What Would You Do if You Ran the World? Interview with Author Shelly Rachanow

Like many of the awesome authors at Laura Reviews, Shelly Rachanow is another great example of a person who simply followed her writing dreams.

The title of Rachanow’s first book, If Women Ran the World, Sh*t Would Get Done, made me want to fly to Shelly’s house to meet her.

And, she recently released her second book, What Would You Do if You Ran the World?: Everyday Ideas from Women Who Want to Make the World a Better Place.

But, Rachanow didn’t start out as a writer – but she knew writing was her passion and she made the jump from her career in law. Sounds like a theme we’ve heard from alot of folks here at Laura Reviews – both readers and interviewees.

I found both of Shelly’s books to be fun, thoughtful, creative and educational. And, don’t worry guys: as a practicing people-ist, I’d recommend the books to both men and women.

Exciting note: The end of this post includes The Fun Part (as my Pilates teacher calls 50 sit-ups in 60 seconds). You’re invited to share your ideas on what you would do if you ran the world, but no physical exercise will be required.

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Laura Cococcia: I absolutely love the title of your first book, If Women Ran the World, Sh*t Would Get Done. I know approximately 216 women (and a bunch of men) who’d agree with me. What inspired you to write this first novel?

Shelly Rachanow: While it’s true that the title came to me in a flash one morning when my ordinarily supportive boyfriend refused to take out the trash (can anyone else relate?), the real inspiration was my mom and the millions of women around the world who do so much for so many each and every day.

My mom raised three kids (one with a disability who still requires daily care), worked outside the home, fought for better laws for the disabled, and still managed to cook dinner every night. She often says, “I don’t do anything amazing. I just do what needs to get done.” I think the real truth – for her and for all women – is that our ability to get so much done each and every day (often without complaint) is what makes women amazing in the first place.

Laura Cococcia: What kind of feedback have you received from readers? Do you ever get feedback from male fans?

Shelly Rachanow: The feedback has been really incredible! As women, we have this horrible habit of focusing on the one or two things we didn’t get done in our day, instead of feeling good about the many things we were able to get done. I’ve heard from thousands of women who have really appreciated how much this book encourages them to celebrate themselves and their accomplishments.

And I’ve had some really wonderful feedback from men, especially at the events I’ve done. I’d say 95% of men who see the book title have the same reaction. They pause for a moment (and usually smile or chuckle), and then they say something like, “You know, that’s so true. In fact, my wife…” And they launch into a great story about their wife, their mom, their sister or another woman they know. It’s been wonderful to see how many people really do recognize how much women get done…even if we don’t always recognize it ourselves.

Laura Cococcia: You pursued a career in law and then took the leap into writing. How has the change been rewarding and/or challenging?

Shelly Rachanow: I was really unhappy practicing law. I hit a point where I didn’t think I could do it for one more day, much less the rest of my life. After a friend in his late twenties passed away unexpectedly, I did a lot of thinking and I asked myself, “What do you really want to do?”

Writing books was always the answer for me, and I finally decided the only way it would ever happen was if I took a chance. In that sense, giving myself permission to live the life I really wanted has been one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made.

There have definitely been challenges, too. It was scary figuring out how to earn a living writing while also working on my first book idea (I temped and did technical writing). And there were plenty of self-doubt moments. But for me, I had hit a place where I just wasn’t willing to settle, be it in a career or in life overall. I feel really grateful that I gave myself that chance and that permission to pursue my dreams!

Laura Cococcia: Your second book, What Would You Do If You Ran the World?: Everyday Ideas from Women Who Want to Make the World a Better Place, just came out in February – congratulations! Was the experience of writing this book different from your first one?

Shelly Rachanow: The main thing that was different was the timing. Since I already had a publisher, I wrote the majority of the second book after receiving an offer, versus writing the whole book first and then looking for a publisher to submit to. But there were also many similarities.

Like with If Women Ran the World…, I had the chance to meet, interview, and research amazing women who are kicking butt and making the world better. Writing the second book made me even more inspired by the things we can do and are doing to make a difference!

Laura Cococcia: And the traditional Laura Reviews question: What words of wisdom can you give to other aspiring writers – whether they’re career writers or dreaming of becoming a writer?

Shelly Rachanow: For anyone who aspires to write, I say start today. It wasn’t that long ago that I was in the same position. I learned that sometimes a fresh start really can be the start of something amazing.

You don’t have to quit your job or make major changes all at once if you’re not ready. But you can find a way to start writing now, even if you just start journaling for ten minutes a day. Take that first step. It’s the only way you can get somewhere new!

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Thanks so much, Shelly, for sharing your expertise – and special thanks, again, to my Examiner.com colleague, Frank Mundo, who introduced me to Shelly.

To read more about Shelly and both of her books, you can visit Shelly’s site.

The Fun Part
What would you do if you ran the world? Just give us one or two cool ideas and we’ll keep a running list to share with Shelly.

I’ll start. I would:

1) Mandate literacy programs globally.

2) Demand that Robert Plant and Jimmy Page perform a private concert for me and 100 of my closest friends.

3) Make red velvet cupcakes, homemade chocolate chip cookies and Diet Coke a part of the food pyramid. Today’s post in The Onion states that the FDA just approved second helpings, so I have renewed faith in the evolution of the food pyramid to include said food items in the near future.
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The floor is open – share your world-changing ideas!

Tagged as: Book Reviews, Interviews, Laura Cococcia, Motivation