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The Mother of All Jobs
- How to Have Children and a Career and Stay Sane(ish)
- Narrated by: Christine Armstrong
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Categories: Business & Careers, Women in Business
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Random House presents the audiobook edition of How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith, read by the authors and Suzanne Toren. By the best-selling author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. Do you hesitate about putting forward ideas? Are you reluctant to claim credit for your achievements? Do you find it difficult to get the support you need from your boss or the recognition you deserve from your colleagues?
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In Mumboss, Vicki Broadbent, founder of HonestMum.com, shares her #mumboss manifesto for surviving and thriving at work and at home. Vicki writes about everything from juggling work and family to regaining your confidence after having a baby and battling imposter syndrome. An award-winning blogger and vlogger, in this book Vicki shares how to turn your passions into a business that suits the modern mum's lifestyle - all you need is a table and a laptop.
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Amazing and inspiring
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Summary
When Christine Armstrong became a mother, it never occurred to her that she would want to stop work or even work part-time. But the truth is, combining work and small kids is hard.
From the broken breast pumps on business trips, to hiding chicken pox from the nursery, to the heartbreak when you come home and realise your baby smells of the childminder. When Christine Armstrong tried it, she found herself desolate with misery.
Determined to make it work, she looked for answers by interviewing other working mums and found that she wasn't alone. These are the stories of the women who shared everything (and we mean everything) and what they want you to know.
The Mother of All Jobs ignores the glossy lives presented on social media and in magazines to show that, while it's not always pretty, working mothers can thrive if they have the knowledge others learnt the hard way. As practical as What to Expect When You're Expecting and as human as Bridget Jones's Diary, this audiobook is grounded in real stories that every working parent can relate to, cringe at and learn from.
What listeners say about The Mother of All Jobs
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ellie Boot
- 17-11-18
Interesting and thought-provoking
This doesn't give much practical advice about what to do but it made me feel a lot less alone with my problems and it was helpful hearing a lot of other women's stories and how they tried to achieve a work-life balance. Overall, I really liked it.
2 people found this helpful
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- Lara
- 12-08-20
Good!
I think this book was very well written, and well- researched, and it was very interesting to read the perspectives of lots of different mothers. I get the feeling that the primary target audience for this book is white middle class mothers, so as a black middle class mother, the book unfortunately did not help me address alot of the problems I face, so I regretfully have to give it 3 stars. The only other small complaint I have is that the author quoted a lady as saying "We Indian people are so fertile", and then subsequently went on to have fertility issues. I completely agree that the indian lady shouldn't have said that. I also think the author could have shown a little bit more compassion towards her. The lady making a small, offhand comment like that does not mean she "deserves" the sad, painful reality of fertility problems, as the author seems to suggest.
1 person found this helpful
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- KES
- 28-12-18
Excellent book!
This book is aimed at those with high flying careers and how to juggle this alongside children - small or large. However it also makes a much bigger point about modern day society and how woman are still far from equal in the workplace and that being quite impossible in the existing framework for home/work set in another era. The question is can we really “have it all” with being utterly exhausted and still knowing who the kids are. Brilliant book. I enjoyed it so much that I listened and then bought the paperback. High end career or not, every mother and Mum to be should listen and take note!
1 person found this helpful
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- WyCR
- 22-08-20
I wish I read this 5 years ago!
Everyone needs to read this - not just women vaguely thinking of having kids or working mums or even full-time mums - dads, managers, CEOs, and any member of society and work. It's a balanced, informative and well considered read, that's presented in a palatable way, and I'm already recommending it to just about everyone I meet.
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- Negar Farahmand
- 24-05-20
terrible book
I could not finish this book. the author just whines about every single challenge and provides unworkable solutions. If you're looking to relish in negativity then this is the book for you but if you want something positive and solution focused, then find another book.
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- EB 2019
- 01-08-19
A must read!
It’s comforting to know that my reality is reality for so many! Christine Armstrong is a great writer, thought provoking and humorous.
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- Jo Brunwin
- 31-07-19
This is my life!
Literally this book reads like my life in so many ways...
The real-life examples that Christine shares from her interviews have made me laugh out loud and realise that there are many women in the same situation as me.
I’m not the whole way through yet so hoping that there are useful tips and suggestions to come re how to navigate your way through the work / mum juggle... but for the moment I’m enjoying realising that it’s not just me...
Thank you Christine for writing such a sympathetic book in a way that is less ‘woe is me’ but just superbly real and witty!
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- Amazon Customer
- 18-02-19
Factual, funny, honest, insightful
A great relief to hear that everyone struggles at some point with the balancing act of life with children. A good listen for any mums and dads feeling guilty about working or not working and wondering how the hell they are going to negotiate children, work, new family life structures and keeping a bit for themselves and their sanity over the years.
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- Thandi Lamprecht
- 17-10-18
Everything I’ve been pondering since becoming a mother
Excellent and insightful book which honestly discusses the problems women and families face in our work oriented culture. These are the issues we need to discuss openly! A must “read”! Well written and researched.