A palpable sense of energy, anticipation, and vibrant camaraderie was filling the room at Venture X Doral in western Miami-Dade County. Guests were packing the place — distinctive in its design-forward, wood-accented hues — and soon enough, there weren’t any empty seats or tables left.
“Is she really going to be here?” a wide-eyed woman asked no one in particular.
Undeniably, Rachel Hollis — the bestselling author who was about to appear — had greatly influenced all the women present for the better, and some had traveled all the way from Broward County to attend, lured by her no-nonsense and pragmatic approach to giving advice that has helped unfetter women nationwide.
Hollers, claps, and whistles punctuated the talk itself, which was moderated by Emmy-winning TV host Gaby Natale, as Hollis explained how she grew from a writer with a simple food blog, doling-out casserole recipes to coax kids into eating their vegetables, to establishing herself as the voice of female empowerment.
“If you really want to know why I do what I do, why I fight so hard for women to take control of their lives — it’s because I spent a childhood watching a mom who couldn’t control her life,” she said. “So I feel like if I leave any legacy behind, let it be the tools to make change.”
Created as a partnership between Venture X Doral and Books & Books — South Florida’s literary mainstay — the event also marked the release of the Spanish translations of her books — Girl, Stop Apologizing: A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals and Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be — and blasted beyond humdrum readings to further engage the audience in an interactive environment, providing more immediate access to the author and giving enterprising minds a communal space to embrace their own confidence.
As Hollis pointed out, “Are you afraid of failure or are you afraid of them watching you fail? Because they’re two totally different things. One is about being scared and one is about your ego. There are a lot of things that may block your path, but if the door’s locked, you can go through the window; if the window’s closed, you can crawl down the chimney — you can just keep trying until something works.”
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