How to Thrive in the Workplace When You're a Woman of Color
Women of color and children of immigrants have a different experience when climbing the ladder toward success.
Throughout her career, bestselling author and MSNBC producer Daniela-Pierre Bravo was driven to land a good job, achieve the American Dream, and make her family proud. As an undocumented immigrant from Chile, she went through her high school and college years in the shadows, working in the back of kitchens and selling cosmetics door-to-door to help her family make ends meet. When she got called for an internship in New York City, she traveled overnight roundtrip from Ohio to interview in-person to prove her worth and prevent any prejudices or biases about Latinas getting in the way of that opportunity. She moved heaven and earth to be a great employee and not let her undocumented status define her future. Paying close attention to her mostly white and male work environment's cues, she adapted her fashion style and vocabulary, being careful not to mispronounce words, to gain inclusion. Eventually she was able to flourish at her company and rise through the ranks. When she became a DACA recipient, she finally felt that she'd made it. But then she hit a wall.
Daniela realized that she'd been living in survival mode and was overcompensating to prove her worth. She associated this as much with growing up undocumented as she did with her identity as a child of immigrants. It was time to make a change, and she wasn't alone in needing to.
The unyielding feeling of inadequacy or a sense of not belonging in traditional workplaces for women of color and children of immigrants are what often drives you to follow the unspoken rules of inclusion, to fit in, to adapt, to make yourself "useful", keep your head down, and stay in your lane in order to hold on to the job you worked so hard to attain. Often, once you're in the door, once you've rolled up your sleeves and put in the long hours, and finally carved a space to grow in your field, you are often treated as and feel like "the other," and it starts to get in your way.
In THE OTHER, Daniela pushes you to reckon with this feeling and guides you in recognizing your power through your own eyes instead of a traditional white gaze in the workplace. She aims to help you clear your path toward advancement without losing your sense of identity and learn how to embrace your differences with confidence and use them to your advantage. By the end you will become your biggest believer and truly own your multidimensional narrative to take charge of your destiny, create your own box, and achieve your own version of success. This book is a framework for how to take back your power, master how to effectively advocate for yourself, and claim the spaces in your career that are rightfully yours.
