You don’t have to burn yourself out to build a successful business.

I learned that the hard way.

On paper, everything looked great.
✔ Built three businesses to $200M in revenue
✔ Bootstrapped a service business to $25M with 25 people in five years
✔ Scaled a VC-backed tech company to $28M ARR in under two years with just 12 people
✔ Made a double-sided consumer marketplace profitable in three months with a five-person team
✔ Raised $30M in venture capital

But behind the scenes, I was exhausted, constantly putting out fires, and convinced the business would fall apart if I stepped away.

So I pushed harder, thinking that was the only way.

Then life forced me to stop.

I ran headfirst into a glass window. A concussion took me out for eight weeks. No emails, no meetings, no problem-solving. For the first time, I couldn’t step in to fix things.

And when I came back, I was shocked. The business hadn’t just survived. It had thrived.

That moment forced me to question everything.

I always thought the key to scaling was working harder and building better systems. And systems did help. But what really made the difference wasn’t the business. It was me.

I had built a company that depended on me, not because it had to, but because I didn’t know how to let go. I believed that stepping back meant losing control. That if I wasn’t involved in everything, things would fall apart.

That belief had to change.

Learning to trust my team, step back, and stop being the bottleneck wasn’t easy. But once I did, everything changed.

The systems worked because I let them. My team thrived because I gave them space. And the business grew faster than ever, not because I was in every decision, but because I wasn’t.

Now, I help founders do the same.

Most founders come to me because they feel stuck. They’re scaling, but at the cost of their time, health, and freedom. It doesn’t have to be that way.

If you’re ready to build a business that grows without you being in the weeds, join me for daily insights on scaling, leadership, and personal growth.

Let’s get started.
—--
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⚫️ 1:1 CEO Coaching – If you want direct guidance to break free from the grind, let’s talk. 

Let’s connect:
Email: hello@christinecarrillo.com
Twitter: @ChristineCarril

Christine Carrillo

Co-Founder & CEO of Curious Cardinals — reimagining education for an AI world✏️⭐️ 

I paused Stanford to pursue a radical idea: what if learning started with what students actually care about?

While everyone's racing to build tutor bots, we're doubling down on what only humans can do: inspire curiosity, unlock potential, and help young people discover who they are.

Today we're a thriving global platform serving thousands of students worldwide through 900+ college mentors. Because in a world where kids can Google anything, what they really need is someone to help them figure out what questions to ask and why they matter.

Forbes 30 Under 30 at 19. Featured on CNN, CNBC, Today Show. Speaker at DVF InCharge Conference. Raised $7M from Anthos Capital & Audacious Ventures.

Audrey Wisch

In a sea of SaaS sameness, this team stood out.

Literally. Their adorable corgi caught my eye even more than their beyond impressive $100M+ raise in my LinkedIn feed. 

Then I walked by their corgi cafe near my office and thought okay in startup office central, this is smart marketing.

And it’s not just great marketing. They’ve got an awesome product. And they’re tackling one of the most antiquated, ripe-for-disruption industries out there: insurance.

As a marketing-obsessed founder, it’s rare for a brand to completely captivate my attention. So I did what any marketing passionate curious founder would and showed up to their office.

Turns out their co-founder Emily Yuan also dropped out of Stanford. And while Stanford dropouts are a cliche, female dropouts are rare.

And even cooler? We were both supposed to be class of 2023, both left in 2021, and somehow never crossed paths until now! The only other one I know (please reach out if you’re with us!). 

Oh and their corgi is even cuter in person.

Kudos to Emily Yuan for tackling a massive market in such a distinctive way, all while being incredibly kind and humble.

And fellow founders: we all need insurance. Sign up for Corgi !!

CEO of Curious Cardinals | Forbes 30 Under 30 | We’re hiring!

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The question I asked myself driving to Stanford yesterday: "Do I really have time for this?"

The answer I had driving back: Nothing fills my cup more !

I spoke to Stanford Women in Business yesterday, a group I never joined as a pre-law student, but one where many of my closest friends found their community. From the moment they reached out, I was impressed: crisp communication, thoughtful preparation, a moderator who actually did her homework (shoutout Hannah Yu).

But what stuck with me was the line of 10+ students waiting to talk afterwards. These are the people who stay to shake a speaker's hand, introduce themselves, say thank you, ask another thoughtful question. The ones who make every ounce of mentorship worthwhile.

A few mentioned it was refreshing to hear a founder's perspective in a sea of consulting and finance recruiting. 

I was honest: Stanford's entrepreneurial scene didn't feel like it was for me. I would not have founded Curious Cardinals if it weren't for the pandemic sending us home. I love the d.school's obsession with solving real world problems. What rubbed me wrong was the fetishization of being a founder. Not solving important problems. That felt twisted.

Apparently that resonated.

It's rare to find a room full of ambitious, curious people with unlimited potential. If I can leave even a small impact on that group, it's worth clearing my calendar.

Thank you to Marley (the extraordinary president!) and the entire SWIB team for your care and inspiration. I'd rush back to campus anytime for this crew!

The past two weeks, we broke every record at Curious Cardinals:
- Record number of consultation calls
- Record student mentorship sessions
- Record number of mentor applicants 

And it’s only week 2 of January.

Our biggest challenge now?
We need more hands on deck. So, WE’RE HIRING.

Are you someone who is:
👉 Tired of spending your days behind a screen with zero human connection?
👉 Sick of selling B2B software that doesn’t really change lives?
👉 Frustrated by an education system that feels stuck,  no matter how hard you work?

Now flip it:
💬 Do you love talking to students and parents?
🧭 Get energy from helping families navigate big decisions?
🚀 Hungry to grow fast in a mission-driven startup?

If you’re nodding yes... this might be your next move.

We’re hiring for Sales / Family Admissions.

You’ll spend your days:
✨ Talking to parents
✨ Matching students with mentors
✨ Guiding families toward the right path forward
✨ Doing work that actually matters

🔗 Apply here:
https://lnkd.in/e_4AQ_Hz 

💰 Know someone who’d be perfect?
We’re offering a $2,000 referral bonus if we hire them.

"Why would I hire a new grad when AI can do their job for free?"

That's not me talking. That's what I'm hearing from founders and hiring managers every week.

Recent college graduates are experiencing worse employment outcomes than the broader workforce, and it's not because they're less capable. It's because the roles that once trained young professionals are being automated out of existence.

But here's what folks are not discussing enough: the skills that made you "entry-level valuable" in 2019 are now table stakes for AI. The bar is much higher.

After 5 years managing thousands of Gen Z mentors, here's what separates those who thrive:

1. Be the anti-stereotype. 
Show up early. Stay late. Ask for feedback, then follow up sharing what you learned. Every Gen Z cliché you defy is trust earned that you're "different."

2. Master ambiguity. 
Our school system rewards kids who follow instructions perfectly. You know who else follows instructions exceptionally well? AI. Learn how to take initiative with ambiguity. Employers will pay premium for people who know how to take action without crystal-clear guidance. This is a skill gap hiding in plain sight.

3. Deliver craftsmanship, not just output. 
In a world where AI drafts anything in seconds, your edge is work so polished, so creative, so aesthetically pleasing that no one can tell what role AI played. Use the tools, but make the final product unmistakably yours.

4. Build your proof. 
When grade inflation makes GPAs meaningless, portfolios show what you're capable of. A personal site with real projects, a Substack with original thinking, automations you've built... these signal creator, not just passive consumer.

5. Embrace technical skills. 
The young people I'd hire tomorrow? They're building Zapier workflows, pulling data left and right to inform their future strategy, experimenting with AI agents. They don't wait to be taught. They figure it out, and uplevel themselves constantly.

The entry-level jobs of a pre-AI, pre-pandemic aren't coming back. 

But the opportunities for young people who bring energy, initiative, and genuine curiosity? Those are multiplying.

Niara B. was accepted to every single Ivy League.

And the more you get to know her, the less surprising that CRAZY ACCOLADE becomes.

As a high schooler, she wasn't asking "What will look good on my resume?"

She was asking: How does the congestion from school drop-off impact local air quality?

And she didn't just wonder. She reached out to Georgia Tech, found mentors, and conducted original research to explore it, earning 4th place in the world at ISEF.

She's also deeply authentic.

When someone criticized playing sports if you're not going D1, Niara pushed back. She played tennis her whole life. Not for optics, but because she loved it.

Yes, she was busy. 
- State championship tennis team. 
- Student Government President. 
- 400+ service hours. 
- Harvard Book Award. 
- National Geoscience Award for Women in Science. 
- Commendations from the Georgia Legislature and the U.S. President.

But she was busy doing things that mattered to her.

Getting accepted to every Ivy is an insane accolade. But when you meet someone like Niara (now a Curious Cardinals mentor (lucky us!)), it simply makes sense.

Because there's no formula.

There's curiosity. Initiative. Authenticity. Sustained effort toward things that genuinely matter.

As Niara put it: "Luck is hard work and preparation. Opportunities don't present themselves unless you're ready, and grinding toward them. That's exactly what I did."

A Stanford student asked me: "How do you know what's good advice from bad advice?"

Such a good question. My honest answer? You don't, really. What you build instead is the muscle of filtration.

Recently, someone I deeply respect told me: "You're building a mentorship business in SF and that's honestly a curse because you think everything has to be tech-this, scale-that."

Fair point. I understood where he was coming from.

But here's the thing: we're not chasing scale because we're in San Francisco. We're chasing it because we're motivated by systemic impact. Embedding Curious Cardinals in the social infrastructure of the world. And just because there's no perfect example of human services meets tech-enabled personalized learning doesn't discourage us. It motivates us. We want to be that example.

So the real skill isn't sorting advice into "good" vs "bad." 

It's knowing which advice applies to the path you're building, and having the confidence to filter out the rest, even from people you admire.

When you get there, you'll know. And you'll feel really proud of yourself.

A year ago, Annalise was struggling with mental health.

Today, she’s leading mental health advocacy at her high school and serving on the Youth Action Board at Safe Space.

Annalise is a high school freshman who turned her hardest moments into her driving force. She became obsessed with understanding the neuroscience behind mental health: how antidepressants work, how stress shapes the brain, how trauma leaves lasting impacts.

"I wanted to take my experiences and turn them into something positive."

Enter Curious Cardinals.

We matched her with Juliana, a Yale neuroscience mentor. Together, they researched Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), analyzed neurotransmitters, and built a full presentation on the neuroscience of mental health along with a self-care guide designed by a teen for teens.

"I made it because I wanted other teenagers to know how to take care of themselves."

But the most powerful result wasn't the research itself. It was who Annalise grew into.

"A year ago I wouldn't have been able to speak about what I went through. Now I can speak confidently AND I've learned how to do research, understand neuroscience, and how to turn what matters most into a presentation that helps others."

With Juliana’s support, Annelise applied for leadership roles, joined her school’s National Alliance on Mental Illness club, and learned how to turn pain into purpose.

"Our meetings aren't strictly work. We talk about high school, college, and life. We've built an actual relationship."

This is why we do what we do. 

When a freshman learns she can turn her hardest year into advocacy that helps others, that confidence compounds over a lifetime. 💛

In a single instagram story, Zoya Garg shared PRICELESS wisdom in finding a mentor.

As someone who runs a business dedicated to facilitating mentorship for kids, I think constantly about the foundations that lead to strong mentorship as adults.

THIS is it. She nailed it.

Struggling to find your own mentor? Have a friend who’s searching for theirs?Send them Zoya's golden advice.

ps - #4 is precisely how/why I've found all my mentors through Curious Cardinals parents :)

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