Customer Reviews

Ambition Is Not a Dirty Word: A Woman's Guide to Earning Her Worth and Achieving Her Dreams

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Debra writes in the voice of your best girlfriend who can tell you the "real deal." Ambition is Not a Dirty Word is "laugh-out-loud" funny in places and "pound-your-fist on the boardroom table" serious in others. You feel like you are getting the good, common sense of your grandmother, executive coaching from a seasoned professional and the things only your closest confidant would whisper in your ear, all in one book. I feel so strongly that Ambition is Not a Dirty Word is a "must read," that I gifted my personal copy many times while I was reading it. I recommended the book to friends and complete strangers I meet at networking events because the content is so relevant to the issues we are discussing.

Furthermore, Debra's voice helped me at a very difficult time - when my father passed away. When I couldn't function, her words gave me permission to return to the world of the living and continue to pursue my dreams. I was able to embrace my ambition even while grieving and when nothing else made sense I was able to concentrate on things that I could control and feel good about.......building my business. AMBITION IS NOT A DIRTY WORD. Ambition helped me out of the abyss. For this I will be eternally grateful.

This book has inspired me to get out there in the world and pursue my dreams. I do not want to be a women who just gets by 50% - that is not enough and is only limiting my potential. Societal views of women place us in a more confined place then we realize. This book was eye opening to cultural brainwashing I had not even realized. It gives a great sense of community through this fight and is an essential guidebook for all women trying to make their way in this male dominated career world. Condren writes with clarity and also a familiarity which is really that little voice we all tune out in our head. I highly recommend this book to anyone questioning why they are doing and where they are going.

It's not easy for many women to speak up for themselves or to acknowledge themselves for accomplishments. Dr. Condren puts the challenge out to each of us in a very direct yet generous way, encouraging greater self awareness and ambition. Celebrate who you are, what you can do and plan for bigger and better things in the future based on an enlightened view of your own potential. Written from a personal perspective and including others' stories and perspectives, this book is an easy read that includes helpful exercises to help readers to create some new thinking habits and achieve new results for themselves. As a coach, I think this is a great learning tool for women facing these challenges. www.cindycornell.com

The data still come in that women earn about 80 cents for every dollar a man earns. 44% of that wage gap can be attributed to WHAT women do (pink collar jobs, taking time to raise children) and a further 18% of the gap was associated with workplace characteristics such as WHERE women work. But the remaining 38% of the wage gap cannot be explained.

Author Condren attempts to teach women skills to bridge that considerable gap. Not since Hardball for Women has someone tried to instruct women how to play the game to win.

The advice covers quite a range, from avoiding self-sabotaging female behavior (submissive, apologetic false modesty) to blowing your own horn, deactivating detractors and saboteurs, acquiring allies, getting coaching and negotiation skills. Landing a job with the right pay can have cascading consequences downstream to the rest of your career, so this is advice you really can't afford to ignore.

I'd say "RECOMMENDED" but I think the right word here is "ESSENTIAL."
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This powerful book is a must read for women of all ages. I wish I would have had this expert advice years ago! I am finally free of all the negative self-talk and guilt that has been holding me back for years. Now I look forward to living the life of my dreams by celebrating my ambition as a virtue rather than a vice. The sky is the limit! Thank you, Debra!

Finally, someone who's as sick as I am of being told to aim for "life balance" instead of going after what I really want. Condren gives really sharp examples of how women fall (or put themselves) into traps that make them feel good about selling their dreams short. She's out to remake the paradigm that says that smart, ambitious women are all bitches and makes a compelling case for "equal rights" for career, motherhood, and everything else.

My husband picked this book out for me during a trip to India (in 2008) at a bookstore in Mumbai. We were living in Perth, Australia then and I was then going through some problems with my boss. My boss and I had severe differences in opinion and I was very frustrated to see her ruining the project I was responsible for. I desperately needed some guidance to tackle this issue, I just couldn't let a $100 million project go haywire!

Debra's book was a lifesaver. I read the book three times in a span of two weeks - the pages were thumbed, I had underlined important passages, and scribbled all over the book. This book reinforced my confidence and influenced me so much that I excerpted parts of this book to write a mini speech, memorized it, and then talked with my boss' boss about my fears and concerns regarding the said project and outlined the steps needed to 'fix the problem'. The result: I was relieved of my stressful position and promoted to a more expansive role in the organization because of my ability to perceive problems and formulate 'fixes'. Furthermore, I got full corporate support to effect changes on not one but twelve projects! What can I say, the book is a 'must have' for all women.

After moving back to the US, I contacted Debra. We email and talk to each other often. Every time I thank her for such a profound book. She is a good friend and perhaps some day I may even work with her to help other women.

In Ambition Is Not A Dirty Word, Debra Condren shatters the widespread belief that
ambitious women are destined to live unhappy lives, repel mates, mess up their children,
and end up being knocked to their knees for dreaming big. She inspires women to see that
we can be as ambitious as we really long to be, without being afraid that it will make
us less of a woman, without guilt, and without compromising our ethics or integrity.
If you feel stuck in a holding pattern, here is a smart, fresh, hands-on guide to changing
your thinking and rediscovering your forward momentum. Debra reminds us that
"the world deserves to hear from us." That's a powerful and empowering message.
Spread the word! Give this book to your friends, sisters, daughters and any woman
you care about to encourage them to reclaim their ambition as a virtue and make the
contribution they were born to make.

Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS
CEO of Illustra Consulting
Creator of the Predictable Promotion System
[...].

Debra Condren writes a very inspiring and helpful book. I recommend this book to all.

Fact: women don't get what they deserve. Scary Fact: It's because they don't think they deserve it! Condren's fresh, vibrant approach to tackling the often verboten topic of women's ambition is spot-on. She takes us through a series of steps and stories to illustrate how and why we settle for less--then shows us what to do to effect positive change.

I LOVE this book because it helps women get their head around why ambition is not only ok, but it's *essential*. More ambitious women = more women ready and able to make a difference in the world. How great is that?

Buy this book for every woman you know: career women, work at home moms, grandmas, empty nesters, young women just starting out in life. They'll thank you for it. All of my friends have!

Christine Comaford
Author, NY Times bestseller "Rules for Renegades"Rules for Renegades: How to Make More Money, Rock Your Career, and Revel in Your Individuality