books

A sneak peek at Mia Freedman's new book, Work Strife Balance.

So, I’ve written a new book and below is a tiny sneak peek of it.

Some of the things I’ve written about in this book: my eating disorder, pregnancy loss, ending a friendship, therapy, how I built a media company, how my marriage collapsed, the most humiliating career experience I’ve ever had and how I recovered from it, working for free, being diagnosed with anxiety, having a nervous breakdown, the hardest (and most surprising) year of parenting, how I knew I was done having kids, a letter to my daughter about my abortion, a letter to my sons about porn, why I think being fearless is a terrible idea (especially for women) and how I had to euthenase a friendship and… that’s only about half of it. Not even.

My son wrote a chapter about what it’s like to have me as a mother that made me cry and laugh but mostly cry and not only in a good way.

There’s a conversation I had with my mother that some of my friends say is their favourite part of the book (along with Luca‘s chapter).

There is advice and information and a reading list and life lessons I’ve learned (by failing and fucking up) and how I’ve identified the worst things women do (me too) to ourselves and how we can stop doing them.

It’s about how “work-life-balance” has become the new thigh gap and it’s making us all feel like shit.

There is so much in this book. It’s hella thick. A big, meaty book. And it’s all new – there’s nothing in there that has been published before.

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I’m hugely excited and nervous about this book. I’ve never worked so hard on anything in my life and I want you to love it. Here is a sneak peek so you can place a pre-order to get 20% off the retail price and get it sent straight to you on the very first day it comes out. As an extra incentive to pre-order, I’ve put together some bonuses that will only be available if you pre-order because that’s how excited I am:

• Exclusive access to a special 3-part podcast where I talk with no filter about the behind-the-pages process of writing the book and give you a sneak peek of each of the three sections, Work, Strife & Balance. This podcast is produced by my son Luca who wrote a chapter in the book and you’ll hear him in each of the episodes too. You’ll get the code to listen to this podcast as soon as you pre-order.

• A free coaching session with me: the Work Strife Balance Kickstart is an exclusive online event held in May where I’ll personally walk you through the steps to feeling better about all aspects of your life including your body, your family, your friends and your work. And you can ask questions in the Q&A session at the end. To redeem your bonuses, simply click on the button below and enter your order number. This is a seven digit number which will appear on your email confirmation after purchase.

THE FIRST 1000 PEOPLE TO PRE-ORDER WILL GET SIGNED COPIES!

YOU CAN PRE-ORDER HERE.

OK, so here is a tiny extract… this is how the book begins:

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A NOTE FROM ME BEFORE WE START:

There are many, many books written by successful women who talk about their successes and float their theory about how you can get some of it for yourself if you just Make a Vision Board, Live Your Best Life, Stay In The Moment and Beat Your Fear. Strive and Thrive But Not So Much That You Sleep Less Than Eight Hours. Say Yes and Also Say No. Lean In But Don’t Fall Over. Empower Yourself. Practice Gratitude. Don’t Lie Down, Be Mindful And Take Power Naps While Standing Up!

This is not one of those books.

You will find no platitudes here about reaching for the stars or just believing in yourself.

I promise not to tell you anything is possible if you want it enough because that’s bollocks and we both know it. Also because you’re smarter than that and you’ve bought a book (thank you), not an inspirational meme.

I’ve always found that you-go-girl! stuff to be empty, condescending, disingenuous and most of all, incredibly unhelpful.

This book is not about my journey. It’s about yours.

My objective in writing so personally is to be helpful to other women because I know from experience that the best way to do this is with honesty. It’s easy to share successes and triumphs. Our society is very good at celebrations.

Weddings, pregnancies, graduations, promotions, engagements, baby showers, birthdays… but the tough stuff of life – the strife – is far less transient than a few pinots and some congratulatory hugs.

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Eating disorders. Grief. Divorce. Miscarriage. Losing a job. Losing a loved one. Losing your mind. Infertility. Most of these things don’t have rituals around them. They exist secretly in our homes, our heads and our hearts.

And in an age of social media brag-fests and mindless hashtags it can sometimes feel like you’re the only one who’s not feeling photogenic (#gratitude) and Insagramming it to the world after using seven different filters.
The way women connect meaningfully in every aspect of our lives is not by boasting about our triumphs on Facebook but by sharing the nuances of our failures, our disappointments and our insecurities. Quietly. Often privately. Over wine. Over text. Over back fences. In person and on WhatsApp. Female friendships and meaningful connections are forged through vulnerability, not humble brags.

So I’m going to tell you about some of my most private failures, my most significant setbacks and my most painful vulnerabilities. More importantly, I’m going to tell you what I’ve learned from them. At Mamamia we call it flearning – failing and learning. Learning through failing. In my teens, twenties, thirties and forties, I’ve done a lot of both and I’m ready to be brutally, unflatteringly honest about all of it in the hope it will reassure you that you’re not alone in your thoughts, your fears or your insecurities. It’s not just you, I promise. In my interview podcast, No Filter, I’ve interviewed dozens of remarkable women about their own flearnings and I’ve included in this book some of the stories and wisdom they have shared that have fundamentally shaped and reshaped how I view everything from work, weight, motherhood, feminism, relationships, marriage, sex, loss and love.

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Ready?

Let’s do this.

Remember you can get 20% off the retail price plus these exclusive bonuses if you pre-order now:

• Exclusive access to a special 3-part podcast where I talk with no filter about the behind-the-pages process of writing the book and give you a sneak peek of each of the three sections, Work, Strife & Balance. This podcast is produced by my son Luca who wrote a chapter in the book and you’ll hear him in each of the episodes too. You’ll get the code to listen to this podcast as soon as you pre-order.

• A free coaching session with me: the Work Strife Balance Kickstart is an exclusive online event held in May where I’ll personally walk you through the steps to feeling better about all aspects of your life including your body, your family, your friends and your work. And you can ask questions in the Q&A session at the end. To redeem your bonuses, simply click on the button below and enter your order number. This is a seven digit number which will appear on your email confirmation after purchase.

THE FIRST 1000 PEOPLE TO PRE-ORDER WILL GET SIGNED COPIES!