Episode #77: Kara Long - The Memory Collective

Kara Long is an entrepreneur, writer, musician, and artist, born in the little historical town of Irvington, Indiana just east of Indianapolis. In her childhood, she experienced several losses of close family members that shaped her perspective, interests, and life. For a long time, Kara struggled to plot her career path, but when she found herself recording her husband’s great Uncle Al’s World War 2 stories on video in early 2019, everything seemed to fall into place. It turned out that she needed to create her own job to find her life’s mission.

Today, Kara is the founder and owner of The Memory Collective, a recorded oral storytelling company that captures individuals telling their life story on video before those stories are lost or forgotten. In this way, kids and grandkids can stay permanently connected to their parents and grandparents, even after Alzheimer’s, illness, or death. Future generations who never could have heard these stories in person can grow up watching these videos and truly know their ancestors and heritage—far beyond the limited stories faded photos, newspaper clippings, and a list of ethnic percentages could tell. Kara firmly believes that anyone, no matter how old or young, has stories to share that are worth passing down, and that recorded oral storytelling is the fastest, easiest, and most authentic way to do so.

To learn more about capturing your loved one’s or your own life story, check out www.thememorycollective.co.

Grab your free copy of the Legacy Starter Guide to learn how to talk with your loved one about capturing their life story: www.thememorycollective.co/starter-guide