Carol Novello - Founder of Mutual Rescue & Author of “Mutual Rescue: How Adopting a Homeless Animal Can Save You, Too”
Carol Novello
Carol Novello is the founder of Mutual Rescue™ and author of “Mutual Rescue: How Adopting How Adopting A Homeless Animal Can Save You, Too,” (Grand Central Publishing, April 2019).
Mutual Rescue is a national initiative that highlights the connection between people and pets in order to inspire and support life-saving efforts in communities across the nation and world. Mutual Rescue’s first short film, “Eric & Peety” went viral around the globe and has been viewed more than 100 million times. Mutual Rescue aims to change the way people see animal welfare. By sharing stories about connecting a person with an animal, Mutual Rescue hopes to demonstrate that when you adopt from your local animal shelter, you’re not just enhancing an animal’s life—you’re also transforming a person’s life as well. The stories shared by everyday people through the Mutual Rescue movies and book are testaments to the incredible impact that an animal and a person have on each other, and that “rescuing” isn’t in just one direction.
A former senior software executive at Intuit, Carol earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and is proud to include several rescue animals in her family.
I’m so excited for you guys to connect with Carol, check out her work, and follow along as she continues to highlights the connection between people and pets in order to inspire and support life-saving efforts in communities across the nation and world.
I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.
I’m Carol Novello, Founder of Mutual Rescue and author of “Mutual Rescue: How Adopting a Homeless Animal Can Save You, Too” (Grand Central Publishing, April 2019). Mutual Rescue leverages authentic storytelling to win the hearts and minds of individuals in order to:
Elevate the cause of animal welfare by changing the conversation from “people OR animals” to “people AND animals” so they feel good about their decision to support animal welfare.
Create a common, collaborative rallying cry for local shelters that brings the sector together to be more than any one shelter could be alone.
Inspire nationally to drive action locally through engagement with local shelter programs and through fundraising that goes directly to local areas.
Leverage the power of a national brand to attract corporate sponsorships, thereby growing the pie of funds coming into the sector.
How did you get started?
Creating Mutual Rescue really happened by accident! I never dreamed that I would run a non-profit or start a new social enterprise focused on helping animals and people. I was a senior software executive at Intuit for over a decade and decided I needed to take a step back and reassess my life. I thought for sure, though, that I would continue my career in high tech. However, while I was networking to find my next opportunity in high tech, I was introduced to the board chair at Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV). It turns out we shared a mutual love of animals which led to me joining their board of directors. Not long after that, I was asked if I wanted to take over as president. Mutual Rescue was then born out of the work I was doing at HSSV.
What inspired the work that you're doing?
My mother. My childhood.
People would often ask me “Why are you helping animals when you could be helping people?” I thought this was a curious question, so I wanted to change people’s perceptions about animal welfare. I started doing a presentation in the community called “Helping Animals Helps People” and shared stories of how adopting homeless animals actually led to transformations of the peoplewho adopted the animals! That led into creating short films in order to reach more people.I had no idea how much our films would resonate with the world. When we released our first Mutual Rescue film, Eric & Peety, on Valentine’s Day 2016, I had no idea what to expect. When we hit 5,000 views on Facebook, I was ecstatic! I was thrilled that we’d gotten that many views. Little did I know what would happen next. SFGATE posted the film on their Facebook page and that one post alone had 35 million views, generated 200,000 shares and received 50,000 comments!!! That’s when I realized we were really onto something and we needed to do more than just create compelling content. We needed to leverage the energy created by that content for people to take action and ultimately help more shelter animals get adopted, as well as attract more funding into the animal welfare sector.
What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?
I love animals, storytelling, and bringing more joy and light into the world — and Mutual Rescue definitely combines all of those things!
What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?
Spending time with animals brings me great joy, as does spending time with my favorite people — and even better is spending time with both people and animals closest to me! Knowing that Mutual Rescue is helping other people discover that joy brings me tremendous fulfillment. One of the things I find most inspiring about the stories we tell through Mutual Rescue is how so many of the people not only heal, but go on to create more joyful and fulfilling lives for both themselves and those around them.
How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?
Walking, meditating, and spending time with my animals are daily practices that help me stay mindful and grounded.
What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?
Very surprised but also delighted! When I got my MBA at Harvard Business School, I never thought I would end up in the non-profit sector. However, so much of what I’ve been able to accomplish in animal welfare has come about because of my business background. I feel fortunate that I’ve been able to leverage my skills and expertise in a way that is helping both animals and people.
Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?
“The present is a gift.” Reminding myself that “now” is all we really ever have helps me not to take life for granted.
What is your biggest dream?
That every companion animal has a home and every home that wants a companion animal has one (or several!).
To learn more about Carol and her work visit her website www.mutualrescue.org and on Facebook @mutualrescue Twitter @mutualrescue and Instagram @mutualrescue
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