Power

A Woman's Guide to Living and Leading Without Apology

By: Kemi Nekvapil, Elizabeth Gilbert - foreword

Narrated by: Kemi Nekvapil, Elizabeth Gilbert

"This book is a miraculous event." –Elizabeth Gilbert, from the foreword

A transformative path for women to reclaim their power in a world all too eager to strip it away

Women know what it’s like to feel powerless. We have had power taken from us and used over us, and sometimes we have had to give it away for our own safety. But when power is built internally, it is stronger and more enduring than that bestowed externally. In Power, renowned leadership coach Kemi Nekvapil introduces a new framework for cultivating your power from the inside out.

When you tap into the power that comes from within, you have the capacity to rebuild yourself. You give yourself the opportunity to break free from chronic people-pleasing and start making choices that align with your needs and values. You stop living and leading with apology, and instead use your power as a force for good.

Through the principles of Presence, Ownership, Wisdom, Equality, and Responsibility, Power invites you to stop waiting for power to be handed to you and instead choose it for yourself and on your own terms. Drawing on stories from her own life as a Black woman in a society where power is often used as a tool for fear and obedience, and from the lives of leaders, gamechangers, and everyday women who’ve learned to step into their power, Nekvapil shows you how to practice, build, and feel your inner force.

©2023 Kemi Nekvapil (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“In Power, Kemi somehow manages to be blunt but gentle, galvanizing but calm, serious but hilarious, vulnerable but immensely strong. Reading this book will pull you into the flow of power we all share, to find the source that springs uniquely from your own life.”—Martha Beck, author of the New York Times bestselling The Way of Integrity

“Kemi shows us how we can claim our true power and agency without losing our hearts. Power is a beautiful call to action to live a more purpose-filled life.”—Marie Forleo, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Everything is Figureoutable

“A practical guide on how we can reclaim power as individuals and harness more power as a collective. It’s essential reading for any woman who wants to create change for herself and change for the world.”—Susan David, psychologist at Harvard Medical School and author of the #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling Emotional Agility

excellent book

I loved this book. I bought the printed book after listening to the audiobook! Our stories are the same no matter where we are in the world!

Amazing

Got the audio and had to buy the book to highlight my favorite parts. I am even gonna buy extra books to pass out to my friends who I feel could benefit from this book.

This book was powerful!

Every chapter grabbed me with the stories and the powerful questions that forced me to stop and reflect. I have shared this book with all the ladies in my life and intend to make this a recurring read!

One of my favourite audiobooks

I've listened to this book 3 times. Kemi's excellent storytelling and sincere reading paint a picture of a lifelong journey from a powerless position to a powerful one. I hope this book inspires more of her kind of power in the world - of raising each other up, not powering over others. She shares her own stories and the stories of others that are very vulnerable and talks about racism and representation in a thought-provoking way that encourages positive change.

Life changing.

Every chapter offered wisdom and insights that made me think deeply about how I show up in life. The author reads her own book which makes it more personal. The questions for reflection and taking action wrapped up each chapter and made the lessons impactful and full-circle.

Inspiring

I met Kemi at a writing retreat in Santa Fe, NM. She is as kind as she is powerful. This book is packed with wisdom and thoughts on how I as a person of color who is also disabled, can also own my power and be present in the world. I am not an apology. I am my own power.

You are not an apology

This book is stunning—it brims with an irrepressible spirit, it makes you think and cry, and it makes you want to stop apologizing for being yourself, even if you’re terrified because you’ve never known another way of being.

Not long ago, I rejected the word power. As Kemi shows us, most women have only known power as “power over” and we’ve either imitated it or rejected it, in the workplace and our homes. And even if we liked the idea of power being something different, we didn’t know how to act upon this idea.

Now I do. I will start with saying “I am” and owning the words that follow: Brave. Committed. Effervescent. Growing. Poetic. Beautiful. Powerful.

Thank you, Kemi, for gracing women with this treasure of a book.

Angry energy

I got this book because I felt like it would help me to find power as a woman however, the reading of this was so full of heavy energy. It seems like the author is very angry and bitter. This did not invoke power. It was actually quite infuriating. I couldn’t even get past half of it