This Isn’t Working: How Working Women Can Overcome Stress, Guilt, and Overload to Find True Success

“Working women’s well-being is declining faster than men’s, regardless of whether they have children,” asserts Dunbar, founder of Conscious Company magazine, in her solid debut manual. Leaning on her own career experience, in which she felt like she was “doing everything right” but still wasn’t happy, as well as lessons she’s learned from other business leaders, Dunbar identifies how the current business advice for women leads to increased stress and burnout without offering a path to success. Her assessment of why this is touches on how working parents are often excluded from leadership roles, objectification and sexual harassment in the workplace, and the idea of shareholder supremacy, which inherently puts compassion and empathy as leadership traits on the back burner. Dunbar recommends that businesses pivot to a more holistic approach to leadership, in which teams make decisions together, and ultimately she calls for an end to workplace norms that aren’t working for everyone. Readers will be encouraged by her compassionate tone: “Your value is not contingent on how much you do. You’re inherently worthy as you are. Full stop.” The result is a persuasive call for reform. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds Literary. (Aug.)