Jessica Bacal Books
Jessica Bacal is the director of the Wurtele Center for Leadership at Smith College. She has written and spoken widely about leadership, learning from failure, and women's professional development.
Known for: Mistakes I Made at Work: 25 Influential Women Reflect on What They Got Out of Getting It Wrong
Books by Jessica Bacal
Mistakes I Made at Work: 25 Influential Women Reflect on What They Got Out of Getting It Wrong
In this collection, twenty-five accomplished women—including writers, scientists, executives, and artists—share candid stories about mistakes they made early in their careers and the lessons they learned from them. Through honest reflection, the book offers insight into resilience, growth, and the value of failure as a teacher.
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Cheryl Strayed: Finding Authenticity Through Missteps
Cheryl Strayed begins her story by remembering her early days as a writer, when anxiety about approval weighed heavily on every sentence she wrote. She wanted to sound accomplished, to seem worthy of the literary world she so admired. But the more she tried to shape her writing into what she believe...
From Mistakes I Made at Work: 25 Influential Women Reflect on What They Got Out of Getting It Wrong
Kim Gordon: Creative Uncertainty and the Evolution of Identity
Kim Gordon’s contribution resonates as a hymn to creative instability. As co-founder of Sonic Youth, she wrestled with the ever-present fear of not knowing what came next. Her so-called mistakes weren’t simple errors—they were experiments that stretched her understanding of what art could be. Early ...
From Mistakes I Made at Work: 25 Influential Women Reflect on What They Got Out of Getting It Wrong
About Jessica Bacal
Jessica Bacal is the director of the Wurtele Center for Leadership at Smith College. She has written and spoken widely about leadership, learning from failure, and women's professional development.
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Jessica Bacal is the director of the Wurtele Center for Leadership at Smith College. She has written and spoken widely about leadership, learning from failure, and women's professional development.
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