If You Want to Cry, Go Outside by Kelly Cutrone

Apart from my Mum there are not many women who I look up to. There are women who I like a lit and admire such as Michelle Obama, Stephanie Savage, Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers. Mara Brock Ali. Well you can add Kelly Cutrone to that list: the no nonsense taking entrepreneur is a real role model for ladies. If You Want to Cry, Go Outside contains personal and professional stories from Kelly about her secrets to success without compromising your soul and values. She draws on her vast experience in mentoring women on how to make it in fashion to create a modern lady's guide. If you do not have the 'perfect' life ie hubby, kids, career and home then this book will most definitely talk to you. Kelly's main mantra is that you should create the perfect life for you by finding out what it is that you want and what makes you happy. She also advises that you stick to this philosophy and do not let anyone steer you away. She points out that today's society teaches us to ignore our inner voice and follow the crowd but in this book Kelly enables us to stop pretending and start living.

I normally do not do self help or how to books as I find them to be cheesy and frankly only produced to make a fast buck or two. I picked up this book because after been made redundant I have reached a bit of a crisis in terms of my career plans. Also I am fascinated about how Kelly got her fabulous career and not to mention that wonderful loft apartment. I admire her feistiness and success and really wanted to know more about her and how she got where she was. The book is not a chronological narrative of Kelly's career but instead it is theme based. Each chapter has a message and an example from Kelly's colourful life which has taught her a valuable lesson and she merges both personal and career together into a seamless tale. If You Want to Cry, Go Outside is a book that really makes you think about your contribution to society is. There are a few complaints from PR wannabees that they were expecting the book to be mostly about breaking into the industry, I guess that is only natural given Kelly's background however, Kelly does state in the introduction that this is not the case.

If You Want to Cry, Go Outside is available to buy from amazon.