Via University of Oregon Alumni Association: Kare Anderson graduated from the School of Journalism and Communication in 1971. The speaker and writer now lives in the Bay Area, where she runs the Say it Better Center, her vehicle for promoting mutuality and connectivity.
“I believe in paths,” said Anderson. “The path I had, I was very curious about people and why they did what they did. As a daydreamer, I like to think about people. Writing and journalism were ways for me to explore my interests.”
While a student at the UO, Anderson had summer fellowships with the Wall Street Journal and the Sacramento Bee. After completing her time at the University of Oregon, Anderson undertook a fellowship with Coro, an organization dedicated to training leaders to strengthen communities and the democratic process.
After Coro, Anderson returned to the Wall Street Journal, this time based in London and reporting on European affairs. Through her job she was able to participate in a special program with the London School of Economics for working journalists. She pursued her passion—reporting on inequality—and after returning to America appeared on an NBC show, discussing justice alongside others reporting on health, finance, and food. Her segment earned her an Emmy, which jump started her speaking career.
Today, with the Say it Better Center, Anderson puts her years of experience with The Wall Street Journal and NBC to the test and markets her skills as a speaker and consultant, encouraging her clients to practice connective behavior.
“The people that will be most sought after will be the people who know their talents and their most likeable temperament, who can find and work with complementary people. You can’t have a mutuality mindset if you don’t connect with people,” asserted Anderson.
This was the subject of her February 2014 TEDxBerkeley talk, “Redefine Your Life around Mutuality.” The mutuality mindset is an attitude of openness that fosters what Anderson calls the sweet spot of connection. She asserts this is the key to finding supporters and creating opportunities.
This theory is also at the core of her September 2014 TED Talk, “Be an Opportunity Maker.” She will elaborate on the subject of opportunity makers in an upcoming book.
In addition to writing her book, in the next year Anderson plans to spend time traveling, with paid speaking engagements in India and China enabling her to do pro bono work in those countries with non-profits that are combating poverty and human trafficking-related issues. She is also involved with a pro bono group of lawyers in the U.S. who are working to gain support for the closure of Guantanamo Bay, and similar U.S.-operated detention camps which the group believes is violating the law.
“I strongly encourage students to find a cause that has structure. Something that has leverage,” she said. “People hunger for a meaningful community.”
Anderson’s journey has carried her from the University of Oregon to more than 18 countries, where she has been featured at events as a public speaker. She has served as a consultant and coach to companies, sports teams, government leaders, and non-profits. A Forbes columnist and frequent contributor to the Huffington Post, she continues to write and report. Anderson doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk. A prime example of our world’s interconnected complexity, her life is also a celebration of the success of a mutuality mindset.
