Carol Barash @Story2 teaches students around the world to tell their stories out loud and in writing
What is the passion/inspiration behind your business?
In the fall of 2008 when the economy crashed, I was Director of Development and Communication at Macaulay Honors College, CUNY. Our students were struggling to find internships, and the Dean asked me to solve the problem. I'd just read Daniel Pink's *A Whole New Mind* and tried a storytelling workshop with professional storytellers. When the students told their authentic stories, they got internships, jobs--even new friends. I left Macaulay, spent 2 years studying storytelling from many angles--performance, neuroscience, education, business--and running pilot courses with CUNY and in 2011 launched Story2 to teach students around the world to tell their stories out loud and in writing.
Everyone has a unique story to tell and a unique purpose to build in the world. When you master the art of storytelling, you are able to connect your personal stories with the power and possibilities we share as a human community. Story2 teaches people how to write and speak with confidence, how to be more authentic and vulnerable, how to trust and do the work they are called to do in the world.
Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?
My parents ran an edgy advertising agency from the basement of our house, so it's very much how I look at the world: see a problem, find a solution. I've had a variety of entrepreneurial roles at the intersection of education, technology and community and one other startup that I sold.
What are some of the special turning points in your career that brought you to where you are today?
I always loved writing but also really struggled with writing. In the late 1990s I was the Assistant Director of CETH, a humanities computing think tank at Princeton and saw how you could use technology to improve teaching. I'd worked in admissions while a professor at Rutgers and saw how students' stories brought them to life in the admissions process. My son saw the connection between all the things I'd done before and teaching storytelling to students in the college admissions process.
What do you think makes for a great story-teller?
We are all innate storytellers! Great storytellers find the details of everyday life that connect us to one another. They are honest, vulnerable, fun-loving and make a story fresh every time they tell it.
What advice to you have for other female entrepreneurs who are starting out?
Assume it will take longer and cost more than you expect. Judge your work by outcomes. Don't be afraid to break the rules.