A question I get asked really often is why did I create PropelHer’s Book Club and in this post I am going to share the story behind the creation of PropelHer’s Book Club (A women-only non-fiction book club for personal development and professional success running in London and online).
Prefer to watch than read? Then check out the video version!
My passion for reading started as a really young child. My passion of reading came from my Mum. When I was in Primary School I can remember heading to the library every Saturday and then choosing my 6 books for the next week. I was obsessed with reading and that passion continued until my late teens, when I was overcome with books for studying. After completing a degree, a masters and a Professional Diploma in Marketing, my love of books had disappeared. I couldn’t face looking at a book and for a few years they weren’t part of my life at all.
Then in March 2015, for some unknown reason, I decided to get a copy of Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg and Strong Woman by Karren Brady. I can’t remember what inspired me to order those books, but after reading them both I was hooked! Lean In and Strong Woman re-sparked my energy and enthusiasm for reading, but not just reading any books. I wanted to specifically read non-fiction books. Books that would support my personal growth, my self-development and help me to achieve more professional success.
In the beginning, my focus was on female-focused titles, but I quickly began ordering autobiographies of entrepreneurs and other ‘classic’ personal development books like Think and Grow Rich. I was really enjoying reading everything I was reading, but I soon realised I had no-one to discuss the books with. Some of the books raised issues that I wanted to be able to discuss with others. For example, in Lean In Sheryl Sandberg talks about how ambitious women are perceived negatively by both women and men. As an ambitious woman, this was hard to take and I really wanted to be able to talk to someone about it.
My quest to find others ambitious women led me to check out events in London. Since London is a major city that attracts talent from around the world, I knew it was full of ambitious women and there would be events to cater to those women. My expectations were correct and there were a lot of events for ambitious women but they focused on entrepreneurs or women with corporate careers. I didn’t fit into either category because I was working in the arts and although I knew I wanted to achieve more success in my life I didn’t know if that was through my career or a business. I just wanted to be able to connect with other ambitious women who were committed to their personal development and reading the same sorts of books as me. I decided that I couldn’t be the only woman in London who could benefit from the non-fiction book club and if one didn’t exist I would just make my own.
Around the time, I was visiting all of these London events I joined a Lean In Circle. My Lean In Circle was amazing. The group of women were so supportive, the discussions were highly informative and after every session I was driven to push myself that bit harder. I loved how inspired and motivated I was after each session. I wanted to help others feel that way and that was when I decided to combine my passion with supporting ambitious women, with my love of reading to create PropelHer’s Book Club – a women-only non-fiction book club that is specifically focused on reading to support your personal growth, self-improvement and professional success.
Each year when I choose the books for PropelHer’s Book Club I aim to ensure that different aspects of personal development are covered. For example in 2017 we have read Nice Girls Don’t Get Rich (Money), Talk Like Ted (Presenting), Never Eat Alone (Networking), The Magic of Thinking Big (Mindset), The Miracle Morning (Daily Routines) and much more. By joining PropelHer’s Book Club you know that you will be reading a varied selection of books to help you grow in different ways, but by the end of the year, you will be a better woman. The books are chosen to suit ANY ambitious woman! It doesn’t matter if you have your own business, want to join the C-Suite or are anywhere in between!
At PropelHer’s Book Club, each month a different book is recommended and then we come together to discuss the book. Through the session we will delve deeper into the book, you get to hear other people’s insights and opinions, and then I encourage everyone to think how they can apply the lessons from the book to their own life!
Phew!! I know this was a longer than usual blog post, but that is the story of how I created PropelHer’s Book Club in 2016. Over the last four years, the book club and the PropelHer community has grown and I am delighted in 2020 to be running two chapters: one in LONDON and one ONLINE (through a video conference call).
If you would like to join in with PropelHer’s Book Club in 2020 then head over to www.propelher.co.uk/bookclub2020/.
