UNKNOWN

You do not need to be a woman in tech for this book to be useful. It has been written from the stance of a woman working in a male-dominated industry, but the challenges faced are not solely experienced by women, and the barriers to being authentic at work can be universal.

In all honesty, the topics discussed in this book are applicable to anyone working in an environment that is dominated by a characteristic that they do not have, or for those who are searching for the confidence to be who they are at work. So, if you are wondering whether this book is for you, ask yourself this question:

"Am I truly myself at work or do I dampen who I am to satisfy my surroundings?"

If the answer is that you are not truly yourself at work, then this book is for you!

We live in a world that is more connected than at any other time in history yet there is a distance through the interaction with technology, and, of course, there are societal and cultural pressures to conform. It is these pressures that can result in a feeling of disconnection or of not belonging.

The book is broken into chapters to work through the idea of authenticity. They are designed to take you on a journey from understanding what being authentic means to focusing on the practical applications of how to be you at work.

Within each chapter is a story that adds a real-life example of a barrier being met. Not all stories result in a happy ending where the goal of being authentic is realised, but from each story, there is a lesson that was learned.

Be bold, be brave, be you!

"As you delve into the book and reach its conclusion, you will find yourself standing a bit taller, speaking a bit louder, and ultimately, showing up as your true self."

David Barrow

Co-author of Allyship Actually - Why it's 'We' and not 'Me'

Sophie started her career working on an IT service desk and followed a technical path as an infrastructure and telephony engineer until becoming a service desk manager. She followed a service management path, ending in being the head of service management and, unofficially, a deputy chief information officer (CIO) in the financial sector.Her experience is from nearly 25 years of working in a male-dominated environment. For years, women have been labelled: too emotional, too dramatic, too much. Like many women, Sophie's felt the weight of the stereotypes that try to shrink us: the idea that we're less logical, more reactive, harder to lead, and so on. She's spent her life pushing back on those.Her role became redundant in early 2022 and she took a leap of faith, backing herself to start her own consultancy business, Lapis Consulting Services Ltd. The company is in its fourth year of trading.Sophie has been a mentor for the majority of her career and volunteers as a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) ambassador.