"These are the 'know your value' conversations that we need to have. These women--their challenges, choices, and successes--are all of us." --Mika Brzezinski Over the last sixty years, women's lives have transformed radically from generation to generation. Without a template to follow--a way to peek into the future to catch a glimpse of what leaving this job or marrying that person might mean to us decades from now--women make important decisions blindly, groping for a way forward, winging it, and hoping it all works out. As they faced unexpectedly fraught decisions about their own lives, journalists Hana Schank and Elizabeth Wallace found themselves wondering about the women they'd graduated alongside. What happened to these women who seemed set to reap the rewards of second-wave feminism, on the brink of taking over the world? Where did their ambition lead them? So they tracked down their classmates and, over several hundred hours of interviews, gathered and mapped data about real women's lives that has been missing from our conversations about women and the workplace. Whether you're deciding if you should pass up a promotion in favor of more flex time, planning when to get pregnant, or wondering what the ramifications are of being the only person in your house who ever unloads the dishwasher, The Ambition Decisions is a guide to the changes that may seem arbitrary but are life defining, by women who've been there. Organized by theme, each chapter draws on real women's stories of facing down crisis, transition, and decision-making to illustrate broader trends Schank and Wallace observed. Each chapter wraps up with a useful bulleted list of questions to consider and tips to integrate that will guide women of all ages along the way to finding purpose and passion in work and life.

"These are the 'know your value' conversations that we need to have. These women--their challenges, choices, and successes--are all of us." --Mika Brzezinski Over the last sixty years, women's lives have transformed radically from generation to generation. Without a template to follow--a way to peek into the future to catch a glimpse of what leaving this job or marrying that person might mean to us decades from now--women make important decisions blindly, groping for a way forward, winging it, and hoping it all works out. As they faced unexpectedly fraught decisions about their own lives, journalists Hana Schank and Elizabeth Wallace found themselves wondering about the women they'd graduated alongside. What happened to these women who seemed set to reap the rewards of second-wave feminism, on the brink of taking over the world? Where did their ambition lead them? So they tracked down their classmates and, over several hundred hours of interviews, gathered and mapped data about real women's lives that has been missing from our conversations about women and the workplace. Whether you're deciding if you should pass up a promotion in favor of more flex time, planning when to get pregnant, or wondering what the ramifications are of being the only person in your house who ever unloads the dishwasher, The Ambition Decisions is a guide to the changes that may seem arbitrary but are life defining, by women who've been there. Organized by theme, each chapter draws on real women's stories of facing down crisis, transition, and decision-making to illustrate broader trends Schank and Wallace observed. Each chapter wraps up with a useful bulleted list of questions to consider and tips to integrate that will guide women of all ages along the way to finding purpose and passion in work and life.

For anyone seeking to live life to its fullest potential, Blind Ambition is an eye-opening account of a tech industry executive who overcame fear and hopelessness to turn his blindness disability into a powerful, competitive strength. While most people were preparing for the adventure of adult life, Chad E. Foster was watching the world he grew up with fade to black but that didn’t stop him from becoming the first blind person to graduate from the Harvard Business School leadership program and climbing the corporate ladder as a successful finance/sales executive. With determination, ambition, and drive, Chad created what Oracle said would be impossible. He gave millions of people the ability to earn a living by becoming the first to create customer relationship software for the visually impaired. Even if you've been robbed of your self-identity and dreams for the future, you can change your story and achieve your goals. In Blind Ambition, readers and listeners will: Be inspired by Chad’s story of how he transformed the loss of his vision into a gift with unique strengths and abilities he did not have before. See how we choose the stories we tell ourselves about our circumstances and how this either limits us or propels us toward our goals. Gain new perspective on what is possible when you shift your mindset, give up making excuses, and decide that you oversee who you want to be. Learn the mental model that Chad uses to quickly overcome frustrations and stressors. Overcoming the challenges of blindness improved Chad’s perspective, making him more resilient and grateful for the life that he has. Ultimately, Chad's unforgettable lessons and outlook will inspire listeners to overcome their perceived limitations and explore new possibilities where they once may have only seen obstacles. Blind Ambition will teach you how to take advantage of your disadvantages.

You don't strike it rich by playing it safe. It's the seven figure decisions that lift you out of the middle class and into the millionaire's circle. Nick Vertucci achieved tremendous success by taking bold, calculated risks to reinvent himself after losing everything. In this essential guide and memoir, Nick outlines the six fundamental building blocks that form the foundation of his life-changing philosophy. His inspiring personal history contains valuable lessons in how to push past your fears, radically alter your mindset, and passionately pursue your goals. And he details the four key steps to devise and actualize your own winning plan: See it. Believe it. Map it. Execute it. The higher you raise your sights, the more spectacularly you can succeed, no matter what professional path you choose to follow. Forget the small change! It's time to go big in business and in life by making seven figure decisions.

A Wild Ride Through Florida's Horse Country Jules came to Ocala one year ago, with only one goal on her mind: becoming a top Three-Day Event rider and trainer. She's young, hungry, and driven by demons only she knows about. To Jules, being fiercely ambitious is simply the fuel she needs to achieve her dreams. But to the rest of the Ocala equestrian set, Jules Thornton is a nasty know-it-all who deserves whatever comeuppance she gets. Jules doesn't get the hate. What’s a hard-knocking horsewoman supposed to do when no one likes her, everyone is whispering behind her back, and the same pretty rich boy keeps beating her at every event? It will take a hurricane to blow some sense into Jules, and even then, she won't be quick to accept help. If Jules is going to succeed, she has to learn to let go of her past and embrace a different version of the world she's built for herself: one in which people can be just as trustworthy as horses, and everyone deserves a fair shake. With deepening friendships, a budding romance, and a fresh start, Jules could be on the road to recovery. If she doesn't mess it up for herself. Take a journey like no other, as you explore the gorgeous Florida horse country with Jules and her horses, working students, and friends in Ambition. The first in a bestselling series which has captivated thousands of readers, Ambition is a deep dive into the tough, unglamorous world of professional equestrians - and the ways this challenging industry molds its future stars. It’s the perfect escape for anyone seeking equestrian fiction or horse books for adults. In this seven-book series, you can join Jules Thornton and a cast of horses and equestrians on an intensely realistic and relatable ride through Three-Day Eventing, as Jules learns not just about becoming a better horsewoman, but a better human. Read the entire series! Bold: A Prequel to the Eventing Series Book 1: Ambition Book 2: Pride Book 3: Courage Book 4: Luck Book 5: Forward Book 6: Prospect Book 7: Home Reviews for Ambition "Natalie weaves the story of Jules, her horses, and their uncertain road to the upper levels of eventing with realism and detail." - The Equine Insider "'Ambition' is one of the good ones." - Susannah St. Clair (Vine Voice Reviewer) "This all felt very real to me." - Karen McGoldrick, author of The Dressage Chronicles "I loved watching her story unfold -- the good, the bad, and the ugly were highly entertaining." - Brittney Joy, author of the Red Rock Ranch Series "In Jules Natalie Keller Reinert has created a barbed wire heroine who still, despite her arrogance, and her pathetic inability to see the good in people, still has something about her that catches at your heart." - Jane Badger, Editor and Equestrian Writer "I was sucked in from the very first page." - BassetMom (Amazon Reviewer) "This book shows the hard work, drudgery and living-on-the-edge aspects that come long before the jumps. The Florida setting provides the big action sequence that dominates the final third of the book. Trust me - you'll blast through the book then and won't put it down." - R. Maners (Amazon Reviewer) Perfect for fans of equestrian fiction and readers of books like The Horsewoman (James Patterson), Riders (Jilly Cooper), Dark Horse (Dick Francis), Riding Lessons (Sarah Gruen), The Horse Whisperer (Monty Roberts) and The Lady (Anne McCaffery. Great for fans of three-day eventing, dressage, show jumping, horse racing, and horse showing!

Making decisions is a critical part of every executive’s job. However we know so little about the often subliminal processes that shape the decisions we make. The Secret Life of Decisions exposes the unchallenged myths and distortions that impact our reasoning ability, raising our awareness of the many traps we can fall into. Meena Thuraisingham and her collaborator, Wolfgang Lehmacher, have drawn from decades of work with leaders showing that even the most talented leaders and teams can end up making sub-optimal decisions. This is rarely because they had poor critical thinking faculties but rather because they did not pay enough attention to the often invisible traps hardwired into our thinking processes, letting through only information that conforms with our current beliefs, mental models and expectations. This leaves many leaders and businesses exposed. Rather than being the rational output of our reasoning abilities, the authors show decision making to be a highly imprecise process. As decision makers we come to the table armed with our own perspectives, preferences, filters, heuristics and biases, influenced by a broad range of social influences many operating subliminally. The Secret Life of Decisions is an essential read for developing and seasoned executives who have to work through increasingly complex and high stakes decisions. It treats choosing wisely and the thinking involved as a skill, which as with many other skills, can be improved with the guided practice and supporting tools provided here. The journey however starts with awareness that comes from outing the ’secret’ forces that can sabotage the quality of our decisions.

In 1940 the world was on a knife-edge. The hurricane of events that marked the opening of the Second World War meant that anything could happen. For the aggressors there was no limit to their ambitions; for their victims a new Dark Age beckoned. Over the next few months their fates would be determined. In Fateful Choices Ian Kershaw re-creates the ten critical decisions taken between May 1940, when Britain chose not to surrender, and December 1941, when Hitler decided to destroy Europe’s Jews, showing how these choices would recast the entire course of history.