVP for the southeastern markets, overseeing 10 district managers and100 stores. Her 22+ years’ service and growth with Dress Barn allowed her the ability to relocate to more than eight different markets across the United States, where she met, led, and mentored various district leaders to success. Her notable success was in building awareness and increased sales of $1 million through initiating and communicating the importance of regional merchandising. After traveling for so many years Claudia decided to settle down in Georgia and look for a position closer to home. She found a position in digital media with Media Caddy Innovation and There she learned about building, developing, and promoting a new patented product and was quickly recognized for her hard work and willingness to work in any role of the company. She was promoted to SVP of product and services, was responsible for identifying and initiating new product features, content development, software training and overall daily office operations. She established excellence in assessing, troubleshooting, and resolving a wide range of issues and challenges. After leaving Media Caddy she oversaw five different departments as the Director of Operations for Cable Quest. There her responsibilities were team creation, implementation and processes and procedures follow up as well as developing a high level of customer service. Claudia has been told that her greatest strengths are her passion, drive, loyalty, consistency and desire to help others. After her four years she decided to take a little time off to move and care for her mother and began She looking for a role where she could give back to the community. There she began to partner with Byrdhouse Ministries. She is the heart and soul of the family. Lives in Georgia with her wonderful husband, three very special unique cats. In her free time she loves to exploring, going on rides through the mountains with her husband on their Harley or relaxing at a nice spa resort and indulging in a relaxing massage and ending the day with a delicious meal.
Cason Wilson
MSW, LCSW
Cason Wilson is a licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Her passion for counseling comes from knowing the importance of mental health and having a true heart for helping others. Cason completed her undergraduate degree at Florida State University. Throughout her time in college, she rode horses on FSU’s IHSA Equestrian Team. Horses are a true love of hers and she knows firsthand how working with animals can promote healing connection. Suffering personal losses contributed to Cason’s inspiration to pursue counseling as a career. Cason saw the value in finding healing in her spiritual faith, family, friends who are family and time spent in nature. She is passionate about helping her clients learn how important it is to value themselves and prioritize their mental health in order to live rewarding and fulfilled lives. She earned a master’s degree of Clinical Social Work from the University of Georgia. She interned with Communities in Schools, Atlanta Piedmont’s Cancer Center and co-designed and facilitated a grief support group through the Thomas F. Chapman Piedmont Cancer Wellness Center. She also provided counseling to people who were newly diagnosed with cancer and to those in active treatment and remission stages. The last six and a half years, she worked for Wellstar Psychological Services providing care to a medically diverse population. She was blessed to work with clients pursuing weight loss when she worked as a psychometrist. She provided focused therapy and lifestyle change support in both pre and post bariatric surgery for patients. She also had the distinct privilege to work on both of Wellstar’s Zero Suicide Initiative Implementation Team and Employee Wellness Support Team. Cason specializes in supporting clients in several areas from Anxiety, Body Image, Depression, Grief and Loss, Suicide Survivors and PTSD to name a few. When she is not in her counseling office, Cason enjoys spending time with her family and friends. You will often find her loving on horses and her two rescue dogs, baking macarons (or at least trying to) and listening to Willie Nelson in her ‘77 Chevy truck. Cason is a proud wife to an incredible husband and a proud mama. She loves playing make believe, exploring and giggling with her son and daughter.
Amber Chinuntdet
Soul Rest Facilitator
Amber grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains before attending Wake Forest University, graduating Magna Cum Laude and earning a B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology. Amber has a passionate heart for hospitality and safety. She worked with Delta Airlines as a flight attendant for 13 years, where she viewed her passengers as her guests and worked for their safety both on and off the plane. She served as chairperson of the safety committee before joining the training department to teach first aid/CPR, emergency procedures, on-board safety, and hospitality. She also facilitated crew resource management sessions, and investigated two aircraft accidents with the NTSB. After becoming a mom, Amber gradually phased out flying to become a full-time stay-at-home mom. She has always been very active in the local community, serving as co-president of a MOMS club as well as hosting an annual Halloween party, a Thai New Year's meal, and numerous other gatherings for friends and neighbors. For the past 10 years, Amber has been a facilitator for REEL Experiences, helping guests find and communicate their personal story through the language of their favorite movies. She also serves as co-chair of the Highlands Marietta church food team, where they plan, prepare, and serve a meal to the church body each month. She now hosts our Saturday Soul Rest Days. Amber has been married to Nick for 26 years and they have 2 sons, Andy and Alex. Favorite family activities include discovering interesting restaurants and exploring new fishing holes. Amber loves crafts of all sorts, creating t-shirt designs, and salty more than sweet. Always admiring God's creation in nature, she dreams of someday (or night!) seeing the Aurora Borealis in Iceland.
Kace Gunter
Administration, Facilitator, Fundraising
One of ten children, Kace grew up in a home dedicated to ministering to others. Whether it was aiding the homeless on the streets of Atlanta, building houses and facilitating camps for kids in Mexico, or helping at her family’s coffeehouse ministry- Kace was instilled with a love for service and a genuine heart for people. As a personal assistant to Paul and Kym, Kace has been an integral part of Byrdhouse Ministries for over fifteen years. She wears many hats and is often involved in the day to day operations- including but not limited to: social media management, event coordination, property supervision, setup for Soul Rest days, clerical tasks, and coordinating with therapists. In addition to her role at Byrdhouse, Kace has served on the Board of Parkview Christian School for three years, led the children’s ministry at Veritas Church, launched a coffee roasting business with her husband called Front Porch Roasters and is a licensing school manager for Emory. She often volunteers her time for causes close to her heart such as Lunches of Love or Peace of Thread. When not working, you can find Kace connecting with family and friends; including her wonderful husband and four amazing kids. She’s always down for a good book or podcast, going for a hike, creating pottery pieces and quality conversations on the front porch.