Inner Calling Book Club: Accidentally On Purpose (Ch. 13-End) By Kristen Kish
Welcome Inner Callers! We've been reading Accidentally on Purpose, and today we're going to be discussing chapters 13 through 16 as well as the epilogue. In this closing conversation,we reflect on Kristen's remarkable full-circle journey from a teenager who felt she didn't belong, to a celebrated chef, Top Chef host, and woman fully at home in herself and her life.
In this conversation, we discuss:
what it means to surrender control without losing agency
how trusting your inner truth opens doors you never planned for
why authentic community becomes the foundation for everything
representation, identity, and queer visibility
“We make the active decision to take a detour. We opt for the unexpected, we intend for the unintended, and we lean into letting go. These adventures may not be in the plans, and they may even fall into the category of accidents, but one thing my life has taught me time and time again is that even accidents have purpose.”
-Kristen Kish, Accidentally on Purpose
Carlisle Hickey: I think this book is really unique in the sense that I could recommend it to almost anyone, and they could find something to relate to. But in terms of someone in particular, someone who really enjoys food and loves the imagery of food… More honestly, somebody trying to figure out how to authentically get in touch with a part of themselves that they're ashamed of or not sure of. I think Kristen has a great kind of outline or formula or philosophy of getting in touch with yourself and realizing like it's okay, you're gonna find a community that supports you and loves you just be who you are.
Western Kramer: I really think it's a perfect book for anyone who's struggled with control over their life or their next step, or anxiety. Kristen is a really good living example of what it's like to sort of let go and trust in your innate talents, understanding that you have a certain skill set that will carry you. And your community, you know that will help carry you forward onto your next steps. I think it was really good for giving me a lot of perspective on that too.
Victoria Ranade: I think I would recommend it to queer teens. So many people could read it, but I would personally recommend it to teens who are queer and just like struggling with their identity and navigating all the different identities. And like, it's a really encouraging book, because you can see, hey guys, it works out. This is what happens when you are yourself. It can work out.