Kari Byron
White Rabbit Project
San Francisco, CA USA
"These opportunities will come your way, and you can choose to be scared and not take them, or you can go for it and see what happens."
Career Roadmap
Kari's work combines: Engineering, Television, and Problem Solving
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
My whole life I've struggled with crippling shyness and occasionally depression. Since a large part of my job is in the public eye, being followed by cameras, public speaking, etc., it has been difficult at times to adjust. Most days, I take it one step at a time until I make it through. I'm never going to be fully over it, I just had to learn to go for it!
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Film/Cinema/Media Studies
San Francisco State University
Bachelor's Degree
Sculpture
San Francisco State University
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Growing up, she was shockingly shy; she was too timid to even walk to the bus with her neighbors.
2.
But she was also always very curious, and she had a hard time deciding on a college major; she eventually landed on studying film and sculpture.
3.
When college ended, she was terrified; she didn’t want to take the next steps to figure out what to do with her life
4.
To cope, she decided to travel, and she spent a year traveling the world for cheap; the experiences she had on that journey helped her find her courage, and stimulated her curiosity.
5.
When she got back from her travels, she started pursuing practical film effects and prop making; her first job in the field was as an unpaid intern working for Jamie Hyneman.
6.
When Hyneman started filming Mythbusters, Kari did anything possible to be included on the show; eventually, she got to join the “Build Team,” who facilitated the scientific experiments.
7.
Looking back, she can’t believe that shy little girl she once was now appears on television and does public speaking events for a living!
8.
She’s become an advocate for women in strong, powerful roles—especially in STEM—because when she was growing up, the media didn’t show her examples of women in those positions.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I'm too shy to make it in television.
How I responded:
My whole life I've struggled with crippling shyness and occasionally depression. Since a large part of my job is in the public eye, being followed by cameras, public speaking, etc., it has been difficult at times to adjust. Most days, I take it one step at a time until I make it through. I'm never going to be fully over it, I just had to learn to go for it!
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I have an art background, not a science background. I had to teach myself most of what I know so that I could explain complex things to people as concisely as possible.
I've struggled with depression my whole life and I often go through big bouts of uncertainity and have to take some days moment by moment, which can be very hard when you have a camera in your face.