Podcast Episode 1: Welcome to the Living Your Most Badass Life Podcast!

Introduction

Hello and welcome to the first episode of the Living Your Most Badass Life podcast!! I am SO excited to finally have this dream of mine come true. It’s been something I’ve been thinking of and dreaming up for quite some time. I finally decided it was time to DO IT, so thank you for being here on this journey with me.

So, in this first episode, I will be sharing about who I am, how I went from an educator to an entrepreneur, and a bit of information about my business, the Badass Besties Club. So, without further ado, welcome to the pilot episode!!

Who am I?

I want to take a moment to introduce myself – I am Brianna Brown, AKA the Badass Book Bestie, AKA Bookaholic Brianna, BriBee, and the CEO of the Badass Besties Club. I’ll tell you more about that later on in the episode, but I wanted to first take a moment to introduce myself. Really give you an idea of who I am.

I was born on a beautiful Thursday in the month of September. My parents are…haha, just kidding, I’m not going to give you the full autobiography, no worries! I’m a Libra, a recovering people pleaser, an extrovert who loves being with friends, a reader of great books, and a lover of delicious craft beer. I am obsessed with traveling & seeing new places, and I would love the opportunity to see the world.

That about sums it up!

But seriously though, I am a passionate woman who believes in following the dreams of her heart and encouraging the same in others. My motto is to inspire and encourage women to live out their most badass life! To empower them to live out their dreams as a badass book reader, mom, bestie, earth lover, woman, human…whatever makes her the most badass woman she can be.  Which as you can see is the premise of this podcast – how to be a badass woman in a world controlled at times by the patriarchy and rich white men.

Well, fuck that – oh, and btw – I love to curse. It’s kind of my jam. Or should I say fucking jam? Well, that just got awkward.

So yeah, to put it simply, I’m not perfect, but I’m a badass and I want to share how you can be too. Do I have all the answers or know it all? Hell no! But I’ll provide what I can to make you feel like you do. We will be on this journey of discovery together.

Beginning of a beautiful adventure

I’ll start from the beginning…

Once upon a time I was a young girl – hah, who am I kidding it wasn’t THAT long ago…I am still a young woman! I grew up LOVING the library as I was OBSESSED with reading. I also enjoyed being able to spend a lot of precious time with my grandmother, who primarily raised me growing up. I always took piles and bags of books home and devoured as many books as I could. The crinkly sound of the plastic book covering and the smells between the book pages excited me. I spent countless moments pouring over the catalogs from the Scholastic book fairs where I circled so many books I wanted. I mean – this is where book lovers learned to spend frivolously, am I right?

I was raised into a family of readers as well, with my mother, grandmother, and sister, who were often seen reading, so it seemed only natural that I would be in love with reading as well.

I spent my time dreaming up what book I would read next and what different stories I could write. I continuously visited different libraries and bookstores, scanning the shelves for what excited me the most, as I felt books just held a special place in my heart. They are my true happy place.

My bookshelf became filled with so many different titles to be read; seeing them always brought me so much joy (take that, Marie Kondo).

But one day, my family was split apart…because my grandmother, who had been battling cancer for a few years, passed away. My life was fucking crushed at this point. I was literally at rock bottom in terms of my soul, my lifeline to love…all of it…shattered. Things dramatically changed and I moved away from the home I had known all of my life.

At the end of the day, as so many of us wish, I just wanted to be loved, I wanted a family. I spent time with some family and friends, of course, but I also had a lot of time alone. I longed to make connections with others, but I was not always great at keeping in touch. Moving around a lot during my middle and high school years making keeping friendships incredibly hard. I had some friends, though, who REALLY did a phenomenal job at keeping in touch…way better than I ever did, and I am so grateful to them (you know who you are). The friends who I kept during these years, and still keep in contact with, YOU are the real MVPs.

As time moved on, I didn’t visit the library as often, and my lifestyle really changed. I wasn’t the same little girl I once was…everything about my life was different and it was a hard transition to go through.

Of course, I think about all of the people at this age who struggle with their own identity and family crises…I am sure mine might pale in comparison to theirs, but it sure felt like the world had shifted for me.

So, of course, shortly after I turned 18, I was out on my own and off to college…because that’s what you’re SUPPOSED to do, right?   No one had really pushed me to this point, I just kind of knew that college was the next step in my life – I had a case of the supposed-to’s and so I did it. 

Now – mind you, I wanted to be a teacher my entire life…I played “school” with my teddy bears and bossed my friends around like I was their teacher (I even have a childhood friend who said I gave him stickers for good behavior). I also wanted to be a writer…I thought it would be the COOLEST job ever to write a novel one day.

So, it seems only natural that I started college and decided on a major in Accounting.

What in the fuck was I thinking? Like, what? Why did NO one tell me this was the shittiest idea ever?

Oh, well, most likely because I was 18 and knew everything, as most late teenagers/early 20s do. I thought it was a “safe” job to have…even though…shocker…I fucking hated math. Like, not just didn’t like some classes…no, I fucking hated math.

I used to tell people – “Yah, I know I HATE math, BUT…Accounting is the organization of math, not like, actual math, so it’s totally fine. I really just want to work in an office and file papers because it seems fun!’ I think I just LOVED the idea of working in an office, organizing, and filing…all of that boring office shit (sorry to those who enjoy that, but totally not for me anymore).

Like, seriously…what the fuck?

Life altering change begins to happen…

So naturally, after a few classes, I finally have my first SUPER challenging class, Intermediate Accounting – if you’ve taken it, I am sure you understand the depth and extreme difficulty in this course. I struggle immensely in understanding the content. I was like, whattt debits/credits, HUH?!

My boyfriend at the time, who was super shitty and this was pretty much his only redeeming quality, inquires as to why I didn’t choose to major in Education to become a teacher, like I had always dreamed of becoming (especially with my love of English and Writing).

My jaw dropped…I was like, why am I NOT doing that? I spent my whole life wanting to be a teacher – why didn’t I do that?

I mean, I probably had a lot of haters along the way discouraging me… “Teachers don’t make any money…if you want to make money you’ve got to work in an office filing papers and doing math of course.” I am sure that’s way far off from what they really said, but you get the point.

Obviously, at this point, I realize I’ve made a huge fucking mistake in majoring in Accounting and decided to change my major to English Education with a new goal of becoming an English teacher so that I can fully share my love of books with students.

I loved diving deep into literature, analyzing texts, and writing verbosely about everything from Romantic Literature to Shakespeare to British to Adolescent Lit, and Children’s Lit…so many beautifully spoken authors. I was in love.

I became SOOOOOO in enraptured with reading and writing again. I was fully immersed in my studies; I dove into texts with such passion and depth, that I became a literary analysis fiend.

However, with all good things that you overindulge in, it became to be…too much. I was fed such a heavy diet of heavy subject and matter and classic literature that my desire and passion to read for pleasure dwindled. I really stopped reading…completely. I stopped reading as often as I wished to and looked at books like they were a chore to do versus something exciting. Of course, I continued to add books to my “to-read” list, but it was never tackled; I just wasn’t in the mood for it. I had more than enough books on my shelves to read and continued to look for more in bookstores, so my bookshelf literally became filled with so many different titles to be read. Seeing them always brought me joy…but I still didn’t read them. I literally lugged them around to each apartment, but still didn’t crack one open.

After I graduated, I knew I wanted to be a teacher or in a school environment, so I spent the next ten years of my life as an educator – first as a teacher, then a school counselor, and lastly a librarian. I became an English teacher first; I taught middle school and high school English, Reading, and Writing. For a while, I thought I had found my absolute dream job. It was what I had studied so hard for and fantasized about for so long, and I truly thought I was going to be in it forever.

But again – with rose colored glasses, everything seems great on the outside. I truly had some AMAZING experiences with the students – my favorite year being the one where my principal allowed me the freedom to teach Creative Writing and my students BLOSSOMED in their writing skills. Or maybe even my first year as a school counselor because I was able to reach the kids in new ways I hadn’t been able to before.

But…teaching and being in education was not at all what I expected.

Now, don’t get me wrong – the kids had their awesome moments and we had some incredible times together (both good and bad, of course), but teaching really ended up not being for me and not in alignment with who I was a person. There’s a whole lot more I can say, but that will be for another episode, I am sure.

Anyway, I digress –

A new vision emerges

While I did enjoy talking with students about books (when we got the chance to read some great books), I missed talking with ADULTS about it. I missed talking with them in a deeper way about what I had read; I missed the connections I had felt in college, discussing texts with other like-minded people. Sure, being a teacher had its perks of being able to discuss books with the students, but they weren’t the books I wanted to read. I craved ADULT conversations!

And then…in 2018, my precious daughter was born. I began to read to her every day, and I loved the time we spent together reading. It was here that I truly started to discover my love of reading again. There had been moments where I had read different books occasionally, but now my love of books was truly coming back.

It’s very important to me to instill that love of reading into my children that I had growing up, so I do my best to ensure I read to them every day.

Going back to my childhood love of reading brought back so many beautiful memories. I remembered how much I enjoyed reading aloud and analyzing the literature. I was smitten with the graphics of the children’s books and their stories, and I was slowly getting back to my first love – reading.

So then – after being a teacher for 5 years, and a school counselor for 4, I decided to do what I loved doing as a child, and currently loved as a parent – reading aloud. I switched careers again and became a librarian. I did it as a summer job for the country and LOVED it, and then did it for an elementary school…it was awesome. I really loved sharing books with the kids and their eager eyes – I had different themes for each month – Native American History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian History Month, Black History Month…all of the important ideas I wanted to help these students learn more about.

Seeing their eyes light up with the different stories is truly a beautiful thing. Being with them really lit up my spirits and I was so grateful to see them love reading as much as I did.

Sure – there were moments where the kids were acting a fool and I was stressed the hell out, BUT…when I had those great classes, it made it all worth it.

But…being in education, I felt like I was constantly busy (which caused me to lose some friendships along the way) and I felt like I wasn’t the truest version of myself. As I continued in my career, I began to feel more and more isolated.

Then, after having my children (whom I absolutely love and adore), I felt even more isolated – especially with not having mom friends. After my son was born and I was able to become a stay-at-home mom who was able to work from home, I became even MORE isolated. I knew I needed to find another way to interact with adults, form new friendships, and strengthen connections with the amazing women in my life.

Creation of a badass book club

I decided it was time to get back to my first true love: reading. I wanted to get back that enchantment and “love of books” feeling I once had. I wanted to get back into reading with others and engaging in intelligent conversations with REAL people. I crave real & honest conversations with women who seek growth, validation, and acceptance. I was fed a content heavy load of classical literature in college, and my passion for reading for pleasure slowly dwindled. I stopped reading as often; I just wasn’t in the mood for it. Books were, in a sense, my friends. I missed being with them, holding their words between my hands. I also missed talking with others about books! I missed the connections and discussions with other like-minded people.  I missed that vibe you get when you’re with the right people, discussing topics you enjoy.

Now, I am back to reading for pleasure and for the sheer FUN of it. I created a Book Club, originally called Reads Well With Others so I could pay homage to that nostalgic idea of being back in elementary school and loving to read, but now we are the Badass Book Besties. We read a new book every month by a badass female author and meet twice a month to discuss it.

Sharing my love of reading with my closest friends is such a dream. I’m finally able to share my love of books with those who appreciate it and make the true connections I always wanted. Having an adult book club is quite literally the best thing ever.

As a mom, I was feeling alone in the world in terms of friendships. I had friends and people to talk to, but I was REALLY craving those real & honest conversations with women around a love of books, so starting a book club just seemed like a natural thing to do.

So, if that sounds like you – someone who tells herself every day to make time to read or hang out with her girlfriends, but you might fail to make the time or just run out of time at the end of the day, then I know you’ll absolutely know where I’m coming from! Maybe your job and potentially your kids have kept you quite busy, so finding the right time to relax can be difficult. Maybe you’ve even felt like you’ve lost a part of herself in your job and the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Maybe you feel that there must be something more out there and where you can find your true happiness.

Trust me – I’ve been there. I felt STUCK where I was an like an inauthentic version of myself. It wasn’t until I stepped out of my comfort zone and started to try new things, that I finally started to feel the shift in my life.

Like I said earlier – I don’t have all the answers to how to live the most badass life – but I am on a journey to find them…and I want to take you with me. I want women to feel like they are capable and worthy enough to be a badass. To be a badass means to be worthy of celebration, and dammit – you do, girlfriend. You are worth so much more than you can imagine, and I wan to be here to cheer you on, alongside me. I’ll provide the answers to help us figure out this journey of life through discovering what makes life so worth living. We will be on this journey of discovery together.

Living Your Most Badass Life Podcast is born!

So, why did I start this podcast? As I mentioned before, my grandmother had a HUGE impact on my life. Since I was born, no one has impacted me more than her.  She was the one thing that kept me going and encouraged me to do well.  After her death, I went into a downward spiral. I felt hopeless without her supporting and encouraging me to be my highest and best self.  

When I was younger, I received more awards at my fifth-grade graduation than anyone else.  Everyday my grandmother pushed me and told me continuously that there was nothing I could not accomplish.  If my grandmother had not raised me as well as she did, I might not be the person I am today.

When my grandmother died, I was devastated.  My grades slipped, and I thought that nothing in life was important anymore. It wasn’t until I began to realize that I wanted to make her proud. I wanted her to know how much I could achieve in this life and that I would make it COUNT. I know that in my heart, that she is pushing me the whole way. Her influence on me is present every day I get out of bed and lasts until I lay my head down. 

Without her influence and love, I don’t know where I would be today or what decisions I would have made along the way that would have changed everything. But I do know one thing –

I want to do this for others. I want to inspire and encourage women to live their most badass lives. My grandmother was the one who made me feel appreciated and accepted, just like I want to do for other women. I am paying homage to my grandmother, and it is in her memory that I am starting this podcast on 11/22 – on the anniversary of her death.

When I think about why I decided to become a teacher, a school counselor, and now a community builder, I realized it’s because I want people to FEEL that they are being paid attention to. I want people to know how much they matter and how important they are in this world. It is important to me to show them that someone CARES about what they are doing and where they want to go in life. I accept people for who they are and who they wish to be.  I want people and myself to be accepted and loved, like I so badly wanted (and still want) in my life.

So, here I am – a woman in her 30s seeking out friendships with women who value the same ideals – transformation and growth, building new relationships with others, and making time for each other.

Badass Book Besties

THIS is why I started the Badass Book Besties – I wanted to create a membership where women could connect with other women, learn more in a community-based environment, and feel seen.

So, tell me – Are you ready to step into your most bad ass life? Are you ready to step into your most badass life and become who you’re meant to be? Join Bookaholic and Bestie, Brianna Brown, as I empower you to live out your dreams as a badass book reader, mom, bestie, earth lover, beer drinker, woman, human…whatever makes you the most badass woman you can be. You can look forward to tips and tricks on how to create a life you admire, guest interviews with badass women, and more. If you love an intelligent and engaging conversation, then this podcast is for you! We are dedicated to transforming the lives of women and our motto is to inspire and encourage women to live their most badass life!

Find out all about us at Badass Book Besties!