The DNA of a Storyteller with Robert Kurson

In this episode author Robert Kurson shares his journey from being an F-student in high school, to a desperately unhappy Harvard educated Lawyer and eventual New York Times Bestselling Author

HIGHLIGHTS: 

•  A formative relationship that played a fundamental role in Robert’s career 
• Why a strong work ethic is important for a creative career 
• The struggles of a challenging academic career 
•  Finding a level of belief that keeps you going 
• From F’s in High School to Harvard School 
• The power of being desperately unhappy 
• Making a drastic identity shift that allows us to produce incredible results 
•  Finding meaning in the activities in which we lose track of time 
• How small opportunities can change into big change in our lives
• Why we must take risk and experience temporary pain for our greatest achievements
• Why unhappiness increases our capacity for taking risk 
• Mastering craft the storytelling 
•  Developing a sense for how a good story sounds 
• The power of speaking from the heart 

Quotes

Really great storytellers are people who notice the most 

A well told story is a universal thing 

Robert Kurson is an American author, best known for his 2004 bestselling book, Shadow Divers, the true story of two Americans who discover a World War II German U-boat sunk 60 miles off the coast of New Jersey. His new book Pirate Hunters is a gripping, true story today, of the hunt for lost gold, bitter rivalries on the high seas, a long-ago legendary pirate captain, and two adventurous American men determined to win treasure – and find something even deeper – along the way.

Kurson began his career as an attorney, graduating from Harvard Law School, and practicing real estate law. Kurson’s professional writing career began at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he started as a sports agate clerk and soon gained a full-time features writing job. In 2000, Esquire published “My Favorite Teacher,” his first magazine story, which became a finalist for a National Magazine Award. He moved from the Sun-Times to Chicago magazine, then to Esquire, where he won a National Magazine Award and was a contributing editor for years. His stories have appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, and other publications

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