January 2023: Setting Intentions and Recommended Reading
Madame Architect's NY-based team and friends, at our holiday gathering. Photography by Belle Morizio.
To Our Readers,
Welcome back from the holidays! The beginning of any year always holds so much promise, and there are many elements of Madame Architect that I look forward to this year: continuing to publish interviews with established practitioners, up-and-coming superstars, professionals who focus on advancing architects and their work, patrons of architecture, and those who have their foundations in architecture and who now apply their skills elsewhere. I'm also excited to revive our Expanding the Conversation series next month, where we invite our allies to discuss their experiences with mentorship, equity, and more. Finally, we have loved our new short video content on Reels and TikTok - if you don’t follow us on TikTok yet, here we are!
What I’m also really looking forward to is a sort of hibernation. January is definitely about input for me - breathing in inspiration, perspectives, ideas to then set intentions for the year ahead. If your month is anything like mine, I thought I'd recommend two categories of books to start the year with - what I’m reading now, as well as the list of the best career advancement books for women that I’ve read in recent years, all that I highly recommend if you're thinking about making a change, working through various existing situations, or wondering how to handle the success you may have already found:
What I’m Reading Now:
Machiavelli for Women: Defend Your Worth, Grow Your Ambition, and Win the Workplace by Stacey Vanek Smith - recommended by Lisa Chamberlain, this book covers it all - managing yourself in the workplace, mentorship, negotiation, allies, and more.
In Bohemia: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Kindness by Katie Swenson - I got to know Katie this year, and this book is sensational in the depth and layer it adds to her work, and in showing us how we can all move through the world.
How We Heal: Uncover Your Power and Set Yourself Free by Alexandra Elle - after finding Alex Elle on Instagram, I couldn't get enough of her thoughtful posts and advice, the culmination of which is this book.
The Best Books for Career Advancement for Women:
Unfinished Business: Women, Men, Work, Family by Anne Marie Slaughter - Super thorough and covers all aspects of life - creative output whatever yours may be, caretaking, and making all of it work with your partner.
Womenomics: Work Less, Achieve More, Live Better by Claire Shipman and Katherine Kay - Amazing advice from the two authors on how to reach your highest and best use, and how to work smarter, not harder.
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski - recommended by Ciara Cronin, Burnout is about the many layers of stress we can experience as women, and how to manage through and thrive.
Blowing My Way to the Top: How to Break the Rules, Find Your Purpose, and Create the Life and Career You Deserve by Jen Atkin - The title sounds scandalous until you realize the author is a hairstylist, and the hairstylist to today's A-listers. Her advice in working with those in the public eye, and being in the public eye and achieving success (and what happens after) is real and invaluable.
This Sh!t Works: A Non-Nonsene Guide to Networking Your Way to More Friends, More Adventures, and More Success by Julie Brown - not necessarily geared towards women, but an amazing resource for establishing a network of support and opportunity. Thanks Julie!
The Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed by Adam Bryant - Adam Bryant covers career phases - producing, managing, and leading - and what you should be aiming for in each, and how to be most effective in each. Also not specifically for women, but perhaps the best career-advice book I've read.
And with that, I can't wait to hear your thoughts and to share our upcoming interview line up with you next week. Happy New Year, and happy reading!
Yours,
Julia