About the Book:
The path to success is rarely easy or direct, and
good mentors are hard to find. In Getting There, thirty highly
successful people in diverse fields talk frankly about the
experiences that led to their choice of vocation, the lessons that
they learned along their way, and share their secrets to navigating
the rocky road to the top.
In an honest, direct, and engaging way, these role
models – including Warren Buffett, Anderson Cooper, Wendy Kopp, J.
Craig Venter, Helene Gayle, and Michael Bloomberg – describe the
obstacles they faced, the setbacks they endured, and the vital
lessons they learned.
• Matthew Weiner shopped his TV show
around Hollywood, but it was rejected all over town. Mad Men
finally made it to the screen seven years after it was
written.
• Les Moonves, the President and CEO of
CBS, originally pursued acting, but eventually realized he would be
happier on the other side of the camera.
• Jillian Michaels, who runs a health
and wellness empire, dedicated herself to that field after being
fired as a talent agent.
• Author Jeff Kinney spent eight years
writing his first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book only to have it
rejected by multiple publishers. His publisher finally gave him a
chance and there are now over 115 million Wimpy Kid books in print
(not to mention the movies).
• Matthew Weiner shopped his TV show
around Hollywood, but it was rejected all over town. Mad Men
finally made it to the screen seven years after it was
written.
They dispense not only essential and practical
career advice, but also priceless wisdom applicable to life in
general. The common threads that tie together their stories are that
passion trumps ambition; that adversity is a valuable teacher; that
an awareness of one's strengths and weaknesses is crucial to
achieving success; and that personal happiness is closely tied to a
satisfying working life. Getting There is for everyone —
from students contemplating their futures to the vast majority of us
facing challenges or seeking to reach our potential.
What people say:
"Thought-provoking
advice from some of the world's best-known success stories."
— Publishers Weekly
"Unlike
most such books, the tales in Getting
There
ring authentic — so they're actually useful."
— Fast Company
"For
life-changing, real-world advice." — Vanity Fair
About the Author:
Gillian Zoe Segal
is the author of Getting There: A Book of Mentors and New York
Characters. Born in Montreal, she has resided in the US since she was
9 years old. She received a bachelor of arts from the University of
Michigan and a law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardoza School of Law.
She lives in Manhattan and is also a freelance photographer.