Rise – In Pursuit of Empowerment features 25 “sparkling” women entrepreneurs who have overcome adversity and are creating successful lives. The editors of the book choose a star-studded theme as you can see from the cover. Each of the 25 sections included an inspirational quote from the featured lady on a starry themed background, her success story, a professionally done photograph and a short blurb about her business.

I had problems getting into the book initially. It seemed like there was an excess of sections before the main text. There was a dedication page,  foreward, a section of reviews (which I always skip so as not to prejudice myself before reading), preface, a page mentioning where you can go to download bonus material and finally, the table of contents.

Slow start aside, the stories these women shared were incredible. I enjoyed each and every one, whether or not I could relate to her struggles personally. I certainly felt inspired, which I believe was the intent of the book.

Take Naomi for example. After living a cautious life because of a heart condition, she took up mountain climbing in her senior years. As if that weren’t enough, she became involved with the Mending 1000 Hearts charity organization committed to educating the people about operations that could significantly impact the lives of children born with congenital heart conditions.

Then there was Sister Zeph. After dropping out of school following a beating and humiliation by a teacher, she began her own community school in rural Pakistan. She used her own earnings to buy school supplies for girls she taught in her courtyard under the open sky for 14 years. A windfall in the amount of $20,000 allowed her to buy a piece of property to build two rooms and a roof for her school. She now runs 2 schools with 200 registered students and offers training courses for more than 400 women each year.

Many of the women featured became life or health or spiritual coaches as they worked through their struggles. Whether these women overcame health problems, prejudice, abuse, depression, the corporate glass ceiling, or obstacles of their own making, they have all found their calling by providing empowerment to other women. It only proves that “if you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path,” as said by Buddha.

If you are in need of some inspiration to keep you focused on your own empowerment path, you will definitely enjoy Rise – In Pursuit of Empowerment.

You can read my review of this book at Reedsy Discovery here.