Why this book exists
A focused place to understand what is happening
In January, she put her hand up. Nobody made her. There was no pressure, no expectation, no colleague looking at her meaningfully across the table. The conference was in June, they needed somebody to present the department's work, and she volunteered, in an email, at half past nine on a Tuesday morning, and she was pleased with herself for the rest of the day. She meant it. That is the part that has to survive everything else in this book. She was not performing enthusiasm. She sat at her kitchen table in January and thought about standing in front of two hundred people talking about a project she is genuinely proud of, and the thought was good. She imagined it going well. She typed the email and pressed send and felt like somebody who had finally.
The writing is designed to reduce shame, bring the underlying pattern into view and give you practical ways to respond without pretending that every life follows the same formula.
