McCutcheon's Caribbean perspective brings fresh cultural insights to leadership and self-advocacy. The emphasis on living "on your own terms" addresses a core issue: how to honor your authentic self in a world that often demands conformity.

An honest and raw guide to help initiate healing, stand in your power, and to have confidence that you are deserving and worthy of taking up space in a healthy way. Written compassionately with great suggestions that accommodate different demographics, I truly believe every woman needs this incredibly important book. 🫶🏻 A perfect testament to how with enough love, and given the right opportunities, you can overcome the obstacles life puts in your way. The stories of her childhood are exquisitely told with vivid imagery. As someone taking a permaculture diploma, even though I’m mindful that part of it was due to financial poverty/accessibility (however Judy’s positive mentality that they were and are rich in so many other ways and that it was and is a growth opportunity rings so true), I love the parts of her story that embody permaculture. I also felt her discussion on cyclical trauma (hurt people hurting people) that wasn’t always ancestral based is a topic that isn’t talked about nearly enough, and was of pivotal importance to the story. I also adore that she refers to God as a woman, and how refreshing it is to read a self-improvement book from someone who is so emotionally mature. Thank you so much NetGalley for the free ARC. The only thing I didn’t love was she quoted Henry Ford - who was a known anti-Semite and racist. Whilst the quote was relevant to what she was saying, I feel like a less bigoted source could have been used to make the same point.

The majority of this book is the author's life story, with some vague, fake-empowerment bullet points of what you were supposed to learn tacked on at the end of each chapter. The "advice" boils down to basically constantly be telling yourself, and this is a direct quote, "I am freaking fabulous and gorgeous! I am hella sexy and smart!" I also wish there had been some warning about how much of the Christian god is in this; if you are going to base your assertions around a religion, you need to state that up front so that people who aren't of the author's religion don't waste their time requesting and then reading this book.