Hello everybody,
It’s time for a new episode of The Bibliotherapists podcast, and today’s conversation is a really rather special one because it features Claire Venus, who is a huge inspiration to both Tanya and I, and the reason this podcast exists.
It’s also a total celebration of taking the time to get to know ourselves and what makes us happy on the inside, in order to be able to best serve and ultimately create success on the outside.
As you’ll hear in this episode, our guest is a shining (sparkling!) example of a ‘multi-hypen’; someone who has successfully combined her love of many things, including; creativity, writing, mentoring, educating, slow living, learning and all things Substack, to create a job - and a life - that she loves, and that inspires thousands of others to work and live in joyful ways that don’t require selling or burning out.
Claire is all about collaboration over competition and women supporting women, and as students of her Sparkle and Diamond memberships here on the platform, Tanya and I first met on one of Claire’s Zoom events focused on partnerships.
Fast forward a couple of months, and here we are, celebrating some mega guest names, thousands of downloads (18.4k at the time of going to press), Top 10 chart listings, and a global audience (you guys are listening in 146 different countries! Please give us a hello and let us know where you’re reading/listening in the Comments 👋).
Being our very own Cilla Black (80s Blind Date TV reference here very much showing my age), we - of course - had to invite Claire to be one of our first guests, and I loved this conversation SO MUCH.
This episode is a love letter to bibliophiles and creatives alike, celebrating the transformative power of words and stories.
It’s a gentle reminder to slow down, connect with the written word, and let stories shape our journey in surprising and meaningful ways (who knows… you may just accidentally launch a chart-topping podcast!).
And it’s a testament to the power of how doing The Work on ourselves can help us show up as a force for good for so many others.
“It makes me a better creative, thinker, and space-holder. So now, self-care is non-negotiable.”
Claire Venus
IN THIS EPISODE:
There is - of course - a lot of Substack chat, but there’s also lots of value for anyone looking to work in a more sustainable and joyous way.
We discussed:
The importance of finding your own pace; creating, consuming, and living at a sustainable rhythm.
Substack as a digital sanctuary for thoughtful writing and community building (vs the frenetic pace of traditional social media).
Claire’s love for books as grounding, sensory experiences—from the smell of secondhand bookstores to the joy of discovering books during travel.
How books have helped her navigate personal challenges (The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle helping her answer some philosophical questions in her 20s, and Beth Kempton's Kokoro provided comfort during a time of grief).
The transformative - and hugely challenging - experience of co-authoring, self-publishing and promoting How to Build a World-Class Substack with Russell Nohelty (out next week!).
Why self-care is a non-negotiable for Claire, how this enhances her creativity and ability to hold space for others.
Claire’s commitment to personal growth: including her personal goal of writing a book annually for ten years, and how Substack has been a critical platform for her evolution, offering a supportive and inspiring community.
Navigating growth and sustainability: How running a thriving Substack community (with over 12,000 subscribers) has taught Claire to balance growth with sustainability, ensuring she avoids burnout while continuing to deliver value, and love what she does.
“To me, bibliotherapy feels like an invitation to be present with words, to sit with a book or someone’s story without feeling the pressure of 'what’s next.' It’s about slowing down and savoring."
Claire Venus
SHOW NOTES:
In this episode Claire references and recommends lots of lovely books, including:
The Giant on the Skyline by Clover Stroud
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
The Success Myth by Emma Gannon
Kokoro by Beth Kempton
TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking by Chris Anderson
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Matilda by Roald Dahl
How to Build a World-Class Substack by Claire Venus and Russell Nohelty
We can’t wait for you to listen.
Please share with the people you love, let us know what you think, and - of course - what you are reading right now…
Toni (& Tanya)
xx
PS: Up next week - a professional Bibliotherapist (and book nerd),
, founder of The Literary Edit…"Social media tells us to post NOW, grow NOW, go viral NOW. But platforms like Substack remind us: there’s time. We’re in this for the long game."
Claire Venus
ABOUT THE BIBLIOTHERAPISTS:
The Bibliotherapists, is a new podcast from Substackers and community builders Tanya Lynch (EASE Retreats) and Toni Jones (The Shelf Help Club) exploring the healing power of words.
(You can read all about how our story began in Episode #1 and Episode #2 - in which Tanya and I interview each other).
This podcast is a love letter to reading and writing and storytelling and this weekly digital retreat features conversations with some of our favourite Substack writers and authors, sharing about the the books that have shaped their lives and their relationships with themselves, the books they wish everyone would read, how they use reading and writing to support their mental health, and the books they are reading right now.
We’ve spent the last two months interviewing some incredible writers and creatives, including Beth Kempton, Claire Venus (she/her) ✨, Women Are Mad with Jen&Salima, Anne Boyd, Laura Pashby, Lucy Pearson, Tamu Thomas and Emma Gannon to close Series 1.
Thank you so much for the love so far, please keep listening and liking and sharing where it’s needed…
Share this post