My What If Year: A Memoir
Description
"Hailed as the next Eat, Pray, Love" - CNN International
"In this charming and highly readable memoir, the author takes a year off and tackles internships with gusto, proving that sometimes uprooting your entire life is the only way forward." - People magazine
"This hilarious new memoir...is the perfect escape." - Woman's World
An exuberant, hilarious memoir about a woman who pauses her successful career for a year and explores the "What If" jobs of her dreams.
On the cusp of turning forty, Alisha Fernandez Miranda has climbed to the peak of personal and professional success, but at a price; she's overworked and exhausted.
Bravely, Alisha decides to give herself a break, temporarily pausing her stressful career as the CEO of high-powered consulting firm. With the tentative blessing of her husband and eight-year-old twins, she leaves her home in London to spend one year exploring the dream jobs of her youth, seeking answers to the question, "What if?"
What follows is a spirited and hilarious journey for Alisha - and the reader. Contending with her lack of experience (and the onset of a global pandemic), Alisha gofers for two high-profile Broadway productions (and nearly tramples Stephen Sondheim), attempts to master a fitness regimen called Voga (a cross between yoga and "voguing"), feigns confidence while handling multi-million-dollar artwork at Christie's, and literally sets her shirt on fire while serving rack of lamb in a posh hotel on Scotland's remote Isle of Skye. Her experiences are at once challenging and humbling, and push the boundaries of what Alisha thought she was physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of. Alisha's "What If" year reveals that she can achieve success on her own terms by embodying the spirit of the intern: never stop learning, be flexible, and understand that failure is a prerequisite for growth.
For anyone who's ever felt stuck in a rut, My What If Year proves that it's never too late to say yes to second chances and explore the roads untraveled throughout your life.
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About the Author
A respected authority on women's empowerment, social impact, and sustainability, Alisha Fernandez Miranda serves as Chair and former CEO of I.G. Advisors, an award-winning social impact intelligence agency that consults with the world's biggest non-profits, foundations, and corporations on their philanthropy and social initiatives. Her clients include The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Ford Foundation, and UN Women. At the beginning of 2020, Alisha paused her high-powered career to pursue a series of internships on Broadway, with contemporary art dealer Blain, fitness studio Retroglow, and in the kitchen of the Kinloch Lodge. Alisha is the daughter of a Cuban immigrant and hails from Miami.
She is co-author of 50 Years: Kinloch Lodge and her writing has been featured in Vogue, Business Insider, Romper, Huffington Post, among others. She's a graduate of Harvard University and the London School of Economics. She currently lives in Scotland with her husband and twins.
Reviews
"This book is like a balm for the soul of every over-achiever who has ever wondered what is on the other side of "having it all." With irreverence, unflinching honesty and irresistible warmth, Miranda gives us permission to get curious, hold tight to the wisp of a new idea, and honor the voice that whispers, "what if there is more?"
--Alicia Menendez, host of American Voices on MSNBC and author of The Likeability Trap
"Alisha's case of missing identity, even as a successful CEO, is an ultimate triumph story in reclaiming oneself. In this funny, heart-warming "What If" journey, Alisha teaches us that sometimes uprooting our lives backwards is what leads us and our families forward."
--Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play and National Bestseller, Find Your Unicorn Space
"This hilarious, witty memoir had me saying "YAY YAY" from the very beginning! An inspiring read that will make every reader want to supercharge their own careers."
--Meaghan B. Murphy, Editor in Chief at Woman's Day, author of Your Fully Charged Life
"It is always a gift when you find a book that speaks to the questions that echo inside us all. What If? But from there, Alisha's bold decision to answer that question is delivered to us with such refreshing audacity and wild charm. For anyone looking for a breath of inspiration or that big gasping sign that it's time to reclaim yourself and find your own answers, Alisha's book is here just in time."
--Marisa Renee Lee, author of Grief is Love
"This is a book for every woman who imagined a different life and told herself, 'You just can't.' You can, Alisha Miranda shows us, and in the process of trying on the lives in your fantasies, you just might find the one you want for real."
--Pamela Redmond, author of Younger
"Miranda writes with humor, grace, and a joyful curiosity that's a delight to read. My What If Year is a thought-provoking exploration of what we're made of and what we could make of ourselves still."
--Bianca Bosker, New York Times bestselling author of Cork Dork
"With her winning combination of chutzpah, self-deprecating humor, and determination, Miranda turns midlife (or mid-career) malaise into a hilarious memoir that is both engrossing and inspiring. My What If Year should come with a trigger alert--Warning: this book will change your life."
--Annabelle Gurwitch, author of I See You Made An Effort and You're Leaving When?
"What if there's a bigger adventure waiting on the other side of 'having it all?' In this brave and beautiful memoir, Miranda takes you on the wild ride of leaving a stable career to pursue grown-up internships at every job she's ever dreamed of. Miranda has the perfect plan, and it all goes right before it all goes hilariously wrong, with incredible growth and learnings woven all the way through. This book is winsome and wise; a cozy conversation with a new best friend that will leave you wondering, 'what if?'"
--Allison Trowbridge, author of Twenty-Two: Letters to a Young Woman Searching for Meaning
