What this is and what it is not

Who the club is for

This is a place for kind curious open-minded people who have many interests, love books, personal development (as a hobby or maybe they work in this space), learning, community, discussions, who also want to apply what they learn into their lives in a focused but light and connected way.

For the people who love insights and might even be a bit addicted to them, but over time have learned that unless they actually take action on them, not much will change in their lives. People who do want to change things in their lives. Not because they are obsessed with destinations, but because they love the journey and believe that life is very much about self-discovery, self-expression and deeply human connections.

People who want to help each other learn and embody that learning in a fun, creative and meaningful way.

Questions and answers

What outcomes are possible when I become a member of the club?

That depends on what personal goals you set for yourself and how involved you choose to be. Here are some examples.

You will develop or improve your reading practice and discover new exciting books. The actual experience of reading something mindfully activates something in us, we discover a missing piece that unlocks our next step, we gain awareness, remember things, get new insights. Add to that the benefits of reading long forms again for your attention span, decrease of overwhelm and increase of the ability to focus, how this all nourishes the nervous system. And then there is also the opportunity to discuss and workshop the book, and actually applying what you learn to your life, all of which acts as a strong anchor of that experience.

We are not reading just for the sake of reading (despite the many benefits of that alone). We are also not reading just for the sake of talking about it. We are not reading just for the sake of application. All elements are equally important. You don’t have to go 100% in each of them, your capacity at different times will vary and that’s totally normal, you just need to immerse yourself as much as possible in each of them. 

Here is what you can also expect:

• Deeper Insights: Unpack the book’s themes and discover how they apply uniquely to your life.
• Practical Tools: Leave with actionable strategies that resonate with your personal values and goals.
• Community Support: Engage with a circle of fellow seekers who share your passion for growth and self-discovery.
• Accountability: Partner with fellow participants to keep each other motivated and inspired throughout the process.
• Reflection and Celebration: Take time to reflect on your journey, celebrate your achievements, and embrace the lessons learned.

What is the structure?

We start with a kick-off workshop to get to know each other, set intentions for the experience ahead, make a plan for our reading practice and get ideas how to handle obstacles that come up. Then we read the book in our own time. Once ready, we meet to workshop the book together and decide on an implementation plan. Then we implement in our own time, with the help of accountability buddies if you choose. In the end, we come together for a closing workshop to review our intentions and experience, and celebrate our journey. 

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Will I have time for all of this?

The idea is not to further overwhelm ourselves in this already overwhelming modern life we’re living. The idea is to create space for this new life practice so that it can nourish and support our life. The time investment is 30 min+ a day (on as many days as you can) for your reading / reflecting / implementing practice, and up to 90 min on the days we have workshops (likely twice a month). In addition to that, you might want to invest a bit of time in catch-ups with our facebook group or your accountability buddy. 

Can you not find 30 min on some of your days or do you not want to? If the latter, this space might not be for you. If the first, join us to try this out or of unsure, let me know, maybe I can help you create a bit of time before you sign up.

Here's a perspective that might help: If you have the feeling you don't have time to read one book per month, have a look at your phone app that captures your online time. You will be amazed at how the pockets of time add up. We are so used to grabbing the phone for a quick scroll when we "just" have 10 minutes at a time. Imagine if you grabbed the book instead.

We come together, among other things, because we love books and want to go back to reading more books. That doesn't mean you have to read the entire book, especially if you didn't like some parts and skipped through them. The goal is mindful reading, reflecting on the parts you read, making your own sense out of them, discussing them with others to gain more perspectives and then applying your own key learning inspired by all of it (books, discussions, workshopping). So it's not about quantity but quality. Just find time for the quality.

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Do I need to prepare for the workshops? How involved do I need to be?

I will be preparing our meetings, so you don't have to prepare anything. It's ok if you don't read the whole book or didn't have time to reflect on it, just come to our call, we will workshop it together, meaning I will have prompts and exercises ready, so we can reflect, discuss, takeaway key learnings. 

We will meet on Zoom, so you can join from anywhere. Try to be in a place supporting your focus for this work, so you can benefit more from it and so you can be truly there for the others in the group. This space we are building is not meant as a solo experience but as a community experience. On some days you will not feel you are resourced enough to give or receive much. Come anyway, we have your back! Practice showing up and you will see you will always be able to give and get something out of it.

And camera on, please, whenever possible.

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What if I cannot attend a workshop? Will there be a recording?

I am based in Europe (CET time zone) and I will accommodate as much as possible people from different time zones. Currently workshops are planned to take place on Saturdays or Sundays at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm GMT / 6pm CET  /  7pm EET. If there is enough interest in another European-friendly time (e.g. 7pm AEST / 10 am CET) , I will consider rescheduling or running a 2nd version of the workshops then.

There will be recordings for those who cannot attend, without capturing what happens in the breakout rooms as that is not possible to record and it could also be too private. Attending live is best of course, but here is where having an accountability buddy can keep you anchored when you missed out on a group call.

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How many people will the club have at a time?

I will not set a limit for now and see what happens. Maybe it's 5 of us, maybe we are 20. In any case, I will make sure it's interactive and everyone has the opportunity to participate! Whether it's through breakout rooms or else, you will have enough space to speak up, share, connect. I am NOT building something passive. This club is about real live connection and spaciousness to express yourself and build relationships.