It's been awhile since I read a good self-help book. It just so happens that AMPLIFY turned out to be the perfect resource at this time in my life when I just started a new exciting job. Book Details:

Book Title: AMPLIFY: How to Grow Your Reputation And The Kickass Career You Love
Category: Adult Nonfiction, 180 pages
Genre: Women in Business, Entrepreneurship, Career
Publisher: NCM
Release date: November 2018
Tour dates: Feb 25 to March 8, 2019
Content Rating: PG (rated PG because the word "Kickass" is on the cover)

Book Description:

It’s hard to fit in when you work in a mostly male world, let alone achieve your goals. Women in tech - as in many areas of business - are in the minority in every meeting. It’s difficult to find our voices in a room full of men. Even when we’re ready to share ideas, we often have to shout to be heard, trusted, and respected. It’s time for that to change.

Holly Chessman has used her marketing and business experience to navigate mostly male waters. She's taught people how to build their reputations using online and offline tools - and now she wants you to gain that same success.

Today is the day you start making the small changes you need to grow your voice and, consequently, your career. Small steps with big impact - that’s what it’s all about. Between the tips in this book and the straightforward, step-by-step exercises in each chapter, you’ll see your life change for the better.

As you go through this book, you’ll learn about the Defining You methodology, the exclusive system for accelerating reputation and career growth. You’ll get the step-by-step guidance to reach your goals faster than ever. You’ll develop the means to realize the success you’ve always envisioned: Speak up in meetings. Get the raise you want. Find a job that satisfies you. Do what it takes to meet the goals that are right for YOU.

Take control of your career TODAY and define the “you” you want to be.


It's been awhile since I read a good self-help book. It just so happens that AMPLIFY turned out to be the perfect resource at this time in my life when I just started a new exciting job. I was surprised by not only how useful this book is but how pertinent it is for any woman who wants to be successful at what she does for work. The advice is spot on.

First, I love that cover. It is simple but represents the topic well. This book is about girl power, truly encouraging and celebrating women's empowerment, independence, and confidence in the work field. I enjoyed Chessman's first person narrative as she shared her personal work experience, but mostly wrote in a friendly but expertly way about how to grow your voice and your reputation at work.

The book is easy to read and divided into chapters filled with practical exercises that clarify, define and help you to practice what you need to do to achieve the success you want in your career.  Not only does the author explain well these exercises but she follows up each exercise with examples of what you may want to achieve because sometimes you just need that direction. I loved how clear she made everything she talked about in her book.

I was so motivated by this book that I bought a notebook and set out to write out my long-term and short-term goals and the steps to achieve them. I am following the advice in this book and feeling much more confident because of the exercises that I've done. I haven't yet done all the exercises as this is one of those books that gives you lots of practical advice that you can use over and over and at different stages of your work life.

If you feel stuck at work, need a change in your career, want to improve your set of work skills, feel the need to prove your worth, want to build your reputation and expertise or advance in your company, then this book will help you achieve that. As the author states, it's not about working harder, it's about finding a way to let others know about the work you are doing and the results you are achieving. This is what she teaches you.

This is the perfect book for the young woman starting her career or the mature woman wanting to up her game.
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The One-Week Job Project by Sean Aiken (Rated: C)
Penguin Group (Canada)
ISBN: 978-0-14-317051-8
Publication date: April 17, 2010
Trade paperback, 288 pages

What do I want to do with my life? Who hasn't asked themselves that question when searching for the perfect career? The One-Week Job Project is a window into the journey of a young man’s unusual experience working 52 jobs in one year—so he could find the answer to that very question.

Sean Aiken accepted one-week job offers from employers who were willing to show him their trade (and donate his pay to charity) so Sean could see first-hand what a career in that particular field offered. When he first came up with this idea, it was to help him discover what he wanted to do with his life. He discovered a whole lot more and shares it with us through this adventurous book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I liked Sean Aiken’s honest voice and learning all kinds of neat tidbits about specific jobs.

For every job Sean took for one week, he stated the location, job description, industry IQ, and what he learned. This is followed by an anecdote of his experience working there. The book isn’t filled with statistical work facts, though. From the first few chapters, we immediately get the picture of an intelligent man with a positive outlook, an open mind and a readiness to learn about the working industry and himself. Never long-winded or boring, always entertaining, his personal stories are amusing, inspirational and filled with candour. I felt like I was in a room with Sean as he recounted what he lived during his memorable year hopping from job to job and making new friendships along the way.

On days when Sean questioned the value of his project, it was his belief, his hope that there was something more—that he could succeed in finding work he was passionate about—that kept him going. I admire his tenacity to bring his project to an end, to remain humble in the face of big media exposure, and to sincerely portray his struggles with his personal relationships.

Best of all, it’s a clean read that I could easily recommend to young people as well as anyone who is searching to find something to do that they are truly passionate about. Looking for the perfect career? Need a career change? Given up finding your passion in life? This book will inspire you. What did Sean discover at the end of his journey? It’s interspersed throughout his book and is well summed up at the conclusion. Well done, Sean!

To learn more about this project and to watch the book trailer (it's worth it!), visit Sean's Web site: http://www.oneweekjob.com/

Disclosure: Thank you to Bronwyn Kienapple from Penguin Group Canada for sending me this advance copy for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.