Reinvent Yourself: Psychological Insights That Will Transform Your Work Life

by Dr Susan Kahn

We are all striving towards a fulfilling career. Discover the psychological insights that will unlock your talent, build your confidence and allow you to develop a versatile mindset.

You deserve a career that allows you to fully harness your skills and lead a rewarding and satisfying life. In Reinvent Yourself , Susan Kahn offers original psychological insights and strategies that will show you how to focus your efforts, build your network and navigate any challenge in your work life.

Drawing upon both psychological research and first-hand stories from a diverse range of businesspeople and experts, this book is a call-to-action for you to overcome any doubts and tap into your full potential. Break free from the grind and pursue a career that works for you through the illuminating insights, strategies and stories from Reinvent Yourself.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published February 27, 2024

Reviews

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere between a science text and a pop life coaching book comes this work Reinvent Yourself. Many terms are explained and the structure of the brain looked at, whether past knowledge or updated. The title could apply to staying in the same job, with new skills, but the content appears to be more about moving job or going freelance. The author lectures in England.

We're told people get settled and stuck in their work role, and may not want to learn and take promotion. I think the author puts far too little emphasis - almost none - on wanting desperately to upskill and raise status, but not being able to, due to financial constraints, family issues, or industry issues. She brushes it aside to get on with telling us about leadership methods and scheduling tasks. I do know someone who changed job by retraining for a few years at a lower wage until qualified. A few years later, both the secure new job and previous job vanished with a change of UK government policy. Many graduates find the only option is a basic office, hospitality or civil service job. There's also the Peter principle which is not mentioned, of people being promoted above their level of competence.

Women are still supposed to work and wait their turn while the men of the family upskill, as the perception is still that the man will get a job paying more and support the family. This is not mentioned. The woman can strive to get a better qualification and marks than the man, when she does get her turn. But she can look for free online courses in the meantime.

As a small business owner, I've had to update, train, take qualifications and get used to new equipment. When I am not working I am not earning. I've faced financial constraints and family issues, plus in one role of my portfolio career, an industry that is determined to exclude as many people as possible. By that I mean publishing books. The author should have been telling us that new methods like independent publishing on Kindle had arisen and people can be their own supplier of professional services. She's too busy telling us that older people can get hired in tech, which is not likely. This is not about a mindset, when The Register currently carries an article about US firms bulk hiring hundreds of thousands of visa applicants from India, because they cost less than any Americans to do marginally skilled jobs online, while living six to a room and tied to their employer.

Another section on neuroplasticity tells us about the chemicals the brain produces. Chemicals are intangible and only of interest to those who can prescribe them. I would recommend explaining instead that the brain is made of fat to insulate all the electrical charges getting fired off, to stop them going to the wrong receptors, and repetition makes a physical rut burned into the fat. This is why it is easier for us to persist in the same thought or deed than to do a new thing, which requires sending a signal in a new direction through the wall of fat. This immediately visual, tactile concept is so much easier to grasp and describes the plastic, or malleable, brain of neuroplasticity.

Examples are given of people who changed career or retrained, some with great disability to face. I hadn't heard of more than two of these people. Working and studying from home are promoted. The author, rather than saying, you are great as you are, could suggest taking a course, even a free online course, and adding to our CV that way. She could tell us to check which careers are hiring and what skills they require; for instance I found that a major proportion of all computer courses taken by men in the previous year had been in graphic design, so I promptly took graphic design courses on LinkedIn. Most roles will benefit from this course in some way, even for better presentation.

I'd read a lot of the content in other books on leadership, business, etc., but if someone is new to the topics they will find this interesting and helpful. References are given throughout, as if in a college book, so the author probably intends to prescribe the book to her class. I think the work would benefit from graphs and drawings, beyond the couple of cycles and Venn diagrams, but the text is quite readable.
Notes start p.249, index p.261.
I read an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great title, great book
I feel really inspired after reading this. I go as far as saying it is now in my top 3 of go to books when I want to do self-development, and to give me ideas for my coachees. It was very validating and very empathetic. I didn't feel like anything was impossible and the references from both psychology and psychotherapy were always well placed and included in an accessible way. Case studies are often my least favourite bit of a 'self-help' book as they tend to be long and over-complicated. The ones in this book however were concise, timely and really interesting. The book also includes exercises for self-reflection and they do really make you think. I am now going back to explore everything else Susan Kahn has written.
#ReinventYourself #NetGalley

[Eira White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feeling stuck in your career?
Reinvent Yourself by Dr. Susan Kahn is the game-changing guide you didn’t know you needed. This book dives deep into the psychology behind work, offering powerful insights and real-life stories to help you unlock your potential and confidently steer your career in the direction you truly want.
From smart strategies on networking and navigating work challenges to concise, engaging case studies and exercises for real self-reflection—this book delivers. It's a top pick for anyone serious about self-development and building a career that’s both fulfilling and impactful.
I came away feeling validated, inspired, and empowered—and it’s now in my top 3 go-to books for coaching and personal growth.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, there were some gems in this book but was quite hard to extract them as other parts were really detailed to make one point.

The stories of people who have reinvented themselves were really interesting and the highlight for me.

The exercises were a mixed bag - but certainly gave me food for thought.

The most insightful chapter was the one about being stuck. I will definitely apply some of these insights to my professional life.

If the reader is at a crossroads I think they could get something from the book but by dipping in rather than reading in a row.

Honest review provided for a Net Gallery copy of the book.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers a comprehensive approach to personal transformation and self discovery. The book is well structured, providing readers with practical advice and exercises to navigate through various aspects of their lives.
One of the strengths of the book is its emphasis on self reflection and goal setting. The author encourages readers to assess their strengths and weaknesses, set achievable goals and work towards self improvement.
However there is nothing that new and many of the ideas have been explored by other researchers, these are referenced throughout the book if you are familiar and follow these researchers work this book is reiterating what you may be aware of.

[Denise Morse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reinvent Yourself is very heavy on summarizing traditional psychology studies and I felt a little lighter on the practical advice and actionable items. It was more dense to get through than expected given the title and cover. I thought it was more of a pop science, self help vibe but instead it felt a little more like I was back in my undergrad psych courses. I think if you are new to psychology, it would be a good intro to the studies and findings but since I had heard almost all of it before, it didnt provide the new insights I was looking for.

[Bethany Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good self-help read. Not my usual read, but I found it well written and researched. The examples and theories were really interesting and the stories given were inspiring and heartwarming. I also learned where the phrase "sour grapes" comes from, which is pretty cool. I also appreciated the exercise ideas and plan to do some of these, I would recommend this as a great book for self-help, especially self-improvement in the work environment.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A handy, interesting book that you’ll want to keep on your shelf & keep coming back to.

This book is thoroughly well researched with the author’s points backed up by numerous psychological studies. Despite this, the book is still accessible to those without a science background. There are some good exercises in here that you’ll want to revisit. I think it will be really helpful.

Thank you to NetGalley, author & publishers for access to this arc in return for an honest review.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure a retired 60+ yr old is the target audience for this book. However, I am getting through it chapter by chapter. It’s not the kind of book I would ever read in one go anyway, more a ‘dip in, dip out’ kind of self-help book but some of it is still thought provoking. However, much more suited to those still working.

[J Tele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reinvent Yourself by Dr Susan Kahn is about how we can use psychology to change our work lives. Each part talks about different things like how work is changing, what we want to do, and how we can be strong. The author offers practical exercises, case studies and tips to help readers navigate the cycle of work life with its endings and beginnings.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and thought provoking book that makes you actually sit down and look at what you really want and need from life and work. This will make you think and start putting changes in place to live the life you really want.

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading any sort of self help book like this. This book was well written and had some interesting ideas and concept within. Can’t wait to try some out. Worth a read. Recommend

[LimeCream · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and informative. Some very good ideas here.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kate Henderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really goes in hard! It asks you to really dig deep and discover things about yourself - at times it was a bit much!!
It was an OK read, and definitely makes you think. But I would have liked a little bit more humour to break up the intense-ness.