Jo Boaler: When the World Tells a Story About You | 100 Stories Ep. 25

100 Stories: The Narrative Intelligence Project · Oct 12, 2026 · 51m · transcript

Stanford professor Dr. Jo Boaler joins 100 Stories for a conversation about growth mindset, identity, public narrative, mathematical ability, struggle, and the stories we develop about intelligence.

Jo has spent years studying what happens when people internalize ideas like “I’m bad at math,” “I’m gifted,” or “I’m smart.”

Then she found herself inside a public story she did not create.

After her work in math education became nationally controversial, Jo received thousands of abusive messages and death threats and watched a version of herself circulate through media and social media that she…