Remember Who You Are: Achieve Success. Create Balance. Experience Fulfillment.

by Paula Brown Stafford, Lisa T. Grimes, Gail McGovern (Foreword)

Achieve Success. Create Balance. Experience Fulfillment. It’s the elusive trifecta every working woman desperately seeks. Do you find yourself trying to be everything to everyone? Do you run yourself ragged but still feel something is missing? The struggle is real and all too common. Paula Brown Stafford and Lisa T. Grimes are two award-winning, c-suite executives who together have accumulated 60 plus years of work experience at the highest levels, 60 years of marriage, and raised four successful children. Collectively, they have managed more than 25,000 employees globally. Paula recently retired as President, Clinical Development at QuintilesIMS and Lisa has served as President & CEO of PurThread Technologies. Although Paula and Lisa were fierce competitors 20 years ago, they eventually formed a friendship and now, as a team, speak to corporations and women’s groups on a number of topics, including Complementing Not Competing, Packing Your Potential, and The Juggling Act. In a transparent and relatable way, Paula and Lisa share personal experiences, insights and encouragement―what they wish they’d known 30 years ago―to women looking for career advancement and quality of life and men who want to improve their working relationships with women. Each chapter includes a personal letter from a successful female executive to her younger self that offers wise counsel for aspiring professional women. For working women who are still trying to ‘have it all’ but are left feeling not ‘good enough,’ Paula and Lisa explain how achieving success, creating balance and experiencing fulfillment begins and ends with Remember (ing) Who You Are .

Genres: Self Help

162 pages, Paperback

Published March 6, 2018

Reviews

[Shantell Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you just need a sign that you are on the right path and if that sign happens to also include a little path lighting to guide your steps that’s even better.
With each chapter read it felt as though I was reliving so many moments along my career path and personal life. Everyday as a career woman I must make decisions that together contribute to success, help create balance or imbalance in life, and make me and hopefully others experience fulfillment.

I loved learning a little about your upbringing, and career successes and challenges. With each story I would think about how I’d experienced something similar and how that experience shaped the woman that I am today.

Sometimes you go through things take the learnings and keep on moving and don’t take the necessary time to internalize that part of your journey, but it’s always good to reflect on why you are where you are and why you believe in what you believe so that you can pay it forward. In my journey I can say I’ve been in, around, and through chapters 1-8 many times and the morsels of truth that are articulated in the book will continue to help me as I am sure will revisit those scenarios a few more times in this life.

I look forward to fully experiencing the chapter on Whom Can I Serve Today? I serve those closest to me on a daily basis, but I look forward to a time when I can more broadly serve others and contribute to causes outside of my home and the company for which I work. Service is fulfilling and takes as much time and dedication to serve others well. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and experiences with the masses. I am now compelled to write my younger self and my older self a letter.

[Irem · Rating 5 out of 5]

The genre of this book is business. Yet, it made me cry. Several times.
I was surprised and moved because I felt like this book was written for me. Sometimes, we get so deep in our own challenges and problems that we don’t think anyone else can be living through similar things. Reading the above script from the book, I thought “this is my life” (except the homework part, since my son is only 2) and it made me realize, I am not alone. Being a working mom who has to juggle many balls is very hard, we need to find ways to manage that. And this book helps. Also, although the book talks a lot about being a mom, I think it also has a lot of great advice for men. I have already asked my husband to read it. More on my blog: https://wanderingcharacters.wordpress...

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read that I finished in one sitting! Whether beginning your career or well into, it's a resource for all women professionals that will resonate. Paula and Lisa are executives who are relatable and engaging; I found myself often smiling and nodding throughout at their stories and advice. They use their own experiences to encourage and motivate you toward experiencing more success, balance and fulfillment in your life - something we all strive for. They share honestly about their professional and personal lives - ups and downs, what they wish they would've known earlier, things they'd do differently. I found their perspectives energizing, and they prompted me to look at things in a new way. They also include letters from other women leaders offering insights. LOTS of wisdom under one cover!

[MarDee · Rating 4 out of 5]

One sign of a powerful, thought-provoking book is the number of underlines or dog-eared pages that exist after reading it. My copy is well marked! The author's stories remind me of my experiences or offer particularly pithy advice I'd like to pass on to my young adult daughters and colleagues. By telling their stories and bringing in other voices of female senior executives -- sprinkled with humor -- the authors have provided a book I highly recommend to those who've been in the corporate world for many years and those just starting their journey. I'll be rereading this one.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a Goodreads win for me, which I always appreciate. It was a short read but the start set me off on the wrong foot. The book's overall theme is to stay true to yourself and
Remember Who You Are." In the first chapter there is a quote of guidance to "fake it until you make it" and I was taken aback because if I have to "fake it to make it" I am not being true to myself or remembering who I am. There were definitely good qualities to the book and the authors shared very personal failures and successes in their lives. Not sure what nuggets I may take away from this one.

[Amyedwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating read. Everyone should read this book. I wish this book had been available many years ago when I started working. The words of wisdom presented, experienced by these two ladies in the real life business world, are great lessons in life that can be applied to all. Being true to yourself, following biblical principles and remembering who you are is a pathway to success, not only for yourself, but to others around you. It's a winning situation. Highly recommend. AJ

[Michaela Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a college student about to enter the full-time professional world, I found this book to be incredibly valuable! Hearing experiences from Paula, Lisa, and so many other successful women, who have been where I am, encourages me to know that I can have a successful career and still live a well-balanced and fulfilling life. They share ways to avoid easily made mistakes and other things I would have never known had I not read this book. I recommend it to anyone, who like me, is starting his or her career.

[Carole Inman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will challenge you on your “why” and “how” you approach your work. But, it will also guide you with practical steps for being true to yourself as you grow in your career. I’ve read many business leadership books, and I commend this book as right up there with the strongest. It challenged me, and I’ve reflected back on it more than once since having read it. Pick it up, regardless of where you are in your career - you’ll be better for it!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Empowering!

What an inspiring read! Excellent real life stories of success and hardships framed so the rest of us can take away valuable lessons. A wonderful reminder that we are all unique and. An be successful being true to ourselves. I will be giving this as gifts to many of my friends!

[Debbie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember Who You Are---Great book and truly a book that teaches a person how to treat other people in the workforce and in life. A must read for all that want to improve their lives in business and beyond.

[B. Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading by all CEOs. The help that it would give women and men in business is tremendous. These two young women have really written an inspiring and thought provoking book for all avenues of life. I fully recommend this well written book to all.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for our friends, families and colleagues! The focus on staying balanced in the midst of our multiple demands, is critical for everyone with our fast paced lives! The book is tremendous and I plan to share it with everyone on my teams as an incentive/thank you gift!

[Dr. Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read that is filled with pearls of wisdom from two dynamite women (Paula Brown Stafford & Lisa T. Grimes) who are as down-to-earth as sweet iced tea on a Summer afternoon:)) I've made it the summer reading for our teen daughters before they head off to college.

[Shari F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember Who You Are should be required reading for all executives. Read it and highlight as you go. There is so much to learn from this well-written book.

[Debbie Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember Who You are is a must read for those who want to excel in life and business. The authors share wisdom and lessons learned from positive and negative experiences. I found their personal stories to be inspiring and authentic. I highly recommend this book!

[K. Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This truth-speaking, refocusing, and passion-affirming book should be a requirement for every C-level executive - and, certainly, it follows, for every person who aspires to the C-suite.

It was birthed from the lives of two women who have spent decades honing, analyzing, cultivating, and proverbially practicing what they preach. Lisa Grimes and Paula Brown Stafford peel back the layers of their own personal and professional lives to challenge the reader toward strategies for maintaining peace of mind. . . and peace and joy of family. . . and peace and success in business. It is real. Achieving success in "the juggling act" happens neither overnight nor by default. Sit at the feet of these two women (and the other successful executives who contributed to this master-work) and learn how. Get it and Gift it!

[Lydia Morrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading 'Remember Who You Are' was like getting the pep talk I wish I had gotten at the start of my career. Lisa and Paula really embody what it means to be authentic and confident leaders in today's world - rather than being someone who goes through the motions of being "a leader." As we close the gap on gender equality in the workplace, it is more important than ever that we help and encourage women at all stages in their career to build their confidence while being their true, authentic selves - and this book will do exactly that!

[Eric Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book full of challenges and inspiration to grow no matter where you work, life season you are in, and who you are! This book has opened my eyes for me to see and do things I only wish I had done years ago! So thankful for this book!