By: Andrea Mac | October 26, 2023

If you can only handle me in small doses:

Do you know what I have been doing lately – Each morning, I have been writing out a task on an individual Post-It that I hope to accomplish by the time I reach the end of my workday. One task per Post-It. This helps me identify the best way to invest my time and prioritize effectively.

The best part is that when I complete a task, I take the Post-It, crumple it up, and throw it over my shoulder. It's fun, and I really like looking at a bunch of crumbled-up Post-Its on my office floor.

Building Prequal #16:  I Like Big Books, And I Cannot Lie

My nightstand is always full. Currently, it's holding the six books I've listed below – most of which I haven't cracked open yet. But I will. I'm an avid reader, usually finishing about a book a week. I'm also on a first-name basis with my local librarians (be jealous.)

To know what I'm reading is to know what I'm learning, where I'm focused on growing, and how I'm choosing to spend my mental energy. Here's how I'm choosing to expend some of my mental energy, at least over the next few weeks, as I work through the stack of books on my nightstand.

The Referable Speaker: Your Guide to Building a Sustainable Speaking Career - No Fame Required, by Michael Port , Andrew Davis

About The Book:

"In this groundbreaking guide to building a speaking career, New York Times bestselling author Michael Port, co-founder of Heroic Public Speaking, teams up with bestselling author and world-renowned keynote speaker Andrew Davis to show you the fastest, most practical way to increase your fee and generate more leads. Discover precisely how event organizers select their keynote speakers, what you can do to win them over, and even how to set your fee."

Why I Want to Read it:

I'm working on a Ted Talk. Gracing the Ted Talk stage is my goal, but getting there takes time, effort, and a great talk. I already know my topic and have a general outline, but this book will help me make massive strides toward bringing my big ideas to a larger platform.

Thicker Than Water, by Kerry Washington

About The Book:

"Award-winning actor, director, producer, and activist Kerry Washington shares the deeply moving journey of her life and the bravely intimate story of discovering her truth. In Thicker than Water, Washington gives readers an intimate view into both her public and private worlds—as an artist, an advocate, an entrepreneur, a mother, a daughter, a wife, and a Black woman. Chronicling her upbringing and life's journey thus far, she reveals how she faced a series of challenges and setbacks, effectively hid childhood traumas, met extraordinary mentors, managed to grow her career, and crossed the threshold into stardom and political advocacy, ultimately discovering her truest self and, with it, a deeper sense of belonging."

Why I Want to Read It:

Kerry was one of the speakers at CheifX this year (I know, I know, ANOTHER Chief reference). I've always admired her for her advocacy work, her business acumen, and her honest candor about her experience as a black woman raising black children. Seeing her speak in person about her family life made me appreciate her even more. So, of course, I had to pick up this book.

Plus, it reads well and is the lightest book on my list.

On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good, by Elise Loehnen

About The Book:

"[This book is] a groundbreaking exploration of the ancient rules women unwittingly follow to be considered "good," revealing how the Seven Deadly Sins still control and distort our lives and illuminate a path toward a more balanced, spiritually complete way to live. In On Our Best Behavior, Loehnen reveals how we've been programmed to obey the rules represented by these sins and how doing so qualifies us as "good." This probing analysis of contemporary culture and thoroughly researched history explains how women have internalized the patriarchy and how they unwittingly reinforce it. By sharing her own story and the spiritual wisdom of other traditions, Loehnen shows how we can break free and discover the integrity and wholeness we seek."

Why I Want to Read It:

If you know me, it's no surprise that I would be drawn to a book like this. I am a proud intersectional feminist who's always trying to gain insights into the systems of oppression that women must operate within and how we can break free. This book has me at "how women have internalized the patriarchy." Women, we should all be reading this book. Plus, Elise is the former Chief Content Officer of Goop. I'm obsessed with obsessing about content and those who do it well, now in book form.

Write A Must Read, by Anjanette “AJ” Harper (she/her)

About The Book:

"Harper reveals the proven methods and frameworks she has used for nearly two decades to write and edit perennial bestsellers. It's not the easy way or the fast way; it's the effective way. The payoff for doing this important work: a must-read book and a massive readership who serve as ambassadors for your message and your brand.”

Why I Want to Read It:

I'm writing a book. It's a very rough draft at this point. I've got thousands of words on pages. But writing a book is not a professional box I aim to check for the sake of checking a box. I want to write a book that feels like essential reading for any women seeking out economic empowerment, either for themselves or their community, so naturally, this book felt like essential reading to me.

The South Side: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation, by Natalie Y. Moore

About The Book:

"In this intelligent and highly important narrative, Chicago native Natalie Moore shines a light on contemporary segregation in the city's South Side; with a memoirist's eye, she showcases the lives of these communities through the stories of people who reside there. The South Side shows the impact of Chicago's historic segregation - and the ongoing policies that keep the system intact."

Why I Want to Read It:

As mentioned in a previous Building Prequal, I was recently accepted to the Chicago Leadership Circle. During our first CLC cohort meeting, we took a deep dive into the history of Chicago, and Natalie was one of the featured speakers on that first day. My cohort will produce a capstone project that advances social change or creates social impact in some way. Our speakers stressed during our first meeting that to solve Chicago's problems, we needed to fully understand its past. This book will go a long way to helping me understand Chicago in a whole new way; plus, books written by journalists are well-written, engaging, and rooted in facts.

Career and Family: Women's Century-Long Journey Toward Equity, by Claudia Dale Goldin

About The Book:

"A renowned economic historian traces women's journey to close the gender wage gap and sheds new light on the continued struggle to achieve equity between couples at home. A century ago, it was a given that a woman with a college degree had to choose between having a career and a family. Today, there are more female college graduates than ever before, and more women want to have a career and family, yet challenges persist at work and home. This book traces how generations of women have responded to the problem of balancing career and family as the twentieth century experienced a sea change in gender equality, revealing why true equity for dual career couples remains frustratingly out of reach."

Why I Want to Read It:

Claudia Dale Goldin just won the Nobel Prize in Economics for her work studying women in the workforce! Ms. Goldin is a Harvard professor, economic historian, and labor economist. So, basically, I want to be her best friend.  As I've said before, I read about economics for fun. This book is my type of fun.

What books are currently making their home on your nightstand? I'd love to know. Tell me what else I should be reading. Better yet, does anyone want to start a business book book club?

-A.

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