Creating Your Own Community: Chelsea Scott
Name: Chelsea Scott
Where are you based? New York, NY
Hometown: Robbinsville, NJ
Every once in a while, we meet someone who we know will go on to do big things. I had this experience a little over a year ago when I met Chelsea Scott.
Chelsea and I met as coworkers at Deloitte Consulting, working together on a project for a client in the higher education sector for about 6 months. Every once in a while throughout our time on the project, Chelsea would reveal another tidbit about all of the interesting endeavors she had going on outside of work. As I got to know Chelsea more and more, it became clear that she is a self-starter who fearlessly pursues her ambitions, and my prediction is that this tendency is likely to take her to grand heights.
READ BETWEEN THE WINE
One of the first things I learned about Chelsea outside of our work relationship was that she had founded a popular book club for Black women in New York City called Read Between the Wine (RBTW). She mentioned it casually, but as soon as I looked it up, I realized that this was no small side project. With more than 160 members spread across two major cities, RBTW is a significant community for Black women to connect over literature.
The idea for Read Between the Wine started brewing while Chelsea was in college. She remembers, “When I was interning in New York the summer before graduation, I thought, ‘In a city like New York, there’s a need for a non-traditional social space for women to gather.’ I started thinking, ‘How can I create a community that is authentic and that I’m excited about?’”
She soon realized that her hope to build a community for herself after college was something that others in her circles shared: “ As I was talking to friends and people in my network, I realized that other people had that same desire and also a shared recognition that, even in a huge city, being a Black young professional woman is often an isolating experience.”
Recognizing that Read Between the Wine could get traction, Chelsea jumped in headfirst and started planning her first book club meeting. Unwilling to let any uncertainty stop her from pursuing the idea, she put pen to paper to develop flyers and begin advertising. She remarks, “I’m a firm believer that you should take action on your ideas early and iterate often — even if it’s just putting something on paper for people to react to — just start.”
Soon enough, Chelsea’s first Read Between the Wine meeting was held in New York City right after she graduated college, with about 10 attendees. Even then, she was surprised at the turnout, but from there, the growth catapulted much further. “After that meeting, the book club just grew like wildfire, I never would have expected it to grow the way it did,” she recalls.
Growing Like Wildfire
Now, Read Between the Wine has about 100 women in its New York chapter as well as 60 women in its Washington, DC chapter. The book club members collectively select and read one book per month, then gather to talk about it as a community through a guided discussion.
With its rapid expansion, Chelsea has used this as an opportunity to learn and grow as a leader. “When I started [RBTW], it was literally a one man show,” she acknowledges. “And it was a learning moment when I realized that just because I create something doesn’t mean that my hand has to be in every aspect of it. And, in fact, the best outcome is created when other people are incorporating their ideas and taking ownership.”
This lesson has culminated in the development of a leadership team to help run the book club and its various initiatives. “Creating a leadership team has been instrumental to the growth of Book Club and, in large part, its success,” Chelsea adds.
In addition to Chelsea, who leads the New York Chapter, and her friend Rachel, who runs the DC chapter, there are leaders who coordinate social media, events, community service opportunities, book club discussion guides, and new member welcome activities as well. This extensive leadership team has allowed Read Between the Wine to grow beyond just serving as a book club, acting as a community service group and social group for its members as well.
Using Literature as a Means to Explore Identity
Even as the book club grows, Chelsea works hard to make sure she keeps its original intent in mind: a passion for reading. She shares, “I started because I love Black literature. I have always been an avid reader, and, for me, I just wanted to share that with other Black women. Exclusively reading books by Black woman authors lays the foundation to explore the diversity that exists within Black womanhood.”
She also thinks about how her book club has built upon a legacy of Black women in book clubs in America, noting how literary societies in the 19th century were a mechanism for Black women to analyze their identities in the context of the American experience. She remarks, “I think literature is a great way to unpack more of your identity and for RBTW members to think about how, ‘Yes, we all have the shared experience of being Black young professional women in New York but how do each of us relate to this text differently?’”
Beyond the books, Chelsea is grateful that RBTW has been able to facilitate real friendships and create a community that is committed to connecting and growing together, and she hopes that the book club can always serve in that capacity for its members. Especially for members who are new to NYC, the book club can help to transform the city into a home where they can feel comfortable through the power of sisterhood.
Looking to the Future
One of the forward-looking thoughts at the top of Chelsea’s mind is determining how to continue to improve RBTW and the impact it can have on not only its members, but its local communities as well.
In addition to finding new, creative ways to help members connect with one another, Chelsea hopes to expand RBTW’s presence in the social justice space and “use the book club as a force for good.” A source of inspiration for this expansion towards the social justice sphere is rapper Noname’s book club, featured recently in the New York Times.
She summarizes this goal, explaining, “I often think about, ‘What can we do in this moment to use the resources, the privilege, even just our sheer size and numbers, to really make a difference?’ That is always a guiding principle for me.”
INTERSECTING PASSION AND PROFESSION
Beyond leading RBTW, Chelsea still has a full plate. Her career as a Consultant at Deloitte keeps her plenty busy on its own, but she is also prioritizing reading, family time, and passion projects.
Chelsea’s most recent passion project was inspired by a three-week trip to Arizona that she took with a few friends, where she recognized the power of asking the right questions to spark connections and grow relationships. “Over the course of the trip, we could feel our sisterhood strengthening simply from asking each other thoughtful questions and engaging in authentic dialogue. Those things coupled with being present in the moment,” she shares.
“And I realized in those moments that there’s such a thirst for that type of connection, but a lot of women are unsure of how to spark those conversations.” She continues, “So, as a result, I started to think about, ‘What are questions that I’ve been asked or questions that I’ve asked others that have built the foundation of some of my strongest sisterhood relationships?’”
The result of that brainstorming became The Seeds of Sisterhood, a set of cards with “thirty questions to establish the foundation for meaningful connection between women.” The questions are divided into three categories: 1) Planting Seed: questions to deepen our understanding of one another’s past experiences and values, 2) Taking Root: questions to honor our present selves and build confidence in our truths, and 3) Blooming Now: questions to move relationships and missions forward.
For Chelsea, The Seeds of Sisterhood is a side project for now, but it is one that could grow rapidly just like Read Between the Wine.
This entrepreneurial spirit that Chelsea exhibits is reflected in her future professional goals as well. When I ask her what she hopes to be doing in 5–10 years, her answer is concise; she wants to “try and find more intersections between [her] passions and [her] profession.”
How will that goal manifest? She explains that she hopes to go to business school in the coming years to help build a foundation for her to create her own business. From there, she could see herself starting her own small consulting firm.
Nonetheless, Chelsea has a dynamic perspective on her future, open to opportunities that might change this plan: “I’m very open and very fluid when it comes to where my passion is driving me and I create space in my life for new ideas to come up and to action on those ideas.”
No matter what she chooses to do, she wants to hold true to her identity. She adds, “But also with that, always keeping in mind the importance of fostering community and experiences for Black women. That is one of my greatest passions.”
IDENTITY IN CONTEXT
When I ask Chelsea to elaborate on how her identity has shaped her experiences and goals, her response is measured. She begins with her race. “I’m so grateful to be a Black woman and I honor both the very beautiful aspects, as well as the challenges that come with being a Black woman in America.”
Chelsea reflects on her youth, noting that she usually was able to “shape her reality” in K-12 school and college, surrounding herself with other Black women through her co-curricular and church activities. But in the corporate world, the lack of diversity is more constricting. She explains, “I’m not shaping my reality at work, especially given my typical travel which limits my social interactions during the week. As a young professional, my identity is even more top of mind, because I’m not surrounded by other Black women on a daily basis.”
She also notes how her religion has influenced how she interacts with the world. “My family is very religious, and we each have our own daily practices that ground us,” she shares. She tries to emulate her religion in her daily life through “love of others, which sounds cliché, but really moving in every interaction… in love.”
Mentorship & Motivation
In addition to the power of sisterhood, Chelsea strongly believes in the power of mentorship. She shares, “Having mentors that challenge me and make themselves available as thought partners is something that’s undoubtedly shaped me into the person I am today, both personally and professionally. I have been blessed with tremendous mentors.”
“And I think that’s a sign of a good mentor,” she elaborates. “Someone who hears your ideas and encourages you to move the needle on those ideas… I often think back to one of my mentors, Kwad, telling me ‘If life is easy, you’re not taking enough risks.’ I appreciate mentors who push me to think bigger. They have a really special place in my entire journey ”
She also has found relationships with friends to be both motivating and inspirational. “I have strong relationships with women who are movers and shakers, women who are carving their own lanes and investing in passion projects of their own which, in a way, holds me accountable to pursuing my projects,” she remarks.
For example, Chelsea’s friend Jillian Woodard founded Namaste by Jay, an online space for Black women to connect and promote wellness. Another example is Court to Corporate, a podcast founded by her friend, Kirby Porter, that spotlights athletes who entered the corporate world after their athletic careers, sharing their tips for success.
Chelsea continues, “So having this group of peers is a source of motivation and support that I’m really grateful for.”
Beyond the mentors and friends who inspire her, Chelsea sees Oprah Winfrey as a role model that she can aspire to imitate: “As someone who wants to be a businesswoman, a community builder, a philanthropist…Oprah is the prototype for feeding many passions using different channels. I love how Oprah’s endeavors build off of each other to reflect the fullness of her identity. Her work is boundless.”
Chelsea is already well on her way to finding creative ways to bring her passions to reality, and if what she has achieved in her first 25 years of life is a pattern, I think there will be much more to come.
MEDIA RECOMMENDATIONS
Curious as to what media has influenced Chelsea? See below for a list of her recommendations!
Books:
- A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger
- The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates
- All About Love by bell hooks
- The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
Other:
- 10% Happier, a mindfulness and meditation app
- This Is Us, a TV show on NBC
- StoryWorth, a service that allows you to easily capture and document family stories from older relatives. (Chelsea is doing this with her grandparents and says it has been priceless!)
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