FWM: Introduce yourself and your business.
I am Abby Marks Beale, and I used to hate to read! I went through all four years of college, dreading any reading assignment. I’m now a speed-reading expert and author who loves sharing simple strategies for managing any reading workload by increasing one’s reading confidence and competence. I’m a professional speaker at conferences, a corporate trainer providing on-site and virtual interactive workshops for busy professionals, and the creator of an online reading course enjoyed by adult readers worldwide.
In 2013, I added the title “homeopath” to who I am and what I do. It’s another way my work helps people reduce stress, in this case, by feeling healthier.
FWM: Describe your journey to success.
I believe that much of my success results from my lifelong learning abilities. Whenever I need to learn something, I read about it, inquire about it, do research, and network with those who have some useful information to share about it.
I began creating materials for my speed reading workshops with a small-screened Macintosh computer in 1988. I created workshop materials by physically cutting and pasting graphics and page numbers on the master photocopy which is inconceivable today! I’ve been able to pivot as the technological world progressed.
I started offering speed reading workshops through adult education programs to test my materials and then grew into working with busy professionals in the corporate market. In 2006 Barnes and Noble Online University commissioned me to create and teach an online course for them that that included my book. When that university folded three years later, I created an online program now hosted on a learning management system.
Besides my speed-reading programs, I created The Corporate Educator to offer training in other productivity topics, including time management, email management, and work-life balance. I taught these topics for 20 years until 2018.
Another area I became interested in was homeopathic medicine. Through personal experience with it and then many years of training, I became a nationally certified classical homeopath. I attribute my solid reading skills to my ability to accomplish this.
FWM: What is your super power?
One of my strongest superpowers is my ability to rework content into many forms. As the author of the book 10 Days to Faster Reading, I have made it into an ebook, an audiobook on Audible, and it is the main content for my online course called Rev It Up Reading. It is also used in some of my training programs. I’m the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Speed Reading, which I am currently turning into an ebook. I experimented with podcasting and created the Rev It Up Reading Revolution Podcast, which is still available on all podcast channels.
FWM: What would the seasoned you tell the younger YOU?
It is ok to follow your passions!
FWM: What tools have you put in place to help women? And why women?
My homeopathy tools help women, especially those who struggle with lifelong mental/emotional issues, migraines, or general women’s issues. Women are the ones who typically seek help when they aren’t well, so more women are in my practice than men.
FWM: How can our readers connect with you outside of this interview?
If you’re interested in speed reading, visit www.RevItUpReading.com/ If you’re interested in homeopathy, visit www.HomeopathyHealings.com. If you’d like to connect with me, please email me at AbbyLearn@gmail.com/.
