?Beautiful Badass: How to believe in yourself against the odds
Written by Chrysta Bairre
ISBN 978-1-7345841-0-3
Chrysta Bairre, the author of Beautiful Badass: How to believe in yourself against the odds, is a business savvy, intuitive, badass woman. I already had a glimpse of her particular brilliance from her speaking engagements, professional roundtables, and enlightening conversations. Reading her debut book gave me a new, even clearer point of view. It told me that, despite flawed circumstances, not only was Chrysta a powerful, dynamic human being—so was I.
You see, this book was not designed to highlight her badassery, it was developed to help her readers find their own beautiful badass within, and it is quite effective. She shares her life with us, not just great successes, but traumas and failures, small defining moments, and twists of fate, some cruel and some elevating. She is not, however, simply telling her story. Throughout the book the author acts as a tour guide, using these stories to enhance her overall message. She acknowledges that our circumstances in life are not always ideal, and in some cases, they are downright oppressive. She also reminds us that while we cannot always control the circumstances we find ourselves in, we do not have to be defined by them, and we do have the power to improve our lives.
The first glance at the pages informs readers that this book is something a little different. Scattered throughout the pages are whimsical illustrations, including several charming cartoon depictions of the author, and extending into the margins are tips, tricks, and blurbs. In your average self-help book, these would be pithy sayings and platitudes—in Beautiful Badass, we get gems that really resonate. There are truly practical reminders in the margins, such as “Remember, your direction follows your attention,” as well as inspirational powerhouses like “Light your desire on fire so that what you want burns inside you and lights your way.”
The first section, Hope, focuses largely on being kind to yourself and having faith in who you are. It shines a light on self-doubt and gives you practical ways that you can use to begin increasing your self-worth, under any circumstances. The second section, Courage, focuses on the importance of standing up for yourself. Chapter headings like Disappointing the Right People, Be Awesomely Selfish, and Be Demanding, might lead you to think that Chrysta was a bit cutthroat, if you didn’t know her so well from her previous chapters. The chapters in this section illustrate how to be selfish and demanding better; to be selfish and demanding in a way that elevates your life, but doesn’t tear down the lives of others. After showing her readers hope and courage, in her final section she not only invites us to use those attributes to create better lives for ourselves, but she gives us actionable steps we can use to do so.
Overall, this book was a lovely blend of memoir, self-help, and motivational book, all told with a great deal of wit, humor, and raw honesty. The writing was engaging, the layout of the book delightful, and I came away from the book with both practical tools to improve my life and the belief that I could use them to reach my goals.
In case you missed it, you can get your own copy of Beautiful Badass: how to believe in yourself against the odds right here ?Amazon
You are wise. You are powerful. You are badass!
Thank you for this lovely review of my book, Beautiful Badass: How To Believe In Yourself Against The Odds! I’m honored by your thoughtful words.
Chrysta