Editor's Letter #6: Help me start a self-help movement (part 1)
A poll, my grand vision, and your invitation to this week's Vision Board Workshop
Hello everybody,
First up, please note that this week’s #mondayclub is a Tuesday club. There’s no event tonight but TOMORROW - Tuesday 15th April - we’ll be hosting an online Vision Board Workshop with coach (and Shelfie), Tommy Ludgate ( ).
Vision boards are a ‘practical way to hack our subconscious’, says BOTM author Candice Brathwaite, and in this workshop Tommy will show us how to create one, sharing journal prompts and coaching tips to help us creatively visualise our way to inspired action (more info and joining link at the end of this email for paid subscribers).
And in the spirit of this month’s book and this week’s ‘practical magic’ session, I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce (reintroduce?) you to my rather grand vision for this Club - and the very small thing you can do right now to be be part of it.
SELF-HELP WITH FRIENDS
Once upon a time, around 7 years ago after my own self-help epiphany, my dream was for EVERYONE to start reading/doing it. Personal development was changing my life so I became evangelical/probably highly annoying about the benefits of it, and started a book club to find others who were also on the self-help loving train.
I am still evangelical/probably highly annoying about the benefits of personal development. (And I maintain that everyone reading/doing it would be one of the best things that could happen to this world). BUT after several years of hosting meetups and events and lots of sharing of self-help books and advice (both on request and totally unsolicited), I have realised that not everyone is ready to read/do self-help.
And that being ready is actually a crucial part of the process.
And so, we pivot. And now my job isn’t to convert the world (phew), but to support the people who are ready to do the Work (that’s you! 🙂) and my updated vision for Shelf Help is all about creating spaces to bring them (you) together.
Because, as my Book Clubbers know, doing work on ourselves is much more potent - and fun - when we do it with friends.
A GLOBAL LOCAL BOOK CLUB
Pre-Covid the Shelf Help Club had 30+ IRL meetups happening globally, from Loughton to LA to Paris and Bangkok, all run by beautiful volunteers (shout out to my OG hosts) who were on board with my idea of supercharging our self-help efforts by sharing our journeys and supporting others along the way.
Our global network had grown totally organically, but without any real strategy, and so, as crushing as it was when lockdown put an end to the SHC as we knew it, what it also did was normalise communing online and gave me a chance to create what has become the gorgeous, growth-minded community that is the Shelf Help Clubhouse.
“We don’t have to do all of it alone. We were never meant to. ”
Brené Brown
And I love tech for introducing us (most of you are here thanks to Google, Instagram or Substack) and for keeping us connected. But something magic happens when we get together IRL, and five years on from lockdown, as we continue to grow our online community, it’s time to start also rebuilding our offline network.
My vision for the Club is to create a global self-help movement that supports 10,000 local clubs.
And I’d love you to help me do this.
MEET CRAZY DANCING GUY/GAL
How do we start a movement?
The video (above) is a masterclass in how.
Incase you hasn’t guessed, I am the ‘Crazy Dancing Guy’ here.
There he is (I was) spinning around like a total lone loon, but loving life and brimming with self-confidence, and seeming to have such a good time that people can’t help but get interested.
And then come the first followers, interested enough to join, and courageous enough to show others they have joined too.
These, my lovely lovely members/subscribers are YOU! ‘The spark that makes the fire.’ And this is where I feel we are at right now. Sparking!
I know the ‘tipping point’ has been a while coming. But - as lots of you know - I’ve had to develop and grow myself alongside the Club. It takes a LOT of work/balls to have the confidence and visibility of Crazy Dancing Guy, especially when you’re starting from a place of No Self-Worth Girl.
But all that Work is paying off and I feel as confident as this dude in his shorts that now is the time.
And I want to use our online home here on Substack as a way to start creating our offline communities.
A POLL
To get started, I have a simple request: I need to know if Substack is the right place to do this. And so I’d love it if you can answer the poll below.
And if you answered ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’, Step 2 is to (please) head on over to our new ‘Welcome’ page and let us know where you live.
Once we get 10+ people checking in for any location we’ll create a private space for that locale so that you can start to hang out together, here on Substack. And once our local groups are up and buzzing we’ll share some guidelines on how to set up your own local meetup.
(And while answering a poll and/or telling us where you live may seem a teeny rather insignificant action when we’re trying to create a movement, us self-help lovers know that the loftiest goals start with single steps, so if you’re in any way interested in supporting the growth of the Club I would really appreciate your input here).
I’m excited to find out who’s on board for SHC IRL. And I’m also excited to see you online TOMORROW (Tuesday) night and to find out more about your life/work vision at our workshop with Tommy.
In the meantime, happy Monday, happy reading, and big love from SHC HQ.
Toni 💛
PS If a peaceful weekend filled with books and feasts and nature and good people is on your vision board then our friend has a couple of final spaces left on her Welsh ‘rest and read’ reading retreat with Bibliotherapist - it looks all kind of lush - more info HERE.
