The RULE BOOK to Smash The infamous glass ceiling – For women & young women everywhere.
Women in leadership (albeit very few) have been the center of many conversations around women empowerment and inclusion. Each year rings in new strategies and approaches to ensuring that more women around the world get their seat at the table. With all the different hurdles (racism, sexism, ageism, ableism and all the other isms) women have to jump over, it seems the goalpost keeps getting further and further.
What will it take for women to finally get that corner office?
Laura Mariani provides a different perspective to this long-standing dilemma: “STOP IT! It Is All in Your Head!”. In this provocative and inspiring work, Mariani turns us to a different approach: instead of waiting for these exclusive structures to fall away and create space for women, there’s more women can do to take ownership of their careers and forge their path to these highly coveted positions.
STOP IT! It Is All in Your Head is a no-nonsense practical guide on how women can better position themselves to get ahead and reach their full potential. According to Laura Mariani, the glass ceiling is all in your head. The key to breaking through is being clear on what you want and putting in the necessary work to fast track your growth. If you’re looking for a guide that will tell you what you want to hear, this might not be the book for you, but if you’re looking for an honest guide to help you achieve the best version of yourself – Laura Mariani has crafted this book just for you. If you’ve started on your journey to doing the internal work, Mariani has more in store for you – watch out for the “THINK, LOOK and ACT THE PART” Series aimed at giving you practical pointers that you can implement to make winning and pushing against the odds a key part of your lifestyle.
Hello book lovers! Today is a day where I will be writing another author spotlight for a well-accomplished author whose work I have loved. As you know book lovers I love learning about authors and the inspiration behind their work, it fascinates me and adds to the depth of the book because the reader will be able to better understand it. That is how the author spotlights were created because I soon discovered that you lovely readers ALSO love learning about author’s, so I am excited to tell you a little bit more about author Laura Mariani whose book STOP IT! It’s All In Your Head captivated me from beginning to end. I personally would recommend this book to all of those that love self-help/transformation books but really the book can be read by anybody as it is flawlessly written and highly enjoyable. With today’s author spotlight, a biography of the author and an interview between me and Laura Mariani will be shared, and I hope that you book lovers enjoy reading it! To kick this off here is an author bio about the wonderful Laura Mariani!
Laura Mariani is a Global Change & Transformation Expert, Speaker and Author.
She started her business – The People Alchemist – after a successful career as Senior HR Director within fast-paced, customer and target driven B2Bs and B2Cs environments (FMCG, Retail, E-commerce, Manufacturing, Pharma, Energy, Health, Media, Fashion/Tech).
Laura is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (FCIPD), Fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute (FAHRI), Fellow of the Institute of Leadership & Management (FInstLM) , Member of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) and Member of the Change Institute.
Laura also writes a regular blog as ThePeopleAlchemist Edit: Business Experimentation Blog for #TheWomanAlchemist #SmashYourCeiling to #SmashThatCeiling
Laura is incredibly passionate helping other women to breakthrough barriers limiting their personal and/or professional fulfilment starting with the biggest barrier of all: their own beliefs’ system.
Now, how wonderful does Laura Mariani sound?! Laura Mariani is a truly exceptional writer and I hope that you lovely readers have a read of the author’s work because you will not regret it! Please see below an interview between me and the author and I hope that you enjoy Laura Mariani’s answers to my questions, they are incredible and provide some great advice too!
Thank you for joining us today at Red Headed Book Lover! Please tell us more about yourself
I am a Global Change & Transformation Expert, Speaker and Author.
I started my business, The People Alchemist ltd., after a successful career as Senior HR Director within global brands in FMCG, Retail, Media and Pharma. By trade, I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (FCIPD), Fellow of the
Australian Human Resources Institute (FAHRI), Fellow of the Institute of Leadership &
Management (FInstLM), Member of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) and Member of the Change Institute.
I help organisations and entrepreneurs to UNLOCK IGNITE & TRANSFORM their business through major changing events.
I am feminist in that I believe women can be and do anything they choose to if they want to, and I believe in women supporting other women to succeed.
I am a food lover, ballet fanatic, passionate about music, art, theatre. In addition, I like painting and drawing (for self-expression, not selling but hey, you never know…), tennis, rugby, visiting new places, and of course, I love fashion (the Pope is Catholic after all).
I have divided my time between consulting/project management and interim work with writing a book and blogging for the past few years. A career is like investing, you need a portfolio, or at least I do.
Could you please tell us, readers, about your book and what inspired you to write it?
I wrote my first non-fiction book, “STOP IT! It is all in your head”, as a call to action for women to take ownership and responsibility for their career and climb that ladder up to the ceiling and smash it if that is what they wish.
In my career as a corporate human resource director, I had seen too many talented women selling themselves short and missing out on opportunities. Not because there were none (there were and ready for the taking) but because of the way they approached the whole thing.
I wanted to help and break down the most significant barrier of all: their mindset.
How did you find the process of writing STOP IT!?
I always wanted to write a book, and when I found myself in between contracts for my business, I thought it was the now or never opportunity. So I looked amongst people who have done it before, real examples, real people ( as opposed to famous literary super authors ).
I liked Simon Coulson ( I met him at The Business Show and been to one of his training workshops). He researched and wrote his first book in 60 hours ( around two weeks) – his first writing experience after a career in customer service at British Telecom.
I was also looking into different business models, diversifying, and was attracted to (still am) a digital nomad way of working/living after reading The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris (gazillion times) and having written about it.
I’m passionate about inspiring/empowering/helping other women make the most of their circumstances with the available tools and grabbing the opportunities that life presents et voila’, mixing the two seemed like the perfect idea.
So there I went …
Well, I went all-in for sure: I announced on Instagram (and Facebook) that I was getting on with writing the book that had been in my mind for so long. But, I didn’t just declare I was going to write a book. I also released the publishing date.
What possessed me to make such a public declaration?
To quote Steve Harvey, “I got tired of being sick and tired…..”
Why a short period?
In the 4-Hour-Work-Week, Tim Ferris talks about Pareto Law ( the 80/20 rule) and the Parkinson’s Law – “A task will swell in (perceived) importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion.”
So I booked myself in a hotel for the weekend with the idea of writing the entire book that weekend. Of course, that didn’t happen. But I did write the blueprint for the book and started documenting the process in a daily diary which I published in my blog,
(the How to Publish a Book in 30 days blog series ).
Writing the book was the easiest part of it all. The subject just wrote itself (almost) as I was writing about something that fulfilled me on so many levels (empowering women/women in leadership/women and equality), and I was getting a sense of contribution out of it and personal growth.
What I didn’t consider was all the elements associated with launching a product:
the marketing and advertising of the book.
What does a typical writing day look like for you?
Do you have a set schedule for writing, or do you only write when you feel inspired?
With “STOP IT!” I discovered that my long daily commute from bed to the desk via the kitchen for a (lot of) coffee involved far more self-discipline than I thought.
To be fair, my writing schedule really varies, depending on what else is going on in my life.
I’m not rigidly disciplined. Sometimes I sit down and write in long sessions. Sometimes I’ll write a little and then do something else and come back and write a little more.
But I make sure I do some writing every day, Monday to Friday. Then, during the editing stage, I print the manuscript out and then lay it out on the floor and start rearranging, correcting, etc.
As a writer, the two things I learned are:
- be flexible
- commit to your craft.
In your opinion, what is the most important thing about a book?
To me, books are companions, friends, mentors, adventure and connection to our higher self.
I personally feel that there are no bad books. Each one can teach you a lesson, or give you the right nudge at the right time, inspire you. So even if a book has only one phrase, one sentence that resonates with you, but that is the one phrase/sentence that sparks your fire, it is worthed.
Do you read much, and if so, who are your favourite authors?
I love reading, always have – I learned how to read at a very early age. My parents used to buy me books for each birthday/Christmas in addition to other presents. Then, after opening the other gifts, I would sit quietly in a corner until I finished reading, or so my mother keeps on telling me.
I love all genres and many authors: Tim Ferriss and his many books, the classics like Jane Austen, Dante Alighieri, Truman Capote, George Orwell, or murder mysteries like Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, James Patterson, Patricia Cornwell.
Julia Cameron and Elizabeth Gilbert also come to mind. And I love love love Pam Grout.
What would your advice be for aspiring writers?
Don’t give up your dream. Persist persist persist.
Sit down and put pen to paper, even if it is only one page at the time.
“There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: it’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps from sitting down is resistance” – Steven Pressfield.
And, in the end, resistance is nothing but fear.
Lastly, when can we readers expect to read more wonderful books from you? What’s next?
My next book is coming out on 1st November this year.
I am so excited because it is an entirely different thing from before. My new book is a novel pondering how self-image/self-concept impacts our lives and the passing of time. My followers are currently choosing the title and cover of the book, which is very exciting and scary – giving up control on how to call your “baby”.
I love writing, and as I come out writing later in life, I’m making up for the lost time.
Its official book lovers, I am obsessed with Laura Mariani! If you have liked what you have read about the author and are interested in learning more, then please do have a browse of the links below and be sure to have a read of the preview too! You will not regret it.
I am excited to share too that the author has a special discount for you lovely readers for her upcoming release! The link to the book is here: Gabrielle: from the diary of – A Novel and if you use the code: BNPGABRI45 you will receive 45% off! Be sure to use it but be quick! As it is only valid until midnight on the 31st October.
Goodbye for now book lovers,
Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads
Author: Website
