Penelope Trunk has this blog and wrote this book. I haven’t yet read the book (not planning on becoming a Brazen Careerist quite yet as I’m still floating through the halcyon days of mommy-ness) but everyone else seems to like it. I’ll be making Brazen Careerist flashcards for myself someday in the not-too-distant future when I jump into the rat race.

Her blog I have read. Her focus is writing “advice at the intersection of work and life.” Gen-X and Gen-Y are whom she seems to be writing for, but most of what she has to say applies to anyone. Although, maybe not the independently wealthy folks who have no careers to forge, no time management issues and no major goals to tackle. Even those lucky bastards should read her stuff: she’s logical and is never pedantic and is never ever gratingly upbeat. She has no patience for whiners. And sometimes she’s a little bit cranky. Which may be why I’m such a fan.

Penelope Trunk is not her real name. Now I’m pissed that I didn’t think to come up with a smashingly fake internet personae. Her story is interesting. She was kicking corporate world booty when 9/11 happened. Being a block away from the Towers when it all went down made her do some re-evaluating. She downsized her material life, had a baby and left NYC. Reading about her decisions and how she came to make them made me happy again with my decision to focus on my family first and my career second.

Posted by Alexa Harrington