INC is full of diverse talent. This week Susannah speaks to an INC member who has cropped up in her life over and over again either in person or audibly on various podcasts since an Area 4/5 coffee morning at Laura Summer´s house in 2015.
Kelly Pietrangeli’s career arc spans wide as she has moved from former music video Production Assistant, record cover Designer, parenting and motherhood Coach to current Author, Podcaster, retreat Host, women’s circle Facilitator, Soul Plan Practitioner, and last but by no means least, she is a fellow hot chilli sauce lover.
Kelly has been running online programmes and workshops for women around the world long before Zoom became mainstream. Her free Project Me Life Wheel® tool for living a well-balanced life has had over 10,000 downloads and became the framework for her book and online membership club. Her High Vibe Journey programme helps women to raise their emotional levels. Women are calling it life changing and transformational. (Editor´s Note: I completed it recently and am definitely firing on Spitfire rather than Freddy Laker cylinders).
How did you end up working as Johnny Depp´s Press Assistant?
As a young girl in Minnesota I dreamed of working in Hollywood and so aged 20 I naively drove out to California with very little money and no contacts. Within a few days I found a job at a Comedy Club, selling tickets in the box office. Soon after, I was promoted to the owner’s PA, which led to meeting Johnny Depp´s limo driver. Back then in 1990 he was a TV heart-throb starring in 21 Jump Street. I went to work for the production company and was promoted to the role as Johnny’s press assistant, opening huge sacks of fan mail from teenagers, sending him teddy bears – and sometimes their underpants!
My naivety became one of my biggest advantages professionally as I didn´t create any mental blocks to my career progression and I really had nothing to lose.
You then worked in music video production and subsequently became a record cover designer, what was it like working for top name bands such as Tina Turner, Boyzone, Celine Dion and Mariah Carey in the 1990s?
Looking back on it now I can see how exhilarating it was to have such a fun and lively job. Back then, the music industry was all about free CDs, concert tickets and parties. MC Hammer taught me how to do the ‘You Can’t Touch This’ dance behind his trailer. Beyoncé screeched with delight and hugged me when she saw my artwork for the first Destiny’s Child single. I had no idea she’d go on to become a global icon. In fact, when she and the girls left my office I said to my colleagues, “They’ll never make it.” I could never be a talent scout! I said the same thing about Johnny Depp when he told me he was leaving TV to pursue a movie career…
What brought you to Madrid in 2010 and how did you find settling in here?
By 2010 I had a 10 and 7 year old and had given up my career in the Entertainment Industry. I was definitely restless and ready for new adventures, so when my husband was offered a job in Madrid I was all for it! I helped him conquer his fears and doubts and encouraged him to go for it. Weeks later we were in Madrid and INC helped make the move seamless for me as I had a whole group of other international women to answer my multitude of questions and was able to tap into an instant friendship group with lots of fun cultural activities to attend.
How did Project Me start?
As a new mother, my life felt chaotic and I was wildly out of balance, often taking my frustrations out on my poor kids. One day I noticed on my shelf the perfectly-ordered folder I had put together for our house renovation project in London. It had neat coloured tab sections for each area of the house. I decided to create my own file for 8 sectors of my life, such as health, personal growth, fun, money and love.
I began to meet with two girlfriends to discuss how we could inject some order, balance and joyful purpose into those areas and be accountable for making change in them. Thus the Project Me Life Wheel was born.
In 2013 I set up the Project Me website and started teaching other women this framework to enhance productivity and become the empowered experts of their lives and themselves.
What´s the difference between Project Me and Project We?
In 2019 I took Project Me to a whole new level by launching an online membership club called Project WE. Together we lift each other higher! Not only have I gained deeper understanding of how to get the most out of my life, but it has been so successful for others in Project WE that some members are running their own workshops for us in their chosen area of expertise.
Project WE is for women wishing to switch out of auto-pilot and create a life they love.
You are playing your part in making the “woo-woo” make sense. How have you made spiritual introspection more acceptable to explore and discuss?
Launching the Project Me Podcast and sharing my stories of my journey into the wonderful world of ‘woo-woo’ has opened up so many hearts and minds.
A lot of women I work with now say they didn’t have a ‘woo woo’ bone in their body until they started listening to my podcast and doing my programmes. I see myself as the bridge between practical lifestyle management and all else that lies out there beyond what we can see, hear, smell, taste and touch.
You are now a certified Soul Plan Practitioner, tell us more
I discovered a couple of years ago that my own Soul Plan Destiny is to bring circles of people together to facilitate change. It was incredibly affirming and gave me the permission slip I needed to step more fully into this work. I trained to become a Soul Plan Practitioner and now love being able to share with my clients what their own soul gifts are, as well as the challenges they were born to overcome. It’s the most fun and fulfilling work I have ever done. Even being Johnny Depp’s PA!
Which books have inspired you?
I’m a personal/spiritual growth book junkie! I have lots on the go at once and so many recommendations. Years ago it was The Magic by Rhonda Byrne which is a 28 day writing prompts book that really wakes you up to the immense power of gratitude. I gifted it to everyone I knew and so much magic did indeed unfold for them! In more recent years I have recommended The Untethered Soul and The Surrender Experiment, both by Michael A Singer, to everyone who has done my programmes. I recently received his workbook from one of my retreat guests which I’m enjoying too.
What was the best advice you were given?
The words of wisdom I got from Johnny Depp´s limo driver who advocated never holding information too close to your chest. If you know something that could help someone else, share it freely. It might not be that same person who reciprocates, but it will flow back to you in some way when you need it. This has been very true for me.
What´s next for Project Me?
I am feeling called to pivot and move much more deeply in the direction of my soul work. Watch this space in early 2023!
Contact details – www.myprojectme.com