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I am delighted to announce that my research and TEDx Talk titled “Stories of COVID” has been recognized by the Bounce Back Challenges with the 2021 Bounce Back Award. This award recognizes outstanding projects and initiatives designed to help humanity process and work through the pandemic.
Stories of COVID is an international ethnographic (anthropological) archive documenting the pandemic in real time. It follows the legacy of my first book and study, titled “Stories of Elders,” which documented the high-tech revolution through interviews with those born before 1945.
The goal of Stories of COVID is to capture the very real sentiments of the developing pandemic, from its outset to the (hopeful) retreat of the virus and return of close communal connections. What sets it apart is the bottom-up approach of the interviews. Rather than summarize the events of the time, these interviews offer an intimate and emotional perspective of the true consequence of living through a global pandemic.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the project as it develops and to the Bounce Back Challenges for the honor!
“There’s one thing I regret about working with Veronica – not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects.”— Niki A., Executive Coach
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S81EgY6gCyQ
Anthropology is one of the most versatile fields one can enter. Unfortunately, it has been repeatedly called one of the worst degrees to invest in due to a lack of understanding of its strengths. In this article, I’m going to explain how anthropological consultants could be helping today’s COVID-19 businesses manage their work from home transition like never before.
First, let’s step back and look at what anthropologists are good at.
anthropology and culture Anthropology is the study of human cultures. Cultural anthropology studies living human cultures, while archaeology studies past human cultures.
How could this benefit a COVID-19 world? And how could it benefit business owners?
Today, our culture is shifting, not just individually from mask wearing and standing in line to go into a grocery store, but also from a vast change in the work-from-home cultural norms.
Suddenly, businesses that have traditionally offered only in-person employment have been forced to allow their employees to work from home in order to stay safe during the pandemic. And, overwhelmingly, their employees are loving it.
Many companies work hard at creating a company culture that is welcoming, engaging, and unique. How does a company maintain a culture when their employees are scattered across the city, across the region, and across the world?
enter the anthropological consultant Anthropologists are experts at understanding the fabric of culture. They don’t just study and document culture. They understand how culture works, whether it be their own or others. Anthropologists are trained to remove their own biases in order to become a tabula rasa, the ability to see, hear, and understand without the influence of one’s own assumptions.
Anthropological consultants have been used for years in companies like Zappos and General Motors in order to support sales in different markets (read: different cultures) around the world.
But to believe that anthropologists would only be useful in selling to other markets would be missing out on their true potential in a COVID-19 world.
Many entrepreneurs and business owners are in a panic because they suddenly lack the daily in person contact with their employees that put them in the driver’s seat of reinforcing company culture. They feel out of control of their company culture. This is where an anthropological consultant could shine.
Anthropologists are trained to understand culture. An anthropological consultant can enter a company, study its messaging, its employees, its methods of communication, the very fabric of that culture, and understand it immediately. An anthropological consultant can then formalize and translate it, even when many of the company traditions were built in person and its staff is now primarily working from home.
building a work from home culture So what are some solutions that an anthropological consultant might provide to an entrepreneur or business owner who is feeling like their company culture is suddenly out of their hands?
This is something that I did with one of my own entrepreneur clients at the beginning of COVID-19. They are an event company, and wanted to continue to engage with their target market — couples — by offering virtual events.
How could we bring a dinner and a show to the customer even though we couldn’t do it in person? As an anthropologist, I understood that what was lost between an in person and virtual event wasn’t the food and music, but an experience, and a physical one at that. And so myself and my client bridged that gap by creating a physical kit that was sent to every customer who signed up for tickets to the show. Higher paying customers also received an additional pre-show session with a chef in order to make a special meal.
Inside the kits were things like candles, snacks, and other things that would make the night feel that much more special, replicating in a small way the change of scenery of leaving our homes in order to change our physical states and feel like we can focus on our partners.
An anthropologist understands the moving parts that help form a culture, and how to replicate them in a work-from-home environment. In addition to a physical kit for employees, an anthropological consultant might also suggest regular company meetings, employee contests, and other forms of engagement in order to continue to weave a fabric of culture and support into the foundation of the company, even through working remote.
Finally, there are tools available to small business owners and entrepreneurs that can help facilitate an in person in office environments. Despite not being in the office, tools like Moot or Visual Office offer the feeling of understanding where and when your coworkers are working, which help replace that loss of the in person office flow.
If you are a business owner and you feel unsure about the future of your company culture, I highly suggest hiring an anthropological consultant to support your work from home transition, so you can confidently move forward even after the pandemic has passed.
If you are an anthropologist and an entrepreneur, it may be time to reach out to fellow business owners in order to support them using the superpowers you gained in your training.
“There’s one thing I regret about working with Veronica – not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects.”— Niki A., Executive Coach
A resource for business owners & entrepreneurs who want to reclaim their time. Become a SCALING:lab Member and receive the articles + case studies a week before they’re live to the public..
Whether or not you’re as big a fan of portmanteau’s as I am, Anthropology and Entrepreneurship go together like peas and carrots. They are a perfect fit for audacious growth, impact driven business, and social enterprise.
Yet, most Anthropologists don’t realize the value of their degree. I want to change that.
Entrepreneurship requires several key traits in a person. One must be willing to think outside the box. Entrepreneurs tend to be a little weird, as they see the world as it could be, not just as it is. And entrepreneurs tend to be risk takers.
These two careers to hand in hand. At one point I had a marketing director tell me he’d rather hire an anthropologist rather than a marketer. He understood that, due to our training, anthropologists can see into target markets and groups in a way that most other professions cannot. It’s kind of our super power.
How Anthropreneurship and Applied Anthropology Differ
In Applied Anthropology: Domains of Application, Kedia and Van Willigen define the process as a “complex of related, research-based, instrumental methods which produce change or stability in specific cultural systems through the provision of data, initiation of direct action, and/or the formulation of policy”. That is, Applied Anthropology is the field within Anthropology that utilizes its best practices to provide expertise to organizations and real-world problems.
One of the best known applied anthropologists is Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health, which brings medicine to non-western groups in a manner that fits their cultural expectations. That is, rather than pressing western goals and methods on non-western cultures, Partners in Health innovate new methods of delivery and management. In doing so, the organization has achieved success where others failed.
Applied anthropologists tend to continue their ties to a university and academia. Anthropreneurs do not. Anthropreneurs leverage their training to create and innovate in business without answering to a research body.
This can be a sticky area for the field of anthropology. Some bad actors in the early days of the study of anthropology left a bad taste for the field as a whole. As a result, anthropologists tend to steer away from work in the mainstream market. Sadly, this shoots the field in the foot, since anthropologists have both the insight and the worldview to solve problems, connect peoples, and innovate.
Why Anthropreneurship matters to a COVID-19 Society
Again, anthropreneurs can rise to the challenge and create organizations that support this shift, help others navigate, and guide us to a new paradigm. We innovate, see into the future, and are able to pivot at a moment’s notice. Anthropreneurs understand that systems, cultures, and societies change over time. In fact, they must change as new people are born, new beliefs created, and new paradigms emerge. The pandemic is a global shift, but anthropreneurs know it is not without precedence and can use the past to shift in business to support the future.
The Future of Anthropology + Anthropreneurship
Anthropologists have a wonderful advantage in any field. We have been trained to see past our own biases and into the truth, as much as one human can. We use ethnography, the voices of many, to point the way to preserving history, culture, and painting what is possible.
Anthropreneurship takes these distinct advantages and applies them to business. Anthropreneurs grow businesses that are more equitable, flexible, and sustainable. What if the world had more anthropreneurs like that?
“There’s one thing I regret about working with Veronica – not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects.”— Niki A., Executive Coach
A resource for business owners & entrepreneurs who want to reclaim their time. Become a SCALING:lab Member and receive the articles + case studies a week before they’re live to the public..
I am so pleased, honored, and excited to announce Stories of Elders won the 2020 National Indie Excellence Award for US History. This is an incredible achievement, and I am eternally thankful to those of you that have supported this work along the way, whether by sponsoring, donating, or contributing to different stages of the work.
This award is not just an accolade. It helps ensure the ultimate mission of this book: to preserve the experience of the high-tech revolution and its effects on society for future generations that won’t have the context for understanding our analog past. These paradigm shifts have befores and afters, and while they are often difficult to grasp in the moment, someone, somewhere will look back and wonder what it was like. Stories of Elders will tell that story. By the way, I am currently working to document the paradigm shift of COVID-19. Another “Stories of” book is in the works!
We have also been recognized as a FINALIST in the 2020 International Book Awards in the General History category. What an absolute honor to be named in a category with fellow authors like Dr. Nina Ansary, who has done historic work advocating for female emancipation in Iran.
“There’s one thing I regret about working with Veronica – not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects.”— Niki A., Executive Coach
https://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/storiesofelders-bookawards.jpg12602240Veronica Kirinhttps://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VSignatureGold-1024x363.pngVeronica Kirin2020-07-15 13:53:002023-05-08 14:16:22Stories of Elders Wins Two Book Awards
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This week I learned that my book’s documentary was selected for the Lift-Off Film Festival 2020. Soon after, we made the Finalist distinction! This is very exciting for a number of reasons. First, it will widen the awareness of my book and work, as the documentary will be screened in both the UK and Los Angeles. Second, it gives much-deserved distinction to David Astudillo, who took the footage I gathered during the interviews I conducted in my research and turned them into something marvelous. Finally, it is a perfect demonstration of persistence paying off.
So much of entrepreneurship is about persistence, especially as an author, which is why I created the Entrepreneurial Authorship Course. One of the most prolific and awarded authors of our time, Jacob Appel, has been rejected by publishers 21,000 times while having published 215 stories and won several awards. Our work takes time and patience.
I conducted my research for Stories of Elders in 2015. It took three years to write the book, finally publishing in 2018 through Identity Publications. In between research and publishing, David approached me and stated he had an interest in making my work into a documentary. Lucky for us, I had recorded footage of the interviews I’d conducted. The night of my book launch I didn’t read from the book — I screened his film, which brought the audience into my seat during interviews and told the story in an intimate manner.
Today that documentary is being used to prime the next wave of interviews with Generation Z. Their reaction to the film creates a perfect compare / contrast between the last analog generation and the first all-tech generation.
I applied to many more film festivals than will ever accept us. That’s simply how it works. But so many authors and entrepreneurs get discouraged after only a few no’s.
“There’s one thing I regret about working with Veronica – not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects.”— Niki A., Executive Coach
https://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/lift-off-film-festival-stories-of-elders-5505033.jpg10801920Veronica Kirinhttps://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VSignatureGold-1024x363.pngVeronica Kirin2020-03-02 11:09:002023-05-08 14:16:34Stories of Elders a Finalist at Lift Off Film Festival
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What an amazing day. I am still reeling from the love, excitement, and gratitude received by all of you.
On September 30, 2018, I hosted a Release Party for my book, Stories of Elders, in Downtown Grand Rapids. I was honored that eight of the elders whom I interviewed in the book attended the event, and they signed the books alongside me. 100 friends, family, and community members also attended, as did FOX17 news.
The accompanying Documentary, edited by local filmmaker David Astudillo, was also premiered at the event. I was delighted to hear the audience laugh, moan, and comment on the film. Several asked for a feature length documentary, which is now being considered.
Next comes the local book tour. I will be offering signings at libraries and bookstores across Michigan, as well as at a conference in Bloomington, Indiana. You can help make this book a success by sharing the book with your friends and colleagues. I am also offering to speak at schools and universities in a combined documentary screening + tech discussion with students.
The book was published by Identity Publications. Thank you to Gregory V. Diehl for your time and expertise. Onward!
“There’s one thing I regret about working with Veronica – not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects.”— Niki A., Executive Coach
https://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/storiesofelders-booklaunch.jpg12602240Veronica Kirinhttps://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VSignatureGold-1024x363.pngVeronica Kirin2018-09-30 13:22:002023-05-08 14:16:49Stories of Elders Book Release Party
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We’ve been in the studio for several days, now, recording the Stories of Elders audiobook. I’ve been surprised by how quickly my voice becomes hoarse, how tired I am of hyper-focusing my vision on the text, and annoying it is to repeat the same line over and over because of my Midwestern articulation!
I now can honestly say that recording an audiobook does not come naturally to me. However, I am honored and extremely blessed to have the support of Dan Salas of Vida Recording Studio and Video Productions. He is so good natured that it almost doesn’t feel like work!
We are approximately halfway through the recording process. The book is 90,000 words long, which means two weeks in the studio only puts us halfway.
I’ll be spending all week with Dan and our mutual friend, Tim Sokoloski, who is sponsoring a portion of the studio time. I’m so thankful for their good attitudes and willingness to laugh when I just can’t make it through a sentence without messing up the words. Repeatedly. You can catch some of our sessions on Facebook Live.
We are announcing the Launch Party for the book very soon. Stay tuned!
“There’s one thing I regret about working with Veronica – not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects.”
