An Interview with Kelly Pietrangeli

If I had to give myself a job title, I’d say I’m a content creator, community leader and storyteller. I’ve written a book and I run a membership site where I create and curate content that inspires women to step out of auto-pilot and into higher levels of conscious living. I share practical life management strategies with a fun and engaging twist, making personal development a fun and exciting journey.

I begin each day with some ‘Beditation’, which essentially means I meditate in bed! Until a few years ago my catch phrase was ‘I’m NOT a morning person’, but this daily practice has changed everything. From there I flow. Running my own online business from home means I have complete flexibility. Evenings and weekends are for family, friends and me-time. Living a well-balanced life is what keeps my life flowing with ease. I love crawling into bed at the end of a day with a good book and reading until I’m too drowsy to turn another page.

I’m reading Soul School by Dan Lux because the author is my old roommate from when we were in our early 20s. I helped him come up with the book title a few months ago and I wondered if I got a mention anywhere. So far, I haven’t spotted one! It’s a book for those who are curious to know about things like Quantum Physics, The Law of Attraction, past lives and soul contracts, but want it spelled out very elementary bite-sized chunks.

I devoured the entire series of Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I remember a teacher saying I was reading several levels up from my age group. I fell in love with reading and spent hours at the library checking out books and getting excited about book-a-thons.

Both! I have a hard time with audio books or Kindles as I find the most joy in dog-earing pages, underlining text, writing in the margins and adding sticky notes. I use a bookmark so I know where I’m at the first time I read a non-fiction book, then when I pick it up again I head to the folded and marked pages.

At age 16 I’d give myself The Secret to Teen Power by Paul Harrington. I gifted this to my son when he turned 13 to help him to understand that his thoughts create his reality and he can navigate friendships, school, money, and even more global issues like politics and the environment by keeping a positive mindset.

At age 25 I’d encourage myself to read Ask and It Is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks so I could have paid closer attention to my emotions and learned how to use them as a gauge to determine when I am in or out of flow. It may have gone over my head back then, but hopefully it would have soaked in somewhat.

My idea of heaven is reading an incredible fiction book outdoors on a warm sunny day, lying comfortably in the shade, with a glass of something cold within arms length and no interruptions. Bliss! As that happens on rare occasions, my bed will do.

1. The Millionaire Messenger by Brendon Burchard is the book that inspired me to package up my wisdom and turn it into a business that helps others to succeed.

2. Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo. I’ve been recommending her online B-School programme to everyone ever since I did it in 2013 and I’m excited she’s finally written a book to help us think more creatively and positively – especially in the face of setbacks.

3. Playing Big by Tara Mohr for practical tools to help women identify their callings, unhook from praise and criticism, un-learn counter-productive ‘good girl’ habits, and begin taking bold action.

I prefer deep, one to one conversations, so having five of my favourites around one table sounds wildly overwhelming! I could talk to Michelle Obama for hours about everything from motherhood to world affairs. Laura Ingalls Wilder and Cheryl Strayed grew up in Minnesota like me and I feel like we’d have some great conversations. Dr. Robert Holden so I can pick his brain about how to create a range of popular personal development books faster and easier than I found writing my first and only one. The Dalai Lama because his books have made me a better person.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty and All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr are my book club summer reads. I adored the Big Little Lies TV series based on Liane’s previous book and I’ve heard great things about the Anthony Doerr book.

I’m a personal development junkie and love learning more about myself and others through books. I’m very fickle about fiction but when I find the ‘right’ book for me, it’s pure, delicious escapism.

Your Soul’s Plan by Robert Schwarz has given me much food for thought about the path my life has taken and where I’m heading from here. I now see every hardship as a lesson and gift.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed so I could have a big adventure under my belt and know what something like that feels like. Although the thought of carrying that beast of a backpack on blistered feet fills me with anxiety at the same time!

An End to Upside Down Thinking by Mark Grober. I had the pleasure of attending his talk recently and love how he explores compelling scientific evidence to help explain psychic phenomena. He’s a Princeton graduate and hardcore rationalist which made even my very sceptical husband sit still and listen closely. More people need to open up to the idea that there is so much more to this universe than meets the eye and stop calling everything they don’t understand a ‘conspiracy theory’.

The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield was the first book I ever read that opened me up to the wonderful world of high conscious living over 23 years ago. With life lessons weaved into an easy piece of fiction, I discovered that nothing is a mere coincidence and we are all connected.

I’m excited to be on sun lounger on holiday soon with my two fiction books I mentioned above. My brain needs a rest from all of the delving and exploring.