An Inspired Chat with Sam Clark of Seattle

Sam Clark shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Sam, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: When was the last time you felt true joy?
When my 14-month old son put his small arm around me and leaned his head against my chest. It only lasted a second, but it’s a feeling of joy I’ll always carry with me.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am the founder and owner of Seattle Book Club–a business that hosts of reading events in the beautiful emerald city of Seattle, Washington. We also sell secondhand books via our online store, so my life is full of books–which I love. We host about five events per month by partnering with other small business and popping up in their space. We’re proud to highlight local small businesses and support them, while providing a fun reading event for guests. Seattle Book Club strives to create community through reading together.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a shy child, I believed that I just wanted to fit in and be like everyone else. Now as an adult, I realize that I want the opposite of that–I want to stand out! I want to accomplish things of my own choosing, and I want to find success in the way that I define it.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
The experience of going to a job every day that I no longer loved taught me how I didn’t want to spend my time. Understanding the feeling of spending 40+ hours a week of my life somewhere I didn’t want to be taught me in a way that no lesson could. I needed to really feel that unhappiness to give me the push to find my true passion.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
I take a lot of pride on being transparent and authentic in how I present myself, both personally and professionally. Since I am the host of Seattle Book Club events, I spend a lot of time talking to guests both in person and via social media and email. I LOVE this part of my job! It’s become even more apparent that being myself is vital to connecting with people to make events enjoyable and grow my business.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people, especially my kids, will see that I didn’t want to settle on my happiness. I want my story to be that it’s okay to start over, it’s okay to try again, and it’s okay to try a few things before deciding what your passion is. Every year that I get older, I recognize more things that are truly important to me, and I work to adjust my life to make time for those things. My story should be one of working hard to find, and do, what you love.

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