Success Is Not a Solo Sport

Success is not a solo sport.

In this episode of 100 Stories: The Narrative Intelligence Project, Paige Williams speaks with Ann Shoket, CEO and owner of The Li.st and founder of Ten Minutes to Togetherness, about ambition, belonging, community, and the stories that shape how we define success.

Ann reflects on the many ways she has told the story of her own career, from launching a website out of a tiny Lower East Side apartment to leading Seventeen, writing The Big Life, and building communities designed to help women and nonbinary leaders support one another.

The conversation explores how other people’s stories can expand what we believe is possible, why listening is a form of Narrative Intelligence, and how Ann changed her thinking about imposter syndrome after hearing experiences that differed from her own. She also explains why no one truly walks into a room alone, how small acts of connection keep relationships alive, and why success should be understood as relational rather than solitary.

Ann’s central insight: Narrative Intelligence is not only about the stories we tell. It is also about the stories we listen to, follow, and believe.

What’s your NQ? Take the free Narrative Quotient assessment at StoryKeys.co.

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