Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Morgan DeBaun’s "Rewrite Your Rules" is a refreshing and empowering guide that challenges the conventional notions of success and offers a transformative framework for achieving fulfillment on your own terms. As the founder and CEO of Blavity Inc., DeBaun brings her entrepreneurial wisdom and relatable authenticity to this inspiring book, making it a must-read for anyone seeking to redefine their path in life.

The book is structured around a three-part framework: Master Yourself, Master Your Method, and Master Your Growth. Each section is packed with actionable advice, real-life anecdotes, and thought-provoking exercises that encourage readers to reflect on their values, align their actions with their goals, and adapt to life’s challenges. DeBaun’s writing is both practical and motivational, striking a perfect balance between guidance and inspiration.

"Rewrite Your Rules" boldly rejects the toxic hustle culture. DeBaun advocates for intentional living, urging readers to prioritize authenticity and purpose over societal expectations. Her insights are particularly valuable for those feeling trapped by traditional definitions of success, as she provides a roadmap for breaking free and designing a life that truly resonates with their passions and aspirations.

The book’s tone is conversational and approachable, making complex concepts feel accessible and relatable. DeBaun’s ability to connect with readers on a personal level is one of the book’s greatest strengths, as it feels less like a lecture and more like a heart-to-heart conversation with a trusted mentor.

While the book’s focus on self-discovery and personal growth is universal, it may resonate most with readers who are at a crossroads in their careers or personal lives. For those ready to take bold action and rewrite their own rules, this book offers a powerful toolkit for creating a life of success and freedom.

"Rewrite Your Rules" is a transformative and empowering read that challenges readers to rethink their approach to success and embrace a more intentional and fulfilling way of living. Morgan DeBaun’s wisdom and authenticity shine through every page, making this book a valuable resource for anyone ready to take charge of their life and redefine what truly matters.

I just couldn't connect with any of this. Perhaps if I worked in the traditional 9 to 5 corporate culture or wanted to start my own business (which, despite the author's claims, is exactly what the hustle culture wants you to do) this might have been more useful. It's also backwards-looking: the author tells you that the keys to success are to do things that she herself didn't start doing until she was already successful. It reads like she's checking off a "write book" item on her to-do list to boost her own "look mom, I made it" brag sheet.

How many of us are tired of the constant daily grind and glorification of hustle culture? I know I am! If 2020, or anything since, has been your wake-up call to that method of living not being the most sustainable or inspiring, but you still have trouble leaving it behind or slipping into those old habits, this book is for you. “Rewrite Your Rules” is broken down into three sections: Master Yourself, Master Your Method, and Master Your Growth. Each has three to four topics that guide you through how to reimagine success, envision better for yourself, and take action to get there.

I liked that this book gave actionable advice for both entrepreneurs AND traditional corporate employees. Not everyone is meant to be one or the other, no matter what the current influencer and entrepreneur glorification culture will have you believe. Ensuring that both paths were covered was refreshing. There are simple, tangible steps that will work no matter where you are on your journey to success.

Thank you to #NetGalley for a review copy of #RewriteYourRules. All feedback is my unbiased opinion, not paid, and simply for the love of books.

Rewrite Your Rules by Morgan DeBaun is a refreshing take on success that challenges hustle culture and encourages living intentionally. With a clear, actionable framework, DeBaun shows how to align your career and life with your deepest values, offering practical advice on achieving more by doing less. If you're looking to build a career that energizes you, this book is the perfect guide to help you work smarter, not harder, and create a fulfilling, purpose-driven life.

I don’t like writing negative reviews but this one didn’t work for me. It felt very preachy and came off with a point of view that just rubbed me the wrong way.

In "Rewrite Your Rules," founder and CEO of Blavity Inc. Morgan DeBaun fuels a world where hustle culture is out, intentional living is in and we all work smarter and not harder. DeBaun works from a three-part framework:

Master Yourself
Master Your Method
Master Your Growth

With Master Yourself, DeBaun takes us through a journey of aligning our actions with our deepest values. With Master Your Method, we begin building a formidable system to transform the timeline of our most ambitious goals to bring them to life. Finally, Master Your Growth empowers us to develop a mindset to handle any challenge.

Essentially, DeBaun is encouraging budding entrepreneur's and corporate climbers to lean into a more purpose-driven existence with action-centered advice and inspiration, corporate tough talk, and tangible accountability.

DeBaun builds this success on six pillars - money, freedom, stability, relationships, passions, and wellness. Offering ample tangible action steps and diagrams, DeBaun weaves together a corporate tapestry of inspiration and perspiration to help us build a journey to success involving, as the title would imply, less time and more freedom.

"Rewrite Your Rules" is ideal for corporate up-and-comers and early career entrepreneurs and CEOs while it's less likely to resonate with rank and file employees and established corporate leaders who've likely already established a personal leadership style that works.

A couple challenges I had with "Rewrite Your Rules" -

1) It seems like a good amount of these lessons were learned after DeBaun was successful. By the time she was practicing them, Blavity was well established and DeBaun was quite successful. So, for her, it was less about the "journey to success" and more about building a more satisfying and successful career as a corporate leader.

2) While DeBaun acknowledges her upbringing (ie, daughter of a successful physician), I'd have appreciated some reference to adapting this material to those who start with less.

3) A couple times, it seemed like "groundbreaking" was a bit familiar. For example, a section on weaving together work and life (not balance - integration) feels very Steve Jobs without referencing Jobs.

These are minor quibbles, really, for a book that offers clarity and tangible action steps for becoming healthier, happier, and more successful business leaders and entrepreneurs. For those on the way up or desiring to get that way, "Rewrite Your Rules" will prove to be a valuable resource for the journey to success or creating a healthier success.

Morgan DeBaun is the founder/CEO of Blavity and the author of "Rewrite Your Rules: The Journey to Success in Less Time with More Freedom." In this book, DeBaun helps her readers to "design a fulfilling life and career without succumbing to the relentless hustle culture and the success metrics of others." In this book, DeBaun asserts that you must know your purpose in order to be successful. Your reason for working, living, and everything else will always be more profitable if you know your purpose. This, according to DeBaun, is then called the purpose principle. That principle is the whole foundation for what you do, upon which is built the following six pillars: money, freedom, stability, relationships, passions, and wellness. DeBaun then goes on to define each pillar.

I found this book to be very helpful, particularly the diagrams. I thought this was a fairly easy read and would be good for any woman who is looking to make more of her life. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Good thoughts on how to redefine success in life, especially for an overwhelmed younger audience of readers.

(I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

If you're burning out in pursuit of success, DeBaun offers insights and strategies to take control of your emotional, vocational, and personal well-being.

I found this one a bit young for me: I'm secure in my calling and career, have a stable marriage with a we-love-to-work partner, and our kids are grown up. So we have nowhere to climb and nothing to prove.

That said, this would have been useful earlier. So ... if you're in the throes of career adjustments, entrepreneurship, or advancement in your working life, you'll find some sound advice here. Recommended for those who are thriving at work and dying inside, for those who want to be more intentional in life and career, and for those who would benefit from cautions as you start climbing the ladder at work.