Work It: Secrets for Success from the Boldest Women in Business

I have been blessed to experience certain career opportunities both directly and indirectly as a result of some of both men and women that I have encountered in my professional life. I come from a background where I am fortunate to have been adopted and there was very little expectation and neutrality towards whatever type of career that a woman was expected to hold andor if she even chose to have another career in addition to being a stay at home mother andor homemaker (nothing wrong with those two paths I am just implying how I noticed that the career bar was set for me at neutral). Naturally there were some family members who were understandably surprised when I voluntarily chose to move away at the age of 19 to join the navy and put myself in a new environment less than a couple of years after the divorce of my late adoptive parents became final by the court. This is because up until then it was unusual for a woman on my late adoptive mother’s side of the family to completely move away/relocate outside the Midwest region (as it seemed expected to stay close to family no matter what) to forge a new career life in the military that took me to Japan, California, Florida, and Virginia. I mentioned my late adoptive mother’s side in this reference as more of a tribute of respect/love because I did meet some of the family members from my late adoptive father’s side by the time I was a teenager yet it was and still is more of the members from my late adoptive mother’s side of the family who I have had more contact with. This is partially why I keep an open mind to look at memoirs that pertain to multiple career women and their journeys even with my logical and intuitive understanding of noticing that many of the most successful women partially climbed to impressive career heights through the mentorship andor encouragement of both men and women. Some of the interesting tidbits that I encountered in this kindlebook titled Work It Secrets For Success From the Boldest Women in Business by Carrie Kerpen; indicators of what appears on a person’s google search to show that a person’s brand might need more attention and room for improvement, a woman who was formerly affiliated with the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), the author’s Likeable Media business, a friend of the author’s who originally moved from New Zealand to America whose career path (their career path included Wall Street analyst, Google employee, business owner), and more.

WORK IT is an invaluable resource for not only young women beginning their careers, but also for those like me, women heading toward the end of their careers. Carrie Kerpen’s Tips, interspersed with Tips from other successful women in business, combine to create a quick read and summary of common sense thoughts that too often need to be simply said to be remembered, and acted upon. Each chapter sets out to guide women with real-life examples, her own, and others, which define ways to use your own “smarts, skills, strengths, weaknesses, and inner light”. The layout and flow of the book makes sense and progresses with tangible ideas and ends with workbook exercises. The exercises offer an opportunity to pause from reading, reflect, and act. Love that feature! Highly recommend WORK IT for every graduating female college student. Would make a great graduation gift! It would even make a great retirement gift – helping women navigate and think about their next chapter in life, and how they could use WORK IT to mentor the next generation of successful women, like Carrie Kerpen!

I couldn't put this book down! Carrie's voice is super approachable, smart and funny and the great questions she asks of her interviewees make this like a mini-business school but way more fun. Any woman serious about getting ahead in business needs to read this and learn from Carrie's own story navigating being a mom, wife and CEO and read the compelling stories of other women who willed their way to the top... and it's also a great book anyone who loves good storytelling and reading about powerful women who are willing to share what it REALLY means to Work It!

This was a very quick read — I finished it in a day because all of the stories were so captivating yet also relatable. I love how the book encourages you to Work It in a way that is both comfortable and authentic to you as an individual. The author’s confessions of introversion and how she never let that hold her back make her all the more likeable. I would recommend the book to other women as I think there are highly useful tips no matter what stage you are in your career.

“Work It” is a great source for any woman at any point in their careers. It offers easy tips that you can take away and apply immediately to help you achieve your successes whatever they may be. Kerpen is a gifted storyteller of her own and others stories making the book feel very relatable. The book is inclusive to all working women (including the “CEOs of tomorrow’s leaders”-stay at home moms) and I will be picking up a copy to gift with my three sisters.

This book is a gem! Carrie Kerpen makes you feel like you are sitting together chatting over coffee with some of the boldest women in business (including her!) From the beginning, Carrie makes it clear there is no one-size-fits-all, and there is so much wisdom in this book to find what works for you. I immediately bought another copy for my daughter who just graduated with her Master's Degree. I highly recommend!

Every woman needs this book!! Carrie does such a wonderful job of providing empowering, useful, and digestible tidbits in such a manner that if I could have eaten this book up with a spoon I would have. Her narrative and way that she showcases some pretty incredible women made the book SUCH an easy, fun read. I put this book down feeling (and knowing) I can conquer the world. Like I said.. every woman needs this book!

Work It is a practical and relevant read for any woman at any age looking to get ahead in business and life. The writing is warm, heartfelt, and funny-- it's the first book I've ever read in one sitting! I saw part of myself in every story that Carrie shared and found myself bookmarking critical lessons I wanted to revisit and share with others. Great read!

The book is a good one time read with few tips that I found useful but it is not something that shares a secretive tip or something people don't know about.In an attempt to cover several stories of successful women, the content of each lady is very brief hence notbas inspirational or thought provocative as I would have liked still I feel one should read it once

must read for every woman

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