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Beautiful Badass: How To Believe In Yourself Against The Odds
"Look on the bright side!" "Just choose happiness!" "You can do anything you set your mind to!" We've all heard these things before, usually from well-meaning people who just want to help - but for those who have experienced significant hardship in life, these statements often miss the mark.
Positive thinking will only get you so far - especially when contending with trauma, mental illness, economic instability, and other factors that act as barriers to success. In this engaging blend of memoir and self-help, Chrysta Bairre shares heartfelt stories and lessons of overcoming abuse, poverty, and depression to create a life that works for her. Beautiful Badass: How to Believe In Yourself Against the Odds is an essential guide for women who are tired of being told to "think positive" and instead want to take command of their destinies and stop falling prey to the hardships that previously defined them.
Go beyond well-meaning platitudes and learn real, practical tools for improving your quality of life - regardless of the hand you've been dealt.
Positive thinking will only get you so far - especially when contending with trauma, mental illness, economic instability, and other factors that act as barriers to success. In this engaging blend of memoir and self-help, Chrysta Bairre shares heartfelt stories and lessons of overcoming abuse, poverty, and depression to create a life that works for her. Beautiful Badass: How to Believe In Yourself Against the Odds is an essential guide for women who are tired of being told to "think positive" and instead want to take command of their destinies and stop falling prey to the hardships that previously defined them.
Go beyond well-meaning platitudes and learn real, practical tools for improving your quality of life - regardless of the hand you've been dealt.
223 pages, Paperback
First published February 21, 2020
3 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 3, 2023
I really enjoyed reading this book!
Chrysta's sharp wit and unapologetic language helps readers like me power through doubts and fears, and recognize that we aren't alone on this journey of self-reflection and growth. Her inspirational stories has encourage me to be honest with myself and to have the courage and perseverance to seize the opportunities life presents me.
Her book has been really helpful by offering up meaningful insights and advice that cuts to the core of the matter. Her book offers a refreshing and much needed perspective on personal growth.
Overall, I rated it a 4 out of 5. They really should include decimals on here because personally is more a 4.7 out of 5 for me (leaving a little bit of room for more growth!) Really great book, heart touching stories and an amazing author! Would definitely recommend, I found the superstar and badass I am through her book and you will too!
Chrysta's sharp wit and unapologetic language helps readers like me power through doubts and fears, and recognize that we aren't alone on this journey of self-reflection and growth. Her inspirational stories has encourage me to be honest with myself and to have the courage and perseverance to seize the opportunities life presents me.
Her book has been really helpful by offering up meaningful insights and advice that cuts to the core of the matter. Her book offers a refreshing and much needed perspective on personal growth.
Overall, I rated it a 4 out of 5. They really should include decimals on here because personally is more a 4.7 out of 5 for me (leaving a little bit of room for more growth!) Really great book, heart touching stories and an amazing author! Would definitely recommend, I found the superstar and badass I am through her book and you will too!
July 4, 2020
I pre-ordered this book because I saw Chrysta Bairre deliver the keynote presentation at a conference, and was impressed by her raw vulnerability, her facility with message, her connection from the stage in front of an audience of 350+. Building on her honesty about her very personal anxieties that many humans share but don't discuss, Beautiful Badass demonstrates how she builds a beautiful life, full of personal connection, business success, and service to others. Bairre goes deep, depicting her difficult childhood and resulting challenged young adulthood, true stories that form the unfortunate backdrop for the easy-to-implement tools, practices, and mindset shifts with which Bairre ultimately triumphs. Read it--it'll lift you up and carry you forward!
August 29, 2020
I met Chrysta in 2016 while I was struggling to figure out my own career hopes and dreams. Recently graduated with my MA I was completely lost. Through a little bit of support and guidance she helped me refocus. This book takes that awesome session and expands on her values while being relatable and autobiographical. She is a great voice in no BS coaching that is practical, kind, and actually motivation. I plan on making this a gift for people in my life.
February 19, 2022
Wow
Crystals insights into how women who have struggled think provide much in the way of how to be in the world. To occupy your/my space. Of course, I actually know Crystal having attended high school with her and feeling part of the same "weirdo" not rich fringe group.
Crystals insights into how women who have struggled think provide much in the way of how to be in the world. To occupy your/my space. Of course, I actually know Crystal having attended high school with her and feeling part of the same "weirdo" not rich fringe group.
July 7, 2020
A fun, thoughtful read. So relatable and the author introduced me to new ways of looking at things.
July 12, 2020
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.
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.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews