Peta Kelly has many different titles – conscious entrepreneur, speaker, philanthropist, author and voice for the millennial generation – but her most favorite is “human AF.” She revels in the joys of being messily, gloriously human, and her personal mission is to mobilize the next generation of conscious change-makers.

Originally from Fremantle, Western Australia, it wasn’t too long ago that Peta was working on her PhD in Science at the University of Western Australia. Despite the incredible level of academic success she had achieved, her soul was tugging her along to the next part of her journey – entrepreneurship – and she made the scary decision to walk away from academia. After creating a seven-figure income for herself in her early twenties, Peta became fascinated with rewriting economic rules. Her desire? To circulate the wealth and give back in a meaningful way.

Her new book debuting Jan. 30, “Earth is Hiring”, is about the new way to live, lead, earn and give consciously. Her message was molded by her unique experiences — from being included in Inc. Magazine’s “Top 10 Female Entrepreneurs Changing the World,” to being featured in Forbes, to experiencing motherhood, to simply being a millennial.

We caught up with Peta to learn more about her book and understand what has inspired her young career.

Tell us about your book Earth is Hiring. What are some of the key themes or messages you’d like readers to take away?

Earth Is Hiring is a playful conversation about the new way to live, lead, earn, and give. But it’s about much the ancient way, made fresh and relevant. It’s a call up to the game changers of this generation to lighten up in their often heavy pursuits to change the world, and to remember that our vibration is our greatest gift to the world. How we feel is more important than what we do. Aligned action is more powerful than just action. If we want to know harmony with Mother Earth, we’ve got to be a vibration that is more like hers. Our vibration is more important than our protests.

At the beginning of the book, I help readers understand the millennial generation, once and for all, and with one simple word. Millennials are the most studied, analyzed generation on Earth, and so I give it to the readers straight, from the heart of a millennial. Why do we do things so differently? Why do we require work from home policies, social causes attached to companies we support, bean bags as chairs? We were born with different equipment and what I call a divine intolerance to anything that doesn’t support the world we’re here to create. We’re just taking our turn; every generation does.

The themes of the book range from living, leading, earning and giving. So, I dive into in this new paradigm: what is required of us? What’s Earth Hiring us to do? How is she wanting us to live, lead, earn and give so that we can be a more thriving collective for our children and our Earth? She’s hiring us to live in alignment, in our free flowing tap. She’s hiring us to take radical responsibility for our vibration- to play, circulate energy, and ask magic questions every single day. She’s hiring us to lead in a way that our highest integrity is between us and our soul, allowing ourselves to be human AF, not cleaner than the plate we eat off.

She’s hiring us to up our compassion game even when it’s really hard and remember that everyone is doing their best. She’s hiring us to upgrade our stories around money so that we can create a new collective money story, one that goes hand in hand with consciousness. We don’t have to choose between consciousness and money: it’s just up to us to change the story and learn how to recirculate resources to generate meaningful change. Earth is hiring us to tune into the spiritual bosses of our business and remember that as entrepreneurs we are never working for ourselves. She’s hiring us to put on our TEAM EARTH Jerseys and upgrade our action and vibration for the Earth. She’s hiring us to remember that changing the world is heart science, not rocket science, and that the world will change when we collectively give enough of a shit. That’s it in a nutshell!!!

Where did the title come from and what does it mean to you?

The title has been in my heart for years. I’ve always said that the Earth is my boss. Paul Hawken’s 2009 commencement speech at the very end, he says “You are brilliant and Earth is Hiring.” I reference that speech a lot, and so I suppose those words infiltrated into my cells. He is so badass. I respect him so much. 

What motivated you to become an inspirational speaker and how did you get your start?

I never wanted to be an inspirational speaker. During my university days, presenting my scientific researchers, I hated speaking. I would turn bright red and almost poop my pants before every presentation. Looking back, I was speaking from my head, so no wonder I found it so tough. When I speak now I speak with a wide open tap and trust fully the message I’m trusted to share. There’s a big difference. I started speaking in this way just because that’s where the world wanted me. It was out of my hands, really.

I started speaking about bigger picture stuff, in my first business endeavor in network marketing. I found myself speaking a lot all over the world. And then I started creating my own events so that I could really let rip without curating a single word (or f bomb). I found my genius, my gift. Speaking is just one of the ways I deliver the messages I’m meant to deliver. We’re all vessels, and I just go where I’m meant to serve. So, what motivated me? I don’t feel I chased speaking, speaking chased me, lol.  

Millennial Magazine - peta-kelly-earth-is-hiring

Photos courtesy of Peta Kelly

What are some of the biggest misconceptions about “success” that you are trying to change?

Ah where do I begin!! I speak about this a lot in my book. Success, firstly is not about a ‘top’. It’s just not about making it to any ‘top’ anymore. Our generation won’t tolerate workaholism and the endless pursuit for more, if it’s not in alignment with our souls. Success isn’t something that can be measured ‘out there’. It’s something that can be felt by us individually only. It’s incomparable. My definition of success is the state at which my soul fist bumps me when my head hits the pillow each night. In other words, am I doing what my soul wants me to be doing, in the way my soul wants me to do it.

Living in alignment with our highest purpose, in the WAY that feels most aligned for us, is success. The trouble is, with social media, it’s hard to share and measure alignment. So, we chase after numbers and things that we can visibly ‘show’ online. Slowly, though, we are collectively starting to value how we feel when our phones shut off, more than what the online world sees. So what I’m trying to change about success, is that people take their own pulse: is my soul fist bumping me? Am I doing it right for ME? Does it feel good? Then, from that space, go and create epic shit. Align yourself, then act. You do not have to do what everyone else does, HOW everyone else does it. Acknowledging that true success is a feeling, and is incomparable, is such a breath out. Magic is possible from this space.

How do you define success and what has been a career move in your life that you are incredibly proud to label successful?

Success: the state at which your soul fist bumps you when your head hits the pillow each night. Doing what your soul wants you to do, how your soul wants you to do it. I am proud of how I wrote my book- I self published because I wanted the process to be easy, fun and unencumbered. I didn’t want to change anything about it, because it would have altered the process too much for me. For me to feel my book writing process was successful, I needed to do it my way. I am proud of my events, The New Way Live, because they’re like nothing else. They’re a playful festival, equal parts play and profound, spirituality and business, food trucks and Eminem, ancient wisdom and freshness. I feel successful creating these events because of the HOW- the process is playful and unencumbered. Success for me is always in the HOW 🙂

Congratulations on becoming a mommy! How has your outlook on life changed and/or altered now that you have spawned the next generation?

Omg thank you!!! Everything is just amplified a gazillion times looking the next generation in the eye every single day. I thought I was on fire before, holy moly. Sol, my daughter, teaches me with a single glance what matters and what doesn’t. Before becoming a Mum, I had so much time and energy to spend (exhaust) on stuff that did not matter. Once becoming a Mum, and writing a book, doing business etc at the same time, there are no crevices left for ANY exhausted energy that isn’t generating something greater, or grander more glorious. So much of life doesn’t matter. But so much does. We have all the energy in the world for what matters if we can be ruthless about cutting out what doesn’t. Needless to say, my fierce protection of Momma Earth went up a few notches now that I have offspring that will be living here long after I’m gone!

Tell us about The Earthess Co. What you are hoping to achieve and how can readers get involved in the community?

The Earthess Co. is a little community I created for the high performing woman who is also Earthy AF. That blend is so beautiful and important. It’s a sisterhood where world changing women can take off their capes, and shoes and just be nourished by each other. It’s really simple- It’s a FB group and people can search online and join! No agenda, just LOVE.