“You know you’re a little bit crazy.” Those were the first 6 words I heard George Ira Carroll say to my colleague in a quiet room in front of everyone at Conscious Business Connection (CBC)!
My jaw dropped, but luckily my colleague agreed with a big sh*t eating grin on her face, “Yeah….?”
George Ira Carroll
I think it is safe to say that George Ira Carroll has perfected the art of shock and awe. For the 30 minutes following that he proceeded to delve into the depths of an entrepreneur’s mind. That’s like entering a black hole, where you can get lost dissecting and analyzing every little nuance. Yet he clearly has been on this journey before. George deftly steered the conversation from problem to solution sprinkling in a number of AHA moments and lifting the weight of self-imposed limitations for, I think, everyone in the room!
Needless to say I was intrigued. Beyond that I was drawn to how he connected with everyone in an authentic, sincere and meaningful way. I thought, here’s a guy that’s got it dialed in. He’s being himself, running his own business and is successful doing so. I wondered, what was his story? And so I decided to interview him for Admirables, which was quite a fun and inspiring conversation for me.
Childhood
The Kid "Version" of George Ira Carroll
Born and raised in Peublo Colorado, George had a fairly conventional upbringing. Like many young boys, George was exposed to adult-content material that severely warped his sense of reality and caused him to doubt his own virility. This experience shaped much of his adolescence and young adulthood as George would put on a facade to mask his own feelings of inadequacy. “I grew up with very low self-esteem”
Sports became a copping mechanism for George to hide his low self-esteem. “Fortunately I had football there to kinda shield off my deep insecurities about myself.”
He grew up with a lot of older boys “Most of my childhood was really surrounded by sports…I grew up with mostly guys that were a little older than me, which forced me to step up my game athletically.”
George Ira Carroll Playing Football
As a result of his athletic drive and dedication, George attended UNC on a football scholarship with dreams for going pro. He pushed himself, worked hard, and was close to breaking the school’s record for yards run in his college career. Than George was tackled from behind, the angel and force of which shattered his leg and with it his dreams. “It was a pretty touchy time for me in my life…it was a childhood dream that came to an end very abruptly.”
After graduating he decided to move to the big City, Denver, because of the “opportunity for growth and the diversity.”
Overcoming Adversity
George started in technology sales after college and began moving up in the company from sales to manager really quickly. After two years in a management position he realized that there was a misalignment between his values and those of the company.
“The leadership was really autocratic, my bosses there came from the military…the way that they treated people there wasn’t right, it didn’t sit right with my values. It got to the point where I was defending my team against this big corporation, right, and these horrible managers and horrible leadership.”
The misalignment of his values coupled with the heart breaking end of a romantic relationship lead him to a deep depression. “I wasn’t fit to lead people and I resigned.”
He recalled lying the fetal position on the bed thinking, “There has to be more to life than just this!”
………George Ira Carroll’s story will con’t in Part 2……