When the World Tells a Story About You

What happens to your own story when the world starts telling a different one about you?

Stanford professor Dr. Jo Boaler has spent her career studying learning, mindset, and the stories people develop about their own ability. Then she became the subject of a national public narrative herself.

After her work in math education became politically controversial, Jo was targeted publicly, received thousands of abusive messages and death threats, and watched a version of herself circulate through media and social media that she did not recognize as her own.

We talk about what happens inside a person when other people gain the power to define them publicly, how Jo protected her own sense of identity, and the role swimming, creativity, and reflection played in getting her through it.

We also explore the stories children learn about intelligence: “I’m bad at math,” “I’m gifted,” “I’m smart.” Those labels can become identities that shape what people attempt, avoid, and believe is possible.

And this conversation changed the Narrative Intelligence Project.

I asked Jo whether something as fluid and complex as Narrative Intelligence should ever be reduced to a number. Her answer helped me see how a score can become another fixed story about who we are.

So, 25 conversations into 100 Stories, I’m removing the overall score from the Narrative Quotient assessment.

The questions remain. The capacities remain. The inquiry continues.

More about Jo Boaler: https://www.youcubed.org/

More about Paige Williams: https://paigewilliams.co/

StoryKeys: https://storykeys.co/

The 100 Stories Project: https://100storiesproject.com/