Fearless and Free
How Smart Women Pivot and Relaunch Their Careers
Wendy Sachs, Naxos Audio Books B01MUI0Y6V, Audiobook $19.99 (7.25 hrs)
Wendy Sachs, whose background includes work in politics, television, and content production, offers women inspiration and solid advice in Fearless and Free: How Smart Women Pivot— and Relaunch Their Careers.
Sachs argues that men generally find it easier to navigate this changing, diverse job market than do women, who more often struggle to apply for, create, and thrive in new jobs with confidence. Her book moves beyond these pitfalls, offering examples of notable women, including Hillary Clinton and Jill Abramson alongside lesser-known women, who changed careers. Theirs are moves that followed planning, or getting fired, or disappointment like lost elections; Sachs details how they started businesses or were guided by serendipity to take on new roles.
These women’s stories emphasize the importance of confidence, even if it’s an act at first. They encourage willingness to reframe skills, especially those earned through volunteer work, and focus on the importance of consistent networking to develop a personal brand. Sachs tells her listeners to own their experiences, get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and to feel the fear and do it anyway.
These stories mean that the book is sometimes light on practical advice, though it includes good tips for women who haven’t done any job hunting in a while. The book seems to be targeted at women looking to re-enter the job market and at mid-career professionals who want to change their career trajectories, though some younger women are profiled as well.
The disks are somewhat hard to navigate without a table of contents, and they do not always end where chapters end. Joyce Bean’s reading sometimes sounds sharp, and some voices come out almost as caricatures.
These stories of women who have successfully altered their career courses are uplifting, and the positive advice they offer would be great to listen to before a job interview—or just as an encouragement when considering a career change.