Kristen Wheeler's Blog

One time I was in a fight with my boyfriend. Etched into my memory is him standing a few stairs above me yelling, “You overanalyze everything! All those graduate degrees made you into someone who thinks too much!”

It can be searing to be criticized for your Native Genius. But less so when you have some ways to weather the storm and come out on your own side.

What hurt about his comment is that he knew how much I cherished what I had studied. I mustered a deep truth and yelled back, “Those grad...

Several years ago, I took a class for fun. Afterwards one of my fellow classmates, who was also taking the class for fun, said this to me,

“That one part was the hardest for me. That’s what I should practice.”

Do you do this too? Do you have some kind of experience — personal or professional — and then it’s like an automatic radar system immediately activates in your mind, honing in on the things you didn’t do well? Then you add these things to the list of things you “need to get better at,” w...

Recently I was on the phone with a courier service. When I gave my credit card, which has my husband’s name on it, the dispatcher said, “Paul DesRosiers?! Did he used to be a bike messenger here?” I said, “Yes he did. You remember him?” He said, “Yes, gosh that was twenty years ago. He was a rockstar. One of our best ever.”

Contrast this with another job that Paul got fired from, on his first day.

You’ll see why in some roles you’ll be a hero and in others, maybe not a villain, but definitely ...

Several years ago, I replaced four cracked tiles in my kitchen floor. I couldn’t find matching ones but I got close—kind of. Disappointed after the tile guy left, I showed a friend who comforted me, “Don’t worry. You can’t even tell it’s a patch.” Can’t even tell?! I thought, trying not to roll my eyes. So I decided to conduct a little experiment to find out if she was right.

My research tested how conspicuous the new tile was, but what really surfaced was how attention works when it comes Nati...

When people hear about my work, Native Genius, some smile knowingly—they “get it” without explanation. Others ask, “What is that?” I tell them, “It’s what it sounds like. It’s what comes naturally that has exponential potential. It’s kernels of intelligence and desire that insistently come out—like acorns growing into oak trees. We all have Native Genius—and it isn’t one thing, it’s many things.”

The two key elements of Native Genius are desire and ability. The Native part is desire and the Ge...