Kristal Graybiel could have built a business anywhere but despite her many doubters, chose Anderson, her hometown.
The former Miss Indiana said her family has a rich history in Anderson. This business was a way of deepening those roots.
Monday morning she, her husband, Chuck, and Kojak Fuller, former life coach and Indiana’s Mr. Basketball, challenged a group of local highs choolers to network locally.
A necessary ingredient for building connections is integrity — being a good person, she said.
“If you have integrity, nothing else matters, If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters,” Graybiel said, quoting a saying from her upbringing.
Building connections can come with obstacles, both external and internal. Fuller emphasized the latter as being of high importance.
“What conversations are you having with yourself?” the former Mr. Basketball asked the students gathered at the future location of Studio Zen, a local healing center, on Main Street.
Such conversations, he said, often drive one’s life choices.
Fuller told the story of his life, from becoming a father in high school to spending more than seven years in prison. He discussed his passion for young people, particularly, locals.
He and Graybiel talked about Anderson and how they want to make it better.
Their speeches were part of a trip taken by Anderson High School students in which they toured and talked with local businesses.
It was part of Graybiel’s interpersonal communication course. She also hoped to give students a sense of pride in their city while improving their interpersonal communication skills.
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.