Celine Wolff, a Colorado State marketing graduate, credits a trip to Ethiopia at 15 with breaking her stereotypes about Africa. She builds her storytelling around active listening and collecting others' narratives. Her advice: skip job titles and ask people about the decisions between milestones instead.
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Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Celine Wolff with us. She is an up-and-coming content creator who has a knack for storytelling. She recently graduated from Colorado State University where she got her Bachelor of Science in Marketing. So welcome to the show.
Thanks so much for having me, Tyler.
Of course, grateful to have you here. We'll jump into the first one, Celine. The first question I have for you is, what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Yeah, well, let's start, go big. When I would say the best story would be when I was about 15 years old, my family and I, we went to Ethiopia because one of my sisters is adopted from Ethiopia. So we went and this is when we got to pick her up. And a lot of people, you know, the stereotype like, oh, starving kids in Africa is kind of what we just grew up hearing. And it just kind of set a lot of preconceived notions in my head. But then when I got there, you know, I got to see people building lives, having families, working, creating institutions to better, you know, better other people. And I think what I took away from that whole experience was not to be dismissive of people, you know, through kind of like condescending stereotypical sayings like, you know, starving kids in Africa. So it was really nice to walk away and have, you know, these other ideas in my head that no, like other countries are developing and that they're not just the stereotypical, you know, very impoverished area.
Totally. And I'm excited for your answer on this next one. So what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry? And you can go anywhere you like, but what really interests me is the storytelling. Like how did you know you had a knack for storytelling?
Yeah, I think I figured out I have a knack for storytelling because, not because I'm actually telling the stories, but I take the time to listen. I think that's all that people really want today, any day in life is just for people to listen and then they will tell you their story. And as I just started just kind of closing my mouth and listening to things, I was like, okay, I want to collect this, I want to film this, I want to record this. And they give me the content and then it's just up to me to cut it and edit so that the reader or the listener can get the most from their story.
And what's your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry specific.
Yeah, I have noticed kind of starting younger in my career, trying to figure out what I want to do. I would do a lot of informational interviews. Just to try to understand how that person got to where they are in their industry. The normal question people ask when they're in an informational interview or talking to someone that they really look up to is they'll ask, "Okay, after X company, where did you go?" It tells you their path for sure. It tells you where they went, but the real question I think we should be asking is when you're talking to someone is not where they went, but what did they do in between those two chapters to get them to where they were? I think those actions that occur in between, events and companies and industries is more important.
Yes, I love that. And I know you're still young, fresh out of college, but if you could give even your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Yeah, I think, you know, having a lot of jobs, like I was a lifeguard, camp counselor, you know, back in high school, a lot of those kind of smaller jobs, I would, I would tell myself, don't let that job title define you. But like, let the reputation you have among those you work with define you. And I will definitely carry this with me, you know, from younger self to older self is don't worry about the job title so much, but think about the impact that you have on your coworkers and the legacy you leave behind. I think will mean a lot more than the title on LinkedIn or the name tag you wear every day.
And in your opinion, kind of going a different route, in your opinion, what's the key to happiness?
I'd say the key to happiness is like kind of just boils down to freedom and to having agency in your own life and the ability to do what is best for you. A lot of people people, you know, we think like money is the key to happiness, or it'll make us happier. But I think happiness, you know, is a symptom— like money is a symptom, or no, happiness is a symptom to the freedom you obtain from it. So every decision, you know, you make that restricts your freedom, it's therefore restricting your happiness. So that's kind of how I see the key to happiness.
And what is the best book that you've read? And what was the number one thing you learned from that?
So the best book I read, I guess it's going to sound like I was trying to trick people, but it's called— you've probably heard of it— How to Win Friends and Influence People. And after reading that book, something that I took away from it was if you want something from someone, if you want to better yourself, find a way that when they help you, you will be helping them as well. So it's just like a win-win situation. And I think if you find the win-win situations, then more people will be willing to help you and to work with you.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
I'd say my favorite quote is, it's kind of simple, but it's just, people are the best thing that can happen to anyone. And I think of this because people in your life, they come and go. Not every relationship is perfect. But even if they come into your life, and they maybe taught you some things, they kind of you know, that relationship you walked away from wasn't the best, but at least you walked away and what they brought into your life was a learning experience that you can bring on to other people that come into your life.
Thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is where is the best place for people to find and/or connect with you online?
Yeah, so I would say either Twitter @Wolf_Celine and on LinkedIn. Those are definitely the two places to find me.
Perfect. Thanks again for hopping on.
Okay, thanks so much, Tyler.
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