Hello there, Beautiful Soul!
My name is Annette, and I’m a life coach, deep thinker and truth seeker. I’m glad you’re here.
With a humble and genuine heart, I’d like to invite you to join You Are the One You’ve Been Waiting For – a virtual book club where sensitive souls come together to read books that help us to open our hearts and minds.
But we don’t stop there. This is an ongoing book club and community where we are committed to doing more than just reading, thinking “that was interesting” and then moving on with our lives.
In this book club, reading the book is only Step 1.
Because let’s be honest – how many times have you read this type of book without actually DOING anything with what you learned?
(Full transparency: I have, plenty of times).
In this group, we avoid this all-too-common scenario by adding Steps 2 and 3:
Step 2: Go deeper with the material with group discussions and weekly audio recordings from me. Both allow the content to really sink in and provide that oh-so-sweet comfort of knowing we’re not alone.
Step 3: Take action to PRACTICE + INTEGRATE what we learn to create real, heart-opening change in our lives (in a gentle, we’re-allowed-to-mess-up kind of way).
If you consciously show up for Steps 1-3, for one heart-opening book and then the next and the next, you’ll experience You Are the One You’ve Been Waiting For as what it’s meant to be: a safe space for sensitive souls to walk together, imperfectly, on the journey of becoming our truest, gentlest selves.
How It Works
For $24/month*, you get:
- Manageable reading plans for each book that we read. We typically read 1-3 chapters or around 30 pages a week.
- Audio recordings each week from me, where I share my take on what we’re learning as well as related personal stories from my life. Members often tell me that these recordings help them to understand and engage with the material on a deeper level. (Click here to hear a sample audio from Loving What Is!).
- Calls-to-action each week to help you take action on what you’re learning – not just think about it! – so that you actually create real, heart-opening change in your life.
- Virtual gatherings – beautiful opportunities to connect with like-minded souls and discuss how the book is landing for us.
- No long-term commitment. My intention is that this book club adds real value to your life. If at any point you’re finding that it’s not, it’s easy to cancel your membership. You also are welcome to come and go based on your interest in the books we read.
*I want everyone who feels called to join to be able to participate, so if this is speaking to your soul but $24/month doesn’t fit into your budget, I also offer a sliding-scale option where you can choose your rate, as low as $10/month, no questions asked
On May 8, we start an 8-week deep-dive into Deep Human Connection, by Stephen Cope.
Description:
Do you long to connect more deeply with other human beings? Do you wonder if you’re living up to your human potential to make these deep connections happen – and perhaps missing out on this most compelling aspect of a vital life?
In this groundbreaking new book, best-selling author Stephen Cope invites us to explore the most important questions in this domain: What is the nature of human connection? Why, precisely, is a capacity to connect deeply so important to the development of our minds, bodies, and spirits? What are the actual mechanisms of connection that we must master during the course of life? How can our lack of connection inhibit our happiness and satisfaction in life? Can we learn to connect more wisely than we do?
Cope is well known as a master storyteller, and in this new book he seamlessly blends science, scholarship, and storytelling, drawing on poignant stories from his own life as well as the lives of famous figures – from E. M. Forster to Sigmund Freud to Queen Victoria – whose formative relationships shed light on the nature of connection itself. In the process, he lays out in stunning detail the precise mechanisms of human connection, which he distills into five helpful categories: containment, twinship, adversity, mirroring, and conscious partnership. Then he invites us into a remarkably practical reflection on how these forms of connection appear in our own lives, helping us work toward a fuller understanding of deep human connection – and a more satisfying and fruitful life.
Want to read Deep Human Connection with a like-minded community?
Frequently Asked Questions
I already read these types of books on my own. What's the benefit of joining this community?
Reading these types of books by yourself isn't as fun, as they inevitably spark aha moments or interesting musings that you want to share with others. But maybe your mom, partner, or BFF isn't drawn to deep thinking and truth-seeking in the same way you are, leaving you feeling disconnected and unfulfilled. Plus, reading a book is one thing. ENGAGING with it - by spending time truly contemplating the content, discussing it with others, and doing your best to practice the wisdom it teaches - is quite another. This book club brings together intellectual stimulation, embodied practice, and a beautiful community for an experience that goes far beyond what you'd get reading the books on your own.
What do you talk about in the weekly audio?
I'm right there with you - a sensitive soul, imperfectly walking the path of becoming who I really am. In my audio, I offer commentary on the books we're reading and share stories from my own journey. A member once commented that I was "willing to spill my own guts to help us in learning our new tools" and I think that about summarizes it.
Can you give me some examples of what the calls-to-action might look like?
The calls to action are always an invitation, not a requirement. I usually offer 1-3 suggestions each week. You can choose to do one of them or all of them, or you can bypass my suggestions and come up with your own. Past calls to action have included things like trying a certain type of meditation, journaling on a given prompt, committing to taking mindful pauses throughout the day, and practicing trading scarcity-based language for sufficiency-based language.
When are the virtual gatherings?
The virtual gatherings for Deep Human Connection will take place on Wednesdays June 7 and 28 from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. We will meet online via Zoom from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. MT. Everything is recorded for those who can't attend live.
What other books have you read?
We've read Tara Brach's Radical Acceptance and Radical Compassion, Brené Brown's The Gifts of Imperfection, Braving the Wilderness, and Atlas of the Heart, Michael Singer's The Untethered Soul, Lynne Twist's The Soul of Money, Stephen Cope's The Great Work of Your Life, Martha Beck's Finding Your Way in a Wild New World and The Way of Integrity, Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication, Byron Katie's Loving What Is, Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic, Benjamin Hoff's The Tao of Pooh, Shauna Niequist's Present over Perfect, Pema Chödrön's The Places That Scare You, Stuart Brown's Play, Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility, Ibram X. Kendi's How To Be An Antiracist, Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, Mark Nepo's Seven Thousand Ways to Listen, Rutger Bregman's Humankind: A Hopeful History, Edith Eger's The Choice and The Gift, Kate Bowler's No Cure for Being Human, Oliver Burkeman's Four Thousand Weeks , Krista Tippett's Becoming Wise , Matthew Sanford's Waking, The Fifth Agreement, by Don Miguel and Don Jose Ruiz, and The Book of Joy, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams.
Does the fee include the books?
No. You're responsible for getting the books on your own, in whatever format you prefer. (Personally, I'm a big fan of the public library).
Is this an in-person group?
No. This is a virtual group. Connection happens via Zoom gatherings.
The virtual gatherings don't work for my schedule. Will I still benefit from this?
Yes! In the past I've found that some people show up consistently for group discussions, while others take more of a self-study approach of simply doing the reading, listening to my audio recordings, perhaps watching the gathering recordings, and reflecting on their own. Member feedback tells me that both groups enjoy their experience. And if you find that you don't enjoy it, you are welcome to cancel your membership at any time.
I'm seeing this when you're already in the middle of a book - but I'd like to join for the next one! How do I stay in the loop?
Easy-peasy - just sign up for my email list and I'll make sure you get word when we start enrolling for the next book! The easiest way to sign up is to head over to my blog page; you'll see the sign up box at the top of the page.
What if you read a book I'm not interested in?
If a certain book doesn't interest you, you are welcome to cancel your membership and then come back later if another book piques your interest.
Am I making a long-term commitment when I sign up for this group?
No. You can cancel your membership at any time.
About Annette
Annette Sloan is a mindfulness-based life coach, deep thinker, and truth seeker. She specializes in helping adult and teen clients to grow their social-emotional toolkits, resilience, and self-awareness. She is based in Colorado but works with clients all over the world one-on-one and through her virtual book club.
Annette has a bachelor’s degree in Human Communication from the University of Denver, a coaching certification from The Institute for the Psychology of Eating, and a 200-hour yoga teacher certification from Breathe Studios. While all three played important roles in her development, her true expertise comes from her deep yearning and willingness to do whatever it takes to wake up, spiritually and in the world, and to help others do the same. It’s a path she can’t help but walk – sometimes joyfully, sometimes raggedly – but always with the knowing that this is her sacred route home.