From the Publisher
“Rethink is a great book that smashes the myths that too often hold women back. Andi Simon not only skillfully shares the stories of women who have successfully created their own ‘blue ocean,’ but inspires and guides you to do the same in your life too. This book is a gift that helps women see, feel, and think about their own lives through a fresh lens. Get ready to be inspired!”
—Renée Mauborgne, New York Times bestselling author of Blue Ocean Shift and Blue Ocean Strategy, Professor of INSEAD
“We can do anything we put our minds to, and the stories featured in Andi Simon’s Rethink are proof of this. I recommend this book to any woman looking for role models or inspiration for success. Keep planning, learning, and working towards your goals. Continue being unapologetically ambitious.”
—Shellye Archambeau, board director, advisor, and author of Unapologetically Ambitious
“Rethink is a testament to what women CAN do! This book is a no-nonsense, myth-debunking gem that uses the power of real stories and facts to demonstrate women’s true power and potential across multiple industries and roles. Andi’s authenticity shines through as she also shares her own journey as a ‘myth-smasher’ and shows us that success isn’t linear and that we don’t have to fit in a box. This is a must-read for women looking for a dose of inspiration in their own trailblazing journey.”
—Jessie Medina, CEO of FEMX Quarters, social entrepreneur, intersectionality consultant, speaker
“Andi Simon’s Rethink provides powerful examples of how women in the workplace lead to organizational success and creative advancements. These strong leaders who happen to be women took their lives into their own hands and are changing our world as we know it. Sharing stories like these is critical in showcasing models for success, and I hope this book engenders more to come.”
—Cheryl Contee, CEO of Do Big Things, author of Mechanical Bull: How You Can Achieve Startup Success
“With surgical precision, Rethink disembowels pernicious myths that propped up the glass ceiling. Rethink is not just stories of visionary female leaders, and it is more than a systematic study of their leadership styles or a deconstruction of their successes. Rethink is a powerful narrative for a new culture.”
—Max Teplitski, PhD, Chief Science Officer, Produce Marketing Association
“Dr. Andi Simon’s groundbreaking book Rethink is a MUST-read! By presenting eleven incredible women’s inspiring stories, the author smashes the myths of women in business. Every leader, regardless of industry, needs to read this book! If you’re a woman seeking a path in the business world, this is THE book to read, absorb, and then put into practice. Insightfully written, boundary breaking, a sure bestseller!”
—Elia Gourgouris PhD, Founder of The Happiness Center
“Rethink by Dr. Andi Simon is proof positive that when women are strong, bold, and gutsy, they succeed. Each story serves as a great reminder to keep pushing for equality and prosperity in whatever we choose to do. I recommend this for any professional woman looking to break the glass ceiling in their field.”
—Pat Obuchowski, MBA, PCC, CEO of inVisionaria, bestselling and award-winning author
“Andi Simon has done a magnificent job with Rethink and yes, ‘smashing the myths of women in business.’ Rethink turns myths into reality with marvelous storytelling of women boldly leading the way forward in different industries with the support of other women. Andi points out that we are still a long way from parity and pay parity, and at the Women Business Collaborative (WBC), we know that Power and Parity go together. We know that women and women of color can change the face of the economy and support one another in a new sisterhood. Women lead differently with new leadership from the head, heart, and soul.”
—Edie Fraser, CEO of Women Business Collaborative (WBC)
“Regardless of where you are in your life’s journey, Andi’s latest masterpiece gives you the inspiration to ‘Rethink’ how far you can go. She shares the myth-busting real life stories of successful women who, despite the odds against them, have reached the pinnacle of personal and professional success. Their individual journeys did not always take the path expected, but each one shows how they were able to overcome challenges and conquer obstacles life threw their way. The stories capture your attention and leave you inspired to reach for the stars in your own life. If that isn’t enough, Andi ends the book with a how-to guide, giving the thought-provoking tools we can all use to smash myths, get rid of our head trash, and create new successes in our lives. Thank you, Andi Simon, for the gift of Rethink. I can now ‘Rethink’ my own destiny.”
—Robin Stanaland, Vistage Master Chair
“Andi Simon is a corporate anthropologist—observing the individual stories in a society and interpreting how they come together to shape a culture is her expertise. She uses this unique skill set to explain the bigger picture behind the stories of the incredible women she highlights in her latest book, Rethink, and describes how the myths of the past are being shattered by the career trajectories of these trailblazing women. Data-driven analysis is embedded in each riveting chapter about women who are changing the future of business and our entire culture. Rethink is a powerful lens through which we can see what is yet to come.”
—Nicole Hittner, Private Equity/M&A Partner, Ballard Spahr LLP
“Rethink by Andi Simon provides an insider view into the myths that plague women’s experiences as leaders, regardless of the industry. She masterfully tells these women’s stories, both their triumphs and disappointments, illustrating the resiliency and power these women possess. One of the most important contributions of this book is that these women’s stories are rooted in their passions, their joys, and their personal goals for fulfillment and contribution. These women are driven, and we are all better as a result. Now, we just need to get out of their way. I look forward to requiring this book in my undergraduate courses that explore issues of leadership, gender, and business.”
—Vicki L. Baker, MBA, MS, PhD, Professor of Economics & Management at Albion College, author of Charting Your Path to Full: A Guide for Women Associate Professors
“Ms. Simon presents a hypothesis that women are smashing career myths by presenting 11 inspiring stories of women who have ‘made it’ in their chosen fields. She draws on her own experience as well as her anthropology education to try to convince the reader that these myths are entrenched and require us to boldly work to overcome them. Part pep talk, part treatise, the book provides an interesting perspective.”
—Gwen Anson, Technical Manager, Shell (retired)
“Story is a powerful influence on our species. And so it is that the narratives we tell, and tell ourselves, genuinely come to weave into what we believe is possible. In addressing some of the most profound issues of our time around social inequality, we must consider both the structural constraints put upon us and the cognitive obstacles we place upon ourselves. By bringing attention to individuals who navigated societal barriers through, in part, different ways of thinking about themselves and the worlds they inhabit, Dr. Simon’s book brings an essential angle to this critical conversation. Using her anthropologist sensibilities, Andi highlights how a revolutionary smashing of barriers can sometimes come out of pragmatic exploration. By expertly linking together these stories and highlighting their common features, Andi leaves her readers with both motivation and a set of tools to move differently through their world. Dr. Simon’s book helped me see the stories I tell myself with fresh eyes. In doing so, she helped me start to dismantle the barriers I construct for the women in my life. Highly recommended!”
—Peter Boumgarden, Professor of Practice, Strategy and Organizations, Faculty Director of the Center for Experiential Learning, Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School
“In this volume, Andi Simon writes unabashedly and unapologetically for women—drawing attention to their resilience, triumphs, obstacles, and brilliance in their professional lives while simultaneously noting the enmeshed cultural myths that too often constrain and limit. The delight in the individual stories is made richer through Simon’s analytic observation about stories more generally: Stories are carriers of cultural ideas that all too often preserve the status quo but also offer the possibility to upend it. When we attend to what is being shared and affirmed in stories we tell about ourselves, as anthropologist Simon does, we can contest and alter. The lives of the women recounted in this volume, eloquently told, offer us new ways to tell stories about ourselves.”
—Rita Denny, PhD, Executive Director of EPIC
“What a delightful book to read, especially in these times. It’s so easy to dwell on what is missing in our society; Rethink, on the other hand, tells an optimistic story of addition. The author takes us on an anthropologist’s journey of stories, stories of women who have smashed myths, made a difference, and inspire us to do the same.”
—Elisa K Spain, Leadership Coach and Peer Advisory Board Chair
“Who better than a corporate anthropologist to capture the changing societal and cultural norms that have kept women in the shadows and limited their opportunities to be at the head of the table? Story after story, Andi Simon provides clear evidence and examples of pioneering women breaking down barriers and busting myths that have stood for years as relics of a ‘normal’ that no longer exists. It is time to set the gender biases aside, acknowledge what is in front of us, and Rethink our outdated myths about what women are capable of accomplishing.”
—Konstantinos Apostolopoulos, co-author of 7 Keys to Navigating a Crisis: A Practical Guide to Emotionally Dealing with Pandemics & Other Disasters
