319 Interviews

“When I set out to create my own company, I kept people at the core. I know that writing is often viewed as a solitary, silent practice, but I disagree. I think writing helps us connect with each other.”

319. That's the number of people I interviewed last year.

When I was a kid, it was my goal to meet every person in the world. As I got older, that goal changed. It became about meeting specific, amazing people and helping to tell their stories. My focus became quality conversations, detailed interviews, and careful synthesis rather than the spontaneous, meandering conversations of my past. But the passion behind my goal remained the same. I love people, and I love hearing how they approach the world. I'm inspired by the way they pursue the things they can't stop thinking about, and comforted by how they work through their own struggles and unexpected obstacles. I love the way someone's eyes light up when they share their deepest dreams, and how they only ever share the most important details of their lives in our final minutes together. 

I believe we can learn something from everyone if we just take the time to listen. I believe listening is a skill we must improve and practice throughout our lifetimes. 

So when I set out to create my own company, I kept people at the core. I know that writing is often viewed as a solitary, silent practice, but I disagree. I think writing helps us connect with each other. It's the words we use to tell our stories that bring us closer together. That's why people profiles are the core of my business. And that brings me back to the interviews. Whether I'm writing a blog post, crafting a brand strategy, or outlining a website, I always start with a conversation.

In the past year I've interviewed marine biologists, hardware and software engineers, CEOs, investment bankers, and a whole slew of sales people. I've learned about global water purification for a Fortune 500 company, explored the changing nature of design with a creative director, and delved deep into the world of modern self-help with a Stanford professor. Sometimes, I interview five people at a time; other times, I spend hours with just one person, getting to the core of her vision for her design business or synthesizing his founding story into a single paragraph. I emerge from every interview with stories. 

It's my job to make sense of the notes, transcripts, and details. I am a synthesizer. An information organizer. A pattern finder and brutal editor. I look for the clearest and most impactful way to tell a story or explain a concept, and then I edit it. And then I edit it again. 

2020 (and 2021 so far) have been difficult times to make sense of, and I certainly can't claim I've sorted its many challenges into a comprehensible pattern. I will say this. I've interviewed 319 incredible people going through all the same things as the rest of us. One of my favorite parts of every interview is the final moment. When we're comfortable with each other, and I get the chance to open up the conversation. "What's next?" I always ask. And that's when the hope appears. My interviewees share ideas for the future, projects they can't wait to start, and much-needed pauses or planned breaks. Someone recently asked me that question, and I realized I had a pretty solid answer. I want to write more stories. I want to coach writing. And I want to use my own writing skills to do some good for the world. Her question forced me to put into words the dreams that had been bouncing around in my head for too many years. 

So my takeaway is this: We won't always understand the future, and often the present won't make much sense either. But there's a lot we can gain from simply listening to each other. And when you have a chance to connect with someone new, try asking that simple question: What's next?

I hope you're enjoying some kind of pause as we wrap up this wild year. Check out my new website to see what became of some of those many interviews, and look out for more updates. Thank you for being a part of my journey so far. 

I look forward to connecting and hearing what’s next for you!

Cheers,
Becca