Must Love Shoes
by Julie Gaver
June 2011 Book Pick
Synopsis
"I am convinced that we need to do a better job staying connected with other women--women who inspire, challenge, understand, care about, and more importantly, love us for who we are."
Julie Gaver has taken some life lessons and put them into this quick read. She has traveled to give motivational speeches to many different types
of organizations. With humor and wit, she helps to put things into perspective for women. As women, we need to be able to bond with other women
who may be feeling the same things that we are. We need to be able to support and encourage each other.
The brief stories in Must Love Shoes allow us to see situations in a different light and laugh a little. Let's face it, men and women view things differently
and who better to encourage a woman than a woman who walks tall in her own shoes!
Review
I loved this book! I hated to finish it. I was thrilled at the fast pace of the stories and laughed my way through.
Don't get me wrong, I did cry a little too but what woman doesn't feel the roller coaster of emotions? A women's book club group will love this
book and have plenty to talk about. Personal stories will be shared and there will be a lot of laughter, I can almost guarantee it.
If you are not in a book club, then pick up two copies of Must Love Shoes and share with a friend. Get together for coffee, tea or some good old fashioned
shoe shopping and enjoy each other's company!
- If you were able to write an honest Holiday Letter as Julie did, what would yours say?
- "If you hear a voice within you saying, 'You are not a painter,' then by all means paint...And that voice will be silenced."-Vincent Van Gogh
What does your inner voice prevent you from doing? What hobby or profession is your heart's desire?
- Play the "happy game." Make a list of your favorite things and share with your group. Are there any similarities among you?
Exclusive Interview
Book Club Discussion: Interview with Julie Gaver, author of Must Love Shoes
What
made you start speaking at various conferences? What was your profession before motivational speaking?
 I took a
very scenic route to becoming a professional speaker and author. (That translates to: "it took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to be when
I grew up!") I was a Sociology/Pyschology major in college but only worked in the field for a few months. Most of my jobs centered around Sales,
Marketing, and Public Relations because they all involved talking! While working in Sales, a mentor recommended that I enroll in the Dale Carnegie
Course because I was very afraid of speaking in larger groups. I loved small group and one-on-one conversations but standing in front of large groups
would make me almost wet myself! Not good if you're in sales. I took the class and it unleashed a hidden talent. I realized, also, that I felt alive
in front of a group. (Think Sally Field's infamous "you like me...you really, really like me" Academy Award speech). To make a long story shorter,
I ultimately became an instructor for the Dale Carnegie organization. After several years, I decided to branch out and start my own business, Julie
Gaver Training & Development, LLC, which I've had for over 14 years now.
Speaking at conferences is different than training in a work environment. The latter is focused on performance improvement and needs to be content-rich.
Although you definitely want "content" in your presentations at a conference, there is more "entertainment value" needed. When I speak at a conference,
I think of myself as an edu-tainer! I love that! Women's conferences are my favorite because when you get that many women in a room, there's bound
to be laughter, fun, and well...amazing shoes!
Book Club Discussion: Interview with Julie Gaver, author of Must Love Shoes
Do
you really find it easy to laugh at yourself? I love that you can easily tell stories about yourself that others would have a hard time doing.
Ohhhhh...when
I'm in the middle of something horribly embarrassing (like many of the stories I wrote in Must Love Shoes), I'm not laughing. I'm horribly
embarrassed...mortified even. It's like I'm having an out-of-body experience and I'm yelling "SOMEBODY SAVE HER!" but no one will listen! The humor
kicks in after-the-fact, when I've had a chance to look back at the situation as an outsider might see it. Then it's hilarious!!! That happened to
me just last night. I spoke at a conference in New Jersey. I drove 4 and 1/2 hours to deliver a 75 minute presentation and then drove home 4 and 1/2
hours. I was tired and not paying much attention on the drive home, allowing my GPS to guide me home. By the way, she (the GPS) has serious attitude
issues! Well, she took me the wrong way home and I ended up in the inner city of Baltimore, through the tunnel and the works! The more she (mis)directed
me, the more I yelled at her. It was worse than two bitchy women fighting over a pair of 50% off Manolos! (not that THAT would ever happen!) But I
digress...the dialogue between little miss Priss GPS and Julie was NOT funny last night. Today? Well, I'm still giggling.
Each evening, I write one line in a spiral notebook I call "the best/funniest part of the day." It helps me remember things I may want to write
about. Last night's entry just said "Recalculating!"
Book Club Discussion: Interview with Julie Gaver, author of Must Love Shoes
OK,
since you do talk about shoes at the start of the book, how many pairs of shoes do you own and which are your favorite? (And do you have a secret
for spending a day in heels without wanting to chop off your feet afterwards?)
Surprisingly,
I don't have that many. Probably 40 or so. I live vicariously through the shoes of others. My favorite pair right now is a pair of red alligator
leather pumps with the pointy toes. I bought them right after my graphic designer and I decided to have the Must Love Shoes logo include a
pair of smokin' red pumps. They are my signature pair. I wear them often when I'm speaking about the book.
My secret about spending the day in shoes? The length of time I'm going to be on my feet speaking determines the style of shoe and its heel height.
If I'm speaking for an hour, it's party time! Two - four hours? Definitely a more modest heel. If I'm conducting an all day training, I'm probably
in flats. But I love the ballet-style slippers and they have some super-cute styles that make you feel comfortable and sassy at the same time.
I've had bunions removed twice. When I went for my consultation for the second surgery, I came from work and was wearing some pointy-toe pumps. The
podiatrist came in to see me and my shoes were off my feet and sitting on the floor beside me. He walked in, looked at me, then my feet, then the
shoes and said, "are they yours? They've GOT to go!" Needless to say, I'm still wearing them. Someone needs to tell him you never stand between
a woman and her shoes!
Book Club Discussion: Interview with Julie Gaver, author of Must Love Shoes
The
Wizard of Oz was one of your favorite movies, what was/is one of your favorite books and why?
Oh my!
That's like asking a mother to pick her favorite child. It will always be the one she's with! The books which have most impacted my life include
Simple Abundance, Romancing the Ordinary, and Something More, all by Sarah Ban Breathnach. I love her! If I could choose one
celebrity I'd most love to meet, it would be her! Forget Oprah! I love me some Sarah!
I'm in a book club as well and we finally read The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. What a compelling story. Skeeter and Abileen are my heroes and
I just wanted to bitch-slap Hilly the entire time! (can you print that?)
I will not die an unlived life is also one of my personal favorites. That book was the catalyst for some important soul searching for me.
When writing the book Must Love Shoes, I was inspired by the books written by Erma Bombeck. I loved her style, witty, conversational. Someone
once called me today's Erma Bombeck and to me, that was the greatest compliment I could have ever received!
Book Club Discussion: Interview with Julie Gaver, author of Must Love Shoes
Would
you consider sending out the REAL holiday letter to friends and family? What do you think their responses would be like?
Ohhhhhhh
noooooooo...No offense to everyone who writes them but if I wrote one, it would not contain one shred of achievement in it. Probably just a listing
of all the times I embarrassed myself in a single year.
Book Club Discussion: Interview with Julie Gaver, author of Must Love Shoes
Can
you tell us what you are working on next and where you will be heading for conferences?
I'm excited
to say that Must Love Shoes-Volume 2 will be released in December 2011. My book website MustLoveShoes is currently getting
an extreme makeover but is still operational. The new site will contain timely updates on this next book, upcoming conferences, etc. I will also
blog on the new, revised site, which should be fun! You may also purchase the first book online there. I'm new to the whole Amazon thing so eventually
I'll get around to putting it on Amazon. In the meantime, go to the website. I'm also on Facebook so friend me to stay abreast of Shoes News!
MustLoveShoes and also JulieGaver.
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