You’ve heard the term many times throughout the past year and probably wondered what it takes to be a #GIRLBOSS. In this day and age, being a #GIRLBOSS is much more than owning your own company and ruling the world, it’s owning yourself and making decisions for you because ultimately, it’s your life and you should decide how you want to live it.

#GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amouso was a gift from my own boss when I first joined the team. On the inside cover there was a handwritten a note saying, “May this book inspire you to work hard, be your best self and #OWNIT. Become the best #GIRLBOSS you can be.” I’m all about girl power and marching to your own drum, so I knew without even reading the first paragraph that I would enjoy this book – intuition didn’t let me down.

I finally got around to reading #GIRLBOSS the morning after Christmas, and it honestly held my attention from cover to cover. I thoroughly enjoyed Sophia’s story on how she created her own business (Nasty Gal), the trials and tribulations of her upbringing and the solid advice she gives women who want to be successful on their own terms.

I also appreciated the “Portrait of a #GIRLBOSS” section where after each chapter Sophia had #GIRLBOSSes such as Leandra Medine from ManRepeller.com and Alexi Wasser from IMBOYCRAZY.com talk about how they gained success, mistakes you should avoid and insightful advice for career-driven women of today. All these women gained massive success on the internet by building their repertoire, networking and essentially being smart, well-rounded bad asses.

My favourite part of the book had to be Sophia’s advice such as:

“There’s zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.”

“When your goal is to gain experience, perspective and knowledge, failure is no longer a possibility.”

Sophia also had a paragraph in the book about being a self-proclaimed introvert. She mentions that being an introvert doesn’t necessarily mean you’re shy, it just means you get your energy differently from extroverts. Extroverts get their energy from being around people all the time, introverts get their energy from being alone, “much of the world from school to the workplace is set to reward extroverts…no way does being an introvert doom you into a life in the shadows.“ Sophia considers herself an introvert, so does the like of JK Rowling, Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs. They make fewer risky financial decisions, more persistent when faced with a problem that aren’t easily solvable and are typically very creative. I’d like to say I’m more of an introvert too. Again, it doesn’t mean I don’t love being social and meeting new people, but after a long day of talking and crowds the most fun I can have afterwards is being by myself, reading a book or watching TV to recharge.

All in all, loved this book. It was easy to read, the tone was awesome and honest – highly recommend to anyone looking for a bit of inspiration and career advice from a modern day #GIRLBOSS herself.