I took a Biology class in high school and I remember what happened on the first day: I was joking around with my friends that were in the class, and the teacher said, "I know who's going to do well in this class and who's not."
And he looked straight at me as if he expected I was going to fail.
In my head I thought, "I'm going to really prove it to you that I'm not stupid just because I joke around."
So I got an A in that class and ended up actually majoring in Biology in college.
Did something similar happen to you?
It could be from a few years back or maybe even from last week.
How did you feel?
For Kelly Lewis who grew up with naysayers in her family, "Tell her she can't" became a personal motto when she found her purpose, and started helping other women become unstoppable badasses.
Kelly is passionate about helping women tap into their personal power through travel. She's the founder of Go! Girl Guides, the world's first series of travel guide books for women. Kelly's also the author of Tell Her She Can't, a manifesto for every woman who's been told she's not strong enough, smart enough, or capable enough.
On today's episode we talk about why Kelly wrote Tell Her She Can't and how COVID became the catalyst for her book PLUS:
- The role childhood belief systems play in shaping our outlooks on life
- Personal choice as a rallying cry for freedom and independence
- How educators shape our lives, especially when we are children
- How we talk to ourselves matters
And stay to the end for Kelly's advice on how to create accountability to make sure you complete any project you start.
She's the founder of Go! Girl Guides, the world's first series of travel guidebooks for women, as well as the founder of the annual Women's Travel Fest conference. In 2016, she co-founded the boutique tour company Damesly, which has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, Travel + Leisure and National Geographic.
Kelly has been called a "Dame Disruptor" by Adventure.com, a "travel veteran" by Brit + Co, a "badass female founder" by the Huffington Post and "The Woman Making Travel Safer and Better for All Women" by The Muse.
Lewis and her work have also been featured in Shape magazine, ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Culture Trip, O the Oprah Magazine, and more.
She is the author of several travel guidebooks. Tell Her She Can't is her debut book in memoir/ inspirational non-fiction.