Carry Strong - by Stephanie Kramer (Paperback)

About the Book

"Having a baby and a career can feel challenging on the best of days, nearly impossible on the worst. From figuring out how to tell your boss you're pregnant to sucking in your belly bump all day long at work, to working even harder to prove your worth, there's a lot to navigate if you're newly pregnant or are even thinking about getting pregnant- and trying to juggle it all can leave you overwhelmed. It doesn't have to be this way. You can do it all, just not at the same time. And not alone. Carry Strong offers a new approach to working motherhood that wholeheartedly embraces pregnancy as an integral and concurrent part of a woman's career-and flips the script on a cultural constant to re-frame pregnancy as an opportunity to retain, instead of lose, women in the workplace. Drawing from four original studies plus hundreds of inspirational interviews, executive and career advocate Stephanie Kramer outlines essential principles for navigating your pregnancy and work simultaneously. With powerful, real-life stories and expert advice, she shows you how to embrace perspective, shed harmful scripts about so-called balance, cultivate community in the workplace, communicate your needs, and navigate the shift in identity from working woman to working mother. Along the way, you'll discover the major career considerations you'll make at each unique phase of your pregnancy, from before the moment you decide you want to be a working mom through your decision to return to work after baby, if at all. Just because you carry something well doesn't mean it isn't heavy. For every soon-to-be mom, Carry Strong encourages you to carry your bump with a positive tilt, even if your hands are on your lower back. This motherhood manifesto shows how to unburden yourself from societal and self-imposed pressures and set yourself up for success for your pregnancy and for your future"--

Book Synopsis

A groundbreaking approach to successfully navigating your pregnancy at work

Pregnancy is a profound journey. Navigating it while working--from figuring out how to tell your boss you're pregnant to squeezing in doctors' appointments between meetings, all while working even harder to prove yourself--can be a push and pull between a desire for privacy and the need for support. The good news is, it's possible to thrive in both spaces. Carry Strong offers a new approach that will transform your pregnancy years at work from something to "get through" into a career opportunity to embrace with confidence.

Employing original research, expert advice, and real-life stories from Olympic athletes, CEOs, and hundreds of amazing working mothers across the country, executive and professor Stephanie Kramer outlines essential principles for navigating pregnancy and work simultaneously. She shows you how to embrace a different perspective, find your balance, cultivate community, communicate your needs, and navigate the shift in identity from working woman to working mother. Along the way, you'll identify career considerations to make at each phase of pregnancy, starting with the moment you decide you want to become a working mom-to-be.

In Carry Strong, Kramer flips the script: This isn't about powering through pregnancy at work. It's about being powerful and pregnant at work.

Review Quotes

"Readers will find lots of feel-good, can-do messages and advice." -Booklist

"A deeply relevant and inspirational guide to navigating one of the most uncertain periods of a woman's career--and coming out the other side feeling stronger and more confident than ever." -Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive Global

"Navigating the stages of pregnancy and balancing a career while pregnant can be daunting. Stephanie tackles all the ups and downs by sharing the moving personal experiences from a breadth of individuals, as well as her own motherhood journey and the career balancing act that came along with it." -Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, author of The Gift of Forgiveness and Creator, BDA Baby(TM)

"I wish I had Carry Strong as a companion when I first entered my life phase of mothering. Yet it still resonates with me and should be read by everyone who is a caretaker. Kramer anchors her research in profoundly personal stories and comes up with a glorious road map for navigating work and parenthood. A must read." -Eve Rodsky, author of Fair Play and Find Your Unicorn Space

"Carry Strong flips the script on pregnancy at work from secretive and stressful to an opportunity for growth. Covering everything from fertility struggles and loss to the invisible and visible phases of pregnancy, it's packed with vulnerable stories and strategies to help set boundaries, focus, navigate tough conversations, and create the career and family that is right for you." -Leslie Schrock, author of Bumpin' and Fertility Rules

"Embracing the best of both worlds begins in pregnancy. In this empowering and encouraging book, Stephanie shares how real, ambitious women have navigated the journey toward birth and working parenthood, and emerged stronger on the other side." -Laura Vanderkam, author of I Know How She Does It

"Carry Strong is an important reflection of real women and real life and real stories--an authentic reference for the most exciting and anxious time in a woman's life." -Libby Wadle, CEO, J.Crew and Madewell

"In Carry Strong, Stephanie Kramer normalizes the challenges that so many women face in the workplace, from considering a pregnancy through being a working mother. Kramer offers a refreshing perspective based on research and anecdotes on how we can harness the power of motherhood to achieve personal and professional success." -Dr. Sarah Oreck, MD MS, reproductive psychiatrist

"Carry Strong is the missing link between books that celebrate the new feminism and bemoan the challenges that Mothers, particularly those of us in the paid workforce, still face. If we normalize, document, and celebrate every stage of parenthood, including preconception planning, then caregiving will become better supported in our society." -Leslie Forde, CEO and founder, Mom's Hierarchy of Needs

"Carry Strong is a powerful and thoughtful dive into navigating the complex situations women face in pregnancy for their careers. Full of authenticity, Stephanie's stories and research will help women everywhere shape the future of the workplace and break down the barriers for these critical conversations." -Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, executive coach and author of The Earned Life, Triggers, and What Got You Here Won't Get You There

"Stephanie has forged a new path for women in the workplace, who often grapple with pregnancy, fertility struggles, and loss privately. Rooted in research and loaded with compelling stories, Carry Strong should be required reading for the future of work." -Claudia Reuter, author of Yes, You Can Do This! and host of The 43 Percent podcast

"Carry Strong is creating a balanced conversation and important progress for Gen Z around pregnancy and work, ourselves included." -Lola McAllister and Pilar McDonald, co-founders, Project Matriarchs

"Carry Strong is the right mix of inspiration and perspiration that will change the way we look at pregnancy and work as concurrent to our careers. It gives words and tools for something we don't talk about--with heart." -Joan Kuhl, author of Dig Your Heels In

"This is the book I wish I would have had when I was pregnant with my daughter. I'll be adding it to every baby shower gift from now on! There are a wealth of books about motherhood, but Stephanie's focuses on the critical intersection of the workplace and new motherhood. Our identities as mothers and as professionals get so mixed up during this time and Stephanie guides us through, names the feelings and phases, and shares the stories of women who have gotten through the "messy middle" of blending those identities." -Aya Kanai, Head of Editorial and Creative, Google Shopping

"Carry Strong is an important and necessary reimagining of pre-conception, pregnancy, and work, drawing on robust research and compelling personal stories. Stephanie's narrative-centered approach amplifies the voices of those who have gone through it to help create a powerful blueprint for others." -Kimberly Seals Allers, author of The Big Letdown and founder, Irth App

"Carry Strong is a must-read for women seeking to balance the rewards and challenges of pregnancy alongside their developing careers. Stephanie Kramer inspires readers to unlock their potential at this pivotal moment in their personal and professional lives with a truly empowered approach." -Keith Ferrazzi, author of Competing in the New World of Work and Never Eat Alone, founder and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight

About the Author

Stephanie Kramer is a beauty industry executive. She teaches management communication on the graduate business program at the Fashion Institute of Technology and serves on the program's Industry Advisory Board. Stephanie has two young children.