BRAVE WOMEN AT WORK: LESSONS IN CONFIDENCE is a collection of first-person essays that read as inspirational memoirs. This collection goes beyond the traditional self-help genre’s case studies and data points to share profound personal truths. Part of the Brave Women at Work service platform—a group founded by author, coach, and podcaster Jennifer Pestikas—the book is published by Hunter Street Press.
Managing editor Marilyn Vetter, president of a prominent conservation group, launches the book with these facts: Managers rate women as better performers than men but rank them with less potential for promotion; at work, women consistently rate themselves as less capable than men; and men apply for jobs when they meet only sixty percent of the qualifications asked, whereas women only apply if they think they meet one hundred percent. The book relates the stories of eight women: titans in the fields of education, government, health care, engineering, and social justice advocacy. Each is introduced with a detailed biography of her career history and accomplishments. These movers and shakers share their career victories and losses in intimate and honest detail to reveal what it took to get to the top.
Stephanie Joong lobbies for more women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) positions—relating how she fought anti-Asian sentiment as head of her firm’s COVID crisis management team. Praba Koomson, a nurse educator, relates how her Ghanaian roots formed the bedrock of her self-confidence. Belinda Hyppolite, a social justice advocate and educator, relates her journey as a Black woman fighting stereotypes, prejudice, and financial discrimination. Pharmacoepidemiologist Cindy Girman writes about how she learned to stop overachieving to compensate for low self-esteem, and then overcame clinical depression to banish imposter syndrome. Professor and educational consultant Amanda James outlines the importance of positive modeling for career success, while Zenobia Tantra examines the role that spirituality plays in career confidence. Podcaster Jennifer Pestikas tells her story and how it led her to found the Brave Women at Work service platform to give working women more support. Pestikas struggled with burnout and “imposter syndrome” before she learned to accept and nurture her innate career wisdom. Today she is Senior Vice President of Business Development at a successful financial institution.
Structurally, the book is well-organized and boasts a wealth of information threaded throughout its engaging stories. It includes mantras, checklists, networking tips, and career resources for women; then it wraps up with a book club discussion guide for readers to use as a workbook to explore their own career goals.
Full of practical tips and personal truths, BRAVE WOMEN AT WORK: LESSONS IN CONFIDENCE is a unique, specific guide for any woman who wants to see her career thrive.
~Robin L Harvey for IndieReader