Fearless and Free: How Smart Women Pivot and Relaunch Their Careers

Sachs, a former Capitol Hill press secretary turned TV producer and PR executive, challenges women to embrace agility as they manage their careers. Women, she claims, need to “iterate, pivot, and progress,” and to embrace ambition and break free from professional inertia. Rather than follow a direct career path, she says, women need to focus on staying relevant, which mandates agility. Sachs highlights numerous examples of women (from millennials to baby boomers) relaunching themselves, detailing how risk-taking, staying true to oneself, and taking baby steps can move a career forward. Sachs seeks to spark self-confidence, and starts with language. Words such as “sorry,” she states, are a crutch and a power deflator; women need to be straightforward and not undermine themselves with their words, never opting for likability over projecting confidence. She moves on to related topics such as posture, networking, resilience, and failure. She includes an exceptional chapter on rejoining the workforce after either leaving or being forced out, and shows the value of gap years. By embracing a zigzag approach, Sachs shows how to carve out a career filled with success and fulfillment. Agent: Albert Zuckerman, Writers House. (Feb.)