Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers, and Create Success on Your Own Terms
- Downloads：1498
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-27 09:52:29
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Shellye Archambeau
- ISBN：1538702894
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
*Named a Best Business Book of 2020 by Fortune and Bloomberg*
Full of empowering wisdom from one of Silicon Valley's first female African American CEOs， this inspiring leadership book offers a blueprint for how to achieve your personal and professional goals。
Shellye Archambeau recounts how she overcame the challenges she faced as a young black woman， wife， and mother， managing her personal and professional responsibilities while climbing the ranks at IBM and subsequently in her roles as CEO。 Through the busts and booms of Silicon Valley in the early 2000s， this bold and inspiring book details the risks she took and the strategies she engaged to steer her family， her career， and her company MetricStream toward success。
Through her journey， Shellye discovered that ambition alone is not enough to achieve success。 Here， she shares the practical strategies， tools， and approaches readers can employ right now， including concrete steps to most effectively:
Dismantle impostor syndrome
Capitalize on the power of planning
Take risks
Developing financial literacy
Build your network
Establish your reputation
Take charge of your career
Integrate work， marriage， parenthood， and self-care
Each chapter lays out key takeaways and actions to increase the odds of achieving your personal and professional goals。 With relatable personal stories that ground her advice in the real world and a foreword by leading venture capitalist and New York Times bestselling author Ben Horowitz， Unapologetically Ambitious invites readers to move beyond the solely supportive roles others expect them to fill， to learn how to carefully tread the thin line between assertive and aggressive， and to give themselves permission to strive for the top。 Make no apologies for the height of your ambitions。 Shellye Archambeau will show you how。
Full of empowering wisdom from one of Silicon Valley's first female African American CEOs， this inspiring leadership book offers a blueprint for how to achieve your personal and professional goals。
Shellye Archambeau recounts how she overcame the challenges she faced as a young black woman， wife， and mother， managing her personal and professional responsibilities while climbing the ranks at IBM and subsequently in her roles as CEO。 Through the busts and booms of Silicon Valley in the early 2000s， this bold and inspiring book details the risks she took and the strategies she engaged to steer her family， her career， and her company MetricStream toward success。
Through her journey， Shellye discovered that ambition alone is not enough to achieve success。 Here， she shares the practical strategies， tools， and approaches readers can employ right now， including concrete steps to most effectively:
Dismantle impostor syndrome
Capitalize on the power of planning
Take risks
Developing financial literacy
Build your network
Establish your reputation
Take charge of your career
Integrate work， marriage， parenthood， and self-care
Each chapter lays out key takeaways and actions to increase the odds of achieving your personal and professional goals。 With relatable personal stories that ground her advice in the real world and a foreword by leading venture capitalist and New York Times bestselling author Ben Horowitz， Unapologetically Ambitious invites readers to move beyond the solely supportive roles others expect them to fill， to learn how to carefully tread the thin line between assertive and aggressive， and to give themselves permission to strive for the top。 Make no apologies for the height of your ambitions。 Shellye Archambeau will show you how。
Reviews
Elva L
，
Worth 5 stars all the way， love it！ I know I’ll re-read it whenever I need confidence， motivation and inspiration in both work and life。Similar to Lean in， it talks about what she had done individually to deal with challenges， irrespective of the systems or big environment， which of course have so many barriers for an ambitious African American business women。 The focus is on what we can do for ourselves， with confidence and resilience The difference is the main theme is very consistent， making Worth 5 stars all the way， love it！ I know I’ll re-read it whenever I need confidence， motivation and inspiration in both work and life。Similar to Lean in， it talks about what she had done individually to deal with challenges， irrespective of the systems or big environment， which of course have so many barriers for an ambitious African American business women。 The focus is on what we can do for ourselves， with confidence and resilience The difference is the main theme is very consistent， making plans and executing it with a clear goal in mind。 It’s more of a personal sharing than a career tool book， but I love both books， and have learnt a lot reading just once！ 。。。more
Jason Harris
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Should be required reading for young professionalsThis book should be required reading for all recent high school graduates who seek success。 The book is writing succinctly and directly。 Many practical tips for success。 Specifically， the author describes how she overcame the barriers that face women and minorities in the workplace。
Booksandcoffeepleasemx
，
Impressive， powerful and empowering。Unapologetically Ambitious narrates Shellye’s journey to success and shares great advice and strategies on how to balance work， parenthood， marriage and self-care。 A fascinating and inspiring story。Thank you Grand Central Publishing for this copy。http://www。instagram。com/booksandcoff。。。 Impressive， powerful and empowering。Unapologetically Ambitious narrates Shellye’s journey to success and shares great advice and strategies on how to balance work， parenthood， marriage and self-care。 A fascinating and inspiring story。Thank you Grand Central Publishing for this copy。http://www。instagram。com/booksandcoff。。。 。。。more
Alex Fagen
，
A remarkably successful woman shares how she succeeded in achieving her goals。 Nothing super surprising here。 I like the process she describes for recruiting informal mentors。 Ask for specific advice。 Report the outcome。 Ask something else。
Julie
，
3。5
Allisa
，
I enjoyed the authors personal stories mixed with useful tips and reminders。 Probably would have been more useful had I read this earlier in my career。
Jenna
，
Great book。 The author acknowledges that some of her individual choices （having children young， only taking a few weeks maternity leave， etc。） were the result of the pressures of the time and many workplaces have evolved today。 Nevertheless， she and her husband were true trailblazers and incredibly intentional about planning their lives together。 This is a good read for ambitious women; I especially appreciated the points about family （when what you want is unconventional） and the process of ide Great book。 The author acknowledges that some of her individual choices （having children young， only taking a few weeks maternity leave， etc。） were the result of the pressures of the time and many workplaces have evolved today。 Nevertheless， she and her husband were true trailblazers and incredibly intentional about planning their lives together。 This is a good read for ambitious women; I especially appreciated the points about family （when what you want is unconventional） and the process of identifying and articulating the skills you need to move to the next role。 。。。more
Britney Thompson
，
Wish I had this for younger meI thought this book was great， it was a great mix of memoir and action plans while not being “preachy”。 I wish I had read this book in college or in my early 20s but I think it’s still valuable now as well！ Would recommend to any woman just not sure what they want to do or if they feel stuck or they just need to be reminded it can happen。
Kathleen
，
I could have used a while highlighter pen underlining all of the great insights in this book。 What an inspiring and completely humbling read！ Shellye shares her extremely thoughtful plan to achieve her goals in every stage of her life。 Her advice is practical， relatable and relevant。 Definitely one of the best business memoirs I have read。
Mi Thant
，
I love how I was learning about a person's life and she just clearly tells you the lesson to learn from a certain decision or event right after。 Her mantra of " I don't deal in drama。 I deal in accepting reality and doing what I can" is so impactful。 It unstuck me from seeing all the barriers from every next career step I want to take。 Her advice is very practical。 I love how I was learning about a person's life and she just clearly tells you the lesson to learn from a certain decision or event right after。 Her mantra of " I don't deal in drama。 I deal in accepting reality and doing what I can" is so impactful。 It unstuck me from seeing all the barriers from every next career step I want to take。 Her advice is very practical。 。。。more
Alma Muñoz
，
Such an inspiration！！ Loved this book！ I just turned 40 and needed to define next steps。 By reading about all her experiences， I just realized I’m on the right track。 It made me realize I should not settle to my today and keep dreaming and working to keep growing in my career。
Anthony Fiedler
，
Guideline and reminder for reaching out to people for yourself。 Making notes to be diligent in what you do， both personally and professionally。 Shellye's story is calculated and kind， caring and most of all， ambitious。 To hear and read her story is inspiring。 Guideline and reminder for reaching out to people for yourself。 Making notes to be diligent in what you do， both personally and professionally。 Shellye's story is calculated and kind， caring and most of all， ambitious。 To hear and read her story is inspiring。 。。。more
RYCJ
，
From the start， the brief to the point ‘Forward’ pulled me in。 I applaud the advice; control what we can， fake it til we make it， find cheerleaders， life isn’t fair。 All conventional wisdom。 “What’s important to you？” —Another strong reflection。 “Defining success。” —Absolutely。 Page after page contains solid， very relevant， clear career advice， along with an engaging story to boot。What was most impressive about this book however， what I really took to heart， is the premise behind the title; Choi From the start， the brief to the point ‘Forward’ pulled me in。 I applaud the advice; control what we can， fake it til we make it， find cheerleaders， life isn’t fair。 All conventional wisdom。 “What’s important to you？” —Another strong reflection。 “Defining success。” —Absolutely。 Page after page contains solid， very relevant， clear career advice， along with an engaging story to boot。What was most impressive about this book however， what I really took to heart， is the premise behind the title; Choice versus Sacrifice。 Admittedly， it did take reading the explanation…and the entire book。。。 to really get it。 Very well done。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Jacqueline Cerniglia Dion
，
A fast read that not only has a great story but an actual actionable plan that can easily be used to reflect on at any point in your life （student， first job， marriage， motherhood）。 This will be my go to graduation gift this year as I wish I had heard her advice when entering the work force。
Betty Bii
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Take the last two chapters and elaborate practical actions。 Before that， it was the author’s childhood and career histories
Tatyana Poturnak
，
Think of this book as an honest account of what it took one very successful woman who you simply can’t not admire to reach her goals - and you won’t be disappointed。 In a nutshell it’s: set goals， have a plan， work hard towards it。My main caveat about this book - I think the “plan everything” part is a bit overbearing。 I’m all for planning and strategizing - but:a。 People are different - and there’re successful people who make decisions based on “feeling” not calculated logic - and that is okb。 Think of this book as an honest account of what it took one very successful woman who you simply can’t not admire to reach her goals - and you won’t be disappointed。 In a nutshell it’s: set goals， have a plan， work hard towards it。My main caveat about this book - I think the “plan everything” part is a bit overbearing。 I’m all for planning and strategizing - but:a。 People are different - and there’re successful people who make decisions based on “feeling” not calculated logic - and that is okb。 Not for everything - eg approaching your spouse choice with a list of pros/cons including based on how he/she fits into your grand career plan feels a little too muchc。 Not all the time - there’s gotta be space in life for spontaneity， luck， serendipity - otherwise at least for me it’d be too。。 dull。 exhausting。I mostly loved the more personal parts of the book， especially the epilogue， and wish more of the book were written in the same style。 This book does read as a mentor conversation and truly does have a way of meeting you where you are， if you let it。 So overall I still enjoyed it and would recommend。 。。。more
Zoe Routh
，
Important story of a female trailblazerWhile the lessons are not unique （live by your values， define success， make a plan， rely on knowing you can learn stuff， etc）， the story of a successful black female CEO is still unique。 We need to showcase rare birds until they become common place。
Miya
，
LOVED this book！ The author provided a well balanced mix of practical advice and giving clear anecdotal stories on how she applied the advice in her own life。 Her story is incredibly unique in that she was focused on her goals and clear about who and where she wanted to be very early in life， which is why this book is the perfect gift for a new graduate， but it is advice and stories that are relevant at any age or stage of your career。
Peggii
，
Shellie’s career is remarkable although her level of planning might feel hard to relate with。Her leadership tips are not new but it is always good to be reminded how important it is to be focused and be your own pilot for your professional career。
Owen Stephens
，
I found this book to be disappointing。 It is a weird cross between a "self-help" book and a memoir， doing neither particularly well。 I did not find anything she said to be incredibly unique or insightful。 The book can be summed up in 3 steps: Find a Goal， Make a Plan， Execute the plan。 I found much of the thinking to be centered around the old-fashioned 1970s ideas of success as your ability to work your way up the corporate ladder。 If you don't want to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company this b I found this book to be disappointing。 It is a weird cross between a "self-help" book and a memoir， doing neither particularly well。 I did not find anything she said to be incredibly unique or insightful。 The book can be summed up in 3 steps: Find a Goal， Make a Plan， Execute the plan。 I found much of the thinking to be centered around the old-fashioned 1970s ideas of success as your ability to work your way up the corporate ladder。 If you don't want to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company this book provides absolutely nothing for you。 。。。more
Jennifer Gyuricska
，
Many bios from business woman are stories told about other people。 This one was all Archambeau， her mistakes and successes without a lens of pity or shame， and real useful lessons about determining what YOU want from your own life。
Dewayne
，
Author， Shellye Archambeau， shares in this book an amazing life and career that will not only encourage， but challenge you to maximize your own life experiences。 Her life， while still being written， carries with it the key tenets of being a trail blazer and one of a kind all due to ability to learn from others and make the most of decisions and experiences she would encounter。 Written in an easily consumable format she reflects on her lessons and share practical advice you should consider。 Chapt Author， Shellye Archambeau， shares in this book an amazing life and career that will not only encourage， but challenge you to maximize your own life experiences。 Her life， while still being written， carries with it the key tenets of being a trail blazer and one of a kind all due to ability to learn from others and make the most of decisions and experiences she would encounter。 Written in an easily consumable format she reflects on her lessons and share practical advice you should consider。 Chapter 33 Keep Learning was my favorite of them all。 When you read this book you learn how Shellye was not only a great planner， but an even better executor。 What made her this dual threat is her ability to keep learning from people and experiences all throughout life。 This chapter captures that not only for her professional success， but even more for what type of person she is as wife， mother， daughter， etc。 A must read for any current or aspiring leader。 。。。more
Alison Rini
，
Very pragmatic and also inspirational！ If you're in a rut， this is the perfect book to galvanize you into action！ Very pragmatic and also inspirational！ If you're in a rut， this is the perfect book to galvanize you into action！ 。。。more
Raquel McCrae
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EncouragingThis book is very encouraging， inspires you to strategize your plan （work & life plan）。 This book is definitely useful for those still in college and even those mid-career。 Also this book provides insights to what is needed in order to succeed。
Tara Hamilton
，
Good read that tells an inspiring story。 Probably was a few chapters too long but worth the read for the career-minded。
Michelle
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A book that made me feel like an underachiever。 A fascinating read into the mind of a planner， and example of someone who went after exactly what they wanted。 A very different/extreme life approach from someone with specific goals。
Tiffany Moore
，
Great read for current women in corporate America or aspiring professionals。 Great nuggets for women and the art of planning and pursuing dreams and goals。I walked away with great tips and more inspiration for my personal career journey。
Shiny Das
，
Interesting ReadYes， I do recommend this book， it’s a head Turner。 A brilliant and inspiring work。 Easy and quick to read。
Lindsey
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~3。75 stars。 Shellye would be a dream mentor。 She provides stellar advice and I really enjoyed hearing about her life。 Her commitment to planning and achieving her goals is inspiring。 I will say that at points it was hard to relate， and almost intimidating— she truly plans everything in her life。 I think if you have no clue what you want in life at the moment， it would be an intimidating read。 But if you are on the precipice of starting college， a new job， or other big life change and ready to p ~3。75 stars。 Shellye would be a dream mentor。 She provides stellar advice and I really enjoyed hearing about her life。 Her commitment to planning and achieving her goals is inspiring。 I will say that at points it was hard to relate， and almost intimidating— she truly plans everything in her life。 I think if you have no clue what you want in life at the moment， it would be an intimidating read。 But if you are on the precipice of starting college， a new job， or other big life change and ready to plan， or just want to read about an inspiring WOC CEO， I would recommend。 。。。more
Mel
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