NA it's just Corrin clearing out my personal account and I have to reach a 100 characters in length before I can submit.

Thank you to NetGalley for access to an audiobook version of this in exchange for my honest review.

Female Firebrands by Mikaela Kiner bills itself as a “practical, actionable guide to advocating for yourself and others at work”. It highlights 13 CEO level women from diverse backgrounds and talks about how they stand out as “firebrands” as well as their experiences in a male-dominated work culture. This book does not shy away from discussing tense topics, such as the #MeToo movement, racial biases, and privilege, and the shared experience of being a woman at work.

Listening to the audiobook and I found the narration EXTREMELY slow; I ended up listening at 1.75x speed and it sounded like normal speaking cadence at that level.

I found this book very interesting and helpful (the end of chapter checklists were fantastic reflection points), although at times I wasn’t sure who it was written for. For example, we are introduced to a group of Female Firebrands in the first section and given brief backgrounds as to why they are admirable. Then in part two, the author goes in-depth explaining why problematic things are problematic, as though she is addressing a group who is unfamiliar with what it’s like being a woman in the workplace. I wish we had more opportunities to hear from these Firebrands speaking on their experiences in these situations.

Ultimately, this is an ok workday listen when you need something motivating as you climb your own corporate ladder. There isn’t anything too earth-shattering, but enough to make you pause and nod your head in agreement.

Female Firebrands, written by Mikaela Kiner is a novel that can connect with situations all different kinds of women have come across in the business world. The personal stories she includes are of women of color, and women from all different backgrounds. Mikaela herself is highly successful and well known in her movements toward a healthier and better-suited environment for women and people of color. The women she includes have also been very successful and tell about their experiences and where they found growth in their lives. One of the parts of her book that really hit home for me was when she got into the way we women see other women. We see them as competition. I know that I always thought there was one spot for a role as a woman in a subject that was male-dominated. It's important for me from here on out to work on my perspective of that and to instead see those women as friends and not competition to be beaten down. I think everyone can find something in this novel that will make them realize this common conception is wrong and to make moves to change that part of themselves that has that way of thinking and also spread this to others and be vocal about their beleifs. I dream of a world that women are not held to these double standards and expected to work and take care of the home. Women have been doing the imposible for years; but many are not happy and burn themselves out trying to do it all.

This book was part "Motivational Speaker", Part "Learning Module". I found it incredibly hard to find any enjoyment in, but also I found it lacking any real information.
I didn't feel like it was really sharing the stories of these women who are supposedly the people we should be looking to as pinnacles of how to be women in the workplace, but also it felt like a regurgitation of the standard stuff you hear from a motivational speaker.
The narrator honestly wasn't of any help either, as the way this is read, makes it feel even more like just the standard motivational talk, and not even a great one at that.

Female Firebrands: Stories and Techniques to Ignite Change, Take Control, and Succeed in the Workplace by Mikaela Kiner

242 Pages
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group
Released Date: January 7, 2020

Audiobook Narrator: Julie Eickhoff
Audible Release Date: October 2, 2020
Listening Length: 5 hours and 10 minutes

Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Self-Improvement, Business Motivation, Women & Business, Business & Investing

The book is divided into two parts. Part one covers the stories of thirteen women. The second part are inspirational stories of recent events. These are the women included:

Mar Brettmann
Teri Citterman
Fran Dunaway
Leslie Feinzaig
Cheryl Ingram
Christy Johnson
Erin Jones
Heather Lewis
Emily Parkhurst
Tet Salva
Mala Singh
Kieran Snyder
Ruchika Tulshyan

Part Two:
Privilege in the Workplace
#MeToo
Send the Elevator Back Down!
#MomToo
Every Little Step Matters

I liked the voice of the narrator and felt so inspired after listening to this book. The stories are so uplifting and empowering. This book shows how successful women can be in leadership roles.

#gifted by @netgalley I liked it, but not a lot. I feel that this book gave me a different perspective on how I view the work environment and the way we treat men, women and people. However, I don't feel that this book is appropriate for everyone. The book mostly featured American Firebrands. I think the book would have been more relatable if it figured brands from around the world. The book gave you a feeling that the same story was merely repeated through different people and ways. I would liked a more in depth view of the womxn firebrands. (also note that womxn is not a way to exclude men as the book say but rather a way to show that we include all women, especially transwomen when we write or talk.)

Please refer to the publisher's notes for my impressions of this title. Thank you for allowing me to listen to this book. I appreciate your desire to understands the readers' perspective. Michelle Lovato michellelovato@live.com.

Women have the ability and opportunity to be in any chair at any company, but with the help of other women and men that are allies, they can be in that chair and make major impacts. While sharing the stories of 13 powerful and influential women, Mikaela makes many points that can help a women learn skills in order to make better decisions in any industry in any job.

The author did a great job narrating with great inflections in her voice and kept my attention in the car while I listened to the book. I enjoyed listening to her because I could tell that this book came from the heart and this is a subject that she is an expert on.

While I didn't read the text of the book and only listened to the audio, there were a few times where I felt as though the author used an example in two different chapters to highlight two very different points and it felt weird to hear something mentioned more than once. At one point, I was worried that something was wrong with my audiobook!

I like to listen to non fiction to hear someone tell me tips and tricks to better myself and I would suggest this book to any woman at any age in any career field, but beware that not all chapters may apply to you.

I am so glad that this was an audiobook! I listened to it on the drive to work everyday, and really enjoyed it. The narrator kept my attention, I really connected with the stories given, and found myself motivated by these women.

“Female Firebrands” by Mikaela Kiner is a business book for the empowered female in the workplace.

But it should be read by both men and women alike.

What exactly is a firebrand? It's a person who's passionate about a particular cause. In particular, they incite change and help others take radical action. Kiner shares case studies, research and insights from her life and the lives of 13 other women in business.

The result is a book that's chock-full of practical actions, tips and techniques. It's a guidebook of sorts to enable women to look at themselves in the mirror, figure out who they are and what they're willing to tolerate. Then hopefully they'll be empowered to stand up for themselves (and others) in the workplace.

This is Kiner's first book, and in it she pulls from her 15 years of experience serving in senior HR leadership roles. She climbed to the top of the HR ladder at big brands, such as Microsoft, Starbucks and Amazon, before founding her own consulting practice.

Within the pages of "Female Firebrands," she addresses all the modern topics women face in the workforce face, including:
• Double standards
• Glass ceilings and concrete ceilings
• Glass cliffs
• Imposter syndrome
• Internalized sexism
• Unconscious bias and discrimination
• Underrepresented minorities (URM)
• #MeToo
• #MomToo
• White Privilege
• Manels (male-based conference panels)
• Office housework
• The “Mommy track”
• Sexual harassment
• Pay inequality

Upon reading (or listening to) “Female Firebrands,” you’ll know how to:
• Develop tools and techniques to stand and speak up on behalf of yourself and others
• Get better at recognizing “little indignities” and micro aggressions
• Understand what it means to be an informed, empowered advocate for women
• Increase awareness of your own blind spots and biases
• Recognize the role of privilege at work and how it can be used for positive change

The audiobook is narrated by Julie Eickhoff who does a phenomenal job. Her pacing is perfect and I enjoyed her voice. The content is both digestible and relatable. I highly recommend it.


The nice thing is that Kilner is donating five percent of the profits from the sale of “Female Firebrands” to BEST (Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking).

Special thanks to Greenleaf Audiobooks for gifting me the audiobook, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

The majority of the book looked at different gender inequality problems women have in the workplace, specifically issues with privilege, sexual harassment, female rivalry, and parenthood.

Much of this book sounded the same. While the author strove to include a diversity of people in her spotlights, it didn't come across as a diversity of voices.

A good read if you're liberal. Stay away from it if you're Conservative as it's quite political.

Work can be tricky to manipulate for women. There are still so many things in most workplaces that are slanted to favor men. In Female Firebrands, Mikaela Kiner shares her own experiences along with those of a number of other women to offer up some anecdotes and advice. Kiner formerly worked for Microsoft and as an HR Director at Amazon. Kiner writes about women passed over for raises or promotions and given unquantifiable feedback on their reviews. She shares stories such as women who are told on a review that they need to be "more assertive" and then when the women try to action that they end up being let go. There is also a portion of the book on women being "mommy-tracked", whether they have kids or not. This means women being passed over as hires or for promotions due to the idea that they are going to have kids.

There is so much truth in this book that it kind of hurts. If you are a woman working in corporate America you will find something to relate to in this book. Kiner did a good job with inclusivity and diverstity by include women of diverse background in her panel that she polled for the book. I also really liked that there was actionable advice at the end of each chapter with checklists broken down by role (i.e. working woman, bosses, male allies, HR department). I highly recommend this book to anyone working in the corporate world. The audio book made it possible to digest the book while doing light work or commuting to/from work.

I listened to this book in audio, a must read for women in the workplace gives a really insightful view into how women are viewed. This book I would be a welcome read for managers, HR personnel and group,leaders.

Not Quite What I’d Thought It Would Be

I wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, it felt too strident and rigid in places. I had incorrectly assumed by the title that this would essentially be the detailed stories of 13 female “firebrands.” The author did share stories of 13 women who own companies or are in other ways influential (or have influential companies), but the stories weren't as detailed as I'd hoped (or even really stories in the way they are typically shared in books like this). The bulk of the book instead looked at several different gender inequality problems women have (and have historically had) in the workplace, specifically issues with privilege, sexual harassment, female rivalry, and parenthood.

Much of this book sounded the same. While the author strove to include a diversity of people in her spotlights, it didn't come across as a diversity of voices. The women's stories sounded much the same, and I find myself wondering if the author had included voices of those further down the rungs of power whether we would have gotten that diversity of voices. After all, women in more powerful positions have a certain level of privilege that comes with leadership or managerial titles that those rank-and-file employees don’t have. That is not to say that their struggles aren’t real; not at all! But women in less powerful positions don’t have as many options or arrows in their quivers.

I read a lot of nonfiction, and I like for any non-fiction book to be true to the promise of its title, having the book actually deliver on that promise. I don't feel like that happened here. The emphasis was not on these female firebrands but on gender inequality issues. It's completely fine for a book to be about that, of course, but be honest in your title about what the book is going to be about. That way, if someone's not interested in your topic, they can easily move on. For instance, I would have certainly been interested in detailed stories of women who struggled and triumphed, sharing their universal lessons, which is what I thought this book was going to be about from the title. The topic I actually got in this book is something that I wouldn't have chosen to read/listen to if I had known beforehand.

The book could have been better organized. The different women's stories might have been better interspersed with the main topics instead of being separate from them. Having the women separately first followed by a deeper look at the issues themselves just didn't work. I also didn't like the tone and some specific words the author used. She tried very hard to be inclusive and espouse being nonjudgmental—good things—yet at times she came across as very judgmental of people who disagreed with her. For instance, in the chapter on privilege, she made a statement that those who thought differently than her were clearly blinded by privilege. That's an ad hominem attack for one thing, which I never like to see in books like this; it's also black-and-white thinking, and the world's nature is more complex than that. Why does the author think her opinion is the only correct one? As soon as we label people like that—see only ourselves as right—we shut down the lines of communication and calcify our own thoughts.

As a female in my 50s, I have worked for a variety of organizations and owned my own (very small) businesses. I have experienced some of these topics firsthand and know their ugliness. I strongly believe that women ought to have their proper place at the table, so to speak, whether it is someone else's table or one we fashion ourselves. Many practices and institutional blind spots here are abhorrent, and they shouldn't happen in this day and age. But I don't think a book like this helps further that conversation, at least in a helpful way. Like the title, it is more apt to be incendiary than helpful.

Thank you to Greenleaf Audiobooks and NetGalley for an advance copy of this audiobook. I enjoyed this a great deal. The narration was well done, and at a perfect pace. The stories behind some powerful, strong women is the inspiration we need right now. A must listen.

The sole reason as to why I am not giving this book 5 stars is that I felt it was a bit under-developed in the beginning, when it talked about how certain women of importance managed to get past problems that arise in the office,
Other than that, Female Firebrands managed to capture a handful of information about women in the work-force of the capitalist society that we live in today, information ranging from the aggressions that working women face to different ways in which women, as well as HR companies and men allies, can combat them.
While the book didn't bring something new to the table with each chapter (at least for me), I feel that it still raised awareness to a problem which shouldn't even exist in 2020. And it did so from an intersectional feminist perspective, not diminishing women of colour in any way.
Not only did the author portray women's daily working lives in a theoretical manner, but she also came up with true stories and examples to support her affirmations - stories that carry a name with them, we all know, are more impactful than those who don't.
Another thing that I really came to enjoy was the checklist attached at the end of each chapter, with things that you should have taken into consideration after having read it, both learning-wise and application wise. These checklists gave a summary of the chapter, alongside guidance on how to combat the aggressions of women in the workplace, guidance which was split up into the different categories involved (women themselves, men allies and HR departments or CEOs).
All in all, I would really recommend reading this book to anyone, especially the audiobook. The narration was perfect for me, it had no flaws and it made me feel as though I was listening to a well-organised podcast, which is what I personally look for in the non-fiction audiobooks I read.

Ok, so, I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I must start saying that this is the first audiobook I ever listened, and I’m impressed by how much I enjoy it. I want to congratulate Julie Eickhoff for an amazing narration.

This book is a MUST READ for everyone. I almost wrote “for every woman” but no, every man who interacts in any way or form with a woman must read it too, specially if they WORK with woman.

As a liberal professional, I find Mikaela’s book inspiring and educational, even though, sadly, as a woman in a man-centered profession I have come to learn a lot of the topics she so brilliantly approaches in the hard way.

I loved how the author heighten the importance of women supporting women, and how we must find new ways to “compete against each other” but in a way to lift each other up.

I think by this point we all know how societal and familial expectations repress every chance of success in women, but in this book no stone will remain unmoved ad every aspect of patriarchy and discrimination will be acknowledge and criticized.

From the importance of intersectional feminism to the #metoo movement, Mikaela will point out everything wrong with the most common workplaces today, and she will point her fingers to people and corporations too, without shaking. I love her. I specially love how she stands in her privileged stance and OWNS it, but not only she acknowledges it all the times, but also brings diverse women to the table and goes beyond her way to illustrate the different realities and the different battles each woman faces.

But do not despair, cause she doesn’t only reminds us of the wrongs of the past and the present, but also guides and helps us to stand up to stand out.

How many times did I feel bad for establish limits and setting boundaries? How many times did I feel obliged to stay before hours and didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to be perceived as troublesome or not dedicated enough, even when my male counterparts never did the same? How many family events did I miss because I was “needed” at the office? If I don’t stand up for myself no one will, no matter how “woke” or how much of an “ally” my MALE boss is.

This book is a call out to every woman to stand up for themselves and for their sisters; not only in words but in actions, and I for one will redouble my efforts in practicing feminism, besides twitting about it.

LOVED the layout of the book. I think it’s clever in its organization. The rhythm is smart, and the chapters are dynamic and clear-themed, without losing the thread of the whole book.
The data, numbers and statistics just added a great bonus, just as the glossary at the end.
In short, amazing job that’s definitely go right to my feminist shelves.

Female Firebrands Stories and Techniques to Ignite Change, Take Control and Succeed in the Workplace written by Mikaela Kiner was in interesting book. I listened to the audio book. A little background on me, I am mostly content in my place in my work place of almost 9 years (which is run almost exclusively by men). Mikaela brought to light many things I have not thought about. I never really thought much about how being a women in a male dominated company "diminished" me. I never thought about privilege or stereotypes of women in the workplace so that kind of got me riled up.

The stories are about women mostly in the northwest. I am not sure why it was constantly reinforced where they were from. That was a little off putting. I am not from the northwest but could still benefit from their stories.

I think I am a bit older than the target audience for the book. I think younger women who are more up for change and making a change than I am would get a lot out of this book. I would definitely recommend it to my 22 yo daughter.

This book is geared towards female professionals who want a bit of reassurance that not only are we entitled to be treated fairly, it's actually the law.

Overall, this book is like every other on the subject. It gives great examples of successful women and talks about the struggles and discrimination they've faced, and serves as a good, entry-level read. It's easy to understand, doesn't go too far into numbers that it's incomprehensible, and it feels very empowering. One gripe is that it falls into the post-modern trap of talking constantly about "all genders" that face discrimination, rather than recognising that there's a SEX that gets the short straw in every interaction, and it dilutes the book's point a bit.

The narrator Julie Eickhoff is great. She has a history of performing books of a similar nature and is clearly good at it. She sounds friendly and also authoritative; if you have written a book and you want people to absorb its content, hire her.

I received a copy of this audiobook for free from NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

This is a must read (or listen) not only for women in the business world, but also the men.
The content and message in this book is SO IMPORTANT. I found myself shaking my head at some of the stories and constantly asking myself: HOW IS THIS STILL A THING?
Mikaela does a great job of not only pointing out the flaws in large corporate situations, but also strategies on how to confront sexism and racism when you are faced with it. The most important message was that being a woman, BIPOC, or a parent doesn’t make you unemployable. It makes you an ideal candidate for any job. Take extra note to each “end of chapter checklist”; they are great tools to remind you of how to be successful.

This non-fiction was fantastic as an audiobook because it took on more of a podcast feel!