October’s Book To Live By

This month’s Books To Live By selection highlights the featured guest and theme for our October monthly members’ Club package: Behind-the-Scenes of a Successful Writer’s Life with Sheila Weller.

From journalist and New York Times best-selling author Sheila Wellercomes an inside look at three of the best-known women in TV news and how they navigated and shaped the front lines of broadcast journalism.

Our October selection is….

 

The News Sorority: Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Christiane Amanpour — and the (Ongoing, Imperfect, Complicated) Triumph of Women in TV News by Sheila Weller.

Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with people closest to the three newscasters, author Sheila Weller has pieced together enthralling profiles of these media trailblazers and how they came to pave the way for women in TV news for years to come.

Inside these pages, you’ll get an exclusive and intimate look at the extraordinary odds, prejudices and personalities that these women were up against, on and off the screen.

Each woman’s journey captures so much of what many of us have gone through in our careers, no matter what the industry.

Sheila is the ultimate storyteller and The News Sorority reveals Diane, Katie and Christiane as you’ve never seen them before.  You’ll find many of the strategies they used in going for their dreams applicable to your own life.

We loved Sheila’s last best-selling book Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell,  Carly Simon — And the Journey of a Generation.

The News Sorority is equally as powerful and fascinating. Enjoy reading and let me know what you think!

Love,

Debbie Signature

P.S. Are you in our Women on Fire monthly members’ club? If not, I invite you to join us today!  You will automatically be entered to win a signed copy of The News Sorority during our inspiring live video coaching call and chat for members-only on Tuesday, October 14.

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Members’ Club October 2014 Sneak Peek

Each month, our founder, Debbie Phillips, interviews an inspiring expert for monthly members. If you’re not yet a member, please be our guest and listen in today for free to a clip of Debbie’s upcoming candid interview with journalist and New York Times bestselling author, Sheila Weller.

Sheila is a brilliant writer whose work has been published in some of today’s major magazines including Vanity Fair, New York magazine, Rolling Stone, and many more. She has authored seven books, including her latest, The News Sorority: Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Christiane Amanpour — and the (Ongoing, Imperfect, Complicated) Triumph of Women in TV News. And she’s giving Women on Fire members the inside scoop on what she discovered about these amazing women!

Simply press PLAY on the image below to listen to a brief audio clip (2:50) of this exciting and juicy interview.

In the full interview package, you’ll discover key insights inspired by Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric and Christiane Amanpour:

  • Turning your pain into your purpose
  • Strategies to help you stand up for what’s right in the face of authority
  • The No. 1 way to stay grounded during chaotic times
  • Embracing your personality without apologizing for it

All that plus an intimate look at some of the most beloved women in news!

If you are already a monthly member, enjoy this sneak preview. You’ll receive the full interview package in your mailbox in early October.

If you aren’t yet a member and would like to receive the full interview with Sheila Weller, I invite you to join us TODAY! You will also receive:

  • An invitation to our popular monthly live video coaching call/chat with Debbie Phillips, in which you have a chance to receive personalized coaching on whatever you are struggling with
  • Access to our private, members-only Facebook group, where you can connect and feel the support of our amazing community
  • Personalized coaching materials each month
  • Plus many more benefits!

Click here to register to receive October’s monthly membership package.  Registration to receive the interview with Sheila Weller ends on Saturday, September 27, 2014. You have only 48 hours left!

Don’t miss out on this entertaining interview that will absolutely capture your heart!

P.S. Register by Saturday, September 27, and you will receive a FREE, red leather Women on Fire journal to keep your dreams in!

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She Said What?!

The outdoor shower has been turned on.  Shiny, ripe strawberries are ready for picking.  Students are being celebrated at graduation parties.

It’s that time of the year.

And, one of my favorite pastimes in June is to read the inspiration and wisdom from celebrated speakers at college commencements across the country.

This year, I was inspired and uplifted by three speakers, in particular, including what Oprah had to say at Harvard.

“It doesn’t matter how far you might rise, at some point you are bound to stumble,” she said.  “Because if you’re constantly doing what we do, raising the bar.

“If you’re constantly pushing yourself higher, higher, the law of averages, not to mention The Myth of Icarus, predicts that you will at some point fall. And when you do,” she warned, “I want you to know this, remember this: There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us into another direction.”

“It’s okay to feel bad for a little while,” Oprah said. “Give yourself time to mourn what you think you may have lost. But then, here’s the key: Learn from every mistake because every experience, encounter, and particularly your mistakes, are there to teach you and force you into being more of who you are.”

If you have a half-hour, I encourage you, if you haven’t yet, to watch Oprah’s entire speech.

(And, note the many times the camera zooms in on Woman on Fire member Sophfronia Scott who was in the audience celebrating her 25th graduation from Harvard!)

*This week’s Spark PINspiration*  

Pin to Pass on the Love!

See what Oprah, Arianna Huffington and Katie Couric all have in common in this week's SPARK- www.debbiephillips.com Women On Fire[pinit]

And while I adored everything Oprah said, I really loved how Arianna Huffington inspired graduates at Smith College.

Arianna is the president and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post and the sister to beloved Woman on Fire Agapi Stassinopolous, author of Unbinding the Heart: A Dose of Greek Wisdom, Generosity, and Unconditional Love.

(Agapi’s book, by the way, is a great gift for a new graduate!)

Arianna urged Smith graduates to lead a new kind of women’s revolution; one that defines success in a new way.

“At the moment, our society’s notion of success is largely composed of two parts: money and power,” Arianna said in her remarks.

What is needed now is a new, third metric to define success: “one founded on well-being, wisdom, our ability to wonder, and to give back … because the world you are headed into desperately needs it.”

She went on to explain that “more and more people, very successful people, are toppling over. Basically, success the way we’ve defined it is no longer sustainable.

“Already, women in stressful jobs have a nearly 40 percent increased risk of heart disease, and a 60 percent greater risk for diabetes. And in the last 30 years, as women have made strides and gains in the workplace, self-reported levels of stress have gone up 18 percent.”

She warned how sleep deprivation is harming our creativity and shared how The Huffington Post is making an effort to put a dent in the problem.  They have installed two nap rooms in their offices.

At first people were hesitant to take naps, she said, because they feared others would think they were shirking their duties.  “I’m happy to say, our nap rooms are now always booked. Although the other day I was walking by and I saw two people walking out of one of the nap rooms. But, hey, whatever it takes to recharge. Just don’t tell HR, ok?” 😉

And, finally, Katie Couric, who lost her husband, Jay Monahan, to colon cancer in 1998, wrapped up her speech with this powerful thought for us all when she spoke to Randolph Macon College graduates in Virginia:

“The losses I’ve experienced have taught me something else: We are all terminal. You have to appreciate the gifts that every day of your life will bring: Your family. Your friends. A beautiful sky at sunset. A perfect ear of corn in August. The first snowfall of the year. A baby’s tiny hand. Be grateful for the time you have and savor the joy that comes your way.”

Congratulations if you or someone you love is graduating this year. I wish you a joy-filled week – and plenty of sleep!