JLW Connection/Book Club Kick-off Event to Feature Author Tom Rath

Best-selling author, Tom Rath, will join the Membership Outreach Committee as a featured guest at this year's JLW Connection/Book Club Kick-Off event on Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m.

His latest book is “Are You Fully Charged? The Three Keys to Energizing Your Work and Life." The book is being made into a feature-length documentary that will be released later in 2015 and focuses on key elements of energizing work and life through personal stories and interviews with the world's leading social scientists. The film features a company in Minneapolis, Minn., where employees work on treadmill desks; a church in Chicago that gave members $500 to spend on others; and the co-founder of the Knowledge is Power Program, or KIPP, that has helped thousands of low-income students go to college.

Rath is a researcher who studies the role of human behavior in business, health and well-being. His book, “StrengthsFinder 2.0,” was the top-selling book in 2013 and 2014 worldwide on Amazon.com. His recent bestsellers include “Strengths Based Leadership,” “Wellbeing” and “Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes.” In total, his books have sold more than six million copies.

Arianna Huffington, co-founder of Huffington Post, said “Are You Fully Charged?” is, “An essential book for anyone wanting more out of life.” The Washingtonian stated, “Fortune 500 leaders look to him as one of the greatest thinkers of his generation.” And Forbes noted, “Rath's book is to bestseller lists what the Big Dipper is to our night sky. You can't miss it.”

In addition to his work as a researcher and author, Rath serves as a senior scientist for and advisor for Gallup, where he previously spent 13 years leading the organization's work on employee engagement, strengths, leadership and well-being. He also works as a scientific advisor for Welbe, a startup focused on wearable technology.

This year's kick-off event will feature a panel including Rath, D.C. fitness expert and Food Blogger Kaitlyn Wozniak and a local food blogger. The event will be held at Hunton & Williams, located near the Foggy Bottom metro station. Food and beverages will be provided, and women are invited to meet their group members and plan their club's first official meeting. If you are interested in registering for the Connection Club and Book Club Kick-Off event, please RSVP here.

Connection & Book Clubs Kickoff Event!

Are you looking for a fun and new way to meet and connect with women in JLW who share similar interests? The Membership Outreach Committee is organizing another year of Connection Clubs and Book Clubs to provide League members with a social setting to have fun, meet new women, form connections based on like activities and read new books!

The survey to participate closed Monday, Oct. 5; however, those that bypassed the deadline and are still interested in the clubs can contact the Membership Outreach Committee or attend the kick-off event to be placed into a club. The kick-off event takes place tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct. 13, at Hunton & Williams (2200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; Blue, Orange and Silver Lines, Foggy Bottom Metro) from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Participating JLW members are invited to meet and greet group members (and other women of the League) and plan their first official meetings at the kick-off event at Hunton & Williams (2200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; Blue, Orange and Silver Lines, Foggy Bottom Metro) on Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. This year the kick-off event will feature a panel including a short pre-screening of author Tom Rath's new movie "Fully Charged" on how to create a balanced, D.C. fitness expert Kaitlyn Wozniak and a local food blogger.
To register for the Oct. 13 kick-off event, click here.
For additional information, contact membershipouteach.jlw@gmail.com.

Once participants are placed and clubs are formulated, groups will be assigned a liaison from the Membership Outreach Committee who will assist with the initial communications for the club before it becomes self-sustaining.

Book Club Kick-Off Event to Feature Author Judy Bachrach

Author Judy Bachrach—an investigative journalist, noted author and Vanity Fair magazine contributing editor—will join the Membership Outreach Committee as one of the featured authors at this year’s JLW Book Club Kick-Off event on September 23 at 6:30 p.m.

Bachrach’s latest book Glimpsing Heaven, The Stories and Science of Life After Death, (National Geographic Books) hit shelves earlier this month and already is on No. 1 on three Amazon.com lists. Bachrach collected real-life accounts of people’s glimpses with death only to come back to life, and spends hours interviewing doctors, nurses and scientists to garner professional opinions. It promises to be an interesting read, redefining the meaning of both life and death
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If spirituality isn’t your genre, Bachrach’s writing is diverse to say the least. Her last book, Tina and Harry Come to America, is a biography of Tina Brown (former editor of Vanity Fair, the New Yorker and Talk) and her husband, Harry, a former president of Random House. She also has written articles featuring celebrities including Carrie Underwood, Jessica Alba, Goldie Hawn and fashion designer Giorgio Armani. Bachrach currently works as a contributing editor for Vanity Fair and is a regular book critic for The Weekly Standard.

Bachrach will answer questions about her works, as well as her philanthropic ventures in our community, including her “Ask Judy” online forum, which offers advices to relatives of the terminally ill; knowledge she has gained over years as a hospice volunteer.

Bachrach is one of four female, Washington, D.C.-based authors who will attend the Book Club Kick-Off, which will be hosted at JLW Headquarters in the Loughborough Room. Other authors include Monica Barnett, Amie Parnes, and Sarah Pekkannen. The event will also include food, beverages, book sales benefitting the League and plenty of time to mingle with other women participating in this year’s book clubs. If you’re interested in attending the Book Club Kick-off event, please RSVP here.

Author Sarah Pekkanen One of Many to Speak at JLW Book Club

Summer may be winding down, but that book you can’t put down doesn’t have to be packed away with your shorts and sandals. International bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen writes those books. Pekkanen’s women’s fiction—or “chick lit”—genre of books are guaranteed to be a good read year round.

Her latest book, Catching Air, is the fifth of her published works. Hoda Kotb of the Today Show said she was “flying through the pages” and People magazine remarked, “Pekkanen's wry voice and engaging characters keeps things fresh.” Other works by Pekkanen include These Girls, Skipping a Beat, The Opposite of Me and The Best of Us. Her next novel is due out in spring 2015.
As a mom of three boys she says she has penned at least half of one of her books inside of Chuck E. Cheese, literally, and got her start at the ripe age of 10. She also has worked as an on-air correspondent for e! Entertainment Network and for multiple metro area newspapers covering the Capitol Hill beat and as a freelance writer.

Pekkanen will answer questions from JLW members as one of the four female, Washington, D.C.-based authors at the Book Club Kick-Off, which will be hosted at JLW Headquarters in the Loughborough Room on September 23 at 6:30 p.m. Other authors include Judy Bachrach, Monica Barnett and Amie Parnes. The event will also include food, beverages, book sales benefitting the League and plenty of time to mingle with other women participating in this year’s book clubs. If you’re interested in attending the Book Club Kick-off event, please RSVP here. 

The Membership Outreach Committee is proud to host author Amie Parnes at the annual JLW Book Club Kick-off event, Tuesday, September 23, at 6:30 p.m. Parnes covers the Obama administration as the White House correspondent for The Hill newspaper, a D.C.-centric publication.

As a 10-year veteran of political journalism, Parnes has traveled extensively with Politicians we all love to love or love to hate…or at the very least, would love to hear about. The list includes those affiliated with the Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain presidential campaigns during the 2008 presidential race. She also appears frequently on MSNBC and has been featured on CNN and Fox News, as well as various other recognizable networks.

In 2014 Parnes took politics to pen, publishing HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton, along with co-author Jeffrey Allen. The political biography offers readers a rare look inside the Clinton political powerhouse while demonstrating how Clinton fundamentally transformed the U.S. Department of State using the force of her fame and following, and her unparalleled knowledge. It also provides an in-depth look at Clintons personal relationships and how the power of Washington works.

Parnes will answer questions from JLW members as one of the four female, Washington, D.C.-based authors at the Book Club Kick-Off, which will be hosted at JLW Headquarters in the Loughborough Room. Other authors include Judy Bachrach, Monica Barnett and Sarah Pekkannen. The event will also include food, beverages, book sales benefitting the league and plenty of time to mingle with other women participating in this year’s book clubs. If you’re interested in attending the Book Club Kick-off event, please RSVP here.

Book Club Kickoff: Spotlight on Author Monica Barnett

Who is better equipped to write about the power of style than someone with eleven years of experience in personal styling and image consulting? Monica Barnett, a JLW member herself, has worked with everyone from political elites, business executives and professional athletes, and created an online style resource, “Blueprint for Style,” – and now she is coming to JLW to share her wisdom!

Barnett will be attending the upcoming Book Club Kick-off event to discuss her book and experience writing for print and online. Without Saying A Word: The Silent Power of Style inspires professional women to “build their personal style signature in a more thoughtful manner.” The book is a helpful, fun read on how to not lose your own personal style in an office setting, while still conveying the upmost professionalism.

Barnett will answer questions from JLW members as one of the four female, Washington, D.C.-based authors at the Book Club Kick-Off, which will be hosted at JLW Headquarters in the Loughborough Room on September 23 at 6:30 p.m. Other authors include Judy Bachrach, Amie Parnes and Sarah Pekkannen. The event will also include food, beverages, book sales benefitting the League and plenty of time to mingle with other women participating in this year’s book clubs. If you’re interested in attending the book club kick-off event, please RSVP here. 

Don’t Miss JLW’s Book Club Kick-Off Event!

The Membership Outreach Committee is excited to launch this year’s book clubs with the most anticipated Book Clubs Kick-off event yet! In the weeks following the National Book Festival, league ladies have been busy filling out the book club’s survey, pondering which genre fits their mood this year—New York Times best sellers? Chick lit? Or perhaps even classics?

On September 23, we invite those who filled out the survey to join us for the annual kick-off event, beginning at 6:30 p.m., at JLW headquarters. Attendees will have time to mix and mingle before taking part as an active audience before a panel of renowned local authors including Judy Bachrach, Monica Barnett, Amie Parnes and Sarah Pekkanen. The event will also include food, beverages, book sales benefitting the League and plenty of time to meet with women in your book club of choice.

Forgot to fill out the survey? Don’t worry, RSVP for the Book Club Kick-off Event here and we can place you in a book club at the event.

The very popular JLW Book Clubs are organized by the Membership Outreach committee as a way to bring members together in a social setting based on common reading interests. Interested ladies are placed into groups based on location and genre of their preference determined during the online survey process. In addition to promoting league member connections and friendships, JLW book clubs promote literacy in the League and set a tone for our mission and an example for the larger D.C. community.