WOMEN & POWER

A no-nonsense handbook to help women who struggle to make their voices heard in the workplace.

Inspired by the popular marketing class she teaches at the University of Cincinnati, Sojka has translated her award-winning Women in Sales course into a book that can be shared with a wider audience. The goal—to help working women rid themselves of habits that do not serve them and replace them with ones that do—is broken down into four parts. The first has readers identify “self-limiting behaviors,” like perfectionism and people-pleasing, that are often practiced unconsciously. Part 2 explores eight resilience strategies that readers can employ to build confidence, such as setting a literal “timer on the pity party” and knowing when to quit. In Part 3, readers learn about small changes they can make to improve confidence, like eliminating hedge phrases (such as “I think,” “I feel,” “maybe,” “perhaps,” “kind of,” and “almost”). Lastly, the author provides suggestions for helping to lift up other women to create a healthy, supportive network. Each chapter includes reflection questions and practice sections, accompanied by blank lines where readers can fill in their own thoughts and answers. With a clear and articulate narrative voice, Sojka blends statistics with anecdotes to make her points. While the tone remains supportive throughout, the author isn’t afraid to call out some hard truths—such as the underlying reason why “busyness” is so often a distractor: “sometimes pursuing a passion or calling is hard. It is painful and it hurts, but you know that’s where you’re supposed to be. And busyness gives you a temporary escape.” This kind of soul-searching, combined with exercises that readers can immediately dive into, makes for a motivating and uplifting self-help book. The skillful balance of actionable tools and warm words of encouragement results in an inspirational rallying cry for women everywhere.

Practical steps and emotional support with a healthy dose of tough love.