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Smart Girls Screw Up Too: The No-Nonsense Guide to Creating The Life You Want
Own your screw ups, get inspired and create the life you want. Sick of chasing the perfect relationship, career or bank balance? Tired of feeling like you’re never quite ‘enough’? You’re not alone. And it’s time to do something about it. Smart Girls Screw Up Too , is THE no-nonsense guide for a generation of women who secretly muse about what might be possible in their careers, health and relationships but don’t know where to start or are too afraid to. When a clusterf**k of screw ups found author Bella Zanesco burnt out, depressed and with a broken soul, she knew something – perhaps everything – had to change. But what? Her first ports of call were the usual Tinder, work and shopping. But soon, she realised those weren’t going to work. If she wanted to fix this thing, she was going to need to take extreme measures. And so she began the journey that would transform her from ‘Sad Girl’ to ‘Smart Girl’; a journey that meant taking up all the things that she’d been told were good for her but she had always been too afraid, too ‘busy’, or too lazy to try. Cue everything from green juices to setting boundaries to quitting her job to culling her friends. Delivered with no-holds-barred honesty, humour and compassion, Smart Girls Screw Up Too brings the latest research into gut science, neuroscience and epigenetics; ancient tribal wisdom; interviews with global game changers; and insights from the author’s own two-year study of over 2000 women. Paired with a Personal Life Audit, you will get immediate clarity about where to start when seeking purpose, vitality and love. And, together with Bella – the wise but ass-kicking bestie you wish you’d known earlier – you’ll embark on a series of simple daily challenges that will not only get you to the root causes of why you think, feel and behave as you do, but see you making changes that stick. No matter what your starting point, you are capable of creating the life you want NOW.
336 pages, Paperback
Published December 11, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 17, 2020
Bella Zanesco wants you to be a Smart Girl too, so this book fairly comprehensively covers general health and women's health, lifestyle, relationships, finances and career to provide actions to invigorate or give your life an overhaul. Listening to the audiobook version makes it harder to dip into the sections that are relevant to me right now, which was Zanesco's recommendation at the beginning, so I listened from go to whoa.
Because the book is based on her own lived experience of getting back on the up-side, I expect that the book has its roots in memoir and that influences the structure. It did, but in the opening introductions Zanesco tells us that this is not going to be a book just about her experience which then made me wonder if I wanted to keep listening if it wasn't going to include personal anecdotes or experiences.
I think there are a lot of online resources to accompany the book, including a Career and Life Audit, that looks interesting, to help get the most out of the recommendations and ideas in the book. The difficulty with reading these types of books as an audiobook while in the car mean that when you get to a point where you are supposed to write down your goals, that's not really achievable in the car so you just keep pressing on until you get to your destination.
It was because I needed a break from listening to fiction on audiobook and a desire for a little motivation to get more productivity and satisfaction out of my days that I started Smart Girls Screw Up Too. While it might sound small, I have made my bed everyday for 2 weeks (achieving something first thing every day) and have mapped out and commenced a morning routine to include a 15 minute walk with the dog and 5 minutes watering a small section of new garden which is my latest hobby and allocated time to sit and have breakfast at home rather than getting a toastie from the canteen at work. Of course warmer weather in the mornings helps a lot. And yes, Bella, I know I need to get back on the yoga mat :)
If you are listening to the audiobook, also narrated by Bella Zanesco, be prepared for every. single. word. being. punctuated. That is great for motivational speech, but can be a bit too much in an 8 hour audiobook.
It's refreshing to have a book like this on (women's) personal and professional development written by an Australian. It makes the content so much more relatable and also in tune with a culture and lifestyle that is familiar ie not an American live to work attitude to life.
Because the book is based on her own lived experience of getting back on the up-side, I expect that the book has its roots in memoir and that influences the structure. It did, but in the opening introductions Zanesco tells us that this is not going to be a book just about her experience which then made me wonder if I wanted to keep listening if it wasn't going to include personal anecdotes or experiences.
I think there are a lot of online resources to accompany the book, including a Career and Life Audit, that looks interesting, to help get the most out of the recommendations and ideas in the book. The difficulty with reading these types of books as an audiobook while in the car mean that when you get to a point where you are supposed to write down your goals, that's not really achievable in the car so you just keep pressing on until you get to your destination.
It was because I needed a break from listening to fiction on audiobook and a desire for a little motivation to get more productivity and satisfaction out of my days that I started Smart Girls Screw Up Too. While it might sound small, I have made my bed everyday for 2 weeks (achieving something first thing every day) and have mapped out and commenced a morning routine to include a 15 minute walk with the dog and 5 minutes watering a small section of new garden which is my latest hobby and allocated time to sit and have breakfast at home rather than getting a toastie from the canteen at work. Of course warmer weather in the mornings helps a lot. And yes, Bella, I know I need to get back on the yoga mat :)
If you are listening to the audiobook, also narrated by Bella Zanesco, be prepared for every. single. word. being. punctuated. That is great for motivational speech, but can be a bit too much in an 8 hour audiobook.
It's refreshing to have a book like this on (women's) personal and professional development written by an Australian. It makes the content so much more relatable and also in tune with a culture and lifestyle that is familiar ie not an American live to work attitude to life.
July 26, 2022
I was given this book by a friend who never finished it. She was going to chuck it out and in the interest of not being wasteful, I said “Sure, I’ll have it.” I didn’t really expect to read it. The title doesn’t draw my attention at all. But since I’ve read most books in my home library, I figured “Eh. Why not?” It’s a relatively good book if you can get past the somewhat condescending-sex-in-the-city talk. Things like “the downside”, “the upside” (Are we in a Stranger Things episode?), and the one that really made me cringe is the whole notion of “Smart Girls”. Bleh. Still, she does cover some good topics, it contains some nuggets of wisdom, asks the right questions and each chapter finishes with a bit of a ‘workbook’ for self-reflection. The book is framed towards people that are “stuck in the downside” (what I interpreted as depression?), which doesn’t apply to me. Yet, I still found some value in it, especially the chapter on career and work. I did remove one star too because she spends the entire book preaching about being happy and then ends the book with a chapter on love, framed in the context of “Hey, now that you’ve done ALL the other things I recommended in the book, go on and find love!” Almost like all the other areas of our lives require fixing so we can be ‘rewarded’ with the ultimate price: love and a relationship. Excuse me, but there’s A LOT more important reasons to work on our issues, be happy, find purpose, etc. that fall outside of needing to be in a relationship. 🤷🏽♀️ Starting with…I dunno’…doing it for ourselves? Because we’re #worthit, or whatever?
November 27, 2019
“There are steps you can take to help yourself get out of the dark depressive state of the downside and reach the happier and healthier state of the upside. These involve the foundational steps of adopting a more positive outlook, understanding your vision and finding your purpose in life. These steps can be reinforced and supported by starting practices like yoga that promote health and well-being, as well as eating better and listening to your heart. Other helpful practices include surrounding yourself with a helpful and uplifting inner circle, and aligning your career with your passions.
Actionable advice:
If you want to feel happier, consider your environment and where you’re spending your time.
On her journey to the upside, the author made a few changes that made a lot of difference to her well-being. First, she cleaned up her surroundings and got rid of any belongings that had even a hint of sadness attached to them – which included anything that had once belonged to her ex. She also started spending less time online and taking breaks from social media for days at a time. Instead, she began to spend more time in nature.
Consider this statistic: according to a University of Essex study, being in a shopping center made 22 percent of the participants feel worse than they were already feeling. Meanwhile, being in a natural setting reduced feelings of depression in 71 percent of the participants. Clearly, where you spend your time is important to your well-being.”
Actionable advice:
If you want to feel happier, consider your environment and where you’re spending your time.
On her journey to the upside, the author made a few changes that made a lot of difference to her well-being. First, she cleaned up her surroundings and got rid of any belongings that had even a hint of sadness attached to them – which included anything that had once belonged to her ex. She also started spending less time online and taking breaks from social media for days at a time. Instead, she began to spend more time in nature.
Consider this statistic: according to a University of Essex study, being in a shopping center made 22 percent of the participants feel worse than they were already feeling. Meanwhile, being in a natural setting reduced feelings of depression in 71 percent of the participants. Clearly, where you spend your time is important to your well-being.”
March 3, 2025
This book read as a greatest hits of self help from the last decade without any detailed explanations of the science or theories behind the actions it recommends. Sometimes quotes are given without their source and Zanesco can contradict herself in the same paragraph.
You are often being advised by someone who has read a Guardian article about a piece of research rather than reading the research herself.
Zanesco also quotes her ‘Smart Girl Research’ with percentages but to me it sounded very dubious who did she interview? 3 friends over dinner? Or a wide group of 500 diverse women? She gives no indication.
There are many great ideas in this book for improving your mood and motivation. As someone who has read a lot of self help I appreciated being reminded of the work of Charles Duhig ( highly recommend.)
You are often being advised by someone who has read a Guardian article about a piece of research rather than reading the research herself.
Zanesco also quotes her ‘Smart Girl Research’ with percentages but to me it sounded very dubious who did she interview? 3 friends over dinner? Or a wide group of 500 diverse women? She gives no indication.
There are many great ideas in this book for improving your mood and motivation. As someone who has read a lot of self help I appreciated being reminded of the work of Charles Duhig ( highly recommend.)
November 29, 2019
I really liked this book. Loads of relevant information. Read it.
January 10, 2020
This book contains many useful journalling prompts for reflection and future planning and is overall a good springboard for considering your life and what changes you'd like to make.
April 1, 2020
Meh. Even though I read this through blinkist, I thought there was nothing new. It reminded me of a few things though.
May 22, 2023
I read this book because Bella is one of my coworkers. I was so pleasantly impressed with her book! It felt like self help in the best possible way -- I went through this, so I want to spare you the heartache and struggle and give you a shortcut. Some of the hormonal content was new to me, so I'm looking forward to exploring it further. I liked that Bella covered a panacea of individual topics, and that she maintained a very self deferential attitude. I thought it was well organized and I liked the formatting with sidebar quotes.
November 28, 2019
I though this was just going to be another self-help book, but I actually LOVED the advice!
I read this book thanks to Blinkist.
The key message in these blinks:
There are steps you can take to help yourself get out of the dark depressive state of the downside and reach the happier and healthier state of the upside. These involve the foundational steps of adopting a more positive outlook, understanding your vision and finding your purpose in life. These steps can be reinforced and supported by starting practices like yoga that promote health and well-being, as well as eating better and listening to your heart. Other helpful practices include surrounding yourself with a helpful and uplifting inner circle, and aligning your career with your passions.
Actionable advice:
If you want to feel happier, consider your environment and where you’re spending your time.
On her journey to the upside, the author made a few changes that made a lot of difference to her well-being. First, she cleaned up her surroundings and got rid of any belongings that had even a hint of sadness attached to them – which included anything that had once belonged to her ex. She also started spending less time online and taking breaks from social media for days at a time. Instead, she began to spend more time in nature.
Consider this statistic:
according to a University of Essex study, being in a shopping center made 22 percent of the participants feel worse than they were already feeling. Meanwhile, being in a natural setting reduced feelings of depression in 71 percent of the participants. Clearly, where you spend your time is important to your well-being.
What to read next:
Finding Your Element, by Ken Robinson
There was a lot of advice in the previous blinks about finding your passion or your vision in life. Sometimes this can be a difficult thing for us to pin down, so if you’d like to get some more advice on just how to do this, you’ll likely get a lot of wisdom out of Finding Your Element.
Drawing from author Ken Robinson’s deep well of wit and wisdom, these blinks can help you discover or rediscover your talents and passions in life. What’s more, they’ll show you how you can make room in your current life for investing more time in your passions and getting more satisfaction out of your daily life. Ready to get started on all of that? Then take the first step by checking out our blinks to Finding Your Element, by Ken Robinson!
I read this book thanks to Blinkist.
The key message in these blinks:
There are steps you can take to help yourself get out of the dark depressive state of the downside and reach the happier and healthier state of the upside. These involve the foundational steps of adopting a more positive outlook, understanding your vision and finding your purpose in life. These steps can be reinforced and supported by starting practices like yoga that promote health and well-being, as well as eating better and listening to your heart. Other helpful practices include surrounding yourself with a helpful and uplifting inner circle, and aligning your career with your passions.
Actionable advice:
If you want to feel happier, consider your environment and where you’re spending your time.
On her journey to the upside, the author made a few changes that made a lot of difference to her well-being. First, she cleaned up her surroundings and got rid of any belongings that had even a hint of sadness attached to them – which included anything that had once belonged to her ex. She also started spending less time online and taking breaks from social media for days at a time. Instead, she began to spend more time in nature.
Consider this statistic:
according to a University of Essex study, being in a shopping center made 22 percent of the participants feel worse than they were already feeling. Meanwhile, being in a natural setting reduced feelings of depression in 71 percent of the participants. Clearly, where you spend your time is important to your well-being.
What to read next:
Finding Your Element, by Ken Robinson
There was a lot of advice in the previous blinks about finding your passion or your vision in life. Sometimes this can be a difficult thing for us to pin down, so if you’d like to get some more advice on just how to do this, you’ll likely get a lot of wisdom out of Finding Your Element.
Drawing from author Ken Robinson’s deep well of wit and wisdom, these blinks can help you discover or rediscover your talents and passions in life. What’s more, they’ll show you how you can make room in your current life for investing more time in your passions and getting more satisfaction out of your daily life. Ready to get started on all of that? Then take the first step by checking out our blinks to Finding Your Element, by Ken Robinson!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews