It’s that time of week again, and this week my special guest is the lovely Charelle from PropelHer. I first heard about Charelle through Instagram, and I really admire her drive and her focus in meeting her goals. I am a huge fan of personal development books, and I absolutely love the idea behind Charelle’s book club.

A huge thanks to Charelle for writing such a motivational post – it definitely inspires me to keep on top of my reading 🙂

Hey I’m Charelle, a book-loving Marketer, Success Coach and Founder of PropelHer.

My passion for reading started as a child and I can vividly remember visiting the library every Saturday to choose my new books for the week. Then, as an undergraduate, I was thrilled to write my dissertation as it meant I could spend hours in the library reading (this was very odd for a Dance student).

My passion of reading was definitely passed down to me from my Mum but as a child my Dad would repeatedly tell me that “Knowledge is power” and I took that phrase to heart.

However, in my early twenties I stopped reading. I became pre-occupied with climbing the career ladder and #livingthelondonlife. Reading faded from being a central part of my life.

Thankfully, for a reason I can’t remember, one day I ordered Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg and Strong Woman by Karren Brady… and that was the beginning of my return to books. Although, this time it was different. I wasn’t reading for the sake of reading. Now I had a specific remit. I wanted to learn about becoming successful as a businesswoman, as an entrepreneur, as a marketer and as a human being.

The thing that shocked me the most was how much reading changed my mindset and my outlook on the world. I always knew that books were educational and full of knowledge. I was ready to learn lessons from successful people and discover new strategies to try out. What I hadn’t planned for was for reading to really challenge my beliefs about myself, success and the world. It was this drastic shift in mindset, which made me believe that anything is possible. This new found belief compelled me to want to share the joy and benefits of non-fiction books with the world.

So that passion led to me creating a book club as part of PropelHer (PropelHer’s Book Club) and each month I recommend a different book to support personal development and professional growth. Women all around the world read the same book and then we have discussions in London and online. Seeing photos of women from all around the world reading the same book, at the same time, because of me is surreal. I distinctly remember the first time a woman from Hawaii posted a picture of the book of the month and I couldn’t believe that she was sitting in sunny Hawaii, as I was sitting in not-so-sunny London, reading the same book.

Apparently running a book club wasn’t enough. As PropelHer is female-focused I wanted to find a way to share my book experiences with men too. This resulted in me starting a book blog and I started reading and writing about a book every week! It has been an amazing experience, but I am delighted that moving forward I will be blogging once a fortnight so I have the time to action my new knowledge, rather than just acquiring it.

If two years ago someone would have suggested that I would be running a book club and a book blog I wouldn’t have believed them. I was afraid of the commitment of blogging and not particularly thrilled at the thought of public speaking. However, by following my passion wholeheartedly I have faced some of my fears and turned what is normally a solitary act into a community activity. I have gained so many skills and found genuine joy by building and serving a community. And the future… well surely at some point it will be time for me to write my own book.

I find Charelle’s story really inspiring, especially the success that has come from Charelle following her passion. I look forward to joining in with the book club post-PhD and if you would like to get involved all the links you need are below!

Like this post? Let me know in the comments below or find me on Twitter or Instagram.

Love,

Chrissy x

Links:

https://twitter.com/makingitmindful

https://www.instagram.com/makingitmindful/

 For more information on PropelHer visit

Website: www.propelher.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/propelherorg

Facebook Group: www.facebok.com/groups/propelhersbookclub

Twitter: www.twitter.com/propelherorg

Instagram: www.instagram.com/propelherorg

Charelle Reads (Book Blog) – www.charellegriffith.com/reads